Carnevale at the Venetian

Nestled in the corridor between the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes and the Palazzo lies a floral exhibit area similar to Bellagio's Conservatory. I tried Googling the official name, but couldn't find anything, so if you know what it's called, let me know.

Although smaller than the Bellagio, this area is also decked out with beautiful floral arrangements. When I looked at my pictures, I realized I did the exhibit a great disservice. At the time, the area had a "Carnevale" theme and included several large "Mardi Gras" type masks. I was fixated on those masks, but in hindsight, should have take more photos of the flowers, which included 1,000 flowers and 800 plants. Oh well, next time.

The one "con" about this area is its inaccessibility. The Bellagio Conservatory is located right off of its parking garage entry and main lobby entry. But this area is literally in the middle of the Venetian and Palazzo, so it's a walk to get there. Let me know if you know of any secret passage ways or side entrances.

Here's some pics from my trip in December.

And pics from 2009:

Fake Vegas

An acquaintance was once describing her trip to Venice as dirty and smelly and ended it with, "I'd rather go to the Venetian at Vegas."

Her comment would rankle a lot of people, rightly so, but I do appreciate and "get" Vegas' sterile interpretation of many famous places. In fact, I do enjoy visiting those themed casinos. Until I can actually visit these places, Vegas will have to do for now.

One thing about these replicas is that they are often smaller scale replicas. So I can only image the awe of seeing the real thing! Here are just some of those famous things you can see in Vegas:

New York City skyline with the Statue of Liberty fronting it at New York New York.

The Brooklyn Bridge at New York New York.

The Eiffel Tower at Paris.

The Eiffel Tower at night.

Michelangelo's David at Caesar's Palace.

Venus de Medici at Caesar's Palace

Hebe, the Goddess of Youth, at Caesar's Palace

Photos from the Venetian, the inspiration for this post, including its version of St. Mark's Square and the grand canal.

I talked about Madame Tussade's Wax Museum in a previous post. Unlike the other replica's in Vegas, these are "true to size." These stars look larger than life on a movie screen, but many are of average height.

Recognize the eye brow arch anywhere.

One of basketball's greatest.

While checking out The Quad (the old Imperial Palace), we happened to come across the celebrity black jack dealers. Before the games opened up, we were treated to performances by Marvin Gaye, Alanis Morrissette, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson. Pretty cool to claim that you were dealt cards by Tina Turner!

Although "Michael Jackson" lip synched, he more than made up for it with some really great dance moves. He looked like the real deal too!

Rod Stewart looked amazingly like the original, but he didn't have the pipes to match. While we were there, he sang over the original vocals.

This Tina Turner was pretty amazing. She not only looked like Tina Turner, but she moved like Tina Turner and sounded like her too.

Summertime at the Bellagio

As you know from this post, visiting the Bellagio Conservatory is a must-do. It was one of the first stops during my recent trip and as usual, it didn't disappoint.

I'm not sure if it's because it's summer or if it's because I visited in the morning, but the summer theme felt fresh, light and airy. Maybe it was the birds "flying" overhead. In any case, I hope you enjoy the viewing the pictures as much as I enjoyed seeing it in person.