OMG i just had to try this place when i saw sal(sincitytraveler) mentioned it on jillan's(jillianj) kara's cupcake review. it was 10mins from my house. as soon as i walked in, i inhaled the sweet smell of fresh baked cupcakes. it was a simple store with a about 20 different types of cupcakes. i took me awhile to pick, but for sure i wanted the chocolate peanut butter cupcake, Rich chocolate cake topped with crunchy peanut butter frosting. the server told me it was not very sweet which is perfect. i wanted to only order 2 cupcakes to bring to the MINI TB BBQ/POOL PARTY at SAL'S. for all of us to try. i ended up ordering the Oh, My Gosh ~ Ganache! cupcake, Magnificent vanilla cake with a silky chocolate truffle center, topped with vanilla and chocolate buttercreams. the server said it is one of the "house favorite." i was going to order the southern belle, Sumptuous red velvet cake smothered with cream cheese frosting. another house favorite but the ganache SOLD ME :) i want to go back to try: Chocolate Passion Rich chocolate cake topped with the ultimate chocolate frosting. Kir Royale Moist raspberry cake drenched in a bubbly champagne frosting. Coconut Bliss Sweet coconut cake with vanilla frosting sprinkled with coconut flakes there is another location: 9680 S. Eastern Ave. Suite 100 in Las Vegas, NV 89123. Look for us in the Silverado Ranch Plaza, one mile south of I-215 on the northeast corner of Eastern Ave. and Silverado Ranch Blvd. next to Red Robin restaurant. GOOD GOD THEIR CUPCAKES ARE OUTSTANDING. IT IS CREAMY AND SMOOTH. THE FROSTING IS FLUFFY. THEY MAKE OTHER CUPCAKES OTHER THAN ON THE WEBSITE. I WOULD RECOMMEND COMING HERE.

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This was my first trip to Las Vegas. The travel company (healthcare temp agency) that I worked for had a yearly trip for their employees. There was a different destination each year, and this year's was in Las Vegas. They only had one rule. As longs as you worked forty-eight weeks out of the fifty-two a year without taking more than two weeks off between assignments would qualify you for the trip. They paid for the hotel and the air fare for the entire trip. My best friend and I both qualified, so we went out together and shared a room. The event was held at the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. The hotel was nice, they have large dome on the property that we found out was the largest indoor amusement park in the country. It was around Halloween time when we were there, so the park was celebrating the holiday and they had a huge haunted house within it, so the lines to get in were crazy. We stayed away from that area the entire trip. We did some gambling at our hotel and I won $500 on a slot machine (yay), and we had dinner at a couple of their restaurants and played Keno while we ate. :o)
We walked down the strip and did some casino hopping while we were there. Needless to say my winnings plus some dwindled down, but hey, I had fun and that's what Vegas is for right? While we were at the Stardust we got to meet "Elvis", and get our picture taken with him. The picture of me with him turned out really blurry, so I didn't waste my time posting it. It would of been so cute. The Stardust has since been torn down.
We went to the night club that was on the bottom of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. One of our fellow travelers had a friend there, so they let us in for free and without standing in line, so that was pretty cool.
The next night we went to Studio 54. It was our last night in Vegas so we did it right. I don't really remember the ride back to the hotel, but I do remember puking in the garbage while walking through the casino :o( The next morning we almost missed our flight because of me and the previous night's activities, but we ended up making it. I had so much fun that trip, I knew I wanted to go back as soon as possible. There really is so much to do in Vegas whether you are a gambler or not. I still to this day haven't experienced even half of what Las Vegas has to offer. I see many many trips in my future to this great city.

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So, got back from Vegas on Tuesday and it was awesome! Our flight there was a little longer than expected since we were flying into the headwind of a storm blowing across the country. Anyway, we got to our hotel which tuned out to be more like a luxury condo complex. It was the Meridian Luxury Suites right off the Strip on E. Flamingo.  I can not say enough good things about this place. You wouldn't believe the deal I got...Hotwire hooked me up for $79 for the week nights and $89 for the weekend nights!! We walked in the room and were stunned to see this posh place decked out in leather, marble and granite looking like Ethan Allen came in and furnished the whole place! There was a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances, really cool square dishes and a full spice rack among other things. Dining room was really chic and the living room had an awesome flat panel TV and free wireless internet access! Bathroom had tons of space and the bedroom was beautiful and had a huge closet the length of one whole wall and the doors were all mirrors and a flat panel TV, too.

My advice is to definitely rent a car.  The Strip is kind of long to hoof all day and the heat gets pretty intense...plus there's FREE parking at every hotel/casino!!  Can't beat that!  Then you'll have the option to investigate the area and see the sites off the Strip.

The afternoon we arrived we went to the Strip to check it out.  It was cool, but I'm not a gambler so I got bored pretty quick with Vegas-by-day.  My favorite places were the ones with attractions besides the casino.  I loved New York New York, Paris, The Venetian and Bellagio.  So when we had enough of that we started to check out what else was around to do during the day.  We decided to go to the Hoover Dam one day and Red Rock Canyon another day.  We were expecting these sites to be far but it turns out they're only about 20 miles away (in opposite directions).

Red Rock Canyon was my absolute favorite part of Vegas! You pay $5 to drive in and it's a 13 mile scenic drive with all these stop-offs to park and get out and climb or hike.  There's a really nice visitor's center at the beginning and they'll go over the trails with you.  Red Rock is amazing.  It's this burnt sienna color and when you look up and see it against a blue sky it takes your breath away.  We climbed all over the rocks and hiked up pretty high.  It's so cool because there are no set areas to go, you kind of just explore and climb wherever you want.  There are other mountains along the loop that remind me of European Alps...I had no idea there were mountains like this in the desert!  Besides climbing, there are tons of different hikes both long and short.  And apparently there are wild burros and goats but we didn't see any.  If you go to Vegas, you should definitely visit Red Rock Canyon!

We also went to the Hoover Dam which was really cool to see with my own eyes.  There are paid parking lots, but just keep driving and you'll find the free lots.  There are various tours of Hoover Dam, but we didn't do any of them.  We just walked across and enjoyed the views.

On the way to Hoover Dam, don't miss Lake Mead.  There's a great pull-off to park and see some beautiful views of the Lake.  You can also pay to enter the Lake Area where there's a beach and marina. 

On the way back just past Lake Mead, we stopped in Boulder City which is an adorable little town.  There we found the BEST beer garden called Boulder Dam Brewing Company.  My husband said their "Hops Chrisis" beer was the best he ever had and my Beer Float (yes, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) was incredible!!  I heard there's a great eatery there called "Best Cellars" but we didn't have time to check it out.

We ate at the Lux Cafe (I think that's the name) in the Venetian one night and it was great...huge menu, delicious food and drinks and not expensive.  Good place if you can't decide what you're up for...they have so many culturally different dishes.

So, the Strip at night was wild!  I loved it!  We went to a lot of great bars and lounges.  If you want to go casual, definitely check out Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville...they had an awesome band there on Saturday night.  If you're feeling hotter than hot, go to Pure nightclub in Ceasar's Palace.  Oh, the Bellagio water show at night was stunning!...don't pass it up!

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It was dark by the time we got to Hoover Dam, so we just drove over it, and came into Las Vegas for the night.  Delano had never been here, and you have to see it at night.  He loved it of course.   If you remember correctly, we had our dog and cat with us, well the cat we always sneak into the hotels, but it's a little harder with a dog.  Well, I don't know if anyone out there has ever tried to get a room in Las Vegas that allows dogs, but let me give you this piece of information.  There are only three, yes three, hotels that allow dogs.  We found this out after stopping, and then calling about twenty.  Once we FINALLY got a room, we headed over to the strip so Delano could see everything up close.   We ended up going to the Excalibur for some gambling.  It was fun, we won $300 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine pretty early on, so we just quit gambling after that and went back to our hotel to go to bed.  We were tired, and we wanted to get up early so we could back track and see the Hoover Dam in the morning.  The Hoover Dam is about a 40 minute drive from Las Vegas.

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After a fairly crazy night in Vegas, I opened my eyes at 12:00pm to the loud loud loud music of the bar below. My friend and I decided to venture down to the cafe and stock up on water and hopefully get something in our stomachs to settle us. We returned to the room where we chugged water for about an hour and I almost got sick from the croissant sandwich I had attempted to eat. We decided blackout drapes were going to be our best friend until about 3:30pm.

Finally, we decided to venture from our room and knew we needed something bad for you (i.e. greasy/cheesy/high fat) to take the remaining edge off. We ate at an Outback because we weren't creative enough to try a Vegas restaurant. The server talked us into having a drink to put the hangover to rest. It certainly worked!

We spend the rest of the afternoon checking out different casinos and hotels in Vegas and then decided we were going to see a movie. We made a trip to The Palms, did a little gambling, and took in a flick. It was a much needed and relaxing afternoon. After leaving, we spend a little more time walking the strip before heading back to the hotel to call it an early night!

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After a restful night sleep, we decided to get a jump start on the day. When I say jump start, I mean 11:00am. That's plenty early Vegas-time.  We made our way down the Strip towards the Venetian. We decided we wanted to check out the shops and spend some time at Madame Tussaud's.  Inside the shops at the Venetian was such a great atmosphere. We spent a good deal of time browsing the stores we couldn't afford and ate a bite at their cafes. Before we headed back to our hotel for the afternoon, we paid the $24 admission price to Madame Tussaud's.  It's a little pricey but worth it because of all the laughs we had. The wax figures weren't off limit for us!

Deciding we didn't want to break the bank at the bars, we stopped by a corner store and stocked up on adult beverages before relaxing in the hotel while getting ready for the evening.  On a whim, we decided we were going to do something outlandish. That something outlandish came in the form of a dozen sweaty Australian men. We purchased tickets for "Thunder from Down Under" at Excalibur and made sure we had a few drinks back before heading into the auditorium. Perhaps it's my young age, but, I didn't really understand what all the women were screaming about. I, on the other hand, was laughing so hard sometimes I couldn't breathe. It was fabulous entertainment!!! We certainly enjoyed the half naked dancing and knee pads;) 

We decided to keep our drinking streak going and returned to our hotel again to check out the bar/nightclub.  We were immediately invited to play beer pong with some nice young men from Reno. One game turned into two, into three, etc. We started another stumble down the Strip and stopped into O'Shea's "casino" to play some more beer pong. Chugging beer after drinking vodka isn't the smartest thing, but it is Vegas. The end of the night was a little hazy (it didn't officially end until about 5am) but I do recall climbing a horse outside of Ceasar's and am told we utilized a "private" area on the side of the Bellagio as a restroom. The gentlmen we were with decided they wanted to take us to 40deuce so I attempted to hail a cab by stepping out in the street (like we do here on the East Coast). Apparently, that's a no no in Vegas and a little weird. The cabbie said it would be $20 minimum to drive us 1 mile so we scratched that idea. Eventually, I made it back to my room and in the comfort of my bed :)

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Wow ... I'm going to visit Las Vegas Nevada ... My husband's been there on Business trips with Kimpex and this year (Nov. 2007) I think I will join him, NO I did join him!!! 

He drove 5hrs from Sudbury, Ontario (home) to the Toronto Pearson Airport, he had some help driving, but just knowing how sleepy the others were, Dan had to drive most of the way ,,, OK practically all the way.  Tired, hungry, and exhausted we all went through customs and headed for a cafe to have some breakfast ... we had to leave at 4am to catch our early flight in Toronto ... I didn't realize ... once in LV we continue to stay up until 3am ... ummm ... looking back I wonder how I kept my eyes  open!!!

Wow again ... it's mid-November 2007 and the winter jacket I have on is causing me to sweat LOL ... I can't believe the change in weather and it's not ever the summer ... I'm so glad I brought some summer clothing ...

Dan's (husband's) co-workers, a salerep, and I all piled into a van (cab) and all I could do is watch as we drove away from the airport ... I was filled with excitement, never having come here before, and we were dropped off at The Riviera Hotel ... it was so big ... lights and colours ... many, many people gambling ... beer ... and statues of womens in Bikinis along the entrance ... what a view LOL ...

Life here seems so fun, the lifestyle so different, and advertisements aren't Bulletin Boards selling cleaning products etc. like TIDE, VIM, or MR. CLEAN ... don't get me wrong there is many convenient, grocery, and departments stores for these products needed after the FUN that goes on here LOL :)

Well, tomorrow is another day ... I'm excited to walk the famous Las Vegas strip drinking a Cooler with my husband taking photos along the way ... a priviledge not found in Ontario or Canada for that matter ... well off to bed I go

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS :) 

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The Hawaiian Tropic Zone appears to have a great location on the strip and offers outside dining. They boast it to be "The Hottest Place on Earth". The only "hot" part about it was the heat lamp they sat me directly under that singed my hair. They host bikini contests constantly throughout the evening and the server's uniform consists of string and lycra. We were sat fairly late in the evening (about 10pm) without a wait at the entrance and the hostess said our server would be right with us. Almost 20 minutes later and getting hungrier and more irritated, no one had spoke to us because they were busy strutting their platform heels across the stage. We left without even tasting the fare - or getting a sip of water. I did have plenty of time to look at the menu and wasn't impressed with the prices or the choices. I recommend making a reservation at Tao - the prices are sadly similar to HTZ but at least Tao has real chefs. I don't recommend this place unless you're a drunk frat boy who likes to objectify women.

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Our plane was a little late arriving so we only managed to check into our hotel around 7pm. Still an early night for Vegas! We headed right to the shops in the hotel so we could pick up some refreshing beverages to enjoy while we got ready to hit the strip. Our super classy hotel had a $10 bottle of champagne with it's logo on it - I couldn't very well pass that up! After a little champagne, we started to explore Vegas for the first time. We took in the ever popular fountain show at the Bellagio, popped into some hotels and tried our luck on the slots, and just took in the sights. We were very hungry but didn't have reservations anywhere. We decided to keep walking knowing we'd eventually come across a restaurant. The Hawaiian Tropic Zone is set out on the strip and we decided that outdoor dining would be a great idea on such a beautiful night.  The weather cooperated but the staff didn't. After being seated, it would appear that the staff was more interested in conducted yet another bikini contest and neglected our table.  After sitting for over 15 mintues and getting hungrier and thirstier, we decided to call it quits. Unless you're a hormonal male and are more concerned with boobs that food, I don't recommend the Hawaiian Tropic Zone. A few more drinks at the bar but we decided to call it an early night since our bodies still thought it was 3 hours later that it was. We opted to be well rested for our first full day in Vegas.

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Today was mother’s day, normally I see my mum in LA but, I will be in LA the following week for the LA(MARINA DEL RAY) MEETUP.  I was packing and cleaning my house in the same time. Then I get a txt from Dmitri (DMITRIUS) that he just arrived. I have not seen him since the LA(SANTA MONICA) MEETUP.  

We plan to meetup at 8pm at MGM hotel where he is staying. I knew it was going to be busy on the road because of mother’s day. I arrived before 8pm. then I get a call from Dmitri to meet him at the valet. He wanted to go to the market to pick up water and snacks for the week. He is has a client in Henderson.

After that we dropped off his groceries in his room, never seen the MGM rooms before. I wish I took photos of his room.  Just picture a room with the bathroom on the right with NO WALL to enter. Only smoked doors for the toilet and shower, right when you walked in it’s the bathroom sink and a small TV on the mirror NO WALL mind you, then you see a huge KING size bed with plenty of pillows. Mirrored door closet, however, the room is small just enough space for the desk and lounge chair.

Dmitri was kicking himself that he forgot to buy vodka. My type of guy to drink with, we both have the same taste in vodka….GREY GOOSE!!! and the same dislikes in other brands of vodka. AHHHH ANOTHER VODKA connoisseur, I need to find a vodka walk or a vodka lounge or fly to RUSSIA….HAHAHAHA :P

We ended up having drinks at the west wing bar just near the elevators to his room. This was such a great place to hang out. It was quiet comfortable couches. We both had a shot of grey goose. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I did not give my liver a rest. I HAVE NO WILL DAMN IT I DON’T!!!!!  Then we had another but this time Dmitri had a grey hound, grey goose with grapefruit juice.  

We went to the one of the recliners for 2 and there was a nice flat screen TV. We asked the bartender to change the channel it was freaking the rodeo….WTF!!!! He flipped to the spike channel and guess what!??! STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE was on!!!!! Of course we were going to watch this.

Dmitri and I talked and laughed. We did not get to chat at the LA(SANTA MONICA)  MEETUP that much, however, we txt each other quite a bit. He and I have a lot in common.  We talked about his future trip to Dublin, A’DAM, and Ukraine.  My Galapagos, future trips, why do I live here HAHAHAHA, everybody always ask me that. he will be here until Friday, we might do a mini TB dinner sometime this week with the other VEGAS TBs. we hung out until 12am or until I could drive home which is only 10min drive.......:P :D :)

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Ok this is a repeat of Melanie's page...and hers is so much more detailed, but I am adding it anyway! :) We went to Sal's house for a BBQ and I got to meet Nancy and talk to Sal more. Really glad I went! Mel and I brought our choco chip cookies we baked and everyone loved them, people were getting them on their way out the door before leaving. haha. Next time, we will bake more cookies...the LA meetup people will get to try some cookies too...yay!

Back to the BBQ...got to talk to some of Sal's friends/coworkers/or something like that haha. Nice people. Sal's BBQ ribs were the BOMB soooo yummy! I rarely get to eat meat since I am on my health kick so it's a treat when I do! :) Sooo tasty, I will be back for his ribs anytime. Also, was very surprised to see his veggie/fruit garden in his backyard. Who would have known u can have a freakin cherry tree in your backyard in Vegas. Shocked beyond belief. Ok, I am easily amused, so don't mind me. :) Sal gave us the tour of his backyard and I felt like a kid in a candy store I was so excited.

Ok...the end...till the next meeting at the TB headquarters!

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I loved Las Vegas the moment I saw it. It's just a fun city, no matter what your age is. So when I suggested to my fiance' that we should get married here, he was all for it. He himself had only been to Vegas for about 12 hours during our cross country trip, but he too loved it. We chose Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, as the big day. Now, wedding planning is supposed to be a stressful event, and I thought since I live in PA, it would be extra stressful, but when I called up the hotel and booked our event, I learned that we were provided a wedding coordinator. So after maybe 3 phone conversations, and 2 faxes, all we had to do was show up on the day of the big event. Everything I wanted and asked for was provided, and it couldn't have went more smoothly. We had a very nice dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel, they reserved an entire room for us, and the cake turned out so good, I was a little nervous about the cake, I only saw pictures, and I didn't get to taste anything. After dinner, we hung out in the casino for a little while, our luck on the Roulette table was historical!! After gambling, we took our group out to the strip, and went from hotel to hotel and ended up staying at New York, New York for the majority of the night. That hotel is amazing. All and all, I couldn't of asked for a better day.
My husband and our closest friends and family, had a blast. We were thinking maybe for our 20th anniversary we could get everyone back out there for a celebration. Although, I am ready to go back out there any day now. :o)

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After talking with LA/Vegas people I started craving Korean BBQ...so of course asked my foodie pal Mel if she was down.  Of course, she was! Luckily John joined us since I have heard so much about him from the Queen CW Mel who speaks so highly of all her LA/Vegas TB's! Then after I wanted to go drive somewhere and we didn't know where to go, so we ended up on the strip! We played tourists at the Bellagio and walking the strip! Very fun. :)

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