Click here to catch up on Las Vegas Part I: Tim McGraw/Faith Hill Soul2Soul.
Our second morning in Vegas found us shopping again! This time we tried out the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (North – there’s also a South) which was about a ten minute cab ride. (Buses are a popular option, but since we were splitting rides four ways, we splurged for a few taxis and didn’t bother to figure out the public transit system).
I didn’t do a lot of shopping there, other than new sweatpants and hoodie from Gap (which will do double duty as treadmill wear and pyjamas…the first thing I do when I get in the door after school is put on a sweatsuit and pull my hair into a ponytail!) There was a Kate Spade outlet as well, with 50% off tons of bags…too bad I splurged at her store in the mall the day before!
Next on the agenda was the Titanic Artifact Museum at the Luxor Hotel. We found a coupon in our hotel brochure to get $10 off the $32 admission, and it was definitely worth what we paid to see so much history: over 250 authentic artifacts from the wreck site of the Titanic, plus extensive recreations of some of the most famous rooms on the ship (you can see us below, on the grand staircase!)
That night, we decided we couldn’t leave Vegas without trying one of the buffets, so after a bit of research we headed for the Bacchanal at Caesar’s Palace (convenient since our show for that night was located in the same Casino). The Bacchanal has been voted the #1 buffet in Vegas by various different outlets, and it definitely lived up to its reputation…though I’m not sure that it’s possible for me to consume $50 worth of food in one sitting. The prime rib (traditionally my favourite anywhere I go) was fantastic, and it’s always fun for a picky eater like me to be able to try small portions of different foods. Oh, and who am I kidding about the fifty bucks…I think my dessert plates (yes, that’s plural) alone would total more than that!
So…what show did we see that night? Well, as I’ve said before, we’re Canadian and from the country…which means of course we couldn’t miss our girl, Shania!
We were two for two with another great concert that night. While the Colosseum is a fairly large venue, Shania still made some trips out into the audience, shaking hands, accepting hugs, and signing books (as she did for my SIL – see photo below!) She also invited selected audience members onstage for a campfire/singalong late in the show. (One lucky invitee proudly showed her the “Shania’s autograph tattoo” on his arm, to which she replied “Oh…I wonder what your mother thinks of that!”)
Our seats were fantastic (the front of the second section), but just as with the concert the night before, I was trying to be a good girl and follow the no-photos rules (they seemed much stricter about that at this venue) – though we did notice Shania’s hubby Fred out in the aisles capturing some moments with his camera!
“Still The One” is a big production (the difference between Tim/Faith and Shania reminds me very much of the distinction between Garth Brooks/Céline Dion two years ago) as this show includes more set and costume changes, backup singers (including her sister Carrie Ann), dancers, screens and special effects. She played all of her biggest hits plus a song she wrote more recently, and we were able to sing along with pretty much everything. The ticket price was definitely money well-spent.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped to check out the beautiful fountain show at the Bellagio, and while we had intended to grab a cab somewhere along the line, we ended up enjoying our last stroll up the Strip to our hotel, where our heads were pretty quick to hit the pillows.
While I had expected it to be a whirlwind of a trip (and we did accomplish an awful lot), a long weekend is more than enough to get a great taste of Vegas, and I’m glad we went down with show tickets booked, but lots of room to go with the flow and not be rushing from one event or location to the next.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to leave them here, or contact me directly – I’m always happy to help with trip planning!
Sounds like an amazing girls trip! I would love to see Shania live!!