12.06.2012

Birthday in Las Vegas.

This past weekend I celebrated my 29th birthday in Las Vegas. This checked one more item off my 30 by 30 List and it marked the one year countdown to completing that list. It was also my very first trip to Vegas and much needed mini-vacation. But, boy, did we pack a lot into the time we were there!

The first night (my actual birthday) we ate dinner at BLT Burger. Ali (go check out her blog!) and Alberto surprised me with mini red velvet cupcakes for dessert and they were delicious. Afterwards we checked out the volcano show outside of The Mirage Hotel and then made our way back inside for Cirque du Soleil LOVE (the Beetles one). I was literally blown away by how impressive it was. I loved the music, the sets, the costumes, the dancing, the incredible feats of strength. A + A had seen other Cirque du Soleil shows and said it wasn't as acrobatic as others, but I had nothing to compare it to. I loved it! Probably one of my favorite things we did.

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After the show, we walked around to a few of the other hotels: The Wynn (played slots for the first time), The Venetian, and The Palazzo. My feet were exhausted after that first night, but it was incredible.

The next morning we started the day off with a champagne brunch at Le Village Buffet at The Paris. We bought the Buffet of Buffets, which basically encourages you to each as much as you can in 24 hours. Brunch was good, particularly the crepe Micah and I split, oh, and the creme brulee, mmm...

Inside The Paris there are little cobblestone streets and the casino area feels more open (like you're outside).

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Next up we toured around Caesars Palace and then went to The Bellagio (which might have been my favorite hotel). They have a garden/conservatory that is decorated with changing seasons. All the re-creations are made with flowers and other nature items (like pine cones). They did an incredible job. As you can see from the pictures, it was Christmas themed.

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The Eiffel Tower at dusk.
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We were hoping to catch the fountain show at the Bellagio, but then it became a little too windy (there was a storm brewing) and one didn't start on schedule, so we bailed. We found a warm spot at a Starbucks. The kind lady even gave me a free water! My feet needed a rest and my body needed some water, so it was the perfect place to recharge (no caffeine even required).

Since we still needed a little more time before our next buffet, we played slots again. I lucked out and got a good machine (it was called Storm). I won a whole $2.30. Striking it rich in Vegas!

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Planet Hollywood buffet didn't disappoint. Again, my favorite part, the square of cheesecake at the end (I'm starting to see a pattern). Also, great, we saw a lot of the Miss Universe contestants (eating from the salad bar, of course!) Had they not of had their contestant sashes on, we would have never been able to tell them apart. Tall (check). Really thin (check). Long hair (check).

And after all that eating, we headed down to Old Town Vegas. Basically Gatlinburg (anybody? anybody?) Best part about it, we upped the ante and played roulette. $20 dollars in, $42 dollars out, net gain of $22. I.was.on.fire.

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On the last day in Vegas, we took in even more of the sites, including New York, New York, MGM (pictured below not the MGM, but Caesars), and The Luxor. Who knew one could travel the world in just one city.

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Overall, Vegas was a ton of fun. Thanks to our tour guides, we got to pretty much see it all. I'm glad to have gone, but I'm not sure that I'm sold on the place. It was overstimulating and I was pretty Vegas-ed out when I left. Let's just say I got my fill for awhile! :)

Now to get crackin' on my List!!

1 comment:

Ali said...

Love the recap!! :D You were on fire indeed! And thanks for the blog plug :D.