Last year Noodles, Lizard and I planned to spend our first long weekend of the year in Vegas. We would leave on Friday evening and return home Monday - when Friday came around we were super excited to be leaving New York. It was so cold - we could barely even handle walking from the office to the taxi rank.
The flight to Vegas was long and we arrived late at night. The city was impressive - especially the skyline at night. As we waited for a cab we we could see the Eiffel tour and the Empire state building in the distance - it was exciting and it was fun!
Vegas!
Hyped up, the three of us squished into the back of the cab and our driver, a sixty plus woman with giant hair and matching earrings seemed a little concerned. "Doesn't one of you ladies want to sit up front?" Lizard was quick to answer - "No, we're a tight knit group!"
We made it to our hotel, The Cosmopolitan, and I loved it. It was very suave - Shinny, hip and just plain trendy. There were girls in half dresses littering in and out and there was a bar in the lobby which was over flowing with people.
The design of the reception was very interesting - there were giant monitors with changing screens - it started with a fall theme, then bookshelves, then flowers. My favorite was the image of people trapped inside the pillars. This one was a little saucy and only came on after hours.
We did not have to wait long to check in, which was a welcomed relief after stories of crowded Vegas receptions.
We were so lucky as our room was upgraded to an impressive suite. There were two bathrooms, two televisions, a balcony and a giant bath! I took the roll away bed and Noodles and Lizard shared the gigantic king sized one. It would easily have been big enough for the three of us, but Lizard insisted on making a barrier in the middle of the bed. Quite funny after her declaration of love in the taxi!
By the time we settled into the room it was very late in New York time.... and even later in Sydney. I had only been back in the States for five days and I was beginning to feel time zone challenged.
It is a family tradition of mine to wake up early when on vacation. My father wakes so early that on some family vacations he has ended up reading in the bathroom for hours in the morning. I did wake up early in Vegas, but Noodles and Lizard were only minutes behind. I was super pumped and ready to get going. The view from our balcony was even more stunning during the day. The sky was so blue and the strip looked beautiful with the backdrop of the dessert.
Me: "Lizard, Lizard! We really are in the dessert!"
I loved the gondolas at the Venetian... ridiculous, but so much fun to see.
I loved it so much that the next day I brought a ticket to see Cirque Du Soleil - O. This show is performed over water and the show's reputation precedes it. It really was incredible. The stage is like nothing I have ever seen. The tricks the artists performed should not have been possible. My favourite part was the diving. The artists dove from heights and across the stage. They performed incredible movements in the air. It was amazing.
It felt so good to get back to miserable, wet... Jersey. Oh man... this is when I miss JFK. It was another hour before we were back in New York City. Not that it makes much of a difference in the cab.... still, Jersey?
It was an amazing trip. I had such a wonderful time and can't wait to go back - in fact I have already booked tickets in March. A wonderful trip that I will remember for a long time!
Vegas!
Hyped up, the three of us squished into the back of the cab and our driver, a sixty plus woman with giant hair and matching earrings seemed a little concerned. "Doesn't one of you ladies want to sit up front?" Lizard was quick to answer - "No, we're a tight knit group!"
We made it to our hotel, The Cosmopolitan, and I loved it. It was very suave - Shinny, hip and just plain trendy. There were girls in half dresses littering in and out and there was a bar in the lobby which was over flowing with people.
The design of the reception was very interesting - there were giant monitors with changing screens - it started with a fall theme, then bookshelves, then flowers. My favorite was the image of people trapped inside the pillars. This one was a little saucy and only came on after hours.
We did not have to wait long to check in, which was a welcomed relief after stories of crowded Vegas receptions.
We were so lucky as our room was upgraded to an impressive suite. There were two bathrooms, two televisions, a balcony and a giant bath! I took the roll away bed and Noodles and Lizard shared the gigantic king sized one. It would easily have been big enough for the three of us, but Lizard insisted on making a barrier in the middle of the bed. Quite funny after her declaration of love in the taxi!
There was a master remote for all of the lights and televisions (yes, plural) on Noodle's night stand. She tricked Lizard into thinking that the lights in the bathroom were controlled by clapping. Every time Lizard clapped Noodles would turn on the lights. I was in hysterics - but the best part was that for the rest of the weekend Noodles would turn the lights on for us whenever we clapped. Great!
The view was beyond anything I imagined. We could see right down the Las Vegas strip - the lights, the hotels and the Belagio fountains made for a stunning skyline.
The view was beyond anything I imagined. We could see right down the Las Vegas strip - the lights, the hotels and the Belagio fountains made for a stunning skyline.
By the time we settled into the room it was very late in New York time.... and even later in Sydney. I had only been back in the States for five days and I was beginning to feel time zone challenged.
It is a family tradition of mine to wake up early when on vacation. My father wakes so early that on some family vacations he has ended up reading in the bathroom for hours in the morning. I did wake up early in Vegas, but Noodles and Lizard were only minutes behind. I was super pumped and ready to get going. The view from our balcony was even more stunning during the day. The sky was so blue and the strip looked beautiful with the backdrop of the dessert.
Me: "Lizard, Lizard! We really are in the dessert!"
Lizard (out loud): "Yes.."
Lizard (in her head): It is going to be a long weekend...
Lizard (in her head): It is going to be a long weekend...
We headed out for breakfast, then off to explore the hotels. Paris, Caesar's Palace, The Belagio and New York, New York. They were all amazing. I took lots of pictures of us with different novelty attractions. There was lots of laughter. The entire place is like a theme park for grown ups.
I loved the gondolas at the Venetian... ridiculous, but so much fun to see.
Perhaps the most concerning part about the whole place were the people walking around the street drinking beer and giant frozen cocktails at all times of the day. Bizarre!
I found it to be a very surreal place. Not only are there drinkers wandering around at all hours, the street is lined with poker machines and there are men and women who hand out cards for call girls - "Have a girl in your hotel room in under 20 minutes."
The Hard Rock Hotel (incidentally not the location of the Vegas Hard Rock Cafe) had women in bikinis dancing on top of some of the poker tables. Our own hotel, the Cosmopolitan, had dancers in tiny outfits suspended in boxes on the wall of the bar. They climbed down from their perches at the end of the night on ropes. It was random but cool - we knew we were in Vegas!
Noodles was very much taken by the video poker - she won a bit of money too. My only concern was that she freaked out when Lizard and I watched her play - "you'll ruin my winning streak!"... Am I really that unlucky?
I found it to be a very surreal place. Not only are there drinkers wandering around at all hours, the street is lined with poker machines and there are men and women who hand out cards for call girls - "Have a girl in your hotel room in under 20 minutes."
The Hard Rock Hotel (incidentally not the location of the Vegas Hard Rock Cafe) had women in bikinis dancing on top of some of the poker tables. Our own hotel, the Cosmopolitan, had dancers in tiny outfits suspended in boxes on the wall of the bar. They climbed down from their perches at the end of the night on ropes. It was random but cool - we knew we were in Vegas!
Noodles was very much taken by the video poker - she won a bit of money too. My only concern was that she freaked out when Lizard and I watched her play - "you'll ruin my winning streak!"... Am I really that unlucky?
I only lost $2 gambling. I learnt to play craps at the Flamingo hotel. The game made me feel very American. It seemed so simple in theory, but every time I tried to follow the rules I got lost. I had a chance to throw the dice... but the others on the table were not impressed by my abilities. I did not know you could be a bad dice thrower. Perhaps Noodles is right - I am just very unlucky.
Fortunately (or unfortunately?) none of us tied the knot in a Vegas. We did check a few out of the chapels though - Lizard and Noodles stood at the alter to get a feel for it. They very much looked the part...
Fortunately (or unfortunately?) none of us tied the knot in a Vegas. We did check a few out of the chapels though - Lizard and Noodles stood at the alter to get a feel for it. They very much looked the part...
We stopped at a cheap ticket counter and bought tickets to Cirque Du Soleil - Love - this is the Beatles tribute version of Cirque Dy Soleil. It was incredible. Our tickets were very cheap and in the second row. It was amazing being up close and personal with the performance. The show was very engaging and the skill and quality was like nothing I have ever seen. I loved the costumes and the characters, the colour and the joy of the performance. It really made me happy and excited. Just thinking about it makes me sad that I am not watching it right now. It was the best thing ever.
I loved it so much that the next day I brought a ticket to see Cirque Du Soleil - O. This show is performed over water and the show's reputation precedes it. It really was incredible. The stage is like nothing I have ever seen. The tricks the artists performed should not have been possible. My favourite part was the diving. The artists dove from heights and across the stage. They performed incredible movements in the air. It was amazing.
After the show, we were stopped by a promotional girl. "Girl's you must go to the nightclub in the Bank. Don't worry about the queue, just push to the front and ask for Brent. He will look after you."
We did pass by the nightclub... and the twenty five thousand people trying to get in outside. This led us to ask the question - "Which line is the regular line, and which is the one for people who know Brent?"
After a incredible weekend it was time to go home. The flight home was long. We had not had much sleep and we had a lay over in LA. However, the flight path was not the worst part of our flight. Neither were our non reclining seats. Neither was the smell coming from the bathroom. The worst part of the flight was the baby in front of us... the kid was so small and made so much noise. If he wasn't crying, his older brother was squealing... and if the two kids were quiet for even a moment, the parents would be bickering. It was not pleasant. I was tired enough to sleep through most of it - but poor Noodles and Lizard had to suffer for five hours.
We did pass by the nightclub... and the twenty five thousand people trying to get in outside. This led us to ask the question - "Which line is the regular line, and which is the one for people who know Brent?"
After a incredible weekend it was time to go home. The flight home was long. We had not had much sleep and we had a lay over in LA. However, the flight path was not the worst part of our flight. Neither were our non reclining seats. Neither was the smell coming from the bathroom. The worst part of the flight was the baby in front of us... the kid was so small and made so much noise. If he wasn't crying, his older brother was squealing... and if the two kids were quiet for even a moment, the parents would be bickering. It was not pleasant. I was tired enough to sleep through most of it - but poor Noodles and Lizard had to suffer for five hours.
It felt so good to get back to miserable, wet... Jersey. Oh man... this is when I miss JFK. It was another hour before we were back in New York City. Not that it makes much of a difference in the cab.... still, Jersey?
It was an amazing trip. I had such a wonderful time and can't wait to go back - in fact I have already booked tickets in March. A wonderful trip that I will remember for a long time!
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