Las Vegas!

We had a great time in Las Vegas! I started to do a slide show, but I just couldn't pare it down to a reasonable amount so I've added a few here and you can see MANY more in our picasa album. (EDITED: apparently somehow the pictures posted by themselves previously, my apologies for the confusion).

At the end, I've included links to the various things we did, saw, ate, etc... for those that are interested.

I feel I must begin by saying that we do not, and did not gamble. This isn't based particularly on any ethic, it just isn't something that excites us. In general, we had very simple plans for the trip. We wanted to eat well, sleep well, enjoy a show and enjoy each other's company. I think we succeeded all around. We slept in, relaxed by the pool, shopped, ate tremendous quantities of food, and enjoyed TWO shows. Brent pointed out that we probably could do all these things in Oklahoma, but these days it isn't that realistic.

It was a bit more chilly than anticipated on our arrival and thus some shopping was high on the agenda for Sunday. I got some wonderful things I really should have anyway, but never get the time to buy or can convince myself to spend money on. I love my new jacket and evey wear it with a fun flower sometimes. Lady M, we subsequently discovered, likes the flower too! I mentioned the tights earlier, but they were so awesome I went back again on Monday to buy more.

We ended up seeing both "O" by Cirque du Soleil and Penn &  Teller. The first, was my pick and we were very close although in seats that sometimes had a limited view. The whole thing was positively phenomenal. That is stage craft and performance at its best. I loved it and Brent did too! The next day was Brent's pick. He wanted to see something in the comedy/magic vein so he picked Penn & Teller. For the same price as our O tickets we had phenomenal center seats. I was hesitant as I'm terrified of being picked out of the audience and have some not so great memories of them in the past. I have to admit though that I had a great time and was glad we went. (No, I was not picked nor did we volunteer to participate).

I think my favorite dinner (and possibly our most expensive ever) was at Olives (at the Bellagio). I did, unfortunately, begin the dinner by knocking over someone's martini glass and breaking it as I sat down:( But things got better and my past was just equisite. Brent favored the meal at Julian Serrano (at Aria)and we did have a fun tapas dinner there that almost rivaled our favorites in DC, and I'm a big fan of Jose Andres' restaurants so that is saying something.

Our hotel - Aria - was absolutely one of my favorite parts. I loved how clean and modern it was. It is so new that there is none of the nasty cigarette smell or any of the covering scents used elsewhere (at least that I noticed). It was also crazy high tech which was fun, although one night Brent turned on all sorts of things while trying to use the key pad to close the drapes. (No, you absolutely could not close them by hand). For those familiar with the Strip, the City Center complex is a huge new area just between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo. We toured several of the other places I'd thought of staying and I'm so glad I picked this one!

Otherwise, we did luxurious things like take an afternoon nap ourselves for once! I read two books on the trip including one primarily read sitting by beautiful oval pools sipping frozen drinks in the late afternoon sun. Very posh and very relaxing.  I did also just love the spring garden inside the Bellagio featuring the snail pictured here.

At the end, I think we probably won't go back unless it were for some group situation. We'd love to see more shows, but feel we've probably experienced it enough with so many other places we want to visit. It was a great vacation and I'm so glad we did it. Big thanks to the grandparents who watched our little ones. The kids were apparently pretty good until Monday night when they staged a mutiny and refused to go to sleep. We picked them up when we returned on Tuesday and are all happily reunited and sleeping better for it. Thanks also to all the friends and family that had advice and suggestions. You really helped make this trip a good one!

Where we Stayed: Aria at City Center - Absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it.  Thanks to my brother and friend Sam for the recommendations!

How we Got there: Southwest Airlines Vacations (package with the hotel)

Where we Ate: Todd English's Pub (Fair), Mon Ami Gabi (Good), Jean Phillipe Patisserie (Good), Olives (Spectacular), Serendipity 3 (Good), Aria Buffet (Fair), Julian Serrano (Very Good)

What we Did: shopped at Miracle Mile of Shops at Planet Hollywood (and window shopped at Crystals, very pricey place), Venice Gondolas (Not worth it), Bellagio Art (big disappointment-- might have been better with a different collection there), Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (not huge, but really tremendous!) toured various casinos and shopped, looked at art, had ice cream, wandered, read, swam, etc,

What we read: The Moorchild and The Magicians - Abbey; The Selfish Gene and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Brent

What shows we enjoyed: O - Completely amazing, Penn &  Teller - Brent's choice and actually a lot of fun.