When I went to New York City I ended up meeting two celebrities. The last time that my husband and I made a getaway trip to Las Vegas we dined in restaurants of famous chefs. This time, in the end of March, as we escaped just the two of us for a quick three days, we managed to go to places seen on TV.
I'm really there at the most famous (& probably overpriced) pawn shop in LV. Check out the crowd waiting to get in. At least I left with $$!
This trip was not one of those that was a fabulous deal. We wanted sun, and we wanted the freedom that Las Vegas provides; the adult sandbox of the world. Available is every vice, should you choose to partake, every cuisine, and every amenity that a soul could desire. What did we find? A vacation that was not more expensive because of the "spring break" label, but a fabulous escape. And it was studded with places made famous by TV.
Our first day there we'd taken the "middle of the night" flight, the one that my daughter calls the 6 a.m. departure out of SeaTac. We were in Vegas earlier than scheduled, and settled into our room at the LV Hilton by 10 a.m.! We were starving, having been up since 2 a.m., and hit the buffet with our free brunch tickets (super package at the LV Hilton -- check their website). My husband began to smile as we neared the front of the line, smelling & savoring the sausage and cooked-to-order-omelet aroma. I spied the "complimentary beer & champagne" sign and we knew we'd hit the jackpot. I'd promised my friends at work the day before that by "this time tomorrow (11 a.m.) I'll be on my third cocktail." And now my fate was sealed. Promise kept. After all, I'm a person of my word. The buffet was surprisingly tasty, though not the most creative or beautifully presented buffet we've eaten (Bellagio has the market on both of those categories), but was very respectable, and the price was right.
That same day we jumped in a taxi ride, about $10 from our hotel, to a seedy part of town not far from the world-famous, as-seen-on-TV "Bonanza Gift Shop" hailed as the "world's largest gift shop." We waved as we drove by, and pressed on to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop made famous by the History Channel hit show "Pawn Stars." We were curious to see what the place is really like and to check out the inventory. The line outside moved pretty quickly, as the "security guard" at the door who was packing heat and chowing on a cheeseburger controlled the crowd going into the tiny and very dusty store. They must clean this place up for TV, because it's far from glamorous. The reality is that it IS a pawn shop in LV, holding true to all of the stereotypes that conjures up. The funniest part about the experience was the excitement of the crowd waiting in line to be let in. A middle-aged man with two teenage boys in tow came out of the store, looked at the crowd, and said "pretty awesome. Chum Lee's in there." At that point the crowd let out a collective cheer and my husband and I laughed that we were there, too. After about 10 minutes we had our turn, thanking the "security guard" and began to peruse the small store which seemed to have a large selection of jewelery and a noticeably absent collection of Americana. Most of the stuff seen on the show was nowhere to be seen. But I did step up to the "pawn window" and sell off a piece of jewelery! I took my cash and had more money for the rest of the trip.
We continued on with the theme, spending time walking the strip that we've seen a zillion times before, riding the monorail, visiting the M&M Factory to purchase gifts for the child with the grandparents, and ate at Emeril's Fishhouse for a late lunch. I at there years ago with my mom and shared a fabulous lunch in every regard. This visit was not memorable in any way. Stay clear of the Fishhouse at the MGM; Emeril, you've got work to do!
By far our best meal was the evening that I planned. My night included dinner at Rosemary's Restaurant off of the strip. It's in a part of town I'd never been to, and is in a strip mall. Don't let the location fool you. This placed is owned by a husband/wife team and they're both accomplished chefs. How do I know this? I saw the place on TV - many times over. And Rachael Ray went there. I've been known to be a Rachael Ray places visited stalker, but that's the subject of another blog. As for Rosemary's, the food was incredible, and the service rivaled the restaurants that rank highest in my book for service (Commander's Palace, Canlis, La Palapa of Puerto Vallarta. If you're going to Vegas and dare to venture off the strip ($20 taxi ride for us one way), do make a reservation and go. In fact, the night that we were there they were even featuring 50% off bottles of wine. My husband wasn't game, so I ordered a glass for myself, but the people at the next take who we enjoyed visiting with sent over a sample of the Cakebread Chardonnay that they'd ordered. First, I was completly impressed that these strangers would be so generous as to share their wine. Secondly, I learned that they have great taste! I'm a very picky Chard drinker, and am often critical of CA Chards as being underoaked and served chilled, but this was perfect. An incredible blend of everything good. Enough said. You just have to try the wine and this restaurant. We finished off this night with drinks at Napoleon's dueling piano bar at the Paris which was fun, but the musicians were not nearly as accomplished and proficient as the Bar at Times Square, but Napoleon's was quieter, more subdued, cheaper, and we could visit with our friends who we met up with also there on vacation. It was a perfect night.
The other night that we were there was my husband's designated night to plan. We enjoyed - well, pounded - several beers at BB King's bar. From there we went to hear Daniel Tosh's stand-up comedy from the new Comedy Central show Tosh.0. His comedy was great! We had a great laugh and wrapped up another fabulous evening, keeping up with the theme.
We made our usual & most predictable stop for our last meal at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Now this is always a family favorite. Our daughter chose LV for her 3rd birthday, as she wanted to "eat at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant. I'll have a cheeseburger in paradise." What can we say? The child has been to three Margaritavilles. That's almost one per year of her little life. And, yes, she's seen that on TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment