Vegas MM 2013

My girls' weekend was in Las Vegas this year, which meant we had one of the biggest turnouts yet as we were able to tap into the west coast crowd. 

While I was gone, Mary spent some time in North Carolina with her daddy, papa and big sister.  I don't think I'll ever get used to watching her board a plane without me.  She, on the other hand, doesn't understand why I have to walk her all the way to the gate.  She knows what to do at security, which screens to look for to check her gate number, and when to board the plane depending on what "zone" number she is.  She even knows how to find Dunkin Donuts for our traditional airport snack.  For such an independent little girl, she sure does struggle with independently getting herself ready for school, or independently tidying her room.

 

 

 

This was my second visit to LV, I came here a few years ago with Mary and my mom.  We rented a convertible and took a road trip across the desert, around the grand canyon and back across Hoover Dam.  I was excited to come back; I (surprisingly) really like Las Vegas and there's so much more here than I first expected there to be.  It was hot. HOT.  I think it hit 115 most days we were here. 

  

Alicia and I took the same flight from Dallas and met a few of the others at the airport.  We cabbed to the hotel and checked in at the Aria. 

 



 

The Aria is a five star relatively new hotel (maybe only a couple of years old, I'm sure it wasn't here on my last visit).  It was gorgeous.  Our rooms were wonderful, remote control drapes and touchscreen TV, we even had a telephone in our toilet.  I was taken away by this and tried many times to call someone while they were on the toilet.  I just thought it would be kinda cool.  Now it just sounds weird. 

I would be rooming with Cheryl, who is one of my favorite people in the world.  She is always up for just about anything.  She is also a serial napper and can take 20 minute sleeps which I think must be a talent.

 





 

We had great views of the strip, but really weren't in the rooms much to enjoy this (or to call someone in the bathroom).

After checking in, we took a stroll around the Aria and the promenade while the others trickled in. 

 

Interesting whistle restaurant, Sandy and me.  It was Sandy's 40th birthday this LV weekend :)

 

 

We tipped $2 to have our photo taken with some showgirls.  Then, we wondered how much we could make if we dressed up all glitzy and charged "tips" for people to have their photograph taken with us.  We also decided that we wouldn't encourage our daughters to become students in Las Vegas.

 

 

The pools area was equally impressive.  We toyed with the idea of renting a cabana for a day but couldn't justify the $800/day when we really didn't want to spend a whole day at the pool.

 

We were hungry, so we ate at the Todd English pub.  I tried their Bubble and Squeak and it was a bit fancier than my mum used to make.  However, it probably wasn't as good (not that my mum is an amazing cook, you need a chisel to eat her rice pudding; sorry mam, but Mike and James will back me up on this one!  You have other talents :).

 

It was getting late and some of the others had arrived so we met them in the lobby and headed back out.  When you're in Vegas, you have to eat.  There are so many wonderful restaurants, so we headed to Gordon Ramsay's Burgr to see what all the fuss was about.

 

 

 

Those of us who had eaten earlier were only up for dessert.  The dessert menu consists of milkshakes, topped with pudding, cream and a cookie.  Although it was a little disappointing that there wasn't much variety, the shake/pudding/cookie was delicious.  The parmesan fries were also a big hit at the table.  So, Burgr has a simple burger, fries and shakes menu, but the quality of our food was very good and I would happily return.

 



We also found this cool knife that rests with the blade perpendicular to the table.  Why don't all knives have this design? No more buttery mess on the table.  Only a group of moms would have a table discussion about this.

 



Back at the hotel, we noticed this bomb detection dog in training.  I've never seen a dog so focused on his job and, despite the hundreds of people walking around him (although, oddly, not in the photo), he sat still, followed instructions to the word, and suppressed all urges to be petted.  My dogs would be jumping onto people's shoulders, chewing up their luggage and peeing on the blackjack tables.

The dog handler told me off for taking a photo of the dog.  I did ask permission from a lady in his entourage, I just didn't ask him.  Apparently that was the mistake - he is the photograph-authorizer.  I gave him my "you are being quite rude" look and walked away.  I blame his uniform, many people are much nicer when they take off their uniform.  I'm not sure why he didn't want me taking a photo of the dog, I didn't distract the dog.  Maybe the dog is in witness protection and I just blew his cover. 

The first night, I watched Aimee play Blackjack so that I wouldn't look like a complete fool when I decided to join a game.  I started playing the next day.  I had some ups and downs and finally called it a day when I had a handsome overall win.  Aimee played with a group of good spirited young men who were celebrating college graduation.  Their chips had a different color to any chips I played so I'm guessing they were bigger spenders.

The next day, we went to Venetia and some of us took the gondola ride.  Cheryl came very close to another expensive footwear purchase.  Cheryl has the best legs of anyone I know and could pull it off if she wore dead badgers strapped to her feet.

 

chocolate fountain

Then it was back to the hotel to try out the pool.  One thing I like about Vegas is the service; we didn't have to leave the pool once to order, and fruity drinks just taste better when you're floating in a pool.  Alicia (the unofficial photographer-of-the-bizarre) took some photos of a guy swimming in his underwear, and we all welcomed Becky and Sarah who had driven in from Utah and California.  Oddly enough, Alicia didn't take any pictures of someone getting arrested in an alley on this trip.

ADDENDUM:  Of course Alicia got a photo of someone getting arrested.  After reading my blog, Alicia texted me this:

The bike police

 

That night, we ate at Julian Serano and celebrated Sandy's 40th. 

We had tickets (or our name was on a list, I don't remember) for the Gold Lounge.  It was 80's night.  Americans must have grown up with different 80's music than I, because they never once tapped into Erasure, Wham or Shaking Stevens.  Either that or our DJ figured that anything before he graduated high school (in 2012) was good enough.  While in my happy phase, I developed a plan to blow up hundreds of balloons and fill Sandy's room with them before she woke up the next morning.  However, I later forgot all about this plan.  It's the thought that counts. 
This was a fun night but everyone knows that some things that happen in Vegas stay there!

Saturday, a few of us visited the Bodies museum.  I worried it might be too gruesome, but most of what we saw didn't even seem real and I had to remind myself I was looking at human body parts.  Some of it was hard to take seriously, such as the oriental man posed with a basketball about to shoot a hoop. 

That night, we had tickets to see Ka, so we took an early dinner in D'Vino.  Although the food was good, the wine list was a little disappointing for an Italian food and wine bar.

The show Ka was beyond words.  I have never been so amazed by a show.  The entire theater design, the stage set, the technology, the performances... it all took our breath away.  We attended the 7pm show. Tragedy struck during the 9pm show when one of the acrobats fell from her harness and was killed during the final battle scene.  This saddens me so much; these performers have such awe inspiring skill and this lady died performing an act that literally gave me goosebumps. 

We met later at the Bellagio piano bar for drinks and chat.  It seems there was a technical problem with the fountains so the show was not as impressive as I remember it. 

 

 

Earlier that day, we had visited the Cupcakery, winners of The Cupcake Wars a few years back.  That night, we hung out in Kathleen's room and ate our cupcakes.  I don't remember which flavor I bought, but I definitely tasted a little heaven and some puppy dogs tails.  Definitely recommend. 

The next morning, we ate a patisserie breakfast and headed to the airport.  Alicia and I would be on the same flight back to Dallas that was supposed to arrive at 4pm.  I needed to be at Mary's gate by 9pm to meet her off her flight.  Panic ensued when our flight was delayed, and then delayed again.  Andrew stepped up and offered to fly to Dallas to meet Mary.  Luckily, my flight got me into Dallas around 8pm and I made it to Mary's gate in plenty of time. 

I was super glad to have Mary back and we stayed the night in a hotel.  Tomorrow, we would head to the UK for a month. 

 

 



NYC 2013

Summer has come and gone!

With two trips already in the works, I figured I would spend the first week hanging out by the pool and working on my "Pinterest ideas I saved for the summer". 

Then Tonia called and asked me to go to New York with her instead.  This sounded like a much better plan.

This was my third trip to New York.  My first trip was back in 2005 when I was still a newbie to the American culture.  It was the weekend of July 4th and I had no idea it was Independence Day.  I came away thinking New York routinely held parades in the streets and firework displays at night. 

My second trip was with Andrew for Thanksgiving 2010.  It was bitter cold, but we managed to take advantage of the famous TG parade by visiting all the top tourist attractions while everyone else lined the streets around Macy's to watch the inflated characters and dance teams (I have no idea what else they feature in the parade).  We spent lots of time in Central Park and hung out with his cousin who had just landed his dream job at Marvel.

Tonia's dad (Mike) and brother (Ryan) work on special effects for movies; a job which takes them around the country for long periods at a time.  They were in New York filming the new ****** movie (it might still be a secret!).     

Mike and Ryan were wonderful hosts and real gents; giving up sleeping space and furnishing us with fresh linens and towels.  We were even treated to breakfast burritos and in-room Oreo cookies.  Their apartment offered a great location for sight seeing and we managed to fit a lot into the five days we were there. 

Courtesy of Ryan's impressive memory, here's a summary of what we accomplished:

A stone's throw away from the apartment is Brooklyn Bridge park, so on our first evening we took a stroll and absorbed the amazing skyline.  We also took a walk there the last morning of our trip.

 

That first night, we ate at Grimaldi's; quite possibly the best pizza I've ever eaten, although I would have to do a side-by-side to decide if it beats Chicago pizza pie.  The ingredients were very fresh and the crust was just thin enough.  We ordered cannoli to go, but were disappointed they weren't filled with fresh cream and didn't hold to the same standard as the pizza.

The next day, we took some restored vintage bikes from the apartment and biked across the Manhattan Bridge, through China Town, around the financial district, and back across the Brooklyn Bridge then down the Brooklyn docks to Red Hook to check out the special effects shops.  While at the shop, I got to crumble some concrete with my bare hands and was impressed with what these guys achieve with imagination, technical skill and hard work. 

 

We then walked and shopped Broadway in SoHo (where we ate delicious gyro's from a street vendor), strolled around 5th avenue, and ate Gelato at Amorino's (a place I recognized from my in-flight magazine).  The gelato was rich and creamy and presented as a fancy rose.

 

 

Cute 90-something yr old lady singing her heart out on her birthday

Flatiron Building and globe

Bizarre yarn looking sculpture made of nautical chain

 

That night, we visited the Weigh Station Bar in Brooklyn where Tonia managed to get her photo taken in front of the Tardis bathroom.

The next day, we spent a day sightseeing and visiting museums.  First up was the Museum of Modern Art.  I don't really "get" much of modern artwork, I am far too literal of a person.  I understand that it can be a personal experience and people take away different interpretations, but if it's a red dot on a canvas, I see a red dot on a canvas.  I try hard to interpret the dot, but I'm not sure which direction to take it.  Is the dot lonely?  Does the dot represent a blemish on an otherwise pure canvas? What's up with the friggin dot?!   The dot made me feel anxious because I'm a little OCD and it was off center.  Maybe the artist wanted me to have an emotional response to the piece, in which case (s)he succeeded and I am quite smart after all. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was quite exciting because they had some Frederic Church, my favorite artist!  His landscapes are just amazing and (although not a great example here) he paints the sky and sunlight with such an intensity that you almost need to squint your eyes to look at it.  I first saw his work in Amsterdam years ago and I've looked for his work ever since.  You can see some of his work here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Frederic_Edwin_Church

 

Heart of the Andes

That night, we saw Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.  We scored great seats (through some networking) and it was a wonderful show.  We took a walk to Times Square on the way home.

The next day, we headed to ground zero.  On my first visit to NYC, ground zero was a blank slate.  The second visit, the Trade Center was built halfway.  Just prior to this visit, the spire had been secured and the building looked complete.  The Ground Zero Memorial was relatively sombre, but the pools are immense and make quite a statement. 

Survivor Tree

For lunch, we headed to Fulton Market and Pier 17 mall. 

"Fish and Chips", really?

We took the Shark Ride speedboat and Tonia begged to sit on the outside so that she could get soaked with freezing cold water.  It's possible that only the second part of that sentence holds some truth.  Tonia definitely took one for the team.

 

The Statue of Liberty island was closed due to hurricane Sandy, but we still got some great views.

 

Up close and personal, the Trade Center doesn't look  a whole lot taller than the surrounding skyscrapers and you feel that it doesn't make enough of a statement.  It's only when you venture farther away that you realize that it does do some justice to its previous counterparts.

We headed to Central Park and checked out Belvedere Castle, then hunted down some statues using expert navigation skills.  While in the neighborhood, Tonia got roped in to a street performance. 

(Tonia is second in line on the first photo, she is not the person performing in the second photo)

 

While at Central Park, Tonia picked up a rock for her husband, Ben (geologist).  Airport security did not confiscate it on the way home, but they did treat Tonia with suspicion (mental health issues) for packing a large rock instead of the typical NYC T-shirt and fridge magnets.

Central Park, so pretty 

 

 

Belvedere Castle, home to the Central Park weather station.

Somebody had heard of Greys Papaya Hotdogs, so we found this place and tried their smoothies and hotdogs.  Meh, they were okay.

Empire State Building was next on the agenda.  I love this building, it feels timeless in ingenuity and grace. 

 

 

It's hard to imagine that you can get better views of Manhattan than from the top of the Empire State Building.

 



 

 

Later that day, we headed to Grand Central station where we found the Whisper Wall.  You can find it down in an underpass below the main lobby (Tonia knew of its secret location).  It works like this: if you talk into one corner, the sound travels across the specially engineered ceiling and can be heard on the opposite side.  It's a plasma ball (cool science) experience and I wonder how many people walk through the area without even knowing it exists.

We finished the day with tea and cakes at Pershing Square Cafe, a little place under the bridge that I remembered from my last visit with Andrew. 

Our flight home was delayed a few hours and we watched anxiously as most flights on the screen indicated a red "cancelled" status.  We finally made it back to Dallas and drove back home to Midland (5 hours, ugh).  It was so late and I was so tired, I don't even remember the drive.

I had approximately 27 hours to sleep twice, repack for the next five weeks, and drive back to Dallas.