Lisa's Blog

DAY ONE

The latest adventure got off to a decent start. Somehow we managed to leave the house by 6:30 and yes, Costco is open that early for gas. Traffic was great, but my stomach, not so much. We pulled into the gas station in Kingman for refueling and luckily Meredith made it to the restroom before the Asian Invasion pulled up. We drove to the Chevron station a short drive up, where I proceeded to swig the Mylanta and Erika began mixing drinks on her trunk (don’t worry, it was non-alcoholic). The second leg of the road trip wasn’t too bad until we got stuck behind a swerving snail in the shape of a mini van from California. We paused at Hoover Dam to take in the sights (HOLY CRAP the new bridge they’re building is amazing) and get our picture taken. It was a sudden dash back to the car when we noticed that the snail was getting ready to take off before us.

We rode into Las Vegas, the air a giant puff of smog. You couldn’t see the strip! After a quick check-in and freshening of the make-up, it was off to Mandalay Bay. I say, Erika can sure schmooze those young valet boys! Tossing the keys at the attendant, we strode into the hotel and up to the Burger Bar for some nourishment. Nothing like burgers and fries to satisfy an empty tummy. We popped into Urban Outfitters to try and find Meredith some cheap replacement sunglasses, they being left in Phoenix. No luck on the sunglass front, but there were several amusing knickknacks, including the mold to make your own “Jesus Toast,” mocking those people who claim to see holy figures in their food.

Elvis lives! We had our only Elvis sighting on the way back to the hotel. Too bad we couldn’t get out picture taken with him. Tear!

A quick shower and change and we were headed out for our first night on the town. Tonight was the night for our dinner and show. I had made reservations at Olives at the Bellagio. Excellent nosh and quite possibly the maker of the best lemon drop ever! We queued up with the rest of the masses outside of the “O” theater. We had fourth row tickets, but off to the far left side. They were listed as “limited view,” but you were able to see quite a lot. “No photo!” Yes, we got yelled at for having our picture taken. It was worth it because we looked so good. WOW! Talk about breathtaking imagery and dazzling feats of acrobatics. Definitely have to see this one again, but get better seats. All we could think of after the show: I want to go swimming, I’m so out of shape, and for me, I want to do that flying thing.

The conservatory was decked out in the bounties of Fall – very pretty as a backdrop for photos. First bridal party sighting! Then our second in the lobby. We had just enough time to make it out to the front of the hotel to watch the fountain show. The one we saw was choreographed to Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Very pretty, and if I’m not mistaken, Meredith managed to capture it on video. It was then off to bed to recharge for tomorrow’s adventures.

DAY TWO

Must have coffee!! So we strolled into Paris for coffee and croissants. Naturally, we couldn’t pass up the delicacies in the glass case. That Napoleon was delicious with the flaky pastry, the vanilla cream, and thick layer of sugar on top. Yum! Since there really isn’t much to see in Paris, we walked over through Bally’s. Showgirl sighting! We got our picture with her in all of her hot pink, feathered glory.

It was a quick hop, skip, and jump over to the Via Bellagio shops! First up, Hermes! Knowing full well that the Kelly bags in the case were never going to make it home, Erika started to try on some rings, while I perused the cloisonné bangles. Next up, Dior and the first of many items that Erika will be putting on hold – a small camel handbag with a giant CD on the clasp. Not saying “buy me,” we headed next door to Prada. High expectations for boring goods. Erika did manage to put another handbag on hold, a little metallic pewter number. Gucci was nothing special – we have it all in Phoenix. Final stop in Bellagio was Fendi, where Erika scoped out the “Spy” handbag, but at $2200 it was a no-go.

Et tu, Julius? Meredith found her boyfriend in the lobby of Caesar’s Palace. He just stood there, said nothing and looked pretty. We tried to see about Celine Dion tickets, but the ticket lady just wasn’t going to budge on any good seats. Erika should have used her powers of persuasion on the gentleman teller next to her. Oh, well. On towards the Forum shops. We had to stop in the Coach store, simply out of nosiness. I got stuck at Jimmy Choo and made my frivolous Las Vegas purchase. May I just add my babies, named Heidi, are bright red and just down right gorgeous! It’s bad when you just hand the gay boys the Visa and say charge it.

Ah, the Wynn, the glorious Wynn! By now it was around two in the afternoon, we were a bit parched, and Parasol Down had a table that was calling our name! What should you have to drink in LV? The answer: bubbly. For practicality’s sake, it was actually cheaper to buy a bottle than individual cocktails – I swear! By bottle #2, Erika was flirting with the Canadian bachelor party at the next table. Bottle #3 and we were toast. “No, I’m Jesus toast!” And with that comment it was time to shop! We skipped arm in arm through Chanel. Erika sweet talked the innocent Christopher at Oscar de la Renta into letting her try on two gowns. The tulle confection didn’t even have a price tag! Thank god she didn’t rip anything, but she did put them both on hold! Phillip, the little flirt, was just humoring Erika at Manolo Blahnik. I believe she placed some cognac suede D’orsay heels on hold though. I think.

Crash.

Somehow we made it back to the Wynn for our 8:30 reservation at Corsa, a modern, Italian restaurant. Talk about some HOT waiters. The food wasn’t too bad either. Bachelorette party sighting two tables over! The little tiara kind of gave it away. Talking to the bride-to-be in the ladies room, we got the impression that she wasn’t too excited about the big day. Uh, oh! We strolled around the casino floor and checked out the rest of the Wynn’s offerings. We thought about heading into Tryst, the night spot according to Phillip. Line was too long and did we really want to spend an outrageous amount on the cover charge? Nope. Back down to Parasol Down for an evening cocktail and bottle #4. The verdict is in: Parasol Down is much better at night. The specialty of the area at night is a laser light show every 15 minutes on the water. The highlight was the giant bullfrog that popped up at the top of the giant screen and started signing “Low Rider.” It was hilarious.

We cruised down the strip on the way back to the time share. We thought about stopping at Pure, the nightclub at Caesar’s, but when you could see the patio covered wall-to-wall with people, you opt against it.

Now, something crazy. During our afternoon sojourn at the Wynn, Erika happened to make some phone calls. We get back to the room, and there’s a message on her cell from her friend Zee, and old ASU chum, saying he’s currently at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is just a couple streets down! She skidaddles over for a while and manage to learn the art of roulette. Always bet ‘noir.’ At this point, I’ve already crashed on the bed and am semi-comatose. Meredith is about the same.

DAY THREE

Two words: rough morning. Erika did manage to show up at some point, but obviously, she would have been a happier person with about 4 more hours of sleep. We headed over to the Bellagio for food and Meredith checked on the bets she placed at the sports desk. No winners.

The traffic was so slow coming back! We didn’t even have the energy for conversation. I think Meredith dozed off periodically in the back. Strolling to Phoenix about 6 hours after we had left the strip, the road trip was over. If it weren’t for this blog, what happened in Vegas, would have stayed in Vegas. Actually, there is something that stayed there, and it involves a gentleman friend of one of us…..