Archive for the ‘Las Vegas’ Category

Las Vegas Strip

Posted by Val on January 1st, 2009 at 8:13 pm | Permalink | No Comments » |

Happy New Year silly Americans!

Welcome to 2009! I have tons of plans for the year, both for developing the website and for traveling the country. So stay tuned for some awesome things coming up around here.

When the new year comes it is a time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. This past year was amazing. I made it to New York, Tennessee, South Dakota, and even Amsterdam!

Unfortunately, I did break my streak and didn’t make it to Las Vegas at all.

In honor of my lost vacation of 2008, let us take a moment to celebrate the beauty, wonderment, and wackiness that is the Las Vegas strip.

Las Vegas Strip

Site: Las Vegas Strip
Location: Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: All Day and All Night Long
Date: November 30, 2007

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Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo

Posted by Val on March 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

When you think of pink feathers in Las Vegas, your first thought is probably a showgirl’s headdress. But there is another creature that sports that look on the Las Vegas strip, and it resides in a hotel of the same name: The Flamingo.

So…I have to admit…I kind of refer to the Flamingo as a “nursing home.” There’s something about the vibe there, mostly the muted color-scheme that reminds me of the Golden Girls. So, if you find yourself there, and maybe, want to get out for a bit, take a step into their courtyard Wildlife Habitat.

The garden is full of foliage imported from around the world and houses over 300 types of birds.

Until recently one of the birds was the penguin, but they have been relocated to the Dallas Zoo.

Penguins at the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Now its the Flamingos themselves who truly steal the show at the Wildlife Habitat. And that’s probably a good thing because they are the headliners.

Flamingos at the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Site: Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo
Location: Flamingo Hotel, 3555 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
Cost: Free
Hours: Open daily, 24 hours
Date: March 22, 2004; August 9, 2005

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The Venetian Gondola Rides

Posted by Val on December 18th, 2007 at 5:32 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

True story: A gondola ride through the Venetian in Las Vegas is more relaxing than a gondola ride through Venice.

Gondola Rides at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

I speak the truth here, I swear. And I highly recommend the ride as a diversion from the hustle and bustle of daily Vegas life.

The Venetian in Las Vegas.

Like many hotel/casinos in Las Vegas, the Venetian is built on a city-centered theme. This one replicating the canals, architecture, and aura of Venice, Italy. Most of the themeiness abounds in the “Grand Canal Shoppes,” a mall of sorts disguised as an Italian oasis. From the painted-blue sky set on constant sunshine to the muted stone and brick facades to the “streetmosphere” of performers, the Venetian is a mini-Italy. What makes the hotel, however, into a true silly American oasis in that carved out through the mall is a replica of the Venice canal, complete with shining gondolas and singing gondoliers.

Gondola Rides at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

There are two gondola rides at the Venetian: one indoor and one out. Though I have yet to ride the outdoor one, I can’t imagine it being better than indoor. Outside, I imagine, you’d be riding a gondola in Vegas, but indoors you are riding a gondola through Venice.

Site: “Authentic” Venetian Gondola Ride
Location: The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Cost: Indoor ride: Adults – $15.00 (Gondola Seats Four), Private two-passenger gondola – $60.00; Outdoor ride: Adults – $12.50 (Gondola Seats Four), Private two-passenger gondola – $50.00
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. – midnight
Restrictions: Reservations must be made in person, same day only. Ticket sales open daily at 9 a.m. for the indoor ride and 10 a.m. for the outdoor ride.
Date: December 1, 2007

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Sigma Derby: Plastic Horse Races

Posted by Val on December 12th, 2007 at 4:48 am | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

Everyone knows the gambling standards of Las Vegas: Blackjack, Poker, Roulette, Slots, Craps. But tucked away in the midst of the card tables of the MGM Grand is my favorite game of them all, one that only a true Silly American could appreciate: Sigma Derby.

Sigma Derby Plastic Horse Race game at MGM Grand in Las Vegas

Picture this: five ponies line up at the start line, the bell sounds and they take off, each jockey vying for that win, each horse trying to outdo it’s competitors, racing in a circle, until a winner is declared, as the fans place bets and jeer and cheer in disappointment and celebration…

Sigma Derby Plastic Horse Race game at MGM Grand in Las Vegas

Now, picture these ponies and these jockeys in miniature plastic, racing under glass as gamblers add quarters to bet on which ponies will place where.

Sigma Derby Plastic Horse Race game at MGM Grand in Las Vegas

You are given odds that you can follow for a chance at a small payout or ignore for a smaller chance at a big payout (heck, I won $20 that way). You are given a bucket, which to me is a crazy site in modern-Vegas as this is one of few (if any other) machines on the strip that takes AND pays actual coinage. And you get the chance to see a bunch of adults yelling and screaming in hopes that a plastic pony will come through (albeit…they may be a bit drunk).

Sigma Derby Plastic Horse Race game at MGM Grand in Las Vegas

I guarantee that this horse-racing game is definitely one of the best (and silliest) gambling experiences on the strip.

Site: Sigma Derby, plastic horse racing game
Location: MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Cost: a quarter a bet
Hours: The casino is open 24/7
Restrictions: You must be 21 to gamble.
Date: March 20, 2006/December 2, 2007

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World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain

Posted by Val on December 6th, 2007 at 5:18 am | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

There is widely-known fact about silly American (OK OK, American American) girls: We like things chocolate and we like things big (yes boys, size does matter).

Over the weekend I took my fourth trip in four years to Las Vegas, Nevada. The city itself is huge in a way only Vegas can be: over-the-top buildings, over-the-top shows, over-the-top buffets, bright lights and late nights. Whether or not you’ve ever been there I’m sure you can understand and appreciate what a mecca for weird Sin City is. Having now been four times I have plenty of sites to fill you in on, but I will start with one of my favorite tastiest silly sites on the strip.

While this is not the silliest of silly you can find in Vegas, it is certainly unique: the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain.

World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

What makes this site most unique is that, unlike most world’s largest anythings, it isn’t found on the side of the road, in some podunk town, in some ramshackle room. The world’s biggest chocolate fountain is housed inside one of the ritziest hotels on the strip: The Bellagio.

World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

Tucked inside Jean Philippe Patisserie, is a massive glass structure where pools of white, medium, and dark chocolate drip down, artistically spilling in a waterfall. According its informational sign, six pumps work to circulate nearly two tons of 120^o F chocolate in a 95^o temperature controlled enclosure into 25 hand-crafted artistic glass vessels. The chocolate rises 27 vertical feet from lower level pump room and 6 ceiling spouts disburse chocolate 14 feet above floor level. And the whole thing took 2 years of engineering, planning, and design. And, I must say, is one of the most beautiful and tasty-looking sites I have found.

World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

All I have to say is where’s the world’s largest spoon!

(Unfortunately, the fountain itself is not open to be eaten, but the patisserie that houses it has amazingly delicious desserts. Be sure to taste one…or twelve…while there!)

Site: World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain
Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Admission: Free to look!
Hours: The pastry shop is open Sunday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Restrictions: You have to be 18 years old or a registered guest to enter the hotel.
Date: December 2, 2007

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