Had good time in Vegas. Tried to do as many 'free' activities as possible because we never win. And we are not infatuated with designer names so shopping was not on the list. However, the Forum shops at Caesar's are amazing. Two of every three shops has a designer name on the door. I could not believe. Amazing. There really is a lot of money in this town.
Monday, December 1: We arrived by 1030, bought our tw0-way hotel shuttle (24.00) and we were on our way. We were able to get into our room so we dropped our bags and hit the strip. We did a 'refresher' circle around Caesar's: Bellagio, Paris, Flamingo, Venetian, Treasure Island, and Mirage.
The conservatory at the Bellagio was 'under construction' for Christmas so we missed that. You would think they would have completed that earlier than the first week in December. I really wanted to get some photos.
We spent a little time in the Flamingo on the 'Wheel of Fortune'. TOM really likes that game. It did not like us. It was pretty tight and and not playing nice.
At the Venetian, we went to MadamTaussaud's Wax Museum. We had a lot of fun taking pictures with the wax figures. I was disappointed that they did not have more! We were too early for the Pirate show at TI. Well, we were not too early, we just did not want to wait around in the casino for 20 minutes for the show. We have to pace ourselves you know, limited amounts of cash were set aside for gambling. I had $50 in gift cards for Hard Rock Cafe so after a short rest in our room we hiked to the Hard Rock for dinner. If you're a pin head and a fan of Hard Rock Cafe, they are not on the strip. It was about a two-mile walk from Caesar's. It was a good walk tho after spending 4 hours on an airplane. We had a really great salad and I had enough points on my All Access card to buy two pins.
Tuesday, December 2: Today is Bette Midler day. But that wasn't until 7:30. We had a whole day to fill up. Our sleep and dining schedule was all screwed up because of the time change so when we got out of bed we were ready for lunch. There is a Denny's near the Venetian so we headed over there for breakfast. It was at least an hour line. In our quest for food, we decided to get away from the crowds and headed over to the Duece (bus stop, $5 for a 24-hour ticket, every 15 minutes, 24-hours a day). About mid-way to Fremont Street we spotted another Denny's and got off for breakfast. No lines, no waiting. The food was pretty good too.
The Fremont Street Experience is pretty cool. OK, it was mid-day and we didn't get to see the lights. We planned to go back after Bette. We spent a couple of hours walking around and we hit a couple of the casinos. We were winning enough to keep playing so we spent a few hours there. On the way back to the bus, we passed a guy painting pictures with spray paint and paper towels. Pretty impressive. TOM bought the one that we watched being painted. We had headed back to the hotel to unload.
After a short break, we headed back to the Duece. We had never been to the Luxor, so that was going to be our next stop. We could hang around for a couple of hours before we had to head back to see Bette Midler (the reason for this entire trip). TOM got lucky on the slots here so we played for couple of hours. At 4:30, I called it quits. I did not want to miss the opening act! I am so glad we left when we did. At that end of the strip the bus heads to the transfer station and we had to change buses. We were heading into rush hour which was also going to add precious minutes to our ride. I tell you, I was a little nervous. We finally made it back to the hotel with time to get dinner. The food at the Augustus Cafe was pricey, but that does not necessarily equate to good. We paid $40 for spaghetti and a taco salad. The service was slow, or maybe I was anxious. No, the service was slow.
Bette was terrific. She was loud and bawdy and everything I expected. We had pretty good seats, rear orchestra, center stage. I wish I had captured her playlist. I know she sang: The Rose, In the Mood, When a Man Loves a Woman, I've Still Got My Health, Hello in There, The Glory of Love, Baby Mine, From a Distance, Boogie, Woogie Bugle Boy, Wind Beneath Your Wings, Cool Yule, Friends. We also found out after the show, that Bette would be signing her book after her show on Dec 3; The Legend of Baby Divine. I went right over to the shop and bought my copy.
We did have the best slice of pie (pizza) at the snack bar across from the Coliseum. It really was terrific. We never made it back to Fremont Street, I had a blister and we were tired. Off to bed.
Wednesday, December 3: What to do today? That was the big question. Get breakfast. Check. We had two-fer tickets for the Eiffel tower, so we headed over the Paris. This Eiffel Tower is exactly half the size of the original. The views were pretty spectacular. Vegas is surrounded by mountains. The slots at Paris weren't playing nice so we didn't stay long. We didn't sleep well so we went back to take a nap : ) When we got up, we headed over to the Mirage to see the Secret Garden. It made me feel bad to see the animals in such small enclosures. I don't think I will support those activities any longer. We did stop and have some ice cream, but it didn't compare to Bruster's (my favorite ice cream). And off to the casino. I guess we broke even. I had to be fresh for the book signing. Didn't know how long I would have to stand on line, so we went back to the room for a rest. At 9 I was headed back to the Coliseum. I was about number 50 or so. Pretty pleased. About 10, the Divine Ms M made her appearance. I requested a specific dedication and she did it. She really is terrific. She requested no photos when she was signing, but I did have my camera a took a few shots. Although, I had the film setting wrong, so they are dark and grainy. I am going to try and clean them up tho. Feeling lucky, we hit the slots for our last nite. I was winning steadily. but small amounts. My tolerance for gambling my hard-earned money is low. If I had made larger bets, I might have walked away in a better postion. However, I walked away with money in my pocket, a man by my side, and Bette's book in my hand. I couldn't have asked for a better evening.
Oh, and by the way, a few things happened in Vegas, that will stay in Vegas : )
Monday, December 1: We arrived by 1030, bought our tw0-way hotel shuttle (24.00) and we were on our way. We were able to get into our room so we dropped our bags and hit the strip. We did a 'refresher' circle around Caesar's: Bellagio, Paris, Flamingo, Venetian, Treasure Island, and Mirage.
The conservatory at the Bellagio was 'under construction' for Christmas so we missed that. You would think they would have completed that earlier than the first week in December. I really wanted to get some photos.
We spent a little time in the Flamingo on the 'Wheel of Fortune'. TOM really likes that game. It did not like us. It was pretty tight and and not playing nice.
At the Venetian, we went to MadamTaussaud's Wax Museum. We had a lot of fun taking pictures with the wax figures. I was disappointed that they did not have more! We were too early for the Pirate show at TI. Well, we were not too early, we just did not want to wait around in the casino for 20 minutes for the show. We have to pace ourselves you know, limited amounts of cash were set aside for gambling. I had $50 in gift cards for Hard Rock Cafe so after a short rest in our room we hiked to the Hard Rock for dinner. If you're a pin head and a fan of Hard Rock Cafe, they are not on the strip. It was about a two-mile walk from Caesar's. It was a good walk tho after spending 4 hours on an airplane. We had a really great salad and I had enough points on my All Access card to buy two pins.
Tuesday, December 2: Today is Bette Midler day. But that wasn't until 7:30. We had a whole day to fill up. Our sleep and dining schedule was all screwed up because of the time change so when we got out of bed we were ready for lunch. There is a Denny's near the Venetian so we headed over there for breakfast. It was at least an hour line. In our quest for food, we decided to get away from the crowds and headed over to the Duece (bus stop, $5 for a 24-hour ticket, every 15 minutes, 24-hours a day). About mid-way to Fremont Street we spotted another Denny's and got off for breakfast. No lines, no waiting. The food was pretty good too.
The Fremont Street Experience is pretty cool. OK, it was mid-day and we didn't get to see the lights. We planned to go back after Bette. We spent a couple of hours walking around and we hit a couple of the casinos. We were winning enough to keep playing so we spent a few hours there. On the way back to the bus, we passed a guy painting pictures with spray paint and paper towels. Pretty impressive. TOM bought the one that we watched being painted. We had headed back to the hotel to unload.
After a short break, we headed back to the Duece. We had never been to the Luxor, so that was going to be our next stop. We could hang around for a couple of hours before we had to head back to see Bette Midler (the reason for this entire trip). TOM got lucky on the slots here so we played for couple of hours. At 4:30, I called it quits. I did not want to miss the opening act! I am so glad we left when we did. At that end of the strip the bus heads to the transfer station and we had to change buses. We were heading into rush hour which was also going to add precious minutes to our ride. I tell you, I was a little nervous. We finally made it back to the hotel with time to get dinner. The food at the Augustus Cafe was pricey, but that does not necessarily equate to good. We paid $40 for spaghetti and a taco salad. The service was slow, or maybe I was anxious. No, the service was slow.
Bette was terrific. She was loud and bawdy and everything I expected. We had pretty good seats, rear orchestra, center stage. I wish I had captured her playlist. I know she sang: The Rose, In the Mood, When a Man Loves a Woman, I've Still Got My Health, Hello in There, The Glory of Love, Baby Mine, From a Distance, Boogie, Woogie Bugle Boy, Wind Beneath Your Wings, Cool Yule, Friends. We also found out after the show, that Bette would be signing her book after her show on Dec 3; The Legend of Baby Divine. I went right over to the shop and bought my copy.
We did have the best slice of pie (pizza) at the snack bar across from the Coliseum. It really was terrific. We never made it back to Fremont Street, I had a blister and we were tired. Off to bed.
Wednesday, December 3: What to do today? That was the big question. Get breakfast. Check. We had two-fer tickets for the Eiffel tower, so we headed over the Paris. This Eiffel Tower is exactly half the size of the original. The views were pretty spectacular. Vegas is surrounded by mountains. The slots at Paris weren't playing nice so we didn't stay long. We didn't sleep well so we went back to take a nap : ) When we got up, we headed over to the Mirage to see the Secret Garden. It made me feel bad to see the animals in such small enclosures. I don't think I will support those activities any longer. We did stop and have some ice cream, but it didn't compare to Bruster's (my favorite ice cream). And off to the casino. I guess we broke even. I had to be fresh for the book signing. Didn't know how long I would have to stand on line, so we went back to the room for a rest. At 9 I was headed back to the Coliseum. I was about number 50 or so. Pretty pleased. About 10, the Divine Ms M made her appearance. I requested a specific dedication and she did it. She really is terrific. She requested no photos when she was signing, but I did have my camera a took a few shots. Although, I had the film setting wrong, so they are dark and grainy. I am going to try and clean them up tho. Feeling lucky, we hit the slots for our last nite. I was winning steadily. but small amounts. My tolerance for gambling my hard-earned money is low. If I had made larger bets, I might have walked away in a better postion. However, I walked away with money in my pocket, a man by my side, and Bette's book in my hand. I couldn't have asked for a better evening.
Oh, and by the way, a few things happened in Vegas, that will stay in Vegas : )
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