Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Vegas Photos

Okay, I'm going to do the Vegas photos in one post, instead of a bunch like last time, so stick with me here. This trip was very spontaneous- we planned it about 4-5 days before we left. We cashed in all our mileage points and flew first class out there and back (what a special treat!) and arrived last Monday. Since we did all the touristy things in April (Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc.) we didn't rent a car this trip because we knew we weren't leaving the city. As much stuff that is crammed on The Strip, it really is very walkable from one end to the other (less than four miles long). The weather was spectacular, with highs only in the 70's on most days. So, here are some of the photos I took...



Our first morning saw us taking a cab off The Strip to have a late breakfast at Hash House A Go Go (below). We saw it recently on an episode of one of our favorite shows, Man Versus Food, and decided we had to check it out ourselves. Their motto is "twisted farm food", and it was. (I'll have photos over on my other blog about that later today.) Since it was over in town, we had to take a cab, and with the ride there and back, the meal ended up costing about $100 with the taxi fare! Okay, it was crazy, but it was worth it for the experience. And I think we've decided that next time (if) we go to Vegas, we will probably rent a car again. But it was actually pretty cool to be able to see something on TV, and then get to go there a few weeks later in person.





These are photos (below), from the Paris hotel which was right next to ours. The two hotels were actually connected indoors with a quaint cobbled avenue full of shops and dining choices, decorated with stained glass and fountains and statues everywhere. We went back and forth between the two frequently. It's also owned by Harrah's. We went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower our last night there. It's 460 feet up, and to scale, and exactly one half the size of the real one in France. And yes, my vertigo made me want to puke on the dizzying ride up.









So our main reason for going was that James was invited to play in a big two-day poker tournament through Harrah's. Here are photos from day one (James in the second photo with white baseball hat on). It started out with well over 1,000 people in it, and James finished in the money on day two, somewhere up in the top 75. I sat behind the ropes with the other wives and watched as best as I could, but sometimes his table was too far away for me to see him. It was the real deal, just like on TV, only no Phil Hellmuth or Daniel Negreanu. And unfortunately no commentators to let the watching crowd know who had what cards! Not only did James do well in that tournament, but later on that night he played in another one where he picked up a nice fat jackpot for hitting a royal flush! (No, don't come rob us, we left much of the winnings there in Vegas.......)





This trip we stayed on The Strip at Bally's, which is where the tournament was being held. Photos are from the front entrance, as well as the view from our room at night and during the day. We were only on the 15th floor this time, so my vertigo didn't bother me like it did during our April stay at the Rio, as you may remember from that post. Bally's is also owned by Harrah's, as is the Rio. We always stay at Harrah's hotels because we get our rooms for free- well, James will tell you it's not "free" because he has to play in the casino to earn those rooms!!! But being a Harrah's cardholder at a Harrah's hotel offers a few perks- going to the head of the line at the restaurants, discounts at the shops, free meals. So it makes sense for us to stay there.







The Bellagio was right across the street, so we walked over there one afternoon to check it out. This is the mega-swanky hotel featured in Ocean's Eleven, with the lovely lighted fountains at night. It was gorgeous, and they had a beautiful fall display set up in a garden area inside, just beyond the lobby.









Caesars Palace was also right across the street, and we went over there mainly to check out the massive shopping center they have, The Forum. These photos were taken from the common areas of the shopping district, so that may give you an idea of what kind of shops they have there- Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Versace, Ferragamo, LV. I could go on. Needless to say, we kept our wallets to ourselves on this shopping trip! We did stop in at the Serendipity to share one of their famous Frozen Hot Chocolates, it was super yummy and cold enough to hurt you.









In April we were able to collect all the elongated pennies on The Strip- all but the ones at the car museum at the Imperial Palace hotel, which was closed when we arrived on our last visit. So we made sure we took time out one afternoon to make it over there this time. Check out this car- it was for sale for only $2.5 million dollars! Can you imagine? Who pays that much money for an old car? And it wasn't the most expensive one there.







To finish it off, here are a few photos I took from up in the Eiffel Tower. Vegas during the day and Vegas at night are like two different cities. I know NYC is the city that never sleeps, but I think Vegas could give it a run for the money. Literally! We had a great time, and it was an awesome trip, and we made it home late on Friday night. What a long flight, but it was fun and it was worth it.




1 comment:

  1. Wow, how cool is that. You guys really did see alot. Looks like you really enjoyed your stay.
    Dad

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