vegas

I'd never been to Las Vegas, although Jesse had been several times. We'd been talking for a while about going there, since it's so close to Los Angeles, and our anniversary was at the end of January. So when we both realized that we had MLK Day off a couple of weeks ago, we made last-minute plans to drive up for the weekend. It turned out to be a great trip. We mostly spent our time wandering from one hotel/casino to another, checking out all of the over-the-top decor. It truly felt like adult Disneyland. Everything is so fake, but still so nice. Like the Venice canals, for example. Fake sky, fake cobblestone streets. Silly, right? But...still fun! And actually kind of pretty. Here are a few things I found amusing:

1. The drive through the California desert.
2. The different smells at all of the casinos. The Tropicana smelled like tanning oil.
3. People-watching. Especially at night when the cocktail dresses and stilettos came out.
4. The Cirque du Soleil show "O." I've seen a few Cirque shows and wasn't sure one more was necessary, but this one was different and a lot of fun.
5. Dinner at Bouchon, one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. I had scallops with roasted winter squash, glazed parsnips, and confit chestnuts. It was really, really good.
6. Our gorgeous, spacious, and comfortable hotel room at the Palazzo.
7. The lobby at the Wynn, with its colorful tile mosaics and the wall of water.
8. The conservatory at the Bellagio, which looked amazing decorated for the Chinese New Year.
9. The crazy amounts of crystal at the Cosmopolitan.
10. And - my favorite - the fountain at the Bellagio. So entertaining!!

Even after 2.5 years of living in the West, I still get excited at all of the places that are now within driving distance from our home. There are so many more to explore!