I am curr
ently in Las Vega, NV working on a HUGE project called City Center. From the moment my plane hit the ground, and the 10 days following, I was so busy working, I had no idea I was in Vegas. Fortunately, I then had a 4 day weekend to make up for it! The hotels I am here to help open and support are amazing! The first was a 1495 room all suite, non gaming, smoke free boutique property that truly makes one forget they are in Sin City. The second, is a monster of a property weighing in at over 4000 rooms with all the Vegas amenities and so much more. I hope one day to be able to afford to say in one of these lovely properties.
As I mentioned, I was very busy upon arrival, so when I had the time, I tried to take full advantage of it and go see all that I could of Las Vegas. On the first day, I walked up and down Las Vegas BLVD just trying to take it all in. I had my picture made with Elvis
at the Welcome sign, watched the Bellagio Fountains, 
attended at television preview session at the MGM Grand, watched "I Lost My M in Vegas" at M&M's World, basically, as I came across something I found interesting (and free), I did it. The day was long and I logged about 9 miles in my Asics, but I finally felt as if I were in Vegas.
The following day, I rented a car and received my complimentary Executive Platinum upgrade which awarded me a 2010 silver Mustang convertible. Imagine my disappointment at the below normal temperature of 39 degrees. Anyway, I drove my sassy little car south to the Hoover Dam and want to encourage you to visit should you get the opportunity. I took the Dam Tour which was quite informative and provided some great places for photos. Afterwards, I wandered the "self guided" portion, and again had spectacular views, especially of Lake Meade at sunset.
I think other visitors must have taken pity on this lone girl who kept taking pictures of herself, as several offered to take my picture for me ;) Upon leaving the dam, I stopped for dinner in Boulder City. My first impression of BC on my way to the dam was to avoid it if at all possible, but since my stomach often prevails over my mind, I didn't follow my initial feelings (guess you could say I followed my gut instead). I was charmed by this little town at nightfall. The "downtown" area was decked out in festive Christmas lights and decorations and a small local theater, The Boulder Theater, caught my eye. They were holding a production of The Nutcracker that evening, so I stopped by to inquire about the performance. Imagine my surprise and pleasure to find that the theater was owned and operated by none other that Mr. & Mrs. Desi Arnaz, Jr! Mrs. Arnaz, Miss Amy to the community, was there and greeted me warmly. She provided me information on the theater, but unfortunately the show was sold out and I was not able to tour the facilities. I'm sure it wouldn't mean much to the average person, but to me it was fabulous to be that close to Lucille Ball... I mean, Amy is Lucy's daughter-in-law!!! My batteries were "exhausted" as my camera puts it, but I don't know that I would have had the courage to ask for a photo regardless. If Desi Jr had been there that would have been different..... Moving on, I dined at a cute little restaurant called Milo's that features a very large selection of wines, especially for such a small place, and my palate was definitely treated with my choices.
As I continued my drive back to Vegas, I made a stop at Ethel M's Chocolate Factory. The name alone should be enough for those who know me to know this was a little slice of He
aven on earth for me, but for those that don't, there's more! Ethel's offers a free tour of the facilities and then rewards it's visitors with free samples at the end! As if this weren't enough, the Cactus Garden outside was covered in an assortment of Christmas lights and decorations. The gazebo was decorated to resemble the North Pole complete with Santa! I told Santa that I wanted my family here for Christmas and he promised to see what he could do. We then had a picture taken together and he gave me a package of M&M's before the next little girl got to have her turn. I hate that I have all these experiences alone, but hope that by blogging about them you are able to somehow share them with me.
For my final stop of the day, I went to "Old Vegas". You know the area, it's home to the Golden Nugget, Binion's, The 4 Queens, that big souvenir shop with the cowboy on top... Las Vegas is trying to revamp this area and now it is lumped together collectively referred to as
The Fremont Experience. I m
ust confess this is my preference to the strip. It just seemed more alive and definitely fit into my ideals of what Vegas should feel like. There were 2 stages set up with free concerts and an enormous Christmas tree set up in the center of the walkway topped off by a miniature Welcome sign in lieu of a star. My affection for this area could also be influenced in part by the influx of cowboys that happened to fill every vantage point due to the National Finals Rodeo that was taking place at the time. I'm just sayin'.....
On Saturday, I drove out to Mount Charleston to play in the snow. The views were spectacular
from every angle. I was blown away by how much beauty lies just beyond the borders of Sin City. I would like to point out that just because there is snow covering the ground, that does not mean the cacti have 
gone into hiding and it is not wise to attempt making a snow angel in the desert. Trust me on this one. I did make a little bitty snowman however, and without incident. It rained a bit while I was out, but just for a moment and when the moment passed, I witnessed one of God's most beautiful promises, a rainbow, and was able to capture it end to end with my camera. I took a nap that afternoon after watching a little football and then attend
ed a concert at the MGM Grand featuring Andrea Bocelli. His beautiful voice moved me to tears multiple times throughout the 2 1/2 hour event; he graced us with 4 encores before finally retiring off stage, and introduced me to a new artist out of Australia named Delta Goodrem. It was perfect. I completed my evening by meeting up with a coworker for dinner and watching her multiply her money on slots while I pouted over the loss of mine (she advised me you have to bet big to win big- she started with $20 and ended up with about 7x that, I started with $5 and ended up with nada).
As Sunday rolled around so did the end of my time with my little car. I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day, so despite the cool temperatures, I put back the top and let that pony run (as fast as legally allowed)! I obviously had the heater on full blast, but even had I not, the sheer exhilaration of the wind in my hair allowed me to block out the chill on my skin. It was very sad to turn her in; I hope the next driver is as appreciative of her talent as I was.
I was scheduled to work overnight on Sunday, so I once again watched a little football and followed that up with a nap before getting ready for my shift. I arrived only to find I was not needed after all. One of the few times that I truly felt the day was a total waste of makeup. I retired to my room and was "on call" for the next 8 hours. It proved to be a very uneventful evening, but I was able to catch up on some reading which was nice.
I'm off again today with the exception of a meeting this afternoon, and then it's back to 10 hour work days beginning at 5 AM tomorrow.
Cheers!
ently in Las Vega, NV working on a HUGE project called City Center. From the moment my plane hit the ground, and the 10 days following, I was so busy working, I had no idea I was in Vegas. Fortunately, I then had a 4 day weekend to make up for it! The hotels I am here to help open and support are amazing! The first was a 1495 room all suite, non gaming, smoke free boutique property that truly makes one forget they are in Sin City. The second, is a monster of a property weighing in at over 4000 rooms with all the Vegas amenities and so much more. I hope one day to be able to afford to say in one of these lovely properties.As I mentioned, I was very busy upon arrival, so when I had the time, I tried to take full advantage of it and go see all that I could of Las Vegas. On the first day, I walked up and down Las Vegas BLVD just trying to take it all in. I had my picture made with Elvis
at the Welcome sign, watched the Bellagio Fountains, 
attended at television preview session at the MGM Grand, watched "I Lost My M in Vegas" at M&M's World, basically, as I came across something I found interesting (and free), I did it. The day was long and I logged about 9 miles in my Asics, but I finally felt as if I were in Vegas.
The following day, I rented a car and received my complimentary Executive Platinum upgrade which awarded me a 2010 silver Mustang convertible. Imagine my disappointment at the below normal temperature of 39 degrees. Anyway, I drove my sassy little car south to the Hoover Dam and want to encourage you to visit should you get the opportunity. I took the Dam Tour which was quite informative and provided some great places for photos. Afterwards, I wandered the "self guided" portion, and again had spectacular views, especially of Lake Meade at sunset.
I think other visitors must have taken pity on this lone girl who kept taking pictures of herself, as several offered to take my picture for me ;) Upon leaving the dam, I stopped for dinner in Boulder City. My first impression of BC on my way to the dam was to avoid it if at all possible, but since my stomach often prevails over my mind, I didn't follow my initial feelings (guess you could say I followed my gut instead). I was charmed by this little town at nightfall. The "downtown" area was decked out in festive Christmas lights and decorations and a small local theater, The Boulder Theater, caught my eye. They were holding a production of The Nutcracker that evening, so I stopped by to inquire about the performance. Imagine my surprise and pleasure to find that the theater was owned and operated by none other that Mr. & Mrs. Desi Arnaz, Jr! Mrs. Arnaz, Miss Amy to the community, was there and greeted me warmly. She provided me information on the theater, but unfortunately the show was sold out and I was not able to tour the facilities. I'm sure it wouldn't mean much to the average person, but to me it was fabulous to be that close to Lucille Ball... I mean, Amy is Lucy's daughter-in-law!!! My batteries were "exhausted" as my camera puts it, but I don't know that I would have had the courage to ask for a photo regardless. If Desi Jr had been there that would have been different..... Moving on, I dined at a cute little restaurant called Milo's that features a very large selection of wines, especially for such a small place, and my palate was definitely treated with my choices.As I continued my drive back to Vegas, I made a stop at Ethel M's Chocolate Factory. The name alone should be enough for those who know me to know this was a little slice of He
aven on earth for me, but for those that don't, there's more! Ethel's offers a free tour of the facilities and then rewards it's visitors with free samples at the end! As if this weren't enough, the Cactus Garden outside was covered in an assortment of Christmas lights and decorations. The gazebo was decorated to resemble the North Pole complete with Santa! I told Santa that I wanted my family here for Christmas and he promised to see what he could do. We then had a picture taken together and he gave me a package of M&M's before the next little girl got to have her turn. I hate that I have all these experiences alone, but hope that by blogging about them you are able to somehow share them with me.For my final stop of the day, I went to "Old Vegas". You know the area, it's home to the Golden Nugget, Binion's, The 4 Queens, that big souvenir shop with the cowboy on top... Las Vegas is trying to revamp this area and now it is lumped together collectively referred to as
The Fremont Experience. I m
ust confess this is my preference to the strip. It just seemed more alive and definitely fit into my ideals of what Vegas should feel like. There were 2 stages set up with free concerts and an enormous Christmas tree set up in the center of the walkway topped off by a miniature Welcome sign in lieu of a star. My affection for this area could also be influenced in part by the influx of cowboys that happened to fill every vantage point due to the National Finals Rodeo that was taking place at the time. I'm just sayin'.....
On Saturday, I drove out to Mount Charleston to play in the snow. The views were spectacular
from every angle. I was blown away by how much beauty lies just beyond the borders of Sin City. I would like to point out that just because there is snow covering the ground, that does not mean the cacti have 
gone into hiding and it is not wise to attempt making a snow angel in the desert. Trust me on this one. I did make a little bitty snowman however, and without incident. It rained a bit while I was out, but just for a moment and when the moment passed, I witnessed one of God's most beautiful promises, a rainbow, and was able to capture it end to end with my camera. I took a nap that afternoon after watching a little football and then attend
ed a concert at the MGM Grand featuring Andrea Bocelli. His beautiful voice moved me to tears multiple times throughout the 2 1/2 hour event; he graced us with 4 encores before finally retiring off stage, and introduced me to a new artist out of Australia named Delta Goodrem. It was perfect. I completed my evening by meeting up with a coworker for dinner and watching her multiply her money on slots while I pouted over the loss of mine (she advised me you have to bet big to win big- she started with $20 and ended up with about 7x that, I started with $5 and ended up with nada).
As Sunday rolled around so did the end of my time with my little car. I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day, so despite the cool temperatures, I put back the top and let that pony run (as fast as legally allowed)! I obviously had the heater on full blast, but even had I not, the sheer exhilaration of the wind in my hair allowed me to block out the chill on my skin. It was very sad to turn her in; I hope the next driver is as appreciative of her talent as I was.I was scheduled to work overnight on Sunday, so I once again watched a little football and followed that up with a nap before getting ready for my shift. I arrived only to find I was not needed after all. One of the few times that I truly felt the day was a total waste of makeup. I retired to my room and was "on call" for the next 8 hours. It proved to be a very uneventful evening, but I was able to catch up on some reading which was nice.
I'm off again today with the exception of a meeting this afternoon, and then it's back to 10 hour work days beginning at 5 AM tomorrow.
Cheers!
Wow! You're gonna have to post more often so we don't have to go so many places at once. I'm pooped!
ReplyDeleteGreat! Wish you'd started this sooner!
ReplyDelete