Gambling: Of course you can't go to Las Vegas without doing a little bit of gambling (or in our case...a lot). Keith wasn't sure he was going to enjoy gambling since, as we all know, you are basically giving your money away. But, needless to say, he found a few things (the Blackjack table and a "Deal or No Deal" slot machine) that he really liked. He even bet on some dog and horse races (they were racing separately, not together)! I enjoyed playing (a.k.a. losing my money) on the video poker and blackjack machines. I also sat at a few blackjack tables. I would do really well one night and then lose it all (and more) the next. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and the fact that we are both back at work today just goes to show that we didn't win it big! :-(
Eating: Another thing that Vegas is famous for is bountiful buffets! The food that is found on these buffets is unbelievable. It would take us 10 minutes just to walk around and see all of the options each time we went to a different one. Luckily, we went to the Bellagio breakfast buffet every morning, so after the first day, I pretty much knew where to go and what to get. The desserts at dinnertime on the buffets were amazing. Luckily they gave you very small portions so you could sample a lot of different ones. (On a side note, I can believe I actually lost weight this week (see previous post)! I tried to be semi-good and not overeat or drink too much, but it was just too hard to bypass all of the yummy food and the $1 drinks!!)
Sightseeing: The sights and sounds of Vegas are like no where else! While you are in a hotel or casino, all you hear is the chatter of people, the music coming from the closest bar or the overhead sound system and of course, the "cha-ching" of the slot machines! Once you step outside the casinos, the massive buildings and lights at night are simply awesome. There is so much to see that I believe you could be there for months and never see everything (although the average person would probably run out of money long before that!).
We also had the wonderful opportunity to take a guided bus tour to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. My parents stayed behind (and my Dad ended up winning a big jackpot that day!) and Keith, Mike, Blakely and I set out to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World. We had to get up super early (4:45am!!) because the tour company shuttle was picking us up at 6:15am but it was all worth it in my opinion. We had a very entertaining Czechoslovakian bus driver who was full of more knowledge than I ever thought someone could have. He knew everything about the area, the people, the land, etc, etc. He was quite entertaining and quite the talker (I think he talked 75% of the 16 hours that we were on the bus!) We were able to see some wonderful landscape between Vegas and the Grand Canyon and we made three separate stops once we were at the Canyon so we got to see a few different perspectives. It was a long day, but we had a great time (and we still managed to come back and gamble until 2am that night!!)
Another interesting thing that we did while we were there was to see the show "Blue Man Group". It was the craziest show I have ever seen. As my dad described it afterwards, it was "sensory overload"....lots to hear, see and sometimes feel! It was a lot of fun and I would definitely suggest it if you are ever able to see it.
Lastly, the craziest thing we did while in Vegas was when Mike, Blakely, Keith and I went on two amusement park "rides" on top of the Stratosphere hotel (100 stories high!!). The first one is called The Big Shot which is a ride where you are strapped in and then it catapults you over 1,000 feet in the air and when you open your eyes (if you closed them like me!), all you see is sky and the ground. It was super scary and I kept my eyes closed most of the time. The second one is called X-Scream and it is definitely named appropriately. It is sort of like a teeter-totter that extends off of the building and dangles you there for a few seconds (which felt like forever). Here is a video of it:
Eating: Another thing that Vegas is famous for is bountiful buffets! The food that is found on these buffets is unbelievable. It would take us 10 minutes just to walk around and see all of the options each time we went to a different one. Luckily, we went to the Bellagio breakfast buffet every morning, so after the first day, I pretty much knew where to go and what to get. The desserts at dinnertime on the buffets were amazing. Luckily they gave you very small portions so you could sample a lot of different ones. (On a side note, I can believe I actually lost weight this week (see previous post)! I tried to be semi-good and not overeat or drink too much, but it was just too hard to bypass all of the yummy food and the $1 drinks!!)
Sightseeing: The sights and sounds of Vegas are like no where else! While you are in a hotel or casino, all you hear is the chatter of people, the music coming from the closest bar or the overhead sound system and of course, the "cha-ching" of the slot machines! Once you step outside the casinos, the massive buildings and lights at night are simply awesome. There is so much to see that I believe you could be there for months and never see everything (although the average person would probably run out of money long before that!).
We also had the wonderful opportunity to take a guided bus tour to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. My parents stayed behind (and my Dad ended up winning a big jackpot that day!) and Keith, Mike, Blakely and I set out to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World. We had to get up super early (4:45am!!) because the tour company shuttle was picking us up at 6:15am but it was all worth it in my opinion. We had a very entertaining Czechoslovakian bus driver who was full of more knowledge than I ever thought someone could have. He knew everything about the area, the people, the land, etc, etc. He was quite entertaining and quite the talker (I think he talked 75% of the 16 hours that we were on the bus!) We were able to see some wonderful landscape between Vegas and the Grand Canyon and we made three separate stops once we were at the Canyon so we got to see a few different perspectives. It was a long day, but we had a great time (and we still managed to come back and gamble until 2am that night!!)
Another interesting thing that we did while we were there was to see the show "Blue Man Group". It was the craziest show I have ever seen. As my dad described it afterwards, it was "sensory overload"....lots to hear, see and sometimes feel! It was a lot of fun and I would definitely suggest it if you are ever able to see it.
Lastly, the craziest thing we did while in Vegas was when Mike, Blakely, Keith and I went on two amusement park "rides" on top of the Stratosphere hotel (100 stories high!!). The first one is called The Big Shot which is a ride where you are strapped in and then it catapults you over 1,000 feet in the air and when you open your eyes (if you closed them like me!), all you see is sky and the ground. It was super scary and I kept my eyes closed most of the time. The second one is called X-Scream and it is definitely named appropriately. It is sort of like a teeter-totter that extends off of the building and dangles you there for a few seconds (which felt like forever). Here is a video of it:
All in all I think everyone had a great time. A huge thank you goes to my parents for inviting us to go with them. We'd definitely like to do it again (once we save up some more money!!)
Here are some pictures from our trip:
A view from our hotel room window (we were on the 25th floor)
Keith and me at the Grand Canyon
A view from our hotel room window (we were on the 25th floor)
Keith and me at the Grand Canyon
Mike and Blakely at the Grand Canyon
A view from the top of the Stratosphere (where the rides were)
A view from our hotel room at night
Another view from our hotel room at night
The group at the Video Poker & Blackjack machines
Keith and me at the M&Ms World store - they have every color you can imagine
Keith and me at the Hoover Dam
A great shot of the Grand Canyon - pictures just can't explain how HUGE it is!!
1 comment:
So much fun!!
We can't wait to go back.
See you next weekend.
Love ya'll.
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