What a birthday!

It is not every day that someone reaches a milestone birthday. However, it would be worth hitting a milestone more often, if one celebrated the way the birthday "girl" did recently. The actual day of the birthday was celebrated at dinner at a quaint restaurant in the home town. The gift to mark the day was a gorgeous necklace. (According to youngest daughter, one needs a real "piece" to mark such occasions!) Then, off to Las Vegas for four days of fun, sun and relaxation. We met many celebrities while strolling the strip. Here we are on our way to see a show, with the RED M. It doesn't get much more exciting than that!
We stayed at New York, New York. Each and every afternoon I sat for at least two hours by the pool, soaking up the sun, reading my book, drinking my coffee, and watching the fools who chose to ride the NYNY Roller Coaster. In spite of a two for one offer, I wasn't tempted. I know number one son would jump at the chance!
One highlight (and surprise) was an evening that included Cirque du Soleil Love - set to music by the Beatles. It was one of the most magical evenings I have ever spent. The athletes/performers are so strong that they amazed me, and of course, the music was perfect for someone of my advanced age. It is playing at The Mirage, one of the famous casinos on the strip.

The next night we went to see Bette Midler! She and Cher perform alternately at Caesar's, in the concert hall built for Celine Dion (huge - seats about 3000). What a great performer! I was even more impressed since my knees and feet barely made it there in very low heels, while she struts around the stage, dances, bounces, and sings without (it seems) much effort at all in four inch heels! She sang all my favourites, and her witty remarks kept us laughing.
We spent much of the four days strolling the Strip and elsewhere. Many of the casinos are the same as they were on previous visits, but there is a lot of construction, some halted due to lack of money. One of the strangest construction sites is called "City Center". It is right in the middle of the strip, and is made up of more buildings than we could count, and yes, some are built on the angle, just as this picture shows. The ones in the front are going to be yet more high end shops (Louis Vuitton etc.) and the ones at the back will be a casino, hotel and condos. I will be interested to see if they actually finish it, and what it looks like in the end. Can't imagine how much money is invested - none of it mine!
We walked to see some old favourites - like the ceiling in the foyer of the Bellagio. These are all blown glass flowers. The picture doesn't do it justice.
We took in one breakfast buffet, at the Flamingo. The food is probably the same as everywhere else, but the setting is unique. The penguins, however, are no longer there.
One I hadn't seen was Wynn Tower. It is truly spectacular. This is a shot of a bar area set by an infinity pool and wall of water. This is worth a walk through just to see how the rich and famous holiday.
One of my favourites is the Venetian. I love to see the gondolas travel through the canals (inside and out) and listen to the singing gondoliers. And...I am sure these canals are much cleaner than are the ones in Venice itself!
No trip to Vegas would be complete without a trip to the Old Vegas - Fremont Street. They were celebrating Hallowe'en, so we saw an illusionist and heard a band - great street entertainment. The overhead canopy played every 15 minutes with a different piece. This is probably the most economical entertainment in Vegas - and the pizza at the Golden Nugget was terrific!
The last video is of the fountains at Bellagio. Again, the video doesn't do the actual event justice, but you get the idea.

Almost makes me want to turn 60 all over again! What a great birthday it was!