Vacation to Vegas January 07

This awesome Template !!!

2007-01-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

This awesome Template !!!

So, it's 3:11am and I can finally go to bed peacefully. I have spent the past three hours learning how to change my boring blogskin into this beautiful template. It's a pain in the butt, and I don't think it was worth 3 hours of my time, but it's done, and I'm proud of it. I got it off of www.blogskins.com . I think it's awesome. Enjoy it !!! Happy blogging !

Oh, by the way, I hope you like the pictures from our awesome vacation to Vegas. We just got back and we can't wait to go again !!! TTFN

Goodbye Vegas !!!

2007-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Goodbye Vegas!!! We had an awesome time!!!

Last day in Vegas!

2007-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Last day in Vegas!
The morning came and we were still a little sick from all the food

we ate at the Carnival Buffet! Still, we decided to go eat breakfast at IHOP.

After stuffing ourselves AGAIN, we started making our way to Hoover Dam!

Jasmine was still tired from the night before!!!

Hoover Dam!!!

Hoover Dam (36°0′56″N, 114°44′16″W), also known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. The dam, located 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Las Vegas, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as Secretary of Commerce and then later as President of the United States. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, over two years ahead of schedule. The dam & the power plant are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.

Before the construction of the dam, the Colorado River Basin periodically overflowed its banks when snow from the Rocky Mountains melted and drained into the river. These floods endangered downstream farming communities. In addition to essential flood control, a dam would make possible the expansion of irrigated farming in the parched region. It would also provide a dependable supply of water for Los Angeles and other Southern California communities.

One of the major obstacles for the project was determining the equitable allocation of the waters of the Colorado River. Several of the Colorado River Basin states feared that California, with its vast financial resources and great thirst for water, would be the first state to begin beneficial use of the waters of the Colorado River and therefore claim rights to the majority of the water. It was clear that without some sort of an agreement on the distribution of water, the project could not proceed.

During its construction, a black Labrador Retriever named Nig was dubbed the offical mascot of the dam.

The initial plans for the finished facade of both the dam and the power plant consisted of a simple, unadorned wall of concrete topped with a Gothic-inspired balustrade and a powerhouse that looked like little more than an industrial warehouse. This initial design was criticized by many as being too plain and unremarkable for a project of such immense scale, so Los Angeles-based architect Gordon B. Kaufmann was brought in to redesign the exteriors. Kaufmann greatly streamlined the buildings, and applied an elegant Art Deco style to the entire project, with sculptured turrets rising seamlessly from the dam face and clock faces on the intake towers set for Pacific and Mountain time zones.

Statistics

Downstream from Hoover Dam, showing the river, power stations, and power lines.

Construction period: April 20, 1931 – March 1, 1936
Construction cost: $49 million ($676 million adjusted for inflation)
Deaths attributed to construction: 96
Dam height: 726.4 ft, second highest dam in the United States. (Only the Oroville Dam is taller)
Dam length: 1244 ft
Dam thickness: 660 ft (200 m) at its base; 45 ft (15 m) thick at its crest.
Concrete: 4.36 million yd³
Electric Power produced by the water turbines: 2,080 megawatts
Traffic across the dam: 13,000 to 16,000 people each day, according to the Federal Highway Administration
Lake Mead (full pool)
- area: 157,900 acres (639 km²), backing up 110 miles (177 km) behind the dam.
- volume: 28,537,000 acre feet (35.200 km³) at an elevation of 1,221.4 feet (372.3 m) .
With 8 to 10 million visitors each year, including visitors to Hoover Dam but not all traffic across the dam, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is the fifth busiest U.S. national park.

Aerial shot of Lake Mead and Hoover Dam showing the high-water mark of the 1983 flood season along the shore!!!

The 1983 high-water mark or "bathtub ring" is visible in many photos that show the shoreline of Lake Mead. Much of the vegetation, which was killed, has not recovered from the unusually high precipitation that the Western United States received in that 1982-1983 season as a result of an El Niño event.

The large spillway tunnels blasted into the Black Canyon walls for Hoover Dam have only been used twice in the history of the dam; the first was during a planned period in the second half of 1941 for testing the spillways, and the second one was for about six weeks during the summer of 1983 when a snow-melt flood in the Colorado River basin made use of the spillways necessary.

The hardhat was invented, and first used, by the construction workers of the Hoover Dam. It was originally made of two baseball caps dipped in tar and allowed to harden.

The concrete is still curing, gaining in strength every day.

The first person to die in the construction of Hoover dam was J. G. Tierney -- a surveyor who drowned while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. His son, Patrick W. Tierney, was the last man to die working on the dam, 13 years to the day later.

None of the fatalities during construction involved construction workers becoming buried in the concrete. The concrete was poured in precise amounts in sections, causing the depth to rise only a few inches with each pour, making it impossible for accidental submersion of construction workers.

We finally got to all hang out together on the 7th!

2007-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

We finally got to all hang out together on the 7th!!!

We waited for Elsita to come home from work,

and we went shopping. After that, we went to the Rio Hotel!!!

The Rio was the first all suite casino in the Las Vegas area.

The hotel towers are covered in the signature purple and red glass. The Rio hotel's 2,563 suites range in size from 600 ft² up to 13,000 ft² and have floor to ceiling windows.

The complex includes a wine cellar that has more than 50,000 bottles.

We debated wether it was worth the money, paying $23.00 to have dinner at the World Carnival Buffet.

It was totally worth it!

The Carnival World Buffet has been a signature attraction since the casino opened. It was the first buffet in Las Vegas to have multiple live cooking stations and theme sections on the buffet line. The Carnival World Buffet is credited with taking the quality of the Las Vegas buffets to a new level in quality and price. The Carnival World Buffet was so successful that when the Masquerade Village opened it included a higher end seafood buffet, Village Seafood Buffet.

We were so sick by the time we were done! We were disgusted!

Hangin' out at the Rio Casino floor!

Steven immitating Jose!

Check out our bellies (so big from the buffet!

After waiting a while, we went to Masquerade Village inside the Rio Hotel to watch The Show in the Sky!

Masquerade Village is a section of the casino that includes Masquerade Show in the Sky. The show is a free show that dance and style from Brazilian Carnival, and Mardi Gras type floats. The show has a stage with a dance and singing show while floats on guide rails hang from the ceiling and go through out the Masquerade Village. The floats throw what some say are lucky Rio themed beads.

The show was awesome, we got lots and lots of beads!!!

And now I am immitating Jose!!!

And then it was time to say goodnight!!!

LOOK WHAT THE COMBINATION OF COLD WEATHER AND DRY WEATHER DID TO OUR BABY'S FACE!!! AWEFUL!

2007-01-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

LOOK WHAT THE COMBINATION OF COLD WEATHER AND DRY WEATHER DID TO OUR BABY'S FACE!!! AWEFUL!

Francisco loves our baby Jasmine!

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Francisco loves our baby Jasmine!

January 6th, 2007 !!!

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January 6th, 2007 !!!

We finally went out on our own, to explore Vegas, two days after we arrived!

We borrowed Francisco's car and we were off on our adventure!

Jornada de Muerte

In the early 1700's Spanish traders en route to Los Angeles along the Spanish Trail seek a route that passes through the then unexplored Las Vegas Valley. The Spaniards refer to the route through the valley as "jornada de muerte," journey of death. A young scout named Rafael Rivera is the first person of European ancestry to look upon the valley. His discovery of a valley with abundant wild grasses growing and a plentiful water supply reduces the journey by several days. The valley is named Las Vegas, Spanish for "The Meadows."

The State Land Act of 1885 offered sections of land at $1.25 per acre. Farmers moved in and agriculture became the dominant industry for the next 20 years in Vegas.

Las Vegas was founded as a city on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres of land situated between Stewart Avenue on the north, Garces Avenue to the south, Main Street to the west, and 5th Street (Las Vegas Boulevard) to the east, were auctioned off.

Freight Wagon on Freemont Street

New York New York

New York-New York Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the largest casinos owned by MGM Mirage. New York-New York uses the New York City theme of its name in many ways. Its architecture creates an impression of the New York City skyline; the hotel includes several towers configured to resemble New York City skyscrapers, such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. In front of the property is a pool representing New York Harbor, with a 150 ft (46 m) tall (half-scale) replica of the Statue of Liberty, a roller coaster, and replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Grand Central Terminal, among other well-known structures.

The property opened on January 3, 1997. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, people spontaneously sent various tributes to New York-New York, especially T-shirts from police, fire and rescue departments around the country. These were displayed for some time along the fence in front of the "Lady Liberty" replica. Eventually, they were replaced by a permanent memorial.

The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at the intersection with Flamingo Road. The site was first occupied by the Bonanza Hotel and Casino. It was later renamed the New Bonanza Hotel and Casino shortly before construction on the MGM Grand began. It suffered a fire that started in a casino restaurant and traveled up into the hotel, killing 87 guests on November 21, 1980. It was rebuilt in only eight months with the remodel adding a tower which opened in 1981. The hotel was sold in 1986 to Bally Entertainment Corporation and reopened as Bally's Las Vegas.

The MGM Grand Las Vegas (the one in the picture below), which opened in 1993, is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip, as a Hollywood themed resort. When the MGM Grand opened, the intention was to create the first true destination hotel in Las Vegas by including the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park behind the casino. The plan was to make Las Vegas more "family friendly" by providing activities for children who were too young to be allowed to linger inside the casino. The theme park performed poorly, and did not reopen for the 2001 season. On December 5, 2002, MGM Mirage announced that the former theme park would be developed as a luxury condominium and hotel complex called The Signature.

In 1985, the MGM Grand was the setting for the fictional boxing match between Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago for the movie Rocky IV.

Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located Strip that is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment. As its name suggests, its theme is the city of Paris in France; it includes a 1/2 scale, 540 foot (164.6 m) tall replica of the Eiffel Tower, and a neon sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon. Paris Opened September 1, 1999. When the scale model of the Eiffel Tower was built, it was planned to be full scale, but the airport was too close and the tower had to be shrunk. Paris cost $785 million dollars to build.

We went inside The Bellagio and took many photos of our baby Jasmine in the make-believe Christmas themed garden. She is very photogenic. Of course we're biased.

The Bellagio

Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8 acre artificial lake between the building and the Strip. The fountain shows on the lake are a major free attraction and provide a romantic ambiance for couples walking along the strip.

This is a picture of the ceiling at The Bellagio. It is a Hand Blown Glass display by Dale Chihuly.

The hotel and casino was built following the purchase and demolition of the legendary Dunes hotel and casino in 1993. Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil's aquatic production of "O."

When it opened on October 15, 1998, it was the most expensive hotel ever built, having cost over $1.6 billion.

Bellagio was featured prominently in the film Ocean's Eleven (2001). The vault for the three casinos that were robbed (MGM Grand, Mirage, and Bellagio) owned by Terry Benedict (played by Andy Garcia) was located beneath the Bellagio. There is no confirmation whether in fact the vault exists as portrayed in the movie.

Nuestra familia in front of Ceasar's Palace.

Caesars has 3,349 rooms in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Forum, Palace, and Roman. Building of the 14-story Caesars Palace hotel began in 1962.

On December 31, 1967, Evel Knievel unsuccessfully tried to jump the hotel's water fountain with his motorcycle. Caesars has opened the Roman Plaza, an open-air area with a cafe on the corner, and the Colosseum theater, where Céline Dion and Elton John are regular performers.

Film history at Ceasar's Palace

All the fine dining in Vegas, and this is what we had for lunch!!!

Ceasars Palace has over 129,000 square feet of casino space...

The Forum Shops at Caesars opened in 1992 ; it was one of the very first venues in the city where shopping, particularly at high-end stores, was an attraction in itself.

While walking around the Forum Shops, we saw that Pete Rose was signing autographs at one of the stores. Peter Edward "Pete" Rose, Sr., nicknamed Charlie Hustle, is an American former player and manager in Major League Baseball.

Pete played from 1963 to 1986, best known for his many years with the Cincinnati Reds. He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequalled five different positions.

In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds; some accusations claimed that he bet on, and even against, the Reds. After years of public denial, in 2004 he admitted to betting on, but not against, the Reds.

After his ban was instated, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to bar those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction. Previously, those who were banned had been excluded by informal agreement among voters. The issue of his possible re-instatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.

The white tiger at The Mirage

Unlike conventional tigers, which have black and gold markings, the white tiger is white with black stripes, pink paws and ice blue eyes. The purest of these animals are snow white and have no stripes. There are only a few dozen white tigers in the world, which makes them rarer than the panda bear.

White tigers occur when inbreeding — usually between parents and cubs — produces offspring with two copies of a recessive gene. Although such inbreeding often leads to birth defects, the public appeal of the white tiger has, controversially, led to it becoming a regular practice in captivity

We were gonna take the Monorail at the Mirage, but we decided to walk.

The present monorail (Phase 1 of the overall project) begins at the MGM Grand Hotel near the south end of The Strip, and runs roughly parallel to the Strip on its eastern side. The monorail passes next to the Las Vegas Hilton and the Convention Center, both with stations, before ending at the Sahara hotel at the north end of the Strip. The ride takes about 14 minutes to travel its total distance of 3.9 miles (about 6.3 km).

We walked around A LOT that day... Here we are in front of Ceasars Palace, AGAIN!

Jasmine was in such a good mood that day!

Using a dramatic combination of music, water and light, the Bellagio delivers spectacular performances with its majestic fountains. Every evening, time briefly seems to stop in front of the Bellagio. Running every 15 minutes or every half-hour, depending on the time of year, the animated fountains are impossible to simply walk past. Cleverly orchestrated to a variety of songs -- from "One, Singular Sensation," featured on Broadway, to "Fly Me To The Moon," written by Bart Howard and made famous by Frank Sinatra -- the fountains appear to come to life with every note. Spanning across the quarter-mile-long lake in front of the Bellagio, the free show generally lasts between five and 10 minutes.

The $40 million Bellagio fountain show is equipped with 1,200 nozzles and 4,500 lights, making it the most expensive and ambitious water feature the company ever has done.
The Bellagio fountains have been made famous through appearances on the silver screen. The fountains were most notably highlighted in the remake of "Ocean's Eleven," starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.

The range of movement across the lake is varied; some of the movement is continuous, responding to the smooth passages of music, while other water jets are rapidly pulsing, reaching heights as high as 240 feet.

With a wide array of musical selections and choreography, you could easily sit in front of the fountains all night and never see the same performance twice. Even those in passing cars on the Strip feel compelled to pull to the side and take in the show.

Then, we finally left!!!

Our night out!!!

2007-01-06T02:18:00.000-08:00

Our night out!!!

After a day full of sightseeing, picture taking, and walking, walking, walking; Steven and I decided to go out. Since we had babysat for Francisco and Elsita, it was their turn to watch Jasmine!

First, we went to Ceasars Palace to gamble a bit.

After that, we went to Tangerine. Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub brings little twist of burlesque to the fabulous Vegas Strip.

After that, we went to the Palms Playboy Casino! Totally overrated!

Afterwards, we did other things, but WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS right?

More history of Vegas!!!

2007-01-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

More history of Vegas!!!

Beginning in 1931, the construction of Hoover Dam brings an influx of construction workers which starts a population boom and gives the Valley's economy, which was in the grips of the Great Depression, a needed boost.	1931
		1935	Hoover Dam is complete.
Las Vegas' population has grown to 8,422. The outbreak of World War II brings the defense industry to the valley. The isolated location, along with plentiful water and inexpensive energy, makes Las Vegas an ideal site for military and defense related industries. The site for Nellis Air Force Base is located in the northeast, and the Basic Management Complex, providers of raw materials, is located in the southeastern suburb of Henderson. The defense industry continues to employ a significant number of valley residents.	1940
		1945	Following World War II, lavishly decorated resort hotels and gambling casinos offering top-name entertainment come into existence. Tourism and entertainment took over as the largest employer in the valley.
Gaming Board is created. Moulin Rouge, Las Vegas' first racially integrated hotel, opens its doors	1955
		1956	The city of Las Vegas annexes one square mile of land, its first such addition since incorporation 45 years earlier.
Topless Showgirls debut on the Strip with "Minsky's Follies."	1957
		1959	"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign is created by Betty Willis.
Las Vegas encompasses 25 square miles and has a population of 64,405. Las Vegas has more than 22 percent of Nevada's total population on less than .02 percent of the State's land. At the same time, Clark County has a population of 127,016. Las Vegas hosts its first boxing match.	1960
		1960's	During the 1960s, a phenomenon lead by Howard Hughes, occurs in Las Vegas. Corporations are building and/or buying hotel/casino properties. They have the capital necessary and the profitability makes entrance into the casino industry extremely attractive. Gambling becomes "gaming" and starts the transition into legitimate business.
Elvis Presley opens at the International Hotel, now known as the Las Vegas Hilton.	1969
		1970-1980	Corporations continue to invest in the hotel/casino industry. Gaming becomes a legitimate business and some properties have stock traded on the market.
Las Vegas economy remains strong and the population increases to 164,674. Clark County, meanwhile, grows to a population of 463,087.	1980
		1980's	Starting in the mid 1980s, a period of unprecedented growth begins. Annual population increases averaging nearly 7 percent causes the city's population to almost double between 1985 and 1995, increasing from 186,380 to 368,360, a 97.6 percent increase. That is equivalent to building a city larger than Reno in 10 years! At the same time, Clark County's population increases from 562,280 to 1,036,180, an increase of 84.3 percent.
		1993	The Dunes Hotel implosion.
Contributing to the population growth is a 4 percent annual increase in hotel rooms and a 9.18 percent annual increase in jobs	1990's
The US Census reports the population of Las Vegas is 478,434 over a land area of 113 square miles. There are over 500 churches and synagogues, 799 acres of parks, 7 television stations, and 12 radio stations (4 AM and 8FM). Las Vegas is the largest metropolitan city in the U.S. that was founded in 20th century.	2000
		2005	The city of Las Vegas celebrated its 100th birthday on May 15, 2005. The events celebrated the May 15, 1905 auction in which 110 acres of downtown Las Vegas laid the foundation for the city we know today. The celebration began on December 31, 2004, and lasted throughout 2005. For more information, visit the Centennial Web site .

Hanging out at Francisco's house the day after we arrived! We were so jetlagged we decided to let Francisco & Elsita go out on the town & we babysat!

2007-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hanging out at Francisco's house the day after we arrived! We were so jetlagged we decided to let Francisco & Elsita go out on the town & we babysat!

Jasmine trying to climp up the stairs at Francisco's house !

2007-01-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Jasmine trying to climp up the stairs at Francisco's house !