4.27-4.28-- Bellagio Spring 2016 Display, Mon Ami Gabi, Observations, HA Code Share with Virgin Air (LAS-LAX).
It's now after mid-night.
We haven't checked out the Bellagio Conservatory this trip yet so we walked over.
We haven't checked out the Bellagio Conservatory this trip yet so we walked over.
Spring is in the air!
Turtle and Bird Stare Down:
Mr. Turtle might have an edge, he does have like 1,200 flowers he's supporting.
Chrysanthemum.
Teletubby (Tulips). Who knew?
Cyclamen Victorian Pink.
Bright "Parrot" Tulip. Love the vibrant colors!
Paper cranes (nest)?
Custom Cherry Blossom Tree. 18 foot high, weighs 3,000 pounds, has 300 acrylic hand-made flowers and took 1,500 hours to make.
One of several bird cages with real birds.
Though I can see how one might mistaken them to be fake because they weren't moving much.
Birds provided by Southwest Aviary (apparently they sell them, and offer boarding services).
I like the one named "Cut-throat (Finch)." His name implies he's fierce. ;)
We don't have any of these birds in Hawaii and I would have loved to take a closer look, but too bad they were fenced away (understandable for the bird's safety). Most of them are originally from Africa.
I found a close-up picture of the Pintail Whydah.
Turns out the picture they used were from Wikipedia...
which I present to you now:
By New Jersey Birds - Pin-tailed Whydah Uploaded by snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0
Nothing like subtle advertisement for their new restaurant-- Harvest (farm-to-table concept) to work into the display.
Well-done, Bellagio!
I want to go now, plus the chef is originally from Hawaii and his son is the master chef at Joel Robuchon.
( I learned it from watching this episode of MUNCHIES ).
Harvest by Roy Ellamar (it replaced Sensi).
I've never seen a bird cage with TITOs (ticket-in, ticket-out)...
until now:
Maybe there was a real bird in here at some point?
Crane + Pagoda.
Trumpet Daffodil.
And, more flowers!
Pink Star Tulips.
Of course, I need to have random shot of the ceiling.
Magnolia flower.
It was really lovely to finally see the Conservatory without the daytime crowds.
This is shaping up to be one of my most favorite Bellagio displays.
I loved the combination of the (real) birds, props, and all of the beautiful flowers in bloom.
We spent quite a while just taking everything in.
Suddenly, they played one of my favorite (Japanese) songs in the background --
I immediately found myself singing along (softly).
Of course that's going to make me think, it's a sign-- I should play some slots here!!!
Play we did, and lost.
[Note]-- Though by this time, the Summer display is already up.
Before you go, you should always double check the Conservatory's schedule because I forgot to last time,
and we arrived during dark dates (days they are under construction).
Though of course, coming here in the middle of the night does mean we had to share the visit with the janitors who were working hard to keep the place tidy.
I hit up a Top Dollar, and actually got the bonus, but payout was really sad-- less than $20.
Then I hit up a Spin Poker machine to donate the said "winnings."
Within 4-5 hands on max (I can't remember the denomination), I was done (no I wasn't drinking).
I'm pretty sure we continued playing (losing) a bit more but just on random machines.
At this point, I realized I had forgotten to cash out some of my TITO from Paris from previous visits,
so we went back to play some slots, with no wins.
UBER/ Lyft Pick-up spot @ Bellagio
The share-ride area is on the right side of the main entrance/ valet.
On the way, we saw the Bellagio fountains still on (it was around 1am now).
We noticed it a few night ago too, it wasn't an actual show, so maybe they were running tests for the Kabuki show?
Slot (FAIL).
While we were in Paris. I saw this happened to some idiot.
WAIT...
I'm that idiot.
I was playing MAX bet.
Then I had some random coin amount left over.
I thought, might as well use it up (instead of adding more money), or getting coins back.
So I pressed the minimum button.
OF COURSE...all 5 of the bonus 7 symbols shows up.
I was so mad...and sad. :(
Finally, we returned to PH to start packing while I have another Black Box to keep me company.
In the end, I didn't sleep until 4am.
Day- 5 (Last day)
We didn't have any plans today so decided to go to Mon Ami Gabi (MAG) for a safe breakfast.
But not after checking out and leaving our bags at the bell desk past 10a.
We didn't have any plans today so decided to go to Mon Ami Gabi (MAG) for a safe breakfast.
But not after checking out and leaving our bags at the bell desk past 10a.
Goodbye Planet Hollywood! Actually, we "could" have caught the fountain show from the room.
Overall, the room was pretty good (even with cleanliness which is my #1 pet peeve in LV...or anywhere).
Other than resort fees, the room was free so I can't complain much.
Well, ok, the WIFI didn't work from the 2nd night, and the front desk agent doesn't ask how our stay was.
(I know, I'm really digging deep here).
I thought "How was your stay" was a standard run-of-the-mill line?
Apparently-- not at Caesar Properties.
I load up the Opentable app as we were walking to Paris and made our reservation on the move.
Mon Ami Gabi
I made sure to order the corn beef hash this time, then scarfed it down really fast.
At which point my friend gasps and declares:
"Are you a savage?"
"Cause you eat like one just now."
It's cool, I gave him the stink eye and the "How could you!" spiel. Haha.
I've missed you dearly MAG Corn Beef Hash ($14.95).
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It's so "ONO"
(Delicious/Yummy/ Good eats in Hawaiian).
Hey look, Pac Man showed up!
Quiche Lorraine- $15.95.
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The quiche was pretty good. Though after several bites, you kind of wish it came with sometime else to give it another flavor instead of it being one dimension. An accompaniment of meat might have made this even better. MAG is becoming one of my favorite places. It's hard to beat good food, fast service, and a great price. We still had a bit of time to kill, so we slotted away at Paris for a while. It's almost time to go home. Might as well go big...or as big as a low-roller goes...haha. Remembering my idiotic moment yesterday, I decided to only bet max. I used to only play on max, but once I saw my friend actually WIN on minimum, it changed my mind. I played some $1 + $5 -- Double Diamond and Top Dollar -- near and inside of the Champagne slots. I usually do ok on my last day of gambling, but maybe it was because my friend was sticking close to me? Still on a losing streak. Man, we both can't catch a break (generally he would have stopped already while I would play up to departure). Time to leave. |
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We took Uber back to the airport.
What do you know? Our driver got lost and took us to the wrong terminal entirely. We did get to tour the (new) cellphone parking lot at McCarran. Something we would have never have seen otherwise, then another free tour of Terminal 1. ;) Ok, it's cool, it's his 2nd day on the job. At least he was really friendly and helped us with our luggage. Despite the delay from PH to the airport--the ride was around $14 (before tip). Still a good deal! I feel a bit nostalgic from last trip (where the Bell Trans Limo driver missed our drop-off point and had to make a big loop). I can look back and laugh about it now. Once we got to the right terminal, we found the regular security lines to move faster than the TSA-precheck (hmm...I'm sensing a theme here). Wow, if you've managed to read all the way here, a big THANK YOU! |
Until we meet again Vegas!
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[OBSERVATIONS]
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[A Note about Hawaiian Airlines code shared with Virgin Air-- LAS to LAX + LAX to HNL]
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I don't mean to babble about the flight details, but since I couldn't find any information online about this partnership with the layover, I thought I'll briefly share my thoughts. This is the first (and probably last time) we will take it. You can't pre-book the VA seats until you check-in since we bought the tickets through HA. I asked a friend about it (who works for HA), but they didn't know the details either. The flight itself was fine-- the Virgin Air attendants were really nice. But they don't tell you, (there's no signage at the airport/ or announcement when deplaning ) that in order to catch your connecting flight to Honolulu, you have to exit one Terminal, and go to an entirely different Terminal (they are not connected so therefore you need to exit and enter security again): |
Map courtesy of Google.
A summary of the visit at LAX:
Exit security (T3) --> walk outside ~ 10+ mins --> enter another Terminal (T1)
and do the whole security check again.
Needless to say, we thought this wasn't the best thought out idea
and will be taking non-stop flights through HA, or United
(the United layover at LAX doesn't require you to exit the terminal).
A summary of the visit at LAX:
Exit security (T3) --> walk outside ~ 10+ mins --> enter another Terminal (T1)
and do the whole security check again.
Needless to say, we thought this wasn't the best thought out idea
and will be taking non-stop flights through HA, or United
(the United layover at LAX doesn't require you to exit the terminal).
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