Look Who’s Back! (Vegas Part 1) July 19, 2008

That’s right people, I’m back blogging, and also back from my newest adventure! Mike and I decided we needed a little getaway-and Las Vegas it was! He’s always wanted to see the Cirque Du Soliel shows that perform there, and we also wanted to try and see at least the Hoover Dam… with maybe even the Grand Canyon! We were so lucky and able to do all that we wanted and MORE!

We left Wednesday night after Michael got off work and arrived in Las Vegas around 10:00. While Vegas was just getting started, we were tired from our travels so we just explored our hotel (New York New York) and the strip a little bit before retiring for the night so we could enjoy our next 5 days!

Thursday was our first vacation day, and so we treated it as such. We started out at the pool– 104 degree weather couldn’t stop me!— but when we got there we found it closed for a health department inspection! Not confidence evoking, but since they gave us passes to use the MGM grand’s pool for the day we were satisfied and lounged poolside (me) and in the pool (Michael).

That evening was our frist of THREE Cirque Du Soliel shows that we wound up getting tickets for and it was an amazing way to start our weekend. KA is one of the newer shows, and it’s playing at the MGM Grand hotel. Rumors say that the stage alone cost $81 million dollars, and once we saw it there was little doubt. It can shift to any angle- including straight up and down which it did!- and sometimes it felt like it disappeared entirely and the actors would fall into a bottomless pit. The actual fireworks at the finale of the show couldn’t have been cheap either! It was an AMAZING performance and if you ever have the chance, see it!

In my normal Seattle life, after an hour and half evening show my night would be over… but no. Here in vegas that is not an option- especially with someone as social and nocturnal as Mike. So… with our cultured experience over we decided to just let lose. Earlier in the day we had been offered promotional passes to the Studio 54 they have at the MGM Grand… We changed to make sure we looked cool enough to get in

and headed out. Obviously, it wasn’t really like the real thing as I don’t think they played Justin Timberlake or Missy Elliot back then but we still had a great time dancing the night away!

Friday morning was another lazy day starting out by the pool. Since we had booked our excursions for Saturday and Sunday day, this was our day to explore the strip!

 We headed out in the hot sun taking in all the sights. We went into all the fancy hotels that we couldn’t afford to stay at and took pictures. I even convinced Michael to go on the Gondola ride at the Venetian.

Even though he complained, I think he secretly liked it more than he admitted. We headed back to the Bellagio for our second- and most anticipated- Cirque show called O. Seeing “O” has been a dream of Michael’s for years, and was our driving force in planning this vacation.

It’s known for being the show were the stage actually turns to and from a swimming pool that the actors dive into and swim out of. It’s unbelievably impressive when you’re watching it.

After the show, we were leaving the Bellagio just as the famous fountains came on! It was great timing so we stayed and watched the show as a bonus.

Really we were headed to the Wynn Resort and Hotel- one of the newest and most posh places on the strip. Michael had been brought to a little outside bar there on his three day business trip last summer and said he wanted to show me. It was in a little cove with a lake and waterfall that were part of the hotel. There was an outside seating patio where people came to drink cocktails and watch the computer generated shows that happen here. The shows go every 15 or 20 minutes and everyone is slightly different….. and quirky.

Regardless, we were having a great time lounging under the night’s sky…. until.. wait!? Is that the neon flashing of the strip or…? No much to Michael’s delight and my chagrin it was lightening! A summer storm had moved in and the thick drops of rain started falling to the the tunes of thunder and ligthening. We called it a night and headed back to our hotel! We had to rest  up for our amazing adventure to the Grand Canyon the next day anyways!