arieljasmine
05-06-2008, 06:36 AM
Laur’s, Andy and bump do LA and Vegas, baby – Day 8
Laur’s – 29
Andy – 29
Bump – 13 weeks
Friday 28 March 2008
We got up at 8.30 am and went down to the hotel lobby to look for something for breakfast. We ended up at the Backstage Deli where we got a tasty and filling breakfast bagel each (bagel with cheese, egg and sausage), apple juice, and tea for me and coffee for Andy.
After breakfast, we wandered over to the Business Center as we had been told by reception that there was a letter waiting for us. It was from our friend Kari who had been visiting Vegas earlier in the month and had left us $30, very kind.
Then it was time to head out and explore the strip. We took the tram to the Excalibur to save a little walking time and from there walked to the New York New York hotel for a look round and to take some photos. Bump appreciated being in Vegas as there were always restroom facilities! We quite liked the NYNY, the theming inside is well done.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08151.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08152.jpg
Next stop was the Bellagio which is a truly beautiful hotel and the first one we went in that didn't smell bad! We had a look at the gorgeous glass flowered ceiling, the indoor gardens and the chocolate fountain which is the largest and has the highest volume in the world - yum.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08153.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08184.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08156.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08186.jpg
We visited Caesars Palace next which was my overall favourite hotel in Vegas. I loved the theming and the shops and it didn't smell bad! We walked through to the Forum shops and I bought some hand sanitizer in Bath and Body Works.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08154.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08157.jpg
We were hungry by this point and I was yearning for a Subway, so we left Caesars and went off in search of one. We did find one but the place it was in was such a dive that we almost wished we hadn't bothered! It was some kind of amusement arcade similar to what you would find in any seaside town in the UK, but almost every person in the place was really drunk. Anywho, on to the food. I had a foot long tuna and cheese sub with apple juice, and Andy had a foot long Italian sub with his own concoction of diet coke and sprite. The sandwiches were nice but since I insist on having all the toppings (except olives, yuk) I was waaay too full once I had eaten that!
After lunch we wanted to be somewhere nice to counter the scumminess of the arcade (I said I needed to go somewhere with pretty shiny things - stat!) we headed to the Mirage and the Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy. This is pretty expensive at $15 each but it was so worth it to go somewhere peaceful and serene and a complete antidote to the madness of Vegas generally.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08160.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08175.jpg
It was a hot day so we bought a bottle of water at the gift shop before we started our tour - that was steep at $3 as well - and they took off the lid as they could be harmful to the animals. We saw dolphins, one of which was an adorable baby, and we were lucky enough to see one of the random interactions that the trainers do - and even got splashed by one of the dolphins. The other animals were a snow leopard, the famous white lions (I was surprised and excited to see that one of them is really called Sarmoti like in Father of the Pride!), a black panther, heterozygous tigers, white tigers, striped tigers and alpacas. I have to say that I was amused by the alpacas (small llamas) with all the exotic animals as there is a farm just down the road from us that has alpacas and I see them every day on my way home from work! If you can afford the price tag, I would definitely recommend this place as an oasis of calm.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08174.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08163.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08171.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08173.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08177.jpg
Once Andy finally prised me away from the Secret Garden, we took the tram to TI and went to Ben and Jerrys for ice cream - where they had the real flavours! There was a long queue so Andy sat me down at a table before I collapsed and ordered us two scoops of Phish food, my favourite.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08176.jpg
We headed to the Venetian next and visited Sephora - aah, shiny things. We bought some crème brulee shower gel which smells just like Main Street USA and some Benefit concealer for me.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08159.jpg
Next was the shop at Margaritaville where Andy got a vest, I got some underwear, we got a fins stirrer for a friend and keyrings for both of us - mine says "I am the woman to blame" and Andy's says "It's my own damn fault". Final stop before the tram was Walgreens for some bottles of water and Vegas lipbalms for two of my colleagues.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08178.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08179.jpg
We took the tram back to the Luxor at 7 pm - and got stuck in it for about 10 minutes - eek! I am somewhat claustrophobic and was very scared. Andy eventually let me use the call button and they got us out a couple of minutes later - the doors hadn't aligned properly when we stopped. I was cross because people were trying to get on whilst I was trying to escape!
After that little drama we had baths and then headed back to NYNY for tea at Fultons Fish. We both had fish and chips and a diet coke. It was, of course, nothing like our fish and chips - the fish reminded me of the stuff they used to give us at primary school, but it wasn't that bad.
After tea we walked to the Bellagio to see the fountain show which is beautiful.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08183.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08185.jpg
We headed back to the Luxor via a quick look round the Mandalay Bay where we bought a huge can of Fosters for Andy and a bottle of Sierra Mist soda for me.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08188.jpg
We took our drinks back to the room where we watched Home Improvement and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air before heading to bed at 12.30 am.
Laur's princess:
Laur’s – 29
Andy – 29
Bump – 13 weeks
Friday 28 March 2008
We got up at 8.30 am and went down to the hotel lobby to look for something for breakfast. We ended up at the Backstage Deli where we got a tasty and filling breakfast bagel each (bagel with cheese, egg and sausage), apple juice, and tea for me and coffee for Andy.
After breakfast, we wandered over to the Business Center as we had been told by reception that there was a letter waiting for us. It was from our friend Kari who had been visiting Vegas earlier in the month and had left us $30, very kind.
Then it was time to head out and explore the strip. We took the tram to the Excalibur to save a little walking time and from there walked to the New York New York hotel for a look round and to take some photos. Bump appreciated being in Vegas as there were always restroom facilities! We quite liked the NYNY, the theming inside is well done.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08151.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08152.jpg
Next stop was the Bellagio which is a truly beautiful hotel and the first one we went in that didn't smell bad! We had a look at the gorgeous glass flowered ceiling, the indoor gardens and the chocolate fountain which is the largest and has the highest volume in the world - yum.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08153.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08184.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08156.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08186.jpg
We visited Caesars Palace next which was my overall favourite hotel in Vegas. I loved the theming and the shops and it didn't smell bad! We walked through to the Forum shops and I bought some hand sanitizer in Bath and Body Works.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08154.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08157.jpg
We were hungry by this point and I was yearning for a Subway, so we left Caesars and went off in search of one. We did find one but the place it was in was such a dive that we almost wished we hadn't bothered! It was some kind of amusement arcade similar to what you would find in any seaside town in the UK, but almost every person in the place was really drunk. Anywho, on to the food. I had a foot long tuna and cheese sub with apple juice, and Andy had a foot long Italian sub with his own concoction of diet coke and sprite. The sandwiches were nice but since I insist on having all the toppings (except olives, yuk) I was waaay too full once I had eaten that!
After lunch we wanted to be somewhere nice to counter the scumminess of the arcade (I said I needed to go somewhere with pretty shiny things - stat!) we headed to the Mirage and the Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy. This is pretty expensive at $15 each but it was so worth it to go somewhere peaceful and serene and a complete antidote to the madness of Vegas generally.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08160.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08175.jpg
It was a hot day so we bought a bottle of water at the gift shop before we started our tour - that was steep at $3 as well - and they took off the lid as they could be harmful to the animals. We saw dolphins, one of which was an adorable baby, and we were lucky enough to see one of the random interactions that the trainers do - and even got splashed by one of the dolphins. The other animals were a snow leopard, the famous white lions (I was surprised and excited to see that one of them is really called Sarmoti like in Father of the Pride!), a black panther, heterozygous tigers, white tigers, striped tigers and alpacas. I have to say that I was amused by the alpacas (small llamas) with all the exotic animals as there is a farm just down the road from us that has alpacas and I see them every day on my way home from work! If you can afford the price tag, I would definitely recommend this place as an oasis of calm.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08174.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08163.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08171.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08173.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08177.jpg
Once Andy finally prised me away from the Secret Garden, we took the tram to TI and went to Ben and Jerrys for ice cream - where they had the real flavours! There was a long queue so Andy sat me down at a table before I collapsed and ordered us two scoops of Phish food, my favourite.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08176.jpg
We headed to the Venetian next and visited Sephora - aah, shiny things. We bought some crème brulee shower gel which smells just like Main Street USA and some Benefit concealer for me.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08159.jpg
Next was the shop at Margaritaville where Andy got a vest, I got some underwear, we got a fins stirrer for a friend and keyrings for both of us - mine says "I am the woman to blame" and Andy's says "It's my own damn fault". Final stop before the tram was Walgreens for some bottles of water and Vegas lipbalms for two of my colleagues.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08178.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08179.jpg
We took the tram back to the Luxor at 7 pm - and got stuck in it for about 10 minutes - eek! I am somewhat claustrophobic and was very scared. Andy eventually let me use the call button and they got us out a couple of minutes later - the doors hadn't aligned properly when we stopped. I was cross because people were trying to get on whilst I was trying to escape!
After that little drama we had baths and then headed back to NYNY for tea at Fultons Fish. We both had fish and chips and a diet coke. It was, of course, nothing like our fish and chips - the fish reminded me of the stuff they used to give us at primary school, but it wasn't that bad.
After tea we walked to the Bellagio to see the fountain show which is beautiful.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08183.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08185.jpg
We headed back to the Luxor via a quick look round the Mandalay Bay where we bought a huge can of Fosters for Andy and a bottle of Sierra Mist soda for me.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/andlaur23/CaliforniaApril08188.jpg
We took our drinks back to the room where we watched Home Improvement and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air before heading to bed at 12.30 am.
Laur's princess: