Day 5 | Las Vegas - Gordon Ramsay's Pub at Caesars
After going to bed at 4am we figured a sleep in was in order. We headed out for late breakfast at the Mirage. We met up with Jacqui & Pete for a leisurely wander through Caesars Palace shops, while the girls shopped at Victoria's Secret, the boys browsed the Sports and Memorabilia stores close by.
Basically, a great many things have huge collectable value and these stores are full of that. Signed picture of Russell Crowe in Gladiator - $900, Mickey Mantle baseball card $120k. Go figure.
The interior of Caesars is just amazing. Filled with haute couture shops it is quietly restrained compared to rest of the casino. Down one end they have some animatronic Poseidon story that culminates in balls of fire surrounded by an aquarium. Where do they get these ideas? Anyway, it was down here we got some coffee at the Cheesecake Factory. Inevitably we had a bit of cake. It was small and plain, oh that's right, this is Vegas – it was elaborate, massive and delicious.
Afterwards we thought we would spend a quick hour at one of the Outlet stores. As soon as we drove out the traffic was stopped (remembering it is Sunday here). Turns out that today Obama is in town to support the Hillary campaign and of course in addition to the street being closed around the airport a whole lot of people were going to see him. We quickly decided to return to the Strip as it just got busier. A bit of decisive driving got us back to get ready for dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s Pub back at Caesars. Walking over the weather had got windy as well as still cloudy.
Ramsey’s here (there are at least three restaurants) is casual trying to be a pub but pricey ($20-40 mains) but the food and service was good. The deserts were especially good with the Eton’s Mess and Sticky Toffee Pudding, yum.
We decided to brave the rain and enjoy the spectacle that is the Bellagio fountains. After a couple of musical fountain displays (they run every 15 mins) we moved on to the Cosmopolitan with its crazy chandelier (Rosie was told she couldn’t take photos in here, with that kind of camera – too late already had all the ones I wanted).
The fountains are mesmerising. You could spend hours watching them. They certainly draw the crowds, so it was good that later in the evening there seems to be less people so we could get closer to the front.
Finally, Paris with its Eiffel Tower and Arc. Unfortunately, we were delaying the sad reality that we were farewelling Pete and Jacqui tonight as they are off to LA and we are off northwards tomorrow.
Our hotel is fantastic, it's right on the strip but not one of the big flashy ones. The beds are so comfy and the rates are super cheap so we would give it a 9/10.
Daily highlights
Rosie | Girly shopping
Angus | Actually saw it rain in Las Vegas