Trip Report: Vegas in January

Las Vegas in January is not at all the same experience as Vegas in July or August. If it was summertime, I'd have been tempted to buy one of those yard long plastic cups of frozen margaritas and stroll the strip in a bright & blingy halter top. Scorching temperatures on the Strip are much more conducive to making me want to par-tay.  All of which is a roundabout way of saying this trip was relatively tame, party-wise and drinking-wise.  Or maybe we're just too damn old. 

The traffic gods didn't smile upon us on our way out. It was rainy and traffic was heavy, adding at least another hour to our drive.  We didn't encounter much rain during our stay, but Saturday the skies were cloudy and gloomy. Sunday was sunny, but the wind was cold. No blingy halter tops for me this time!

Some highlights of what was still a great weekend away.

Our sweet suite at the Encore. Even sweeter was the fabulous rate we scored from an offer that arrived in the mail last fall. (It felt very fancy to have a foyer.)

 Fountain at the Monte Carlo, and Strip view from a pedestrian bridge:

We spent some time checking out the Cosmopolitan hotel.  Great vibe there, very trendy and young and swanky. I totally want to stay here next time. Check out this cascade of crystals: 

Garden inside the Bellagio. The themes are switched out seasonally, currently its celebrating Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake:

 On Saturday night, we caught the Blue Man Group show. Fun, loud, thought-provoking. We both were thinking how much the kids would've loved it (it's a very kid-friendly show, for about ages 7 and up). Except that Blue Man is one of the most expensive shows in Vegas, so we won't be taking them anytime too soon.

Sunday morning...sunshine! View from our room on the 36th floor. That big green swath is the golf course at the Wynn, the sister property to the Encore.

Playing unabashed tourist around our hotel...More Chinese New Year decor:

The decor theme of the Encore (the casino/public areas, not the rooms) is lots of red, and lots of butterflies. Butterflies everywhere! It's like the Mariah Carey Hotel or something.  Here's some of the butterfly-themed carpet:

What's that quote?  "I Don't Know What it Is, But I Like It."  Yeah. That's what's going on here with these shiny metal....tulips?

(Note the glittery red butterflies on the ceiling):

Atrium in the Encore lobby. Everyone was vying to take photos here. It's very pretty, with the twinkle lights and flower orbs hanging from the trees. And it smells pretty nice, too. (That's another red dragon hanging there.)

These parasols slowly move up and down as they hang in this area, which is near two upscale restaurants and a bar downstairs:

All in all, it was a great trip, but whooosh. It all flew by so fast. Two nights weren't enough! We needed one more night, at least. 

In fact, I'm totally ready to do another encore and hit Vegas again.

Bah-dum-dum.  Sorry. That one was too easy. 

But seriously, now that I got my Vegas mojo back after a few years away, I'm ready to go back & do it again.