Sirens of T.I. - Las Vegas

The Sirens of T.I. is a free pirate show at the strip entrance of Treasure Island hotel and casino. Treasure Island has their own river for their very big ship to float down! It is quite the spectacle of singing, acting, and dancing! A lot of people show up for each performance, being the shows are in 90 minute incriments. You have to show up at least 20-30 minutes ahead of time if you want a good spot, but the best areas to view the show are reserved for Treasure Island hotel guests. It is kind of hard to hear the actor, even though they are mic'ed up, but even still, the singing and dancing is great. Parental guidance is suggested, as there are explosions, scantally clad women, and over PG-13 language.

The casino itself we didn't spend too much time in; only enough to walk through and get a jist of it all. The casino/hotel is on the curve of the strip, so from there the heart of the strip is easily accessible.

Tips of T.I.-
-After the show is over, we found ourselves being herded along because everyone seemed to be going in the same direction. If you want to wait out the crowd, it wouldn't be a bad idea to head into the casino for a bit.

Paris - Las Vegas

On my first trip to Vegas I knew I had to go in and see the Paris hotel and casino. The real Paris holds a big place in my heart as I spent 8 days there, so I had to see what Vegas's version was all about!

The first thing you will probably notice about the Paris hotel is the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower in Vegas is exactly half the size of the one in France, and they wanted to make it the same size, but because on the airport right across the freeway, they had to scale it back. The Eiffel Tower in Vegas even has a restaurant in it, just like the one in France! The south end of the hotel has its own version of the Arc de Triomphe, too!

A really cool aspect of the Paris hotel is one in the casino. One of the legs on the Eiffel Tower comes down through the roof and to the floor of the casino! The casino itself was alright. It had a different aroma, but it was still inviting.


Tips on Paris:
- Don't go to the top of the Eiffel Tower if you are afraid of heights. It is a bit unstable up there at times.

Bellagio - Las Vegas

The Bellagio is one of the more famous hotel and casinos in Las Vegas, and arguably the most luxurious. The Bellagio is most known for its Fountain Show facing the Vegas strip.

The first time I was in Las Vegas, we were in a taxi driving by the Bellagio and the Fountain Show happened to be going. That was the best way to start off my trip! The Fountain Show is done to music, once every half hour in the afternoon, and every 15 minutes from 8pm to 12am. And the best thing about it is it's completely free! Just walk up from the strip to one of the great vantage points, enjoy the romance, and get ready to be blown away! I've seen the show a few time, and even once from the Eiffel Tower across the street! It was amazing!

The shops inide the Bellagio are magnificent! If you go in a particular entrance, I swear you walk through a mile of up-scale shops. Before I went to Las Vegas, I watched the movie "21" and a scene in it was when they were in the middle of a shopping spree. I remember thinking to myself, "where the heck do they have a mall on the strip?" Haha! Once you make it to the casino, it is extravvagant! When just standing and looking around, everything looks plush! The only downfall about the Bellagio casino is that they have automatic card shufflers, so if you know how to count cards (from the movie "21"), the Blackjack tables at the Bellagio aren't going to be for you.

The Bellagio Buffet is a spectacle on its own. This buffet has seen world-renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay. The buffet prides itself on their selection of seafood, among other gourmet food! You will not want to miss it!


Tips on the Bellagio:
-If you aren't a big seafood fan, you might want to try a different buffet.
-The Bellagio has one of the highest room rates on the strip, so if you are in Vegas on any kind of budget, I would suggest staying at another hotel.

The Metro - Washington DC

The Washington DC Metro System should be commended for the fantastic job they do at getting countless people from Point A to Point B in a timely fashion!

The Metro system is by far the easiest way to get around the city. It would not be in your best interest to rent a car in DC because it is one of the busiest city's in the country, and a taxi can cost you an arm and a leg. The ticketing process is very easy, with many ticket options to choose from (single day passes, weekly passes, and monthly passes). I am usually apprehensive about metro systems because I never know which direction I want to go/what my final destination will be, but the Metro system in DC is very navigable.

It seems that there is a Metro stop on every corner in the city, keeping walking to a minimum, and each stop is named clearly. For example, if you want to get off the Metro and see the Pentagon, the stop will be called "Pentagon." There are several Metro lines that run, but they are clearly color-coated and run in their particular direction. The conductor also tells their passengers what the next stop will be. Anyone can easily navigate around DC on the Metro.

Nationals Park - Washington DC

By now many of you have realized that most of my trips include a baseball game. Well, our trip to DC was no exception. The week we were out there, the Milwaukee Brewers happened to be out in DC playing the Washington Nationals, so we were first in line to see a game, literally!

The Washington Nationals are a fairly new franchise, so Nationals Park is one of the newer ballparks in the league. I was disappointed, however, at the lack of asthetics throughout the park. To each their own I guess. Many of you may have forgotten about the Washington Senators of the 1900's, which shares the name of the current National Park.

We like to get to games early to heckle the outfielders during batting practice, and at this particular practice, heckling paid off as one of the Brewers pitchers tossed me up a souviner ball! As the game progressed, there were 2 rain delays, and as a result, people were leaving the park. So what did we do? Walked down to sit right behind the Brewers dugout for the rest of the game! Never done THAT before! What a great experience it all was!

Ford's Theater - Washington DC

Everyone learns in 4th grade the story of how Lincoln was assasinated, but you won't truly know exactly what happened until you have walked in Lincoln's final steps!

Ford's Theater is located just off of Pennsylvania Ave, and believe it or not, it still produces performances! With a free same-day ticket, you will be in for a real treat. When you first eneter, you are guided to a small museum to wait for your tour to begin. The first stop of the tour is in the actual theater where Lincoln was assisinated. While there, you will hear the story about what happened that night, and how the audience thought the assasination was all part of the play. We got to see the box seats where where Lincoln was viewing the play from, and the route Booth took to get to the box seats, and where he went after that. The lady who told us that story while we were all sitting in the theater made it all seem so real.

We then went across the street to where Lincoln was taken to be tended to, the Peterson House. Our tour group had the opportunity to walk through the house and see where Lincoln took his last breath. I am a very visual person, so this display was a very cool thing to see. I will recommend this tour for anyone of any age to see.

Holocaust Museum - Washington DC

The United States Holocaust Museum is a self-guided museum, presenting a narrative tour of over 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and 4 theaters including historic film footage and eyewitness testimonials. This museum is seperated into 3 areas, the Nazi Assault, the Final Solution, and the Last Chapter.

Ever since reading the book "Night" by Elie Weisel, I have been enthralled in learning everything there is to know about the Holocaust, so when I noticed that this museum was in DC, I knew I had to go. When we got into the Museum, we were given a real Camp Auschwitz I.D., and that's who we were supposed to portray during our visit there. I was a woman named Dora Eiger, and on her I.D. was her story, telling if she survived or not, and what she went through while at the camp. That alone sent chills up my spine. Going through the museum, we read about the history of Hitler, saw pictures of death and destruction, and read testimonials of survivors years after the Holocaust.

This experience, much like the one at Arlington National Cemetery, was humbling, and while going through this museum, it was almost all quiet. If anyone is a fan of autobiographies, or history of any sort, you won't want to miss the United States Holocaust Museum.


Tips on the Holocaust Museum:
-The Holocaust Museum is not recommended for young children. They said that first-time guests spend about 2-3 hours in the museum, so young children might get ancy.