Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008

Vegas aftermath

A little recap...

Las Vegas was incredible. I can't stress that enough. When I was about 15, I went bungee jumping off Circus Circus. Ever since then I've associated fun with Vegas. Eight years later and it hasn't let me down.

If you have the means, definitely stay at the Palazzo. Originally we wanted to stay at the Bellagio and rent out the Penthouse with a connecting room. Honestly, the price wasn't that bad for a weekday, but the following day it went from $400 to about a thousand. I'm a writer, not a Vegas stripper; I can't afford those kinds of things.

Fortunately, I browsed the suites at the Palazzo (we still wanted a suite). It looked beautiful and it was beautiful. It's probably not that fantastic, but to me, the architecture in Vegas is simply astounding. I was constantly in awe. There were fountains everywhere, with tons of pennies inside. At the very end of our trip, the remaining three girls made wishes as we tossed some into the connecting fountain between the Palazzo and the Venetian.

The second reason people go to Vegas (besides gambling) is the food. Food is everywhere, especially little dessert shops. Tons of gelato is sold, but for really expensive prices. A small cup averaged around $8. Sorry, but $8 could get me a much needed sandwich at 5 a.m.

As much as I don't enjoy buffets, I really loved Cravings inside the Mirage. It had a little bit of everything - especially Asian food. Steamed bows, fried dumplings, raw sushi...prime rib. I was in heaven. As expected, I only ate one plate, but in all fairness, I did finish my plate. I'm not big on collecting a lot, taking one bite, then collecting some more. Sure, it's Vegas, but I still can't bring myself to waste food. I do that enough already. And yes, that is a big pear and bananas on top of bacon and pork chops.

SushiSamba took my breathe away with their food. The plates were simple distorted glass, while the food laid on top of banana-leaf type of foliage. "Steph" and I ordered the Pacific Roll which consisted of King crab, avocado and pear. The three green dots are some kind of wasabi mixture. Those five slices cost $17...ouch. But luckily we all shared...unluckily it was still small servings. But that's what makes it couture, right? RIGHT? Don't answer that.

For dessert we ordered this fondue that had a little bit of everything. Coconut-covered marshmallows, angel food cake, blackberries, green tea ice cream...you get the idea. Again, small servings, but really great taste.

My bosses would be proud - I ordered a glass of wine during one dinner. Steph got Pino gris, "Jasmine" ordered Pino noir, "Sophie" got a Chardonnay while I ordered a Muscat. It was sweet and bubbly. The waiter came over to check on just me, asking if I was enjoying my glass. I enthusiastically said "yes" as the other girls pouted they wished they ordered what I had.

Our meal came with breadsticks, or cheesesticks. They were thin sticks, that's all I knew, that were edible. Towards the end of our meal, I was pretty buzzed and was thinking that if we had these breadsticks later, it would help soak up the excess alcohol. I quickly began breaking the sticks in half and stuffing them into my purse. Unfortunately, the next morning I opened my purse to discover them, stale. I laid them on a counter next to the bed and slowly throughout our stay, they began disappearing. It wasn't until the last night when we were taking shots in our hotel that Sophie exclaimed, breadstick in hand, "These make the best chasers!!" Mystery solved.

I don't think I have consumed that much alcohol in a long time. I've always been a lightweight since my tolerance is low. In college I discovered I had acid reflux and had to take medication. If I got cold or nervous, my reflux kicked in, making it really hard to shoot back a couple shots. After college I contracted tuberculosis while in South Korea and couldn't drink any alcohol for nine months. So while in Vegas, "Alaina" pleaded with me to drink more than I'm used to simply so she could see what I was like totally smashed. Needless to the say, I complied.

We took tons of crazy pictures, because that's what you do in Vegas, right? If the Naked Cowboy came down from New York, I would totally take some raunchy pictures with him and I'm pretty sure the other girls would, too. You just feel more free in Vegas, which makes me see why it'd be easy to get carried away there.

It's hard to refrain from running up to something and wanting to have your picture taken with it. For instance, this huge leaf garden inside the Mirage was amazing. There were these big tree creatures and their eyes moved. I wanted to pretend I was in Alice in Wonderland or maybe even Totoro and walk up to the creature and give it a hug, but the statues were gated off. Go figure.

I guess that's why we had so much fun at the wax museum. I got to touch the mannequins and just get creative with them. There was a giant Halo character, which I bet the guys love. I ran up and did a Princess Leia move, wrapping my arms around the soldier's leg. That place is made for climbing and using the props. I also married George Clooney...I'm still waiting for that picture.

The best was finding the restaurant Woo. How great is that? Usually I'm looking for restaurants called Lee since my grandmother owned her own restaurant. But now I'm becoming a Woo, so it was neat to see a restaurant with that name. I wanted to go in and ask them "Do you know who I am?!" and demand a table, but unfortunately they were closed when we walked by.