The M Spa and Resort Las Vegas

All I can say is WOW!  For the same price I pay for the HI Express Hotel, I can stay here.  What the HELL is wrong with me?  I think I need to start staying here while working in Vegas.  This place is every bit as nice as Bellagio or Caesar's and the casino feels nicer than the Wynn.  The rooms are appointed as nicely as the Trump.  Actually, the M is what I imagine the Trump would be like if The Donald (TM) had been able to secure a casino license for his hotel in Las Vegas. 
The place is amazingly clean.  There is not so much as a cigarette ash on the ground near an ashtray.  Not one piece of lint anywhere.  The casino is mostly free of overbearing cigarette smoke.  On my walk to the parking garage this morning, the casino was quiet and unlike the strip hotels, did not smell like stale booze, cigarettes and despair.
I have a new favorite Vegas hotel!  Anyway, here are a couple of snapshots.  Will upload more if I get the chance.

The Guest Room (15th floor with Strip view)

The bathroom has a large soaking tub with a window on the room so you can soak and enjoy the view

Nighttime view of the Strip overlooking the pool area

Morning view of the Strip overlooking the pool area

The lobby area display of glass lillies

View of the casino floor

Bradley Ogden at Caesar's

This is Bradley Ogden's take on fish and chips. The halibut was perfect. In my opinion, there is no better fish for fish and chips than halibut. Bradley Odgen is a Bay Area chef and this is his only restaurant outside of that area, to my knowledge.

I enjoyed a nice meal at the bar and was happy to be surprised by the availability of the Alloro 2007 Pinot Noir. I would certainly eat here again any time I'm at Caesar's.

Only 7%, I'd better get busy!

Linked map that shows where I have traveled.  Guess I'd better pick up the pace --I'll never see everything at this rate!

Caesar's Palace

It's been awhile since I posted anything.  Busy Summer...  Still traveling as much as ever.  Here are some photos of the room at Caesar's Palace.  Free upgrades are good!  Will try to make more frequent posts...

The view as you enter the room

Looking back toward the door

VERY comfortable bed

Well-appointed bathroom, love it when they put a TV in the mirror.

The shower is a european style with two heads

Closer detail on the shower heads.  Gotta love rain!

Daily Strip Commute 20100609

This is my current daily commute from the Trump International Hotel (will post on this separately). I travel down Las Vegas Blvd (the Strip) South to Sunset, then follow Sunset to the East along the South side of the airport. Vegas looks a whole lot different at 6:30am than most people remember it, I’m pretty sure. I would never live here but after spending nearly 100 days here so far this year, I am getting used to it and really know my way around. I usually take an alternate route home -along the other side of the airport -but at 6:30am there is little traffic on the strip. In the evening, this same drive would take an extra 20 minutes just because of the traffic on the strip.
It's a wild trip.  I start out near the Carribean (Treasure Island), Move on to Italy (Palazzo, Caesar's, Bellagio), on to France (Paris), then to ultra-modern urban (City Center), Monte Carlo, New York, Egypt (Luxor) and finally South Seas (Mandalay).

The Commute 20100607

This is a view of Lake Tahoe from 40 thousand feet on my Monday commute. Today I had the good fortune to be sitting next to a very interesting person she’s VP of Sales and Distribution for Dark Horse Comics. She and I talked comics and travel. I have to say that the commute is FAR more pleasant when you have a good seat mate.
The Las Vegas heat is in full swing now and it’s supposed to top 108 degrees today here. That’s far hotter than average. Yesterday (Sunday) they broke a record high at 110. I had better get my butt back to the gym so I have a body worthy of hanging out in/by the pool SOON! I have been too lazy for too long. It seems that this is even catching locals by surprise this year. I’m told that it has gone from below average to above average. Screwy weather for sure!
I am staying at the Trump International this week. So far in this stint, I have sampled the MGM, Paris and Mandalay Bay. I have to say that Mandalay Bay has the overall nicest property by the rooms I had in the MGM or Paris are FAR superior in appointments. It might also have something to do with the fact that I received room upgrades at both the Paris and MGM where my room at the Mandalay felt more like a downgrade. Don’t get me wrong, it was still very nice. I’m starting to think that these hotels must share a database of who comes and how often because I don’t gamble or spend a lot of money here but I still get super upgrades.

This was the view from my upgraded suite at the Paris a couple of weeks ago. You can see that it was an upper floor with an awesome view! I feel like a VIP some days.  I mean, just look at this damn view! 
My challenge now is which 24-Hour Fitness I want to use here. I have two to choose from and I’m not sure which one will be better. I guess that will be my next adventure. I had been using the hotel gyms but they are mostly closed by the time I get off work these days.

Pimp-O-Riffic! 20100603

I arrived at the office in Henderson this morning to be greeted by this gem.  Serious pimpmobile!  I looked around the office for a big floppy hat with a long feather on it but with no luck.  I expected to see someone drinking Pimp Juice.  The pimp persona must be an alter-ego for whoever the driver is.

Las Vegas 20100602

I guess I should preface this blog with a small post about just why I'm starting it. I have been traveling for work almost nonstop for about 16 years. In that time, I have worked in Europe and most parts of the US. I also enjoy leisure travel and it sure would have been nice to have had a blog going for last year's trips to the Galapagos, Nepal, Bahrain and Amsterdam. One thing I have never been good about is writing any kind of journal so here it is. Starting with my in-progress stint in Las Vegas, NV. I have been here every week for the last five months now and it looks like I'll be doing this for quite awhile longer. I hope that I can keep this up if for nobody but myself.

Here I am in Vegas for another week. It is hot and getting hotter. The temp has been going up steadily this week and seems to be continuing into the weekend. It was 94 yesterday and will reach 107 by Sunday. I'm told that this trend will continue until we are at an average daily high of 115 in mid-July. I can't wait (to melt, that is).

I had a nice visit with my Mom last night. She has been in town for the last week. Unfortunately, she made her visit over the Memorial Day long weekend though so I was out camping as I always am during that weekend. As usual, I was at work until a little after 7:00 so getting checked into the hotel (Mandalay Bay this week), I was able to get over to where she was staying by 8:15 or so.

We went to a place called Blue Martini in Town Square (off of Sunset and Las Vegas Blvd). The drinks and service were great and the food was good too. I had been itching to go explore Town Square a bit and it did not disappoint me. It's a neat area and it's completely free of all of the BS on the strip! Will go back soon and write more about the last five months.