Wednesday 16 November 2011

Las Vegas 2011

Hang on  to your hats!!! Here goes, more pictures than you can shake a stick at and there's more....I spared you more!!! Get the kettle on, put your feet up, you're going to be here a long time. A search party may even be sent out!!

arrival. kind of a lunar landscape don't you think?

first evening, exhausted, can't focus, stumbling along. Excalibur Hotel.
New York New York Hotel

Cute baby Lions at MGM Grand Hotel. The jury is still out on whether this is an appropriate place for them to live......really not sure on that one but leaning towards most definitely not.
Saturday morning, up and dressed at some unearthly hour in order to Watch Blackburn Rovers live at the Hotel Sports Book...the dedication of the football fan.....we lost...should have stayed in bed. There they are, left screen of the three big ones. Husband the dedicated one in the blue and white hat.
the view from my hotel room at the Luxor.....not over impressed with the hotel I have to say.....
gorgeous smoothies at Town Square Las Vegas. The Guess bag contains a Christmas present for someone who shall remain nameless but it begins with H and ends in a white cloth I just made for them.
Town Square
Inside Paris Hotel
Inside New York New York Hotel
Now this is a tale and a half.....we booked a trip to the Grand Canyon. We chose a bus trip despite the fact that it's 5 hours each way because I am scared of those tiny planes that look like they need to be wound up with an elastic band. We booked to stay one night so 5 hours one day and 5 hours the next was fine because in between we had plenty of time to relax. The tour company rang us at the hotel the day before......our booking had been messed up for some reason so they had upgraded us to the elastic band flight free of charge. They assumed I was grateful!! Ha!!! Mortified, terrified, apoplectic is what I was.....was even considering not going at all. The picture above illustrates perfectly how tiny this paper plane was.....why did I eventually get on? Well I saw Sean, our pilot. Looked just like your all American action hero even down to the shades....Sean doesn't want to die I thought, Sean looks like he has a lot of living to do so on I got.

when I occasionally found the courage to look out of the window I got some great pictures, the one above being of The Hoover Dam.
the next pictures are of the Grand Canyon. This has to be the most amazing thing I have ever seen....totally breathtaking. I really hope you enjoy these.






look closely at the next picture, people standing on the edge of that rock face, simply stunning. I stood there myself, there were barriers.


my accommodation at the Grand Canyon. So pretty!!
this bird didn't move, it was as if he was saying ''I was here first'' and quite right too""
beautiful, beautiful sinks in Paris Hotel
the amazing Bellagio fountains. The following images are taken from a trip to the Hoover Dam



Lake Mead, a Paddle Steamer tour and Lunch!!



below, images from the top of the Stratosphere......fantastic.


the Stratosphere
The remains of one of my many Bellagio breakfasts. Unfortunately staying there wasn't within my meagre budget but I sneaked in for breakfast a few times...paying on the door like a peasant!
Inside the theatre at Paris hotel to see Barry manilow!!!

the man himself
Corner Bar at Flamingo...a hot Saturday on the Strip
Rod Stewart at Ceasars Palace...absolutely fantastic!!


and finally, yes finally......my favourite Hotel frontage, the Cosmopolitan....






I'm exhausted now...how about you?




I really hope this works...a video of the Bellagio fountain display. It is truly magical. Apologies if the sound is poor.

17 comments:

  1. I knew you would enjoy Las Vegas! It's so over the top isn't it? I am still laughing about your flight - I still don't think I would have gone - but I bet you were so pleased with yourself once you had done it.
    Welcome back - we are still sewing buttons here!
    Dianne F
    Sydney

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  2. :)))
    Lovely!
    Wellcome back!
    i couldn't make more buttons yet... :(

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  3. Wow!!
    I loved the Grand Canyon bit. Snow? How amazing. No wonder you are stunned. Welcome home.

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  4. Great photos. Not boring at all. The fountain display was mesmerizing.

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  5. Magnificent! I don't know how you managed to pack all that into the few days you were away. AND to see Rod Stewart? Be still my beating heart!!!!

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  6. happy you enjoyed your trip. thanks for sharing the photos and video.

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  7. Looks like you had an incredible adventure Karen! I am glad all went well, and I would absolutely love to see the Grand Canyon from the air. I would consider the mess up with your tour to be a good thing after you got over the fear part. I am glad it all went well. I have always felt that the Grand Canyon is almost too large and incredible to comprehend. and Vegas is not like any other place...
    Rest up...

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  8. wow, fantastic photos and although I enjoyed the light display in Edinburgh I think yours beats it. Love the photos

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  9. Wonderful photos and I am so glad you had a good time. Question is, did you find time to go to the thrift shops and did you find any treasures? My husband and I used to have a dory and run rapids on rivers. We did the Colorado River 3 times and it is spectacular from the river view also. We did have to take a helicopter out one year and like you, I was willing to hike out. But, it was amazingly fun. Welcome home!

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  10. Did you have the time to go hiking in the Grand Canyon or was it too cold or too little time for that?

    The video is fantastic!!!!

    It is good to see that you had a great time but just like Jeannie I would like to know who well thriftshopping went. Did you manage to fill up your empty suitcase?

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  11. Glad you had such a great time, it's such an amazing place. I don't think I could have done the plane, you were very brave. Las Vegas is so ott it has to be seen to believe it. Those Belagio breakfasts are great aren't they, I take it you meant the buffet, we stayed there but only did that breakfast a couple of times, so much choice! At least Barry Manilow came on for you, our seats were second row in from the front, brilliant but 10 minutes before the curtain was due to go up he cancelled!
    No place like home though, well once the jet lag wears off and the washing and ironings done.......

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  12. Wonderful holiday pics! I've never been there, or to the Grand Canyon either. Were you surprised to see the snow there?

    Barry Manilow AND Rod Stewart, you lucked out with the shows I'd say.

    I'm guessing that you didn't jump off the roof at the Stratosphere? I saw a program on the telly showing a skydiving ride there. I'd do it in a second.

    Glad you had such a good time and that Sean the pilot got you safely to the Canyon and back. :)

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  13. Sean the Pilot is a hero! You came back alive!
    Grand Canyon looks amazing and Vegas looks crazy. I must go one day;-))
    Oh.. and that fountain sure beats the one we have here in Tivoli, Copenhagen. What is a fountain without music? (sigh)
    Welcome back - and nice photos by the way.
    I'm never bored watching other peoples photos.
    Nosy. I think ;-)))
    Rosa

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  14. WOW. That is quite the trip and full of tales to tell!! ~Monika in Canada

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  15. I'm frightened just looking at those Grand Canyon pics (just as well I did not go). My claim to fame is that once I sat at the next table to Barry in NY a few years ago!!

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  16. Your flight story reminds me of friends who were to go on a small boat on a canal in France, and she told me that when they got there, they got 'upgraded' to something the size of the QE2. We were going on the same canal a few months later, just 2 of us, so I prayed that they wouldn't upgrade us,never having done it before. We survived. Well you do, don't you !

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  17. Wow, what a journey - and we (Germans) made it too, without the plane but plenty of time on the south rim, another time San Francisco and yet another Las Vegas.....

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