Las Vegas - Lili on the Loose

19 05, 2016

Showtime in Las Vegas

By Lili|May 19th, 2016|Categories: Concerts, Theater & Shows, Travel|Tags: 2011, 2016, Adobe Summit, cirque, cirque du soleil, Girl’s Weekend, Las Vegas, Le Rêve, Magic, Nevada, North America, Penn and Teller, Summit Bash, The Dream, The Linq, The Rio, The Wynn, Travel Thursday, USA, Vegas Checklist, Weezer|0 Comments

Las Vegas is always re-inventing itself, but one thing that has been a constant in Las Vegas is its entertainment acts and shows. On my previous trips to Las Vegas I was either too tired or busy to do see any shows (unless you count a male revue for a friends bachelorette), but this most recent trip I decided to branch out and see what Las Vegas had to offer. Magic On my first night, I found myself at the last minute grabbing tickets to Penn & Teller. I had wanted to see a real magic show since I was a kid

13 05, 2016

Tulips at The M, Las Vegas

By Lili|May 13th, 2016|Categories: Hotels & Lodging, Travel|Tags: 2013, casino, Henderson, hotel, Las Vegas, lobby, Nevada, North America, Photo Friday, The M, The M Resort, tulips, USA, work, work trip|4 Comments

These giant tulips caught my eye in the lobby of The M Resort in Henderson, NV. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

12 05, 2016

Las Vegas 2016 Cost Analysis

By Lili|May 12th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Budget|Tags: 2016, Bellagio, breakdown, Canyon Ranch Spa, cost analysis, Ethel M chocolate, fossil, gambling, horeseback riding, Las Vegas, Le Rêve, Magic, Mandalay Bay, Neon Museum, Nevada, North America, Penn and Teller, shark reef, shopping, Spa, spending, taxi, The Dream, The Venetian, Travel Thursday, Treasure Island, trilobite, Uber, USA, Vegas Checklist, Zoltar|0 Comments

Wynn Carousel made of flowers. Opulence in Vegas is expected. The last time I was in Las Vegas for a vacation was in 2011. I tracked my budget back then and shared it in this post. I wanted to do the same with my most recent trip to Las Vegas as a comparison. This trip is a little different though. The bulk of my time was for a client event, and so I won't share those numbers here. So while I was in Vegas for 6 days I'll just focus on my free-time activities which accounts for a

5 05, 2016

Springtime at Bellagio’s Botanical Garden

By Lili|May 5th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2016, Bellagio, Bellagio Gardens, Free, Las Vegas, Nevada, North America, spring, Travel Thursday, USA, Vegas Checklist|0 Comments

The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden is transformed each season with a different theme. I happened to visit one midnight evening when the gardens were closed off from the public so that they could take photos. This actually was spectral as from the edges I was able to get my own perfect images! This is 2016's Spring design, with lots of pink flowers, birds, and an Japanese theme. Made with over 82 thousand flowers including cherry blossom trees it is on display until May 14 when this will be changed out for the Summer season. Be sure to check it out, it

2 05, 2016

Museum Monday: Yousuf Karsh at the Bellagio

By Lili|May 2nd, 2016|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2016, Albert Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Bellagio, black and white photography, Gallery of Fine Art, Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio, Georgia O'Keeffe, Helen Keller, Jacqueline Kennedy, JFK, Las Vegas, Nelson Mandela, Nevada, North America, Pablo Picasso, photography, USA, Vegas Checklist, Yousuf Karsh|0 Comments

I remember a scene in Ocean's 11 here Danny and Tess talk about famous impressionist painters. This is what I was thinking about when I headed to the Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio. I had visions of Monet, Manet, and Picasso. After I paid my $16 entry fee and picked up the audio guide I stepped inside...to find out that once again Pop Culture had incorrectly shaped my knowledge of a place. Instead of grand paintings I was greeted with monochromatic portraits. That is when I learned the Bellagio Gallery frequently changes up its exhibitions and currently they

29 04, 2016

Living Art at the Bellagio

By Lili|April 29th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2011, 2016, Bellagio, easel, Flower Art, flowers, Girl’s Weekend, Las Vegas, Nevada, North America, Photo Friday, US, USA, Vegas Checklist|0 Comments

There are so many great fun & free things to do in Las Vegas if you just know where to find them. I really enjoyed walking around the flower garden in the Bellagio Hotel. This living easel has many wonderful flowers growing from in. The above is from my 2011 trip, and below my trip last month. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

28 04, 2016

Las Vegas Bucketlist

By Lili|April 28th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Planning|Tags: 2016, bucketlist, checklist, Las Vegas, Nevada, North America, Travel Thursday, USA, Vegas Checklist|0 Comments

I recently came back from my 6th trip to Las Vegas. There is so much to do in Las Vegas and I feel like there is still so much I would like to do. As a reminder to myself, here are some of the items I'd like to try on my next trip there: See a Cirque du Soleil show Go to the top of the faux-Eiffel Tower See the Grand Canyon Spend more time in Red Rock Canyon Visit M&M / Coke World See the Flamingos at The Flamingo Helcoptor Ride Mob Museum Natural History Museum Neon Museum at Night

21 04, 2016

Horseback Riding Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

By Lili|April 21st, 2016|Categories: Activities, Travel|Tags: 2016, bbq, Colorado Springs, Flying W Ranch, horseback, horseback riding, horses, Las Vegas, marshmallows, mule, Nevada, North America, riding, smores, Travel Thursday, USA, Vegas Checklist|0 Comments

I had been to Vegas five previous times before my latest trip. As I'd be alone, I wasn't going to be gambling or drinking. Instead I wanted to try different things in Las Vegas, as well as a trip outside the Strip. I first looked at Grand Canyon trips, but realized that I didn't want to do that alone. So when I saw options for horseback riding just outside Las Vegas, I was intrigued. I looked into a variety of options, but decided on a sunset BBQ dinner ride. Mostly because it reminded me of the Flying W Ranch in

16 04, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Las Vegas Snow Globe

By Lili|April 16th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2011, collection, Girl’s Weekend, Las Vegas, Nevada, North America, snow globe, USA|1 Comment

I like this snow globe from Las Vegas, as it has all the major "sights" from Luxor, NY NY, Paris, and more. The base brings back the Vegas motif with cards, chips, dice, and coins. Read about the History of Snow Globes or view a Buying Guide to find the perfect Snow Globe on your next vacation. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

6 04, 2016

March 2016 Recap

By Lili|April 6th, 2016|Categories: Blog Recaps and Roundups, Travel|Tags: 2016, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, books, gaming, horse, horse back riding, House of Cards, Jessica Jones, JFK, Las Vegas, Leon the Professional, Lucifer, Magic Show, monthly recap, Mortal Error, movies, Neon Museum, Nevada, North America, Penn & Teller, reading list, recap, Red Rock Canyon, The Americans, The Big Short, The Blacklist, tv, USA, Vegas Checklist, watchlist, West Wing|0 Comments

Some of my favorite Travel Bloggers do a monthly re-cap of what occurred in the last month. True to form (I fell in love with this blog due to their detailed expense reports) Living the Dream details out their income reports and business plans. Twenty-Something Travel always has some great blogs that they've read or written in other places. And Adventurous Kate gives a summary of everything she did and was up to over the course of the month. I had generally shied away from doing a monthly re-cap because I wasn't like those other bloggers where I was traveling