AB&Me Travels: Las Vegas Day 1

[This is part of our US trip in March. We are currently in Dubai as of this posting]

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

03.23.15

At this point of our vacation, I was half and half. I was excited because we are going on a road trip. On the other hand, I feel emotional because our flight back to Dubai was just 3 days away. Oh well, all good things must come to an end, right? 

How could I not be emotional? I was leaving my family behind. My parents whom I want to spend more time with. I want Blake to be very close to them too. My sister, whom I’ve missed so much. My cousins whom I have not seen in a long time — some of them I just met during this visit!

Anyhoo, let’s save the drama for another post.  

Early morning, we loaded our rented van – a seven seater, and went on our way. It was about 4 and a half hours drive to our hotel in Las Vegas. We didn’t really notice because we were busy taking photos and enjoying the sights. It’s my mom’s first time to Vegas too. According to her, she wasn’t really interested. She would only go if we go as a family … awww! (If that’s the case, we will have to go back again when my brother and nephews visit!!)

About three hours through, we passed the state line (California/Nevada state line). Here we made a pit stop. First things, first of course — outlet mall! We went to Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas in Primm.  I didn’t get anything, though. Alvin got  a pair of pants, I think. 

Oh, I got some nice souvenirs here. That’s it. The only thing I was interested in was a Kitchen Aid mixer which costs $200 (refurbished). That’s super cheap!! My mom was already offering to buy it for me but Alvin is not having any of it. Why? It’s too heavy! It would have eaten up our baggage allowance. 🙁

We also had our lunch here. Before going, we tried those massage chairs where you put coins. All I can say is that my father enjoyed it so much! LOL

It was already late afternoon when we arrived at our hotel, Circus Circus. (I’ll do a separate post for this). We had to change our itinerary since we stayed at the outlet mall longer than originally planned. Instead of going to Hoover Dam after check in, we just decided to have a nice dinner at the Bellagio and then roam around the strip.

THE BELLAGIO

A luxury hotel and casino inspired by Lake Como town of Bellagio, Italy. It is at the Las Vegas Strip and known for its 8 acre lake nestled between the strip and the hotel building housing the Fountains of Bellagio – a magnificent dancing water fountain synchronized to music. 

This shot is inspired by the movie, Ocean’s 11. 😀

My sister suggested we have dinner at Cafe Bellagio. The place was full but we didn’t have to wait for long. The service was very efficient and the food is good. (I wasn’t able to take photos of our food, we were hungry humans!) 

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What surprised me is that our bill didn’t put a hole in my pocket. It was just like having an ordinary dinner in a casual dining setting in Dubai. 

Fiori di Como – the largest glass sculpture is found inside the Bellagio, covering about 2,000 square feet of the ceiling. This installation took about two years to finish. *mind blown*

The Conservatory and Botanical Garden features five seasonal themes: Chinese New Year, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. When we were there, the display was for Spring. (See more photos here).

After dinner, we started walking down the strip. Here’s something you don’t see in Dubai:

Random people joining you for a selfie!! I took out my selfie stick and they both jumped in! Here’s your photo #redhairinvegas

There was a lot to see in the strip but we were all tired. While my sister went back to get our van, we went inside The Venetian – a five diamond luxury hotel and casino which is inspired by various Venetian landmarks. It’s like going in a museum but you’re actually in a hotel. I was in awe the whole time!

Since our van was running late, we decided to go to White Castle and order some take out.  

I had a lot of sliders that night. We went back to the hotel and had a good rest. Next day was a trip to Hoover Dam!