Viva Las Vegas

To celebrate our 2 years of marriage, Cheryl and I decided to take a road trip to glamorous Las Vegas. We stayed for three day, Oct. 16-19th, at The Gold Coast Casino which is located just a half mile or so west of The Strip, right next to The Rio, and just across the street from The Palms - emphasis placed on "The". Anyway, the hotel was a little - how shall I put it - seasoned - but was in the process of a makeover. Fortunately, they started with the rooms.

Cheryl and I put on some walking shoes and started our anniversary vacation in the middle of the strip, Caesars Palace. Since Cheryl had never been to Las Vegas, I took on the responsibility of mapping out which hotels/casinos we would venture to first. We decided to head south, hitting Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Casino - with their $1 margaritas, Bally's, Paris, Planet Hollywood, MGM Grand, Tropicana, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur, New York-New York, and Monte Carlo. Yes, I know, this was a bit much on our first day, but we did not go into every hotel and casino - only some.

Before we got too far down The Strip, Cheryl and I decided to grab a refreshing drink at the Coca-Cola store.

New York - New York

Excalibur

$22 dollars off the penny slots! Time to celebrate.

Luxor

Look whose riding the ancient Egyptian Sculpture. My wife.

Mandalay Bay - if you couldn't tell.

We noticed that after a while you tend to forget what hotel you're currently walking through; I blame the slot machines, and since every hotel has an expansive casino, often interconnected, we found ourselves making certain legs of the walk entirely indoors - a much appreciated escape from the afternoon heat.

Cheryl and I met up with my cousin Emily who is a 3rd year dental student at the University of Las Vegas. She took us to an awesome little Tapas (appetizer) restaurant called Firefly.



The atmosphere was fantastic and the food was delicious. It's a neat little twist on the standard dining-out experience that gives you an opportunity to explore different foods and flavors without committing to one specific entree. After dinner, we walked along The Strip and ended up getting dessert at an old-fashion ice cream parlor located in our own hotel.

Elvis sighting.

The Bellagio

The beautiful stained glass ceiling in the Bellagio.

The atrium in The Bellagio was decorated in fall theme - complete with talking trees.

t

Paris

Fountain show at the Bellagio overlooking the "Eiffel Tower".

Paris in the daytime.

Pretty darn convincing. Would you guess Las Vegas?

Head-turner in front of The Palms.

The Venetian

A good-looking couple if you ask me.

Anniversary dinner at the Canneletto Restaurant along the Canals in the Venetian.

VIP access to Christian Audigier Lounge in Treasure Island overlooking the moat. The pirate show was pretty amazing from a couple of feet away.

Abandon ship!

The Wynn

The Mirage

Cheryl is enjoying the botanical garden in the Mirage.

We had a great time and cringe at the thought of what the trip would've been like without insoles. God has blessed us with two wonderful years of marriage and we look forward to what our 3rd anniversary will bring.