A night in Vegas — a great start for a 40th anniversary celebration

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called 40th Anniversary Roadtrip
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After celebrating Thanksgiving in Seattle, and before heading for our winter retreat in Mexico, we decided to do a short road trip.  This was really the beginning of a longer celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary.  The plan was to visit Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and then head to Disneyland!  Since we were going to be leaving for Puerto Vallarta from LAX, we decided to fly into Vegas and spend the night, rent a car, and after our visits, drop the car off at LAX.

We love Vegas, but always try to take it in small bites since it is always sensory overload.  This evening was no different.  First trying to get to Caesar’s Palace from the airport was a nightmare of wrong navigation directions from GPS and traffic that was truly awe inspiring.  After nearly missing our second pass by Caesar’s, I deftly broke some number of traffic rules and blew into the parking lot.  It seems like every time we have gone to Caesar’s Palace it has at least doubled in size.  After schlepping our bags through untold numbers of casino rooms, we tried to check in, only to find out that we had been upgraded to the Nobu Hotel, that was nearly back where we started from.  Anyway, we made it, the room and service were lovely, and we were off to explore and eat.

We ended up eating at Sushi Roku and enjoyed the chef’s Omakase tasting menu with ingredients from Japan, Australia, and the US.  So good!  We then walked through the Shops (where we experienced our first ever curving escalator) and out onto the Strip for an after dinner stroll.  Even at 11 pm, the sidewalks were absolutely mobbed, with a notable frenzy going on.  Anyway, we came back and listened to some music with a few drinks and retreated to the safety of our room.  The next morning, we were given equally bad direction advice from the Valet and GPS and, once again, spent 30 minutes joyriding, until we just went on instinct.  We were happy to put Las Vegas in the rear view mirror and looked forward to our journey to Death Valley!

An Omakase menu to die for, with ingredients from all over the world. Now all they need is a spell checker. How about a little “pumkin?”
But our “pumkin” bread pudding was served elegantly – the first of many anniversary celebration dinners!
After dinner, we walked around the mall to look at the eclectic shops. Every home needs one of these!
We then took a stroll out on the Strip. Even though it was near midnight, the sidewalks were still packed.
Bright lights, big city!
Ah, Vegas. A little something for everyone… Of course, this truck was followed by one from “girltoyourroom.com!” Luckily, I already had one!
This entry was posted in Nevada, Travel, United States
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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