We did things a little differently this year, choosing to stay for 5 nights instead of 4 and also deciding to split our stay between downtown and the strip. As the birthday boy gets to choose everything, Ben H. chose the Golden Nugget and the Bellagio for the hotels. I was so excited to stay at the Bellagio and we made sure to book rooms with views of the Bellagio fountains.
Day 1 Arrival
We had a smooth flight from DFW arriving in Vegas at around 10:30 a.m. For the third year in a row, we had a limo from Presidential waiting for us.
We took the strip downtown to the Golden Nugget.
I couldn't believe how long the check in line was for an early Wednesday morning. Ben and I were able to get our room right away so Nick and Ben H. stored their bags in our room. We were lucky and scored a room facing south away from Fremont street so it was quiet at night. We all had rooms in the newest tower, the Rush Tower. We really liked our room and thought it was just as nice as most of the rooms we've stayed in on the strip.
Once we got settled, Ben H. and the boys had a toast with some Johnny Walker Blue that Ben H. had brought with him. It was lunch time by now so I suggested we walk to Pizza Rock which was nearby. We got a 22" NY style pizza which was huge!
We then decided to go watch Game 5 of the ALDS (Toronto-Texas) at the Golden Nugget sportsbook. If you're a baseball fan, you know how this one came out! It didn't help that we were seated right next to Blue Jays fans. We left after the infamous 7th inning.
We decided to just go walk around and see downtown. We pooled our money on Wheel of Fortune but didn't win. We went to Mermaids because I read they had good pina coladas there, but everything was from a mix. Ben H. tried one anyway.
We went back to the Golden Nugget and sat out at the Hideout Pool which is the adult pool at the Golden Nugget. Normally you have to pay to get in, but since it was so late, no one said anything to us.
Around 6:00 we all went back to our rooms to freshen up for dinner. We decided on a Hibachi place called Lillie's in the Golden Nugget.
It was ok, certainly nothing spectacular. One thing I didn't like about downtown was the food and drinks just weren't as good as what you find on the strip.
We stopped for a light show on Fremont St.
We had a 9:00 reservation at the Laundry Room which is a speakeasy type place in the Commonwealth. This was a surprise for Ben H. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures but here is one of the Commonwealth.
You had to send a text when you got there and they let you in through a secret door. The bar itself was very cool--nice and quiet with an elegant vibe, different from most of the bars in Vegas. We really liked it and stayed for two rounds of drinks.
Afterwards it was around 11:00 p.m. which was 1:00 a.m. our time so some of us called it a night with others going to play blackjack at El Cortez.
Day 2
We were up around 7:00 a.m. and Ben went to the gym. We decided to go to breakfast at Dupar's since I had read on Trip Advisor they had a great breakfast. It's an old-school Vegas diner type of place.
We ended up meeting Ben H. there for breakfast. I got my traditional eggs and hashbrowns and Ben got pancakes.
I liked everything except my sausage and Ben said his pancakes were some of the best he's ever had.
We met up with Nick and headed over to our favorite place downtown, the D to play my favorite game, Sigma Derby. This is an old-school horse racing game that you play with quarters. This was really fun and we spent the afternoon playing and drinking.
I played for a couple of hours and only ended up losing $1.75! We then pooled our money on another Wheel of Fortune and ended up winning around $13 each--that's a big win for us!
We headed back to the GN and spent the rest of the day at the pool. Nick and Ben even went down the slide that goes through the famous shark tank.
Dinner that night was an Italian place called the Grotto. It did the trick and we were full afterwards. After dinner, we played some slots for awhile and then followed Ben H. and his friend Bill over to the El Cortez to watch them play blackjack. We wandered around and lost our day's winnings on a WOF fortune machine before calling it a night.
Day 3
Ben and I got up around 7:00 a.m. again and again Ben went to the gym. We met Nick and walked over to a place called EAT for breakfast. This is more of a local's place and it was pretty good although I ended up liking my breakfast at Dupar's better!
Ben got the famous fried deviled eggs and these were delicious!
Afterwards, Nick went back to the GN while Ben and I visited the Mob Museum. I have always been fascinated by the mob and mob movies and I figured I would never be this close to the museum again so why not check it out. They had some really cool displays and I was amazed to see so many of the artifacts were in mint condition. We spent about two hours there but could have stayed even longer.
We met Nick back over at the D for another afternoon of Sigma Derby. I ended up winning on a 63-1 longshot so again I played for hours and only lost $2.75! Ben found a machine called Top Dollar and had fun on that and ended up winning about $30.
We stopped off for a snack at McDonald's then went over to Banger Brewery so the boys could try a local beer.
Then we went to Downtown Cocktail Room where the boys got a drink but all the cocktails looked too strong for me.
We went back to the room then to freshen up for our nice dinner at Vic & Anthony's steakhouse. We got steak, lobster mac & cheese, and wine and it was all delicious. Finally a good meal!
I got this salad with pear and blue cheese and it was yummy.
Afterwards, everyone went their separate ways with Ben, Nick and I slotting around the Golden Nugget and losing! Since we weren't winning anything, we decided to call it a night.
Day 4
Today we were leaving the Golden Nugget and checking in to the Bellagio.
Part of our group went over early so they could get a seat to watch college football at the sports book. Ben, Nick and I checked out and took a cab over to Bellagio around 10:00 a.m. Again, we were greeted with a long check-in line but it moved faster than the one at the Golden Nugget. Ben and Nick decided to see if we could go ahead and get at least one room and they would split the early check-in fee. So that is what they did while I went to take pictures of the conservatory.
Ben texted me that they were checking in while I was still taking pictures. I was very exited to finally stay here as the Bellagio is my favorite hotel. We got a deluxe fountain view room on the 27th floor with a beautiful view of the fountains.
We decided to walk over to Caesar's Palace and have brunch at Mesa Grill. On our last trip, Ben H. got the green chili cheeseburger and I have been wanting it every since. It didn't disappoint!
Ben got the pork tenderloin sandwich.
Nick got eggs and waffles.
This was our fourth time eating here and it was all delicious as usual. We walked back to Bellagio then so we could redeem our MyVegas rewards at the MLife desk. MyVegas is a Facebook game Nick and I play because you can turn in your virtual chips for real rewards--pretty cool!
One of my rewards was $25 free play so I headed straight to my favorite slot machine, Kitty Glitter. I love this game and have to come to the Bellagio to play it every trip. She is always so good to me and this time I got a bonus and won $30 woo!
After that, we headed out for drinks at the pool. It was a beautiful day and we found some shady loungers and settled in for the afternoon.
The Bellagio pool area is very chill and quiet with lots of pretty architecture.
We stayed out there until around 4:30 when Nick got the text his and Ben H.'s room was finally ready. We got back to our room about 4:45 to get ready for dinner but I ended up watching three fountain shows and ended up running late, yikes!
Tonight was the official birthday dinner for Ben H. at Michael Mina. We ate here for Nick's 40th and it was so good, Ben H. chose it for his dinner also. We met Nick at the conservatory and when we walked in, it was all lit up. I realized then I had never seen the conservatory at night so I went and snapped a few pictures.
For Nick's birthday, we all did the six course tasting menu and it was fabulous. But we opted not to do it this time, instead getting our favorite thing from the tasting menu, the Chilean sea bass, as our entree. Everyone got it but Ben who got the ahi tuna. Everyone got various appetizers and sides to go with it. The sea bass was as delicious as I remembered.
Ben and I got the chocolate whiskey cake for dessert.
It was a nice meal but we agreed it wasn't as good as when we got the tasting menu. After dinner, we walked to our favorite bar, the Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental. This was our third time here but we had never been on a weekend before. They had a live band playing so it was a little more lively but not so loud that we couldn't talk to one another. I got my usual blackberry champagne cocktail.
It was a great evening and a great 40th birthday for our friend.
Back at the room, I got some night shots of the fountains and our view.
Day 5
Our last full day in Vegas, sigh. Ben did his usual go to the gym routine. Around 10:00, Nick, Ben and I went and had breakfast at Jean Phillippe while Ben H. spent some time with his other buddies before they headed home. I got my usual ham and cheese croissant and Ben and I split a cherry danish. Yummy.
Nick got us a nice table by the window overlooking the pool.
I really wanted to have a drink at the Petrossian Bar in the Bellagio lobby since I had read on Trip Advisor they had good cocktails. We opted to sit inside away from the busy casino floor but close enough to where we could still hear the piano player. I got something called a Bellagio cocktail and it was a light and refreshing morning drink, almost like a mimosa or bellini.
The boys got Bloody Marys. Ben H. joined us after a while and we sat and talked about what to do on our last day. Ben H. had some sports bets down and wanted to watch a couple of NFL games. He and his other buddies had had a good time at Lily the day before so we decided to head over there and see if we could get a seat. By some miracle, a nice group let us wedge in with them and we watched the Broncos-Browns game.
After that, we went back over to the pool but it had turned cool and cloudy and the loungers were wet from overnight showers. It didn't stop Nick and Ben from getting in the pool though. It was too cold for me so Ben H. and I sat at the pool bar and had a couple of drinks. It was then we all decided to go in $50 each on a parlay sports bet on the Patriots-Colts game that night. This was a first for me and Ben.
Soon it was time to go freshen up and go to Hyde. This is my favorite lounge in Vegas and both Nick and I had a MyVegas reward for a free drink. We all cleaned up and headed over right when it opened at 5:00. We got a table in front of the TV so we could watch the game. We had two rounds of drinks and some appetizers and watched the game until it was evident we were probably going to lose our bet. But it was fun anyway.
Nick and Ben H. decided to play blackjack at a table and found a $10 table. This was fun for me and Ben since we don't play table games but we do enjoy watching. I really tried to watch and learn in the event that I ever get up the nerve to start playing. The boys probably played for close to two hours and came out almost even and got tons of drinks so it was fun.
I was starving and begged everyone to walk to Secret Pizza at Cosmo. Yummy!
We decided to do one more pool our money slot pull on a Michael Jackson machine but found out the Cosmo had removed it. So Ben found a Top Dollar machine he had had fun playing on at the D. We pooled our $20 each and ended up winning $150 on a spin. We ended up cashing out at $50 each for a $30 win, not bad! Although Ben and Nick got the bright idea of betting $25 on black on a roulette table leaving the Cosmo. Three guesses how that one came out!
Departure Day
The next morning Ben, Ben H. and I had breakfast at Bellagio Cafe. This ended up being my least favorite breakfast of all but at least I would be full for the flight home.
We weren't getting picked up by Presidential until noon so both Nick and Ben got noon checkouts and we spent the morning by the pool again until it was time to go home. The weather this day was warm and sunny again.
Then it was time to check out and head home, our vacation over. As usual we didn't win anything but as usual, we still had a great time with our friends. Until next time Vegas!
