Here is part two of my Vegas series. If you missed the first part, catch it here: https://read.cash/@ladyanneclare/las-vegas-101-overview-the-strip-81b3121f
Art/Culture
I am a culture nerd, so I always make time to take in some kind of art or culture in the midst of this play land. Here are my favorites below.
Bellagio Gardens - Inside the Bellagio, past the front desk, is a freshly, ornate kept garden. It changes quarterly with the seasons and does not disappoint. It definitely is where all those Instagram posts from Bellagio comes from. What’s amazing is how much they pack into that space. Imagine thousands of fresh blooms permeating the air and misters to keep everything alive. Along with the flowers and plants are the sculptures to complement the season. Sometimes they have live music performances which are appropriate with the beautiful setting.
Bellagio Fine Art Gallery - After you’ve strolled the gardens, you can check out the Fine Art Gallery . Unfortunately at this time is closed temporarily but hoping for an opening soon. I have seen Picasso and ancient Samurai outfits here and it was awesome. What else is awesome? I was able to get tickets to the gallery for free by playing MGM’s app games and gaining coins to redeem them for tickets to the gallery. There’s now four games you can play. I might do a post on their games soon but if you want to get started, just download them to your phone or play on Facebook.
Akhob by James Turrell - Louis Vuitton Light Installation
For a reservation, call (702) 730-3150. NOTE: The reservations are always booked for six to eight weeks (yes, a healthy two months) solid, so call well in advance. I just called them and the first reservation is June 14th and today is April 30. Their hours have changed slightly also, they are opened Fri-Sun 12p-5p and the whole experience takes 30 minutes, minus the registration/arrival. You should plan on showing up at least 10 minutes before your reservation to fill out the paperwork.
I’m a book geek so I was thrilled to find out that this store had opened in Vegas. I stopped by and it is smaller than it’s NY store, or from what I have gathered of the photos online of it. It still is quite interesting to see all these volumes of old books in one place and some of my childhood favorites. It’s like the museum of books for any book lover. It’s located in the shopping center of the Venetian and is keeping limited hours at the moment 10a-6p everyday.
Animals
Flamingo Gardens
Located at the Flamingo, not only do you get to see real live pink flamingoes, but many of their friends - turtles, birds and fish. It’s a natural habit set right in the middle of Sin City. No charge to view the gardens and it’s a nice respite from all the sinning you’ve been doing all over town.
Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat
Here are the intelligent dolphins, lions, tigers and leopards to see up close. There is a price of admission for this one at $25 and it’s opened every day from 10a-6p. If animals are your thing, then this one should be on your list.
Shark Reef Aquarium
There’s no shortage of dangerous animals on the Strip. You can head over to the Mandalay Bay for your creatures of the ocean. Over 2000 animals on view will give you a nice overview of the species that live in our waters. An adult admission is $29 and there is a senior discount and a child’s admission price. When I went here, I went with friends who had extra tickets comped and I was also to get another free ticket through playing the MGM app games. You have to link your Facebook, but don’t worry, you can keep yourself on private so no one sees. I’ll tell you more about these later. They update what kinds of items you can redeem and lucky for me I was able to get a ticket for my cousin who was with us.
Shows/Concerts etc.
The one thing that is most known about in Vegas is their shows. They change often but the one show you should see is one of the Cirque de Soleil shows - there’s usually about four different ones playing, from O at the Bellagio, Ka at MGM to Zumanity at NYNY and Zarkana at Aria. They’re a lot of fun and at first was hard for me to grasp maybe due to the French or humor but their very entertaining.
I also saw Le Rêve at the Wynn and it was a similar style to Cirque de Soleil but not the same company. Unfortunately it is not playing but I see that there’s many comedians and musicians up for performances at the Wynn.
One show on my list to see is Opium at the Cosmopolitan, unfortunately at the moment it is on hiatus.
I am a huge comedy fan and will see most anyone but there is something about discovering that one person that’s hilarious that no one knows. The club I go to for this is Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club at the Linq. They usually have a great lineup and I’m always entertained.
There’s lots of concerts I’ve attended over the years, at the Cosmopolitan’s Chelsea, a great venue for a concert. And mostly anywhere else is entertaining. It seems more and more people are performing there so I would take a look before your trip to see if your favorite performer is giving a show.
Thrill seekers
There are rides in Vegas - I am not one to get on one :-D. But New York New York has a big rollercoaster and the Linq has the High Roller and there’s the Eiffel Tower ride at Paris. There’s no shortage of fun here people, you choose your own adventure.
More to come... I will be exploring Downtown Vegas for you all. Please post any questions you may have, happy to answer them for you!
