Vegas Do's & Don'ts

First off, I want to mention how hard it was to be gone from our home state while tornadoes swept through the area.  I cannot imagine the devastation felt in Moore and Shawnee!  It was so weird to be in Vegas when every single big news station was covering the tragedy in Oklahoma.  Our Governor, Mary Fallin, did an excellent job addressing the press and keeping the nation informed on what they could do to help.  I can't help but feel state pride while watching fellow Oklahomans dig their neighbors out and lend a helping hand in whatever way possible. 

In the midst of this tragedy, it is amazing to hear the survivor's stories credit God for protecting them!  The death toll for such a horrendous tornado was unusually low considering it was on the ground for 50 minutes covering 17 miles!  Praise the Lord for His protection of so many people, but we also mourn and pray for those who did lose their precious loved ones. 

#prayformoore #prayforshawnee #prayforoklahoma #oklahomastrong 

 

 

VEGAS TRIP 2013

I visited Vegas for the first time this past weekend and it definitely lives up to all the hype!  I feel like I researched and researched online looking for good restaurants and things to do before we went, so I wanted to share our thoughts on what to do or not do in Vegas.

 

DO'S

 

1. Battista's Hole In The Wall-

One of Brian's coworkers recommended this place to us, and at first I was not considering it at all.  Seriously, Brian you took me to Vegas to eat at a hole in the wall restaurant??? No way Hosea!  Then I read up on the menu and reviews, and decided to give it a shot.  It was my favorite meal we had in Vegas! 

 

When you go to Vegas, you quickly realize that portion sizes are not directly tied to food prices.  Aka food is super expensive, and there is no guarantee that you will be full when leaving the restaurant.  Would you like a $17 dessert that is 2 inches by 3 inches?? No thank you!

 

Battista's was so much food that was all included in the meal price!  So for about $25 you got an Italian salad, the best garlic cheese bread ever, unlimited free house wine, a pasta side, and a free cappuccino (which tasted like a cookie in a cup) to go with your meal!

 

 

 

2. Bouchon Bistro-

This bistro had really great reviews online so I though it would be worth checking out.  We went for brunch, and it did not disappoint!  Brian ordered a traditional meal of eggs, bacon, sausage with a muffin on the side, and I chose the Belgium waffles with fruit.  This was probably my second favorite meal of the trip!  The orange juice tasted fresh squeezed and the coffee was excellent!  We really enjoyed our meal here.

 

 

 

3. Shopping-

Vegas has fabulous shopping even if it's just window shopping!  Which with the prices in Vegas, you will want to do mostly window shopping :) Hit the Premium Outlets North for some good deals and fun eye candy.  I loved going into the David Yurman Outlet!

 

While window shopping at the Wynn, Brian asked me if I wanted to go into the Louis Vuitton store.  Well of course I said yes!  I have been wanting a LV bag for a while and never actually have held the one I wanted in person.  So we went in to try out the bags.  The saleslady was so nice and just got her own Glock 19 so of course understood me wanting a bag that could support my gun.  She told me the bags hold up to 300 lbs!  That is crazy!  So while we are having this long discussion over different bags, Brian tells me that he was planning on buying me a bag in Vegas!! AGHHHH!  I was so excited!!!

 

 

Took a pic outside the store later

Super cute store located in the Cosmopolitan who used sewing machines as décor





4. Play the slots-

Just for fun, play at least one slot machine!  I lost 5 bucks but it was certainly fun to try my hand at gambling.  I don't see how people can spend that much money on slots since I'm so cheap, but hey those machines are always busy!

 

5. Bring eye drops-

The smoke in casinos is bad!!  You don't necessarily see it, but your eyes will probably water just walking into the casino.  Brian and I both wore our glasses some because the smoke was hurting our eyes.  The eye drops will help a little bit.

 

6. Perfume-

However many squirts of perfume you normally wear, spray a little more than that.  In order for anyone to even notice you are wearing perfume, you will need to increase the amount.  Plus walking by a lady with nice perfume is like a breath of fresh air in the big hotels/casinos.  It's not like Brian and I stunk, just that we both realized we should have sprayed on more perfume to compensate for the smoky environment.

 

7. Bring snacks-

I was pretty shocked at the cost of food in Vegas.  I know we have all heard the myth that casinos have cheap food.  That may have been true 20 years ago, but not today.  Don't get me wrong, we thoroughly enjoyed the buffet at the Wynn!  But you better believe we got our moneys worth with three plates each plus desserts. 

 

I think this was plate number 2

I wasn't kidding about the desserts.. I had 6 mini desserts :)
It was like the cruise all over again!

But it would have been wise for us to bring some snacks.  I brought a couple of protein bars, but wish I would have brought more options from home.  We ended up running to Walgreens to get some snacks to tide us over in between meals.  Tulsa time is 2 hours different from Vegas and we ended up eating late in Vegas anyways so average meal time on Tulsa time was around 9 pm.  Snacks were a life saver!  Plus we needed the energy drinks to keep us awake for dinner!

Walgreens haul

8. Eiffel Tower-
Go up in the Eiffel Tower, but make sure to pick up a coupon book from any of the cabs (they are attached to the driver side seat) for a 2 for 1 coupon.  It is about 20 per person to go up to the top, but you can stay as long as you want.  We watched the fountains at the Bellagio from the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Super windy at the top

9. Be a tourist-
Take every opportunity to sight see!  Go to the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Venetian, Wynn, and Fremont Street.  Architecturally, these places are incredible!  I really feel like I walked around Vegas with my mouth agape at least half of the time.  It was so very cool to get to visit places that were in movies that I have watched!  The Bellagio Fountains, Fremont Street lights.. It was all so cool to see in person!  I know that you may be tired like I was, but I'm so glad Brian pushed me to see as much as we could while there.  We did not go to any shows this time, but we might if we ever return to Vegas.

Freemont Street in old Las Vegas

So many crystals at the Cosmopolitan!  Its the hippest place in Vegas right now

Now for the DON'Ts of Vegas

1. Eiffel Tower Restaurant-
Don't waste your time or money on this place.  It was crowded and loud and expensive.  We did get a spectacular view of the Bellagio Fountains, but you can get that from going up in the tower.  The food was good, but not good for the price we paid for it.  Polo Grill in Tulsa is much better for food and service.  I wish we would have not wasted our anniversary celebration dinner here, but we did get some good pics!

Apricot chicken and quinoa

Chef's special, rack of lamb.. meh it was ok

2. Gold & Silver Pawn Shop
Brian and I went to the Pawn Shop in anticipation of a pretty cool building with lots of antiques.  To be completely honest, it was just ok.  Its in a dumpy area of town and of course, none of the stars were there (not that I expected them to be).   It did have a some cool artifacts that were as seen on Pawn Stars, but don't go there with too high of expectations.  It is after all just a pawn shop.  So if you want to visit to just say you have seen it, then definitely go.  If you are not a huge fan of Pawn Stars, don't waste your time.  Side note, we did see Corey from Pawn Stars chilling at the Wynn in a red jumpsuit...

This is me staring at a $75,000 diamond encrusted watch

3. Gondola Ride at Venetian-
Unless you are prepared to drop $25 per person (group rate) on a very slow moving canoe while someone sings opera to you, you might want to avoid the gondola rides. Brian and I had every intention of taking a romantic gondola ride, until we found out it was $80 to get a gondola to ourselves and saw how slow they moved.  Sorry but in Vegas we didn't want to spend an hour plus going on a very slow ride through the Venetian.  They looked very lovely, but not how we wanted to spend our day.

 

 

4. Don't get your nails done at the Hotel Salon-
Talk about expensive.  You would like a nail repaired? $12 per nail.  A full set of acrylics? $70.  Pink and White Gels?  $100.  Shellac nails? $148.  That is CRAZY!  So do what I did and walk to the nearest nail salon on the strip for some pampering instead.  Still more expensive than Tulsa, but a better deal than the Wynn Salon.

relaxing by the pool after getting my nails done

loving this color right now!

Obviously, we enjoyed our trip to Vegas hence the more DO's than DON'Ts.  There is a reason that it is called Sin City though, so don't be naïve like me in thinking that there will not be nudey pictures and indecent women at every street corner.  It's appalling really.  Plus the lack of clothes on normal people in Vegas was shocking to me!!!  But with these caveats, I really think that it is worth visiting at least once in your life.  Just avoid looking at the freak shows :)