My favorite trip photos: November 20-23, 2011

Some of my favorite photos from my November 20-23, 2011 trip with Hayley.  I didn't have my nice, big Canon on this trip, so the photo quality is not quite up to par, sorry.  Still, there are some great memories here.  Hope you enjoy looking at these, too!

Bellagio Conservatory - Fall display

Bellagio Conservatory - Fall display
I like this water wheel, but they use it every year...

Planet Hollywood - the elevators on our floor.  The best part of the entire hotel. :)

I annoyed Hayley by taking her photo everywhere.
This was while we were waiting for our HUGE sandwiches at Carnegie Deli in The Mirage.

Hayley's sandwich - the "Club Dear".
Yes, it's almost 8 inches tall, and she ate the whole thing.

Waiting for LOVE at The Mirage, outside the Revolution lounge.

Trying to text on my "simple" phone, LOL!

Bellagio tree - my favorite photo of the trip!

I love seeing multiple wilds!

My crappy $5 art from the Art-O-Matic machine outside
The Wicked Spoon buffet at The Cosmopolitan.

Hayley "photo-bombing" me at Palazzo

The Christmas tree at The Venetian - I would've loved to see it lit up!

Mandalay Bay light fixture

Mandalay Bay light fixture - side view

Lobster roll from Lobster ME @ The Miracle Miles Shops - YUM!

Calling grandma from the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Hotel

Christmas trees at Crystals in City Center

"Lady Gaga", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

"Janet Jackson", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

"Britney Spears", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

The curtain call, Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

A nice bonus round on Wizard of Oz 'Over the Rainbow' slots before leaving for the airport.

A second bonus round - time to cash out and head home!

Christmas tree in the lobby at Planet Hollywood - it appeared magically between breakfast and our ride to the airport.

Heading home.  Until next time...

CityCenter - photos and observations

As a big part of my April 2010 Vegas trip, I did quite a bit of walking around on the second day to take some photos with my new camera. During my wanderings and meanderings, I finally made it over to the (somewhat) newly opened CityCenter. I wanted to see if I could truly appreciate the art and the area after the much-hyped and much-anticipated opening early in 2010.

I had been walking through Bellagio taking photographs when I found the signage for the tram to CityCenter located near the back of the Conservatory, so I decided I'd take that route instead of heading back out to the Strip and trying to find my way into CityCenter that way. When I got to the escalator for the tram, I discovered there was also a walkway directly from Bellagio to Vdara (the closest hotel in the CityCenter complex), and I would be able to see more of the area on foot and at my own pace than I would if I took the tram from Bellagio directly over to Aria. The walkway was not very long at all - a couple hundred yards at most, and very non-descript - and I found myself in Vdara shortly thereafter.

I took a couple of photos in the immediate vicinity before I headed out into the sunshine again. I was a bit afraid of getting lost in Vdara and didn’t want to chance it, so I didn't venture too far off the main pathway that led to the bright sunshine. There was a neat bar area near the Vdara exit that I just had to photograph, and I found the strange canoe sculpture everyone has talked about right outside the doors. It wasn’t quite as large as I thought it would be. Maybe it just looks bigger in photographs. Meh.

I followed the walkway to Aria and found that it is, indeed, extremely dark in that casino. It’s far darker than Caesars ever was before they renovated it. I continued my photo tour and marveled at the delicious-looking desserts in the Aria sweet shops, but I decided that all I really wanted to do was head over to Planet Hollywood because I was pretty much dead on my feet after several hours of almost non-stop walking and I had planned on eating there, anyway.

My plan was almost foiled when I got lost in Crystals – I encountered no fewer than five dead ends while I was trying to make my way to the Strip, and I had to re-trace my steps and attempt another route repeatedly. I could see the outside world, dang it! It was so close and yet so far. I finally gave up my attempts to get out via Crystals and headed back to Aria by retracing my steps and following along the outside of the building until I FINALLY reached the Strip. Joy!

I was later informed by my friend Claire that I could've picked up a map of Crystals at the Customer Service desk to help me navigate the shopping area. Not only would it have helped me find my way around and out of the building without getting lost (I'm still not certain of that; it is purely conjecture at this point), it would've also pointed out all the objets d'art that I had missed along the way. Apparently I was more concerned about getting OUT than admiring art.

Will I be back? Maybe I'll be back to Aria to see Viva Elvis, but other than that, I don't know. I really like my "old Vegas" stuff: the bright lights, noisy people, and the glitz and glamour that seem to be slowly disappearing. The beautiful and refined stuff is apparently way over my head, because I either A)just didn't get it, or B)really didn't like it, after all.

A City Within A City, Part 3: Vdara Hotel & Spa

This is the third and final installment from the San Antonio Express-News article that included some good reviews the City Center hotels currently open in Las Vegas.



"A City Within the City", by Greg Morago
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Vdara Hotel and Spa



This non-gaming hotel is the best-behaved student in a class of do-gooders. While City Center was built "green" and most of its properties have earned LEED Gold certification, Vdara takes it one step further: no smoking. At check-in they underscore the smoking ban and make you sign on the dotted line. If your idea of Vegas indulgence includes hearing the bells and whistles of slot machines and breathing in cigarette smoke, Vdara is definitely not your place. But if you're looking for a sedate, well-designed oasis of civility, this 57-story curved tower of glass designed by Rafael Vinoly might be up your alley.



Vdara's 1,495 suites ($149-$2,000) are unusual by Strip standards in that each has a kitchen, equipped with sink, microwave, stove and refrigerator separate from the minibar. There's even a coffee maker, another atypical Vegas hotel feature. The bedroom/living room features a dining table with two chairs, couch, flat-screen TV, a flat screen TV, a fantastically comfortable bed and a closet with two robes and two pairs of slippers. The desk is too small to be a good work station, and the lack of a chair with wheels or the ability to adjust is a big no-no for anyone having to do computer work. For a new room I was also bothered by at least six stains I saw on the carpet.

The bathroom is small by Vegas standards, with just a single sink and a magnifying mirror. But there's Aveda amenities and a separate closet - a thoughtful touch for someone who might want to get dressed in the bathroom. Another nicety: Most of the suites have washers and dryers. Odd but cool.



The three times I checked out the hotel's sole restaurant, Silk Road, it was almost completely empty of customers and without a single person at the bar. Not very inviting. Neither is the lobby's bar, which has no personality or energy. The tidy and compact spa doesn't seem very special and the pool was still under construction. Without a fun spa, a buzzy restaurant or a come-hither bar, what's there to do at Vdara? After all, you can't even gamble or smoke. I guess you could always go upstairs and do your laundry.



From my bed I could make out the top of the Flamingo hotel wrapped by an advertisement for Donny and Marie Osmond's show. All night I looked at Donny and Marie's Chiclet smiles and couldn't help but think that Vdara is neither a little country nor a little bit rock 'n' roll. And what it needs is a little of either - or both.

www.vdara.com

A City Within A City, Part 2: Mandarin Oriental

Here is the second installment from the San Antonio Express-News article.



From "A City Within the City", by Greg Morago
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mandarin Oriental



Discreet elegance is this chain's hallmark, and that pretty much sums up the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The 47-story hotel designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox looks important but un-fussy from the outside; and even its public spaces inside show luxurious restraint. But once you slip into one of the hotel's 392 rooms, Mandarin Oriental lets its hair down (inasmuch as it allows itself). The rooms, designed by Adam Tihany (who crafted the hotel interior top to bottom), are tidy affairs that ooze opulence. Everything has its place in the room ($350-$15,000) but everything also is thoughtfully designed.



When you enter your room - your bags are whisked away from you at arrival and already in your room - the lights and TV go on and the curtains dramatically slide back to reveal your view. A little bit of theatricality never hurt anyone. State-of-the-art technology rules here, which means that the hotel thought of every single thing, and then some, to keep you entertained and plugged in. But it's the more sensual elements of the room design that enchant: the frosted glass-walled bathroom with its train case of amenities; the Frette robes, umbrella, yoga mat and baby alpaca blanket inside the closet; the bath salts and orchid near the soaking tub; the tea kettle and assortment of leaves for steeping; the yoga DVD; the wardrobe foyer with its valet closet that allows you to retrieve the morning paper and your shined shoes without having to open your room door to the hallway.



Check in at the MO is done on the 23rd floor Sky Lobby. Hotel guests occupy floors below 23; the floors above 23 are for owners of 227 apartments and condominiums in the Residences at Mandarin Oriental.

Hotel guests and residents both have use of the indulgent 27,000-square-foot Spa at Mandarin Oriental and fitness center.

The typical Vegas visitor might see the hotel's lack of a casino (it is deliberately non-gaming) as a disadvantage. But the luxury-seeker is going to love the Mandarin Bar on the 23rd floor, which boasts the most stunning views of the Strip in the city, and Twist restaurant, which gives the hotel bragging rights in a competitive foodie city. Twist is the first U.S. restaurant from three-star Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire CQ. A wee jewel box of a space, Twist has the local epicures buzzing with excitement over its menu of French classics with a "twist". 


Unfortunately, the two days I could eat there, the restaurant was closed. If that was Mandarin Oriental's sly way of getting me to return, they needn't have worried. This is the property that raises the stakes of hostelry in a city that likes to amaze.

www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas

A City Within A City, Part 1: Aria Resort & Casino

I found a nice article that includes reviews for three of City Center's newest hotels in this past Sunday's San Antonio Express-News. Instead of posting the whole article, I decided I'd post the author's reviews for each of the three hotels separately.



I doubt I'll ever stay there (okay, maybe I'll stay at Aria someday, but that's simply because it's the only one I can even begin to afford AND it's the only one that has a casino), but someone might like the info.



From "A City Within the City", by Greg Morago
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Aria Resort and Casino



The largest hotel within City Center with 4,004 rooms ($149 - $7,500), Aria is a series of rippling arcs designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli. The focal point of City Center, it is the prettiest of the complex's buildings, packed with dramatic uses of stone, glass, wood and plants.

Guest rooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, are stocked with every technological convenience, all operated from a bedside remote control. Accidentally hit the wrong button and you could plunge your room into darkness (TV shutting off and curtains zipping shut, as well), as I did several times.



The standard room is well-designed with ample closet space and a pleasant brown and blue color scheme. Two good bedside lamps plus headboard reading lamps offer good light. The comfortable bed is outfitted with crisp linens and six pillows. A fair-size work desk has every conceivable plug to please the most wired business traveler. The leisure guest, however, will appreciate the snuggly robes and dual sink bathroom with amazing lighting, vanity mirror and amenities (including a wonderful soap) and even an electronic scale. The shower and bathtub reside right next to each other in the same stall, which means that if you're taking a shower you're wetting all the tub fixtures - an odd attempt at savings pace that I'm sure the housekeepers would have objected to if they had seen the plans in advance.



One complaint: my room smelled odd. A room I had checked into before settling on this one with a better view also had the same sour/woodsy smell. Only when looking for bedside electrical outlet (which, frustratingly, was not to be had) did I find the source of this unpleasant smell. Pulling the bed back from the wall I saw small hills of sawdust on the floor - construction debris not cleaned before the room was let out. Who knows within the thousands of rooms in Aria lurk little piles of sawdust?



But Aria's pleasures are many: a gorgeous spa (the most comfortable spa robes I've ever worn), a sexy casino and a collection of fine dining that will dazzle foodies. As someone who visits Vegas frequently, I'm already planning my return to Aria. The place sings to me.

Website: www.arialasvegas.com

Interactive Graphic Map of City Center

Here's a link to a new, interactive map of City Center that was published in the LA Times online newspaper. This will help you get your bearings on the huge area and all its hotels, restaurants and shopping areas BEFORE you go.


http://www.latimes.com/la-trw-citycenter29-2009nov29-i,0,7151335.htmlstory

Hope it's helpful!

City Center moving quickly to a complete opening

From the grand opening of Aria on December 16th to all the press that is currently surrounding the rest of the properties that make up City Center, this complex is getting a lot of exposure.

I've already heard both good and bad things about some of the properties, and I'm looking forward to seeing things for myself. Is it true that people are looked down upon for dressing even a bit casually when they try to make it into some of the restaurants or bars at Mandarin? The answer is "yes" according to a Las Vegas reporter, but "no" in my friends the Westies' experience. Is there really a lack of seating in the open mall areas in order to make you head for a restaurant, bar, or the casino at Aria? Depends on what your ultimate goal is for the property; are you there to shop, or are you just passing through? It's all about perspective, in my opinion.

The City Center property is made up of five separate areas: Aria (hotel and casino), Mandarin Oriental (hotel), Vdara (hotel and spa), Crystals (retail and entertainment complex), and Veer Towers (condominiums). From the Strip, this looks like a huge property to tackle on foot, but we'll see how I manage. I'm more worried about getting lost INSIDE City Center and not knowing which way I'm headed than managing to traverse the whole thing from end to end.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.citycenter.com/. Click on any of the five properties to view their restaurants, bars, entertainment, hotels, and shopping options.

I'll reserve personal judgement until I get to see it all for myself. Until then: go, see, enjoy, and report back on what YOU think.