Viva Las Vegas - A Vegas Mini-Trip Report - And Yet Another...

[swwake]

Another great trip - quite different from June. I will try to do a summary. I have some pictures but not too many. I didn't take any notes, so I will have to try to remember. Watch this space later this week.

 

[travelmel]

Another great trip - quite different from June. I will try to do a summary. I have some pictures but not too many. I didn't take any notes, so I will have to try to remember. Watch this space later this week.

Will do!

 

[swwake]

DH and I flew to Las Vegas mid-morning and arrived around 12:30pm. Took a cab to the Four Seasons, checked in quickly. Our room was ready. We were asked if we wanted to upgrade to a "nice strip-view room" for an additional $75/night, but we declined. Once in our room, we were happy to see that we had a nice view of the Four Seasons and Mandalay Bay pools.

We walked around the Mandalay casino and the Mandalay Place shops. We picked up a bite to eat at Red, White & Blue in Mandalay Bay.

"The ultimate American restaurant – plenty of choices and convenience. Choose from three distinct American dining experiences ranging from sandwiches to seafood to a variety of tasty sweets. The Red menu offers regional American cuisine featuring a signature Oyster Bar, with market fresh jumbo shrimp, East and West Coast oysters and Maine lobster. White serves tasty sweets prepared daily along with fine coffees and delectable desserts. While Blue features delicious sandwiches and deli offerings."

We got the carry-out at the White section. I got a cup of clam chowder and Chris got a cup of chili. I think he got something else, but I don't remember. Instead of eating in the restaurant, we found a nice bench out in the common areas and sat there.

Next, I think we played a little blackjack at a $10 table. I don't remember losing, so we must have either won a little or broken even.

I texted my friend and business associate, Monica, to see if she was in yet, since we had planned to meet for dinner. This would be the first time she would meet my DH, so I was kinda excited about it. Monica texted back that she was in and at the pool and that she'd get back to me about dinner, as a group was getting together.

I squinted, trying to pick out Monica down at the pool, but we were 35 stories above the pool and I couldn't see anything but specks. Note to self: Next time you go to Vegas, bring binoculars. There were several times they would have come in handy.

Shortly thereafter, we heard back from Monica that there were two groups going to dinner and we had our choice of "some kind of pink taco joint" or "steak at 9". She didn't want to wait until 9pm for dinner, since she is East Coast and that would feel like midnight, so we were going to meet in the lobby at 7 to join the pink taco group.

Chris and I then freshened up, got out of our travel clothes and into something a little more presentable to the professional crowd, and headed downstairs to the Four Seasons lobby to meet everyone.

Next up: Dinner - did we get a pink taco? or did we opt for steak at 9? or was it something else?

 

[travelmel]

Was it.......

????


That's my DH and some friends a few years back. DH and I were married on the Pirate Ship in front of the TI.

The construction you showed on the strip was REALLY massive. That is going to change the look dramatically. I am not a big fan of change. lol

Now I'm going to go over to youtube to try and find the nasty bits of the Elton show.

Great mini TR so far!

 

[swwake]

We met in the lobby at 7pm. There were about 5 people there when we got there. Monica said that she had been mistaken about the dinner at 9. They were actually going to N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms at 7pm. I had kinda figured this out, but just waited to confirm it.

We decided to go with the group that was headed to the Pink Taco over at the Hard Rock Hotel. Chris and I have stayed there once, and had eaten at the Pink Taco before and it was "allright". You have to remember that we live in Tex-Mex territory, so it's tough for someone in Vegas to compare.

We enjoyed our meal immensely. We got some sort of nachos appetizers which we shared with the table. I wasn't able to eat all of my food. We had great conversation, and the bill for 12 people was only $400! That's crazy inexpensive on our conference circuit.

After dinner, we walked around the HRH. Chris mentioned stopping at the bar "in the middle of the record". I can't believe that this was the first time I realized that the hotel/casino floor is shaped like a record. How stupid I felt.

We decided not to stop for drinks there, but rather to use our special powers over at the Four Seasons to go up to the Foundation Room for the best view of the Strip.

The Foundation Room is operated by the House of Blues. It is a private club sitting on the top floor of the Mandalay Bay. (Incidentally, the guest rooms at the Four Seasons are on the top 5 floors of the Mandalay Bay.) Membership to the Foundation Room comes at a sensible annual price of $2,250 to $3,500 for an individual membership of $5,500 to $8,500 for a corporate membership. Only members and their guests are allowed access.

A little-known secret is that guests of the Four Seasons are invited to the Foundation Room. We simply asked the concierge to call ahead and put our names on the guest list. Gave her a little tip, and off we went.

"The Foundation Room at HOB Las Vegas is a members-only secluded club with unparalleled elegant space for professional and personal entertaining. Members have privileges in all of our Foundation Rooms across the country. A portion of membership fees supports the International House of Blues Foundation."

The Foundation Room has several separate rooms, and some private sitting rooms/areas, including the following:
The Buddha and Ganesh "Prayer" Rooms
The Gothic and 1856 Rooms
Foundation Dining Room

We ordered a few drinks and stepped out onto the balcony. The view there is breathtaking and pictures don't do it justice. Here is a picture I tried to take with my phone:

And here's a better one I swiped from their website:

After a drink at the Foundation Room, and some really good conversation, including some genuine business speak, we headed to bed.

Next up: Thursday daytime activities

 

[S. C.]

Another trip report. Can't wait for the rest.

 

[irene_dsc]

Cool view up there! You seem to know tons of the Vegas info - must be all the conferences???

 

[S. C.]

What happen to thursdays daytime activities?

 

[swwake]

It's my goal to post an update later tonight, after reviewing tax returns and paying bills.

 

[S. C.]

It's my goal to post an update later tonight, after reviewing tax returns and paying bills.

 

[swwake]

Another trip report. Can't wait for the rest.

It's just a mini-TR, but it will be fun.

Cool view up there! You seem to know tons of the Vegas info - must be all the conferences???

I have so many conferences in Vegas. It's crazy. I will be there 4 times this year - 3 on business, one on pleasure. We are going back Nov 5-9 for a conference/training, topped off with a party weekend with a rather large group of friends.

I must confess I feel soooo guilty for leaving y'all hanging. I just don't want to post until I have time to crop and edit my pictures. I will do my best to get a post up sooner this week than later.

 

[S. C.]

It's just a mini-TR, but it will be fun.

I have so many conferences in Vegas. It's crazy. I will be there 4 times this year - 3 on business, one on pleasure. We are going back Nov 5-9 for a conference/training, topped off with a party weekend with a rather large group of friends.

I must confess I feel soooo guilty for leaving y'all hanging. I just don't want to post until I have time to crop and edit my pictures. I will do my best to get a post up sooner this week than later.

I need A career like yours.