If you're looking for a great way to relax in Vegas while enjoying a drink or two with friends - and possibly an appetizer or even a cigar - then here's a list of Las Vegas happy hours recently posted on Vegas.com you need to check out:
Bottoms up!
I walk past Rhumbar at The Mirage on a regular basis (read: two or three times during every trip) and always want to go in. I have no idea why I've never tried it before.
Another one on my "to do" list is Society Cafe'; I have long wanted to dine there, and combining it with happy hour might just be THE thing to do to get it off of my list!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Link to site: VegasChatter has great info for the Vegas visitor
If you're looking for a good place to get THE latest updates on all things Vegas (other than the things I specifically point you to), and you like your information a little on the quirky side, look to VegasChatter.com for some fun news reporting on the Las Vegas scene.
The site!
I was recently introduced to the website by a friend from LasVegas4Ever, and I have found TONS of great information there. I like my Vegas news to involve more than the car chases and drug busts that get reported in the typical Vegas news online; I prefer to see what's new in my Favorite Place on Earth and WHY I should go do or see this 'something new' the next time I visit.
In addition, they have some great buffet and restaurant reviews, as well as hotel and show reviews, so that I can see what I REALLY want to do when I visit again and can share my experience and photos with you when I return.
Check it out and enjoy the sometimes cheeky posts!
The site!
I was recently introduced to the website by a friend from LasVegas4Ever, and I have found TONS of great information there. I like my Vegas news to involve more than the car chases and drug busts that get reported in the typical Vegas news online; I prefer to see what's new in my Favorite Place on Earth and WHY I should go do or see this 'something new' the next time I visit.
In addition, they have some great buffet and restaurant reviews, as well as hotel and show reviews, so that I can see what I REALLY want to do when I visit again and can share my experience and photos with you when I return.
Check it out and enjoy the sometimes cheeky posts!
Link to article: Street vendors banned from Las Vegas Boulevard
According to a recent article published on VegasChatter.com, street vendors have been banned from selling items on Las Vegas Boulevard effective immediately. Here's a link to the article:
Stop!
This makes me happy. They cause bottlenecks on the walkways and can be a dangerous distraction, encouraging pickpockets to aggressively attempt to take your wallet when you're looking elsewhere. Plus there are some aggressive individuals who try to sell their CDs and other items and follow people for half a block, asking (begging) repeatedly for a sale. This usually causes the individuals to side-step or move quickly in order to avoid them, and then you end up with tourists in the middle of the Strip, trying to get around the people who are trying to get around the vendors.
The law does not affect the costumed characters as long as they don't ASK for money, or the "porn slappers" who are protected by the Freedom of Speech because they are advertising, not collecting. In addition, the beggars who are increasingly clogging up the sidewalks and overpasses on the Strip - with or without their pets or musical instruments in tow - are not affected by this new law, either.
I can only hope that Clark County comes up with a law covering panhandling, as well. It is unfortunate that people are unable to walk around without being accosted by so many different individuals while they attempt to get from point A to point B on any given day of their vacations. All I need is for Texas to legalize gambling and I will abandon my favorite vacation spot if Vegas lawmakers don't start to see the value of the people who bring in the money on a daily basis.
Stop!
This makes me happy. They cause bottlenecks on the walkways and can be a dangerous distraction, encouraging pickpockets to aggressively attempt to take your wallet when you're looking elsewhere. Plus there are some aggressive individuals who try to sell their CDs and other items and follow people for half a block, asking (begging) repeatedly for a sale. This usually causes the individuals to side-step or move quickly in order to avoid them, and then you end up with tourists in the middle of the Strip, trying to get around the people who are trying to get around the vendors.
The law does not affect the costumed characters as long as they don't ASK for money, or the "porn slappers" who are protected by the Freedom of Speech because they are advertising, not collecting. In addition, the beggars who are increasingly clogging up the sidewalks and overpasses on the Strip - with or without their pets or musical instruments in tow - are not affected by this new law, either.
I can only hope that Clark County comes up with a law covering panhandling, as well. It is unfortunate that people are unable to walk around without being accosted by so many different individuals while they attempt to get from point A to point B on any given day of their vacations. All I need is for Texas to legalize gambling and I will abandon my favorite vacation spot if Vegas lawmakers don't start to see the value of the people who bring in the money on a daily basis.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Trip photos from March 2012
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| Night view from the Bellagio bridge |
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| Poster at Caesars. Too bad the show was not so hot. |
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| Cute to look at, but not impressed overall. |
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| I love my COPS photo so much I have to post it again! "Bad boys, bad boys..." |
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| Wynn's Jazz Brunch - yummy Cajun food! |
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| I still say this is the best.damn.dish.ever - shrimp and grits at Wynn's Jazz Brunch |
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| Decadent dessert at Wynn's Jazz Brunch - French Toast casserole We had two! |
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| Happy birthday to my mo-om... |
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| Terrace view from the Wynn Country Club - left |
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| Terrace view from the Wynn Country Club - right (towards the Strip) |
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| The cool jazz sax player with the curly mustache! |
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| Butterfly at Palazzo |
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| Human Nature = Four cute Aussies! <3 |
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| After the show |
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| Me and Rick, one of my LV4E friends, meeting at Harrah's |
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| The display at NY/NY in honor of the 9/11 victims still brings tears to my eyes. |
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| Bellagio - between the lobby and conservatory |
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| Bellagio Conservatory - Spring display More photos of the display below... |
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| I still love this photo! |
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| Easter eggs at Jean Phillipe in Bellagio |
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| A sign welcoming us to the new Margaritaville casino, which is part of Flamingo's casino. |
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| Fun entrance, but not much to the casino itself. |
Link to blog entry: Dewey's recent experience with bed bugs (!)
If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that my friend Dewey (from the LasVegas4Ever site, and a really nice guy in person, too) travels to Vegas frequently and stays for extended periods of time.
He tends to stay in very affordable hotels, moves quite a bit during his trips, and pays next to nothing for the privilege because he scouts out websites and plans his stays to make the most of his budget on each trip.
Because of this, he sees many, many more hotel rooms than I ever will, and he is especially diligent about checking for bed bugs before he even puts his bags away. Also because of this, he has FOUND bed bugs at several hotels, and on a recent trip he had an experience at the Four Queens downtown that was actually handled very well. Here is a link to his blog entry about the experience:
Icky!
Remember that bed bugs don't care about their surroundings, but YOU should. Check the bedding at every hotel, even the 5-star kind. You never know who was there before you and what they might have inadvertently left behind for you to take home as a souvenir. I don't think your family would be especially pleased with this particular gift.
Here is a link to the main page of Dewey's website (but it's also listed under my favorites on the right-hand side of the page if you lose it):
Dewey's blog
I always enjoy reading Dewey's entries because I love his writing style...even when the subject is not a happy one.
He tends to stay in very affordable hotels, moves quite a bit during his trips, and pays next to nothing for the privilege because he scouts out websites and plans his stays to make the most of his budget on each trip.
Because of this, he sees many, many more hotel rooms than I ever will, and he is especially diligent about checking for bed bugs before he even puts his bags away. Also because of this, he has FOUND bed bugs at several hotels, and on a recent trip he had an experience at the Four Queens downtown that was actually handled very well. Here is a link to his blog entry about the experience:
Icky!
Remember that bed bugs don't care about their surroundings, but YOU should. Check the bedding at every hotel, even the 5-star kind. You never know who was there before you and what they might have inadvertently left behind for you to take home as a souvenir. I don't think your family would be especially pleased with this particular gift.
Here is a link to the main page of Dewey's website (but it's also listed under my favorites on the right-hand side of the page if you lose it):
Dewey's blog
I always enjoy reading Dewey's entries because I love his writing style...even when the subject is not a happy one.
Link to article (and a form): "Long-hauling" cab drivers should be aware they are being watched
A recent VegasInc.com article details the action the Las Vegas Taxicab Authority is taking against cab drivers who try to "long haul" their customers from McCarran Airport to various destinations. Here is a link to the web article:
Busted!
I am extremely happy to read this. After two separate incidents where I was long-hauled (once with my mom, but we let it go, and once by myself, and I made a big stink about it because the whole cab ride/cabbie situation was WAY OUT OF LINE), I'm glad to see the Vegas authorities are going undercover to see for themselves what the "tourists" are putting up with.
I have been to Vegas many times over the past 15 years, so I generally know the most direct routes to take to/from most of the hotels, as well as the names of the surface streets that run along my usual routes and which streets are currently experiencing construction; however, many people do not know this information and don't realize what is happening. Once they arrive at their destination, they may feel they shouldn't address the situation. Regardless if they are oblivious to the issue or not, NO ONE should have to pay extra for a cab ride than is absolutely necessary.
Remember, if you know that your cab driver is taking you on an unnecessarily long route, you can report them to the Las Vegas Taxicab Authority using their Long Haul Form. Here is the link to their new website - just click on "Complaints" in the toolbar and select "Long Route Voluntary Witness Statement" to open the PDF file:
Long Haul Form
I actually have a printout of this form that I keep in my carry-on bag. I reported the really bad cab driver I mentioned above, but I never heard anything back from the Taxicab Authority. Hopefully they are changing the way they do business, because I have no problem speaking up for myself now.
Busted!
I am extremely happy to read this. After two separate incidents where I was long-hauled (once with my mom, but we let it go, and once by myself, and I made a big stink about it because the whole cab ride/cabbie situation was WAY OUT OF LINE), I'm glad to see the Vegas authorities are going undercover to see for themselves what the "tourists" are putting up with.
I have been to Vegas many times over the past 15 years, so I generally know the most direct routes to take to/from most of the hotels, as well as the names of the surface streets that run along my usual routes and which streets are currently experiencing construction; however, many people do not know this information and don't realize what is happening. Once they arrive at their destination, they may feel they shouldn't address the situation. Regardless if they are oblivious to the issue or not, NO ONE should have to pay extra for a cab ride than is absolutely necessary.
Remember, if you know that your cab driver is taking you on an unnecessarily long route, you can report them to the Las Vegas Taxicab Authority using their Long Haul Form. Here is the link to their new website - just click on "Complaints" in the toolbar and select "Long Route Voluntary Witness Statement" to open the PDF file:
Long Haul Form
I actually have a printout of this form that I keep in my carry-on bag. I reported the really bad cab driver I mentioned above, but I never heard anything back from the Taxicab Authority. Hopefully they are changing the way they do business, because I have no problem speaking up for myself now.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Restaurant review: Tropical Breeze Cafe' at Flamingo
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| Lots o' food |
Situated midway between the Flamingo Buffet near the flamingo habitat and the sports book on the casino floor, the Tropical Breeze Café is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.
We chose this restaurant because we weren't in the mood for a buffet, and our original lunch choice of Harrah's Cafe' was closed for the switch over from lunch to "Italian Nights" dinner service, which we are very unhappy about (you can read my grumblings about that situation in my trip report posted on the blog in April 2012).
We waited for about 10 minutes to be seated at this restaurant. It seems that the waiters and waitresses all share the seating duties, and the cashiers do not budge from their seats next to the lineup, even when they have nothing to do. In fact, they acted as if we were invisible and talked to the other cashiers and various waitstaff while we waited as patiently as we could for someone to notice us. I was surprised that my mom did not say we were leaving, because she has little patience for such things.
After reviewing the menu and discussing our options when we were finally seated, mom and I shared the Calamari Ringers and Spinach Dip
for lunch because we were planning on having a larger dinner later in the evening. We should’ve just ordered one
or the other, because they were both huge appetizers in their own right and we didn’t finish either one
of them. It would've been nice for the waitress to inform us about the size of the appetizer dishes in advance.
The food was standard cafe' fare and not notable for anything in particular. There was nothing about either dish that stood out to us, but the food was decent and hit the spot. The Calamari Ringers were served tempura style with assorted vegetables and two dipping sauces - peanut sauce and hoisin sauce - and it was good but not outstanding. The Spinach Dip was served in a bread bowl and had a good, creamy flavor, but the chips that were intended for dipping broke off when you tried to dip them. If I had to pick one of these dishes over the other, I'd pick the calamari because I happen to enjoy my seafood on vacation.
The waitress disappeared when we wanted to get the bill, and we waited another 10 minutes for her to re-appear from the kitchen. She actually seemed surprised that we wanted our bill so quickly. It wasn't that quick at all; she had just been missing and we presumed she had been abducted by aliens.
The appetizers and two teas
came to $26.98+tip, which I paid for with my tons of Total Rewards points since Flamingo is under the Caesars property listing and allows their card holders to pay that way. It's definitely a benefit of being a TR member: being able to pay with points at most of the restaurants, and having the tax removed from the bill when you do so.
I'd give this restaurant a 5 out of 10. I personally don't think I'll be visiting again, because the restaurant staff apparently doesn't want my business, and the food wasn't exceptional or memorable in any way. There are far too many other restaurants in Las Vegas to try.
If you'd like to view the menu, follow the link here to open a PDF file in a separate window: Menu
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