rncheryl

Just back from 3 days in Vegas with college roommates from The Dark Ages. Two of us have kept in touch for years, the other, not so much. The years melted away as we arrived from Columbus Ohio, Ft. Lauderdale and San Antonio met at the airport. Lets just say lots of folks reacted to our screaming, shrieking, hugging reunion. Lots of smiles and tears.

We stayed at Bellagio, a room on 24th floor overlooking the fountains. What a great hotel: friendly staff, exceptional cleanliness, comfortable beds. The Conservatory was awash in fall foliage.

Good meals at Mix at The Hotel at the Mirage; Wolfgang Puck cafe at the MGM Grand. Breakfasts were nice at the Italian place in NYNY and at the Paris; really good at Cafe Bellagio. Not so good late nite meal at the Wynn, though the hotel itself was lovely.

Evening events were Jersey Boys at the Palazzio (I had seen on Broadway, but this was a close second) and Ka at MGM (Cirque). Some great effects; I preferred "O", but my friends loved it. Also had a great time (What I can remember!! at Napoleon's Dueling Pianos at Paris)
We walked a million miles the first day, but then discovered The Deuce, and rode everywhere up and down the Strip.

Rode over to Freemont Street, but did not feel comfortable staying there past sundown.

Have been told that gaming revenues are down 20%. We skewed that by spending about $10 each. We did make up for that in liquor revenues, though.

It has been about 8 years since I was last there: the Strip has changed a lot, with construction having changed the sights. What will happen if the economy continues to decline??

In conclusion: we would have had a fabulous time anywhere, but what better than Las Vegas?

Now, where to go next year>

Would welcome your suggestions

maryanntex

Try Santa Fe next year.

FainaAgain

From one arthritic person to another Have you been to Portland, OR? You'll love this beautiful city, public transport will take you anywhere, even to/from the airport.

We stayed at Hotel 50, this is approximately the area you want to be - by the river, restaurants, MAX line, within "free zone".

And it's easy on knees, feet, hips, and all other joints

suze

LOVE the title of your post!

LoveItaly

Hello mcherly, how wonderful you and your friends could meet in Las Vegas and have a fun and wild time!

Faina's idea of Portland OR is a good one. Easy walking, good public transportation and a fun laid back city. Great restaurants too!

rncheryl

Hey, friends!!

Putting Portland and Santa Fe both in my Google University homework for next year!!

What could be better than some place new with your old friends,.

Skiergirl

That sounds like a really fun and awesome time. I just had my 20th high school reunion last month and had so much fun reconnecting with old friends. Now with Facebook I am talking with people I haven't spoken to in ages, some of whom want to go on trips and reconnect. One friend and I were talking about Santa Barbara with a side shopping trip to LA. If it were me I'd pick skiing anytime but what about Chicago? Such good food, shopping, walking, the lake, etc. I always love to hear about old friends who reconnect after years, and how it only feels like a day has passed since you last saw one another.

Wasn't Jersey Boys TERRIFIC? I saw it here in NYC too-loved it!!!!

dfnh

great trip report, mcheryl! Four of us have been tripping yearly for quite a few years starting out as a get away weekend for young mothers. *ahem* we are grandmothers now. Usually we do a driving vacation but splurge every few years. Montreal and New Orleans were highlights. NYC and Boston have great theater choices.

rncheryl

Thanks to all of you,

DFNH: love that transition from new mom to "Grandma" trips. I love these women with all my heart. We know each other's secrets and it is so empowering to be with them and not have to hold anything back or temper your words.

I was thinking of Montreal as well as we are Francophiles but cant afford the real France.

dfnh

We haven't tried Toronto yet but it's on our to do list. All 4 of us loved Montreal. That's where we went to our first dim sum restaurant. This may sound silly but visited the botanical gardens on a Saturday and discovered that it was a popular place for wedding photos. It was fun seeing the bride's maids outfits which were quite different from what we saw at home ... although on Veteran's Day weekend in New Orleans we were quite surprised that the local Ferrari club did a run through the French Quarter. The police had streets blocked off for the event. That's the fun of visiting a different place. Discovering. Keep track of where you go and when. We did not although we finally identified all the places we visited. We just aren't sure what year. I identified Cape Cod because I drove our new minivan which was the first model year 1984 but we'll have to do some internet research to figure out when we were in Newport ... the America's Cup race had run longer than expected and we almost didn't get our hotel room. We might not have started our weekend escape except we tried meeting for dinner with our husbands in tow. The husbands went to different high schools and didn't really know each other. One complained about listening to the same old stories over and over ... J looked at him and said, well next year you aren't invited.
Worked out great.

SAnParis2

Based on the timing of your trip, you'll not be able to beat Key West. The weather is perfect & rates are good (rates usually go up around the middle of December).