Monday:
On this morning, I decided to head downstairs to Bally’s Sidewalk Café for breakfast. I saw that they had an “Express Breakfast Buffet” for $10.99 and, not having a huge appetite, decided it might be worth it. The advertisement said they had assorted meats and assorted cold cereals. I guess by “assorted”, they meant two. In retrospect, I should have taken a closer look before committing to the buffet. I didn’t expect much but I got even less. If you like eggs, it might be worth it. As for me, that would be Learning Experience #2.
I had planned on spending the rest of the morning casually walking the Strip and seeing what I could see. Unfortunately, I discovered while unpacking that I had not included my suit. Yikes! I figured I could get by with the pairs of khakis I bought with me but I still needed a suit jacket. And thus my adventure for today had started.
I remembered that there were two Ross stores on the Strip. For those not familiar, Ross is a discount department store on par with TJ Maxx, Marshalls and AJ Wright. If you’ve lost your luggage or just need to outfit or accessorize yourself in a pinch, it can be a convenient choice. The good news is that they had two locations on the Strip: the Showcase Mall next to MGM Grand and what I call the Peppermill (Lounge) Shopping Center just south of the Riviera. The bad news is that neither had a particularly appealing selection of jackets. I did note a decent array of larger-size options in general (up to 2X). So I took the opportunity to do something I would have rather done under less duress: I made my first visit to the Fashion Show Mall.
As malls go, it was a pretty nice place. It’s probably as nice as most upscale malls albeit with an emphasis on, of course, fashionable clothing stores. While I was admittedly more focused on my own "fashion" needs at the time, I would say from my quick observation that it would be easier for a larger person to find a new pair of shoes than a whole outfit. Tommy Bahama may be a positive exception for guys. The department stores are likely to offer at least the lower-end plus-sizes as well. Speaking of department stores, my first stop was Macy’s where they had a great selection but not in my preferred budget. So I headed over to Dillard’s next and after trying on a few jackets…success! I rested my tiring legs at the food court and got a chicken cheese steak from the Philly cheese steak shop. Unfortunately, while this native Philadelphian’s favorite corner shop had mustard available, this place wasn’t quite as authentic.
I caught a bus back to Bally’s and fell out on the bed for a bit. After patronizing two Ross stores and searching around the Fashion Show Mall, I had invested four hours of my day. Definitely not the type of aimless Strip wandering I had planned. If you’re keeping score, that’s Learning Experience #3.
After that unintended cardio workout, it may be hard to believe that I left my room to go to Bally’s spa. I suppose I’m one of those “weird” people who like to work out on vacation. I also figured the hot tub would help my sore legs. In order to find the spa, I had to head down an escalator where I discovered a “whole new world” that included the typical stores featuring resort wear and tcotchkes along with a food court and arcade. I saw a sign for the monorail I would use later before I came across the spa.
Since I was arriving after three, I saved half of the normal $22 fee. One thing I noticed right away in the fitness center section was how purple it was. The graphic design also made me feel like I had taken a trip back to the 80’s. I put myself through a relatively light upper body maintenance, took a shower and went for a dip in the hot tub…or rather, the “warm tub”. There were three whirlpools of different temperatures but I always prefer to be medium toasty.
I admit to not having a lot of spa experience. The only other one I’ve been to in Vegas was the Flamingo Spa. I know there are certainly more luxurious spas but as I’ve mostly stayed in or near the Flamingo in the past, it’s worked for me. While Bally’s actual spa area was probably equal to the Flamingo, I have to say the Flamingo’s fitness center was more attractive and updated. The staff was about equal; polite if not quite enthusiastic. Overall, I’d prefer to go back to the Flamingo between the two...although I had aspirations to finally(!) try out Qua over at Caesars Palace.
Later in the evening, I went over to the Bellagio via the convenient overpass that linked the two casinos. I was there to attend a pre-convention reception party. After being solo for a couple days, it was nice to see some familiar faces there. One of the Bellagio sales managers was there and offered to take me and a few other associates up to check out some of their rooms. I have to say it was a great experience to check out these rooms and their amazing features and views. I would get the opportunity to get my mind blown again by other properties later in the week.
After the reception, my colleagues and I walked around the Bellagio a bit, stopping first at Jean Phillippe Patisserie, a gourmet dessert shop featuring a huge fountain of chocolate. We then strolled through what is perhaps the Bellagio's most popular free attraction, their floral observatory. This elaborate display is changed every season. Not surprisingly, there was a strong holiday theme with faux penguins and snowmen thrown in for good measure.
After our observatory tour, I bid my colleagues good night as they returned down to Mandalay Bay and I relished my relatively short walk back across the overpass to Bally's. It would turn out to be a rare advantage during the week.
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