Thankfully, the last few days in Vegas were pleasantly uneventful. The day following our day full of adventure was the last day for the baseball bunch. Their flight didn't leave until 6 p.m., so there was still time to squeeze the most out of Vegas. Unfortunately for me, that meant I had to do laundry because I still had over a week of vacation to go. I also used the time when the boys were enjoying a breakfast buffet, compliments of the hotel thanks to Coach T for asking for some kind of compensation for the boys being stuck in the elevator, to start loading up my car with all of my crap. On the way back from the parking garage I ran into a group of the baseball boys, "good morning aunty," they said to me. "Aunty." I have a hard time swallowing the fact that I can be an "aunty" to a 16-year old. Prior to this trip, it was acceptable for me to be called "aunty" by the oldest of my friend's children (so we're talking pre-teens). 
But now I guess I have to expand the acceptable level of aunty-ness to anyone who hasn't graduated from high school yet. I'm getting old.
After we loaded up the cars with everyone's luggage, we headed off to Boulevard Mall for some last minute shopping since there was time to kill. It was sad. This used to be one of my favorite "regular" (i.e. non-outlet) malls in Vegas, as well as Elastagirl's. But a lot of the shops have since closed, probably due to the economy as well as because there are so many other malls now. It wasn't nearly as crowded as it used to be several years ago. Nonethel
ess, the boys still managed to find a few last minute items, and it was a good place to grab a bite to eat. I've always seen the Chicken Company around, but didn't think much of it, and I don't really eat much chicken anyway. However, I tried a sample of their grilled chicken and it was good! Someone commented that the garlic chicken is good, so I ordered the spicy garlic chicken with tossed salad. What I like about this place is you can just order one meat and one side order - they didn't force you to order more than you really wanted.
After the mall, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, the baseball gang home to Hawaii, and me embarking on the solo part of my trip. I would be spending another two nights in Vegas at Treasure Island on my own for some fun and relaxation.
I went to check in at Treasure Island, now known as "TI," and found myself in a nice room on the 24th floor overlooking the Strip and the pirate show area. That night I was going to see "Love" at The Mirage, a Cirque du Soleil show based on music by the Beatles. I was in search of food prior to the show and stumbled across a place in The Mirage called Onda, an Italian restaurant and wine bar. I wasn't that hungry and I was in a relative hurry, so I ordered a Caesar salad and an antipasti platter, along with a glass of wine. The Caesar salad was good, although a bit overdressed, and I especially enjoyed the accompanying parmesan crisp. The antipasti platter was excellent with a couple of Italian meats, a couple of cheeses, and some roasted veggies. What i
ntrigued me most were what I found out were roasted baby carrots.
After dinner I head
ed to the show. The layout of the theater is very unusual. Although there were a couple of technical glitches in the beginning that caused the show to be interrupted and paused for a few minutes, the show was amazing! While Beatles music is always good, what particularly impressed me were the effects used in the show. I don't want to give away anything because if you go, you should go without any expectations of what will occur, but suffice it to say that it is very good and I don't think anyone can deny the impact of the effects and feats on the audience, regardless of how you feel about the Beatles.
The next day I had myself booked for an almost-4-hour spa package at the TI spa, Wet. The facilities exceeded my expectations. While I haven't experienced that many spas, the most memorable one for me is the Spa at the Grand Floridian in Disney World. Wet, while different in theme, was a very nice, very large facility. Some of the reviews I read made it sound like it was really small. I have no idea what those people are talking about - if Wet is small, I can't imagine what "large" is!
In any case, I booked the Autograph package which includes a massage, facial, pedicure, and manicure, in that order, all with separate therapists and aestheticians. I had Charlene for my massage, which was okay. Some parts were really good, but some were just "okay." She did a really good job on my shoulders though, which I told her were probably my biggest problem area. I really enjoyed Linda, who did the facial. Kim did my pedicure, and she didn't have the best personality, but she did a good job - although this was my very first pedicure, so I have nothing to compare it too! She was pleasant enough, but didn't seem as skilled at making conversation. Finally, Sonia did my manicure. Sonia was extremely good at making conversation, and I enjoyed talking to her. She did a good job on my nails too, but again, this was my first manicure. I decided that I'm not a girly girl and manicures for the most part are probably wasted on me. That was only about 5 days ago and already the nail polish has begun to peel off - but I blame myself since I'm not dainty and careful about my nails.
After the spa I went to Canter's Deli in the hotel and ordered a pastrami sandwich on rye served with fries and a pickle spear. Everything was
very good! That night I had a ticket to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian. I didn't have much time for dinner, so I just had an antipasto salad in the Venetian food court, which was pretty good.
"Phantom" was also excellent! I am partial to "Phantom" sin
ce it is my favorite play and I love the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, but this performance was exceptional in every way. The actors were terrific, but I would go again just to see the theater. I booked a seat in the front row of the mezzanine, so I had an excellent view of some of the effects. Most people know about the chandelier, but there are other effects that occur that are amazing, and even the chandelier is probably nothing like you've ever seen.
If you decide to see shows in Las Vegas, especially in the near future, try checking the hotels' websites for special deals. I got 25% off both shows that way. I think Vegas shows are hurting too, so they're offering some really good deals.
That's about it for the Vegas portion of my vacation. The next day I left Las Vegas and began my California Adventure. Stay tuned...
But now I guess I have to expand the acceptable level of aunty-ness to anyone who hasn't graduated from high school yet. I'm getting old.After we loaded up the cars with everyone's luggage, we headed off to Boulevard Mall for some last minute shopping since there was time to kill. It was sad. This used to be one of my favorite "regular" (i.e. non-outlet) malls in Vegas, as well as Elastagirl's. But a lot of the shops have since closed, probably due to the economy as well as because there are so many other malls now. It wasn't nearly as crowded as it used to be several years ago. Nonethel
ess, the boys still managed to find a few last minute items, and it was a good place to grab a bite to eat. I've always seen the Chicken Company around, but didn't think much of it, and I don't really eat much chicken anyway. However, I tried a sample of their grilled chicken and it was good! Someone commented that the garlic chicken is good, so I ordered the spicy garlic chicken with tossed salad. What I like about this place is you can just order one meat and one side order - they didn't force you to order more than you really wanted.
After the mall, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, the baseball gang home to Hawaii, and me embarking on the solo part of my trip. I would be spending another two nights in Vegas at Treasure Island on my own for some fun and relaxation.
I went to check in at Treasure Island, now known as "TI," and found myself in a nice room on the 24th floor overlooking the Strip and the pirate show area. That night I was going to see "Love" at The Mirage, a Cirque du Soleil show based on music by the Beatles. I was in search of food prior to the show and stumbled across a place in The Mirage called Onda, an Italian restaurant and wine bar. I wasn't that hungry and I was in a relative hurry, so I ordered a Caesar salad and an antipasti platter, along with a glass of wine. The Caesar salad was good, although a bit overdressed, and I especially enjoyed the accompanying parmesan crisp. The antipasti platter was excellent with a couple of Italian meats, a couple of cheeses, and some roasted veggies. What i
ntrigued me most were what I found out were roasted baby carrots.
After dinner I head
ed to the show. The layout of the theater is very unusual. Although there were a couple of technical glitches in the beginning that caused the show to be interrupted and paused for a few minutes, the show was amazing! While Beatles music is always good, what particularly impressed me were the effects used in the show. I don't want to give away anything because if you go, you should go without any expectations of what will occur, but suffice it to say that it is very good and I don't think anyone can deny the impact of the effects and feats on the audience, regardless of how you feel about the Beatles.The next day I had myself booked for an almost-4-hour spa package at the TI spa, Wet. The facilities exceeded my expectations. While I haven't experienced that many spas, the most memorable one for me is the Spa at the Grand Floridian in Disney World. Wet, while different in theme, was a very nice, very large facility. Some of the reviews I read made it sound like it was really small. I have no idea what those people are talking about - if Wet is small, I can't imagine what "large" is!
In any case, I booked the Autograph package which includes a massage, facial, pedicure, and manicure, in that order, all with separate therapists and aestheticians. I had Charlene for my massage, which was okay. Some parts were really good, but some were just "okay." She did a really good job on my shoulders though, which I told her were probably my biggest problem area. I really enjoyed Linda, who did the facial. Kim did my pedicure, and she didn't have the best personality, but she did a good job - although this was my very first pedicure, so I have nothing to compare it too! She was pleasant enough, but didn't seem as skilled at making conversation. Finally, Sonia did my manicure. Sonia was extremely good at making conversation, and I enjoyed talking to her. She did a good job on my nails too, but again, this was my first manicure. I decided that I'm not a girly girl and manicures for the most part are probably wasted on me. That was only about 5 days ago and already the nail polish has begun to peel off - but I blame myself since I'm not dainty and careful about my nails.
After the spa I went to Canter's Deli in the hotel and ordered a pastrami sandwich on rye served with fries and a pickle spear. Everything was
very good! That night I had a ticket to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian. I didn't have much time for dinner, so I just had an antipasto salad in the Venetian food court, which was pretty good."Phantom" was also excellent! I am partial to "Phantom" sin
ce it is my favorite play and I love the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, but this performance was exceptional in every way. The actors were terrific, but I would go again just to see the theater. I booked a seat in the front row of the mezzanine, so I had an excellent view of some of the effects. Most people know about the chandelier, but there are other effects that occur that are amazing, and even the chandelier is probably nothing like you've ever seen.If you decide to see shows in Las Vegas, especially in the near future, try checking the hotels' websites for special deals. I got 25% off both shows that way. I think Vegas shows are hurting too, so they're offering some really good deals.
That's about it for the Vegas portion of my vacation. The next day I left Las Vegas and began my California Adventure. Stay tuned...
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