THE LAGO WAY – Vegas Part 1

The day started in an absolute rut. Since we wanted to get there as quick as possible (okay I did, you guys are such judgers) I made sure our check in time was so early that we had to get our stuff together way before sunrise. Well sunrise came and (freakin’) went 6 hours ago. We all woke up an hour before check in, which was at 1 in the afternoon. Me not waking up is primarily not my fault, because my alarm was set to level 9 rather than 10 and my body knows when its a notch lower. As for the other people in my group, they can speak for themselves because they didn’t even set alarms. After playing the blame game for a few minutes, we realized the deadline for picking the car up was an hour away and we had to storm to the rental place if we didn’t want to walk to Vegas. Luckily all the cars in the tier we reserved were all unavailable and they had no choice but to give us an upgrade. Score! Silver freakin’ lining!After 10 hours of pure pandemonium we finally arrived in Las Vegas. I booked a room at the Planet Hollywood Resort which is in the middle of the strip between Paris and some other hotel. For people who like the hustle and bustle without having to be in the middle of things, I recommend a room with a view of the strip, it’s a bit pricey but if you’re like me that can’t tolerate heat it would be the best option during the summer season. The only thing I didn’t like about the PH was the parking, it’s so far from the main entrance that you either had to drop off everything in the front or drag your stuff through the Miracle Mile Shops (retail center) that connects the parking structure to the hotel. It does have the cool underground celebrity vibe to it, but shuttles or even golf carts would’ve been great.Unfortunately the sun already went down when we got there, so I had one of two options—take shots of the view or of Charlie Sheen’s sweaty stuff (like hand-cuffs placed inside a see through side table) installed all over the room. I chose the view.

Seriously with the hand-cuffs Planet Hollywood? If it were a different actor there wouldn’t even be an issue. Except if it were hair gel placed in a glass case from one of the Jersey Shore kids. Please tell me no one got stuck with a Jersey room at the PH?! If you did, we’re forming a freakin’ 2 man strike in front of the hotel, and anyone interested in volunteering— we’re holding friday meetings at the Carnival Buffet at the Rio. Just look for the crazy dude with pamphlets.

The hollywood experience in my bedroom was so literal that I slept right next to a picture of Charlie Sheen running in the same sweaty shirt that was hanging lighted on the wall. 

Dolphins & Such

Earlier this week, I was going through stacks of boxes from my childhood (everyone has done this at least once on their birthday so stop judging) when I stumbled upon a blue dolphin stuffy shoved inside a large Ziploc bag, it was from my best friend when I was 13/14 years old. And that’s how I lead into the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden at the Mirage Las Vegas (they have dolphins their okay, that’s the connection with the story). The sanctuary was built for education, public awareness and when the show was still open, to house the endangered animals they used in the show. It was said that Siegfried himself had an apartment within the compound so he could be closer to the animals.

Charlie Sheen + Winning?

Earning its spot on the Las Vegas strip, the Planet Hollywood resort has gone a long way from its Arabian themed past. Formerly known as the Aladdin resort, the leisure center has gone through multiple partnerships, acquisitions and bankruptcies. With new owners consistently trying to catch up to old debt, a much needed major re-branding and renovation had always been ignored, until the partnership between Planet Hollywood and Starwood emerged. Unfortunately the face lift didn’t do the job of keeping people in the property and in 2010 Caesars Entertainment took over the resort.

Sharks & Scuba Divers

Covering 8 acres of land, the Bellagio fountains was opened in 1998 to the tune of $40 million. Originally envisioned to be a water resort in the middle of the strip called Beau Rivage, Steve Wynn and his team decided to tone down the project and transfer the concept to a casino resort in Biloxi, Mississippi. Constructed above a desert floor, the Bellagio fountains have had controversies of the man made lake being filled with treated greywater (water recycled from laundry, dish washing and bathing) from the hotel since a considerable amount of freshwater would be needed to fill the basin. Fortunately decades before the building was constructed a fresh water well had been drilled to irrigate a golf course that previously occupied the lot. Consisting of 4,500 lights, 1,200 nozzles and extreme shooters that can send blasts of water up to 460ft high, this daily choreographed show has stood the test of time and today stands as the best attraction on the Las Vegas strip.

Within “The Center”

Okay, I lied, but with good reason! I was expecting to write about just a few things but when I started my research and got deep into the CityCenter (and you know I get in there for you guys) I couldn’t stop writing! There were so many interesting things and the post started to sound like jibber jabber! So this will be part 1 of 2! (kind of?)

Saturation Overload

Just a tad for color

Rooftop Rager

It was our last night in Vegas and it was ABSOLUTELY HOT outside. After a long day of walking, visiting attractions and watching shows we decided to go back up to our room and wipe up all the sweat we had just released into the world. Well maybe I did. It was not relatively early since it was 10 PM, but in Vegas, that’s early. I know I’m sort of breaking the “Vegas Rule” with my first official post, which turns out to be a non-existent rule, but for you guys I’m fine going to a non-existent Vegas jail. Okay so I get out of the shower and look outside my window and there it was: A big rager on top of the Cosmopolitan!

WELCOME

Hey Guys! This is the LAGOS travel blog. Like most of you guys I’m an extreme blog goer. I love blogs, I try and experience things through other peoples footsteps and look through millions of pictures and just getting away from it all. Early last year I’ve been conceptualizing on starting my own blog since a few family trips were coming up I decided to give it a try. I took every single shot from those trips imagining what I would say about it or if I could connect it to a story that happened. And after almost a year and a half I think I have enough to get this going. The main idea behind this is to introduce every single one of you guys to the world through my eyes, through what I see and really to get everyone distressed from their personal lives. I will bring you guys upfront and personal to shows, events, concerts and trips as if you’ve gone with me. I hope you guys stick with LAGOS and stay tuned. Below are a few photo teasers of what is to come this following weeks. Enjoy!

Bellagio Fountains Las Vegas

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas New Orleans

Seaport Village San Diego

Rooftop Rager Cosmopolitan Las Vegas