View of the strip from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Vegas definitely was a cool experience. What really stood out to me about our trip are three things: seeing each casino/hotel for the first time, the amazing views of the Grand Canyon, and how much walking we did.

While we did have a lot of fun on our trip, one thing we found out was: we’re not Vegas people. We don’t go out all night and drink a lot. Well, I was feeling sick during the beginning of our vacation, so I tried to stick to water. We’re not party people, so we mainly did touristy things and sightseeing. It was a cool experience but we did stay a bit too long. Five days would have been ideal to spend in Vegas, instead of the seven days we were there.

Le Cafe Ile St. Louis

Here are some highlights of our vacation:

Walking Through the Hotels:
My favorite hotels were the Paris, the Venetian, the Bellagio and New York, New York. Caesar’s Palace and the Wynn were pretty cool too. I remember walking thought the Paris for the first time and loving how it seemed like you were walking through the streets in Paris, France. Even the bathroom seemed fancy and French. We ate at a café one night called Le Café Ile St. Louis. The patio of the restaurant was overlooking the casino floor, but it was decorated to seem like you were in a Parisian café. Le Café Ile St. Louis had a really great ambiance.  I am a big fan of the Paris. Even the bar stools in the casino are beautiful. The chairs are laced up to look like a corset.

Corset Barstools

One night, we rode up the elevator to go to the observation deck on the top of the Eiffel Tower. The tower is half the size of the one in Paris, France, but it was still very tall. We had a really great view! We took a lot of pictures and stayed up a while to see the Bellagio water show. We really didn’t dress for the experience. It was freezing cold on the observation deck and we were in shorts and T-Shirts! We wish we would have thought to bring a jacket. Another great thing about going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was that we got a two for one discount because we were staying at Bally’s. I highly recommend going to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas.

Bellagio Water Show from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Other than Bally’s, we spent most of our time in the Paris than any other hotel. It was connected to Bally’s and had better restaurants. We did, however, prefer the Bally’s casino when we were gambling. It seemed so familiar, easily navigable, and comfortable for us. That’s probably because we were staying there. We noticed that the different slot machines had labeled signs for each section such as penny slots and 25 cent slots. We found that the other casinos did not have these handy signs.

The “streets” of the New York, New York

I also loved walking through the New York, New York Hotel because it is like you are walking through the streets of Manhattan. One day, we went to get a quick bite to eat at one of the restaurants and sat down at one of the nearby tables. We saw a street sign that said Greenwich and Broadway. It really felt as if we were eating in Manhattan surrounded by apartment buildings and restaurants. Some of the other hotels have the ceiling painted with blue sky and puffy white clouds to appear that you are outside. In New York, New York, it gave the illusion that it was evening and you could see the city skyline.

Inside the Venetian

The Venetian and the Bellagio were also unforgettable. I loved the indoor and outdoor canals in the Venetian. Although we didn’t ride in a gondola, it was a neat sight to see. The ceilings were painted like the Sistine Chapel, and the architecture inside the hotel was beautiful. Two things struck me while visiting the Bellagio: the Conservatory and Botanical Garden and the lobby. They are both beautiful, and when you go into the lobby, be sure to look up at the ceiling to see the glass sculpture made by Dale Chihuly. The glass is made by the same artist as a museum in Seattle called Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Grand Canyon:
It was as amazing as I dreamed it would be. The steep cliffs and majestic beauty were truly unforgettable.  We went on Pink Jeep Tour’s Grand Canyon West Rim experience. Our very knowledgeable tour guide, John, picked us up at our hotel early in the morning. We drove to the Hoover Dam and took pictures while learning about the history of it from our tour guide. Next, we drove two and a half hours to the Grand Canyon. The West Rim portion is located in a Native American Reservation, which they have dedicated to tourism. It is the home of the Hualapai Nation. We got off the Jeep and went on a bus to the different locations within the tribal land to see the views of the canyon, go on the skywalk and have lunch. There is no guard rail, so you have to be very careful. We took pictures and then went on the Skywalk, which was really neat. It is clear glass and you can see all the way down. Some people were scared to death on it. It wasn’t bad for me once I got over the initial shock of it.  I noticed that the Colorado River, which runs through the canyon, looked really small. Then my husband reminded me that it is actually a pretty wide river. It just looks so small because you are 4,000 feet above ground level! When we had lunch, we sat down with another couple who were very glad to see fellow Americans. There were a lot of foreign tourists at the Grand Canyon and really all over Vegas. While in Las Vegas, we also saw a lot of people in scooters, and they traveled in twos or threes.

The Majestic Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon and Colorado River

Lots of Walking Around:
While driving, everything on the strip seems so close. When you walk, it’s really a lot farther away than you think. We didn’t rent a car, so when we didn’t use public transportation, we were walking. You will learn very quickly that comfortable shoes are key for walking around in Vegas. 

If you choose not to ride the bus or take a taxi, take advantage of the free trams that go between two or three hotels. They could cut down your walking time from faraway places on the strip tremendously. Sometimes it felt like all we did in Vegas was eat, eat, eat, but at least we walked a lot to make up for it.

Read more about our Vegas vacation in the next installment coming soon.

On a bridge overlooking the Paris.