I was coming off a huge high in LA. Hollywood was everything I could have wanted it to be. I got to experience amazing history and see some legendary landmarks. It was onto Vegas though.
When I booked the room for Vegas I booked it with the thought process being that this would probably be the only time I’d ever be in Vegas so I’m going all out. I Googled top hotels in Vegas and came up with the Aria Resort. It was a AAA 5 diamond hotel. I promptly booked a 920 square foot corner suite for 2 nights. Let me tell you right now, it was worth it. I got to Vegas and checked in and hauled my bags up to the suite. I walked in and found a 2 rooms, a huge master bathroom, another half bathroom, a fully stocked mini bar. This was pure luxury. Floor to ceiling windows provided me with a fantastic view of the surrounding hotels. I had two Ipads that controlled everything in the room from the drapes to the TV to the thermostat to the lights. I was in heaven. I checked out the mini bar, I was allowed to pick up each item to look at ingredients but if I picked them up for more than 60 seconds they would automatically be charged to my room. This was truly how the other half lived. Before I got too ahead of myself I decided to catch up on some blogging so I could enjoy the room.
I caught up on some destinations and then caught up with my uncle who had come in from LA. We met up and strolled around the strip for a bit. We stopped in for some food at Bobby’s Burger Palace. I got the Crunchburger. A simple burger topped with American cheese and potato chips. It was probably the second best burger I’ve had on the trip so far ranking just behind the Piggy Butter & Jelly I got in Pittsburgh. After getting some food in us we walked around the strip a bit more. We got a few drinks at a place that was having Happy Hour. I couldn’t get over the whole atmosphere. We Walked into the New York New York resort and I was awestruck. It was remarkable. It looked like the streets of New York. From store fronts to manhole covers. It felt authentically New York. We walked upstairs and caught sight of Coyote Ugly. Their Happy Hour was from 6pm – 9pm so we thought “why not?” and went in for a few drinks. It was an absolute blast. Bartenders up dancing up on the bar and getting the whole bar to dance and sing to the music playing. My uncle and I had a fantastic time. As the night drew on we decided to head back to our rooms so we could rest a bit before we had to go get my dad at the airport. On our way to our hotel room we came across a street hustler playing 3 card monte with a few other people. We stopped and watched for a bit. After watching I started getting confident. I threw down $300 and lost it immediately. I had been in Vegas a total of maybe 9 hours and had been hustled. Initially I felt sick to my stomach but then accepted it and moved on. A few hours later we got my dad from the airport and then all headed to bed.
The next morning we started things off right. We went and got breakfast the the Bellagio buffet. Before we got to the buffet though we explored thew Bellagio. It was huge first of all, but it was also gorgeous. For anyone who’s been there, my best description is that it was a lot like the Gran Floridian Resort in Florida. Very fancy and very upscale. Gucci and Coach store fronts lined the hallways leading to the buffet. When we finally got to the buffet we were amazed. It was extraordinary. They had everything you could imagine or want. Omelettes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, french toast, eggs Benedict, pancakes, fruit, yogurt and on and on and on. We fueled up on a few rounds of the buffet then took off for the strip.
We saw walked over to the Venetian. Once again I was in awe. The ceiling was decorated with beautiful paintings and a faux sky. There were gondolas and beautiful shops. The attention to detail was tremendous. Walking past each store you felt like you really could be in Italy. We continued onto Paris. The model Eiffel Tower outside was a fantastic photo opportunity. I got some pictures and we headed inside. Once again it was as if we were transported to the streets of France. The store names were French, there were pastry shops and you could get tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. For my dad and I who had never been here this was unreal. It was sensory overload. Between the sights and sounds and smells it was hard to process it all. We walked into a pastry shop and I got a chocolate eclair because I felt it was a must given that we were walking through Paris.
We took a brief respite halfway through the day to get out of the heat and just chill a bit. We watched a bit of the basketball game and just enjoyed getting off our feet for a few hours. After we had recharged we headed over to New York New York because dad hadn’t seen that yet. We walked in and just as I was yesterday, he was stunned. The giant betting board that greets you upon entrance was fully lit displaying the scores of all of the baseball games that were going on. The New York streets were much busier now on Thursday night than they had been on Wednesday. We walked the streets again so dad could fully take in the detail of everything. We again headed upstairs to Coyote Ugly to partake in their Happy Hour. We spent probably 3 hours there. My dad and uncle each had a few beers and I had a lot of vodka sodas. We left at about 10ish and headed out to the Bellagio so we could see the fountain display. As we walked over to the Bellagio we were finally able to truly appreciate the lights of the strip. Everything was neon. The MGM was lit up New York New York flashed brightly as did the Eiffel Tower. It was freaking amazing. When we finally made our way to the fountain and watched the display, it was just as you see in the movies. It wasn’t necessarily the most impressive show ever, but like so many things I’ve seen on this trip so far it was historic. I’m now able to say that I’ve seen the Bellagio fountain display in person. The same one from movies like Ocean’s Eleven. We enjoyed the show and after that my uncle decided to head back to his room for some sleep and my dad and I headed back to my new favorite spot Coyote Ugly for a few more drinks. Well I should say I had a few more drinks and he had 1 more beer. After I had done all the singing along I could handle for a day we walked back to the suite. Although I should have just went to bed, I was staying in a room with a tub that had jets. I of course had to use it. So dad went to bed and I drew myself a fancy bath.
The next morning the three of us decided that the Bellagio breakfast buffet was such a success that we would go for round two before dad and I shoved off.
Spending time with my uncle who I don’t get to see a whole lot was an absolute blast and having my dad with me now was fantastic. The trip is definitely starting to have a different feel. I’m getting to have fun and share these experiences with people with me right away instead of just through social media. With the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon coming up I just hope they are everything my dad expects them to be because I know they are what he’s looking forward to most.
Joey's Great American Adventure 
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