Welcome to Las Vegas! Our plan is to spend the first full day in Vegas shopping! I know what you are thinking, clearly not Tim's first choice, but I assure you he has a list of 'must finds'.
Driving 3500 kilometres (2000 or so miles) takes its tole on a car, so this morning after we blogged, we headed for an oil change. While the car was in, Tim and I did our normal shopping at Walmart. When I say normal, I mean that when we are on a road trip, which as I have said is quite frequently, we do most of our eating from our hotel. This trip is no different. I will not attempt to describe all the crazy meals Tim has pulled off from either a microwave, toaster oven, or a small BBQ; suffice it to say you would be impressed. We picked up everything from breakfast sausages to fresh corn and avocados.
Second stop was the Premium Outlets. While we have visited much more impressive outlet malls, we were happy to pick up a few outfits and some kitchenware. What was most impressive was the Boot Barn and my dream boots. Some context; I have been looking for cowboy boots for years. While I have had no problem finding them, I wasn't willing to splurge on the $300 price tag (especially when exchange would bring it to around $400). I have found amazing boots from Kentucky to Minnesota; but its today in Vegas that the 'shoe fits'. Boot Barn has an incredible selection of leather and exotic skinned boots; but what was most impressive was they had hundreds of styles in my size (girls that wear size 9.5-10 will understand my pain). I not only found my dream boots for a great price, but was completely delighted to have a 15% military discount at the till!
We made it back to the hotel, the Howard Johnson on Tropicana and started to prepare for a night on the strip. The last time we stayed in Vegas we stayed at Motel6. At $22 a night its was great and we likely would have stayed again if it was still open. We chose the HOJO for a couple reasons. First, we rather travel cheap and travel often. HOJO, like Motel6 is a discount motel; however we found the HOJO is a bit cleaner, and has more services. The savings from the hotel will go straight into our excursion budget. The second reason is almost all hotels in Vegas charge a resort fee. We don't plan to sit at a pool all day and really just use our hotel as a staging ground and to sleep. Thus, we were not comfortable paying double for a hotel per night.
After a delicious chicken quasadilla dinner, we packed a bag and set out on the strip. We marvelled at the lights from the corner of Tropicana; walked through New York New York and enjoyed a beverage in 'Central Park'. This hotel is great with all the quintessential smells and sounds of New York; including a cover of Billy Joel's piano man. Did I mention how much I like my new boots ;-)
We made our way through the Monticello, Aria, The Cosmopolitan, the Bellagio and finally Caesars Palace. The most impressive hotel, to us, is the Bellagio. First, everyone knows about the incredible fountain that is choreographer to music; awesome. But what is also interesting about the hotel is the garden just past the lobby. The hotel maintains a theme garden, depending on the season, which is absolutely breathtaking. The last time we were here was at Christmas; thus there was a poinsettia theme. Today, there is a Japanese garden; intoxicating with a beautiful smells of flowers. Words cannot describe!
We made it to the what was supposed to be the grand finallee, gambling. Tim doesn’t like to play the slots, but I do. What I noticed this time, however, was that games have gotten quite complex. I suppose you could just click, but I was attempting to understand the game. After a couple 'free' drinks, we called it a night. Although I lost $12, we had a great night; especially just watching people!
