Travelling Light: 2009

Vegas Day 03: A pre-birthday.

On our third full day in Vegas, we deemed it Shawn's "fake birthday". Since his falls right after mine (this coming Sunday), why shouldn't he have a day where he could fully determine what we do for the day? =)

He chose well! We started off with the most incredible Wynn Buffet at lunch. The menu is nearly the same as their dinner spread, but it costs quite a bit less. Score! S, in particular, tried five kinds of ceviche, gazpacho and a beef brisket slider on just one plate. We outlasted several rounds of people as we plowed through approximately five plates of food each. 1.5 hours later, I seriously thought I might puke when we left. Blargh!

He next chose to return to the hotel's pool for a bit. Hooray! We floated on the lazy river and soaked up some major sun. It was relaxing and wonderful.

Next, S decided that we would head downtown to the old school casinos. First, we hit happy hour at the Triple 7 Brewpub where we ate and drank for $10 (a true Vegas food deal!). We attempted some blackjack and craps afterwards, but had surprisingly bad luck. On the evening of my b-day, S had a really good streak at the craps table, but tonight was different. So, that didn't last long before we decided to walk away.

Back on the strip, he next decided that we'd go check out the Bellagio fountains, one of our favorite things in Vegas. We watched four different performances, and sandwiched eating a wonderful berry + nutella crepe in between. What a great pre-birthday!

Click to enlarge this crazy menu from the Wynn Buffet.

S's crazy plate of mismatched food.

Interior of the Wynn Resort.

The Monte Carlo's lazy river.

Our crepe at Jean Phillipe Patisserie.

Pastries a-plenty.

The Bellagio fountains.

Vegas Day 02: Valley of Fire.

On Wednesday, we drove about an hour northeast of Vegas to the Valley of Fire State Park. Talk about magical! It was a surreal place, and we felt like we landed on Mars. It's amazing what you can find just outside of the city if you actually bother looking around. The park was kind of in the middle of nowhere and not very crowded, so clearly, not too many people go looking for it.

We started with a brief hike (through thick red sand) to the Mouse's Tank. There were a lot of petroglyphs lining the hike, which was pretty darn cool. The rock formations were pretty weird and we kept seeing different things in them (see the "turtle" below).

After our short hike, we took a drive past other landmarks in the park. This included a stop at Atlatl Rock, where we climbed a staircase halfway up to check out more petroglyphs. There was also a petrified log surrounding by a fence. We thought it was a total snoozefest, and S deemed it "science in inaction". Overall, though, we were pleased as punch that we made the drive out there. It was really impressive!

The Valley of Fire.

Our "turtle".

A shady spot.

Such beautiful rock formations were all along the walk.

The Mouse's Tank: actually a deep valley, but it's hard to tell here.

Interesting places to hide...

There was some plant life, but it was mostly dry to the touch.

These rocks were all around us.

Rainbow Vista.

Atlatl Rock. See the staircase?

Coming back down Atlatl Rock.

Vegas Day 01: 35 in Vegas.

Since we had to postpone Europe for now, we decided to make the best of the situation and booked a last minute getaway to Vegas instead. The forecast was simply too hard to resist! Besides that, we were seeking something easy and familiar with excellent dining options (always a requirement!). We got a cheap flight, booked a great package deal at the Monte Carlo resort, and arrived late Monday with my birthday falling on Tuesday. It was warm, sunny and in the 90s. It might not have been Belgium, but who could complain about weather like that?

So, we started the day being total pigs at the Paris breakfast buffet. We ate crepes, waffles, bacon, ham, potatoes, a scramble and more. Yum! Next door, we window shopped at the Miracle Mile Shops, where I spotted a mod dress I ended up buying on our last day in town.

Back at our hotel, we spent several hours just being lazy at the pools. The Monte Carlo has an impressive selection of pools, including a lazy river, a small wave pool and a hot tub. Since the temperature soared to nearly 100, it was pretty crowded... and we loved every second of it.

When we finished up at the pool, I got a major birthday surprise back in our room. Jill sent a bunch of chocolate covered strawberries via room service! I was blown away by such thoughtfulness, and we felt spoiled rotten as we nibbled them during our stay.

For dinner, we reserved a table at Mario Batali's spot in The Venetian, Enoteca San Marco. Although it was in an odd setting (surrounded by fake sky in a faux Venice), the enoteca served us one heck of an amazing meal. I was super pumped to see squash blossoms on the menu, and they were so tasty that we ended up devouring two orders of them. =)

At dinner, I continued a tradition that started when we moved four years ago... reading my birthday cards! They traveled to Napa last year, and came to Vegas this year. It makes me feel like our friends and family are right next to me, and each year I'm so grateful to read everyone's well wishes. S surprised me with a fun gift--two reservations to see New Moon on its opening night in November. He managed to find tickets at the 21+ Cinebarre. It's nice enough that he'd buy me tickets, but to actually want to come along with me is even better. =)

After our meal, we somehow managed to visit The Venetian's Bouchon Bakery, as well, where we snapped up some creamy macaroons. Because I'm such a food nerd, I was pretty geeked to check this final Bouchon Bakery off our list. We visited the original in Napa, and the second branch in NYC this past May. Their treats are definitely a delight worth seeking out!