Better late than never...

Went to Vegas in August...

Woke up at the GOD AWFUL time of 5:30 am to catch my 8:55 flight. I got on the plane and instantly made friends with the exit row. The next thing I know I was persuaded to have TWO bloody marys. Life was good. I arrived at Vegas at 9:55. I was buzzing and hyped. Somehow or another, I was upgraded to a Mustang Convertible.



I immediately let down the top and drove to the strip. We stayed at the Venetian. Of course, I got us upgraded to a better suite (gratis of course), by chatting with the Front Desk clerk. I went to lunch at the Grand Luxe cafe and went back to the room and crashed.







I woke up from my nap and got dressed for dinner at the Bellagio restaurant Jasmine
and a showing of O. Dinner was good and it was a lovely restaurant, but it isn't high on my list of "must dos". I could have had In and Out Burger. I love Cirque Du Soleil, but I didn't think that "O" was all of that and I definitely don't think that it was worth $125 tickets. IMHO, Mystere was a MUCH better showandat a better price. But hey...It was the experience.

The "O" Theatre





I did a little bit of gambling at the Bellagio. A win was nowhere in sight and I was tired so I decided to go back to the Venetian and gamble. The fountains were about to start, so I decided to check it out to take pictures. Now...I had on THREE INCH rope bottom, wooden heeled shoes. They are not really for walking the strip...They are more for show. I went through the shops at the Bellagio to check out the Gucci and Christian Dior stores (I am in love with Dior crap)...By the time I walked across the street my feet were throbbing. If I wasn't afraid of walking barefoot (various germs and plus the thought of walking in spit does not appeal to me), I would have.

I went to the Hilton and played the penny slots. I eventually caught a cab to the Venetian (one block). The cab driver rolled his eyes at me. I wanted to snatch a knot in his ass, but my feet hurt. If I could have paid someone to carry me to the room, I would have done it - no questions asked. I hobbled back to the room and went to bed.


Friday
Friday
The next morning I was wide awake at 6:00 am (hey...I am a CST girl). The weather was nice, so I ate breakfast outdoors at Bouchon in the Venetian.
The view at Breakfast


While I was sitting there I mapped out the itinerary. The plan was to take a nice leisurely trip to Hoover Dam. Of course, there was drama on the ride there. Well, I am from the flatlands...The drive to Hoover Dam is not flat. I drove. I had a panic attack that the car would go careening over the edge of the mountain like Toonces the Cat. I was a wreck when we arrived at the dam.




The tour was so not worth the $8 (I had a coupon). You get packed on an elevator like sardines (which was bad, but not terrible) and you go to the generator room. Then you go to some other part and you look at a topical map of the Colorado River reclamation project with all of the dams and what not. Soooooo not worth the money. I like museums and I like to be filled with all sorts of useless information, but that we could have purchased a book and got all of the information that we needed for the price of admission.

Notice how far I am from the railing. :lol


Save your eight dollars and just take a look at this picture.


More Venetian Pics

 

Oh yeah...I gave up on buffets a long time ago (OK...six months ago). Plus...I like to get the morning started in/with a good spirit. So, for the weekend mornings we had breakfast in the room with a bottle of Domaine Chandon .



We also went to see "Mamma Mia." I purchased the buy one get one free tickets. Thank goodness because I couldn't imagine paying full price for that one. It was a cute show, but I would have preferred to see Ka.

 

Geez! You got upgraded all over the place. It's good to be a pretty girl hahah.

 

Thanks for the TR! So nice with the pictures. Excellent job!

 

I think it is the accent. People out west LOVE "country" accents.

I have more pictures. I have to upload them. I also have other reviews that I need to discuss.

 

Thanks for the TR MM. Very nice pics as well. The ride to the Dam is a trip. I remember thinking that it had to be just around the next bend... or maybe the next one... or possibly the next one. It is amazing once you get there but that last 10 miles is tough.

 

That's a great TR! If you don't mind me asking, what did you get upgraded to at Venetian? I only ask because there are four of us going on this next trip and Venetian would actually fit all of us comfortably, so we're considering that.

 

Blackjack, I left out the entire story because I didn't want you all to think that I was a drama bomb. I have a couple of control related issues and I have major fears of falling off mountains. I won't even discuss the trips to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon.

Basically, I am driving down the highway - doing my thing...Singing. Having fun. Talking. All of the sudden the road began to wind around these mountain-like structures. I thought, "This is interesting." I turned one of the curves and I noticed that I was ON THE OUTER EDGE OF THE MOUNTAIN. I panicked.

Well, I gripped the steering wheel and started saying, "Jesus...Jesus....Jesus..."...I beige-knuckled my way around those curves going 15 MPH. I decided at that point that I was NOT driving over the dam and I didn't give a damn.

Oh yeah...When I started out on this adventure I was the only person on the road. When I got to the security checkpoint there were like 30 cars behind me. I asked the security person if I HAD to drive over the dam 'cause I was fully prepared to go back to the strip and shop. I was like,"Eff Hoover Dam!".

So, I drive 10 MPH towards Hoover Dam. I found a parking structure. It took me five minutes to get out of the car and when I did I was a nervous wreck. I took a peek from the parking structure and I was like, "Oh hell naw! I am NOT going there. I will mess around, fall, and go sliding down Hoover Dam." My friends encouraged me to go to the dam. It took me THIRTY MINUTES to walk to the dam from the parking structure.

When I did get to the dam, I didn't even stand close to the bars because I didn't want anyone to bump into me and 'cause me to fall over the railing and then go SLIDING down the side of the dam.

BShowell, we were upgraded from the regular Venetian Bella suites to the Bella Suite in the Venezia Tower. I missed my flight and was forced to stay in the "regular" tower. That room was nice and roomy. I love the Venetian!

 

Sounds like a fear of heights to me. I advise you not go to Niagara Falls and stand on the side of them looking over the precipe. <shudder>

I remember the first time I saw Hoover Dam and the drive up to it. It IS freaky - but what really gets me is one thing you pictured really well. I just don't get how those power poles can be there at that unnatural angle and not fall over. It's just wrong!

 

Oh yeah! Every time I go to Vegas, I spend an afternoon in Henderson. There is only so much time that I can spend on the strip without losing my mind AND my money. The tax rate is like 2% and that is where we go and load up on cheap liquor for the room . I found a really nice Aveda Concept spa - Gianna Christine . It is located at the District at Green Valley Ranch. It is a little cheaper than the spas on the strip.

 

CoasterKikky, I am fine with heights from "enclosed" areas. I don't have a problem flying or tall buildings. I just don't like open-air heights. That gives me the willies. Niagara Falls...I can't even imagine that! The museum explained how the power lines are constructed. Of course, I was asleep when they showed that.