Vegas Trip

We chose the Flamingo for its price and location.
It is right in the center on "The Strip". A REALLY great convenience.
The Flamingo worked very well for us.

The resort has 15 acres of tropical gardens, complete with real Flamingo's!
Several waterfalls, ponds and fountains.
It is very relaxing strolling along the numerous paths.

I loved the palm treed and Flamingo themed pool and hot tub areas.
The pools are heated, so in October the water was fine for us,
but we were about the only ones in the pool!? Unfortunately they close
the slide & water falls in September.

Our room number was 12092. It faced the strip - yay! Due to a slight
issue with our 1st room (someone sleeping in the bed, we were given a room already occupied, person did not wake up! - NOTE: always use the lock inside your hotel room door!), our strip view was an upgrade at no cost to us.
Plus a $30 gift card to spend at the casino/food.
We were directly opposite Caesars Palace. To the left we had a view of the Bellagio fountains! Very cool. To the right was the Mirage resort.

Mark enjoying our morning view

of Caesars Palace,

before we head out for an

exciting day on

Las Vegas Boulevard.

Some photos from Las Vegas Blvd. (The Strip) Casino's

The MIRAGE is host to Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Being a cat lover (small & large) and I also adore dolphins, this was worth our time. The baby dolphin is 4 months old. There are 5 adult dolphins at the Mirage Aquariums. There are also various coloured Llamas there. The big cats are beautiful, especially the White Lions of Timbavati. The cats were difficult to photograph with the fence and you couldn't get close enough to put the lens thru the fence. We got good video of the white tigers playing. Cost of Secret Gardens $15 pp.

Also at the Mirage is the Cirque du Soleil Show called Love. 32 Beatles songs are interpreted thru this 90 min. extravaganza. 60 performers truly put on a wonderful show. We loved LOVE!

Yes my dress fit right in with psychedelic 60's theater design!

We purchased the cheapest tickets offered thru the Mirage website before we left home. They were $75 each, we were 2nd from the top - however this was a GREAT location for this production! As so much comes from the ceiling, so it was right infront of us. We'd honestly recommend the "cheap" seats.

The Mirage also offers a Volcano eruption.

Every evening, starting when it gets dark.
Check Mirage for times.

The volcano is 54 feet high. Shooting smoke and fire
100 feet above the water.

We were right by the fence and could feel the heat
from the fire.

Definitely a must see activity and hey it is FREE!

Beside the Mirage is TREASURE ISLAND.

They have a FREE show called Sirens of TI. Running nightly
7:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 11:30 p.m

The ladies are on a ship on 1 side, the pirates on a ship on
the other side.
The men's ship goes up in flames / sinks. And they swim on over to the
ladies ship.
Fun 12 minute show comes alive with music, singing, dancing,
swordplay, pyrotechnics and high-diving acrobatics.
To get a good view, go at least 30 min. prior to the show.

Across from Treasure Island is the WYNN.
Their FREE offering is INSIDE the resort. It is a large, curtain waterfall that falls into a 3 acre lake. Both the waterfall and lake have images displayed on them to produce a show called "Lake of Dreams". Also features silhouetted sculptured figures that seem to be rising out of the lake.
We watched it from the patio at Parasol Up. We just showed up about 2 min. before the show and got a great view. (No need to purchase the pricey drinks). Not the easiest place to find though. Infact I can't find anything on the Wynn's website that even lets you know this Lake show exists?!
Since there isn't exactly "open viewing" for this, my guess is they are keeping it a guest only secret. The disappointment - show was only 3 min. long!

Wanted to see a magic show while in Vegas.
We went with Extreme Magic starring Dirk Arthur.
He has the big exotic cats in his show.

He was very enjoyable. Magic is so thrilling,
the things Magicians can do, incredible!
We'd recommend this performance!

This show is at the Tropicana, Sunday thru
Thursday at 2 pm and 4 pm.

Buy tickets at Tix 4 Tonight booths, for half price!
We saw this show for only $15 each.

After the show, Dirk is on hand to sign the free
programs, and chat, a very nice thing to do.

The Shark Reef Aquarium at MANDALAY BAY was quite interesting.
It features over 2000 fish/animals in 1.6 million gallons of water, in various tanks. Some go right over your head so a great view of the sharks belly!

It has rare Golden Crocodiles.
Pictured here, rays, jelly fish, a lion fish, and sharks. The jelly fish were really great to watch.

The Shark Reef cost $15.95 pp. We spent around 90 min. going thru. Wasn't too crowded our day, so we could do it leisurely. You can also touch rays in an area.

MGM GRAND

At the MGM Grand (above), you can see some lions for FREE. The lions are rotated out of the enclosure, so they spend a max of 6 hrs. a day here. Tip - go right at 11 am and you can see the handlers inside playing with the lions. They throw balls, rope etc. for them & the lions are very playful then. Also be sure to go in the glass tunnel to see them directly above you, like we photographed, a fun view for sure!

Us with the Vegas Eiffel Tower,
part of the PARIS casino.
At 540 feet, its half the size of
the original.

The La Fontaine des Mers
with the Montgolfier Balloon
in behind.

Vegas has also replicated
the Arc de Triomphe.

The front facade of the
casino suggests the Paris
Opera House and the Louvre.

CAESARS PALACE is exceptional. Such attention to detail. Below, Fountain of the Gods & the casino area.

Above is a photo of the Fall of Atlantis Show, where the statues put on a fiery production every hour on the hour. Fun to see. Get a frosty alcoholic drink at Fat Tuesday beside it and enjoy - we did! There is also a small Aquarium here.
The other photo is of Mark infront of the Festival Fountain statues. They too "come to life" every hour on the hour. However we found it very hard to hear/understand a thing they said. The Fall of Atlantis show is much better. Both are FREE and only take a few minutes. We grabbed a quick lunch, slices of pizza at Slice Bar in the food court area. Great thin crust, a delicious cheap meal.

The FORUM SHOPS at CAESARS PALACE. This entrance is stunning with the huge Roman statues, reflecting pool with fountains, spiral escalator (only 1 of 2 in the U.S.). Above the 3 levels is a remarkable glass domed and painted ceiling. This 634,000 square foot mall is a wonder! We only spent a couple hours here, but you could spend days!

Us by the Trevi fountain, a replica of the one in Rome. The interior entrance to the Forum Shops.
Caesars Palace offers many beautiful statues everywhere. To the left is the entrance to the FAO Schwartz Toy Store. This 48 foot Trojan horse makes quite the statement to this 3 level store.

BELLAGIO is another beautiful hotel. Be sure to go into the front lobby where the ceiling is adorned with 2000 hand blown glass flowers. Everyone thinks of the fountains when they hear the name Bellagio. Fountains run at various times and to different music. The show we saw, the winds were strong, so once the water got up high I couldn't take any more photos as we were getting quite wet! It is FREE to enjoy.


This is the world's largest chocolate fountain. It is in front of the Jean Philippe Patisserie Shop, at Bellagio. 6 pumps circulate 2 tons of chocolate (white, med. & dark). It rises 27 feet from the lower level pump room. Chocolate cascades into 25 glass vessels. Chocolate circulates at 120 F in this climate controlled enclosure.	The Bellagio Conservatory changes its theme along with the seasons. There were lots of fall things to see during our visit. FREE to enjoy.

VENETIAN

The water flows by
the shops inside the
Venetian, just like the
real Venice.
The painted sky inside
is a popular look in
several Vegas
hotels/casinos.

The view over looking
the gondolas at night
from within the Venetian
is beautiful.
We had a nice, tasty diner at the Grand Lux Cafe on the casino level of the
Venetian. Huge selection on the menu and good prices for quality food.

STAR TREK EXPERIENCE at the HILTON

Quark's Bar &
Restaurant
makes some of
the best drinks!
Here we are having
a Borg Sphere with
dry ice! This was
the mini version! It
still had 5-6 ounces
of various alcohols.

They offer a very
good menu. My
Starfleet Salad was amazing and full of shrimp, feta & lots of other good
things. Mark got the HamBORGer & fries as pictured.

The Star Trek Experience has various
characters walking around. This Klingon
lady was there during our visit.

There are 2 rides, each about 20 min.
The Klingon Encounter really does make
you feel like you're soaring thru space.
The Borg Invasion was also fun.

Note: You don't have to be a big Star
Trek fan to enjoy yourself here.

NOTE: As of August 2008 The Star Trek Experience
& Quarks has closed after a decade run.
It's too bad, it was something different.

FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE

Viva Vision - the largest big screen on the planet. 5 football fields long. 90 feet above. Shows run every hour on the hour, from a selection of over a dozen different themes. This $17 million dollar phenomena has delighted visitors with larger-than-life animations, integrated live video feeds and synchronized music. Shows are FREE.	The abundance of huge lighted signs, gave Fremont the nickname Glitter Gulch. Fremont St. is Vintage Vegas, established in 1905.
The Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino. Built in 1946. Be sure to go in and see The Hand of Faith - a 62 pound piece of gold. Found in Australia in 1980 with a metal detector. Here we are with our friends from home.	On any given evening Fremont Street may entertain you with free concerts, special events, roaming street performers, talented artist - like this guy doing his paintings with spray paint! Only $40 each. Very cool.

We took the city bus to Fremont. From the middle of the strip to Fremont took about an hour. It is NOT that far, just
the bus has to stop lots along The Strip, since it was the evening and busy.

From my research on the net, I found that the Garden Buffet at the Main Street Station Hotel near Fremont was a very good deal for awesome food. Prices vary on the night, but range from $10.99 to $15.99. Even non-alcoholic beverages are included in that price - super lemonade! It is also a very pretty setting. The 4 of us were all really happy with our buffet selections.

We spent a day away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas. We rented a car from the Flamingo's lobby (so easy) and we started with a trip to HOOVER DAM and then RED ROCK CANYON, only 20 min. outside The Strip!
This was fabulous. For photos of this and more of Vegas, go to PAGE 2 of our Vegas fun!

Our LINKS & TIPS can also be found on the next page!