Travelogue from Vegas –
Even though we don’t get away from our desks very often, it is nice when we can do that. And, this past weekend was one of these weekends for my husband and me. I booked us on a Southwest Airlines Vacation which was an all inclusive package including airfare from San Diego and three nights at The Mirage on the strip in Las Vegas. We even got $75 in resort credit, which actually bought breakfast each morning for us at The Coffee Bean inside the resort and a book and a couple of other things.
We flew out of San Diego on Thursday evening and arrived in Vegas around 9:00 p.m. President Obama just happened to be there in Vegas for a Town Hall meeting, and so we were delayed a bit because the air space had to be cleared for Air Force One. And then we encountered the usual back up in traffic due to his motorcade – which we did see the Secret Service’s very distinctive black SUV’s driving with all of the lights and sirens on going down the wrong side of the street in quite a hurry. Perhaps the cab ride was a little longer than usual, but we had a very enjoyable driver who talked about all sorts of things and made the ride interesting for us and our hour passed by quickly.
Once we arrived at The Mirage, we checked in at the front desk with the background of an enormous salt water fish tank behind it. It is inherently peaceful to stand there in long lines and actually calm down while you are waiting. The bellman took our luggage and off we went to the guest elevators to the 22nd floor. We had a premium view room overlooking the pool area, the dolphin habitat and the white lion exhibit – all housed here at The Mirage beyond the pool.
Our room was beautifully appointed with rich linens and a wonderfully comfortable bed along with marble in the entry and the bathroom. There was a nice desk where I could sit, hook up the computer and answer a few family emails. I had contacted the hotel management before we arrived to make them aware that we were celebrating Jim’s 65th birthday. The Mirage very graciously sent an extravagantly crafted round chocolate box filled inside with more heavenly chocolates. Yes, the entire box and its contents were edible! Talk about a Chocolate Lovers Dream come true!! Decadent truffles to enjoy and once those were gone, we could munch on the box! How cool is that?!! There was also a nice card from The Mirage wishing Jim a Happy Birthday as well.
There are slot machines here for every person’s taste – from video poker machines, to Wheel of Fortune machines, to cherries and stars and Da Vinci Diamonds and everything in between. We have been up and down in our winnings – but all in all enjoyed watching each other hit something “big” for the moment.
In Asia, this is The Year of the Tiger; and as such, the casinos went all out to decorate accordingly. When walking through The Mirage, for example, near the front of the lobby as you walked across the wooden bridge to enter the casino itself, there are hundreds of red Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There are beautiful red satin and brocade tapestries wrapping around the pillars in the casino with dozens of what appear to be firecrackers wrapped in similar satin and brocade to fill the column. There are exquisite floral arrangements around bonsai trees everywhere you look - which brought bright red highlights to the casino floor.
On Friday, we ventured out to the Bellagio to see The Conservatory and hotel lobby. Magnificent and stunning would be putting it mildly. The hotel lobby has a gold and silver horse standing at least 8-9 feet fall on a marble base with the beautiful and colorful blown glass flowers hanging from the ceiling above. As you look directly down from the lobby to the Conservatory, you begin to see all of the red Chinese lanterns hanging from high above in the glass ceiling. In the center of the Conservatory is the Chinese God of Money (how appropriate for Vegas, right?) – at least 20 feet tall - dressed in his finest brocades and gold. He is joined on one side by a beautiful tiger lying by a stream with beautiful yellow chrysanthemums and huge gold coins strategically placed throughout the grassy knolls. On the other side of the Conservatory there was a garden with a bridge crossing it lined with orchids. There were dozens and dozens of every color of orchid you could imagine.
After that, we strolled over to The Venetian and The Palazzo seeking out where our dinner reservations were at Emeril Legasse’s “Table 10” Restaurant. Even as we crossed across Las Vegas Blvd, The Year of the Tiger, is visibly noticeable everywhere we looked. There is a huge tower on the front of The Venetian, draped with Chinese characters and “The Year of the Tiger” on the red and gold banner. The Venetian also has embraced this theme inside and has red Chinese lanterns hanging everywhere. Once we dropped down into The Palazzo shops, there was another incredible and massive tiger lying on its side - surrounded on a bed of grass and gold coins as well. This tiger was at least 15-20 feet long and approximately 6 feet high and exquisite and stunning to look at.
We had dinner at Table 10 on Friday night. It was an absolutely delicious burst of flavor for your palate. I had the lamb shank on a bed of ratatouille and Jim had the Creole mahi-mahi with a clam, shrimp and lobster covering - like a chunk seafood salsa sauce. Jim enjoyed a bread pudding for dessert and I enjoyed a cream-sickle crème brulée. Everything was fabulous; and we highly recommend it to anyone wanting a special dinner. The lighting in the restaurant is low. There are only tables (there are no booths), and the wine cellar is enclosed in glass in the center of the restaurant. As we walked in, we were greeted by a hostess and several others. Behind the hostess station, there is a nice variety of Emeril’s cookbooks and other things that you can purchase as a nice souvenir of your visit there.
On Saturday after we wandered around a bit, we decided to go back over to The Venetian and have lunch along the canal in one of the quaint cafés that are there. We chose to eat at Canonita – Mexican City Soul Food. Jim had chicken enchiladas and I had the steak quesadillas. He said his enchiladas were some of the best he’s ever had, and my quesadilla was fabulous as well. Both were served with a green onion Spanish rice and black beans drizzled with a little queso. Our table for two was right along the railing of the canal; and so we enjoyed the gondoliers gliding by and singing to their passengers. We walked around the Canal Shops and then crossed back over Las Vegas Boulevard and caught the tram to Treasure Island for an “adult” beverage. We did not stay there long.
Saturday evening we split a Thai Chicken Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen before we headed off to our entertainment of the weekend – the Terry Fator show - at 7:30. The show is fabulous! I cannot recommend it enough. He truly is an entertainer from his puppets and ventriloquism to his singing and entertaining. He encompasses it all and seems very down-to-earth and seems to enjoy what he is doing. He offered a tribute to all military folks in the audience (of which Jim was one) and he said the audience could take all the pictures they wanted during the show as the flashes did not seem to bother his on-stage “guests”. We did purchase his book; and I am anxious to read “Who’s the Dummy Now”.
Because we were only in Vegas for 2 ½ days, we were not able to take advantage of the other part of our Southwest Vacation package. If we had had the time (and the desire), we could have taken a motor coach to Laughlin, Nevada for the day and we also could have taken a tour of downtown and “old” Las Vegas.
As with all vacations, whether they are two week cruises or a long weekend, it seems it is over as soon as it begins and it is all just a nice memory now. Till next time…Safe travels!!
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