Vegas

In July 2008 Jeff and I went to Vegas. Initially when Jeff had talked about going I wasn't so keen on the idea. I was trying to figure out what we would do since we don't drink or gamble. I had heard a lot about Vegas as most people had and I was a bit skeptical. However we ended up getting an amazing deal and had a blast. It was about 80 after the sun went down so it reminded me of VA. It was nice to be in the heat, but I must admit it was pretty uncomfortable during the day. We stayed at Mandalay Bay, which is all the way at the end of the strip but it was a really nice hotel and I would stay there again. It had several pools which was nice but the pools were packed most of the time. We actually only used the pool once and that was around 8am when it first opened. Speaking of our hotel being at the end of the strip. We actually walked pretty much the entire strip our first night there but then were exhausted and didn't feel like walking back but we didn't want to pay a ton for a taxi. That's when we discovered the Deuce. It's $5 for 24 hours and you can ride a bus up and down the strip all you want. What a great deal. Most people do it the only problem is that it can get really full during the day or it may take a while due to many stops but it's still totally worth it and a great way to do Vegas on a budget.

These are a parasol display in the Wynn hotel which is an incredibly beautiful hotel and had we had a lot of expendable cash it would have been cool to stay there. I would say I prefer this hotel over the Bellagio. It has a lot of class and elegance not to mention beautiful things to look at. It also had a ton of stores, which I didn't go into because I feel it's a little ridiculous to spend $1000 on a pair of shoes. Call me crazy.

This was the light display in the old part of Vegas. It goes on every night, with the last show being at Midnight. Which we went to the last show and then got hungry. I thought it was the city that never slept but apparently if you are out late and you get hungry it's a little hard to find food. We ended eating at some sketchy old casino which was serving breakfast food 24/7. Maybe had we gone to a club or bar we would have been able to find food. Either way I would totally recommend going to see this light show it's really cool.

The ceiling to the Bellagio hotel. This is Chihuly glass, he's a glass maker just down the road from us in Tacoma WA. He's amazing and if you are ever in Tacoma you can go to his museum and even into his "hot house" and watch him make these sculptures.

This statue is in Cesar's Palace and is a full size replica of Michelangelo's David. I have always loved this statue and was happy to at least see a replica since I may never see the real thing. Vegas is full of all kinds of replicas which is part of the fun. There actually is a ton to see.

It wouldn't be Vegas without the Bellagio fountain. It was so loud when the water shot up in the air. But it takes a lot of power to get that much water into the air. They play a different song and show every time and they always draw a huge crowd. In fact if you want to get a close up view you have to get their a little early and wait a while or just snuggle in with a bunch of strangers, which is gross since everyone is hot and sweaty. Anyways I would recommend Vegas to any of you who have thought about it. There really is plenty to do and see even if you don't drink or gamble. I would totally go again but maybe the next time I go we will rent a car and go see the Hover Dam (which is only 40 min from the strip).