Vegas with Baby & on a Budget -- Part 3

So again, we did not take baby to Vegas -- but we did manage to stay within our budget when it came to gambling, shopping and entertainment.

On the second night of our trip, we made reservations to eat at LAVO because Paul wanted to taste the one pound meatball he saw on the TV show, "Man vs. Food".
So we went.
LAVO is located inside the Palazzo Hotel & Casino, which is adjacent to the amazing Venetian. We decided to walk to LAVO from the Vdara. I was all made-up, dress & heels and since we had 1/2 hour to get there I figured, why spend money on a taxi cab? So we walked (bad idea).
Well, we arrived late but fortunately, they still honored our reservation and even gave us front-of-the-line tickets to stay and dance the night away with DJ Paul Oakenfold (the offer was there for people who purchased two entrees at the restaurant).

LAVO's amazing one-pound meatball!

The one pound meatball did not disappoint. It was delicious. It had whipped ricotta cheese and just the right amount of spices and tomato sauce to make it deliciously gooey and tasteful. He was a happy man. I ended up ordering a salmon dish which was also very good. For dessert, we were recommended the strawberry cheesecake so we went for it.

 

After a long night of dinner and dancing, we decided to walk back to our hotel (again) and on our way there, I bumped into this little pink vending machine that sold flat shoes on the go (Emergency Footwear)!!! This is available so that ladies like myself who simply could no longer walk in heels, deposit a crisp $20 bill and after selecting shoe size and color, a new pair of flats is dispensed allowing for one to walk comfortably the rest of the way. Genius, right?

The next day in Vegas, we had an early morning work out and felt like Mexican food for lunch. So we walked to the Aria and discovered Javier's... I had a lunch that was yummy, delicious and nutritious-- the chicken breast with poblano pepper. Paul went for the enchiladas. From there, we explored the strip where I found an pigeon-shaped chair outside of the Aria (clever) and posed for a picture. We also learned that the new Cirque du Soleil show, Zarkana, was dark that week (booo)... but we made it to the Bettie Page Store where I wanted to buy everything!

View of Javier's from the Aria Casino Floor

Decent Menu of Imported Beer & Spirits

At the Bettie Page Store I tried on a cute flower print dress but they didn't have my size. Paul was gracious to patiently wait outside the fitting room as he checked on his sports bets.

The dresses here are so elegant & classy!

The Bettie Paige clothing store is a real treat to those of us who love the pin-up culture...there's actually a shop located here in L.A. but the Vegas store is just so unique!
Later that afternoon, we headed to the Bellagio for dinner at Yellowtail to try the famous filet mignon roll.
On our way there, we stopped to check out the world's biggest chocolate fountain, which is a great activity for kids... :-) This fountain allows for white, medium and dark confectionary grade liquid chocolate to flow through more than 500 feet of stainless steel piping. The chocolate rises 27 feet from the lower level pump room and it took 2 years to engineer, plan and design... the only thing missing were the oompa-loompas :-)

A few steps from the chocolate fountain is the Bellagio's Majestic flower display. It's whimsy, colorful and beautiful...another place where children love to hang out! It's far enough from the casino floor to remain fresh and smoke-free and a visual treat for all ages. Benny would have been intrigued to be here.

The flower display change every season. This time around, the summer exhibit offered giant birds, a Chanel Perfume display frame and this cutesy little (giant) snail that was made with approximately 1,500 cut flowers.

Snail Flower Detail

Incredibly gorgeous... I love flowers.  The last leg of our trip, including dinner at the Yellowtail and breakfast at Hash house a go-go will be posted tomorrow!