Ready. Set. Vegas!
I will admit when I visited Las Vegas a year and a half ago for the first time, I also declared it likely my last visit. I am not really a gambler, have never had a burning desire to see Blue Man Group, and I find magicians especially creepy. Even for someone who adores sequins and feathers, it all seemed a bit over-the-trashy-top. Never say never, friends.
When my husband reported the news that my beloved Lionel Richie was performing for three nights only—and the week of my birthday at that—in the one and only Sin City this month, well, I felt as if we had to go. If Lionel wants to throw you a birthday concert, it would be simply rude not to attend. We packed our Vegas-best outfits, made some fantastic brunch and dinner reservations, and off we went. Ready. Set. Vegas!
This trip, we stayed at the gorgeous Wynn hotel, which is also conveniently where the concert was being held. We flew in on Thursday late afternoon, just in time to belly up to a buffet and enjoy some cocktails and a free show beside the Wynn’s Lake of Dreams. Only in Las Vegas does a free show entail a light show, giant animatronic tropical birds rocking out to Lady Gaga, holograms, and an astronaut on a zip line soaring above the audience. It was a great opening act to our trip.
Friday morning, we headed to my favorite place in the city: the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. There are more than 7,500 flowers in the sunlight-filled atrium, and the display changes seasonally. I could not wait to see what they had in store for us for spring, and it did not disappoint!
I had to take a picture of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket with this guy flying high overhead.
The display had hummingbirds, butterflies, chicks, and Easter eggs. What a sanctuary in the middle of all the hustle and bustle.
All that beauty, and then a picture-perfect brunch at Sadelle’s, right off the Conservatory. A girl could get used to this.
After stopping to watch the Bellagio fountains, we made our way to the shops at Caesar’s Palace, and on to biggest surprise of the trip: a gorgeous birthday present! And here I thought we came to browse.
It was almost more excitement than an aging lady such as myself can handle…almost (well, I mean, I’m not dead yet). We changed into our flashiest looks, and it was show time! Vegas is truly a place where a man in a gold brocade jacket and his sequin-clad date are fully appreciated. Lionel Richie, for those who may wonder, still sounds fantastic and has the energy of someone half his age. The concert was an absolute party from start to finish.
You know it’s going to be amazing when the man says, “Don’t worry. We’re gonna play everything you want to hear before you leave here tonight.”
Needless to say, we had an absolute ball. We refueled Saturday morning with the “butler’s brunch” at La Cave at the Wynn. It is basically a sit-down buffet…butlers move around the dining room the entire service with small plates of every single item on the menu, and you simply take anything you would like. We feasted on bananas foster pancakes, French toast, steak Benedict, truffle grits, ham and egg flatbread, avocado crostini…I think we sampled it all and it did not disappoint. It was such a fun concept to try.
After all that indulgence, we felt the need to move around a bit (or risk a lapse into a food coma). We decided to head to Fremont Street to see the historic original strip and the hotels and casinos that started it all. There is a pedestrian mall there now with some incredibly talented street performers, and like almost anywhere in Vegas, some of the most interesting people watching you can possibly fathom.
This bar is just cool. “The oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas,” visited by the Rat Pack, Barbara Streisand, and Anthony Bourdain to name a few. Back in the day, you could sit on the rooftop with your drink and watch the atomic tests being done out in the desert. We had to pay it a visit.
Clint, “having a blast” at Atomic Liquors.
We also had to take our chances gambling at the oldest casino, inside the Golden Gate hotel. (No big winnings, but it was worth a shot).
Las Vegas has a lot of fantastic restaurants, and I have to think Nomad Library Restaurant is one of the best. Behold: their “Ridiculous Mac & Cheese,” with lobster and black truffles. I don’t think I need to say anything else.
After all that dinner decadence we tried to pass on dessert, but I was rewarded with this adorable cotton candy confection to celebrate my birthday.
Since we spent Friday night “Dancing on the Ceiling” with Lionel “All Night Long,” Saturday seemed like a great time to “Take It Easy…” by seeing the Eagles at the Sphere! The Sphere is absolutely beyond belief, and then the music! “Best of My Love,’ “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Already Gone,” “Take It Easy,” “Desperado….”
I can’t believe we didn’t get more pictures during the show, but we arrived in a hurry, and then we just sat there in awe!
Any one of our experiences would have been phenomenal, so needless to say it was whirlwind, great time. We came, we saw, we ate, we shopped, we sang, we laughed. I have not stopped smiling yet.
Viva Las Vegas—and viva birthday month!