welcome to the land of gambling, sex, drugs and shopping.... LAS VEGAS.. excesses GALOREDay 1:
well, it was mostly a leftover of the day from San Francisco, we arrive at 6PM, the airport is CRAZY... disorganised and even had JACKPOT machines in the check-in area! talk about desperate for gambling...
We finally get our bags, get a cab, navigate our way with the 'blur' cabby to our suite-only hotel... The Meridian Suites.all good, they check us in,Darrel ( the porter) takes us in a buggy to the apartment... and THEN...
Apartment 1:
1. Internet not working
So we go for dinner ( which sucked because we were OFF the strip and ended up in Cafe Bellagio), return and try to change rooms...
So we go for dinner ( which sucked because we were OFF the strip and ended up in Cafe Bellagio), return and try to change rooms...
Apartment2:
2. Then we find apartment number 2 : internet and telephone not working.. so I say... forget it, we don't really need the phone tonight, let them fix it tomorrow..
so I try and shower... then we can't get the tap to work! Of course I say, " oh we should CALL them..." but guess what !! THE PHONE DOESN"T WORK!!! So poor Chris has to make a trip down to reception (5min walk) ... in the mean time Darrel had sent a technician down to try and fix the phone.. and the guy shows me how to turn the tap on ( ie PULL the tap out, rather than twist or anything else!!) WHY DON"T THEY JUST LEAVE INSTRUCTIONS!!!
Day 2:
We awake to a beautifully warm day, and decide that we needed a CAR! Fortunately ENTERPRISE car rental was next door at the Westin Hotel. We get a small car this time, but insurance amounted to half the rental cost !
Finally manage to get the complete tour of Vegas by cruising down the STRIP, where there were many people walking around in shorts and Tshirts... mostly pot -bellied Caucasians, or middle aged Asians.. surprisingly there were quite a few people in wheelchairs and motorised scooters around...
We checked out the shopping outlets( again ) but the variety is not as good as the LA ( Camarillo) or city shopping (SF)...however, we HAD to look for winter stuff for the next leg --NEW YORK!
We also had to check out the M&M museum, where you can obviously see the kid in Chris!
Day3:
More shopping in the morning, we finally bought warm jackets from Calvin Klein--fantastic deals.. leather jacket for USD 100! We tried to get lunch at BOUCHON at the Venetian, but they were not open for lunch... so we booked dinner for the next night.
Wandered down the strip, got tickets for a topless revue FANTASY at half price tix for USD 30 pp including taxes. The show was at Luxor... the one shaped like a pyramid with lights that highlight airborne insects /? bats at night...!
Well.. more about the topless show: choreography was not bad, some of the girls were frankly too thin, but they had toned legs... not all had great boobs.... there was a group of Asian guys sitting above us, but they were JET LAGGED... some were falling asleep ..well, only before the girls started.... The show consists mostly of singing and dancing, with individual mini 'shows' based on a theme.
Day 4:
Most memorable meal at Bouchon's in Venetian...Great service! We started with crusty bread accompanied by ? french butter (that's what we like to think!)..
Starters :we shared a platter of baked garlic escargots, crispy and succulent...
Mains: Chris had Joue de Boeuf, slow braised beef cheeks with French green lentils, while I had the scallops special.. We shared a side of sauteed spinach and finished the meal with Creme Caramel... delectable. The Caramel was lightly flamed, with a golden crust of sugar, and sinfully rich moist buttery custard.
Well, we ended the night with RAPID ROULETTE.. good news was that we didn't lose any $... minimum bets in Vegas Casinos are USD 10 for most tables.. and the gambling floor was EXTREMELY smoky... makes me appreciate CROWN casino for once!
Day5:
Last day in Vegas, we drive out in search for Babies R us on Rainbow boulevard... It has a FANTASTIC range of baby gear, from clothing to bedding to strollers and educational tools!! We buy the Baby Bjorn Air, a set of Carter's onesies and some more Baby Guess tops... lucky Madison!!It was a real torture not buying more stuff, but we couldn't carry so much with 1 more leg of travel to go...
We return the rental car and get a lift with the rental people to the airport (which is 1 mile from the STRIP)! He tells us that celebrity spottings are not uncommon in this part of town.
well... the airport is a sea of chaos... and we are anxious to clear customs ( shoes off, bags thoroughly checked and yes, some people FRISKED) .. and board the Virgin America flight 776 to get to San Francisco ( arrive 2015h) , then transfer to flight 239 bound for New York, leaving at 2305h, arriving at 0810 h the next day...
so I try and shower... then we can't get the tap to work! Of course I say, " oh we should CALL them..." but guess what !! THE PHONE DOESN"T WORK!!! So poor Chris has to make a trip down to reception (5min walk) ... in the mean time Darrel had sent a technician down to try and fix the phone.. and the guy shows me how to turn the tap on ( ie PULL the tap out, rather than twist or anything else!!) WHY DON"T THEY JUST LEAVE INSTRUCTIONS!!!
Day 2:
We awake to a beautifully warm day, and decide that we needed a CAR! Fortunately ENTERPRISE car rental was next door at the Westin Hotel. We get a small car this time, but insurance amounted to half the rental cost !
Finally manage to get the complete tour of Vegas by cruising down the STRIP, where there were many people walking around in shorts and Tshirts... mostly pot -bellied Caucasians, or middle aged Asians.. surprisingly there were quite a few people in wheelchairs and motorised scooters around...
We checked out the shopping outlets( again ) but the variety is not as good as the LA ( Camarillo) or city shopping (SF)...however, we HAD to look for winter stuff for the next leg --NEW YORK!
We also had to check out the M&M museum, where you can obviously see the kid in Chris!
Day3:
More shopping in the morning, we finally bought warm jackets from Calvin Klein--fantastic deals.. leather jacket for USD 100! We tried to get lunch at BOUCHON at the Venetian, but they were not open for lunch... so we booked dinner for the next night.
Wandered down the strip, got tickets for a topless revue FANTASY at half price tix for USD 30 pp including taxes. The show was at Luxor... the one shaped like a pyramid with lights that highlight airborne insects /? bats at night...!
Well.. more about the topless show: choreography was not bad, some of the girls were frankly too thin, but they had toned legs... not all had great boobs.... there was a group of Asian guys sitting above us, but they were JET LAGGED... some were falling asleep ..well, only before the girls started.... The show consists mostly of singing and dancing, with individual mini 'shows' based on a theme.
Day 4:
Most memorable meal at Bouchon's in Venetian...Great service! We started with crusty bread accompanied by ? french butter (that's what we like to think!)..
Starters :we shared a platter of baked garlic escargots, crispy and succulent...
Mains: Chris had Joue de Boeuf, slow braised beef cheeks with French green lentils, while I had the scallops special.. We shared a side of sauteed spinach and finished the meal with Creme Caramel... delectable. The Caramel was lightly flamed, with a golden crust of sugar, and sinfully rich moist buttery custard.
Well, we ended the night with RAPID ROULETTE.. good news was that we didn't lose any $... minimum bets in Vegas Casinos are USD 10 for most tables.. and the gambling floor was EXTREMELY smoky... makes me appreciate CROWN casino for once!
Day5:
Last day in Vegas, we drive out in search for Babies R us on Rainbow boulevard... It has a FANTASTIC range of baby gear, from clothing to bedding to strollers and educational tools!! We buy the Baby Bjorn Air, a set of Carter's onesies and some more Baby Guess tops... lucky Madison!!It was a real torture not buying more stuff, but we couldn't carry so much with 1 more leg of travel to go...
We return the rental car and get a lift with the rental people to the airport (which is 1 mile from the STRIP)! He tells us that celebrity spottings are not uncommon in this part of town.
well... the airport is a sea of chaos... and we are anxious to clear customs ( shoes off, bags thoroughly checked and yes, some people FRISKED) .. and board the Virgin America flight 776 to get to San Francisco ( arrive 2015h) , then transfer to flight 239 bound for New York, leaving at 2305h, arriving at 0810 h the next day...
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