In 2010 I found myself with the opportunity to visit Las Vegas. I had never been anywhere like it, but had seen The Hangover enough times to know that it was mental. The chance of a lifetime, I went.
We drove, and as we came over the edge of the city I remember thinking I was in for a ride. Hotels and rides towered over the car and billboards adverting drinking and gambling seemed endless. We pulled p at the hotel and I’m not going to lie, I nearly died.
The Venetian is like something out of a dream. It’s supposed to be a replica of Venice, although there is a bit of artistic licence, but oh my god. The ceiling is decorated to look like a cloudy fresco and an actual canal runs through the ground floor where you can ride a gondola, even stopping to marvel at the Bridge of Sighs. Fantastic.
My experience of the city wasn’t the gambling, drinking and generally being rowdy experience that most people tend to have, instead I went for dinner with my family and went to see Cirque de Soleil, another thing that I had never done before. It was AMAZING! The bodies of the dancers were muscly and ripped, and some of the acrobatics were so dangerous and amazing that you could hear the whole audience holding their breaths.
We ate in a fantastic Argentinean restaurant, and the next day we walked around the Mirage and visited the indoor zoo. Yep, there is actually a zoo in the hotel .Go figure, its Vegas!
If you are planning a trip then you need to do the following. Wipe your mind of anything you have ever thought it will be, because it won’t. It’s like nothing you will have ever seen or experienced before. Be prepared for no sleep, and also immerse yourself with everything it is. It’s a little seedy, a little surreal, but REALLY fun!
I would like to add that my gambling career began and ended in Vegas. I was given a hundred dollar bill (lucky girl) and told to gamble it. I couldn’t bring myself to put such a large amount of money on a craps table, so I played the 5 cent sex in the city game for a couple of dollars before deciding to spend it on souvenirs for my friends. Because I’m good like that!
Dreaming of Sand Between My Toes 
You sound like my husband and myself…it’s hard to gamble your money away. We have gone to Las Vegas several times but do very little gambling because you usually don’t win. We would rather spend the money on a nice hotel and a couple of good restaurants.
i know me too, its all about the food 🙂
Yep. Cirque du Soleil is amazing, isn’t it! I haven’t seen the show in Las Vegas……yet……but saw another and now I am a huge fan. Fingers crossed will be going to see a show October in Sevilla.
i want to go to one of the london ones but it seems pretty extravagant when you arent on a trip!
Yes, Las Vegas is definitely over the top in every way you can imagine. I enjoy the nickel slots and if I’m feeling really wealthy, I might play quarters for a little while. 🙂 I love the fountains at Bellagio. One of these days, I want to go see the Blue Man Group.
My husband and I also went to Vegas but didn’t get into the gambling…there’s so much more to do.
Thanks for your comments on my site – it’s a new blog so it’s nice to have a few comments on there!
thats OK, i enjoyed it!
Those lions have manes so neat they look like they have a special groomer… but then again, it is Vegas, so maybe they do. You know, that’d be a cool job.
My son recommended your blog. I’ve bookmarked your blog.
great stuff, i hope you enjoy it!