Day 1 - Party Like a Rock Star

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We've been planning this 12 day West Coast vacation for a couple of months and we're very excited. We haven't been on a family vacation since our daughter was born over a year and a half ago. Now that she is 21 months old, she is at an age where we can get around and enjoy ourselves. We're really happy that my mom is coming along as our "nanny" so we can get out and enjoy ourselves without being worried about our daughter.

We love this place so much that this is our third time in Vegas in three years. Adrian, Alyssa and I all had on our Barack Obama T-shirts since we left around election time. Our flight arrived about 15 minutes early and we met up Rita and Delano who flew in from New York to be with us on our trip. Alyssa slept through most of the trip and when she woke up she watched Dora on her DVD player. We brought so much luggage with us. We had at least 5 suitcases plus a car seat, stroller and laptop. I arranged the whole trip so no one knew where we going or what we doing. My cousin's flight from NY arrived 10 minutes after ours, which was perfect timing. I had planned a surprise. Our limo driver was waiting to take us on our Presidential Strip Tour which included Complimentary Champagne, Long Stem Roses for my mom, cousin and myself, a 1 hour tour of Fabulous Las Vegas Strip and drop off service to our hotel, the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on the strip. I don't even remember the driver's name but he was the sweetest guy. He didn't mind that all of luggage including my cousins could barely fit in the trunk of the limo that he had to use a strap to hold the trunk door shut. We strapped Alyssa's car seat into the limo and took off down the strip sipping champagne. We even gave Alyssa a taste of bubbly by dipping her pacifier into our glasses. Of course, she cried for more. It was really a great way to start our trip. Our driver finally arrived at the Hilton and unloaded all of our luggage. He even took a couple of pictures of us in front of the limo.

The Hilton Grand Vacation Club was perfect. It’s located on the strip between the Stratosphere and the Sahara. It's a little further down the strip than I would like but it was on the strip and away from all of the crowds and noise unlike Paris or the Bellagio. It has a gorgeous lobby, great pool and gym, which we used. They had a cafe that hot and cold food and we had a 24-hour CVS next door, which was convenient since we had a kitchen in our room. Our room had a view of the strip. I wish I had taken a picture of the room before we messed it up with all of our luggage and clothes. We had a 1 bed room suite with a dining room and pull out sofa. We also had a jacuzzi bath. We had granite countertops in the kitchen and bathroom. The room was exquisite. The only bad thing was that the room was at the very end of the hallway far from the elevator.

We couldn't wait to get out on the strip. We had lunch at an eatery not too far from the Rivera. Of course, I always forget something at home. I have at east 6 pairs of sunglasses at home and it was so sunny that we ended up spending part of the day shopping for sunglasses and hats. We walked up the strip stopping to gamble at Treasure Island. Of course I knew that children weren't allowed in casinos but I had to try. I was sitting at a slot machine when security told me I had to leave. So I waited outside while everyone gambled. We also visited inside the Venetian.

We ate dinner at our favorite restaurant, Emerill's, which is located in the MGM Grand. We always eat there when we're in town. I had the Grilled and Roasted Double Cut Pork Chop with Green Chile Mole, Tamarind Glaze and Caramelized Sweet Potatoes (mmm mm good) and Adrian and Delano had Grilled Salmon with a Flageolet Bean Puree and drizzles of Creole Tomato Glaze with onion straws.

The three of us hung out all night until 2am. Went to MGM, New York, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay and Luxor. I just love the pyramid shaped Luxor with the beams of lights that race up and down the side. It's so beautiful to watch late at night especially when the heat has cooled down. Luxor has huge statues of spinxes, gargoyles and Egyptian writings. I feel really at peace when I'm here and I really love this end of the strip. I love looking at the MGM Grand, which is the largest hotel in Vegas with over 5000 rooms. At night it's lit up in green with the gold Lion statue in front. The beautiful New York, NY with the Statue of Liberty in the backdrop and the roller coaster on the side. It has numerous nightclubs. The Excalibur castle is beautiful at night when it's all lit up. We stayed here 2 years ago. It's has a medieval like theme. And last but not least, the gold Mandalay Bay, which is known for Boxing Matches and their shark reef aquarium. We even took the monorail between Luxor and Mandalay Bay. We were tired as we waited for the bus to take us all the way back down to the opposite end of the strip. We had a full day ahead of us and needed our rest for our ATV adventure in the morning.

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Photos

Alyssa dipping into the champagne
Can I have some Dad?