Turning 21 in Las Vegas: Day One (12/6/13)
As of December 4th I am officially 21 years old and to celebrate, this past weekend, I took a trip to Las Vegas, NV. My parents were kind enough to pay for the trip. My mother, two of my aunts, and three of my cousins came along for the celebration. It was a sort-of "mother daughter" weekend. Now being that I went with family, not friends, it was a tad bit more tame than what you'd think a 21st birthday in Vegas would be, but I really enjoyed getting away with them (even if they ranged in age from 33 to 62). We left on Friday at noon from Austin. I hadn't flown in about five years and I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. Luckily everything about traveling, from going through security to landing in Vegas, went extremely smoothly that day. We flew over so much beautiful landscape on our flight, I couldn't help but take tons of pictures. We even flew over the grand canyon. I had been before, but seeing it from above is definitely the way to do it! While on the flight I taught my mother how to play Candy Crush, which she found confusing but we had a good time playing anyways.
(The lovely view from the flight to Las Vegas)
When we landed we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to find our way to a taxi easily, but on our way to find one I spotted a limo outside that said it was $65 and we figured, with seven of us, two cabs would probably cost the same. So we got to ride in style on our way to the Monte Carlo. I don't know if you've even been in a limo, but it is definitely the way to travel if you are in Vegas. We had a blast on the short ride to our hotel, and it was an easy way to feel like we were really making a celebration out of my birthday.
(The limo we rode in to the Monte Carlo)
(Left to Right: Mama, Me, Ellie & Mandy in the limo)
We arrived at the Monte Carlo (our hotel) and check-in was very quick. It was only about 130 in Las Vegas, but because of the time change it felt later to us and we were a little lagging in energy. So after taking the time to examine all of the Christmas decorations in the lobby (I would recommend going to Las Vegas as Christmas to everyone! It is just gorgeous and amazing how much effort they put into getting into the holiday spirit) we each went to our rooms and settled in for a bit.
(Christmas decorations in the lobby of the Monte Carlo)
The rooms were quite lovely and we were on the 23rd floor so the view was nice too. We decided to check out the hotel and grab a snack since we had a dinner reservation at 6 and it was already getting kind of late. The mothers all went off an found a bar and some slot machines and settled in there for a few hours but us daughters found a place called simply "The Pub" and got some drinks and an appetizer platter to snack on. While we were there the bar was playing country music and there were loads of people in cowboy hats. Now being from Texas we thought nothing of this, but our waiter told us that since the rodeo was in town this was the only week of the year that Vegas would be like this. We found it quite ironic that we left Texas to go on vacation and ended up in Texas in Vegas. It was a nice familiar thing though, and made it feel less far from home. We headed back to our rooms to get ready for the evening after that. Most of us hadn't even put make up on that morning so we needed some time.
(Our room & view at the Monte Carlo)
(My outfit for the evening, black dress, burgundy tights, my new boot heels and my adorable plaid coat. Difficult to see in the pic. I also wore my new black cherry lipstick that I adore.)
We had a reservation at an Italian restaurant called the Canaletto in the Venetian Resort & Casino so we hoped in some cabs and headed that way. Our cab driver was a very nice man who had us laughing the whole ride with his "best of" sequence of jokes he had heard over his years as a cab driver. When we arrived at the hotel I was simply speechless. It was gorgeous and I was throughly impressed. We asked around to see where we were heading, and after checking in with multiple people along the way, made our way to the restaurant. The Venetian is obviously an Italian inspired hotel and once you set foot inside you really feel you have been transported to a small Italian town. The walkway was stone and the ceiling was designed like the sky. It was breathtaking. It was done so cleverly that we actually got confused when we came across the part of the building that contained this ceiling. We thought we had wondered outside. It took the realization that the sky we were seeing was bright and it was dark outside to snap us out of the illusion. There was even a canal running through the entirety of the floor we were on, complete with gondola rides. To say the went the extra mile would be an understatement. The restaurant was underneath a starry night sky and we managed to get a table outside so it felt like we were dining at a cafe on the streets of Italy.
(The Venetian & setting for dinner)
The meal was amazing and when my cousin and I went to the restroom we ran into a woman in a wedding gown who had just been married and rented the 2nd floor of the restaurant for her reception. She looked lovely and it was a nice sight to see. We had a show to make at 8 downstairs, so we were a bit rushed at the end of the meal, but our waiter was nice enough to bring me a Terramisue for my birthday and I swear it was the best I have ever had. There are no words to describe it.
(The wonderful terramisue)
So we rushed down stairs to our show, which we made it to with plenty of time to spare. We saw Rock of Ages. For anyone who doesn't know it is a broadway show, which is also a movie. It is a show that incorporates classic rock music from the 80s. Not only am I a musical theatre performer and fan, I was also raised by my father on the music of this era. I knew every word to every song and was not ashamed to sit in my seat and sing along. It was encouraged even and the environment in the room was so welcoming. I loved the show, and so did my cousins. My mother and aunts didn't quite get it, so it may be more for people who grew up during or really appreciate the 80s. I enjoyed it and would recommend seeing it if you get the chance.
(The stage and my ticket)
(A cute little lighter they gave us for during the show)
After the show we jumped in cabs and headed back to our hotel. Now if our first cab driver was the picture of kindness our driver on the ride home was the picture of rudeness. He spoke on his phone, which he had on speaker, the whole ride. He certainly made us feel uncomfortable and his tip suffered for it. We did make it back though, and my aunt and her twin daughters (my cousins) all decided it was very late and they needed to go to bed. They headed off and my mother, me, my aunt Sylvia and her daughter Valerie went to our rooms to freshen up, and for the moms to change and then headed down to the casino. We decided to start off at a bar located in the casino called Ignite. We got a few drinks, sampled each others, and lounged on some couches. It was a good start for the evening. We were sat across from a runway that was set up between poker tables, where two girls took turn strutting and dancing around in very scantily clad outfits. It was definitely an experience I will not have in Austin, and it was interesting to see. After the bar we headed to some slot machines.
(Left: Mama Right: my cousin Valerie)
(The first $5 I gambled. I turned it into $21! Sent this pic to my Daddy saying I had won big!)
We jumped around the penny machines until we settled at a grouping that gave you an opportunity to win a car. We stayed here for an hour or two, being served free drink after free drink and around 2 AM, in our intoxicated state, we decided that we needed to get food and then head to bed. We managed to find the food court and settled on McDonalds. We were starving and it was good enough. At some point while we waited in line and spoke with the man behind us, my aunt Sylvia decided she wanted Original Chicken (the place next to McDonalds) and she left us to get it. When we got to the table I stole a bite of her food and I swear it was the best chicken strip I have ever had! The alcohol had nothing to do with this opinion because the next night when we were done in the casino, and I hadn't had much to drink, I concluded the same thing. We managed to make our way back to our rooms, laughing the whole way. It was 3 AM at this point, which was 5 AM in Austin where we had woken up at 8 AM, so we were exhausted. We each had our own queen bed in our rooms and we all fell into slumber quickly.
