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Always Packed for Adventure!

It's the destination and the journey.

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2nd Anniversary Trip- Serendipity, Donkey and Jubilee

Two celebrity chef restaurants in a row? Why not? On Monday, we slept-in and ate brunch at Caesar's Palace in Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill. It was burgers and fries ( I mean chips) for both of us. This is definitely the place for a fancy, high quality burger. The decor is fun too, a low-rent Timothy Oulton. 

I had been dropping hints all weekend that I wanted a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3. I've made the home version from a packet mix many times, but I had never actually drank one at the restaurant. We go to Vegas all of the time, but this experience had been eluding me, until now! Stars aligned, we shared one of their signature drinks at the outdoor bar. 

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We demolished it in five minutes. Heaven.

A cute picture outside of Caesar's Palace. 

We went to Red Rock Canyon in search of wild burro. It was very, very windy.

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We found one burro. He was our friend, until he realized that we didn't have food for him.

In the evening, we cleaned up for our big anniversary night out.

It started with Jubilee, Bally's long-running, old-style Vegas topless revue show. That was a mouthful! Here are a few pictures that we took the day before. 

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I have no idea what I expected the show to be, as any expectations were immediately erased by the experience of Jubilee. We got prime seats, right in center, in the second row of tables. This was far too close. Jubilee is a grand spectacle and needs to be viewed from a bit of a distance. There was just no way to take it all in up-close. The theater is small, so even the back row would feel close to the action. 

Jubilee has an identity crisis. One moment, there are singers doing jazz standards, the next dancers doing a Samson and Delilah sketch, then all of a sudden, they are on the Titanic as they crash into the iceberg, there's a bit of tap-dancing, some guys doing the robot, boobs, feathers, sequins, et...Nothing is cohesive. Sometimes it's serious, like a segment with beautiful ballet dancing, but most of the time it's just corny. 

The show is awesomely-bad. I was shaking from trying to contain my giggles. It's completely ridiculous. Christopher Guest is in on this, I'm certain. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't talent or enthusiasm on the stage. All of the performers were very talented, I just had to think that Jubilee is where their dreams went to die. It's so bad. 

The other amazing aspect of the show was the clear tension between the two lead female singers. When each was individually in the spotlight, they shone, but the minute it was the other's turn, the one that was in partial shadows shot daggers at the one performing. They seemed to try to "out-sing" each other. This competitive/hate had nothing to do with their characters or a theme of the show. It was utterly compelling. When we walked out of the theatre, Dan had noticed it too, and said that they need to make a behind the scenes reality show of the Jubilee cast. Brilliant.

We splurged for dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. This restaurant has the best views of the strip. Giada pales in comparison. We were given a table for two by the window. Here was our view. Spectacular.

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We went with the tasting menu, which included bison, lobster, and foie gras. Delicious, but so filling that we barely made it to the dessert. Dan even did the wine pairing and cheese course. 

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Our server, who was the absolute best, even brought us a bonus dessert. 

Our second anniversary vacation was a success! 

tags: Serendipity 3, Serendipity 3 Las Vegas, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Frozen Hot Chocolate at Home, Frozen Hot Chocolate Serendipity 3, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill Las Vegas, Best Burgers in Las Vegas, Celebrity Chefs in Vegas, Red rock Canyon, Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas, Tourist Red Rock Canyon, Pictures of Red Rock Canyon Nevada, Wild Burros Red Rock Canyon, Views of Red Rock Canyon, The Wild Burros in Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Must-Do List, Las Vegas Anniversary Vacation, Las Vegas Shows, Las Vegas on a Budget, Jubilee Las Vegas, Topless Show Las Vegas Jubilee, Did Christopher Guest Direct Jubilee, Jubilee Theatre Bally, Where to Sit for Jubilee, Jubilee Costumes Ballys, Jubilee Reality Show Vegas, Ballys Reality Show, Titanic Scene in Jubilee, Samson and Delilah Sketch Jubilee, Tap Dancing Jubilee, Ballet Jubilee, Awesomely-Bad Jubilee, Awesomely-Bad Vegas Shows, Old Style Vegas Revue Show Jubilee, Eiffel Tower Las Vegas, Eiffel Tower Restaurant Las Vegas, Best View in Las Vegas Eiffel Tower Restautant, Most Romantic Restaurant in Vegas Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Special Occasion Restaurants Las Vegas Eiffel Tower, Giada Cromwell Las Vegas, Jubilee Cast Singers Hate Each other, Singers in Jubilee, Views from Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Tasting Menu Eiffel Tower Restaurant Las Vegas, Pictures Eiffel Tower Restaurant Las Vegas, Foie Gras Las Vegas, Bison Las Vegas, Wine Pairing Eiffel Tower Restaurant Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bellagio Fountains, View of Bellagio Fountains from Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Eiffel Tower Restaurant Anniversary Dessert
categories: Eat, Watch, Visit
Thursday 11.26.15
Posted by Karen Lea Germain
 

Las Vegas March 2014- Silverton Casino

Our Las Vegas must-do list always includes a stop to the Bass Pro Shop. In a city where everything is large than life, nothing is quite as spectacular as the Bass Pro Shop. It's a spectacle. The store is located adjacent to the Silverton Casino and on our Christmas trip, we spent a little time gambling in the hotel. When I say little, I mean little. It didn't take a whole lot to have the offers of free rooms, slot tournaments and dining credit come our way. We decided to take them up on an offer during a weekend in March.

Silverton has a nature/lodge theme, with wood beams and wildlife art. The theming of the Bass Pro Shop spills over into the theme of the hotel. It's cozy. We liked the decor of the casino and anticipated that it would carry over to the rooms.

This is a small hotel and we were given a room on the top floor with a partially obstructed pool view. Our room was basic, but it met all of our needs. Did I mention that it was free? 

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The bath tub was too small and shallow for a proper bath. I loved that they featured Bath and Body Works products. Rainkissed leaves smelled wonderful. 

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My favorite part of the room was the reading material. What other hotel are you going to get this?

Our room had a funky smell when we arrived, but it was late and we didn't call to complain. The next day, we noticed the smell when we came back from the pool. It was awful. We called and within ten minutes a nice woman from housekeeping came to the rescue. We were moved to an identical room, minus the smell and she gave us a handful of vouchers for our trouble.

Every single staff member that we encountered at Silverton was super friendly and helpful. Seriously, they were giving Disney a run for their money in the customer service department. 

This was first really warm weekend of the year and I was very excited to use the pool. We practically had the pool to ourselves. It was too early in their season to have staff working the pool area, so no cocktail service. The pool is tiny and a concrete jungle. It wasn't very nice and I can't even imagine it on a busy day. The pool complex desperately needs an upgrade.

We had food credit and coupons, so we tried several of the restaurants. I was most impressed with the cafe, which has good quality food with a wide selection. It's inexpensive and the restaurant is pretty with a continued nature theme. I was less than impressed with the buffet, especially steer clear of "Polynesian Night." Ick. 

The best spot in the hotel is at the Mermaid Bar, which has chairs facing a giant aquarium. It's mesmerizing. Several times during the day, the aquarium has shows with women dressed as mermaids, who swim with the fish, sharks and stingrays. They have a smaller aquarium with beautiful jellyfish.

We enjoyed our stay at Silverton, but it doesn't compare to staying on the strip. Silverton is a much quieter casino that attracts both an older crowd and large families with young children. We fit in neither category. Since the pool is a disappointment, it's not really a warm weather hotel. We found ourselves leaving the Silverton frequently to get to the strip for entertainment and better food options. The hotel is clean and safe, but very basic. You can't beat staying for free, but I wouldn't pay more than fifty-sixty a night for a room here. That said, if you have a car, it's probably cleaner and nicer than comparable hotels on the strip. Plus, it has the best staff in Vegas!


tags: Silverton Hotel and Casino, Silverton Las Vegas, Silverton Las Vegas Review, Where to Stay in Las Vegas, Las Vegas Off The Strip Silverton, Las Vegas on a Budget, Bass Pro Shop, Bass Pro Shop Las Vegas, Cowboys and Indians Magazine, Bath and Body Works Rainforest Leaves, Bath and Body Works Products Silverton Hotel, Customer Service Like Disney Silverton Casino, Silverton Casino Buffet Polynesian Night, Silverton Casino Mermaid Bar, Live Mermaids, Mermaids at the Silverton Casino Aquarium, Mermaids in Las Vegas, Jellyfish at the Silverton Casino, Best Aquarium in Las Vegas, Las Vegas Must-Do List, Bath and Body Works rainkissed leaves
categories: Sleep, Visit
Saturday 05.30.15
Posted by Karen Lea Germain
 

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