REWIND!
Since June 2012, Dan had been planning a special birthday vacation in honor of my 30th birthday. Since 30 was a rather significant age, he wanted me to have a birthday that I would always remember. With months of planning, he surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada -- a first for both of us.
On Friday, August 24th we went to work, as usual. Once we were both home we gathered our belongings and prepared to depart. Our neighbor, Steve, drove us to Midway International Airport.
Dinner options became limited once we arrived at our gate, so we got some McDonald's while we waited for our flight. We are both seasoned Southwest fliers, so we were excited when we got to wait in a new Southwest terminal and also got to fly in a brand new Southwest plane! It's the little things that can make all the difference.
During the flight, I watched The Simpsons Movie and You Again on Dan's laptop while Dan relaxed and chatted with his flight neighbor -- a young man on his way to his brother's bachelor party.
Our plane landed at about 10:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). From the moment we landed, the Las Vegas Strip was bright and visible from the runway. I was especially excited when I noticed David Copperfield's sign on the MGM Grand Hotel. There was so much to see and our plane hadn't even arrived at the airport gate yet.
After we got off the plane, we went straight to baggage claim and waited for our luggage to arrive. This proved to be a rather lengthy wait, so Dan pulled out the video camera and started filming. His timing was perfect! Shortly after he started to film me, I noticed Stefanie and Thomas were there to greet us! I squealed with joy as I ran to them. This was another fun-filled surprised planned for me.
Once we had our luggage, the four of us loaded up in Stefanie and Thomas' jeep and we drove to mine and Dan's hotel -- Stefanie and Thomas had arranged to stay at a friend's timeshare. Dan waited until the last possible second to surprise me with where we were staying. Naturally, I was very surprised and super excited when I found out that we were staying at the Bellagio!
From the moment we walked into the Bellagio we were all blown away by the size, creativity, and detail that made the hotel so stunning. It is a beautiful hotel.
Without a doubt, Vegas was hopping when we arrived at our hotel. I enjoyed people watching with Stefanie and Thomas while Dan checked in. Dan managed to get a room upgrade so that we could have a lovely view of the Bellagio fountain and the Las Vegas Strip -- all thanks to a little tip he offered the lady who checked us in. Once we were all settled in our room, the four of us went out to sample the Las Vegas nightlife.
While we hung out in the Bellagio, the four of us took a stab at our first slot machine experience. Of course we went straight for the penny slots. It may sound silly, but it took us a moment to figure out how it worked -- you don't just stick a penny in a slot anymore.
Saturday, August 25th
Even though we were up until about 2:00 a.m. the night before, we didn't want to sleep too late the next morning. We were up at at 'em at about 9:00 a.m. While we waited for Stefanie and Thomas to meet up with us, we decided to explore the pool area at our hotel. Only Bellagio guests are permitted to enter the pool area, so we showed our room key upon arrival to gain access. Needless to say, the entire pool area was gorgeous and the sun was definitely heating things up.
We had plans to meet up with Stefanie and Thomas to enjoy brunch at the Bellagio Buffet. While they were a little tardy, it was certainly okay because we spent about 30+ minutes waiting in line just to get in. Stefanie and Thomas managed to stroll in just before we got seated -- perfect timing.
Inside, the buffet was stunning and the food was delicious! At first we were all rather overwhelmed with the variety and choices. It was very difficult for each of us to determine what would go on our first plate. Once we got going we were all very satisfied with our meal.
It was extremely hot outside -- upper 90's and low 100's the whole time we were in Las Vegas. We tried our best to enjoy indoor activities during the day to avoid the sun and dry heat. Still, we all had a fun time exploring the Las Vegas Strip. We made our way down the south end of the strip so that Dan could pick up our show tickets at Will Call.
Inside the New York, New York Hotel we bought a rather large margarita from Coyote Ugly and spent the entire afternoon sharing it. Stefanie and I also got some waters to stay cool and hydrated. While in the New York Hotel, we decided to enjoy the air conditioning and play some penny slots. We were all still very new at playing the slots, so we spent a bit of time slowly watching our money go up and down in total value. None of us had the courage to step up to a table to play Black Jack or Poker, so the penny slots were our only means of gambling.
At about 4:30 p.m. we all began walking back to the Bellagio so Dan and I could start getting ready for the two shows they were scheduled to see - David Copperfield at 7:00 p.m. and Criss Angel at 9:30 p.m.
David Copperfield's show is what Dan planned our trip around. Once he purchased tickets for David Copperfield's VIP Meet and Greet show, the rest of our trip fell into place.
Before the show started we made friends with our table mates. They were a young couple from California celebrating their one year anniversary. I can't remember their names, but the bride bought the tickets for her husband as an anniversary gift -- he is a big David Copperfield fan, just like me. We had such a fun time with them. Turns out the bride's parents are youth leaders, so we had lots to chat about.
As usual, the show was outstanding -- and having front row seats was a blast!
After the show we got to go on stage and meet David, take pictures with him and he even showed us a bonus trick. I got to be his assistant as he asked me (a couple of times) to carefully examine a dollar bill. The experience was the highlight of my trip! David even Tweeted me later to thank me for coming.
Immediately following our meet and greet with David Copperfield at the MGM Grand, we hurried outside to try and catch a cab to see our next show, Criss Angel Believe, at the Luxor. The line for a cab was very long and there wasn't a steady flow of cabs available. We decided to run (literally) to the Luxor -- one mile. I took off my heals and we ran the whole way. We managed to make it with some time to spare.
Criss Angel put on a fabulous show! We're both very new to Criss Angel, so it was great getting to know his style -- we weren't sure what to expect. His show is a bit darker than David Copperfield's and they do a lot of similar tricks (each with his own style, of course). Criss Angel's show was super funny and some of his tricks are virtually impossible to believe. At the end of the show, Criss invited guests to pull out their cameras and take pictures. What a great idea! We were pretty far away, but I managed to zoom in and capture this photo. I also got a picture with one of his motorcycles -- the one he used in his show that night. I'd really like to see his show again -- and do the meet and greet!
Just after midnight, we met up with Stefanie and Thomas at P.F. Chang's for dinner. We soon discovered that Vegas never seems to slow down, so dinner after midnight felt perfectly normal. We all dined on lettuce wraps as our appetizer and then shared each other's main entrées. After a long and rather full day in Vegas, it was nice to sit and relax.
After dinner we went back to the Bellagio. There, we had plans to go back out, but none of seem to have the energy to do so. Instead, we continued to relax and visit with each other until Stefanie and Thomas headed back to their hotel for the night.
That night, I spent quite a bit of time scrubbing my black feet. Yep, this is what they looked like after I ran from the MGM to the Luxor. Nasty! Ha ha!
Sunday, August 26th
Since Stefanie and Thomas had their car in Las Vegas, we decided to venture away and visit the Hoover Dam. It took us about 45 minutes to drive to the dam -- not including our quick stop at Wendy's for lunch. Upon arrival, we found free parking just over the boarder in Arizona. Once again, the sun was hot and there were no clouds in sight. We walked the very windy dam and took our time (carefully!) looking over the edge. It was an incredible sight! We even took the time to drive over the Hoover Dam bridge, but there wasn't much to be seen since the walls were up so high. Still, we all agreed that it was worth it just to say we did it.
Later, we went back to explore more of the Las Vegas Strip. We went into Caesar's Palace and were completely blown away by how the hotel just kept going... and going... and going... and going!
Gelato is very popular in Vegas, so Dan and I got some. We also noticed that a lot of the stores are high end brands, so we didn't actually buy much. Once we found an H&M and Express we felt a little more at home.
Dan and Thomas were so excited about the escalators that curled. I'll admit, they were pretty wild. Now there's something you don't see at your typical mall.
While we were in Cesar's Palace we saw Da Coach -- Mike Ditka (no photo). He was signing autographs and taking photos with fans for $60 per person -- hence the "no photo".
At about 6:00 p.m. Stefanie and Thomas left for home. After we said our goodbyes, Dan and I decided to explore the northern part of Las Vegas Boulevard -- the end that we had yet to see.
We spent the majority of our evening walking through The Venetian Hotel. For dinner we dined at Enoteca Otto Pizzeria. Dan enjoyed a pepperoni pizza (featuring tomato, mozzarella, and cacio) while I had a delicious pesto pizza (featuring ricotta and olive oil).
After dinner we caught two outdoor hotel shows, the Sirens of TI (Treasure Island) and the Mirage Volcano. I was amazed at how many small children (and strollers!) were roaming the Strip late at night.
Of course, our trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't catch the Bellagio fountain show. By this point we had watched the fountain a couple of times from our room. There is a TV station that plays the music, so we can get the full experience. Each time we watched the fountain we heard a different song. It was really neat. The fountain is so powerful, you can hear the water fire into the air from our room and the water even sprayed higher than our floor! Amazing!
Now, seriously, who can watch the fountain and not think of Ocean's 11? I know we can't. That was part of the reason why Dan chose the Bellagio as our hotel. Great movie.
To wrap up the evening, we dressed up and hit the penny slots at the Bellagio. At one point Dan turned $1 into $10.28! Ha ha... it was his biggest win the whole trip. Score!
Later, we sat and sipped some drinks -- Dan finally got to order an Old Fashioned. It was a great way to relax and savor our last night in Vegas.
Monday, August 27th
Our flight wasn't until 6:10 p.m. so we had some time to just rest and relax in Las Vegas. We checked out of our hotel at 11:00 a.m. and had our luggage put in storage while we enjoyed our last moments on vacation. We went to the Bellagio pool and spent about an hour and a half laying in the sun and enjoying the cool water.
Later, we went over to the Miracle Mile to check out the shops and to have some lunch. After lunch we strolled over to Koval Lane so I could get her picture taken with the street sign. It was a great way to wrap up our vacation. We certainly got to take our time, enjoying our vacation to the fullest.
Our very first Las Vegas experience was a blast! While we weren't exactly excited about going home, we were both looking forward to catching up on some much-needed sleep.
My parents were kind enough to pick us up from the airport when we landed. As we pulled up to our house I noticed some balloons and goodies by the front door. I was so surprised! Since it was after midnight, it was officially my 30th birthday and the birthday surprises just kept coming!
Thank you Melanie and Floyd for the surprise! It was a great way to come home from vacation and start my official birthday. Surely this is one birthday I will cherish forever!
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