Las Vegas – 6/22-25

This was my fourth trip to Vegas, and if it eventually becomes the most memorable of the four, the extreme heat will be the reason.  We knew of this “weather event” in advance, but our truck needed service, and an appointment was made ahead of time for that.   We had reservations at the KOA, which has a pool and is on-site with Sam’s Town, a large casino with two restaurants.   How bad could it be?  🙂

First clue
It’s definitely warm
We drove around the city in air-conditioned comfort, driving by this classic casino-hotel on the original Strip.  We were here in 1998, and the occasion marked the beginning of our friendship with Peg and Art, thanks to Carol, my friend and colleague at RIT.
More sights around town
The Flamingo Hotel and Casino is still going strong, the oldest continuously operating resort since 1946. 

Tired from the drive and hungry, we went to our campground where we were first assigned a campsite in the middle of an enormous parking lot.  “Don’t you have anything with some shade?” asked Doug.  We were then given a site with one tree, which was better than no trees.  After setting up and being extremely tired as well as grubby, we drove over to TGI Friday’s at the on-site casino and had a light supper, after which we planned our next few days thanks to a visitor’s guidebook.   The next day, we realized there was no way we could walk around downtown until after 4 pm, when the high-rise hotels blocked the sun.  As we drove in shortly after 4, our car thermometer showed an outdoor temperature of 113 degrees.

Our first stop was the Bellagio because we *had* to see the Chihuly glass art on display.  Another reason this became the first stop was the fact that most parking garages cannot accommodate a truck of our size.  (Doesn’t everybody FLY to Vegas??)  :-/
This stunning Chihuly bouquet is displayed at the guest registration desk.
Walking through the Bellagio, we stopped to peek inside Spago.  We were immediately greeted by one of the servers, who encouraged us to come inside (there’s no dress code in Vegas, I guess). 
The view of the dining room lights from our table near the bar.  Despite ordering only a glass of wine apiece, our server brought us three kinds of bread with accompaniments, and we had the nicest conversation with her.
Amply stocked
Our next stop was Caesar’s Palace
There’s lots going on here – unfortunately, none of it during our stay.
After our glass of wine at Spago, it was time for dinner, so (at my request), we found this celebrity chef’s restaurant.
Dinner was amazing. 
Crispy skinned Salmon – how do they prepare this so the skin tastes good??!
Walking back through Caesar’s,
and outdoors to watch the fountains
(who remembers that scene in
the “Oceans 11” movie?)
Walking back through the Bellagio near Michael Mina’s restaurant, we admired this display.

On the return trip to our campsite, the temperature had dropped to 107 degrees.  

* * * * *

Doug spent the entire day on Monday at the Toyota dealership’s service department.   The routine service was completed in no time, but the truck needed new brakes (Doug suspected so), and one essential part was not in stock but available elsewhere in Vegas, so the service technician made arrangements to get the part.  By the time Doug got back to the camper, he was definitely in the mood to go out for dinner, so we went to the Angry Butcher steakhouse at the on-site casino.  What an outstanding dinner we had there!

We were seated on the open-air “outdoor” patio, which is inside the hotel complex. 
We weren’t expecting this show, though it was very entertaining.

All in all, we had a couple of exceptional evenings in spite of the heat.  Would we visit Las Vegas again?  I doubt it, though we saw that Keith Urban is performing there in October ….   🙂

For now, our next stop will be Page, AZ.

6 thoughts on “Las Vegas – 6/22-25”

    1. The heat was extreme, for sure! We couldn’t wait to leave. I am thrilled to have been in a couple of celebrity restaurants, though. 🙂 Thanks for following our travels. xo

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    1. Yes, those Oceans rascals are entertaining! 🙂 Thanks for your nice comments! Have fun with BG this week. 🙂

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  3. It sounds like Vegas is a gourmet extravaganza but I was really wowed by the Chilhuly art glass. Really beautiful. Keith Urban would be hard to pass up. You may want to reconsider.

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    1. Ha, ha!! Keith’s not completely off the list, either! 🙂 I’m hoping you can duplicate the Farro, squash, avocado, ricotta creme, and honey glaze salad I had at Lake Powell. I’ll track down the recipe as close as possible. Hope Bryan’s doing better. XO

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