Day Three: Sept. 13, 2011 Grand Tour South Rim Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

When we booked our coach tour to the Grand Canyon we were told to call the day before so we called on Sept. 12th but we should have been calling on Sept. 13th to book for the Sept. 14th trip. We headed to Bally's to catch the bus on Sept. 13th at 7:00 AM.

As soon as you are seated you receive your breakfast which consists of a banana, orange juice and cinnamon bun as well as a brief ininerary. Once we gathered all 55 people we were on the highway. Our first not official stop was the Hoover Dam. I was amazed at the size of the structure and immediately thought of the dam scene from the dam movie Las Vegas Vacation. Unfortunately, it rained hard most of the way to Kingman where we had our first rest stop but I enjoyed the comfort of the coach and the scenery.. Our tour guide/driver Steven spoke throughout the trip and played a video about the dam as well. Interesting stuff..

We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 1:00 PM where we were told we would spend 3 hours. Do not be late or they will leave! We grabbed the boxed lunches and water that were provided. Lunch consisted of an apple, turkey sandwhich, potato chips and cookies. As we sat down to eat lunch, I put my water bottle down for one second and a very large squirrel wrapped his teeth around the cap. I opened it and let the water flow for him. I discarded the rest because I didn't want to get Squirrel Disease!

The sight of the Grand Canyon is truely a spectacle! I am so glad we finally took the time to see it after six times of going to Vegas and never having gone!  There are many paths to follow and you could easily spend days there hiking.. I was surprised at how many paths have no barriers and learnt that 17 people fall to their death per year taking photos. We spent and hour and then.. the clouds rolled in... Then the rain and then the thunder.. lightening. We headed to the nearest building and sat to watch the storm unfold. The sound over the canyon loud and thunderous.. Afterwards we were treated to a huge rainbow over the canyon!

We were picked up promptly by the bus as promised and headed back to Las Vegas. On the way they played a Grand Canyon video and the movie Las Vegas Vacation. We arrived to sun rise and entered Las Vegas on Sunset with all the lights of the city! Checked back into hotel at 10:30 PM. Long day but an incredibly good one!

Day Two: Sept. 12, 2011

Monday morning: We headed out to the the Belagio to see the conservatory and unfortunately, it was being reset for renovations so that was dissappointing but they have done a fantastic job at the displays in the entrance, check in areas and I was just there in May so it wasn't too dissappointing!

We wandered through the Cosmopolitan and he was impressed by the massive Chandaliers there. We then decied to head out to Raffles Cafe for lunch at Mandalay Bay from our hotel, the Paris. For lunch, I ordered the Shrimp Wraps and he had the Club House. My shrimp wrap was very tasty and more then adequate. His Delux Club Wrap was HUGE! It could have easily been shared! Once again, took advantage of the restaurant.com certificates for our lunch.

We decieded that a three day pass for $20.00 was in order because our plan was to go to the Outlet Mall in the afternoon since the Divas show wasn't until that night at 10:00 PM in the Imperial Palace.  We spent the afternoon there. My favourite shops there are Lane Bryant, Coach, Dress Barn, and Fossil. I ended up getting some great deals at Lane Bryant because of their renovation sale!

The night we headed out for a walk and then to the Imperial Palace for Frank Marino's Divas show. Frank wasn't there so they had Cashetta the Extra Large Medium as Hostess for the night. The acts included: Britney Spears, Madonna, Rhianna, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross. Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion.. etc.. Our favourites were Janet Jackson, Madonna and the finale act. The Rhianna act was good and very edgy.. I had a cocktail with the show and it was a fun 90 mins. We purchased our tickets months back on Travel Zoo for $30 each but you can find coupons on the strip for buy one get one free if you are determined!

Later that evening we wandered down the strip and snacked on Chicken McNuggets. Not something I usually do but.. its Vegas! Great place to people watch. We saw loads of tourists from the UK, Germany and Canada.

Spent some time on the slot machines in the Paris and donated.. No winnings to report.

Pictures From Day One

Lovely Las Vegas TR Sept. 11 Day One

We got back from Vegas yesterday and as promised here is my TR for the Trip Advisor Forum. It is written in installments. If you have any questions, please email me and I will do my best to try to answer..

Sept. 11: Departing from Canada. When I first booked the trip I was totally unaware of the date and then realized shortly thereafter that travelling on this date that there would be heightened security. So, we left a bit earlier then usual for the airport. Checking in through security, we were randomly selected to have a body scan or pat down. Oh yes, at 5:30 in the morning. I wanted the pat down to limit the amount of radioactvitiy crossing my body but we were shuffled through the scanning process because I was/am female. So I assumed the pose which is hands over head in the triangle position with fingertips.



The flight was smooth and we arrived in Vegas safely. Luggage came quickly except for.. his. Then, I listened to him squawk about his luggage being lost. Me, unphased, soaking it all in.. One hour later we were directed to West Jet office and collected his missing luggage so all was well! We took advantage of the complimentary Showtime Shuttle service to/from hotel (included in the package) and were soon on our way to the Paris Hotel. Even though I had just been in Vegas in May, I always seem to see something new or notice some little things I didn't before!

We arrived at the Paris Hotel and stood in the long checkin lineup which went quickly and effieciently. I asked about an upgrade and it would cost us $50 a night for a view of the strip and if we wanted the much coveted Red Room it would be an extra $100 a night. Meh, who stays in their room anyways I thought to myself. The itenerary I had planned certainly didn't include staying in the room for long.. So, grabbed the room keys and off we went to the eighth floor to our Deluxe Room. When opening the door we were hit with a very strong perfume fragrance. Apparently its the cleaning supplies they use and it overpowered us. He was about to squawk so I called down to the front desk to ask if we could be moved or if there was something that could be done. They brought up an ozone machine and the room was cleared within three hours smelling clean and fresh.

While waiting for the room, we decieded to go have a bite to eat at Stripburger and sat outside on the patio overlooking the Strip. I ordered the Shaken Lemonaide and Southwest Burger. He chose the special of the day which was a Prime Rib Burger.. On the side, we had a Threesome! Wink. A threesome is onion strings, fries and deep fried pickles. I enjoyed the deep fried pickles more then the Bb Kings ones I had on a previous trip. Our blood sugars restored and a lil bit of alchol in our bellies we were good to go!

We travelled across to the Imperial to pick up our tickets for Divas the next night. Along the way we stopped at the pharmacy at the Venetian for four liters of water because I've come to realize that being hydrated in Vegas means more then alchol! We wandered back to the hotel and after being up for 12 hours it was time for a rest. In a few hours time we were headed to Casa Di Amore. We unpacked our stuff and collapsed onto the two beds. I peaked out the window to see a beautiful view.. of the roof! Oh well. The room was beautiful, clean and the beds were comfy. Lots of pillows. Tasteful decor. Marble bathroom. My only comment was the tv was not flatscreen and reception was poor. But who goes to Vegas to watch tv? I don't. We used it only to see the weather forcast.


Casa Di Amore. Thank you to everyone on the trip advisor forum who suggested! I contacted them immediately after check in and asked for our reservation to be pushed back because we were eating lunch late. Luckily, they were able to accomodate us. We were picked up in the stretch limo at the hotel and greeted by our driver who took a picture of us to remember the evening. He wore shades, dark suit and slicked back hair. Very cool. He even held out his hand for me to help me out of the limosine. Its a smart move on the restaurant's behalf to bring visitors from the strip because it is about a 10 minute drive off the strip and if you don't know Vegas then you wouldn't know about this gem. The restaurant, not large, was humming on Sunday night! Women dressed up, men in suits and a fun atmosphere not to mention the decor. Vegas, how it used to be.. Our booth had the push button upolstery, candles on the tables and very retro looking. The the side of the room, a small stage with red velvet drapery. Our waiter, Tony was friendly and gave us great suggestions on what to order. We couldn't go wrong! The menu, Southern Italian, is large and includes cocktails, wine, appetisers, entrees and desserts. We chose salad for appetiser and for the entrees, I chose PASTA ALLA FORNO and he chose the BAKED LASAGNA. With the meal, wine and for dessert we chose TIRAMISU TRADITIONAL. Throughout our dining experience, we listened to the live entertainment, a trio who performed standards by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis. We took adadvantage of the restaurant.com certificates. Note, they cannot be used wiwith the 1/2 off wine special that evening. Content and satisfied, we were taken back to the hotel in the limosine. We gave the driver $10 for the evening.

We wandered along the strip for a bit until I experienced something I never have. It rained, good and hard. A heavy rain. On the roof, pools of water and strong winds. Along the sidewalks, they were washed clean flowing into the gutters. It lasted for about an hour and then the cloud burst was gone.

Day Two.. My first Drag Queen show at the Imperial..