The Venetian

Visiting the Venetian on a Las Vegas vacation, it is possible to forget you are in the middle of a desert while you are socializing in the  bustling Marketplace, strolling past the Grand Canal Shoppes, or better yet enjoying a gondola ride on the canal.  Your mind won't exactly be tricked into thinking you are actually in Venice, but it won't matter because you will still be enjoying the beautiful architecture and distinctive atmosphere of this very grand resort. 

St Mark's Square at the Venetian

 The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is conveniently located mid-strip at the site of the old Sands Hotel.  The Sands was imploded in November, 1996, and by May 3rd, 1999, the 1.5 billion dollar Venetian was being opened with grandiose fanfare.   Trumpets blared, whites doves soared into the sky, gondoliers sang, the slot machines rang, and Sophia Loren christened a motorized gondola.

View of the Front of the Venetian

Outdoor Gondola Docks the the Venetian

The Venetian is a marvel of a themed Las Vegas vacation destination.  It is an expansive resort with 4,049 large and airy suite-styled rooms that feature sunken living rooms.  Upgraded rooms and a wedding chapel are available in the Venezia tower along with some glitz and a separate entrance.  The casino is 120,000 square feet of themed fun with Venetian art on the ceilings.  The Venetian has a lot worth seeing, even if you are just visiting for the day rather than staying there.  There are great shops to visit along the faux Grand Canal including Jimmy Choo, Mikimoto, Valentino, and Kenneth Cole, and a slew of others.  A gondola ride with a singing gondolier on the same faux Grand Canal is a kick in pants.  The replica of St. Marks Square offers a Venetian stew of things to see and do:  dine, drink, shop, have yourself painted or get a mini-bust made of your face.  Roaming characters in colorful period costumes are everywhere, walking on stilts, singing and performing and enthusiastically interacting with guests.  It really makes for a robust and entertaining environment. 

A Costumed Character at the Venetian

The Human Statue, Very Cool but a Little Creepy!

Mini Busts Made on the Spot

Featured entertainment at the Venetian includes the Blue Man Group performing in the Blue Man Theatre,  men in blue paint pounding on PVC pipes making raucous riffs.  A shortened version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera  is also featured.  And for entertaining yourself at the other end of the artistic spectrum,  the Venetian is home to the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum which opened there on October 7, 2001.  The museum features exhibits displaying masters from Picasso to Renoir as well as more contemporary artists.  

This is an incredibly life-like display of the Blue Man Group.

Additional highlights that make the Venetian a Las Vegas vacation pick include some fine restaurants, interesting bars and clubs, and Madame Tussauds.  Bouchon is the bistro owned by Chef Thomas Keller and featuring regional French cooking.  The Tao Nightclub is considered one of the best in Las Vegas.  Rich woods and gorgeous stone are used in presenting an Asian theme.  Remarkable details include a twenty foot tall Buddha statue whose serene contemplation marks a counterpoint to club energy, an infinity pool filled with Koi fish, artful lighting, a forty foot outdoor terrace with views of the Las Vegas strip, private sky boxes with mini-bars, great audio and two dance rooms.  

Breathe...!  What else are you gonna do at an oxygen bar?

For something really different and typically only found in larger metropolitan areas, the Venetian has Breathe, one of the many oxygen bars that can be found in Las Vegas.  Breeze on in and inflate yourself with the finest of o2!  These oxygen bars seem to floating on a cushion of popularity and are well patronized.

Yet another element of the variety to be found at the Venetian is a branch of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  Some of the wax figures are so life-like it is spooky.  Touching of the freestanding exhibits is actually allowed which can add great fun to a visit and provides unique photo opportunities.

Entrance to Madame Tussaud's in the Venetian

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is like a shiny new toy for the Las Vegas strip.  It's bright and clean, fresh and energetic, and it does seem to appeal to those of a youthful state of mind.  It has original and striking decor and a lively atmosphere.  Call it cool, call it chic, call it the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, just don't call it plain old Cosmopolitan.  It was originally going to be called just the Cosmopolitan, but the folks at Cosmopolitan Magazine did not like that and so the hotel ended up with the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas moniker.

Cool and Chic, Everywhere You Look

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is part of the Marriott International Autograph Collection, which is a collection of independent hotels that utilize the Marriott reservations and rewards system.  It is currently the newest hotel resort on the strip having just opened on 12/15/10 at a cost of 3.9 billion dollars.  It features two towers and 2,995 rooms.  While the original plan called for a mix of hotel rooms and condominiums, the condo units were canceled and were apparently a victim of the weak economy.  This hotel resort includes an 1,800 seat theater and 150,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.  

Like all of the big Las Vegas hotel resorts, the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas can be a self-contained Las Vegas Vacation with shopping (15 shops serving eclectic tastes), pools and a spa, a casino (but no poker room), and a gluttonous assortment of fine dining and casual restaurants, and numerous bars.  Of the thirteen restaurants, two highlights are the China Poblano fusion of Chinese-Mexican, and Jaleo with its featured Tapas.  One stunning option is The Chandelier with three unique bar experiences to accommodate a variety of tastes and moods:  high energy hot spot, sophisticated cocktailing, and an inviting lounge.  Another great spot is the Book and Stage, described as "polished and comfortable", it combines entertainment with the sports book.  Bund is a unique mix of LED light art, live performances and upbeat music.  There is also the Nightclub and Dayclub with over 60,000 square feet for "clubbing", and it features a fifty foot ceiling.  Three pools again provide for a variety of tastes and moods, including the Bamboo pool which offers discreet havens and a degree of seclusion if the guest is so inclined.  

Another distinctive feature of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is the parking garage.  Other than the Palazzo, it is the only hotel in Las Vegas to feature an underground parking lot. 

  

The Bellagio

It's big!  It's bad!  It's bella!  One of the most remarkable hotels on the Las Vegas strip is without a doubt the Bellagio.  It has a huge presence that to some may even seem overwhelming.  While it is a resort with some seriously significant substance, it is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea...uh, espresso.  But, of course, in the end that depends on your personal taste and what it is you are looking for in terms of your home away from home for your Las Vegas Vacation.

The Bellagio is modeled after the municipality in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy, and it even includes an eight-acre reproduction of Lake Como that fronts Las Vegas Boulevard.  The lake is the site of the Bellagio Water Fountains.  These fabulous and free shows feature lights, undulating and dancing fountains that shoot as high as 250', and a variety of operatic, classical and broadway music.  The shows go off every half hour from from 3:00-8:00pm and every fifteen minutes after 8:00 until midnight Monday through Friday, and every half hour from noon until 8:00pm and every fifteen minutes after 8:00 until midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.  Shows may be canceled if there are high winds.  

Lobby Decoration

Bellagio Lobby

The Bellagio was opened in 1998 at a cost of 1.6 billion dollars, and it began the new era of modern luxury resorts in Las Vegas.  It has a definite Euro flavor, with a European-styled pool area and spa, and European-styled casino.  It has a presence to it that shouts "Big!" but it also strikes some visitors as being less personal than some competitive hotel resorts such as the Paris Las Vegas, which is directly across the street.  The hotel has 3,993 rooms, and it is vast and ideal for people who like to walk.

Lobby With Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture

The lobby area has a botanical theme and is an incredible sight to behold.  It features the Fiori di Como, a ten million dollar Dale Chihuly glass sculpture of 2,000 handblown flowers.  The sculpture is thirty by seventy feet and was the largest glass sculpture in the world when it was made.  

Another notable feature of the hotel is the Bellagio Conservatory which continues the botanical theme.  It is a 14,000 square foot indoor garden with a glass ceiling.  The plant and flower displays get freshened every day and arrangements vary and reflect the seasons and holidays.  Just like the Bellagio Water Fountain shows, the Bellagio Conservatory can be enjoyed free and makes a great draw for frugal Las Vegas vacationers, regardless of where you are staying.  The reported cost of maintaining the conservatory reportedly runs well into the millions of dollars every year!


Not surprising for a fancy and posh resort, the Bellagio has extensive options for wining and dining.  In addition to more casual choices, there are five fine dining restaurants:  Michael Mina, Jasmine, Prime Steakhouse, and the AAA 5 Diamond award winners La Cirque, and the Picasso which features paintings and ceramic works by the great artist.  Guests can also wine, dine and feel fine with themed wine and cooking experiences at the Epicurean Epicenter.  And for people looking to give in to the desires of their sweet tooth,  the Jean-Philippe Patisserie should provide everything you need.  It has a very cool twenty-seven foot tall chocolate fountain, and an even more cool Flying Saucer manned by giant chocolate space-bunnies.

Chocolate Bunnies From Outer Space at the Jean-Philippe Patisserie

Another excellent stop on a Las Vegas vacation is the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.  Okay, this one's not free, but it has some really great retrospective shows featuring all kinds of art from photographs to Monet paintings.  The gallery originally showed off artworks owned by Steve Wynn, the original owner of the Bellagio.  The Bellagio Conservatory and the Bellagio Art Gallery offer a nice counterpoint and respite from the standard high energy-charged activities of the Strip.  The gardens are free to experience, and the gallery is practically free with an entrance fee of less than twenty dollars, about the cost of one typical hand of blackjack in the European-styled casino.  The casino is a big one, and yes there is sports betting as well as two poker rooms along with typical table games and an endless sea of slot machines.

Scenic Ceiling of Umbrellas Hanging Like Bats in a Colorful Cave

The Bellagio is a Las Vegas vacation pick for visitors looking for big, elegant and posh, but who do not mind an environment that can lean toward impersonal.

Las Vegas Weddings

 Top quality shows, partying and gaming are all popular reasons to vacation in Las Vegas, but more than 100,000 couples choose to come to Las Vegas every year to bet on each other with a marriage license from Clark County.  Las Vegas is one of the world's most popular destination wedding locations, and for good reasons.  The process here is quick and easy, there are countless wedding chapels serving up every conceivable kind of wedding ceremony, and Las Vegas is a premier vacation destination and an exhilarating honeymoon spot.

Getting hitched in Vegas can be accomplished in just about any style and manner, whether it be quick and simple or lavish and formal with a gazillion guests.  Of course, when it comes to weddings, Las Vegas is most famous for all those dozens of little stand-alone chapels where kitsch and the King (as in Elvis) rule.  A wedding at a landmark chapel such as the Little White Wedding Chapel can be managed in less than an hour, but it sometimes helps to have a reservation.  If you are in a real hurry you can take advantage of the drive-up window!  Drive-thru and outdoor weddings are quite popular at dedicated chapels.  

If you are really in a hurry.....

Entertainment often blends with ceremony at Las Vegas weddings, and the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel is a good example.  Theatrical weddings can be arranged with themes from Star Wars to James Bond and everything in between.  Channel the spirits and your cash in the right way and Elvis will be happy to make an appearance at your wedding.  


Some popular Las Vegas wedding chapels are:
     Chapel of the Flowers
     Cupid's Wedding Chapel
     Graceland Wedding Chapel
     Little White Wedding Chapel
     A Special Memory Wedding Chapel
     Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel
     Wee Kirk O' the Heather


Should a betrothed couple be more interested in a traditional, fancy or formal wedding, one of the big hotel chapels makes a better choice.  Here is a list of some of the big Las Vegas hotels with wedding chapels:
     Bellagio                         JW Marriott                  Riviera
     Caesar's Palace              Las Vegas Hilton          Stratosphere
     Circus Circus                 Luxor                            Texas Station
     Excalibur                       Mandalay Bay               Treasure Island
     Flamingo                       MGM Grand                  Tropicana
     Four Seasons                 Mirage                            Venetian
     Golden Nugget              Monte Carlo                   Wynn 
     Hard Rock                     Paris
     Imperial Palace             Planet Hollywood

The Forever Grand Wedding Chapel MGM

The Clark County Marriage License Bureau is located at 201 Clark Ave. (702-671-0600).  It is open daily from 08:00am to midnight, including holidays.  Fridays and Saturdays are their busiest days.  Currently, your ticket to wedded bliss will set you back $60.00.  Of course, there are some strings attached:  You must be 18 or older and have proof of age and a social security number, and you must be a male-female couple.