Las Vegas, NV February 2019

The Vegas Strip and Full Moon

Can you see Vegas in 24 hours? I believe so. Did we? We certainly gave it our best shot!

We took an Uber (our first ever Uber ride, FREE with a promo code) from the McCarran airport to The Venetian. It was too early for check-in so we took a stroll through the streets of Venice where gondolas carried happy couples under medieval bridges. Looking for lunch and getting lost in The Palazzo ultimately led us to a salivating raw fish lunch at Sushisamba.

View from The Venetian on our way to The Palazzo

We used our IHG anniversary night to stay in this ultra luxury resort/hotel for FREE. At the front desk we were treated like royalty and given a room on the 31st floor with an incredible view of The Strip and snow-caped mountains, a giant soaking tub and living-room suite. After a quick change of clothes and room exploration which included my mistake of lifting the bottle of Patron out of the mini-fridge and having to call the front desk to tell them not to charge me because I was putting it right back (yikes!) we went out to explore The Strip.

The lobby at The Venetian
Inside Caesars Palace

First up was Caesars Palace and The Forum Shops to see the free show “Fall of Atlantis”. While the show was pretty cheesy and we could hardly hear what the giant animatronic Greek Gods were saying to each other the real pleasure was truly in the journey. Along the way we passed gorgeous fountains while sipping on cocktails. Yep, it’s legal to carry a gin and tonic in one’s hand while perusing art on The Strip.

The Trevi Fountain at The Forum Shops

At the top of my “to-do list” was the Bellagio fountain show. Another free show (see the pattern?) and best viewed outside from Las Vegas Boulevard. Before we braved the rare cold snap happening outside (temperatures in the 40’s during the day) we decided to check out the beautiful Chihuly Glass display in the lobby.

Inside the Bellagio Lobby the Chihuly Glass ceiling sparkles above a dramatic stallion

Also free to enjoy in the Bellagio is the 14,000 square foot Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This is an ever changing visual extravaganza that updates with the seasons. Right now you can see The Year of The Pig display for Chinese New Year.

Year of The Pig display in the Bellagio

Realizing we needed sustenance to make it through our concert and beyond we crossed the street to The Flamingo for some Mexican food at Carlos n Charlie’s. Are there real flamingos at The Flamingo? Yes. Maybe 5 or so.. (please don’t sue me, that’s all the birds we saw). Then it was back outside for viewing The Bellagio fountain show! Which was very pretty and set to music but sorry all my pictures are blurry. You’ll just have to go see it yourself.

The String Cheese Incident at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan

Now I have to explain that this trip was a surprise birthday present from me to my Sweetie. One of our favorite bands is The String Cheese Incident, and when I saw they would be in Vegas (where I have never been) it was an easy choice. So we made our way to The Cosmopolitan where we danced our booties off on the famous bouncy floors in true Vegas style.

After the show we hopped on a bus to Fremont street for some vintage Vegas and gambling. It was around 1:30 AM Monday morning by the time we arrived so the streets were a bit tamer than I was expecting. We ducked inside a casino to get out of the cold (in the upper 30’s at this point). After winning and losing at slot machines and the derby horse racing games we quit with a $10 loss. Had a blast. Went to bed at 4:00 AM.

Breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi

Thank goodness for Ambien and alarm clocks! We slept for a very brief interlude, checked out of The Venetian and walked to The Paris hotel for our French breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi. Although it was a bit blustery on this rare chilly Vegas morning we were kept warm by the heaters on the outside deck and our endless love for each other. And the strawberry mimosas. Seriously, try them. Viva Las Vegas!