Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

This past weekend, my dad, stepmother, sister and I hopped a few time zones and found ourselves happily in fabulous Las Vegas!  

I had never been (except on my frequent lay-overs back and forth from when I lived in LA), and my gambling experience totaled a glorious $3 in a Star Wars slot machine in the Vegas airport (my mom peer-pressured me, and then I chickened out at $2, hahah.)

We stayed at Mandalay Bay, near the bottom of the Strip, in a golden hotel with a pool like heaven. This was one of the views from our window!

Our first night, we were lucky enough to snag a reservation at Stratosphere, the restaurant in the space needle that looks out over the lights of Vegas, 106 floors up. The restaurant floor spins inside, and it takes an hour to make a full rotation around the tower. Did I also mention that during dinner, we could see people jumping off the roof to the pavement below?

After one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, we went up to the roof of the building - it was windy!

We figured that we couldn't go to Vegas and not check out Caesar's Palace, so we toured the Strip and worked up an appetite. Caesar's by far was the most opulent casino (in my opinion), and it was so cool to go inside and realize how much artistry went into all of the designs and details of the place.

 We ate at Spago, out on the patio under the Palace ceiling that is painted and then lit to mimic the sky outside. It was gorgeous, and the food was delicious. All of the architecture inside the Forum Shops (where the restaurant was located) was built to look like a small Roman village, and it took me back to my time in Italy (with the exception of all the designer stores like Jimmy Choo, Dior, and Coach in all the storefronts).

 

 After dinner, we walked home among the lights of the Strip. We stopped to explore the bathrooms in the Bellagio, which had the most gorgeous umbrellas hanging like little canopies from the chandeliers. I'm hoping to design some jewelry using them as inspiration! It was good that we stopped, because just as we emerged from the casino, the infamous fountain light show erupted to the tune of "Viva Las Vegas!". It was spectacular and exhilarating - I'm so glad we caught it just in time!

The walk back was breathtaking with all the lights. 

Vegas did not disappoint - it was indeed fabulous. My two goals for my trip were to win money (and I did - $46 from the Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine!) and to get a tan (and I did - I have tan lines!!!)

Watch out tomorrow for my What I Wore Illustrations, Vegas-style.