Leaving Las Vegas: View from the Terminal

I hope you enjoyed my stories and pics from my Vegas adventure. I will definately go back and explore more and take more pics. It really is an amazing place to see.

I have to say that my first trip to Vegas was amazing (and cheap! haha!). I don't think I could have had a better trip, with the exception of having someone with me to explore with! Can't say I didn't try to convince some of you to join me!! :) Maybe next time, huh?

Viva Las Vegas Part 6: Left to My Own Devices...

My last night in my hotel room, Saturday night, 2:30am, all wound up and so excited to have gotten the opportunity to stay the weekend in Vegas. I am such a little kid at heart!

Yep. Add a few drinks to that and we have a deadly combination: Silly picture taking!









Hope you got a chuckle out of those! I know I did!

Next up: Leaving Las Vegas. Pics from the Terminal

Viva Las Vegas Part 5: Marks Sweet Suite & FOOD!!!

Situated on the 39th floor, the suite wrapped around the tower so you get a strip view from the living room and dining room, and a desert view from the bedroom. Hanging out with Mark at the suite after dinner bott Friday and Saturday night was nice since we could chat a bit.

You walk into a foyer with a bathroom to the left. The you walk into the suite and see a desk/office area:


Following to the left by the living room (with large flat screen TV BTW):


And a Dining area. The bar is a small alcove which has access from the hallway for a service entrance for a waiter if you request. The doors off the Dining room enter into a large bedroom with full bath etc.


Even tho it is tought to take through the window, this is the strip view at night. I think I could have stood there for hours and gazed out at the strip, especially the Luxor and Excalibur.


Hanging out with Mark in general was great especially seeing him in a "work" setting. I really had a great time going to dinner with he and his guys from work. They are a riot! Friday night we went to an Italian place called Mimmo Ferraro's. I had this amazing homemade pasta with scallops, lobster and truffles...in a light cream sauce. OMG! Talk about rich, delicious and to die for! Our Waiter ended up being from where I live currently (moved to Vegas 12 years prior) and when Mark said he would bring an even larger group back during the show he brought us complimentary chocolate crepes for desert! (and chocolate liquor too!)

Saturday night we went to Smith and Wollensky steakhouse (Another steakhouse??? haha No Worries, I LOVE STEAK!!!) and the meal was great. For starters we had (can you guess?) A Seafood Sampler (of course!) which had jumbo shrimp, lobster and lump crab meat. Seriously. Freakin' CRAZY! And soooo GOOD! I had filet minon and our sides were mushrooms, asparagus and the best gourmet mac and cheese ever... made with 3 cheeses and truffle oil! Someome at the table named it "Crack and Cheese" and holy cow they were right! I will never eat kraft mac and cheese again!!! Oh yeah and we also had alaskan king crab (cracked and ready with drawn butter set in the middle of the table!) it just fell out of the shell and was soooooo amazing!Here is a pic I found online of the restaurant:
After dinner Saturday we went back to Mandalay Bay for drinks and casino action. I enjoy watching but am nervous to play myself. That's probably a good thing! Everyone was really great and in the group was only one other girl. Her name was Kristin and she was the account rep with the exhibit/booth company that did Mark's tradeshow booth. She was so nice. At one point she made a Goonies reference, I looked at her and said "Hey! Goonies reference!" and we started laughing and both said in stereo "That's my favorite movie!!!" Then of course we cracked up even more. Kindred spirit. Very cool.

Since he lives on the west coast I get to see Mark once or twice a year, so being able to spend even a little time with him was great. It really meant a lot to me that he extended the invitation and room to stay the weekend. It afforded me the chance to see Vegas more than I would have normally had the chance to. I appreciated everything so much!!!! Thanks Mark!!


Later on today check back for: Left to My Own Devices!

Viva Las Vegas: Part 4: Walkabout

Saturday I started out lazy. Slept in until 8 am and ordered room service...by the window of course! YUMMY!


I spied a window washer whilst eating my breakfast and had to take a picture of this brave soul:


Changed and headed out armed with MP3 player stacked with such Vegas staples as "Ocean's Eleven", "CSI"and "MindFreak" soundtracks...Hey, you need to set the mood for places you visit and every trip needs a soundtrack, even if it is borrowed!

And so I started my Walkabout in the words of the RHCP: "I think I'll go on a walkabout, and find out what it's all about. Can't hurt to try"

The Luxor Statues (This time not using a flash!):



Found the Sphinx outside. We had a little chat:


Back inside to Criss Angel's Official MindFreak Store. He had about 7 bikes on display in all. Some were in the hallways and these two were in the store:



Across the hall from the store is the "Production Office". I recognized his brother sitting at the computer on the right of the picture. Later on his other brother and Mother came in. There was a sign up that Criss would make an appearance to do a "mindblowing demonstration" on February 3rd. I was chatting with a guy working in the store and he told me they are filming season 4 of Mindfreak and that Criss hardly ever comes to the store. I am sure the Criss Angel Marketing Machine would not want employees telling customers that. I mean, that is why fans go...hoping to catch a glimpse of that weird yet appealing illusionist.


The bike in the production office and better view of the famous purple couches from the shows.
I sat on a bench across from here for a few minutes, spoke to Erin on the phone and rested. As I was sitting there a little old man with a cane was walking by and I smiled at him. He stopped and said "Well this bench must be where all the pretty girls sit!" I laughed and he smiled and shuffled along his way. Too cute. Of all the times I got hit on in Vegas, that was by far my most memorable!:)

Continuing on Thru the Excalibur and out to the bridge to get a few pics outside. Here is NY NY. I would not recommend staying there. The rooms were less than clean and it is outdated. The restaurants are worth it, and the outside is really neat. Anotherwards, visit there, don't stay there in my opinion.


View from the bridge of the MGM Grand. Never got inside, but the outside was really neat, especially at night with the gold lion: I should have used the zoom here:


Turn around and there is the Excalibur. That place is so storybook pretty and amazing in the day and at night!


Inside the Excalibur it was interesting. Armor, tapestries and swords mounted on the walls set the theme. It was cute.



Of course the Luxor was on my way back to the Four Seasons so I stopped to get a pic of the inside ceiling of the pyramid. It is hard to capture on film. It is really breathtaking when you walk in and look up. The hallways are on the inside and the rooms face outside. Very interesting construction, tho I have heard the elevators leave you off with quite a walk to your room if you aren't nearby...Next time I visit Vegas I am staying at the Luxor. It has a very hip vibe and seems to be filled with peoplein their late twenties - early 40's.



Same bat-time, same bat-channel tomorrow for: Mark's sweet suite, Night views, Leaving me to my own devices and leaving Las Vegas.

Vegas Part 3: Four Seasons Baby!!!

My brother Mark was staying at the Four Seasons hotel which is located on the top 5 floors fo the Mandalay Bay and had extra rooms that were not being used. 2 nights at the Four Seasons FREE? Heck yes!
What's neat is that it is so hidden and the elevators skip the 35 floors of Mandalay Bay and take you straight to the Four Seasons floors. I had a beautiful room on the 37th floor and Mark had an amazing suite with strip view which I will get to in another post.

The staircase down to the lobby at The Fours Seasons. Beautiful.


Entering my room from the hallway:


My amazing bed:


Looking back toward the entry hallway (complete with two closets and bar) to get a pic of my ginormous flat screen TV:


The Pools and gardens below:


My view from the 37th floor. Facing the airport, helicopters took off all day long which was cool to watch:


My bathroom off the entry hallway and across from the bar:


First thing after taking pics was a hot bath in that tub and shower to relax from 3 days of tradeshow:


A phone in my potty. I had to take a pic. They make me laugh! Aren't you glad I didn't call you from there!???! haha.


I love camera timers. I finally get in a pic to prove I was there!


The view at night:
My view at night. Even sprawl and the airport are nice views in Vegas...and beautiful dessert mountains at sunset and sunrise!

Check back this afternoon when I show pics of my walkabout on Saturday!

Viva Las Vegas: Part 2

This post will be text heavy and photo light, but the remainders will reflect that I had more free time to take pics and enjoy myself. Here goes Day two and three:


Day two started off early. I met my two female coworkers for breakfast, pigged on some yummy pancakes and headed to the show floor for 9 a.m. the tradeshow would start at 10 a.m., but we needed to have the typical "pep-talk" from the Genreal Manger of the division. The show was two floors of promotional products. It was very overwhelming to me and I soon felt a bit dizzy from all that I needed to look at. Being Marketing Manager, I wanted to work the booth a bit to get the experience, but my main focus was to walk around, check out other booths and products and otherwise spy on the competition. Lamby got a frustrated call from me mid-morning because I needed an experienced influence to calm me and help me focus. Basically, I needed to bitch for a few moments and get it out, then I could move on, so thanks Lamby!!

It was definately a long day, especially since I was looking forward to dinner with my brother Mark who was in town preparing for a tradeshow of his own the following week. Since I was breaking from the herd Wednesday night for dinner I decided to take the walk from the convention center, thru Mandalay Bay, Thru the Luxor and then Excalibur to NY NY. My coworkers thought I was crazy to walk for 20 minutes after being on my feet all day, but I was in the mood to explore on my own a bit.

Mark picked me up at 6:30 p.m. for dinner. I was greeted by a stretch limo awaiting me at NY NY!!! We went to this great steakhouse called Del Frisco's (Mark's favorite)and I had the best filet minon ever! (along with more creamed spinach, this time with bacon in it; YUMMY!) We also had a great seafood sampler for an appetizer: Shrimp with differnt sauces and marinades: Cocktail sauce, garlic marinade and ramaulade and also a crabcake to share. OMG!! I was sooo full I could barely drink the rest of my wine!

After dinner we took a ride to Freemont street to see the lights. The ceiling light show was every hour, and we had just missed it, but the other lights were incredible anyway. We ducked into the Four Queens Casino for a look at old Vegas.

As we drove back to NY NY Mark told me that he had a few rooms that weren't being used at the Four Seasons and that I should stay for the weekend instead of leaving on Friday. Now most of you know that I want to be spontaneous more than anything, but I am a planner at heart. I told him I would think about it and let him know when he stopped by the show the next day (Thursday). My concern was that I would be on my own while he was checking on his tradeshow booth during the day, and what fun could that be? (yeah, I know, I need convincing even on the no-brainers!)

Here's another self-pic of me in my room at NY NY. I think this is the moment I made my mind up to stay. Can't you just hear me thinking "I'm changin' my flight. I'm stayin' in Vegas at the Four Seasons Baby!"


Well, I thought about it overnight, made a few phone calls and decided what the hell. 2 free nights at the Four Seasons and some time with my brother that I only get to see once or twice a year? It's a no brainer! I am a big girl. I can hang by myself for a few hours! It would be good for me!


As soon as I arrived at the show the next day I made a phone call to my travel agent to check on flights to change to on Sunday. She had some seats available on a flight at 11:30 a.m. Sunday routing thru Philly so I said CHANGE IT!~ I broke the news to my coworkers and spoke with the President about the change fee and reimbursing the company when I returned. He said I had been working hard and told me to ignore the change fee, that the company would take care of it. How nice was that????

Thursday (the second day of the tradeshow) went better. It was busier and I had found a plan of attack that worked well for me and my agenda. That evening all of my coworkers and I dined together with one of our Reps and his family at Gallagher's in NY NY. I had a wonderful cut of Prime rib, med -rare just like I like it. It was delicious. Our sides were macaroni an cheese and steamed brocolli. Apparently Mac and cheese is a staple at steakhouses...but it's gourmet and so yummy. :) We had a great dinner with the crew. here is a picture taken of all of us. I felt bad for the Pres, he was feeling under the weather and left shortly before dessert. Dessert was a tasting of Chocolate Lava Cake, Bread Pudding (OMG SO GOOD!) and Creme Brulee of course! Three of my favorites!!! Here is a pic of the group at dinner:
Sitting from left to right: Rep, Division Manager, Bob our tradeshow staple, My Boss Pete, Our Sales Guy, and the President. Standing from Left to right: Rep's Daughter, Our CSR Manager, ME!, Rep's Wife, and Ellen.

Friday the three of us girls went to eat at a great buffet in Mandalay Bay called Bayside. We had a window seating that looked over the pool and gardens. The food was wonderful and I ate a ton, hoping it would get me thru the shorter and last tradeshow day.

The tradeshow was slow so I got some time to bring home a few goodies. I had to be conservative, considering I was traveling home alone and didn't have a lot of room to fit much in my suitcases.

At 3pm the show was over so I grabbed my luggage, said my goodbyes and headed in search of the well hidden Four Season's Hotel nestled on the top 5 floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel...

Tune in Tomorrow for: Pics of my room at the four seasons, The "NY Connection" Waiter and my walkabout Saturday on my own!!!

Viva Las Vegas: Part 1

Ah, Vegas...

My flight took off at 7:10 a.m. and we made a stop in Philly to switch. Our flight to Vegas came in 1 hour earlier (Way to ride those tail winds Mr Pilot!) and so we landed about 11:20a.m. Vegas time. A Customer Service Rep was traveling with me so we got a cab and headed to NY, NY to drop off our bags and have a bite to eat.

By 1 p.m. we were tramming it to the Mandalay Bay Convention center to help with set-up at our booth. It was interesting to see booth set-ups happening around the floor. It was fun seeing setup and joking around with the workers, but by 4 p.m. we decided to hoof it back to the hotel to actually check in and get ready for dinner.

I had been talking about the Luxor all day. I mean, most of my family and friends know that one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Vegas was to see the Luxor. I figure, with the way the world is (and is going) that might be the closest thing to Egypt I actually see, which is sad, but possibly true. I also wanted to rate them on accuracy 'cause I am geek like that. I have to say, I was impressed, but let me start from the beginning.

From the convention center you walk thru Mandalay Bay casino and take escalators that connect to the Luxor. The Luxor is not photographable. I mean that not in the "I didn't know how to use the camera I borrowed from my Mom yet" way, but in more of the sense of "You can't capture it on film, you have to see it".

Some background: My travel companion is 46, a recently seperated mother of 3 and doesn't have much personality. She is very rigid and I wonder if she's ever had a day of fun in her whole life. She had been to Vegas once before for this tradeshow a few years back and they stayed in the Luxor. Anotherwards, she was a little unimpressed and not willing to allow me to let it sink in and have that first experience of "Holy Shit this place is F$%^ing AWESOME!!!" I mean, I did think that, but it was apparent she wanted to move on. Whatever, I got my time later, but it was annoying.
Whilte Ellen was in the ladies room, I took a pic of myself at the Luxor, even tho you can't tell that is where I am. I look pretty impressed with myself and I was probably thinking "Look at me! I am in VEGAS in the LUXOR people!!!!!" I call this my "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Face" haha.

Me taking flash pics of a sphinx in a dark place...don't worry, I figured it out later and got some great pics of inside the Luxor.:)

Once at the end of the Luxor and before taking the escalator connecting to Excalibur I found Criss Angel's shop and Production offices. The Blonde guy who is a magic consultant or whatever (Bonachek?) was in the office. I wasn't allowed to stop and look of couse because the nazi had had enough, but I knew I would make time to come back.

She also thought she knew how to get around, but wasn't paying attention to signage and eventually got us lost in the Excalibur...ignoring my suggestions which would have saved us 15 minutes of "lost in camelot" time, tho I wasn't complaining because I love that stuff too!
Ellen was determined that this was the way out of the Excalibur, but I knew we were in the wrong place. Great photo Op tho huh?

Turned around and saw an extrance to the Luxor towers. Damn I LOVE that Hotel!!!

Got back to our hotel rooms and showered and changed for dinner. Another coworker (the only of other female in the mix besides us) had made reservations for us at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris for dinner. We were early so we traveled up the Eiffel Tower and viewed the city from the 360 degree observation deck at the top. It was breathtaking, and an amazing way to watch the Bellagio Fountains! Dinner was great (seared scallops on a bed of whipped cauliflower with creamed spinach) Only problem was, I was back at my room by 9:30p.m.! Both of the girls were tired (come on! it's VEGAS!!!)and I didn't feel comfortable walking around at night by myself so I retired as well. There must be a law against retirng before 12p.m. in Vegas, right?

My view wasn't a strip view but nice anyway, a good blend of some strip and dessert. I sat at my window for a while letting it sink in that I was FINALLY in VEGAS!

When I finally got back to my room, this is the view from my NY NY room, facing the Monte Carlo and looking up strip (sort of). The red sign in the back middle is Ceasar's Palace and you can just barely see the top of the Eiffel Tower (on the right)even tho the photo is blurry.

So that was day 1 in Vegas. All the rushing around annoyed me a bit, but hey, I was there on business on company time and money so I dealt with it. It's just hard for someone like me to contain my excitement for a place I have always wanted to visit, especially when you are stuck inside a convention center and unable to experience it until later and then everyone is too pooped to pop!

Tune in Tomorrow: 1st day of the show, Hoofin' it and dinner with my brother Mark...and it gets even better!!!!

Vegas Teasers

WOW.

Vegas.

So good, I extended my stay until Sunday instead of leaving on Friday. (Thank You Mark!)

Pics won't be up for a few days but I will get to them soon!!!

Here are teasers of stories to come (in no particular order):

• Tradeshow Thoughts
• A Steakhouse??
• This DOES NOT suck.
• MINDFREAK!!!
• Rachel Ray...again
• The Sphinx is my homeboy
• Hoofin' it
• The "Pretty Girl Bench"
• Window Washer
• Care for some Dom Perignon?

and much more!!!

Thanks to Lamby for hijacking the blog and doing a great job! We were a little crazy with the giant underpants, and we had a blast recreating a photo journal of Pee-Wee's skit! Lamby is so talented at progression photography!!! I hope she will post more regularly now that she has done it once!

Help solve the mystery! Uncle Laurie posted a comment the other day and needs to let us know who they are. They can email me at cclifeblog@hotmail.com if they don't want to devulge their identity on the blog! :)

Looking forward to sharing my Vegas stories with everyone soon!

Lamby Takes Over!

While C.C. is away in Vegas…I thought it would be a good time for me to be “Guest Blogger”. So I have HiJacked her blog for the day!

I caught C.C. (and Evan) having some fun at Christmas time with some giant underpants! (You know, the possibilities are practically endless!)
Enjoy!
-Lamby

You can do a lot of really cool stuff with a pair of giant underpants!

A turban:
Rapunzel!















Nun – Hello!



A suave Vest!



A swing!













GIANT UNDERPANTS!!