Vegas and Chicago!
The plan was to have one day relaxing round the pool and then one day sightseeing and so on. After one day seeing what Vegas had to offer we did something every day and just sunbathed in the morning for a couple of hours! It is strange that the attractions are the hotels themselves. I felt like I was on a working trip with my list of which hotels I wanted to go and see! We walked for miles but luckily we stayed in a spa suite at the Luxor Hotel which after a long day meant we could sit in the Jacuzzi and rest our aching feet! We went on the rollercoaster at New York New York, visited the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, watched a comedy show at our hotel, watched the dancing fountains at the Bellagio and walked through almost every casino on the strip (well, at least that is what it felt like!). It is amazing how everywhere you go you have to go through a casino and it is very easy to get disorientated (maybe that’s what they are hoping for!!).
One of the things we were really looking forward to was the shopping as we had been saving up for this trip and had not done much beforehand. On our first full day we hit one of the outlets and came back with lots of bargains so we were pleased our patience had paid off!
While we were staying in Vegas we took the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon. Wow! It is just the most amazing sight, even when you are there it is really hard for your eyes to take in the sheer size of it. We walked round about 3 miles of it and even in that small space the colours and sights were spectacular, a must see for anyone in the area. We stopped at the Hoover Dam which is quite an awesome sight too but it is quite sad to see the water level so low at the moment.
After our busy week we were off to Chicago next. I am not really a city person but I loved Chicago. There are lots of green park areas and with the Chicago River and Lake Michigan - it feels open and not like a city at all. There is quite a lot to do there too – in one day we were able to visit the Planetarium which we had great fun at, we also went to the Field Museum which is a huge natural history museum – I would have liked more time as there is so much to see! In the evening we wondered along Navy Pier and had a nice evening meal outside as we were lucky with the weather.
On the Sunday we went to an NFL game. This was actually the main purpose of our holiday as my husband is a Chicago Bears fan and had always wanted to see a live match. We had a real struggle getting tickets and were very excited by the time it came round! I only had a very basic understanding of the rules and it wasn’t really my ideal day out but I have to say even I had an amazing time! The atmosphere was fantastic and it was very exciting to be there. We had really great seats and although the Bears lost after extra time it was still worth the inflated price we had paid for the tickets!
This was the first time we had done a twin centre but the two places were a great combination and as always we enjoyed the plentiful food and welcome that we received from the Americans!