There is everywhere else and then there is Vegas!
The drive to Las Vegas was uneventful and before we knew it we were in Las Vegas crawling through the traffic on Las Vegas Blvd. Once we found the Vdara, checked in and checked out our room, on the 48th floor with a view of the fountains at the Bellagio, we relaxed and made a plan to meet up with Kyle & Jen! It was Kyle’s birthday celebration week and we drove over for an extra visit since we are in Arizona and they are in Washington.
Our first evening together we ventured out to the old part of Vegas in search of the Lotus of Siam--which turned out to be an uncertain, stimulating thrill of excitement. Lotus of Siam: known as the best Thai on the west coast, best in Nevada, best in the US--best somewhere! We found the place and we were all afraid to go in--from the street side it looked like a block of derelict buildings. But going inside was like watching the Wizard of Oz going from black and white to color--wow! And the food, double wow! #122. on the menu, “Pineapple Fried Rice, stir fried with yellow curry powder, pineapple, shrimp and chicken, served on plate”, what? It was just funny when we read the above description. The food was great and now none of us would hesitate to go back!
In the morning a short walk from our hotel brought us to the the Bellagio where we checked out the Chocolate Fountain, one of the 25 free things to check out while in Las Vegas. After we picked up the kids we were off again to the old part of Vegas looking for the Las Vegas Club Sports Hall of Fame--the biggest personal collection of baseball memorabilia--what a bust! Not much there anymore--it was also on the 25 free things to check out while in Las Vegas.The newest attraction at the Tropicana Hotel literally brings the mob to life! The Las Vegas Mob Experience is a museum with exhibits and attractions that uses hologram and real tour guides to bring you the Whole Story, lots of history and trivia. If you choose to take the experience you are taking your fate in your hands!
When you purchase your ticket the Experience begins--your ticket is a badge with a RFID chip in it which allows the museum to know your whereabouts and records your decisions. In other words, it hears what you say and sees what you are doing! Which of course you don’t know so when someone calls you by your name you are wondering how did they know? The museum is large and loaded with artifacts, and takes you from the beginning of the mob days to its downfall in Vegas.
With a suggestion from Kyle and Jen our second evening was dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, a french bistro outside of Paris. The food was great but the company was better and the evening went by way too fast!
Time for us to head back to Carefree, leaving Kyle and Jen behind to continue to celebrate with friends from Seattle! On our way out of town we find the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and do the tour. This is also on the 25 free things to check out while in Las Vegas. Ethel M is Ethel Mars--the tour shows how all the candy is made and what is made: Snickers, Milky Way, M&Ms etc.,etc.,everything is sold in their showroom candy store. FYI the newest M&M is coconut filled.
We leave Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and the Hoover Dam behind and head south towards home and into a storm that is brewing. In the distance we see in the dark clouds with long, skinny bolts of lightning. The car gets a few drops of rain but it never materializes until after we get home--then the heavens open up and the rain comes along with the lightning, thunder and wind.
The desert is happy!
(Copyright 2011)
