My Trip To Las Vegas

Often referred to as Sin City, Las Vegas continues to attract people from all around the world. We went to Vegas for 4 days. It was never a vacation destination for us but my friend’s family was going during spring break and my daughter wanted to go away for few days so she said, “Mom, let’s go, You will get some ideas to decorate for my dry grad party”. My husband who had been there for business conventions a few times also agreed. and, that’s how this trip was materialized. The flight was cheap and the hotel we stayed was unbelievably cheap but everything else  was expensive (which I found  later). I asked my husband, “Why everything is so cheap?” He said, “because every hotel makes money from gambling”. I knew that it was a gambling place but didn’t realize that it would start right at the arrivals gate of the airport.

We chose to stay in”Circus Circus” because first it was kid friendly, since we had a 6 year old with us, and second it was towards the end of the strip. The hotel was good, there were some free circus shows for the guests but I was surprised to find that it wasn’t totally smoke free. Our rooms were non-smoking but everywhere else you could smell the smoke.

My daughter got excited when she saw the Fashion Show Mall close to our hotel and that was her first place to visit. What more could a girl want? The mall was huge with plenty of stores and good prices. They had something for everyone. In the evening we checked out Hotel Bellagio which hosts an art gallery and an impressive water fountain show choreographed to music and lights. I forgot to bring my camera as we were in the shopping mall and there was no time to go back to hotel and get it. The shows happened every hour in the evening but there was so much crowd and traffic that it wasn’t worth taking a trip back and forth for the next show.

As evening dawned there were lights everywhere and it was very bright and noisy. I was not interested in playing on slot machines, so we went for a comedy show and the girls came back to room as kids under 18 were not allowed on the strip after 9PM.

Las Vegas has so much to see that you can can spend days walking up and down the famous strip just visiting hotels. Although, everything looked so close, once you start walking or driving on the crowded road the 10 minute distance took half an hour. Due to our time restraints, we could only visit a few hotels. They were all theme based and every hotel had something to offer.

The Venetian attracted us with its awesome interiors and tranquil atmosphere. It had  gondola boat rides that take you through calm canal waters underneath bridges, besides cafes in the Grand canal Shoppes. Then we walked to Caesars Palace. It was an ancient Rome themed hotel with columns and statues. There were picturesque fountains through out the premises and replicas of Italian monuments. The casino there was far better than others where I could not smell smoke.

The Forum shops at the Caesars Palace was also huge with high end stores and had everything you could ever want in a shopping avenue. Even though, we did not buy anything there, we enjoyed the beautiful architecture. At the end of the shopping center there was a huge water fountain where they played the show of Atlantis every hour. The back of the water fountain featured a large fish tank which had many cool looking fishes. Right near the forum shops was a huge coliseum where most of the singing shows happened.

The Luxor was the best looking hotel on the strip and it was Egyptian themed. My daughter wanted to see Criss Angel Believe show and so did I, so one night we went there. Criss angel does amazing things such as walking on water, that he could not do at the stage show but he still entertained us with his mind blowing tricks. Our seats were close and we got full effect of his illusions.

We loved shoe shopping at the Designer Shoe Warehouse on Rainbow Boulevard away from the strip. As we stepped into the store I was astonished to see rows and rows of shoes of every size and style. We actually found pretty decent shoes for fabulous prices.

We also went to see the Grand canyon, it was on my list of things to see in my lifetime. We had heard that south rim was more beautiful but with window of only one day we chose to go to the west rim which was located closest to Las Vegas. Weather was fine and we stopped at the Hoover Dam first, for a quick photo shoot. From there it took about an hour and half to reach Grand Canyon West Rim.

Upon arrival there we were not allowed to take private cars but were taken to three different lookout points on a shuttle bus. I must say, that the view of canyon was truly  amazing despite the high cost and a drive on an unpaved road of 12-14 miles.

Our first stop was Eagle point, where the sky walk is located. We really didn’t intend on going on the sky walk as cameras were not allowed, there were far better views of the vast canyon around us. The only drawback was that there were no railings to prevent people from falling over the edge and I felt nauseous ( above photo) to even look look down or get close to the edge for photographs.

Second stop was Guano Point, which we learnt was named after the mining of guano (bat droppings) a long time ago. There was a hill that you can climb and get the magnificent view of canyons from the top of the peak. Standing there made me marvel at the wonders of the nature.

Last stop was the fake, old fashioned native American town. The minute we walked in, a cowboy started shooting in our direction which was fun. It all seemed like a scene from a movie. There was a magician and a singer in the dance hall where we had our lunch. The food was really satisfying and good. Except for corn bread and chocolate chip cookies everything else was gluten free. We truly enjoyed our day at the canyon and if I ever do it again I would go for the helicopter ride to get  a chance to see the canyons from close quarters.

My post would not be complete on a food blog if I do not write about where I ate on my trip. It becomes more important when you are allergic or intolerant to certain foods. There were many eating places that offered gluten free menu and options, though it was difficult to decide where to eat. Some of the places where I ate lunch and dinner with my family and our friends were:-

Pop’s Pizza: They made gluten free pizza for me with  frozen vegetables. It wasn’t tasty but  good for first day’s lunch.

Mon Ami Gabi: French restaurant, gluten free menu, excellent food.

Chipotle: Mexican and Indian food is always a safe gluten free option. I can order their food with my eyes closed.

Buffet at Palm’s and Mandalay Bay: There were safe gluten free options ( you had to ask the chef, though) and I happily ended  my meal there with a dessert.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: It wasn’t any different from other locations, their prices are always affordable so we ate it twice there.

Breakfast was mostly on the go, such as yogurt and fruit. I also took a batch of biscotti and bars with me for my snack.

So, that was my trip of  Las Vegas away from gambling, drinking and night life. I am sure many who has been to Vegas have a very different experience and I would certainly like to  hear about that.