A Few Days In LosVegasAngeles

LOSvegasangeles
Memorial Day Weekend was supposed to be a 'fellas's trip' to Las Vegas, but ended up being a solo trip for me to LosVegasAngeles.  My plan was always to make the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas during the trip to scratch one more item off my To Do list, but I was the only one of my friends that was able to make the trip this year.  However, solo is really no problem for me because there are people wherever you go and most of them are quite friendly and helpful.

So, I started my trip on a Thursday morning taking a United Airlines flight from Dayton to LAX.  I had hoped to rent a convertible for the drive over from Los Angeles to Las Vegas but I think Graduation season ruined my chances of that. So, I picked a Kia Optima since I have always thought pretty highly of the styling on their newer models.  It turned out to be a fairly decent choice except the model I drove didn't have very much get up and go at all (but it looked nice.)  Highway merges were stressful and you could certainly hear the vehicle giving it its all.

I chose a hotel South of LAX in El Segundo to stay the night, the Hacienda Hotel on Sepulvada Blvd.  It was economical and close to my Friday morning breakfast destination on Manhattan Beach.  I think for $99 I got what I paid for - a fairly small but clean room.  The hotel probably was pretty special when it first opened.  Plenty of Southwestern architecture and ornaments were used throughout.  However, the hotel is well passed its prime as were the televisions inside the rooms.  It was just a bed for the night so no big deal and I headed into the city for some food and relaxation.

One of my childhood friends who now lives in Los Angeles was good enough to give me a couple of suggestions on where to eat and hang out for the night so I headed over to Ventura Blvd in Encino.  First stop was a Cuban restaurant named curiously enough to me, Versailles.  Just sounded French to me and not at all Cuban or Spanish, but what do I know? First time at a new restaurant, I always like to sample as many dishes as possible so I loaded up on apps and an entree  Everything was at least interesting but nothing blew me away except maybe the roasted chicken.  I also managed to get some dessert down before heading over to my last spot of the night. Just down the road was the Havana Cabana where I chilled out for a while with a good cigar before the time difference kicked in and sent me to bed.  The Havana Cabana is my kind of spot though - Quiet, comfortable and friendly with couches, group seating areas, a nice selection of cigars and wonderful and gracious host named Brenda. There was nothing much on television so I settled for the First 48 and a nice 2012 My Father's Cigar.  It was all I needed.

 

After a sufficiently restful sleep, I headed over to Manhattan Beach to Uncle Bill's Pancake House. Logistically, I love this place... not far from the airport/hotel and right near the beach.  I'm always happy with my meal there except I was little disappointed in the corn beef hash having had some a few days earlier in Ohio that was some of the best.  Again, nothing to complain about though.

  


Now, it was time to hit the road for the roughly 4 hour drive over to Las Vegas.  I didn't have high expectations for the drive, it was just more about curiosity.  A couple of years ago I drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles and I imagine there aren't many more drives as nice as that one.  I think if I had made the drive to Las Vegas back in the day before the interstate system came through it would have given me more of the desert feel I think I wanted.  I did get a kick out of seeing a casino immediately after crossing the Nevada state line. They are wasting no time in helping liberate your money from your oppressive pockets!

losVEGASangeles
I've been to Vegas many times before so spending all my time on the Strip is really not necessary.  Being from the Midwest, I still like to take the opportunity to see what the natural areas outside of the Strip have to offer.  Having my own transportation for the first time made for a flexible and relaxing visit as well. 

As usual I stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.  I knew they had made some major renovations to most of the hotel since my last visit so I was curious to see what improvements I might find.

  

 



The last time I stayed at the MGM Grand I was in a Terrace Suite. It was very spacious and comfortable but I had a few issues with the entertainment setup.  I stayed in Deluxe Grand Tower Bedroom this time so didn't get to see the Terrace Suite renovations but the room I had was definitely an improvement from my prior stay in a similar room. One of the things I was most keen on was the fact the television was upgraded to a flat screen and had several inputs to hook up your own equipment or game system.  The room's entertainment system previously felt like they wanted to give you no incentive to stay inside your room.

Another addition to the property was The Tap Room.  A large sports bar located in the hotel with pretty traditional bar food.  This was probably my only real disappointment due to the music (maybe a personal preference) and having one of the worst appetizers I've ever had.  The Braised Bacon Corn Dog didn't even come close to tasting as good as it sounded. I really hope that somehow I just received an ill-prepared one somehow.  It was bad... real bad. Yes, a corn dog almost ruined my whole trip.

For breakfast I decided to try the new $17 million Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace.  I feel I need to give this place another try  I could see all the expense they went through to make it a Vegas destination but I was not blown away by the choices or freshness of the food.  Maybe, it being a holiday weekend had something to do with it?

 


I had enough of the strip at that point and ventured out a little further to the Red Rock area.  I think Red Rock would be a good place to go for full review, but my only real goal that day was to check the area and see the latest Summer movie.  However, I did take a ride and short walk through Red Rock Canyon and I must say I was impressed. I love the big outdoors and I could see spending several hours exploring the canyon area.

 



The brief Red Rock Canyon visit only wet my appetite for the outdoor experience so I took a ride over to the Hoover Dam.  I actually stopped and bought some running shoes along the way so I could go for a run on the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail after taking a few pics around the dam.

Hoover Dam

   

 



A short rest back at the MGM then it was over to the Mandalay Bay for dinner and some risque entertainment.  I had delicious meal at Aureole inside the casino and then went on a mission to find the secretive 1923 Bourbon & Burlesque.  If you can find it and you know the day's password, you can enjoy some old-fashioned entertainment in a place with the look and feel of 1920s speak-easy.  The ladies performed a dozen or so quick routines and there was a wonderful host and singer named Ms. SkyE (The E is for extra everything) who really kept things moving and entertaining.  I have to say it was really cool being let into a secret door in disguised in plain sight.

Aureole - Mandalay Bay

1923 Bourbon & Burlesque

1923 Bourbon & Burlesque


losvegasANGELES
Sunday morning and time to head back to Los Angeles. Planned on a lazy, relaxing Sunday so just picked up a quick breakfast and hit the road.  It was lunchtime as arrived back in Los Angeles, so I head up to Malibu for some seafood and beach action. I ate at on the beach at little place called Paradise Cove.  Parked on the street but first time I ever paid for the privilege of walking up to a place! Food their was decent but I think the place was more about being there.  There being on the beach in Malibu.  After lunch, I rode up the Pacific Coast Highway a little further to Zuma Beach which was probably my highlight of the trip - A beautiful, quiet and clean beach and an amazing sunset.  After lying out for a while, I headed back over to Havana Cabana to cap off my day by relaxing with another cigar.  However, it occurred to me that if I left out on the red eye, I could sleep on the plane and not loose a day traveling back to the Eastern Time Zone not to mention not paying for another hotel room.  I'm sure my door to gate trip including dropping off a rental car in 45 minutes has to be some type of record!


Paradise Cove

Zuma Beach

Zuma Beach

I could see myself living on the West Coast someday and my trip to LosAngelesVegas just reaffirmed that notion for me.

Things I learned on this trip:
  • Don't doubt Google Maps Navigation.  If it says stay off the 405, stay off the 405!
  • Double check that you have Satellite radio if traveling through the desert in a rental.
  • If coming from the West to East Coast, sleep on the plane instead of in a hotel room.
  • Eat nothing that mentions braised bacon.  Stick to Applewood or Peppered.
  • The desert is beautiful.
  • The ocean is still beautiful.

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