Monday, September 21, 2009

REVIEW: A Vegas weekend is cure-all for the doldrums

I just got back from Vegas weekend to celebrate the 40th birthday of my best friend since college.

With 2 kids under the age of 4, I would have felt rejuvenated just sitting in the airport terminal alone so you can imagine how transformed I felt after an actual 2 day vacation sans kids and husband.

This is my bullet point review of the 48 hrs we were there.

Hotel - Caesars Palace 4 stars.

Very "theme-y", but not too gawdy. The 6 swimming pools seem to tone down all the Roman statues strewn about, and the super fun lounge beds you could rent (we did not because they were in direct sun and we 35+ vampiresses could not risk it).

Show - Cirque Du Soleil "O" 4 very trippy stars

Amazing water stage, music, acrobatics, lighting,...everything. You get your $100 tickets worth for sure, BUT the 90 minute show was about 15 minutes too long for my brain to handle. I was feeling very overstimulated and almost wanted to run out of the theater. Maybe I have issues. Maybe it was because we went at 10:30pm on the first night in a destination city that is all about overstimulating your brain.

So I would say in short that it is a great show, but go to an early show and be sure it is after a meal and not after too many cocktails. Whatever you do, don't do any other recreational stimulants because you might freak out to the point of dying.

Gambling - Craps at Ballys 3 stars

We went into Ballys to see about getting tickets for the showgirls show originally, but then got drawn into the craps area because the birthday girl had been studying up her whole plane ride from Chicago. Ballys is definitely an older, less glammed up crowd than Caesars, The Palm etc. Okay, it was kind of like the crowd you would find in Reno. People who might have come on a bus together. Anyway, it was much less crowded, less intimidating and had the best minimum craps bid of $10. We played for 2 hours and left breaking even (I had to almost break my friends arm to leave while we still had money) and we even got hit on by some older gentlemen from the Tortilla business - yup, they make those tasty little circles and were at a convention to talk all about it.


Go to VEGAS anytime you get the chance. You can lounge, eat great food, see a show and gamble away some stress. Yes, Beth McNamara is pushing Las Vegas, Nevada. Go figure. I am either becoming a more relaxed person or full-time motherhood has warped my brain or both.


**Side note/comment about pic taking in Vegas - Weird thing stars Not Applicable

I tried 3 times to take a digital picture with my iPhone of friend standing near a craps table and the image is completely distorted as if aliens were controlling the hotel or the hotel was pumping in electromagnetic interference. My friend was standing perfectly still as was I, and there was plenty of light.

These are the pics at Ballys and one in lobby of Caesars which is in front of the gambling, of course.



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