Vegas is obviously known for their casinos, which I had a great time in quite a few of them, but I had just as much fun checking out some of the other things Vegas is known for. I didn’t have a clue what exactly before the trip happened, but thanks to About.com I had a little bit of guidance.

Mandalay Bay
The first (and only) thing that always pops into my mind about Mandalay Bay are the  boxing matches that go on over there. I’m not much of a boxing fanatic, but I’ve become one with the greatness of Manny Pacquiao, a fellow Filipino man. It’s a beautiful casino from outside to inside.

We checked out the Shark Reef Aquarium inside, and it was a pretty neat experience. The main draw is the giant size aquarium that engulfs you, that is filled with many different types of fish and obviously, sharks. Although I would never do this, partly because i’d be scared as heck to do it, but for a giant rate you can actually gear up and swim inside with the sharks. No thanks, not that daring.

Minus 5

Also in Mandalay Bay is probably my favorite experience while out in Vegas. It’s such a different concept because a place this cold shouldn’t be out in the desert, but it was a sweet thing to check out. I wish I was able to to take pictures, but because it is literally below freezing in there we weren’t allowed to take in anything electronic inside the bar. But it was pretty awesome to be dressed up in a thick winter coat and given gloves upon entering. Everything is made up of ice carvings, from the walls to the bar and to the cups for your alcohol. The bartender was really awesome and encouraged us to dance to keep from freezing our buns off. To motivate us, she happily danced beside us. That was nice.

M&M’s World
4 floors of chocolaty goodness. The smell of chocolate emanates throughout the entire store which I’m sure just a quarter of the aroma comes from the giant size dispensers of single color M&M’s the store carries on the 2nd floor.

And with the calls of free samples on the top floor made it so much easier to cruise through and check out all the cool merchandise and models this place has.

One thing that I thought was the best was not so much the chocolate, but the orange M&M character. The way they drew him out and the type of personality that he must carry makes him to be a befuddled, confused and kinda worrisome. In some ways he reminds me of me…or just Butters from South Park.

Cher has returned to the Caesars Palace – Colosseum in Las Vegas now until 12/20. Jerry Seinfeld will perforn two nights before Bette Midler returns on 12/30 and will perform a New Years Eve show on 12/31 at 7:30p.m. leaving plenty of time for a New Years party on the Las Vegas strip.

Jeff Dunham will perform two nights 12/11 and 12/12 giving Cher a two day break and the Gallows as well for one night only.

The UFC 106 is on though champion Brock Lesnar had to bow out recently against top contender Shane Carwin due to an illness the UFC 106 will go on. The UFC will headline a rematch between former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin on Nov. 21. The Lesnar vs Carwin fight will be rescheduled to a future date in 2010.

Santana is at the The Joint – Hard Rock Hotel now through Feb 2010 and Avant will perform at Planet Hollywood Fri, Nov 27.  Vicente Fernandez will be at the Mandalay Bay – Events Center on Sat, Nov 28 at 9PM followed by KISS at the Palms Casino Resort on Sat, Nov 28 at 8PM.

It’s a great time to visit Las Vegas with the National Finals Rodeo heading to Vegas in December and Metallica to perform on 12/5 also at Mandalay Bay.

Tickets for all events available online at Click2Vegas.com

Story by Anthony Springer
Photo by Chris Cozzone

The UFC suffered a major blow when heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was forced out of his UFC 106 title bout with Shane Carwin due to a severe case of the flu.

With time ticking away and no main event in sight, what did UFC president Dana White do?

He simply bumped the night’s slated co-main event—a rematch between Forrest Griffin (16-6) and Tito Ortiz (16-6-1)—to headlining status.

“It sucks when we have to go rip down some billboards and put up new ones,” a calm White said when asked about the loss of the card’s headlining fight. “In boxing, this card would’ve had to be cancelled, but we stacked this card with great fights.”

Ortiz-Griffin 2 is perhaps the best representation of MMA’s selling power. Griffin is coming off two straight losses and Ortiz has been sidelined for nearly two years. The first bout between the pair of former champions ended with Ortiz having his hand raised and fans split on who should’ve won the fight.

The paths of the fighters diverged from there. Following consecutive victories over Ken Shamrock, Ortiz found himself on the losing end of fights with Chuck Liddell, a draw with Rashad Evans, and a loss to current 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida. To top it off, the lopsided defeat at the hands of Machida was the last on “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s” previous UFC contract; sending the bleach blonde fighter out on a sour note.

Griffin, on the other hand, found himself on the fast track to the top of the light heavyweight division. The original Ultimate Fighter bested Stephan Bonnar in a rematch of the historic bout Dana White credits with saving the UFC, and rebounded from a disappointing loss to Keith Jardine to beat Hector Ramirez and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The win over Rua vaulted Griffin to an Ultimate Fighter coaching slot against then champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and a title shot. As history shows, the tenacious Griffin grinded out a five round decision victory and became the first Ultimate Fighter winner to get a taste of UFC gold.

MMA’s favorite underdog found his meteoric rise cut short by fellow Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92. Griffin was pounded into oblivion in the third round. Without the duties of a champion, Griffin found time to pen a book and was tapped to challenge middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101.

The result wasn’t pretty, and the much larger Griffin found himself on the receiving end of a knockout jab from the champion. When asked if the book and subsequent book tour were distractions for the Silva fight, the Georgia native is quick to give “The Spider” his props.

“I trained for that fight for a good 13 weeks,” Griffin said. “I think Anderson Silva was pretty much the problem and not the book tour.”

Back-to-back losses may have diminished Griffin’s stock in the eyes of the fickle fan, but one person who won’t be sleeping come fight night is the other man occupying the main event slot—Tito Ortiz.

“Forrest is a great opponent and he puts it on the line,” Ortiz said of Griffin. “I think we’re going to put on the fight of the year.”

The Forrest Griffin entering the Octagon Saturday night will not be the same Forrest Griffin that Ortiz faced at UFC 59. Griffin describes the loss as a “wake up.” Judging by his performances following the controversial end, Griffin is no longer asleep at the wheel. While both men are workhorses inside the cage, they take different approaches to the main event. Ortiz emphatically states that he is looking to not only win, but make a statement; Griffin takes the opposite approach, preferring the W by any means necessary.

“I’m not looking to make a statement, I’m looking to win a fight any way that can happen,” Griffin stated. “I’ll take anything. I really just want to win.”

Griffin is many things. One thing he is not is underprepared. Respected by other fighters for an unrivaled work ethic in the gym, Griffin—who makes a living fighting— surprisingly enjoys training more than being punched in the face in an actual fight.

“If it was up to me, I would probably never fight,” Griffin said before adding, “But I’d be the most ready guy in the world; when you keep [training consistently] you break down and you don’t have the pop you have in the beginning. I’ve got to get with my people and maybe schedule some work outs a little different.”

Pop or not, Griffin will be ready to rumble for three rounds of action in the UFC light heavyweight division. The light heavyweight fighter with the awkward sense of humor will also come into the fight with a new lease on life.

So what’s gotten into Griffin these days? A new training regimen? Main event status?

Neither, Griffin revealed candidly. The smile on Griffin’s face and his renewed fighting focus is due to his status as a newlywed.

“I’ve never been happier,” Griffin said of the married life. “A lot of people say that when they first get married, but it’s great. All my needs are met. It’s helped me have a more positive outlook and to start training more to have fun. The last couple of years I’ve trained out of fear and anxiety, ‘am I training enough?’ Now it’s fun. That’s been the difference for me, just being more positive.”

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 takes place next Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

por SHARLEE TRUJEQUE.

Por fin se llevó a cabo la décima entrega de los Latin Grammy 2009 desde el Mandalay Bay en las Vegas, Nevada, y puedo afirmar que “lo que sucedió en Vegas,…lo supimos todo el mundo”, con todo y la colaboración del elenco del “Criss Angel Believe” del Cirque du Soleil.

Con unos presentadores que balancearon bastante el asunto, entre una Lucero en su papel de buena onda mesurada y un Eugenio Derbez cómico-sarcástico, el programa no fue del todo entretenido, debido a que en ocasiones como espectador, podías distraerte fácilmente ya que ciertos números musicales e invitados famosos provocaban más sueño que nada.

Lo buena onda de la noche, fue una Alejandra Guzmán optimista, relajada y entallada en rojo (lo cual resaltaba más su inflamadas pompas despues del sustote por inyectarse cemento para huesos), y recibiendo aplausos por aparecer nuevamente en un escenario.

De “mamiblu…tu manchar my spanish” es cuando Eva Longoria y el “Erase una vez gordis” Alejandro Sanz, haciendo la presentación de nominados, con una lectura de la Longoria como de niño de kinder, hablaba las palabras cortadonas y chis-to-si-to…pero que más da, es actriz hollywoodense, gana harta lana y se le soporta aunque mastique re mal el “spanish”…ash.

El momento de una carita “bonita” pero totalmente desangelada al cantar, Shaila Durcal, que ni cantando covers a ritmo de mariachi con look diferente y aseñorado, logra dar una….eso si, maquillada perfecta y toda mona la nena.

El romántico de la noche, Pepe Aguilar, quien entre popurri de sus éxitos y un cuerpo de baile al estilo “catrina-du-soleil”, arrancó suspiros de los presentes con tremendos rolones.

Lo equis…Reik, cantaron y pasaron de noche (aunque ganaron un grammy que dedicaron a todos los cachanillas de Mexicali); Los Tucanes de Tijuana, desafinadotes y “elegantes” como siempre; Montez de Durango con Espinoza Paz, otros chuntaritos desafinados y de flojera; y en el momento “urbano” tambien figuraron Wisin y Yandel, llevandose los mayores bostezos de la entrega.

El momento desastroso de la noche, el dueto formado por David Bisbal y Luz Ríos, con “Aire” (que a falta de Joan Sebastián, que fue elogiado como maestro e inspiración…por andar con una chavita de 18 años, que barbaridad), fueron la peor combinación musical de todo el evento.

La mentada de “mother” de la noche: Calle 13 como ganadores de 5 preseas, incluyendo “mejor album del año”…no hay perdón de Dios.

Momentos memorables:

-Luis Fonsi cantando con la filarmónica de las Vegas.

- Laura Pausini (con unos kilitos de más) abriendo el evento, finalizando su canción colgada en los aires.

-La presentación de Enrique Iglesias introduciendo su admiración por Juan Gabriel, reconocido como “La persona del año”.

- Tremenda sorpresota ver a Alicia Keys cantando junto a Alejandro Sanz “looking for paradise”, y ver a Eva Longoria bien contentota cantando la rola.

-El dueto de salseros: Oscar D´leon y Gilberto Santarrosa, demostrando que la salsa sigue gobernando a cualquier precio dentro del mundo latino.

Y el momento cumbre de la noche:

Juan Gabriel dando un mega show de más de 40 minutos, poniendo en alto el nombre de México al agradecer su reconocimiento “Por México, de México y para México”, poniendo a bailar a todo el salón de eventos del Mandalay, y demostrando porque sigue siendo “El divo de Juárez” a pesar de esos tremendos kilos de más, los cuales no evitaron que hiciera sus acostumbrados pasitos de baile con todo y su cuerpo de mariachis.

Total que los grammys latinos aun no encuentran la fórmula adecuada, debido a tanto revoltijo de estrellitas e ideas, pero acá los dejamos con la filosofía al estilo Derbez…

Lucero pregunta: “¿porqué crees que cambiaron los grammy de inglés a español?
Derbez responde: “ps para que los gringos sientan lo que es sufrir viendo la tele 3 horas,…¡y no entender ni un carajo!”….

På Mandalay Bay i Las Vegas såg jag The Killers. Men först nu, en dryg månad senare, har jag upptäckt förbandet Phoenix.
“Jaha, de var bra alltså?”, tänker jag på tunnelbanan till jobbet.

Bette Midler Now – 11/15

Cher 11/19 – 12/20

Santana 11/11-22
Leonard Cohen – 11/12
Neil Sedaka 11/12, 13 
Pacquiao v Cotto 11/14
Chelsea Handler 11/14
So Think You Can Dance
The Four Tops 11/20-22
UFC 106 – 11/21
Avant 11/27
Vicente Fernandez
KISS 11/28
Stevie Wonder 11/28
Black Crowes 11/29
Source: Click2Vegas.com

Upcoming Events at
Caesars Palace
Mandalay Bay
MGM Grand Garden
Palms Casino Resort
Sam Boyd Stadium
The Joint – Hard Rock
The Orleans Hotel

National Finals Rodeo Thu, Dec 3 2009 – Sat, Dec 12 2009

TICKETS FOR ALL National Finals Rodeo Events CLICK HERE

por SHARLEE TRUJEQUE.

Por fin se llevó a cabo la décima entrega de los Latin Grammy 2009 desde el Mandalay Bay en las Vegas, Nevada, y puedo afirmar que “lo que sucedió en Vegas,…lo supimos todo el mundo”, con todo y la colaboración del elenco del “Criss Angel Believe” del Cirque du Soleil.

Con unos presentadores que balancearon bastante el asunto, entre una Lucero en su papel de buena onda mesurada y un Eugenio Derbez cómico-sarcástico, el programa no fue del todo entretenido, debido a que en ocasiones como espectador, podías distraerte fácilmente ya que ciertos números musicales e invitados famosos provocaban más sueño que nada.

Lo buena onda de la noche, fue una Alejandra Guzmán optimista, relajada y entallada en rojo (lo cual resaltaba más su inflamadas pompas despues del sustote por inyectarse cemento para huesos), y recibiendo aplausos por aparecer nuevamente en un escenario.

De “mamiblu…tu manchar my spanish” es cuando Eva Longoria y el “Erase una vez gordis” Alejandro Sanz, haciendo la presentación de nominados, con una lectura de la Longoria como de niño de kinder, hablaba las palabras cortadonas y chis-to-si-to…pero que más da, es actriz hollywoodense, gana harta lana y se le soporta aunque mastique re mal el “spanish”…ash.

El momento de una carita “bonita” pero totalmente desangelada al cantar, Shaila Durcal, que ni cantando covers a ritmo de mariachi con look diferente y aseñorado, logra dar una….eso si, maquillada perfecta y toda mona la nena.

El romántico de la noche, Pepe Aguilar, quien entre popurri de sus éxitos y un cuerpo de baile al estilo “catrina-du-soleil”, arrancó suspiros de los presentes con tremendos rolones.

Lo equis…Reik, cantaron y pasaron de noche (aunque ganaron un grammy que dedicaron a todos los cachanillas de Mexicali); Los Tucanes de Tijuana, desafinadotes y “elegantes” como siempre; Montez de Durango con Espinoza Paz, otros chuntaritos desafinados y de flojera; y en el momento “urbano” tambien figuraron Wisin y Yandel, llevandose los mayores bostezos de la entrega.

El momento desastroso de la noche, el dueto formado por David Bisbal y Luz Ríos, con “Aire” (que a falta de Joan Sebastián, que fue elogiado como maestro e inspiración…por andar con una chavita de 18 años, que barbaridad), fueron la peor combinación musical de todo el evento.

La mentada de “mother” de la noche: Calle 13 como ganadores de 5 preseas, incluyendo “mejor album del año”…no hay perdón de Dios.

Momentos memorables:

-Luis Fonsi cantando con la filarmónica de las Vegas.

- Laura Pausini (con unos kilitos de más) abriendo el evento, finalizando su canción colgada en los aires.

-La presentación de Enrique Iglesias introduciendo su admiración por Juan Gabriel, reconocido como “La persona del año”.

- Tremenda sorpresota ver a Alicia Keys cantando junto a Alejandro Sanz “looking for paradise”, y ver a Eva Longoria bien contentota cantando la rola.

-El dueto de salseros: Oscar D´leon y Gilberto Santarrosa, demostrando que la salsa sigue gobernando a cualquier precio dentro del mundo latino.

Y el momento cumbre de la noche:

Juan Gabriel dando un mega show de más de 40 minutos, poniendo en alto el nombre de México al agradecer su reconocimiento “Por México, de México y para México”, poniendo a bailar a todo el salón de eventos del Mandalay, y demostrando porque sigue siendo “El divo de Juárez” a pesar de esos tremendos kilos de más, los cuales no evitaron que hiciera sus acostumbrados pasitos de baile con todo y su cuerpo de mariachis.

Total que los grammys latinos aun no encuentran la fórmula adecuada, debido a tanto revoltijo de estrellitas e ideas, pero acá los dejamos con la filosofía al estilo Derbez…

Lucero pregunta: “¿porqué crees que cambiaron los grammy de inglés a español?

Derbez responde: “ps para que los gringos sientan lo que es sufrir viendo la tele 3 horas,…¡y no entender ni un carajo!”….

Last night at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, every Latino Celebrity and Latin Press was in attendance to celebrate Juan Gabriel’s homage in Latin Music. For those of you who do not know who Juan Gabriel is? Well let me give you a lil bit of insight and 411 about who this Talented individual is and why we as Latinos admire his art and talent.

Born in Paracuaro, Michoacán, he attended boarding school in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua^[3], but he left to work as a craftsman at the age of 13. Already a songwriter, he began his performing career in nightclubs and local television using the stage name Adán Luna. A lot of his musical skills were also learned from an older man that befriended Alberto at an early age. He perfected playing the guitar and eventually changed his name to Juan Gabriel to honor his friend and his father, dropping Adan Luna completely.^[4] Juan Gabriel is best known for his first hit single “Querida” and his recent “Abrázame Muy Fuerte.” [Source: Wiki]

I’m not finished that’s just the beginning… This man has written some of the most heartfelt music that anyone can imagine. My all time favorite was when he and his Spaniard friend, Rocio Durcal started collaborating together. It was a match made in heaven. It was the Latin version of Sonny and Cher. Rocio recently passed away and rumour is that her daughter [below] will take her rein and follow in her mom’s footsteps with Juan Gabriel as her mentor and songwriter! loves it! Here she is seen on stage receiving her blessing from her mentor.

Here is the snippet of Juan Gabriel’s, “Querida” aka “My Dear” which put him on the map and made him who he is today, Juan Gabriel!!

I spent last weekend in Las Vegas with two of my favorite high school boys. What follows are my observations from a well-rounded, fabulous trip.

- Vegas is no longer a place to take your family–unless your children are adults. Giant billboards featuring hoochie girls in racy outfits (if you can call them outfits) run the length of the Strip advertising half-naked shows at major casinos. The pool scene is a hotbed of inappropriate conversations between adults ranging in age from 18 to 55, all who have started drinking by noon. I can’t, in fact, think of an activity to take a child to in Vegas anymore.

-To fit in at a Vegas club, your dress can only cover one to two centimeters below your bottom. Otherwise you are out of place. My friend counted four separate women on the dance floor whose underwear, or lack thereof, he saw in plain view, in some cases multiple times. Since when is it sexy to blatantly reveal your thong on a dance floor before you get the guy you are grinding with back to your room! A true sign I am too old for the Vegas club scene.

-Walking the 2.1 miles, from the Wynn to the Luxor in cheap high heels may seem like a good idea at the time, with the lights, and the shiny new hotels to see, but I guarantee your feet will pay. I still have a red inflamed blister on the top of my toe, five days later.

-But on that same note, the Strip is at its best at night. The lights alone can give you a high. Say what you want about Times Square, and how annoying the foot traffic is, but the same thing applies. You just can’t beat bright, shining, colorful lights. It’s like having Christmas decorations up all year.

-Eating a plain old McDonald’s cheeseburger at 2 am is a great way to weaken the blow from your hangover…despite what my friend may say.

-It is very much worth leaving the Strip, and the city, and finding your way to one of the many natural wonders that surround Vegas. This trip I found myself hiking through Red Rocks Canyon, and being incredibly disappointed that I had dropped and permanently damaged my camera at the club the night before.

-The Mix Lounge, on the 64th floor of THEhotel, may win for best view of the Strip. You can see all the way down to the Stratosphere. And with a delicious $15 martini in hand, I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed a view so much.

-Another shout-out to the Mandalay Bay complex is for the Red Square restaurant and bar, which not only features a very tall headless statue out front, but also serves it’s martinis on a strip of ice running the length of a bar. The bartender is also nice enough to hand out free blue cheese stuffed olives to those of us that really couldn’t handle another martini.

-Vegas with a few of your oldest friends, who know you inside and out, and are totally okay with you doing the running man on elevators, is the right way to do Vegas. It keeps me coming back.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Black Dog Martini

6 parts light rum, 1 part dry vermouth, pitted black olive for garnish

Well, similar to last night, I dropped the ball on the garnish with this one.  I didn’t have any black olives on hand.  Usually I have a can of them hanging around in my pantry and fully expected to find them.  No.  Nary a black olive to be found.  I have four different kinds of GREEN olives in the fridge, though!  I threw in a standard pimento-stuffed green so it wouldn’t just look like I was drinking a glass of water out of a fancy glass.  A real shame not to make the drink legit, I do like black dogs (other than Dobermans and Rottweilers, which I guess is most of them, no?).  Well, Sue’s family used to have Shelly, the black lab who had a tendency to eat stray underwear that fell out of the laundry basket.  She was an interesting dog, a big ol’ ‘woof’ dog as I like to call them.  She could always be counted on to thump a happy tail against you when you came by to visit.  Shelly, this one’s for you.

Purely Gratiuitous Shot of Johnny Depp

Now I’m not a huge rum drinker.  Much as I love Captain Jack Sparrow and the quote, “But why is the rum gone?”, it’s just not my thing.  A little sweet and strong for my taste, unless it’s in a pina colada.  But I’ve given those up in my latter years once I realized how fattening they were.  But I did love them in my younger days; however, that was more to do with the tropical imagery they conveyed than with the rum.  I can remember a dorm party in my freshman year at UC Berkeley where they served alcohol in the dorms (yes!  I kid you not!  to underaged kids!) and we mixed up a batch of pina coladas with a blender we’d borrowed with Bacardi 151.  Oh my.  Not even sure I got through one of those.  Tasty, though.  I think I’ve had maybe one or two decent Mai Tais in my life but the rest always taste like a bucket of turpentine with orange juice thrown in – too harsh.  And rum and Coke?  Yuck.  Still not my style.

So I’m not expecting much from this.  I will admit I did sample a few different rums a couple years back at Rum Jungle in the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.  That was fun.  Admittedly, I liked the vodka sampler from Red Square much, more better!  But I have more of a palate for vodka than I do for rum.  We’re all built differently, I suppose.  So I mixed up my rum-based martini … which to me is a bastardization of the drink anyway.  But then again, to the martini purist, the only real martini is a gin-based one, so I’m hardly one to talk, given I only drink vodka ones when not trying to drink my way through a recipe book in 80 days (no, wait, it was 73 … less than that now)!  Added my green olive, although for the sake of color matching, I did contemplate a Milk Dud out of the bowl of Halloween candy I have sitting in wait for Saturday night, but that doesn’t seem right.  Does anyone out there actually EAT Milk Duds?  I remember tossing those out when I got them in my Halloween candy collection as a kid!

Okay, enough ranting.  Not my style on the first sip.  But by the end of the glass, a decent drink.  Nothing I’d rave about, but if I was down to only rum and vermouth in my liquor cabinet, I’d mix this up and have a go, and perhaps then I’d even have black olives.  Might be good with Mexican food, and usually a spare black olive can be found as a garnish there anyway.  I’ll have to remember that.  Not so good with a dinner consisting of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and a piece of garlic bread.  On the other hand, I went to the doctor today for a cortisone injection in one of my two bad knees, and between that and the lidocaine that preceeded it, I probably wouldn’t care what you served me for dinner.  I’m in an oddly happy mood.  Maybe because I’m looking forward to (hopefully) one of my knees not hurting me for the first time in months once the shot kicks in.  We shall see. In the mean time, Fido (my Black Dog) and I bid you a good night’s rest.

Happy mixing, Cathy

I went to Las Vegas last weekend for this concert!! 

Justin Timberlake hosted the Shriners Open Golf Tournament all of last week and ended it with this concert with featured artists Jay Sean, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Ciara, TLC, Snoop, Timbaland and himself.

Then I went to the after party at the Mandalay Bay Beach where Justin Timberlake and Timbaland showed up!

The concert was ah-ma-zing!  The after party was am-ma-zing-er!   Listen for “Carry Out” which is an awesome song.  It will be on Shock Value 2 coming out next month!

This is so unlike me but we didn’t really have time to plan any meals on this trip because we were so busy at the golf tournament, concert and after party.  Right after we dropped Julie, Justin and Kelly off at the airport and right before we returned the rental car, we saw a Sonic.

I have seen commercials for Sonic for many years now but never even knew of any remotely close to where I live.   When I saw the sign, I just knew we had to stop and try it!

It was so weird ordering from your car in the stall and having the waitress bring your food out to you. 

We tried a Mocha Chip Java Chiller and a strawberry cream slush.  The mocha shake got a little too sweet for me towards the end but it was delicious and hit the spot!  The strawberry cream slush tasted like a sweeter, slushier version of Guri Guri!!

If I weren’t full from our late lunch that day, I would’ve wanted to get the chicken fingers meal.  Instead, we tried the jalepeno poppers with ranch dressing.  I had one and that was enough for me.  Next time, I’ll probably try the chicken fingers or tots… or just stick to the drinks!  All drinks and regular slushes are half off during their daily happy hour between 2 and 4 PM. : )

various locations Las Vegas, NV

The Justin Timberlake Shriners Open continue Sat, Oct 17 and Sun, Oct 18 at TPC Summerlin and Justin Timberlake will perform at Mandalay Bay – Events Center Saturday night at 8:30 pm.

Justin Timberlake

Tickets are still available at Click2Vegas.com and other ticket outlets.  Bob Dylan will be at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sun, Oct 18 and the much anticipated U2 360° Tour presented by BlackBerry will be at Sam Boyd Stadium on
Fri, Oct 23rd.  Both Click2Vegas.com and NationalShowTickets.com  have tickets available for both shows.

My first Photoshop World in Las Vegas was a real treat.  It was an intense training camp packed with tons of really cool stuff.  It was so intense I hardly had the time to hit the slots!

It was a bit overwhelming and intimidating at the start.  I recently started getting more serious about photography and there I was sitting in a room packed with designers and photographers, being inundated with so much information about editing and shooting techniques and drooling over the newest, coolest and most expensive gear.  But I quickly realized that instead of dwelling on the fact that I am a beginner I should draw inspiration from these seasoned professionals, learn as much as I can and, more importantly, enjoy every minute of it.

The session that I enjoyed most in the entire convention was the panel discussion, The Art of Digital Photography, that featured the work of eight elite photographers.   In the panel, these remarkable photographers discussed the how’s and the why’s behind their most stunning and moving works.  It was absolutely awesome.  They clearly reminded me that having fun is key to taking great photos. I left the room with so many ideas and with so much inspiration.

Other highlights of the conference were Jack Davis’ Lightroom demonstrations, Joe McNally’s live photo shoot focusing on lighting, Joe Glyda’s live shoot showcasing food styling and food photography and Jay Maisel’s Light Gesture and Color, a retrospective on his amazing work on natural light photography.

Kudos to the National Association for Photoshop Professionals for a very successful Photoshop World.

Check out my Flickr photostream for more Las Vegas photos.

Standing around by the info booth or in the hallway and giving out information can be a lot of fun, when its busy and a lot of people are coming to me for questions. I also really enjoy the chance to do some people-watching. Sometimes I see some interesting or amusing things. I am pretty sure I saw an off-duty Elvis impersonator at one point, yesterday. He had the hair down pat, but was wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, so I guess even Elvis gets a day off, in this town.

I got to work one of my favorite areas again last night- out in the hallway just before you enter the Baysides where the cars are held. I like that spot because there is a pretty high volume of foot traffic, and I always get the same questions- where are very easy to answer:

Where is the auction arena? Back down that hallway, to the left.

Where can I see the cars? Through the bayside door right over there. Here’s a map. Have fun!

Do I really have to buy a ticket just to see the cars? You do have to buy a ticket to get into the exhibition area and auction arena. However, we do have some free activities outside in the Southeast parking lot, such as GM Ride-n-Drives, drifting, burnouts, and other stunt driving events, until 6pm.

How much are tickets and where do I buy them? Tickets are $15 per day, and you can buy them at the box office right on the other side of that banister over there. *Points*

And that is pretty much it. 98% of the questions I get asked fall into one of those categories. Most of the time, I have people coming up to me for answers pretty often, so I don’t really get bored. But now and then, things might die down a little bit. That’s when it can be entertaining to listen to the radio chatter.

Each of us are assigned a walkie-talkie so we can communicate back and forth with our supervisor, get answers to questions we aren’t sure about, etc. Everyone shares the same channel, so anything that goes over the radio waves can be heard by anyone with a walkie-talkie. I was kept entertained yesterday afternoon by all kinds of drama circulating around the info booth by Richard Petty’s blue Challenger, that I worked at the day before.

First it was the tv crew who wanted to do some filming by the booth. The trunk, hood and driver door of the Challenger is kept open so people can look at the engine, sit inside, etc. Apparently, the tv crew wanted to know if they could close it all up for filming. The poor girl at the info booth didn’t have the authority to say yes or no and the camera crew was getting pretty miffed about it. I listened to the chatter between the info girl and our supervisor for a little bit as they discussed what to do, but never got to hear the final conclusion because some people came up to me with some questions.

Later on, the same info booth girl had to get back on the radio again because some VIPs were supposed to meet someone from Petty Garage at the booth, but they weren’t able to find their party. I guess they were getting pretty irate, because she ended up having to call for assistance to come and handle them.

So it seems like that particular booth was where all the excitement was happening, yesterday. Today is the last day of the convention, and already I am so tired! I’m looking forward to going in to work tonight, but I’m also ready for a nice long rest on Sunday. Still, as tiring as convention work is, I hope I get to do more of it soon, because it really is a lot of fun!

Walk of shame #1 is complete and Dr. Steve is gone.

S and I share a giggle, get cleaned up and get back to what we do best – guzzle vodka.

Earlier, we promised to meet the hottie cops at the world’s largest tattoo convention, which was being held at Mandalay Bay. We figure we’d grab a drink, do some gambling, and make our way over there. Shouldn’t take long since it’s only four hotels down, right?

We’ll get to that…

Before we do anything, we stop back at Nine Fine Irishmen to grab a drink from Lucas. He sees us take our seats and smiles.

“A Stoli Razz and sprite and a vodka tonic?”

Best. Bartender. Ever.

It’s a little bit slower in the pub (Why don’t more people start drinking at 10 a.m.?) so we have an opportunity to talk with Lucas. We learn that he’s a Cali native, a shitty gambler, and a real estate expert. He tells us that we should consider moving to Vegas and we wholeheartedly agree.

After one (strong) drink we consider moving on, but before we can tab out Lucas returns with two more drinks. Same thing happens after drink #2.

This is not the first time I’ve been extremely drunk before noon.

Glassy eyed and smiling, we finally tab out and see that we’ve only been charged for two drinks. I want this man’s babies. We tip generously, say our goodbyes and go in search of the nearest restroom.

I wish out loud that the bathroom stalls have drink holders.

Ladies and gentlemen, dreams do come true. I love this town.

When we get off the escalator we are manhandled by Mexicans who, for some reason, are super excited to see us. I’m drunk, but not drunk enough to unlock the Tower of Babel in my head and understand them, so I just go with it (not the first time that will be said this trip). We brandish our drinks, do our best sorority skinny arm and take pictures.

We exit the hotel and are greeted by Vegas’ beautiful weather. We cross the bridge and begin our way down the twist and turns of the MGM Grand to hop aboard the monorail. We get there in 20 minutes, only to find out that the monorail doesn’t go to Mandalay Bay. Fuck.

Thus begins the most annoying journey of our lives.

Somehow we get from the MGM to the Tropicana, then a clear stretch of open road. It’s hot, alcohol is emanating from our pores and Mandalay Bay isn’t getting any closer. We’re finally able to cross the street near the Luxor and S decides it’s picture time. She poses in the middle of the street, near an Egyptian statue, then in the lap of the Egyptian statue. This is the last time her knees will feel great on this trip.

It takes about an hour and a half to get from the New York New York to Mandalay Bay. As soon as we get on the property, S slips on some water and busts her ass. Hard.

The tension from the walk is broken and I am happy to laugh at her pain.

We meet up with hottie cops at Eye Candy. Awkwardness ensues. Shane, her cop, is talkative. Mark, my cop, is reserved. Mystery friend Mike, no one’s cop/boy (ever), is unkempt and weird. Luckily, we only have to spend 20 minutes before Mark enters his retarded tattoos in a competition.

After they depart we continue to drink and pour money into the penny slots. I somehow turn $5 into $50 on the nickel slots, only to lose it all ten minutes later. I am an idiot. Fortunately the vodka keeps flowing and I’m too tipsy to care.

S and I get hungry and we head over to a Chinese restaurant and enjoy some delicious pad thai noodles and roasted duck. The boys get out early (Mark’s homage to Batman didn’t win – shocker) so we pop some gum and meet back up.

I send a quick text to Maren.

KFD: Making out with cop round 2: electric boogaloo

Even drunk, talking to Mark is awkward. Good thing I have S and Shane sucking face as a distraction. S shows off her wounded knee and gives Shane more reason to fawn over her. I get to hear about Sylvester Stallone’s pill problem and the winning tattoo, a leg piece dedicated to news clippings of Hiroshima. What?!

Fortunately for us, Shane’s “Most Retarded Back Tat” (edit: may not be what it was actually called) competition was set to begin, so we leave and make plans to meet up with them later. Joy.

S and I get home in time for our daily nap. Scotty comes in and wakes us up to get ready for Zumanity, Cirque Du Soleil’s sexy acrobatics show. This is a must-see if you go to Vegas. The perfect combination of humor, athleticism and eroticism.

Once again, S and Scotty have tapped out. Amateurs. I have achieved the impossible and drank myself sober. This pisses me off to no end. Like the determined drunk I am, I chug a margarita with marginal success.

We leave the show and go our separate ways. Scotty to his blackjack tables and S and I to Gonzalez Y Gonzalez. We steel our stomachs with quesadillas to get us through the rest of the night. The extra-large margaritas we drank were just for funsies.

During dinner, S gets a text from Shane. The guys are ready to meet up again. Oh, and Shane was eliminated before the competition. Too bad. We finish our drinks and head over to the MGM Grand to meet up with them. It’s only 10 p.m., but S and I are exhausted and less than enthusiastic about meeting up. We suck it up and do it in the name of pretty.

We get to the MGM Grand and pass our good friend, the lion cage cleaning lady. It takes them what feels like forever to get to the hotel, so we waste time (and precious pennies) on the slot machines. They finally meet up and Mr. Assertive Cop can’t think of a place to go. S mans up and makes the decision to go to the West Wing Bar, a super posh, dimly lit lounge. Good decision, S.

We grab a round of drinks and entertain our respective boys. I can hear S and Shane chattering about all sorts of stuff (I will find out later that he’s interrogating her about all things relationship-oriented). Ya know why I can hear that? Because Mark is saying a whole lot of nothing. The things he does say make me sad for Georgia’s public school system.

I dropped my beverage napkin and he got me a new one.
Mark: See? Monogamy isn’t dead!
KFD: You mean chivalry?
Mark: …

He did, however, get points for making a Romy and Michelle reference when we were talking about high school reunions.

It’s getting late and the boys walk with us back to our hotel. We get one more round of drinks at the Bar at Times Square. This is when Shane carves out a prominent place on my shit list.

Shane: You’re only 22?
KFD: Yep.
Shane: Wow, I would have guessed that you were older than us. I mean, the way you present yourself…
KFD: I know. I get that a lot.
Shane: I mean, geez, by 30 you’re really going to be a hard core bitch.

I clench my jaw and smile, but more in the way that a wolf bares its teeth. I pride myself on not being a cockblock, so I bite my tongue and let it slide. Plus, he has a concealed weapons permit and is on the SWAT team. I’m not dumb.

Soon he goes back to being entranced by S and her feminine wiles. Let’s talk about S for a second. I don’t fucking understand. She takes normal guys and ruins their shit, turning them into groveling pools of jelly and possessiveness. She is to flirting what I am to insults (probably not an SAT-caliber analogy).

Shane is trying his hardest to get an invite to the room, but S isn’t having it. She asks emphatically if I’m tired and I tell her that I would love to catch some shut-eye. We leave the guys for the very last time and go to bed, still sober and at a normal hour.

Easily our tamest day in Vegas.

That was the name of the paintjob on Richard Petty’s personal car that I worked next to, last night. It turns out that I got my wish, and was assigned to the showroom floor for the evening. The info booth I was at was positioned directly between Richard Petty’s car and another Nascar that was covered with autographs and said Miller Cup on the side. I was working the booth with another girl who was new- apparently someone dropped out of the convention so the temp agency literally called her at the last minute and asked if she could be there within an hour. But even though she had no training or even any kind of advance notice that she’d be working a car convention (she barely had time to even take a shower, and had been lounging around in her PJ’s when she got the call), she was very well suited to this assignment, considering that she restores cars. I’ll call her Angie for the sake of this post.

I didn’t quite know what to make of her, however. She was definitely very outgoing and chatty with all the guests that came by our info booth- but to the extreme. Most of the sponsor booths were giving away free things like shirts, duffel bags and hats, etc. Every time she would see someone walking past with something she wanted, she would start calling out to people walking by to go and get one for her. A few times I told her to just go ahead and go find the booths and get her goodies if she wanted- I don’t think we’re necessarily pinned down to the info booth we were assigned to, and I didn’t mind if she went wandering. I’m pretty sure we are not supposed to be soliciting the guests and vendors for handouts, though.

Angie also claimed to know everyone- and I do mean everyone. During random chats with guests that happened by, she revealed that she personally knows the mortician that embalmed Marilyn Monroe, and that he kept some of her hair and nail clippings, which she got to touch. She claimed to personally know where John Gotti was buried- and the man who put him there. And the kicker was when a girl and her boyfriend came up to our booth with a little model car of the General Lee that Bo Duke had autographed when she was just a little girl.. she said she was hoping that he’d be there at the convention so he could autograph the hood of the car. “Oh, hmmm..” Said Angie. “He didn’t call me. He ALWAYS calls me when he’s going to be in town.”

At that point I had to turn around and walk away so she wouldn’t see how hard I was rolling my eyes.

One guest seemed to be particularly fond of Angie, though. An older gentleman (We’ll call him George) kept coming by the booth to blatantly flirt with her- it was kind of funny to watch. He seemed like a nice guy- he had a very strong accent (I couldn’t quite place) and was very friendly.. said he was 66 years old and had been coming to these events for years. He knew a lot of the regular employees that worked there. He was really hitting on Angie and kept saying how her lips were so kissable, etc. He was trying to get her phone number and wanted to know where she was staying, when she got off work, etc. It was during one of his visits by our booth that all the conversations about Marilyn Monroe and John Gotti came up. George was talking about how much he loves and admires Marilyn Monroe, and that he has a picture of her hanging up in his house. “Oh, she was a WHORE!” Angie announced. I gasped so loud at that! I couldn’t believe she said that to him, after he had gone on and on about how much he loved her. It was pretty funny, though. George didn’t seem offended, they just debated it for awhile. And that was nothing- by the end of the night, Angie was calling George a man-whore for flirting with her- to his face! Luckily, he didn’t seem to be one to be offended easily. When it was time for him to go, he reached out and took her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed the back of it. Then he pulled her in closer and they kissed over the table.

What a strange night at work. I wonder what will happen today?

Yesterday was my first official day on the job. It was exhausting, but as much fun as I thought it would be- and pretty easy! I was at one of the info booths at the entrance to the convention area with four other girls- one or two would sit inside the booth and the others would stand out in the middle of the hall so everyone could answer questions without causing too much of a jam-up of people. It was a lot more busy yesterday than I was expecting, though! The auction itself doesn’t start until today- it started about 45 minutes ago, to be exact. But yesterday there was a road rally, where about 100 cars drove from the Convention Center on the north end of the strip, all the way down to Mandalay Bay where this car show is being held. Then, the cars were parked in the SE parking lot until 5pm so people could come and look at them. Most of the questions people had yesterday was where they could go see the cars. Others were asking simple questions like where to get tickets, how much they were, where do bidders pick up their credentials, etc. Things started to really slow down by about 6pm, so most of us were allowed to go home then. But today is going to be a madhouse, I have a feeling. The gates opened at 8am for all the sponsor and vendor booths and for the auction cars to be viewed. There will also be some free events held out in the parking lot, such as the Drive and Ride, Drifting, Burnouts, etc. The automobilia items go on the auction block at 9am, and then at about 11am, the cars will begin going over the auction block. During the prime time hours, the higher value cars will be televised live on SPEED, so you can watch from home. Today, that will be from 3pm-8pm PST. http://www.speedtv.com/

I wish I could watch some of the auction on Speed, but I’ll be working 2-8 everyday during the convention. However, today I am going to try and see if I can get into an info booth on the convention floor where the cars are. We’ll see what happens.

Video of the Road Rally

Some serious celebrity star power will fuel excitement at the 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Collector Car Auction  (link for schedule and info) in Las Vegas starting on Oct. 7, preceeded first by a road rally at 1:30 p.m. down the Las Vegas Strip before arriving at the event headquarters at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. 

Bruce Willis and Don Johnson will sell vehicles from their private collections; and the “Father of the Mustang,” Lee Iacocca, will provide an exclusive chance to own one of only 45 limited edition Ford Mustangs. In a special charity auction, legendary TV host Jay Leno will sldo donate proceeds from the sale of a one-of-a kind Yamaha motorcycle to Bailey’s Café, an arts education program based in Brooklyn, NY. 

Ranging from a Lincoln Limousine used during the filming of “Die Hard,” to a powerful off-road SUV, a total of six vehicles from the celebrities will all sell at a No Reserve auction from Oct. 7 through 10. 

Because no collector car auction in Las Vegas would be complete without a nod to the “King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley fans will also have the chance to own a race car used in the iconic 1964 motion picture, “Viva Las Vegas.” 

Bruce Willis, action movie star and one of Hollywood’s most recognizable leading men, will sell his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 and 1988 Lincoln Limousine.  The Copper Maroon 1967 Corvette convertible (Lot #659.3) features a powerful 427 c.i.d., 435 horsepower Tri-Power engine with a 4-speed manual transmission. Tri-Power ‘Vettes are considered by many collectors to be some of the most collectible versions of the celebrated American sports car. Willis purchased the car in El Paso, Texas, while filming “Last Man Standing.” He later shipped the car to Sun Valley, Idaho, to enjoy during summer trips.  Also a convertible, the black on black 1968 Pontiac Firebird (Lot #659.2) hails from Willis’ hometown of Penns Grove, N.J., where he used to drive to and from the Jersey Shore with his father. Originally used to take Willis to the set of his TV series “Moonlighting,” his dark blue 1988 Lincoln Limousine (Lot #659.1) was also used during the filming of the blockbuster movie, “Die Hard.” 

Lee Iacocca, known as the “Father of the Mustang,” presented the Ford Mustang to the world during a dramatic press conference at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. During his time as Ford Division president and general manager, Iacocca made the Mustang a household name. Now, Iacocca is selling one of the most anticipated limited edition versions of this iconic classic, the No. 5 Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang (Lot #3000). 

Jay Leno, one of the most popular TV hosts and stand-up comedians in the country, and one of the world’s most ardent car and motorcycle collectors, will sell his Yamaha Star V-Max motorcycle (Lot #761.1) to benefit Bailey’s Café (www.baileyscafe.org) The educational program based in Brooklyn, NY, uses poetry, theater, video, writing, music, dance, cooking and fine arts to build community and inter-generational understanding and respect in inner-city neighborhoods.

Confirmed with Live Nation the concert promoter for the Fame Kills tour scheduled in Las Vegas on Nov 13, 2009 concert scheduled at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas, Nevada cancelled.

Click2Vegas.com has confirmed that all tickets will be refunded and invite everyone visiting our city to visit Click2Vegas.com for shows and tour dates that are confirmed and will be replacing the event.

Source: Click2Vegas.com

ALright ya’ll, it’s been a bit since I blogged and this will be a short one since there is a HUGE expo with photonerdy goodies waiting for me.

I arrived in Vegas hella early yesterday for Photoshop World (which didnt start until today ) and got an early start to the day. All in all yesterday I won thirty bucks on a slot machine, lost 20 at roulette, and once I finally got the guts to sit down at a blackjack table I wont forty bucks only to in the end, lose 60 lol. Who ever is good with math  leave me a comment on my grand total loss although something tells me I dont actually wanna know.

I have taken two classes so far and one more tonight and then theres the expo that I am dying to get to  with all the exhibitors with the newest  stuff and freebies…talk about losing money… wait til u see what I spend there! lol

And whats a blog without photos? Here we go  (sorry but they are all cell photos)

First thing I saw when gettin off the plane :

My lovely room

dessert  bar with the cutest little desserts ever!

my hotel from the outside… HUUUGE isnt it!?

The opening Keynote was like a totally pumped up Macworld. It was AWESOME.

only HALF the buffet in the hotel. damn.

my badge holder. how cool. im such a nerd.

the back even has a space for biz cards and pens hehehe pretty slick huh

So in conclusion, I have learned that, the las vegas strip is frieking huge, you’ve never really eaten at a buffet until you’ve eaten at one in vegas, and blackjack is risky.

Stay tuned for more later !

Thanks loves!

D

Last week I got one of the coolest birthday presents ever!  Dave took me for a long weekend to Las Vegas!!  I had never been there and as you might have guessed, it blew my mind!!  It was a weird, fanatsy-land where you could never tell what time of day it was but it didn’t really matter.  We had an absolute blast.  We stayed at the Mandalay Bay hotel, which was my favorite of all the ones we saw.  It probably helps that they have an aquarium with lots of shark and ray species.  Aside from visiting the aquarium, we toured the strip, gambled, met up with some long lost friends, and saw the Love Cirque du Soliel show.  I can not recommend that show enough!!!  Here are some photos of our trip….

The strip with the New York New York hotel to the left.  The roller coaster was pretty fun!

Paris.  The Eiffel Tower’s legs go right down through the hotel.

Excalibur

The Bellagio

The fountain dances to music every 15 minutes.  Awesome.  Video below.

Dave looking out over his kingdom!

Nerds

Flamingo

Here are some shots of the aquarium….

Zebra shark

Gray reef shark

I could have sat there for hours.  So fun!

Sand tiger shark

Pacific stingray…. I forget the species

Queen triggerfish

So now its back to reality.  Next week I am heading to Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota for a week to run some experiments.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly!!  And in a few weeks, I am taking the crazy cats and flying them out to Maui!!  Morgan and I will hang out for a week, and it sounds like she has lots of fun stuff planned…… snorkeling, diving, hanging on the beach, hiking, camping, meeting all her new friends, going out on the Pacific Whale Foundation boats, giving a shark talk to the marine naturalists, and catching up with each other!  And I am officially done watching the cats!  Woo! 

I went to Vegas for the first time in 2006. I hated it. If I had my way, I would have never gone back, but, of course, circumstances arose and it was pretty much required. I learned, on my second time there, that Vegas is survivable even if you don’t love it.

For the record, the real problem is me. I needed to change my expectations. I wanted, this time, to make Vegas highbrow. And though I packed Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse and Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and would have welcomed a discussion on health care or human rights in Zimbabwe with anyone, everyone else was too busy having a good time. A screaming drunk good time. I did manage, however, to enjoy a few things about Vegas.

First, the restaurants: Vegas has a dense concentration of restaurants from some of the best restauranteurs in the world. Robuchon? Boulud? Colicchio? All here. My suggestion? Keep eating and do not stop. During my trip, I went to Shibuya in the MGM Grand, Aureole in Mandalay Bay, and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn. All were delicious. Our very attentive sake sommelier at Shibuya quickly became our friend after recommending a bottle, and threatened to give some of the best service I have ever had in a restaurant. When the computerized wine list at Aureole featuring over 3,000 bottles almost confused us, we enjoyed watching the “suspended wine getter” fetch bottles from their glass cellar. I treated a friend who had taken care of me all weekend (getting us on guest lists, picking me up from the airport, taking me to In-N-Out Burger and introducing me to their “vegetarian” options) to Boulud Brasserie, where she had the DB burger (typically served at DB Bistro Moderne), the famous sirloin burger stuffed with foie gras and black truffles. I may not have liked Vegas, but I LOVED the restaurants there.

Also, the shopping: Vegas is a shopping mecca, of course. Because if you win at the casinos, you’re going to need to spend that money somewhere.  I found the Palazzo and Fashion Square Mall to be relatively quiet, relaxing shopping centers. Barney’s New York was nearly empty. With only three potential customers, the sales personnel outnumbered us. I’m sure everyone else was busy picking which of the multiple Louis Vuitton “flagships” should be the center of their window shopping…

…Or they were at the pool: If someone told me there were one hundred pools on The Strip alone, I’d believe them. The MGM Grand itself has six swimming pools, one of which is Wet Republic, where they host pool parties complete with a DJ, drinks, and a velvet rope at the entrance. Pools are the new clubs, in Vegas. You’ll need to be on a guest list or have a reduced admission card to avoid paying $20 or more at the “door.” But this does not a relaxing afternoon make. The other pools around catch the run off of people who don’t want to pay a cover to swim, so the surrounding pools were just as rowdy and filled with people ready to party. An experience that has its place, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.

Lucky me, I was given VIP pool passes to the Wynn. At the time, I had no idea what that meant so I found my way to the Tower Suites, the portion of the hotel that was independently evaluated and granted the first five-star rating in Vegas, to pick up my pass from the concierge and subsequently passed easily by the doorman to find:

It was so beautiful, I had to hold back my excitement when I got to the pool. I reconciled my feelings by saying to myself “Obviously, this was modeled off of Hotel du Cap in Antibes. That’s why I like it so much.” So, I spent the rest of my day reading Bonjour Tristesse in an oversized hat, smiling…until a drunk hotel guest came around threatening to throw a lifeguard chair into the pool. By then, I decided it was time to enjoy dinner by Boulud.

xo

J. Justine

Shibuya, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Aureole, Mandalay Bay, 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89119

Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

In-N-Out Burger, 2900 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas 89102

DB Bistro Moderne, 55 West 44th Street, New York City 10036

The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Fashion Square Mall, 3200 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Barney’s New York, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Louis Vuitton, 3200 and 3500 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wet Republic, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Hotel du Cap, Blvd JF Kennedy, Cap-d’Antibes 06160