Mark has been to Las Vegas several times, but he took me out there for the first time in July of 2007 - when I was 5 months pregnant with Turner and it was 109 degrees. :) We had a blast, but I was excited for the opportunity to go again and take some much needed time away from day to day busyness and responsibilities.
The first time we went, I was amazed at the grandeur of the casinos, hotel lobbies, the lights and sparkles, and the extravagance that is Las Vegas. I laughed at my pictures since again this trip, most of my pictures and fascination with this city lies in the extreme decorating and grand scale of everything. Mark and I don't really love Vegas for what most people think of it, but it's a city we do enjoy visiting!
Our hotel lobby - we stayed at The Paris Hotel and Casino this time. Last time we were a few days at the Flamingo and a few days at MGM Grand. If you are heading that way, we'd love to share our tips and thoughts on these hotels!
The view from our quaint little Italian restaurant Zeffirino's in the Venetian Hotel and Casino. I love this hotel - the ceiling is painted to look like sky so you don't know what time of day it is. And you can take gondola rides through the hotel and to the outside through a series of canals. Beautiful!
This is the view from the balcony and walkway from the Venetian to the Wynn, which was a hotel we hadn't seen before when went to Vegas last time.
While we were out there we were treated to the Volcano eruption in front of the Mirage Hotel and Casino.
The decorations in the Venetian (and other hotels) were all fall themed and just absolutely beautiful! The sign in the bottom of this picture described the man power and man hours it took to put up this display - I want to say it was a crew working round the clock for 10 days to get it all in place. Unbelievably beautiful!
And then we experienced the Wynn...oh my goodness! This is my new favorite as far as decorations and grandeur!
Mark teases me about taking pictures of flowers, but y'all seriously, these flower balls were just out of control! All of the flowers you see are real and just to think of the cost of each of these...and there were probably close to 100 in the lobby! Roses, carnations, daisies - they were exquisite!
Loved these glitter butterflies on the ceiling - I am sure someone would be offended by my terming these "glitter butterflies" as if it were something I could craft at home. But you get the picture.
If you know me, you know I love sparkle. But y'all, I have never seen anything like this mirror before in my life! Totally encrusted in sparkly stones - no clue what kind - and check out the price tag. I looked like such a redneck taking these pictures, but I so wanted to take this home with me!
Mark and always rent a car when we go to Las Vegas, which allows for easier maneuvering around the city and the ability to make our regular trip to our favorite Wal-Mart for bottled water and snacks! We also love some of the outlet malls just off the strip, so I do have the opportunity to snap pictures as we ride up and down the Las Vegas Strip.
This is the New York New York Hotel and Casino - notice the roller coaster that goes throughout!
The Luxor Hotel and Casino - everything inside is Egyptian in theme, decor, and dress! Very neat!
I do always forget that Las Vegas is truly in the middle of the desert, and that you can see mountains in the distance. Such a different landscape from the Loveliest Village...
One side of our hotel (Paris).
The Bellagio
You may want to stop reading now if you have a really high opinion of our moral conscience, but Mark and I love comedy and some of our favorites would probably be surprising to most. I love Steve Harvey and nearly hurt myself laughing when I can catch one of his shows. Mark loves Daniel Tosh. But both of us love Ralphie May and were first exposed to him when he was on Last Comic Standing (back when we had time to watch TV). We love his extra southern delivery and his equal opportunity style - simply put, he really makes us laugh. He's quite inappropriate, but when we heard he was going to be at the SouthPointe Casino while we were there we made arrangements to go. I hurt my face I laughed so hard! We met him afterwards and were completely impressed with his down to earth nature and the fact that he signed autographs and took pictures as long as his audience desired after the show. He was a pleasure to meet!
After driving back to our hotel, we decided to go and walk through the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio. Last visit, it was the Bellagio that shocked me most in it's extravagance and beauty. The fall display was simply stunning!
We headed back down toward our hotel for some nighttime sightseeing - I just love the lights!
We ended up at the Bellagio fountains and stayed long enough to catch two water shows choreographed to music - one to "Singing in the Rain" and the best one set to Whitney Houston's Super Bowl rendition of the National Anthem. Amazing! One of my favorite movies is Oceans 11 and standing in front of these fountains makes me think of that final scene.
The following day we decided to go back through the Bellagio to see the Botanical Gardens in the daytime. The small details were much clearer in the light of day and boy was this display special!
Mark and I do a lot of walking in Vegas because the footings for these properties are massive - so if you are like us and want to see lots of properties while you are there you walk a lot! Someone asked me if it was ok to just walk through these hotels and the answer to that is yes - the casinos are on the ground floor so they want you to come in, look around, shop, and hopefully spend some money there in one way or another!
A few shots from Caesar's Palace
Last time I cried on the way home, with pregnancy hormones getting the best of me and worries looming about how "the baby" would affect our lives and opportunities to travel and do things together. This trip I traveled home alone, leaving Mark behind for the conference. I didn't cry but rather smiled at the irony of my previous worries. That little baby is now my big girl, and while she has certainly changed our lives in the most wonderful way, I am proud that she hasn't changed the fact that at least once a year Mark try to prioritize and get away together on trips such as this.
I am so grateful for a husband who likes to travel and take this little South Alabama girl to places she's never seen, explore together new cities and cuisines, and experience the unexpected fun of travel together. We had a ball!!
No comments:
Post a Comment