That said, the Vegas trip was a success. Good food with good friends, old and new. It was relaxing too, which is a surprise considering every other time I've been in Vegas has always been a whirlwind of activities.
Getting there was easy enough. V & I drove a little over 500 miles, in about 9 hours. Hit some traffic along the way, on cursed CA 58, but that was to be expected. The drive home, on the other hand, was another level of hell. More on that later.
Got to Bally's and checked in without problems. Bally's is an older hotel, but at $59 a night for a holiday weekend, I could not pass up the deal. It's connected to the Paris Hotel next door, providing easy access to better restaurants and such, and is centrally located on the Strip, at Las Vegas Blvd. and Flamingo Road. I knew from reviews on Tripadvisor (a valuable tool for travelers) that a renovated room is a must. We were given a renovated king room in the North Tower, sacrificing a view of the Bellagio fountains. But I'll take a nice clean room over a view any day. Quick review and more pictures here.
As soon as we unloaded our bags, the eating and drinking ensued. We met with V's old friend Adam, who is now a Vegas local. First meal of the trip was dinner at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris. V had excellent steak frites (fries were more like chips, and very yummy) while I had some grilled chicken breast served with green beans. Tried their Frangria, their signature French sangria, but was not a fan.
After dinner and a quick change of clothes, we met up again at New York New York's new club, Rok. The club itself was so-so, and if I wasn't with friends, I would've been in a sour mood about waiting in line. After about 45 minutes (ugh!), we were let in. It was crowded and filled with scantily-dressed young twenty-somethings--really not my scene any more. Things got interesting when after about a half hour, some performer took the stage. It was Mya, of "Ghetto Superstar" and "Lady Marmalade" fame! Soon after her set, we called it a night. Not bad for our first few hours in town.
One more thing, if you're in New York New York, check out Nine Fine Irishmen. The band is pretty cool, and most nights, Riverdancing ensues.
Where else did we eat and drink?
Trader Vic's in Planet Hollywood
First caught a show at the upstairs LA Comedy Club. Dinner was downstairs, in the main dining room. Food was okay. I had some stir-fry lobster and a mai tai. Trader Vic has a Polynesian theme, so be prepared for a tiki-overload. Prices were fair.
Red Square in Mandalay Bay
Looking for a quiet place to sit, drink and talk, we headed to Red Square in Mandalay Bay. The room has a cool, Cold War Russia theme. They have a vodka vault, where apparently, they've stashed the frozen head of Lenin. A headless Lenin statue greets you at the restaurant's door. The drinks menu was understandably heavy on vodka and martinis. The place is quiet enough for conversation, if you can get a table at the bar area. Only diners get so sit at the booths in the dining area. Martinis went for around $15.
Gallagher's Steakhouse in New York New York
Dinner and a show is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. With Zumanity tickets at hand, we headed to Gallagher's. The impressive display of aged meats is enough to get your mouth watering, if you are a steak fan. Which I am not. But the husband is, so off we went. I opted for a filet mignon because it was the smallest cut on the menu. It came charred and tough. Needed two glasses of wine to wash it down, and ended up eating some of V's aged NY strip. I would have complained and asked for a different steak but with only 20 minutes before curtain, there was no time for a do-over. Expensive, and in my opinion, not worth it.
AGO at the Hard Rock Hotel
One Thanksgiving, many moons ago, V and I suffered the indignity of a hotel buffet Thanksgiving dinner in Washington DC. Even in the land of buffets, I was not about to risk another disaster. We booked a five-course prex fixe dinner at AGO at the Hard Rock Hotel. Honestly, there was no rhyme or reason to my pick of this particular restaurant. I liked that it was Italian, I suppose, and I'd never seen the inside of the Hard Rock Hotel. I also liked that at $50 per person, the meal came with wine pairings. I'm a sucker for wine pairings!
Dinner started with a glass of bubbly, then salad and a generous antipasti plate. I can never pace myself at dinner so I ended up eating it all. That and most of the bread basket. Then came some butternut squash risotto. Then a plate of both roasted organic turkey and maple pork loin. At this point, I couldn't even touch any of the sides, I was so full. Finally, there was a plate of mini desserts, including pecan pie, and Grappa to wash it down. Overall a satisfying meal at a reasonable price.
On the way out, we perused some costumes on display that were worn by famous performers. The collection included Britney Spears' school girl outfit, and the chaps ensemble Christina Aguilera wore in the "Dirrty" video.
Pho Saigon 8
The most satisfying meal of any trip, for me, tends to be the most down-to-earth ones. In Vegas, it came a steaming bowl of pho at Pho Saigon 8. Way off strip, deep in the heart of Vegas' Chinatown, I found the pho chin nam to be particularly soothing after a night of drinking. Super cheap and super good.
Jollibee and Chowking
I couldn't pass up the chance to eat at these Filipino fast food staples. At Jollibee, I had the Chickenjoy with rice and gravy, the sweet spaghetti and a peach mango pie. V had a hamburger. He said, "Which is the regular hamburger?" Meaning no weird sauces and additions (like a slice of pineapple).
At Chowking, I had arroz caldo and a small bowl of beef noodles. Yes, I was hungry and I wanted to eat everything. V had a combo plate of chicken teriyaki (or teriyucky) and spaghetti. After, we shared a halo-halo :-)
That's the food part of the trip--overall, satisfying and enjoyable. I'll post about Zumanity and Red Rock Canyon later.
Going back to the horrendous drive home, we left Vegas at noon, anticipating the crush of holiday traffic. But we weren't prepared for what actually ensued. Almost as soon as we left the Strip, we were in stop-and-go traffic. After hours of driving, we finally reached the Nevada-California stateline in Primm, a mere 40 miles away from the Strip. We finally pulled up in front of our house at 3 AM! The 500-mile drive took 15 hours! I could have flown to Japan in that same amount of time. Lesson learned: On the last day of a long holiday weekend, leave at the crack of dawn. Better yet, leave a day early.
Tired and in disbelief that we survived the long drive from hell, V & I crawled into bed thinking still that we had a great Thanksgiving getaway. Thank God for that!
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