NBA All Star Weekend

Over the weekend in Las Vegas there was the NBA All Star game. Apparently it wasn't the type of success they were looking for. I believe they used the word "freaknik" to describe it.

"All-Star Weekend can no longer remain the Woodstock for parolees, wannabe rap artists and baby's mamas on tax-refund vacations."

I May Not Be A Winner At Slots, But I'm A Winner At Life!

The weekend of February 16-19 2007 was my first time ever going to Las Vegas. I had so much fun and lost tons of money - but hey, that's what gambling is all about, right?

I stayed at the Westin Casuarina which was about a block off the Las Vegas strip where Caesars, Bellagio, and Bally's are on the corner. I would recommend this hotel because the beds were sooo comfortable (not that you go to Vegas to sleep, but hey it happens sometimes). It was not far from everything and a good price. It has a small casino, but I would suggest you place your bets elsewhere.

We started the trip by walking from our hotel to Paris, Bellagio, Caesars. We go sooo lost at Caesars and ended up getting out through an emergency back entrance that we ended up having to walk the entire perimeter of the hotel just to get back to the strip. Oy vey. We drove everywhere after that. The girls I met up with, Diana and Kerin, drove from LA to Vegas so it was easy to get around.

(If you click on any picture you can see a bigger version of it)



Paris



Bellagio (they had a special garden for the Chinese New Year and a glass ceiling made by the artists Chihuly). I have a video of the Bellagio fountain with the song "Viva Las Vegas" sung by Elvis in the background. But I can't seem to upload the video to YouTube because it is too big. I will work on that and hopefully post it here later.



Gambling at Caesars



After a long walk, we headed back to the hotel to rest up. Before we went out we popped some bubbly (Andre!). We then headed to the buffet at the Rio, did a little gambling and then went to Voodoo Lounge which is a rooftop (50th floor) club at the top of the Rio to celebrate Diana's birthday!

This buffet was a little too big so I couldn't really enjoy everything it had to offer.

Look at all those slots.

I am still dreaming about this...

They made this great drink that looked like it was steaming thanks to some dry ice. This thing was so huge we couldn't even walk around with it (although some people were strong enough to do it - still amazes me).

The view was amazing from the rooftop club. You can see the entire strip and party your ass off!



After a long night out (and waiting for an hour and a half at 4 am in line for a taxi after the club) we decided the next day we would take it easy. We spent a few hours at our hotel's hot tub and later drove to the Wynn hotel, then walked to the Venetian and the Mirage. We had dinner at the buffet at the Mirage.



(That last picture with the gondola is actually inside the hotel - they painted clouds on the ceiling)



I would totally recommend the buffet at the Mirage. The food was great and they had tons of variety. And they even sliced open the crab legs for you!

After dinner we gambled at the Mirage where we discovered Wheel of Fortune (my new favorite slot). After that we headed back to the hotel where I could not break my need to play more slots. And then lost too much money...

Later that night we headed to Mandalay Bay to play more slots (!!!) and then go to the club Forty Deuce. Kerin's job hooked us up with VIP passes so we got in for free. Every 90 minutes they have a burlesque show that is backed up with a live band. The show was good but the club was way too small. We stuck around for about an hour and then headed out to play more slots.

On our final day we checked out of the hotel and headed to NY NY. We played slots (no big shock there), had lunch, and walked over to the MGM Grand to see the tigers.



Then Kerin and Diana dropped me off at the airport where the lines were INSANE. I luckily didn't have to check a bag so I didn't wait in line at all. But the line for checking in with a bag was out the door, out onto the street outside of the terminal. I heard someone say there were in line for more than 5 hours! They could be exaggerating but I could totally believe it considering the mob scene that I saw out there.

So after spending a weekend there I would totally recommend eating at the buffet at the Mirage. Also, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. All hotels have free parking, so if you have a car you can easily get around and leave your car at each hotel. Learn the streets that run parallel to Las Vegas Blvd. and you will cut your travel time drastically.