Incredible Sunday

NEW YORK, NY

 

In honor of what was once upon a time a tv show in the 80s called "Incredible Sunday",  well, here is my own Incredible Sunday in NY...

stay tuned ...

Las Vegas - SeeTreats

 

LAS VEGAS, NV

so, in winding down on Vegas treats, we shed light and much-deserved attention on the  tasty memories of Vegas that, for some, will probably remain more than that nasty, wild night hangover or that horrifying memory of the sum of money sucked away by casino gambling.

For me, the sights seen in Vegas went beyond just the bright lights. Perhaps I'll just sit back for this one, show you, and let the good times roll in the faint hope that these memories eventually will become your own once you decide to treat yourself to them, someday ;)

On the Strip ...

Roaming around The Forum Shops right outside of The Cheesecake Factory, you can have the ultimate pleasure of taking a visit to the giant, gorgeous fishtank right outside the restaurant. Sure, there is the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and Siegfried & Roy's Dolphin & Lion Habitat at the Mirage. However, this giant tank, home to many breeds of beautiful fish and two of our friends, the Misters Stingray, will not cost you a penny to see and is still remarkably, quite stunning. Very worthy of making a fish face.

Also ...

 

Another few morsels for the eyes, will lie in the indoor gardens of the Electric Desert. 

Who doesn't love free AC in a place as hot as Vegas? as we'd gone in the birth of summer, let's just say that no one was complaining too much about discovering the planted green stuff in the casinos. However these places are easily simple, great photo-ops, and best of all, FREE for your enjoyment.

The Botanical Garden / Atrium @ Wynn Las Vegas Hotel is a nice place to stroll and chill out for a little while in-between your plans for the day. Another beautiful sight to check out at the Wynn would also be the waterfall outside one of the side entrances. check it out.

another garden to check out a small distance down the road (if for some plus while you're enjoying the cool AC):

  

The Bellagio Hotel Conservatory & Botanical Gardens @ The Bellagio Hotel is an ever-changing amenity to the hotel, and it's always been a pleasant visit everytime we've touched down over there. Displays of flowers and water fountains make a nice refresher for the senses, but in general the Bellagio likes to change up their displays pretty thoroughly in their hotel. One of my personal favorites was my first visit in spring 2007, when they had their Cherry Blossoms display, and I am absolutely, positively CRAZY about cherry blossoms. 

not to mention that apparently they also have one of the world's largest chocolate fountain displays also in the hotel vicinity. A nice lil thing to go huntin' for ;)

For those Beatles fans out there, or those who like a lil bit of psychadelic with their afternoon tea, if not to see the show, check out this lil bit @ The Mirage:

if not to see the Cirque de Soleil show (BUT YOU SHOULD), check out the fun walkway display for The Beatles LOVE show. (my running and jumping-pose photos aren't here as they are pretty pathetic, but merely reserved for those who I wouldn't mind laughing at me)

@ TheHotel way down by Mandalay Bay:

Technically, it's for the 21-and-over crowd, however see it more as an opportunity to get up, way way up, to see quite the view from the top of the city. This priceless (literally) view is available to you at miX, the lounge club/restaurant at the 64th Floor of TheHotel. Recommended to me by one of my best friends, if not to get a drink, to come up and see the city as people should! And here's another lil plus you might want to consider ... the view is seen even inside the bathroom... =D

and finally ...

even if off the Strip, highly advise you to take the time to see it:

 

it speaks for itself: Red Rock Canyon ... not too far for a Grand Canyon adventure, but definitely one that you can't ignore being a majestic one. We spent the entire morning here on the 4th of July, and despite the fact that I got quite the nasty case of sun poisoning/ dehydration from being the idiot that didn't drink enough water, I seriously enjoyed myself here every second. Scramble, hike, climb, watch adoringly on the old Korean couples in their cute visors ... spend only a mere 5-bucks to bring your car around to the many sites this place has to offer.... and then go back to Ellis Island to rejuvenate with an awesome steak.

however, I say the best view of Vegas you'll never be able to put a price tag on, will be this one:

 

and your desert sunset, no matter where you are gonna be, is the one to watch for.

Vegas is undoubtedly full of great things to indulge in, folks, I say go for it and come back with your own great delights to share!

in the meantime, I'm going to bring this one on back home to the real New York, New York, as there is nothing else like it in the world ;)

Next up... 

classic New York pizza in my neighborhood of Astoria, AND one of my ultimate must-haves, kicking off the TreatYourself portion of LittleTreats. Can't wait ;)

Las Vegas - MeatTreats

LAS VEGAS, NV

In a wonderful near-Freudian slip, I wrote 'NY' instead of 'NV'... silly me, I truly am a snob.

Also, I realize in choosing my labels eventually the word "treat" might be overkill to both me and you in the process. However, let's hope that the gimmick continues to give off the vibe more "cute" than promoting brick-twitches of sorts.

Anyhoo, let's talk about meat.

(I pre-apologize to all the vegan/ vegetarians out there (my niece, Christina, most of all.)

Continuing on in Vegas, there's got to be a little more of something that will stick to your bones more so than just sweets and alcohol alone. After a lil bit of searching here's two things that stand out the most, but one that I'll mention in the hopes that the restaurant will bring it back on the menu again:

First up ...

  

Going off the Strip a little bit to the Ellis Island Casino & Brewery on Koval Lane, will be worth it just to have an $9 STEAK DINNER.

that's right! and where one might get skeptical about an ordeal where a delicious part of a cow would only cost you a few bucks, trust me when I say, it is GREAT (sorry, don't have a picture of this one but just let your mind wander along).  I had their steak sandwich deluxe twice, and it is goodness: tender, juicy steak cooked thick enough and right enough to sink your teeth into, right between two pieces of crispy bread. Plus, they definitely don't stiff you on the crispy steak fries. I found myself picking the leftover precious ones off my friends' plates.

Second up, we have:
 

If you plan on staying on the Strip, we discovered this lil gem while waiting to see the

Cirque de Soleil 'LOVE'  show @ The Mirage Hotel right by the front entrance.

The restaurant? The BLT

what can you find here? delicious, genuine burgers and your options are ENDLESS ... everything from a classic beef burger to Lamb Tandoori, Veggie Falafel, and Salmon Burgers (one that I am trying when I go back!) It fills you up happily, the service was great, and is a nice lil cozy joint on its own within the circus that is the Vegas Strip.

AND... there is also one in NYC!

Now, it's a little more costly for a $9-steak dinner, however as seen on their menu you can shell out $13 on a burger alone, or spend a lil more on a combo that will include your fries and drink (for me? I went classic and got a shake combo, and I promise you, the shake itself was HUGE, like so ...)

a dark photo does it no justice, but you get the idea...

And now, the third lovely meatTreat and a trip down memory lane ... with a little peer pressure, hopefully they will change their minds!

 

I present to you an old one-afternoon-delight stand of mine, named the Brazilian Beef Quesedilla. Her home was once the kitchen of a great restaurant we visited, RumJungle @ Mandalay Bay.

So here's the deal ... on my first trip to Vegas 3-years ago, my friends and I ventured around through tour books, suggestions, and hotels to find good food and RumJungle was the little gamble we decided to take. Although dinner itself can get pricey over there, lunch was available to us and it was indeed a memorable, delicious one.

 As one of my friends is lactose intolerant (however, not vegetarian thank goodness!) we chose this baby off the menu as an appetizer and it wow-ed the hell out of us. Quality-seasoned, diced beef with a touch of lime, red pepper, garlic & onion, served in a soft tortilla with a few slices of fresh avocado... trust me when I say that this stuff was melt-in-your-mouth goodness and exactly how quality beef should taste!

Fast-forward to July 2009. RumJungle itself was clearly also feeling the recession a bit, as their portions were smaller and *gasp* their menu had CHANGED! My one-time afternoon-delight who I'd looked forward to getting a taste of again, was gone from the menu! Disappointed is on operative word for it ... perhaps I shall launch a campaign of sorts for its return... or add this to the list of Attemptive Recipes, which, in its own right, is going to be a new adventure all on its own.

Our final venture into Vegas treats (for now) won't be food but still precious bits for the senses.

Again, Little Treats in life won't always stop at food ;)

Conquering Las Vegas - Sweet & Elite

LAS VEGAS, NV

There is plenty that can be said about good times in Vegas, and over the years it has definitely changed to become not just a playground for adults, but for families, too.

However, as I am but 27-years-old and with no children of my own, I can really only tell this one from my standpoint, eh?

As Summer 2009 is winding down, I can honestly look back on my trip to Vegas in July and remember all the great delights all around. It was my second trip, and there was a definite difference from the first time as opposed to the second time around.

One could say that the recession in our great country took its toll on everything one saw: crowds were thinner, merchandise in stores was downsized, even the Bellagio Hotel seemed to decrease the number of fountain shows(as was made apparent by the hot, hazy wait-time we experienced). One got a big picture into the cash dent Vegas was having ...

However, despite all these there were still the upsides for us tourists ;) plenty of 2-for-1 deals around for summer, the 4th of July Fireworks display @ Caesars Palace, and of course, tastiness everywhere.

Of course, Vegas can get undoubtedly expensive, however there are the little things around that you can indulge in without running dry by the end of your stay. We'll start with an Elite Treat (for the lovely 21-and-over folk):

First!! there are *drumroll please* ...

Amongst the hundreds of bars in Vegas, there really is only one that I enjoy the most. This would be the hotel mini-bar @ MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, located right in the skywalk entrance to New York York Hotel & Casino on the 2nd Floor.

What makes this one so special, you ask?

Here it is: $2 JELLO SHOTS & THE ABSOLUT PINK MARGARITA

Where jello shots may have gone out the window in your young, whippersnapper houseparty days, the window can now be shamelessly re-opened at the price of $2 for a tasty lil cup. Offered at another 2-for-1 deal for the time, we noshed on a few flavors: Cherry, Kamikaze, Boysenberry, Lemon, and the flavor of the week, Peach Rum Vodka (IT WAS LETHAL!!!)

I normally don't like too many drinks, but for me to say I love one and traveled far in 103-degrees from our hotel to MGM for an Absolut Pink margarita is a stretch in itself. The mini-bar offers plenty of options for margaritas, but this one is literally a smooth, DELICIOUS twist on Pink Lemonade over ice. Very, very delicious.

However, if Jello Shots and Margaritas aren't your bag, they offer up beer of course, however in a LARGE quantity cup (courtesy of Cirque De Soleil's show 'KA' in the hotel) for the price of $7. Trust me, it will be more than enough beer for your belly and then perhaps even enough to convince you to buy a round of jello shots!

That said, with the grown-up fixes come the fixes for all .. and Vegas does have its Sweet Treats. Two of my personal favorites:

La Creperie @ the Paris Hotel offers up hot crepes fresh off the grill, and the nutella crepe is a hearty handful (definitely big enough for 2). They were sweet enough to give me a lil birthday candle too (thanks, guys). A nice lil dream snack for down time.

Or if you're in the mood for something on the colder side (or just in the mood to feel a lil posh)here's one that never fails:

Cafe' Gelato right near poolside balcony in the Bellagio Hotel. Sit down, relax, and indulge. I gotta say, this place had some of the most refreshing, delicious gelato & sorbet I've ever had. They do serve tasty panini sandwiches with lil jars of jam, jelly, n' honey on the side, however as the sandwiches are a bit on the pricey side, I suggest diving into the hordes of the cold stuff in front of you.

Really, you can't go wrong here. I'm a classic chocolate gelato girl, and it was some of the creamiest, eye-rolling faboosh stuff chocolate has to offer. Between the lemon and berry sorbets, you'll find yourself here with more urges to spend bits of cash than you would at rounds of roulette!

Of course, the treat-trail won't stop at alcohol and sweets. For us carnivorous beings of the world, we need our meat fix ... next up, a Meat Treat and more for the senses, continuing in Sin City.