Viva Las Vegas

Ok, so I'm late with this one, but I went to Las Vegas about a month ago, after a much-needed vacation.  After suffering through three colds and mountains of snow, I had to get away. Even my husband said I needed some warmth and sunshine.

I flew, as usual, on Southwest. I know some people hate them, but I LUV them (as their logo goes).  The husband dropped me off at the airport, and it was empty (note to self: always travel on a Saturday). I checked my bag, and walked right through security. No fuss. No pat-down. I did notice my airport had more scanners, but no one was getting pat-downs. It was the quickest I've ever gone through security, to be honest.

I boarded the plane, and sat in the aisle seat next to two women. One was an older business traveler, who had to get all of her papers and work out immediately. The other was a younger lady, mid-twenties, maybe.The girl in the middle has obviously never flown on Southwest before, as she had to peruse the drink menu for five minutes, and seemed uneasy as to where to sit to begin with (it's open seating on Southwest-get in, and park your ass in any seat). She seemed weirded about about flying in general.She also asked me a million questions about Vegas before we left the Connecticut airspace: How long to get there? What is the time difference? What's the weather like? I've never been so happy to get the announcement that we could turn on electrical devices. Yes, I just want to be left alone when I fly. I hate to fly, and need to go into my zone and ignore everything around me.

The flight was good though, no turbulence, no problems.  When we landed in Vegas, there was the usual mad dash of people jumping up and trying to get out. The girl next to me stood up and said, "Can you move?", indicating that she wanted to get her bag from the overhead bin. Where did she want me to move? The wing? The aisle was jammed packed with people. I was already grouchy after a five hour flight in a tin can, and this didn't help. She also didn't say please. So I turned to her and said, "Where do you want me to go? There is no where for me to move. Just relax, we aren't going anywhere yet." I heard a hush fall over the other passengers, and the girl sat down, meekly.  I mean, really?

Lauren met me at the airport with Jack in the Box. I've never loved her more. What can I say to a jumbo jack with cheese and curly fries waiting for me? I wolfed down my treat, and off we went. I practically did a dance of joy outside her car when the sunshine hit me. And I don't even love warm weather. But Vegas was perfect. 73 degrees, palm trees, people ready to spend their money at the casinos...I loved it. It was a far cry from the 30 degree weather and mounds of snow I left behind.

We went directly to the Mandarin Oriental hotel, located in City Center. It is probably the most luxurious hotel I've ever stayed in. And I've stayed in some sweet hotels before. There is no gift shop, no kids running around screaming, no noise...nothing. Just peace and tranquility...and Maserati's. We'd already been to the Mandarin last year to dine at the famous Twist restaurant, but this time we would spend a night. We had tickets to see Cirque du Solieil's Viva Elvis at nearby Aria casino, and dinner reservations at another famous restaurant, Bar Masa.

When we got to our room we were greeted with groovy zen-like music coming from the flat-screen t.v. Ohmm...the t.v. said, "Welcome Jacqueline." You could watch t.v., open/close the drapes, order room service...it was a high tech t.v. The bathroom was crazy, with another t.v. built right into the mirror. I mean...what? Who does that??? The mini-bar somewhat frightened us, with $12.00 gummi bears and overpriced liquor, so we didn't even want to touch it. We had a nice view of the strip, and it was heaven.  Lauren made the mistake of pressing a button, and the room literally came alive. Lights dimmed, drapes shut...it frightened us a bit, to be frank.

That night we walked next door to Aria, the new casino/hotel in City Center. We dined at Bar Masa, a very nice Japanese restaurant. It was delicious. And overpriced. But what can you do? It's Vegas.

We saw Cirque's Viva Elvis after dinner. It was cute, but not a typical Cirque show. Some of the Elvis songs were remixes, with the Cirque members often taking the mike and singing themselves. I didn't like that. I want to hear the King, not them. The show focused less on acrobats and more on just dancing and celebrating Elvis. But I still enjoyed it. Just not one of my favorites.

The next day we had tea in the lounge of the Mandarin. We enjoyed Matcha tea lattes and scones, which were great. I'm not a latte person, but this was different and good. We spent the rest of the day shopping, getting drunk before lunchtime (hey, I'm allowed!) and basking in the Vegas sun. I wore capris! I wore sandals! I kept on texting my dad about how it was so hot I was "wiping the sweat off my brow." Heehee. We checked out the brand new Cosmopolitan Hotel, which was gorgeous, but a bit empty. Not a lot to do there. We had lunch at Comme Ca, and loved every French bite of it.

We watched movies, relaxed, spent more money, and just had a great time. I'm always happiest when I'm with Lauren, and this trip was no exception. We also dined at one of my favorite places, Mimi's Cafe. Lauren indulged me in our usual "Chocodile run", so I could grab as many of the hard-to-find Hostess treats as I could.  We also had our typical encounter with a crazy person. Late one night we wanted a snack, so we hit Denny's. We had the most tweaked out waiter I've ever seen. The guy must have been snorting lines all night, because he was hopped up and crazy. Thank god he left in the middle of the shift, and Emma the waitress took over. I was never so happy to see Emma in my life. But sometimes I wonder if Lauren and I are truly weirdo magnets. They always seem to find us.

As always, I was sad to leave. Sad to leave Lauren, the warm weather, the fun that is Vegas. I know I'll go back again, but I'm always bummed when I leave. It was the perfect pick-me-up that I needed, though.

If there is anyone who hasn't been to Vegas, I highly encourage you to check it out at least once. There are lots of other things to do in Vegas besides gamble, from visiting National Parks (Valley of Fire is great), seeing shows, or even visiting the Hoover Dam. Spending two days there is enough to give you a good taste. I'd avoid going in the summer, for obvious reasons (I almost died from heat there two years ago in July) but it is one of the best places for adults to visit. :)