Vegas!!

So, it was Friday night, the eve of the last 3-day weekend in sight.  We had returned from Kettle Falls just a few days prior, and we had nothing to do.  We had not planned that far in advance.  I, of course, was sitting on the couch whining about our lack of planning and our soon to be wasted long weekend.  That's when Eric took to the interweb.  He started with practical ideas...Mexican beach get-away...weekend in Houston...only to find out that foul weather had cursed all of these choices, with the exception of Cabo San Lucas.  It seems, though, that all other beach-seeking travelers had already figured this out, because every last flight was booked.  Undeterred, our hero broadened his search to other parts of the southern US, and finally stumbled across a screaming deal to Las Vegas!  After much hemming and hawing, and a hasty email to my boss, we were booked on a spontaneous trip to Vegas leaving the next day! 

I know I have said it before, but I love AeroMexico.  They actually still serve a full meal on board!  It's not 5-star dining or anything, but it definitely makes the weary traveler feel as though she's getting her money's worth. 

After a quick 3.5 hour direct flight from the DF, we arrived at our hotel, the Venetian at about 11:30 pm.  Don't worry everyone, our suite was equipped with a fax machine, in case of emergency.

I know this is blurry, but I couldn't leave it out.  Here we have Eric enjoying a midnight (2 am DF time, if anyone is counting) snack of the world's largest pastrami sandwich at the Carnegie Deli in the Mirage.  That pastrami was tasty!

Here we are on our way to bed.  Still looking fresh, no?

The Venetian was a great hotel to stay at.  I like it's central location.  I found out later that my friend from the DF was in Vegas at the same time in the same hotel, and we didn't cross paths once.

I, of course, went running to this gigantic Sephora to buy needed supplies, such as neon pink lipstick and shiny nail decals.

Here we are in the Bellagio's conservatory.  I always make a stop here when I visit Vegas.  That "painting" behind us is actually made of flowers.  So cool!

This one's for you, Eriko.

Here we have a replica of the Liberty Bell, only it's about 10 times bigger than the original.  Having seen the original in person, I have to say this one is much more impressive.

We stopped by the flamingo habitat in the Flamingo Casino.  Flamingos are my favorite animal, even though they are birds.  They can't help that.  I love how they rock the pink.

After much debate, and an extraordinary amount of walking (as you do in Vegas), we finally settled on lunch at this desert oasis.  We were not disappointed.  It was one of the best meals I have had in awhile...in fact I want to go back there right now.

Happy birthday USA!  We were very happy to be in our country for its birthday.  I love being an American.

Next weekend is our anniversary (7/10/11 = 7 years *heart*), so we decided to celebrate in Vegas by making reservations at Aureole, a 5-star American restaurant in the Mandalay Bay.  We got all dolled up, and made our way down the strip to enjoy this 5-course, 2-hour meal.  It was divine.  Afterwards, we trekked up to the New York New York to finish the night with some gambling.  Here we are en-route in our finery.

Finery close up!

Yay!!  Though we didn't turn a profit in Vegas, we did win a few times.  I don't recall how much this particular hit was, but it was fun, I do remember that much!

And here we are saying our good byes to Vegas.  See you soon, Strip!