If you are heading to Las Vegas this summer be sure to check out this fabulous free display.  If possible, be there once the sun goes down as the gardens become even more beautiful when decked out in a custom lighting display that off-sets the night sky above.

Tip:  No stop at the Bellagio is complete without a visit to Jean-Philippe Patisserie for a perfect Napoleon, raspberry tart or fondant-adorned mini-carrot cake.

Enjoy these photos from this summer’s display at the Bellagio gardens.

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Take a tour of Hoover Dam and you'll also get to see the new bypass bridge currently under construction.

We love Las Vegas ANY time of year but particularly in the fall.  There just seems to be something special about the warm sunny days and temperate evenings.  Visit in October and you can expect daytime temps ranging from the 80′s to high-70′s with evenings in the 50′s and 60′s — that’s sweater weather for desert dewellers like us. With weather like that, it’s a perfect time to put down the dice, back away from the buffet and visit some of the top things to do in Vegas that don’t involve the Strip or the gaming tables.

Hoover Dam — This marvel of engineering is located just thirty minutes from the Strip and offers visitors an amazing example of engineering wizardry.  In an article entitled “The Grand Dam” by Julian Rhinehart, the author says “Few structures in America display the diversity of design and craftsmanship that you see at Hoover Dam. It is a showcase of seldom-seen skills of artists and artisans–beautifully presented terrazzo tiles, sculpture, metalwork, and even military emplacements.”

A visit to this “don’t-miss” Las Vegas attraction is  further enhanced  by the opportunity to view the construction of the massive new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge that will route traffic over and away from the dam.  A mind-boggling assortment of pulleys, tracks, winches and cranes is in place and in use for workers building this newest engineering masterpiece.  When completed next year, this signature bridge will span the Black Canyon (about 1,600 feet south of the Hoover Dam), connecting the Arizona and Nevada Approach highways nearly 900-feet above the Colorado River.

Lake Mead/Hoover Dam Cruise — Living in Phoenix, we drive to Las Vegas almost every trip and we still marvel passing by at how beautifully blue the waters are at Lake Mead!  You can cruise Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the United States, aboard the “Desert Princess” paddle wheeler.  While on the lake, you’ll pass by such sights as the colorful Arizona Paint Pots, Fortification Hill, and Boulder Island. Take this all-day trip and you’ll also visit Hoover Dam, make a stop at Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Gardens.

Red Rock Canyon – The stunningly beautiful Red Rock Canyon park, located just 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Boulevard/State Route 159, was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area.  The area is 195,819 acres and is visited by more than one million people each year and offers visitors access to a 13-mile scenic drive, more than 30 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, plus a visitor center with exhibit rooms and book store.  One of the favorite ways to take in Red Rock’s beauty is through a “Pink Jeep” tour of the area.  (Take your camera for some memorable shots of the colorful Calico Hills that surround the park.)

Take advantage of these fall deals from Expedia.com and save on activities, hotel rooms and airfare packages for your visit to Vegas.

+ Book Las Vegas Activities and save on Expedia.com! Expires 9/30/09

+ Book Early & Save on October Trips: Air + 3 Night Vacations from $187! Expires 10/15/09

+ Fall “Free Nights” Hotel Sale: Stay 3, 4 or 5 nights & Get your last night FREE! Expires 10/15/09

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Simply magical. The Bellagio gardens shine after the sun goes down. (Photos & all content property of www.royallyflushed.com)

No matter how busy we are during our trips to Las Vegas, we still never miss the chance to see what gorgeous seasonal display the Bellagio has in store for visitors to their remarkable Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. We definitely consider it to be one of the top free things to do on the Las Vegas Strip.

For some reason, we always seem to be at the Bellagio during the day but because we spent two fabulous nights there this trip, we were able to visit the famed Bellagio garden at night and see it in all its evening finery. If you have never seen the garden at night, you really should make a point of going because it truly is a different experience once the sun goes down.  You can see from the photos how the ambiance changes day to night.

This summer the display features some popular design elements used in the past including colorful hot air balloons floating overhead and a pair of father and son bears made entirely from greenery. New this year: a brilliantly-lit Ferris wheel with cars brimming with sunflowers; a glass “green house” with aviaries featuring flocks of rainbow-colored birds like lorikeets and parakeets; and whimsical over-sized tin cans pouring forth glowing cascades of water.

The current display will be on view until September 14 when the theme changes to one featuring autumn leaves and harvest time colors.

Daytime reveals colorful balloons and a green house filled with exotic birds.

Dancing waters accented with LED lights put on a show at night at the Bellagio gardens.

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Book a stay at Caesars Palace in Vegas for just $90 a night this spring.

We’re back….  After a driving trip across the country’s mid-section (and, sadly, no time for stopping at the numerous casinos along the way) we came home to a mailbox full of outstanding Las Vegas deals.

Las Vegas really does represent one of– if not the — best travel values available in the country right now.  Take a look at these rates for the best in Spring getaways:
Enjoy Caesars Palace from $90 a night or
Las Vegas on Sale: Trump Hotel from $89 a night.
and, remarkably,
The luxury of the 5-Star Wynn Las Vegas from just $129 a night!

You can also get great values on things to do while you’re in town by booking your shows and more online at Expedia.  Pick up tickets for less to shows like the highly-recommended KA at MGM Grand (plan on dinner at Nob Hill Tavern before or after) or the fast and funny “V – The Variety Show” at Planet Hollywood.  (While at Planet “Ho,” have a drink at the casino’s Heart Bar or play a couple of hands of blackjack with their “Pleasure Pit” dealers.)

You can also book trips to visit nearby Hoover Dam or explore the breath-taking scenery of the Red Rock Canyon area while on a Pink Jeep Tour. For all the coolest activities at terrific prices check out: Best of Vegas at Expedia.com

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The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France in New Orleans is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.

If you are planning a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (or for any time at all,) here’s Part II of our terrific piece on the current state of the town — plus tips on what to do and see — written by one of our most experienced food and travel contributors.

Apart from dining, drinking, gaming and shopping there is a wealth of things to do and see in the area.  You don’t have to be a history buff to be seduced by the unique architecture and centuries of colorful stories and characters that inhabit the streets.  The past lives cozily right alongside the present.

Sure, you can spend a bunch, but the budget conscious will appreciate that New Orleans prices are a relative bargain and there are plenty of free and low cost things to do.

Drinking café au’lait and eating beignets at Morning Call Café across from St. Louis Cathedral is people-watching par excellence. Take the free ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers, a tiny colorful neighborhood that calls to mind a separate small town with its Victorian homes and cottages. Strolling through the Garden District admiring the mansions (including author Ann Rice’s former home, a brooding purple pile) is a lovely way to spend a half day — stop for Gulf oysters at little Cassamento’s on Magazine or have a happy hour cocktail on the veranda of the The Columns (the hotel doubled for the bordello in the movie Pretty Baby).

The cemeteries, known as “Cities of the Dead“, are legendary and it is easy to get lost wandering their narrow “streets”. Because of the wet soil, bodies are laid to rest in above ground tombs rather below ground in graves. They range from the staggeringly ornate in the Metairie cemetery to simple “ovens” where bodies are stacked in vaults in a wall. Perhaps one of the most evocative is Lafayette Cemetery # 1, directly across the street from Commander’s Palace. The ages and dates chiseled in the tombs trace the epidemics that swept through the city in centuries past. A tiny tomb is inscribed simply “Our Five Babies”.

New Orleans and the River Road are rich in historic home/museums and plantations, an evocative glimpse of life in other times. If you’re lucky, as we were, a visit might coincide with a charity-driven home tour and an opportunity to see how present day inhabitants live in these old buildings.

Has New Orleans changed? Yes, without question. Driving around outside the District, Quarter and Faubourg Marigny reveals how many crumbling homes and businesses are boarded over, still bearing FEMA’s red identifying marks. And, unfortunately, many of the things that could have been done that would have strengthened the infrastructure and bolstered the indomitable spirit of the inhabitants were not. It is a smaller, less populous place and that in itself is a boon to travelers who would like to experience fun, food and frivolity without the too often obnoxious crowds and long lines of the past.

Would I go back?  In a heartbeat. It is still the city that care forgot offering a million ways to forget your own cares. And, increased tourism can only help bring back the glory days of pre-Katrina. We all owe New Orleans that.
Book now & save up to 50% on Hotels in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Book by 2/23 for travel from 2/13 to 2/28/09.

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Mardi Gras revelers will soon be jamming Royal Street in New Orlean's famed French Quarter.

Beginning this weekend, thousands of revelers will descend upon New Orleans to take in all that the City has to offer for its famous (some would say infamous!) Mardi Gras celebration.  For those of us who enjoy casino gaming, Harrah’s in New Orleans will be high on the list of places to both see and spend some time at during Carnival Week.  If you haven’t made your reservations, there are still lots of hotel rooms available and lots of fun to look forward to in “The Big Easy.”  Book now & save up to 50% on Hotels in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Book by 2/23 for travel from 2/13 to 2/28/09.

If you are planning a trip to New Orleans either for the big party or any time at all, here’s a terrific piece on the current state of the town — plus tips on what to do and where to eat — written by one of our most experienced food and travel contributors. (Look for Part II tomorrow!)

It would be difficult to describe to someone who’d never been there, just what New Orleans was like before Hurricane Katrina.  Historically, culturally, geographically, socio-economically, the city was unlike any other in the United States.

Indolently rooted in the past, but always enthusiastically reveling in the pleasures of the present, New Orleans richly deserves its nickname “The Big Easy”. Hear the words Bourbon Street or French Quarter and the mind conjures up jazz, cocktails, great food and good times. (Although the ostensibly well-named Bourbon Street is an homage to the French ruling dynasty not the American liquor.)

It’s the home of Mardi Gras, the greatest party ever thrown (despite the fact the public cannot gain entrance to the balls and soirees given by the insular carnival Krewes).

But who needs private parties when the streets teem with non-stop action; conventioneers, college kids, tourists and every imaginable kind of pleasure-seeker elbowing convivially through the old quarter.  From Preservation Hall to Pat O’Brien’s, happily clutching to-go cups, they looked for and found excitement, adventure and blinding hangovers.  Retail bustled, casinos were packed, and restaurants like K-Paul’s and Emeril’s only took reservations months in advance.

But Katrina and what happened in the aftermath, or more to the point didn’t happen, changed everything.

First there was news of the devastation, then the lack of help putting things back in working order. Little by little reports were made that the city was getting it together — this despite the fact the population was almost halved by the diaspora caused by the destruction. And the people of New Orleans were the city: the heart, soul, brains and brawn that defined it.

Since my first trip there in the mid-sixties, I’ve felt an inexplicable bond with New Orleans that has only strengthened after dozens of visits. I couldn’t bear not to go one more time.

Given the choice between Mardi Gras madness, when tens of thousands of visitors clog the city, or the relatively intimate, locally-driven celebration that is Halloween, I made my reservations for the end of October hence this “trip report” from that time period.

Let’s start with the restaurants.  For the most part, food and dining — always an integral part of the culture — has roared back with old favorites such as Galatoire’s, Antoine’s and Brennan’s in business but minus the long lines of waiting patrons. Some worthy new places have opened, too.

Among the not-to-miss standards are the palatial robin’s egg blue Commander’s Palace in the Garden District across Canal from the Quarter. (City transportation is good. There are abundant taxis; streetcars run along the river bank to downtown and Harrah’s casino; another line runs directly through the Garden District.) Along with Galatoire’s, Commander’s is a bastion of haute Creole food featuring local game and seafood.

Antoine’s is fun from a historic aspect but the food has always been, to put it in gaming terms, a crapshoot. Brennan’s long, boozy brunches courtesy of old-fashioned, formally clad male service are elegantly hokey.

Interesting newcomers include a contemporary Cajun spot called Cochon on Tchoupitoulas Street that’s done up in a trendy rustic-style with exposed brick and pale wood. As the name suggests, pork rules along with imaginative reworkings of local standards. In the re-gentrifying area of Bywater, Elizabeth’s is an always-crowded, oil-tablecloth joint with big flavored food like chicken livers with pepper jelly and spicy duck hash.

Take a miss on the much-hyped Uptown eatery Jacques-Imo’s; it’s crowded, ugly, chaotic and neither the service or food were particularly noteworthy. Fortunately, it’s an anomaly in a town obsessed with its culinary heritage and the pleasures of the table.

Of course, New Orleans is also the birthplace of the cocktail and local bartenders pride themselves on preparing time-honored quaffs like the sazerac, Ramos’ gin fizz and that brunch staple, bourbon milk punch. The Quarter is full of great bars, from the ultra-posh to the endearingly crummy Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop that looks every minute of its 237 years in existence. (Don’t miss the relatively new Museum of the Cocktail.)

The beginnings of jazz can be traced directly to New Orleans at the end of the 19^th century. The genre continues to flourish locally along with toe tapping zydeco and Cajun-style music. Along with traditional venues such as Preservation Hall and Tipitina’s, I found the free weekly tabloid a helpful guide to who is playing where.

Harrah’s Casino, the largest in the South, differs little in operations from other Harrah’s round the country. But the huge, circular building has plenty of its own charms including 2000 slots and over 100 table games. These days there’s no waiting for a chance to play. There is also live entertainment and an excellent steakhouse helmed by popular local chef John Besh.

Apart from dining, drinking, gaming and shopping there is a wealth of things to do and see in the area.

Read more in tomorrow’s blog post.

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The new volcano show features a musical score by Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame and Indian impresario Zakir Hussain and comes from the acclaimed design firm WET, creators of The Bellagio lake show.  Fireballs and the aptyly-named Fireshooters explode into the air and send fiery waves of burning lava across the Strip-front lagoon during the four-and-a-half-minute blazing spectacle.

See it for yourself with this terrific video of the opening night’s show from KLAS television.  Mirage Volcano Video.

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Dale Chihuly's exquisite art glass adorns the ceiling at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. (Click on the photo to show detail.)

I have been a huge Dale Chihuly fan for years.  Even before seeing his masterful installation at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, I had admired his bold work at exhibitions in Washington, D.C. and in New York.  I even have a beautiful peach and gold  “Chihuly” rose bush in my garden — which is about as close as I’ll ever come to owning anything with his name on it.

So you can imagine how excited I was to see that his fanciful glass works are now being shown here in Phoenix at our beloved Desert Botanical Gardens.  Whether you are visiting the area or a resident, fans of his Bellagio work will definitely want to plan a visit to the gardens to see “Chihuly: The Nature of Glass.”  It should be especially interesting to see his intricate works of art set against a backdrop of our stark native plants. 

The show will be here until May 31, 2009, so there’s plenty of time to plan a trip to the gardens.  Advance tickets are mandatory so visit the garden’s website for more information and to see some gorgeous pictures of just a few of the wildly colorful pieces included in this exhibit.

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