Air Conditioned Adventure Awaits!

The heat has arrived (oh joy). Our house has air conditioning, but when the temperature hits 95, our poor a/c unit struggles. It is better to seek out corporate air conditioning. Plus, Pippa and I go bat shit crazy if we stay inside all day. We also get bored if we frequent the same places over and over (see my Parks Project).

I started a Beat the Heat Cheat Sheet, but then got lazy and never finished it. I'm going to use it myself, but I doubt I will ever polish it to perfection. Instead, I am challenging myself to take Pippa to at least 25 awesome air conditioned places between now and the end of September and keep track of those places here. Without further ado...

1. Magical Playground - 7/5/14. My thoughts on this place are here in my Beat the Heat Cheat Sheet.
2. Petersen Automotive Museum - 7/6/14 - This was a fun place to wander around with Pippa and Nathan. My inner history buff loved the first floor dioramas that showed beautiful old cars in their natural habitats, so to speak. The entire third floor is a play area that Pippa enjoyed. This is definitely the place to bring a child obsessed with cars. Pippa is only mildly interested in cars, so I doubt we will rush back (unless the Model T suddenly replaces her obsession with dogs, monkeys and elephants).
3. IKEA - 7/7/14 - I assumed this would be either (a) an awesome outing or (b) a total fucking disaster. Yay, it was awesome! Pippa would have stayed in the children's section all day if I let her. We did not even have time to wander through the rest of the furniture floor, and Pippa would enjoy scaling the couches and chairs (and I would enjoy soaking up the design inspiration). Bonus: there is a Barnes & Noble across the street from the Burbank IKEA which we will have to make time to visit next time.
4. California Science Center - 7/8/14 - Love this museum! It's free, the adjacent lot is $10. There is so much to see that Pippa and I barely made a dent. We will be back soon soon soon.
5. Kidspace - 7/10/14 - so effin unbelievably awesome

Courtney's Big Ass Parks Project

I love taking Pippa to new parks, but it is so easy to get into a park rut and keep visiting the same two or three parks over and over and over. Then we both get bored and sick of the same effing slides and tunnels. If I visit the same park too frequently, it turns into A Place Where My Happiness Goes To Die. But if we visit an ass shit ton of parks, Pippa and I both have fun and crack up as we run around.

In order to avoid the Park Rut, I'm going to keep track of all the parks I visit. My goal is to visit 100 different parks by the end of the year. (I reserve the right to realize that I'm insane and extend the deadline.)

I thought a lot about whether this list may include indoor playgrounds and decided it may NOT. This is about parks with fresh air and birds. Most of them will involve playgrounds, but the point is to visit new outdoor places.

But I have another list in mind that will include indoor playgrounds.

Parks I Have Visited - Woot Woot!:

1. Singer Park - 7/5/14 - I have driven by this park at least 100 times and always thought that I should take Pippa there. Finally, this morning, I did and it was awesome. From the street, it looked ok, but once we parked and walked over, we could fully appreciate its awesomeness. It's shady in the morning, there are lots of different things to do, plenty of greenery, and there are fences to prevent little ones from bolting into traffic. We will definitely visit this gem again - but not too soon! I don't want to transform it into A Place Where My Happiness Goes to Die.
2. Brookside Park - 7/7/14 - The mother of all Pasadena parks.  There are not one but two playgrounds. Lots of open space for toddler adventures. The Rose Bowl Aquatic Center (which I still haven't visited - someday). And of course, there is Kidspace. Today we went to the Pirate Ship Playground behind the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. I know I will be tempted to include Brookside Park multiple times on this list since it feels like three different parks but I shall resist temptation!  
3. Memorial Park (the Sierra Madre edition) - 7/9/14 - A small SHADY park. The playground's main structure is simple, but Pippa played happily for 90 minutes.
4. Tournament Park - 7/14/14 (Bastille Day! And my brother's birthday!) - Tons of shade, Pippa wandered around listlessly thanks to some wicked teething; but the park is great so we will be back. I'm sure she will love the slides and sandbox when she is not in pain.
5. Mason Park - 7/15/14 - This was another miserable teething day. I had to drive around to help Pippa fall asleep and then schlepped to Chatsworth because I had read good reviews about this park and figured Pippa deserved a diversion from her gums.  The park is fantastic. Amazing playground, even more amazing splash pad. We shall return when Pippa's gums are not torturing her. Poor girl had zero interest in the splash pad, which is very uncharacteristic of her.
6. Eaton Canyon Natural Area - 7/17/14 - More teething, but since we were having a lovely reprieve from the summer heat, I decided it was time for some Nature. There is a little nature museum with some snakes and bugs in terrariums and turtles outside. There are also a ton of stuffed animals (by stuffed, I mean both "taxidermy" and "cute sewn teddy bears.") There is an easy nature walk, but my teething tot was not interested in walking. Also, there were signs warning about rattlesnakes and recent bear and mountain lion sightings. So yeah, we won't be going back any time soon! (Unless we have daddy to protect us from snakes, bear and lions - oh my!)
7. Vina Vieja Park - 7/20/14 - Another amazing Pasadena park, but this one has a bonus: there's a dog park! Pippa is obsessed with dogs and she loved watching the dogs romp around, and even got to pet a friendly chocolate Labrador; but she had even more fun at the playground. 
8. Victory Park - 7/21/14 - The toddler area is pretty shabby, but I still love this park.  Spectacular views of the mountains, lots of open space, shade, and Pippa loves the big kid playground.
9. Dunsmore Park - 7/21/14 - WOW! Love this place! The playgrounds are fun, clean and safe. There is a ridiculous amount of shade. And during the summer, on Mondays and Thursdays from noon-5, they fill up the little skating rink and turn it into a wading pool. It's FREE and only for kids 8 and younger.
10. Gwinn Park - 7/23/14 - No playground, just a big ass open green space with lots of pretty old trees. Perfect place for picnics, tossing a Frisbee, cloud gazing and letting a toddler explore the world. 

As of mid-July, I have visited seven different parks which means I have 27 weeks to visit 93 parks. That's 3.44 parks/week. Chop chop, I better get a move on!

    11.  Some park in Southampton - first half of August 2014 - Pippa and I spent two weeks in New York and visited the local park many times. We both loved it, especially the ducks. We need to find a local park with feathered friends.

    12.  Garfield Park - 8/16/14 - Love love love! Easy parking. Lots of trees and shade. Great playground for toddlers. The bathrooms REEK of death, despair and diarrhea, but we shall return.

Two weeks in Southampton slowed down this project, but we are back! Watch out parks, here we come!

    13.  Central Park - 8/17/14 - Love! I can't get over how many amazing parks are so close to home. Great playground and bonus, walking distance to Old Town. Win-win.

    14.  Lacy Park - 8/20/14 - Love the new playground but the slides were too hot to use - next time we'll go in the morning. But this park is spectacular. The grounds are so lovely to wander. Also, I saw a Mom Fight.

    15.  San Rafael Park - 8/21/14 - Great playground, tons of shade, but no restroom. And if your bladder is a time bomb like mine, you will appreciate what a liability this is.

This project is fun but ridiculous - how the effity eff am I supposed to visit 100 different parks in six months?? But I love visiting new parks - new people, new playgrounds, new neighborhoods fresh air, nature. So I will soldier on, for shits and giggles, just to see how badly I end up missing the mark.

Bandelier National Monument

On our last full day in New Mexico, we visited Bandelier National Monument. This is a must-visit monument for your inner-Indiana Jones. We started our visit with a walk along the Main Loop Trail, a 1.2 mile loop that starts from the main visitor's center. From the Main Loop Trail, you get to see cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and the remains of a village. 

The Main Loop Trail is a relatively easy hike, but it does involve a lot of stairs along narrow paths. This is not a place to take your infant or toddler! Also, the park rangers told us the trail was mostly shaded. That was a lie. We were usually walking in the full sun, and it was about 90 degrees when we were there. We drank two large water bottles while walking around the park.

Below you can see the remains of an abandoned village. The rooms were tiny, e.g. smaller than a celebrity's walk-in closet. I love being a Tourist Archaeologist and admiring the hard work of Real Archaelogists who have devoted years to digging in gruel heat. I myself have zero interest in hunting for pottery shards and trying to extrapolate an entire civilization's history from some petrified corn and a few broken bones. However, kudos to the archaelogists of the world - I admire your patience and diligence.

You can climb up ladders into the cliff dwellings. The residents built their structures in front of caves and used the caves as rooms. In one room, we could stand up and walk around. In another room, we could barely crouch. The caves do not have plumbing, electricity or cable.

Nathan snapped this photo as I was leaving the cave. About 20 seconds later, while stepping off the ladder, I tripped and scraped the sh** out of my right calf. It's amazing that I managed to get away with just a bad scrape. Given my clumsiness, I should have fallen off the ladder, broken my leg, and required an air lift out of the park.

As you can see from the remains below, the residents built their homes in front of the caves. Archaeologists believe the structures were accessed from the roof via ladders. In case of an attack, the women and children could hide inside and pull the ladders in after them. I'm really glad I live in a house with a front door. Can you imagine carrying your groceries up a ladder? (Although I suppose you would have very shapely calves).

Can you spot the petroglyph in the picture below? (Hint: it's a little man/alien in the dead center).

After visiting the main attractions, we continued on to the Alcove House. We hiked through the woods and discovered some of the alleged shade (it was still 90 degrees, shade or no shade).

To access the Alcove House, we had to climb 140 feet of ladders. No problem. (In case you missed it, I was being sarcastic. As we hiked to the ladders, I kept telling Nathan that I reserved the right to be a chicken and stay on the ground).

We had to climb four separate ladders. The rungs on the ladders were SO EFFING HOT. This is not something I could have done alone. I only managed the climb because Nathan was giving me encouraging pep talks throughout the ascent/descent.

Here is the Alcove House, as seen from below. When we reached it, my arms were shaking uncontrollably. Screw the stairmaster. You know what my gym needs? The LadderMaster.

I thought I was going to throw-up (from a combination of fear and exhauation), but the views were well worth the effort. (Please note: if I had slipped and fallen off the ladders, the views would not have been worth the effort). If you ever find yourself in the Santa Fe area, I highly recommend a visit to Bandelier National Monument. However, if you have even the slightest fear of heights, you should probably skip the Alcove House!

New Mexico!

Last month, Nathan and I visited New Mexico. We flew into Albuquerque  on a Friday and rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the mountain. The tram travels 2.7 miles to the top of a mountain, and the views are spectacular. At the highest point, we were about 7,000 feet above the ground (or, as the guide said, "about seven seconds on a bad day"). Riding the Tramway is probably the most adventurous thing I will ever do in my life, and that's okay (Swimming with sharks? Climbing a glacier? Skydiving? No thanks, no thanks, no thanks).

Then we drove about an hour to Santa Fe. The drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is about 5% pretty and 95% desolate wasteland. I was expecting lots of red glowing rocks and interesting geological formations. Instead, it was just a lot of flat land with scrubby plants - kind of like California's desert, but even more depressing.

But Santa Fe itself was wonderful. It's a foodie town and every meal we ate was delicious - especially our dinners at Il Piatto and Compound, and the outstanding pizza at Upper Crust. I thought Santa Fe was going to be all about Southwestern cuisine; and yes, there are plenty of chilis; but you can dine on many different types of cuisine as well (e.g. pizza). 

We stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the Plaza. If you go to Santa Fe, this is the thing to do. However, I can't recommend our hotel, because the mattress was utter crap.

On Saturday, we went to the Taos Pueblo, an interesting but depressing historical site. About 135 people still live in the Taos Pueblo - without plumbing, electricity or any modern comforts. According to our tour guide, the tribe has a patriarchal government. Translation: women are not allowed to hold political office. The poverty and patriarchal government depressed the hell out of me. 

Then, since we were in the area, we visited the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I was actually more spooked by our walk across the bridge than our ride on the aerial tram. I know, my fears make no sense. 

 

On Sunday, we spent the day wandering around Santa Fe. Locals sell turquoise trinkets and jewelry in front of the Palace of the Governors (pictured directly below). At 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, I decided to buy a necklace from an old lady. It cost $35. I gave her two twenties, but she did not have change. As a matter of principle, I refused to pay $40 for a $35 necklace. I took the money back and we walked away. Nathan later bought me a much more beautiful turquoise necklace from a proper shop (which I now wear nearly everyday). We still talk about the old lady. I was ready to pay $35 for the necklace! She had my money in her hand! She just let us walk away!  Holy crap, lady, it's 2012. If you don't take credit cards, you need to at least be prepared to make change for a twenty at 9:50 a.m.

Strands and wreaths of chili were for sale everywhere, but I did not see a single tourist walking around with the chilis. They were, however, lovely to admire.

There must be at least a hundred art galleries in Santa Fe, and every other store is selling turquoise or cowboy boots. The town was founded in the early 1600s, and you can just feel the history oozing from the buildings.  

We visited both the New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art. I highly recommend both.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing photos from our day trip to Bandelier National Monument, by far the best part of our New Mexico trip.

Until then: stay safe! where your sunblock! and make sure the batteries in your smoke detector are still working!

Hearst Castle!

Last weekend, Nathan and I finally made the pilgrimage to Hearst Castle, which is about five hours away from Pasadena (in between L.A. and San Francisco).  My family took two or three trips to Hearst Castle when I was growing up, but I have not been since my senior year of high school.  (Which, oh my god, was fifteen years ago.  I'm old).

This is how I like to describe Hearst Castle: it's a historical site; an art museum; a design/furniture museum; an architectural wonder;  a monument to wealth, capitalism and extravagance; a botanical garden; and a nature sanctuary; all rolled into one ridiculous package.

William Randolph Hearst built his "little ranch" on the top of a hill.  If you want to visit the Castle, you have to buy tickets for a tour at the visitor's center.  No tour, no castle.  A bus shuttles you to the Castle.  It's about a ten minute drive on a winding road, and the Castle and ocean views appear, disappear and reappear many times.  This is the same road that Hearst himself and his guests took when they were visiting the Castle.

I would need a helicopter or reliable jet pack to take a photograph of the entire 165 room estate (including the main castle, the three guest houses, gardens, outdoor pool, and tennis courts).  But I left my jet pack at home (and it's a very moody, unreliable brat), so I just took this photo for you.  It's the main entrance to the Castle.

The Castle is California's answer to the Palace of Versailles.  We first went on the Grand Rooms Tour and saw the Assembly Room, where people like Charlie Chaplin and President Coolidge played poker, the dining room, the billiard room, a sitting room, and the movie theater.  Every night, Hearst screened the latest Hollywood hit, and the staff watched the movie with the guests.  After dinner, the guests had to wait until the staff were finished cleaning up before the movie could start.

The dining room (below) is decorated with 600 year old Italian silk flags.  The tour guide is standing in front of Hearst's chair.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the table was always set with ketchup and mustard.

I love how the billiard room is decorated with a tapestry that belongs in the Met.

After the Grand Rooms Tour, we wandered around the gardens.  In the background of the photo below, you can see one of the guest houses.  (By the way, I'm wearing my Black Exercise Shame Pants, which are so stretched out of shape, Nathan was worried I'd trip over my own feet.  But we had a five hour car drive and I wanted to be comfortable!  Also, I'm perfectly capable of tripping over my feet at any time, no matter what I'm wearing).

This is my favorite statue in the gardens.  I call it "Greek Hottie Feeding An Ear of Corn To A Goat."

Then we sat down and admired the view.  If forced to live at Hearst Castle, I suppose I would eventually tire of the panoramic views of the Pacific coastline...

And the outdoor swimming pool.  I'd totally hate the outdoor pool after a few days...

Oh, who am I kidding?  Hearst's outdoor pool is my happy spot, and I would gladly pay $1000 just to swim there for an hour.  (The State of California owns and operates Hearst Castle, and this might be a good way to solve California's next budget crisis).  

Then we took the Cottages and Kitchen Tour.  Since we had made the trip to Hearst Castle, we figured we might as well take two tours. 

This piece of art was hanging in a tiny guest bedroom.  It's probably worth more than my house and all of its furnishings.

  

When Hearst was decorating the Castle, Egyptian antiquities were "the rage" so he bought these Egyptian statues for the garden.  For 3,000 years, the statues watched over the Nile River.  Now they watch over tourists and the Pacific Ocean.

Below is the pantry.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It's the pantry, not the kitchen.  (Please don't show this photograph to my pantry, its self-esteem is already low, seeing as it's just a collection of shelves).

We also saw Hearst's wine cellar, but it was too dark for good photos (flash photography is forbidden inside the Castle).  I expected a vast cavern that stretched under the entire estate, but the cellar was just two smallish rooms.  Yawn.

I was morally obligated to strike a pose when I saw Hearst Castle's version of the Kitchenaid stand mixer.  (I no longer resent my stand mixer for taking up a huge chunk of counter space).

Lastly, before catching a bus back to the visitor's center, we admired the indoor pool. 

Some random thoughts if you want to visit the Castle:

•  We bought our tickets online the day before our visit.  This guaranteed we got to take the tours we wanted, when we wanted. 
• There is perfectly acceptable lunch food at the Visitor's Center.  It's nothing fancy, but it's convenient.
• Strollers are not allowed!  If you have a little one, be prepared to schlep that child around.  The tours involve a lot of walking and stairs.
• I first visited the Castle in the fourth or fifth grade and loved it.  Nerdy ten year olds will appreciate the tour. 

The Omaha Zoo

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Nebraska for Nathan's cousin Lauren's wedding.  While we were there, we spent an afternoon at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.

Before I continue, let's get this out of the way:

As a Southern California native, I grew up assuming the San Diego Zoo is the greatest zoo in the world.  It does, after all, have pandas.  I've also visited the zoos in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, London, the Bronx and Central Park.  The Omaha Zoo does not have a panda, but it's still my favorite.

Nathan has taken me to the Omaha Zoo twice, and we have still not seen all the exhibits.  There are so many animals!  Many of the animals are outside like at a traditional zoo, but there are also enclosed "environments" like the Desert Dome and the Lied Jungle. 

(And, because I'm feeling really mature, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that I have not yet had a chance to visit the Grewcock Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, but I just want to mention the Grewcock Pavilion because it's called "Grewcock" and holy crap, how does anyone ever say that last name with a straight face?) 

My favorite part of the zoo is probably Skyfari, which is like a ski lift that crosses over the park.  You fly only about twenty or thirty feet above giraffes, monkeys, ostriches and other fun animals.  If you ever visit Nebraska, I highly recommend the Omaha Zoo.

Oh yeah, I might have gone crazy with my camera while we were there....

Disneyland!

Being a grown-up involves a lot of crappy stuff, like paying bills and taxes, but there are also perks, like going to Disneyland whenever you like. 

Last Sunday started like a normal Sunday.  We went to our favorite bagel shop for breakfast, played a lot of Mario Kart Wii, and grilled some chicken for lunch.  We were planning to swim and bum around the house after lunch, but then we decided to go to Disneyland.  BECAUSE THAT'S THE SORT OF CRAZY SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURERS WE ARE!  WE EVEN SOMETIMES GO TO NEW RESTAURANTS WITHOUT CHECKING YELP!  WE ARE WILD AND CRAZY - WATCH OUT!

We took a minor detour and Nathan got his First Annual Summer Buzz Cut at SuperCuts.  For a thirty-two year old man, Nathan has had an impressive full head of hair; but he has been talking about buzzing his hair off for the summer for a couple of years now.  The stylist looked to me for approval, but I did not try to knock the clippers from her hands.  We are both pleasantly surprised with how Nathan looks.  I just hope his hair grows back the same, and the buzz cut did not turn him into the next Carrot Top.

But I digress.  We left Pasadena around 1:10 p.m., encountered almost no traffic, and entered Disneyland around 2:30 p.m.  Between parking the car, riding the tram to the park, and buying tickets, we made good time.  If you live in the Los Angeles area and the park is open until midnight, I highly recommend this strategy.  The park will be crowded when you first arrive, but then around 8 p.m., it starts to empty.  So you get a normal day at Disneyland without the freeway traffic.

My second favorite ride at Disneyland used to be Star Tours, but the ride has been updated and the changes made my soul hurt.  First, the ride is now 3-d, but the 3-d vision did not improve the ride.  It just meant I had to wear stupid glasses.  What about patrons who are wearing glasses?  Are they supposed to wear the stupid 3-d glasses over their normal glasses?  Second, there are now dozens of different Star Tours experiences, so the ride will always be different.  In theory, this is a cool idea.  In practice, we were sent on an adventure inspired by A Phantom Menace AND I HATE THAT MOVIE SO EFFING MUCH.  As I was riding Star Tours, I just kept thinking about how much I hate George Lucas for taking a dump all over the Star Wars franchise.  It's hard to enjoy an amusement park ride when you are having bad flashbacks to Jar Jar Binks. 

I may never ride Star Tours again... but Space Mountain is still my favorite ride at any park.  And we rode twice!  All in all, we had a great trip to Disneyland and got to ride all of our favorite big kid rides, from Splash Mountain to Haunted Mansion, with one exception: the Matterhorn.  The Matterhorn was closed on Sunday, and it was also closed during our last visit in February 2012.  Apparently, I'm cursed, so if you want to ride the Matterhorn, don't go to Disneyland with me. 

A special message for Disneyland's Director of Operations: The entrance to Disneyland smelled like raw sewage on June 3, 2012, both when we arrived at 2:15 p.m. and when we left around 10 p.m.  Also, an alarming number of park patrons smelled like urine.  The Happiest Place on Earth should smell like unicorns and fairy dust, not urine, poop and vomit.  Please fix these problem, thank you.

A special message for the grown men wearing Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland: you look stupid.

Vegas Adventures

Last week, Nathan and I went to Las Vegas.  Even though I have lived in Southern California for almost my entire life, this was only my third trip to Sin City.  My first trip to Vegas was in June 1994 when I was 15 years old.  We were there for my oldest cousin's wedding, and for a 15 year old in 1994, Vegas sucked.  I was too young to drink or gamble and just felt really awkward. 

Then, I went to Vegas again about five or six years ago with a work friend for a girls' weekend.  Shortly after we arrived, my friend announced that she likes to gamble alone and then she ditched me in the casino.  I was left to my own devices.  I won about $80 from a slot machine, but it was otherwise the worst girls' weekend ever.  

So I had low expectations for last week's Vegas trip.  I assumed I would spend the entire trip feeling disoriented from the dim casino lights and ill from eating too much crappy food at overcrowded buffets.

But holy crap, we had so much fun.  I officially "get" Vegas.

We drove from Pasadena to Vegas last Wednesday morning.  By "we drove," I mean "Nathan drove and I sat in the passenger seat taking photos."  It was a rainy day, and for about five minutes, it snowed.  Fun fact: in the past 4 months, Nathan and I have been in two snowstorms, both in Southern California (the first was during our November 2011 Palm Springs trip). 

Do you watch Pawn Stars on the History Channel?  That is one of our favorite t.v. shows.  Before we even checked into our hotel, we visited Gold & Silver Pawn of Pawn Stars fame.  The stars of the show (Rick, the Old Man, Big Hoss and Chumlee) were all on vacation (boo), but it was still cool to actually walk into the shop.  It was a lot smaller than I expected it to be, and not a lot of merchandise was for sale.  About half the shop is devoted to souvenirs for the show, e.g. Chumlee t-shirts and Old Man shot glasses. 

After paying our respects to Pawn Stars, we went to Circus Circus, hoping to see one of the free circus shows.  We did not get to see a show, but we walked around the midway and discovered a carnival game with the best prizes ever: Minions!!!  (If you do not recognize the minions, go watch Despicable Me immediately if not sooner).  Nathan won me a mid-sized minion, and it is now proudly displayed on our living room sofa.

Next stop: the Bellagio!  Nathan booked us a room online for the cheapest price available, and then he bribed tipped the front desk clerk $40 for an upgrade.  The clerk gave us a room on the 28th floor with amazing views.  Not only did we have views of the Strip, but we were the last room on the floor, which meant we were the corner room and had views of the Strip in both directions.  Best bribe tip ever.

In addition to the usual shampoo and lotion, the Bellagio provides a complimentary loofah for its guests.  How bitching is that?  (And yes, the complimentary loofah is now in my shower at home).

We had an unobstructed view of the Paris hotel, which is across the street from the Bellagio.  I don't know which I like better, the late afternoon view of Paris:

Or the nighttime view:

But the best part of our rooms at the Bellagio was our view of the fountains.  Before we left, Nathan told me the Bellagio fountains are really impressive.  I imagined the fountains would be like something you see at a fancy mall.  Wrong.

The fountains are HUGE and they can do all sorts of tricks.  They can act like a geyser and blast water 30 stories into the air; but they also delicately twirl water around like graceful dancers.  The shows are synchronized to music, like Elvis/Viva Las Vegas, Sinatra/Luck Be A Lady, the Star Spangled Banner, Andrea Bocelli/Time to Say Goodbye, Michael Jackson/Billie Jean, and Copland/One of His Famous Uplifting Pieces. 

Here you can see the fountain apparatus underwater.  As you can see, this is not your average shopping mall fountain!

And here are the fountains, in action.  I cannot say enough about the Bellagio fountains.  They are beautiful and inspiring.  Think of the best fireworks display you ever saw, and then merge that with the best ballet performance ever, and then make that aquatic.  That's what the Bellagio fountain shows are like.  

At night, the shows are lit up and run every fifteen minutes.  During our first night in Vegas, Nathan and I felt like we were "slaves to the fountains."  We were tired and just wanted to zone out and watch television, but every fifteen minutes, we crawled out of bed to watch the next fountain show.  We could not, in good conscience, lie in bed while one of the Modern Wonders of the World was right outside our hotel window.

The Bellagio also has a beautiful conservatory that was decorated for Chinese New Year.

 

Despite what my photos may suggest, we did not spend our entire trip at the Bellagio.  We ate some amazing meals at other casinos, including one of the best Italian dinners of my life at Rao's.  And don't even get me started on the breakfast buffet at Paris' Le Village Buffet - I ate a crepe that is easily one of the five best things I have ever eaten in my life.  We also went to the top of the Stratosphere and walked around the Venetian's "canals." 

We were in Vegas for about 36 hours, and we gambled for about a total of 20 or 30 minutes (playing a Deal or No Deal slot machine - we won $3).  We also only had two drinks each.  So, we did not exactly have the Hangover or Swingers Vegas experience.  But so what?  We had fun, just in our own Vegas way.  I cannot wait to go back!