Welcome to Las Vegas

I thought today I would write about Las Vegas. I figured since I live here and most of my blog readers don't, I should give you the low-down or the scene or the happenings here in Las Vegas.

Restaurants (some of my personal favorites):
1) The Houfbrau House--If you are scared of Germans and German food, don't go because they have real live Germans there. But give it a chance. The Las Vegas Haufbrau House is the only one in the United States. The other one is, you guessed it, in Germany (which Justin went to, underage). The atmosphere is awesome with the live German band that plays traditional German music. I still don't really know what they are saying, but when your drunk on German Beer, it's all slurred anyway. But the songs are catchy and fun.

Speaking of beer, they import all of their beer and they only have about 4 different kinds (more during Oktoberfest). You can get mixed drinks there too, but then they might make fun of you. The beers only come in 2 sizes; half pint for little girls like me and a full liter for girls like me (I can do both). If your small like me, the liters take 2 hands to pick up, they are huge! For the better price get the liter, more beer for your money.

The main room is loud because of the band, but be prepared for sharing your picnic table. So if your looking for something more intimate, ask to be sat in the Beer Garden. It was designed to look like you are dining outside. It's charming and much quieter but you can still hear the music from the other hall.

The food is wonderful even if you are leary of German food. It is mostly pork, chicken, sausage and beef. The Weinerschnitzle is great (basically a pork chop breaded) but I like to get the Haufbrau Hachen. It's a grilled chicken breast with a creamy mushroom sauce and grilled stringy onions. It's very safe for the picky eaters.

Overall, I love this place. Next time you are in Vegas, check it out. It is located off of Harmon and Paradise, across the street from The Hard Rock Hotel.

2)Margaritaville--I wasn't going to put this one down because it is a National chain, but we really like it. The atmosphere is exciting, relaxed and fun. Located on the strip next to the Flamingo Hotel, Margaritaville is reasonalbly priced, when you limit yourself to one Perfect Margarita. Justin and I tend to go over our limit on those, but trust me, you will want another one. They have a volcano that a girl comes out of, slides down into a glass of water, then dances on a fish hook. Hard to imagine I know, but you just have to see it. Of course, everything is Jimmy Buffett so if you don't like his music, don't worry, it's loud in this 3 story restaurant that you probably won't even hear it. The food is pretty normal. Hamburgers, wraps, salads, dinners and really good frozen drinks. It's a fun place for a group and for locals.

Entertainment:
1)Blue Man Group--I finally went and saw them. They scare me. And after seeing them, they still do, but the music, stage presence and audience participation is really good. I actually saw them twice (I'm still scared) and I think they are worth $80 a ticket.

2)Any Magician Show--No one specific. They all get really great reviews. I saw this one guy named Justin Tranz (a little play on words) he was more of a hypnotist than magician, but I think if you can put anyone under that's magic. Next on my list is Penn & Teller, playing every night at the Rio, they tell you how the tricks are done. I'll pay $80 to find out how David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. Next on my list would be Anthony Cools. A friend has seen him and really liked his "adult themed" show. Again, he's more of a hypnotist but still entertaining.

Bars:
Best Margarita's--Margaritaville
Best Happy Hour--Pink Taco at the Hard Rock
Best Irish Bar(with great live music)--Fado's at Green Valley Ranch
Best Hotel Bar--VooDoo Lounge at the Rio
Best Neighborhood Bar--Any PT's
Best Dance Club (with bar)--Rain at the Palms

So there you have it. I hope you like my choices. Now you will be prepared for your next visit to Las Vegas so there won't be any excuses. Unless you gambled all your money away. I hope you saved enough for the ride to the airport, if not, give me a call.