Las Vegas, Part III: Here and There

After I said goodbye to Mom, I met up with my coworkers at Wolfgang Puck Postrio Bar & Grill at the Venetian for a delicious Italian dinner.  It was the best meal I ate in Las Vegas.  I had a rigatoni with fennel sausage bolognese, and I ate every bit.  Delicious.

Intense Venetian ceiling!

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From there, we took a taxi to our home away from home for a few days: the J.W. Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa.  It was definitely not close to the strip (more Summerlin than Vegas, really) but was a peaceful retreat with mountain views.  The decor was a bit dated, but the rooms were large and the bed super-comfy.

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I had a great time getting to know my coworkers.  We were working during the day, but every meal together helped me learn more about the people I work with every day.  I also got to relax myself; I made sure to get plenty of sleep, plus I had an amazing custom facial at the Aquae Sulis Spa.

On our last night in Vegas, we all headed to the strip for a Cajun/steak dinner at Voodoo Steak at the Rio.  Second favorite meal in Sin City; great steak, sides, and cocktails... I recommend the pineapple mojito and truffle mac & cheese.  The balcony also has ana amazing view of the Strip.

Afterwards, we capped off the night with a campy romp at MJ Live, a Michael Jackson tribute show.  It wasn't the most splashy Las Vegas show, but it was entertaining and memorable.

Even though Las Vegas was a blast, I think it was time for me to go home.  Nashville was calling my name!  And sure enough, even though it was snowing when I left, it was warming up when I returned. I'm happy to be back in Nashvegas.

Las Vegas Part II: Shopping & Cirque

The next two days in Las Vegas, Mom and I explored even more... we started our day with a breakfast buffet (came free with our hotel stay) at Mandalay Bay's Bayside Buffet.  The food was so-so; Mom loved diving into the seafood (yes, for breakfast!) but we wouldn't have paid full price for it.  I found a lot of the food in Las Vegas to either be fantastic or just "meh".

Afterwards, we walked a TON in search of shopping destinations (Fashion Show Mall and Miracle Mile) but I found the stores to be wanting as well.  No great finds for this shopaholic!  But we did walk by Caesar's Palace.

That evening, we went to another show...  yup, we splurged on tickets this trip.  I'd never been toa  Cirque du Soleil show, so we went to the very first one to ever hit Las Vegas: Mystere.  There are seven (and counting!) Cirque shows in Vegas, but this one still ranks near the top after 20 years.

It was riveting!  I think Mom found the clowns a little odd, but the feats of strength and theatricality were top-notch.  I want to see more Cirque shows!!!  I'd love to come back and see "O" or The Beatles LOVE.

On our last day together in Las Vegas, we did what we do best: SHOP.  We finally found some great deals at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets - North.  I snagged some deals at Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and Coach!  I was definitely more into the shops at the outlet vs. stores on the strip.  Thought I will say the Crystals luxury mall is architecturally gorgeous; I just don't need any Louis Vuitton or Tiffany's at the moment.

I had so much fun with my Mom in Las Vegas!  I'm glad we were able to meet up and enjoy some one-on-one time together.

Las Vegas, Part I: Walking the Strip + Jersey Boys!

I was traveling to Las Vegas for work this week, and when Mom heard we got the idea to fly out early and enjoy a weekend on the strip.

New York New York

We got a great deal to stay at New York New York, which I originally anticipated would be cheesy and older... turns out, it was modern, fun, had a ton going on, and was one of my favorite casinos!

Free photo!

We really liked our room, which had a partial view of the strip.  We were kind of on the far south side of the strip, so the first day we did a TON of walking to orient ourselves.  We walked from our hotel to the Bellagio, stopping to check out shops and things along the way.  We caught the famous water show at the Bellagio, then headed inside to take a look at the beautiful hotel.

I love the blown glass inside the Bellagio... and also the insane chocolate fountain we saw at a candy shoppe!

In addition, it was the last day of Chinese New Year's decor, so Mom and I got to see the great floral decorations.  I happened to be wearing my Chinese "happiness" earrings that day too!

That night, we had dinner and a show planned... a delicious French dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, and some great tickets to see Jersey Boys.  Both were at the Paris casino.

We celebrated our birthdays at dinner (Mom's was in February, mine is this month) with a little dessert too.  We also thought the show was very well done; we both love musicals.  Mom took me to my first musical when I was in middle school, so it was fun to see a show together again.

It was an awesome time, and we definitely slept well after such a full day on the Strip!