New York, New York, Las Vegas

I remember years ago, my friend Lori went with her family to Las Vegas. I never knew that families could stay in Las Vegas! I always thought of Las Vegas and the Rat Pack (from old movies).

Lori and her family stayed at Circus Circus, and she sent me a postcard. From that time, I've always thought of Las Vegas as a fun place to go, but I had never been there, until Ray took me in February to propose.

Once Ray proposed, I thought it would be fun to go back to Las Vegas, take Chloe with us, and get married by Elvis. I always thought that if I ever got married again, I would love to have an Elvis wedding. Luckily, Ray was on board with the idea, and that's what we did.

We stayed at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino this time around. It was not as pretty as the Bellagio (which we stayed at in February), but there was so much more to do! We didn't even discover parts of the hotel until it was about time to leave. Ray's already talking about going next year for our anniversary.

Below are some of the pics I took of the New York, New York hotel. From the street, it looks like a New York skyline, with a rollercoaster!


There's a mini Statue of Liberty:


and a Brooklyn Bridge:


Inside the hotel, there is a section that is decorated like New York streets. Several streets with seating, and little shops. There's also a couple of restaurants, and bars.


I thought this one (below) was funny with the flamingos on the fire escape!

And one of the last places we discovered: the Pour 24 bar, with 24 beers on tap, open 24 hours.


ps - both times that I've been to Las Vegas, I saw the Circus Circus hotel, and thought of Lori and her family. :)

Engaged!

Well, Ray surprised me on the trip to Vegas. We got there on Valentine's Day, and didn't have dinner plans. So we walked and walked around the Strip, looking at things, shopping, and checking out the various places to eat. Finally found a table at the bar at Circo in the Bellagio and had a wonderful meal.

After dinner, Ray proposed to me - on bended knee, even! He gave me a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. It was just like in the movies. I said yes, cried, and the people sitting nearby at the bar applauded. When the waiter came back, and found out that we became engaged while he was away, he brought out a complimentary dessert that said "Congratulations" on the plate.

Las Vegas!

Ray took me to Las Vegas for Valentine's Day. We stayed over Saturday and Sunday, and came home on Monday. We stayed at the Bellagio, and had a wonderful room with a view of the fountain and of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel across the street.

Saturday and Sunday, we mostly walked around, seeing the sights, until my legs were sore. Sunday night we went to see the Wayne Brady improv show at the Venetian.

Above and below are the Forum shops at Caesar's Palace. I really enjoyed just walking around these shops, with the ceiling painted like sky, and the shops all looking like ancient buildings.

Below is Ray and me in front of the circular escalators. They made me kind of dizzy to ride up them!

Late Saturday night, after dinner, we went to the old downtown Las Vegas. It was very different from the Strip! Downtown boasts lots of interesting people, a covered walkway with a music light show, and a Krispy Kreme, among other things. We took one of the double decker buses back to the Strip. We sat up on the top, in front, and watched the city go by. It was probably around midnight or one, and the streets were full of people.


Below are some pictures from the small bakery in the Bellagio. They had gorgeous cakes and some really wonderful little pastries. We had coffee and breakfast there on Monday before we left for the airport.