Off to Vegas! Day 1
Another summer means another road trip to Vegas! Huzzah!
A few months back, my buddy Kristen (we've been friends since we started Academic Counselor training on the same day 11 years ago at UoPX and discovered each other reading books on lunch break) emailed me and said, "hey, dude, I know this is random, but do you want to do a girls' trip to Vegas?" I was like, heck yeah! Although Vegas is not at its most pleasant in the middle of summer, it's generally 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix at any point in time, so it was off to the far northern reaches for us!
We've each been to Vegas multiple times (thanks to it being just a short flight/medium drive from the Valley of the Sun), so we didn't have a huge agenda per se, but we each had our favorite locations we wanted to be sure to hit. I had some discounts at the MGM resorts due to this online game I play (it's called MyVegas, and if you do Vegas regularly, it can be handy - thanks to Erin for teaching me about that last year). We settled on the Monte Carlo for our hotel, due to its mid-Strip location and the lazy river in the pool area (yes, really). We also picked a Sunday and Monday night to stay in mid-July, hoping that this would mean cheaper prices and smaller crowds.
On departure day, Kristen headed up to our house, and we hopped in the Prius to set off. We breezed through Wickenburg, and after a quick potty break in Wikiup, we next stopped in Kingman for lunch. We initially planned to eat at a deli in Kingman, but since it was closed, we parked the car and found the nearest open restaurant to our spot, El Palacio Casa Serrano ("the house of lovely peppers," I think). Food and service were both decent, and we hit the road again, fortified by tacos and cheese.
We logged another hour in the car, shooting over the Hoover Dam flyover ramp, and pausing next in downtown Boulder City at the Boulder Dam Brewing Company. It was a neat place - great outside patio area and a really relaxed vibe. We picked a spot at the bar and ordered a "Six Shooter" sampler to share, so we could try each of their brews.
After our break, it was back in the car again for our final push into Vegas. We parked the car in the Monte Carlo garage, waited for what seemed like forever to check in, but then finally had access to our room, which was comfy and clean, if not nearly as fancy as some of the bigger/newer resorts (hey, for $60 a night before our 25% discount, we weren't expecting Utopia). At least we ended up with a Strip view!
We rested for a bit (read as logged into class and tested out the WiFi, which was surprisingly excellent), then got gussied up and headed out to dinner at Yusho, a casual Japanese place inside Monte Carlo. We had a 2 for 1 drink voucher and 2 for 1 ramen voucher, and we put both to good use. Our ramen bowls were both excellent, and the drinks were superb as well.
After being stuck in the car for a lengthy period of time earlier in the day, we were ready to wander the Strip a bit, so we decided to head to Caesar's Palace by way of Bellagio. While in Bellagio, we visited the Conservatory exhibit, always one of my favorite Vegas experiences. This time of the year, the exhibit was sea themed, and it was gorgeous. See:
After spending time indoors, we were a little cold, so we decided to walk along the Strip itself to warm up a bit. This was perfect timing, as it turned out, since we left Bellagio just in time to catch the dancing fountains.
We finally made our way to Caesar's and to our next destination, Fizz, the champagne bar owned by Elton John and his partner, David Furnish. What a great place! Swanky and quiet, and set back a bit within the casino, so it wasn't overly crowded. We found a Yelp discount for 2 for 1 champagne cocktails (absolutely essential when the cocktails are $20 EACH), and we both thoroughly enjoyed our selections, as well as the strawberries and chocolate truffles dessert.
After that, we were fully tuckered out, so we headed back to the room for the night, along the way enjoying the sights that only the Vegas Strip can offer.
Coming up soon, the trip continues!
Later,
Amy
A few months back, my buddy Kristen (we've been friends since we started Academic Counselor training on the same day 11 years ago at UoPX and discovered each other reading books on lunch break) emailed me and said, "hey, dude, I know this is random, but do you want to do a girls' trip to Vegas?" I was like, heck yeah! Although Vegas is not at its most pleasant in the middle of summer, it's generally 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix at any point in time, so it was off to the far northern reaches for us!
We've each been to Vegas multiple times (thanks to it being just a short flight/medium drive from the Valley of the Sun), so we didn't have a huge agenda per se, but we each had our favorite locations we wanted to be sure to hit. I had some discounts at the MGM resorts due to this online game I play (it's called MyVegas, and if you do Vegas regularly, it can be handy - thanks to Erin for teaching me about that last year). We settled on the Monte Carlo for our hotel, due to its mid-Strip location and the lazy river in the pool area (yes, really). We also picked a Sunday and Monday night to stay in mid-July, hoping that this would mean cheaper prices and smaller crowds.
On departure day, Kristen headed up to our house, and we hopped in the Prius to set off. We breezed through Wickenburg, and after a quick potty break in Wikiup, we next stopped in Kingman for lunch. We initially planned to eat at a deli in Kingman, but since it was closed, we parked the car and found the nearest open restaurant to our spot, El Palacio Casa Serrano ("the house of lovely peppers," I think). Food and service were both decent, and we hit the road again, fortified by tacos and cheese.
Good eats at decent prices
We logged another hour in the car, shooting over the Hoover Dam flyover ramp, and pausing next in downtown Boulder City at the Boulder Dam Brewing Company. It was a neat place - great outside patio area and a really relaxed vibe. We picked a spot at the bar and ordered a "Six Shooter" sampler to share, so we could try each of their brews.
The Six Shooter
"Slainte!"
The brewery's theme is "building the dam,"
and the names of the brews reflect that.
Also, the tap handles were all old tools, like this wrench.
After our break, it was back in the car again for our final push into Vegas. We parked the car in the Monte Carlo garage, waited for what seemed like forever to check in, but then finally had access to our room, which was comfy and clean, if not nearly as fancy as some of the bigger/newer resorts (hey, for $60 a night before our 25% discount, we weren't expecting Utopia). At least we ended up with a Strip view!
The MGM Grand,
across Las Vegas Blvd.
Ooh! Aah! Lightbulbs!
We rested for a bit (read as logged into class and tested out the WiFi, which was surprisingly excellent), then got gussied up and headed out to dinner at Yusho, a casual Japanese place inside Monte Carlo. We had a 2 for 1 drink voucher and 2 for 1 ramen voucher, and we put both to good use. Our ramen bowls were both excellent, and the drinks were superb as well.
Foodie pic!
After being stuck in the car for a lengthy period of time earlier in the day, we were ready to wander the Strip a bit, so we decided to head to Caesar's Palace by way of Bellagio. While in Bellagio, we visited the Conservatory exhibit, always one of my favorite Vegas experiences. This time of the year, the exhibit was sea themed, and it was gorgeous. See:
Thanks to Kristen for these pics!
Seriously, so pretty.
It always smells amazing in here, too.
After spending time indoors, we were a little cold, so we decided to walk along the Strip itself to warm up a bit. This was perfect timing, as it turned out, since we left Bellagio just in time to catch the dancing fountains.
The fountains from the backside.
We also saw a duck.
We finally made our way to Caesar's and to our next destination, Fizz, the champagne bar owned by Elton John and his partner, David Furnish. What a great place! Swanky and quiet, and set back a bit within the casino, so it wasn't overly crowded. We found a Yelp discount for 2 for 1 champagne cocktails (absolutely essential when the cocktails are $20 EACH), and we both thoroughly enjoyed our selections, as well as the strawberries and chocolate truffles dessert.
Cheers!
This one is the Fizz Velvet.
After that, we were fully tuckered out, so we headed back to the room for the night, along the way enjoying the sights that only the Vegas Strip can offer.
Coming up soon, the trip continues!
Later,
Amy
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