This summer has been amazing!
I think, I mean I know, that my hubby understands the exhaustion one feels after attending many years of University, so I think that is why he didn't get on my case this summer to look for a job, rather he worked his butt off while I relaxed and travelled and enjoyed some stress free time off before I head back to finish up my Environmental Design degree. Among a few other trips I made this summer, my favourite one has to be my most recent whirlwind trip to Las Vegas with my sister-in-law Rhonda and her good friend and neighbour Amy.
On a Tuesday night in late July, I got a phone call from Rhonda, she was sitting in her garage with her hubby Timm - my husband's younger brother - and some other friends and neighbours enjoying summer sipping on a cold beer. Here's how the conversation went:
"Hey, Kellie! So, what are you up to this weekend?" she asked me.
"Oh, not much," I said, "it's the long weekend, so we were planning to go to Winnipeg for the weekend. Nothing special," I replied.
"Oh, well, do you want to come to Vegas instead?" she asked, nonchalantly!
"Uhhh, YES," I exclaimed!
Of course there was a point where I had to get "permission" (or rather I gave the phone to Alex so Rhonda could ask him, lol, I figured I'd have a better chance this way!!) And that was that, I was going to Las Vegas. On Thursday. Yikes, I realized I had to get my butt moving so I could get packed and ready to go!
Thursday afternoon I boarded my first flight leaving Winnipeg to Edmonton where I would meet my partners-in-crime. This is around the time when things started to go awry!
First of all, let me give you some advice, when you are going to Vegas for 3 days - or anywhere for that matter - you do not need to pack TWO suitcases! So, I arrive in Edmonton, and make my way to the first bar I can find to get a table where I plan to meet my fellow travellers after they make their way through security. Little did I realize, they were not coming through regular security because we were travelling internationally. So, sitting at the bar by myself, I realized I had to down my "Texas-sized" red wine and get moving because I too had to go through security and border crossing.
Once I find my way to the tiny little USA lounge for connecting flights, I must sit and wait for my luggage to be transferred from one plane to the next. And I waited.... and waited.... and when they started calling boarding for our flight, I started to panic. Only one of my suitcases had been transferred! Oh well, I had a good "Texas-sized" glass of GSM flowing through my veins, so I was not too worried about anything!! Finally, a security agent came and got me and while personally escorting me to security, asked if I was meeting those two girls who were having a beer in the lounge?!(Serious! They knew who I would be travelling with and I have no idea how!) I must say, I kind of enjoyed being late because they didn't grill me with the usual 21-questions and make me feel like a criminal just for wanting to help give their flailing economy a tiny boost. All the man asked me was "business or pleasure" (I wanted to say, DUH, I'm going to Vegas, what do you think?!) Then he asked me, "Are you going with Rhonda?" I just gave him a blank stare and nodded, wondering how do they know who I am going to meet? Anyways, so I get through security - after setting off the metal detector and choosing to do one of those new 'full body scans' rather than the pat down - I meet the girls and we have a laugh about everything as we board the plane.
The flight to Vegas is unlike any other flight I've ever been on. Everyone is in a great mood, ready to party, people walk around and visit, cheersing their drinks with strangers who share that euphoric feeling. So, it was a short 3 hour flight and there out the tiny little window was the famous Las Vegas strip! I might also mention at this point that this is the first time Amy has ever been to Vegas, so it was exciting to see someone experience that sight for the first time!
So once we land, and de-board we make our way to the luggage carousel where - moment of truth, dun-da-da-da - only one of my suitcases arrived. And the WestJet baggage claim services desk in unmanned/closed.
Oh well, I am still giddy on adrenaline and a little tipsy on (more) wine!
While Amy and I were grabbing all our suitcases, Rhonda found the driver holding the sign 'Witzke' for us! As we exit the airport, that is when the heat truly hit us! Vegas in the summer is exactly what I imagine it would be like to walk into a furnace! HOT doesn't describe it properly! Even at night time, it was +40C, crazy! Whoever said it gets cold at night in the desert has obviously never been there! (I know, I know, it does get cool at night during fall, winter, and spring)
'But it's a dry heat, so it's not that bad,'
Walking into the MGM is as breathtaking as it was the first time around. Granted, it's not brand new like the Cosmopolitan or Aria, but it is a beautiful site nonetheless. The first thing you might notice is the subtle smell of roses that wafts over you as you walk through the doors, yum! After arriving we kind of wander around the lobby a little lost, looking for the VIP check in desk, so we take the line that is the shortest, assuming that must be it! The guy takes my credit card and ID and pulls up our information and informs us we are not in the right place, and are escorted into this quiet, posh lounge where we check in and get our "Players Cards" (to keep track of how much we gamble).
We are told our room is 21-341, the Marquee Suite (click on that to see what our room looked like) and are escorted to the private VIP elevators. The Marquee Suite's are at the end of each of the wings of the MGM, they offer a 3-sided view of the strip from 2 bedrooms, a living room and bar/kitchenette are, a total of 1500 square feet! That's almost as big as our house in Winnipeg! It is a classically decorated beautiful "room" and we felt very lucky to be there!
About 5 or 10 minutes after we enter the room and drop off our luggage, there's a knock on our door. It is room service with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne and a gift basket of little food snacks, and a card that says Happy Birthday Rhonda! (Oh, I almost forgot to say that was the reason for the trip! Rhonda's birthday was on the 22nd, and we were at a family memorial service and reunion, so we were celebrating her birthday in Vegas!)
Well, that is the way you need to start your Vegas vacation off I must say! Lost luggage, almost missed flights, whatever... all your troubles go away with a beautiful hotel suite and a bubbly glass of champagne!
After we finished the bubbly, we decided to hit the strip and walk down to the Bellagio and catch the final midnight show of the Fountains (*a must see). You know, I would not have ever thought Vegas would be THAT busy at midnight in the middle of summer, but the strip was PACKED! and hot, did I mention that yet, how hot it was?! We decided after about 5 minutes of being outside we needed a slushy drink to cool us down (second photo). That was funny watching the bartender mix the first drink as he free poured a good portion of a 26 oz. bottle of vodka into the blender with ice and raspberry puree, Rhonda laughed and said oh that's not bad it's both of ours (her and I ordered the same thing), then he poured it all into one big funnel and handed it to Rhonda! I guess mine was next!
Once we made our way back to the MGM and polished off slushy vodka's we decided to go to bed, we wanted to get up early and sight see/shop etc. and it was 2:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. my time .... WAY past my bed time!) Oh my word, the King size beds in that suite are so comfy, the sheets are so soft and the duvet is just the right amount of heavy-warmth! ahh, sleep was a welcome thought at that point! Just after crawling into bed - Rhonda and I were sharing a bedroom - she remembered she had to plug in her phone and, using it as a flashlight, found her way to a plug in. At this point we both heard this loud "drip-drip-drip" sound on/beside the bed, so I flipped on the light and we realized the CEILING was leaking!! Well, that, we figured, had to be the last thing to go wrong on our trip as we waited for almost 3 hours for a room transfer! That night we ended up in 2 "regular" rooms, to sleep, then in the morning they would arrange a new Marquee suite for us. ahh, good night was all I thought as I lay my head down and passed right-the-hell-out!
I woke up at 9:30 and immediately called the front-bell-desk to see if my suitcase had arrived, and it had not - argh - so I sat on hold with WestJet for 40 minutes waiting to find out where it was. No need to worry, I kept trying to tell myself, and my own advice was good! My bag was at the airport and they were shipping it over to the hotel right away, things were starting to look up!
Rhonda and Amy are a lot like me in the sense that, we need our morning coffee (they do not put coffee pots in Vegas hotel rooms, btw), and we need our breakfast, or else LOOK OUT! lol! We went to a cafe in the MGM and I got my Eggs Benedict and coffee(s), and of course mimosa, I mean you aren't doing Vegas right if you don't start your day off with a little champagne and OJ!
Right after breakfast, we decided to sit and gamble a little. I put in a $50, and hit a jackpot! $824, woo hoo! I played it down and cashed out at $750. Time to go shopping! Later that night I won another $240!!
We had dinner reservations at L'Atelier by Joel Robuchon (click on that link to see this beautiful restaurant). Tonight was Rhonda's birthday dinner celebration, so we got all dolled up for dinner and clubbing afterwards. If you enjoy fine dining at its best, and you're staying at the MGM, you must go to this restaurant!
Menu Decouverte de Saison
- L'AMUSE-BOUCHE
Avocado and cilantro flavored grapefruit gelee - LES TOMATES
Heirloom tomato salad, basil oil and fleur de sel - LA LANGOUSTINE
Langoustine carpaccio with lemon vinaigrette - LE CRABE ROYAL
King crab a la plancha, vegetables with lemongrass oil - L’ASPERGE
Green asparagus kebab with quail egg “mirror”, shimeji and Iberico ham - LE TURBOT
Turbot filet and baby leeks, buttery shellfish sauce with lime and ginger - L'AGNEAU
Lamb shoulder confit with eggplant compote and with mashed potatoes
After this lovely dinner - and a little bit of shmoozing with the executive chef, who decided he wants to set his little girl up with Rhonda's son Raydn - we were off to Studio 54 to do a bit of clubbing.
*yawn. this place was boring and was ruining our mood. Amy wasn't feeling well, my feet were killing me from the heels, only Rhonda was still in a good mood! So, we went up to the room where I changed into some more comfy shoes, and Amy decided to go to bed as she still wasn't feeling any better, Rhonda and I hit the strip on a mission to find a good Vegas night club and get our "dance on"! She was told by an acquaintance to check out Pure at Caesar's Palace (click on that to check out this beautiful club). So, we caught a cab to Caesar's and as we are wandering aimlessly through the hotel and casino, we walk past this huge line up to a security guy and ask him where this bar is, he points to another large man dressed in black and says, "it's just you two, go talk to him tell him I sent you" and in we go, bypassing that huge line I mentioned earlier! Nice!
Walking into that club was an instant mood changer! We both had ear to ear grins and agreed we finally found our 'party-spot' for the evening! We grabbed a drink, me a corona her a vodka-soda-twist (and they poured her vodka the same way they poured it on the strip the night before!) and decided to check out this club. As we were walking upstairs, to what we assumed was just another floor, it got noticeably warmer and i was thinking why wouldn't they have the AC cranked upstairs ... then we walked out onto a rooftop that overlooked the strip! SO UNBELIEVABLE! We stayed and danced the night away, I don't even remember what time we went home!
The next morning we had planned to hit up the outlets (Coach, True Religion, etc). I woke up and got out of bed and heard/felt this snap in my right shoulder and was in the most excruciating pain I've been in since the last time that happened in February. I couldn't even walk without being in pain, so shopping was out of the question for me. Instead, I went for a massage, sat in the spa hot tub, then made my way back up to the room and slept for a couple of hours. You'd think it was a waste of a day, but as it turned out it was a blessing in disguise!
That night we got dressed up again and we went for a quick dinner at Emeril's (I had the lobster risotto - excellent!) then we made our way to the Ka Theatre for an unbelievable Cirque show.
We had some of the greatest seats, middle and close to the front, but not so close we were straining our necks to see it all! Afterwards we decided to walk the strip one more time and check out the high end shops at City Centre, I wanted to buy a Louis Vuitton wallet with my $1000 winnings! Unfortunately they didn't have the one I wanted. (I had perused the website before going and picked out the one I wanted!). Oh well, maybe next time! So, we were all pretty exhausted by this point and started making our way back to the MGM to go to bed!
The next day was check out day, I arranged for us to leave in style just as we had arrived! We left a little early, but our flight was delayed and we sat on the tarmac for over an hour, I was really starting to panic I was going to miss my connecting flight in Vancouver! Here's another bit of advice: when travelling internationally avoid connecting flights whenever possible! The Vancouver airport is huge and when we arrive there were 2 other international flights, one from L.A and one from Hong Kong, so there were A LOT of people in front of us!
This is where I mean I was glad I didn't do much shopping, I was only $50 over my limit (a record for me!) so I didn't have to go through customs to pay anything! A good thing, because I was RUNNING through the Vancouver airport to catch my connecting flight. "Final Boarding for flight ### to Winnipeg" and I am still not even through Canadian security! YIKES! I did make it, somehow, guess my Vegas luck hung on just a little longer than I thought! They closed the door right behind me!
*phew
I got home late and cracked open a bottle of red to cheers myself on a good weekend.
Then I slept for 2 days!
Whew, I think this blog was longer than your actual whirlwind trip.
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