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Here we were again landing at the airport with a pyramid and New York in the distance. Only in Vegas! We were back!
We had decided to split our holiday into two and stay at the Flamingo for one week and Ceasars Palace for the second week.
After a quick wash and brush up we were out on the Strip and heading for my favourite shop FAO Schwarz. Adam was very keen to go too which made me suspicious. We met personal shopper Ruby Turner who unbeknown to me Adam had been speaking to before our holiday. Adam had bought me a Patrick the Easter Bunny, a Penelope the Easter Bunny and an October Penelope. They were as cute as cute can be and I loved them instantly. I'd seen them on the internet at Easter and was worried they would have sold out by the time we got there so Adam had ordered them in advance. We called them Nero, Cleo and Octavia.
Adam brought Everything bagels with peanut butter and honey and walnut schmear, ahh it was good to be back. We headed south with some quick pit stops at M&M World and the MGM Grand. We then went on to Hooters. It was our first visit there as last year it had been the San Remo Hotel. It wasn't the only change either.
Other changes since we'd been in Vegas just a year ago included:
There were also more changes on the way:
While we in Hooters we met Kami aka Miss June, who was lovely and friendly. She posed for a photo with Adam and signed a couple of photo's for us, including one for my dad.
We also had some fantastic chicken wings (with beer of course) and some chilli cheese fries.
Then it was back to the Strip to visit Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor with a stop off at the most amazing chocolate shop called the Chocolate Swan
We headed back to the hotel via the monorail for a quick break before going to Ceasar's Palace when Adam went DDR-ing in FAO Schwarz. We then had some clam chowder in a dough bowl at Cypress St Market before moving on to the Bellagio. We stopped for a quick visit to the Conservatory and were really surprised that the displays had changed. On the previous times we had been to Vegas we saw the same displays but this time it had all changed and was wonderful.
We then did my favourite thing in the whole of Vegas and watched the Bellagio Fountains.
We took the monorail to the Sahara. Although its one of the older hotels and down the far end of the Strip it had the advantage of having $3 minimum Blackjack for Adam and Monopoly slot machines, complete with cute dog bonus game for me.
After a quick visit to the Stratosphere we then got a taxi to the Gambler's General Store. It had everything you could ever want to do with gambling. Adam went mad and bought a mega expensive book, dice cage, Chuck-A-Luck layout, Spanish 21 Layout and lots of bits and pieces. We bought so much stuff we had to get a taxi back to the hotel to drop things off.
We then took the monorail to the Hilton were we had two starters for lunch at Quarks Bar. We had a stack of onion rings, a Smorgasborg and a mini Warp Core drink. After a spot of gambling we went on the Star Trek Experience Back Stage Tour but sssshhhh we can't give away any secrets. We saw how the motion rides worked, learned about GNDN (Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing), the number 47, the origin of the Borg and a whole host of other things.
Next we went on to the Stardust. We then passed through the New Frontier, which is also on the list to close down, the Wynn and then back to the Flamingo for a Pizza feast in our room.
We took the monorail to the Saraha for our 2 for 1 buffet breakfast. There's nothing like barbeque chicken and mashed potato for breakfast! After Adam had played Blackjack and I'd had a go on the slots we went to the Stratosphere, where Adam found a DDR Extreme. Then it was off to Circus Circus where we won a bear by throwing ping pong balls into a floating bowl.
We then headed next door to Slots-Of-Fun who do the best 16oz marguerita's and Pina Colada's for just $1.25. They kept us cool while we walked to the Stardust. We saw the afternoon showing of "The Magic of Rik Thomas" where we saw the cutest ever 12 week old tiger cub. She was such a cutie!
After the show we visited T.I. (Treasure Island), the Venetian and the Casino Royale. We headed to the Cypress St Market again for lobster chowder and fish and chips, before heading back for an early night. Vegas was getting very busy for the weekend.
Adam was up early so we set off walking to Terribles while it wasn't too hot, stopping off at Westin Casuarina and Ellis Island on the way. We had a champagne buffet breakfast at Terribles which incuded meat balls, beef stew, sausages, hash browns, corned beed hash etc...just a typical Las Vegas breakfast really. On the way back to the Strip we joined the Players Club at Tuscany where I got $10 worth of free slot play which I managed to turn into $16 cash. We also got a free pack of playing cards and Adam won $10 on a $5 match coupon bet on roulette, so all in all not a bad morning.
Next stop was the Aladdin. I won a Silver Strike and bought a 'Lil Quacklin' duck. He was a little duck that made a load quacking noise and he was very cute. I also spent a lot on clothes at White House Black Market, which was Adam and Candy's fault. Candy kept bringing me lots of clothes to try on and Adam kept saying he liked them so not my fault at all.
The evening saw us on the monorail heading to the Sahara where Adam played Blackjack for a while before going on to the Riviera. We had something to eat and then went to see Splash. It was a brilliant show with a mix of everything including Elvis, ice skaters, dancers, moterbike riders in a cage, drummers, singers and the obligatory ribbon worker.
After the show we headed back to the hotel stopping off at T.I. and Mirage to see the Beatles shop on the way.
Adam was awake before dawn so headed out to get his casino chips from O'Sheas, Imperial Palace and Harrah's. I didn't mind especially when he brought back cream cheese bagels and milk for breakfast plus one of my favourites - jelly bellys! We went to the Monte Carlo first where Adam won a limited edition Silver Strike token which he was very excited about. Then it was through New York New York, getting the monorail to Mandalay Bay, the Luxor to buy some show tickets and Excaliber where we swapped our coupons for our free Krispy Kreme donuts.
Next we went to the Tropicana for our free slot pull where we won a pack of playing cards and used our coupon for $1.99 hotdog and drink to keep us going. Next we went to Hooters which had been San Remo on our last visit. Next on to the MGM to see the lions, although they slept the whole time we were there. After a quick pit stop at the hotel we got the monorail back to the Sahara so Adam could play Blackjack. We then went to the Stratosphere as we had bought a show/buffet/drinks/tower deal which was excellent value. We had the seafood buffet which was fantastic, got a cocktail and then went to see the American Superstars show. It was a fantastic show featuring Elvis, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tim McGraw and Michael Jackson. We took a few photos after the show and then went up the tower to see the view at night...one of my all time favourite things to do in Vegas. The views are stunning.
(Tower Guide for the Stratosphere Tower.)
Today we decided to have a relaxing treat and booked a massage at the Flamingo Spa. I had an aromotherapy massage which felt wonderful and made me feel like I was floating on air when I came out. Adam was a bit braver and had a deep tissue massage which he also thought it was wonderful. It was well worth it.
Next we walked though the Bellagio where Adam won a silver strike and then another one in New York New York. We then went for a hot fudge sundae and hot chocolate at the Chocolate Swan. It was the best hot chocolate I had every had in my life, it was to die for.
We then headed to the Tropicana for our daily free slot pull where we got our usual pack of playing cards. I had a go on 'Strike it Lucky' where you pay $20 for $50 slot play. I came away with an elephant which we called Jackpot. We headed back through MGM, M&M World and the Coca Cola shop, stopping off at McDonalds to take advantage of their $1 menu which included a fantastic ceasar salad. Then we went to the Aladdin for the afternoon showing of the Popovich Comedy Pet Theatre, which sadly was my choice as it was the worst show we had ever see. It was dreadful, thank goodness it wasn't an expensive show.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at Paris where we saw some dancers and had our photo taken. Then it was back to the Sahara for a free buffet dinner using the vouchers we were given by some kind strangers on the monorail. We ate far too much but it was yummy. Then we headed to the Stratosphere for free cocktails.
We were half way through our holiday so we packed to leave the Flamingo and headed for Ceasars Palace. Our room was on the 25th floor with a view of the north strip including the Mirage volcano. It had a fantastic spa bath.
We headed back onto the Strip where Adam won a Silver Strike at the Stardust. We took advantage of the cheap pina coladas and magueritas at Slots A Fun and Adam won $10 on the free slot pull. We then headed to the Sahara where Adam used our vouchers which got him $100 of chips for $80. After about a hour he had played through his chips and won $125!. We set off back down the Strip and stopped off at the Riviera where Adam bought me a gorgeous red rose. I didn't think it would last long in the desert but it lasted the rest of the holiday and was beautiful. We saw Elvis (again) and then caught the 7pm showing of Sirens of T.I., which was a miracle seeing as it was always cancelled whenever we'd tried to see it before. We then headed back to the hotel stopping off for tea and Blackout cake for the Cheesecake Factory.
Today we walked to the Fashion Show Mall, walked through and out of the back to the Elvis-A-Rama museum. It was a really good museum and we had our photo taken in the Dream Cadillac which Elvis designed but wasn't completed until after he died. We also saw the mini tribute show with Jason Curtis as Elvis. We also saw the full show at 2pm which was brilliant.
We then headed to Deja Vu's Love Boutique then back to the hotel via the New Frontier (another casino due to be imploded). We had a quick rest and then headed to the Luxor to see the Carrot Top Show. He was hilarious, we loved the show.
We headed to the Sahara for a two for one buffet breakfast. We then headed for Circus Circus and had some old looking photos taken with Adam as a gunslinger and me as a saloon girl at 'Buffalo Old Time Photo Co'. Next it was off to Slots A Fun for our daily free slot pull and our maguerita and Pina Colada to keep us cool while walking back to the hotel.
We then took the bus Downtown and visited lots of casinos - Fitzgeralds, Four Queens, Golden Nugget where Adam won a Silver Strike, Golden Gate, Las Vegas Plaza, Main Street Station which is my favourite downtown casino where we ate BBQ cheeseburgers and fries and I had a 5 times 5oz beer sampler from their award winning micro brewery, California Hotel where Adam won a Silver Strike, Las Vegas Club and Freemont where Adam won a limited edition $40 50th anniversary Silver Strike which someone immediately offered to buy off him. We then saw a couple of the light shows before heading back to the hotel.
We tried the Bagels at the Cypress St Market this morning but they were no where near as good as those at Nosh and they were more expensive. We then saw the Atlantis Show at the Forum Shops before heading to the best Toy Shop in the world FAO Shwarz where I bought a Penelope Puppy who was Stroller sized. We called her Pippa.
We then headed to Sahara where we had a go at Casino War. Adam won, I lost! Back at our hotel we had Chocolate Mousse cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and a massive bubble bath.
We then got the free shuttle bus to Sam's Town where we had a really nice mexican meal at Zagat Award Winning Willy and Jose's Mexican Cantina (which we also had for breakfast after taking a doggy bag). Adam won a Silver Strike and then we watched the laser light show and water spectacular at the Mystic Falls Park before getting the shuttle bus to Barbary Coast. After dropping off our doggy bag we headed to the Sahara to see the Buck Wild Show. We saw singers, dancers (sometimes topless), fiddle player, juggler, magician, comics and a 12 year old boy who played the harmonica amazingly well and sung too. Adam got a thrill when the lead singer stroked his thigh!
After left over Mexican food for breakfast we got the free shuttle bus from Barbary Coast to the Gold Coast where Adam won yet another Silver Strike, then we headed to the Palms where Adam completed his 2005 calendar chip set and got another Silver Strike. We then went to the new Playboy boutique and bought a belt and some flashing ice cubes. We walked to the Rio for the World Carnival buffet which we'd been to before and loved but it was $24 and we didnt have any coupons so we decided to go back to the Gold Coast and try their $7.95 buffet. There wasn't as much choice but it was very nice all the same. We then went back to the Rio to see the Carnival in the Sky and to shop at the Chippendale boutique.
We got the free shuttle bus from Rio to Caesars for a quick rest before heading to the Venetian to see the Blue Man Group show. It was great fun with a blend of bizarre instruments, comedy, audience participation and miles and miles of paper streamers. At the end of the show the whole audience was engulfed in a massive deluge of paper streamers. My glasses were torn from my face but by some miracle I found them amongst all the paper and in one piece although a little bent. Apparently it happened a lot, if only I'd worn my contact lenses! It was a fantastic show and definately one of a kind.
We went to our favourite Bagel breakfast place at Nosh in Ballys, then to the Bellagio to take more photos of the conservatory while it was quiet. We also treated ourselves to some cakes from the John Philippe patisserie. Adam had a Triple Chocolate one which had gold leaf on it and I had a Key Lime Tart. They tasted absolutely gorgeous.
We then got on the free shuttle to the Silverton Casino which had a massive Bass Pro Shop. We saw a mermaid in the huge aquarium and saw the diver feed the rays and eels. We got the free shuttle back to Mandalay Bay and the free tram to Excaliber before going to Tropicana for our free slot pull and playing cards. We then went to the MGM where I won two Silver Strikes, one straight after the other! We had a free appetiser with pizza and cocktails at the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate. We then went shopping in M&M World, where it actually rained (well two spots of water fell, but it was quite an event!) and Walgreens before going back to the hotel for another huge bubble bath, oh they felt so good after a day out in the desert.
After meeting a showgirl outside Ballys we went to watch the Fountains of Bellagio, my favourite, and then it was on to T.I.'s for a Silver Strike, Hurrahs and then a burger from Burger King at O'Sheas.
We headed back to the Strip which was getting very busy ready for the 4th July celebrations. We then split up to do some last minute shopping and then met up again to get our last piece of cheesecake form the Cheesecake Factory - Linda's Chocolate Fudge Cake, yum.
We started to pack and as usual had to fit in a whole lot more in our suitcases them when we went. Went and did a bit of last minute gambling and then went to FAO Schwarz for a 32 oz mint choc milkshake and a stawberry flavoured Polar Ice. Then it was back to the hotel and off to the airport and back home.
Home | Who's Who? | Short Walkies - Out and About| Meet Family and Friends | Wedding Bells in Florida | Special Events | Very Long Walkies - Holidays | Puppy Pawtraits | How to Contact Us