Okay, I am going to try and keep this TR as short as I can...y'all know how I tend to ramble
!
The general trip itinerary was:
Thurs. 7/14: drive from Little Rock, AR to Northshore/New Orleans, LA area
Fri. 7/15 thru Sun. 7/16: Las Vegas, NV
Mon. 7/17 thru Wed. 7/19: Baton Rouge, LA
Thurs. 7/20 thru Sun. 7/24: New Orleans area then drive back to Little Rock on Sun.
Now, I need to clarify the fact that we recently were relocated to Little Rock, AR...much to my dismay...don't get me wrong, I am happy here, it is beautiful, but it is NOT home! I miss my family terribly, and I don't like cold weather! It's ok to visit (like Colorado or NYC in the winter) but I prefer the balmy deep south weather. So, enough of that!
Thurs. morning 7/14: Had to say goodbye to my four legged babies, the 3 of them were off to the vet for an 11 night stay (imagine that bill $$$
). I knew my baby Boudin would be bigger than my other baby, Magic when we came home
I really hated to leave them, but I had no choice. Our drive to my MIL's house was smooth & uneventful. My dh drove the entire way...7 hours! Once we got into town we unloaded our suitcases then we went to my oldest dd's Paran's house (godfather) for a visit. We had pizza for dinner and saw their beautiful new home. The girls (they have 2 dd's also) played princess dress-up for a few hours. Their Mom (my youngest dd's Nanny/godmother) is a complete Disney freak, has purchased EVERY girly Disney costume that ever existed, along with all accessories, so they had a blast. We had Christmas in July, since we haven't seen them in about 9 months...this would be the beginning of the MANY gifts/toys/treasures that would fill the back of our vehicle for the ride home!
Then it was back to my MIL & FIL's for a good nights rest...of course I couldn't sleep, thinking about my LOOOONG day on Friday, my
!!!!!
Fri. 7/15, Happy Birthday to Me! 
We had an 11 am flight from New Orleans to Las Vegas, just me & my dh. This was a business trip, with a little pleasure on the side. I was pleased to see a Nun seated on the second row of our plane, and a pilot sitting behind me! Made me feel a little bit safer! Our flight went very well, except for the turbulence on the descent into Vegas, due to the unbelievable HEAT!
We landed and caught up with the rest of our group who flew in from AR. The cab line was terribly long, so we hitched a ride in a town car with some friends of ours.
Check in at
MGM Grand wasn't bad. We had a nice room on the 4th floor. Not much of a view, but we weren't in there very much. The rooms were recently updated & the decor was modern. I would rate the hotel at 4 stars. It was filled to capacity due to the championship boxing match on Sat. night. The hotel desk reported that the temp. was 120 degrees! Very Hot....I don't want to hear anyone say, "But it's a
dry heat !" When it gets to
120, it doesn't matter what kind of heat it is. And to think, I forgot my sunscreen. Walgreens, here I come!
We went to our room to change for the night. We attended a party for Jermain Taylor (the contender for the fight) at the Centrifuge lounge. Dh & I were on TV at home in AR! We were standing on the landing in the club where he made his 15 second appearance, we received some calls on dh's cell phone from some friends saying they saw us!
After the party, we caught a cab to Paris hotel. We had dinner reservations at
Le Eiffel at 6:30 (8:30 CST)...the time change was tough, we were all starving! I don't eat very well on travel days...too many butterflies! ***Note to Cheryl: Make reservations here!!! This is probably the BEST dinner I have ever had. And I have eaten at many, many restaurants. Lots of vegetarian choices. Let me back up. The Paris hotel is lovely. The casino area is very pretty too. I loved the gorgeous chandeliers at the check in area. You take an elevator up to the 11th (I think?) floor. When you exit the elevator, you are standing in front of an open kitchen, separated by a counter/half wall, of course. Everyone in the kitchen looks so happy & cute in their
uniforms, hats & all! You get a quick glimpse of a few dishes when you pass by. Then you are escorted to the dining area, the view is amazing! Your are overlooking the
Bellagio's dancing water fountains! And the strip & other hotels...honestly though, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Bellagio!
Our party of 10 was seated at a large round table, 6 people were seated in booth type seating & the other 4 in chairs...it was very cozy. The table was located close to the window, & all we had to do was stand up to see the Bellagio fountains. I highly recommend watching the fountains from the Eiffel Tower.
First, we ordered drinks. Some ordered mixed drinks, the rest of us had wine. I had a single glass of a French Red, I can't remember the name...especially after having the Cakebread Cabernet Savignon
...now this wine is too die for. And I don't really care for Cab. I am more of a Merlot person. This was simply awesome! We killed about 4-5 bottles of that.
Appetizers were the Seafood Towers. They were just like the ones at Smith & Wollensky's for those of you who have eaten there. We ordered a total of 5, one for each couple to share. There was lobster (with claws), shrimp, king crab legs, raw oysters & clams, along with a "chunky" cocktail type compote
. Everything was delicious, the clams were sooo sweet! The wait staff even cracked the claws for the ladies & brought the meat to us whole. Now that's the way to do it
, especially for us southern belles!
Next was the
soup & salad. I ordered cream of asparagus soup and my dh had a Caesar salad (he's REAL adventurous
). My soup was spectacular, served at the perfect temperature, so as not to burn you. I really can't say enough about how wonderful it was. If I would've been at home, the bowl would have been licked clean
! Dh said his salad was good, I didn't want to try it...didn't want to ruin the flavor in my mouth.
For our
entree's we ordered meat (sorry Cheryl). They did have some vegetarian choices, but I had the veal, and dh had the filet. My veal was better than any steak could ever claim to be. It was chargrilled & served with English peas and carmelized pearl onions...those onions were awesome! The veal was fork tender & melted in your mouth. The filet was served with dh's choice of bearnaise sauce, upon my recommendation, which he thanked me for. Dh said it was better than Ruth's Chris. I tasted & agreed. We ordered sides of au gratin potatoes and Pommes Anna, which is sliced potatoes cooked in duck fat...they were yummy! Everyone at the table raved over their choices, and everything looked wonderful.
For
dessert we all had souffle'. This has to be ordered when you order your appetizers, because they take about 50 minutes to prepare, according to our waiter. I had the Grand Marnier souffle and dh had the banana one. Someone else had a chocolate one, and it looked delicious. Mine & dh's were very good...cooked to perfection. Next time (if I ever get the chance) I will have the chocolate. For those who like banana, it was unbelievable, just enough flavor to keep you eating more & more.
Overall, the meal was superb
. I would definetly rate it at 5 stars, as would my dh. Everything was cooked to perfection, and the portion sizes were just right, you were able to eat everything (leaving a couple of bites, of course) without making yourself sick, which made for a very nice & enjoyable meal.
We all staggered out of the restaurant hoping to eat (& drink
) here again! And for all of my Louisianians,
the food was better than Commander's Palace! We exited the restaurant at about 8:45 (10:45 CST) and I'm getting tired! I had set the alarm this morning at 6:30 am CST. But the night was young and we had tickets for the 10:30
Cirque de Soleil "O" show. How am I ever gonna make it?.........To Be Continued...........
Are y'all tired of reading yet? Whew! I'm gonna take a break to bring Magic back to the vet at 4pm. We noticed a swollen area on her side that feels like a mass/nodule beneath the skin...did I mention she's in heat too? Yes, I came home to a puppy (9 months old) in heat and the other (Boudin is 14 weeks old) has forgotten all of his house training! Arrgh...
I'll try to update tomorrow!
Au Revoir!
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