I giggled as I saw all the slot machines in the airport. I'd read about them, but seeing them in person just made me laugh! I was also amazed at the airport being right in the city. In my limited traveling experiences, most large airports are fairly removed from the hustle and bustle of the city they are in, but not here!
We were dropped off at our hotel, TI (Treasure Island), about 1 am, and so, got to witness the incredible energy of the city right away. I've never seen so many people on the streets, laughing, partying, wearing the tiniest dresses, and just living it up, as I saw that night/morning. I have to say, I actually loved it! I loved getting to see everything so alive in the middle of the night! I suppose there's a little bit of a party girl in me after all! :)
Jason and I had such a great time together. We needed this trip more than we both realized I think. We never ran out of things to talk about. We never got sick of each other. We never wished the kids were with us! Ha! I remembered what life was like pre-kids, honestly for the first time ever. I remembered all the things that made me fall in love with my sweet husband. I remembered who we are as a couple, and not just parents. It was really, really, good.
Some of my favorite highlights were...
The Eiffel Tower at Paris!
We went up in the tower just as the sun was setting. The view was amazing. Here is my attempt at a self portrait! It might not be the best pic ever, but it reminds me of how much fun we were having! I really did love it up there!
We saw the beautiful mountains, the city. We watched as the lights of the buildings came on, and then we saw the Bellagio fountains from above, which was incredible!
The murano glass ceiling at the Bellagio was also quite impressive. I think it is amazing how incredibly ornate the hotel/casino/resorts are. I was amazed time and time again.
Two of our "must do's" were to see all the sights, and eat as much good food as we could! :) We are Food Network fans, and I really wanted to eat at a couple of the celebrity chef restaurants. Our first celebrity chef meal was at Emeril's, Lagasse's Stadium. And let me just sum that meal up with one word...INCREDIBLE! This place was SO cool. It is a sports bar/restaurant. Very casual, and much more reasonably priced than the other celebrity chef places. The atmosphere was so fun. I have never seen so many TV's in one place in my life! They covered the walls, upstairs and down. Every table had it's own TV. There were giant screens everywhere. So much fun. The food is supposed to be Emeril's take on his favorite ball park foods, kicked up a notch! Jason and I shared the nacho's, which were wonderful, and then I had the Stromboli. And then I died, and went to food heaven. No seriously, I have never had food that good. Ever. I want to fly to Vegas to eat there again. Here is a picture of heaven on a plate.
Our other celebrity chef pick was Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill! I loved the vibe of his place. Upscale, but casual and cool. Very modern and elegant, all at the same time. The food was good, more "gourmet" than Lagasse's Stadium. However, Emeril's food won hands down for me. I am thrilled we ate at Mesa Grill though, because I just feel cooler knowing that we did. :)
Another must for us was to visit the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, from the History channel's show Pawn Stars! Jason is a huge fan of the show, and we had to go see it in person. It was very cool, and exactly as seen on TV. My husband was thrilled when we immediately saw Chumlee from the show! Here they are...!
And then a few minutes later Cory, aka: Big Hoss, came out from the back and he and Jason talked it up for a few minutes!
VERY exciting stuff people! I think that was the highlight of Jason's trip!
So cool. Like I said, these places amazed me with their detail.
We also went to MGM Grand, Excalibur, Hooters, The Tropicana, Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor. I really wanted to go into the Luxor and ride the elevators that go on a diagonal. It wasn't quite as exciting as I thought, but hey, you win some, you lose some. We did get J's picture with the Sphinx!
I'd go back again tomorrow if I could. It was SO good for us to have a real break together. I can tell you one thing for sure, it will NOT be another 10 years before we get away like this again! I definitely have the traveling bug now!
