As a native of Cleveland, I can assure you it will most likely be snowing my September and I should be home by then (as plans see fit right now) to build a snowman or two.
I am in Vegas now and the adventures are continuing. I was actually able to see a show called Penn & Teller at the Rio. Should you venture to Vegas, the show does not come highly recommended from me although one's sense of humor may differ from mine (no it doesn't, the show flat out stinks). P&T is a magic show where they have some cool magic tricks (the one with the rose is wild) and then they show you how the big dawgs like David Copperfield (met him once, tell that story later) complete the trick. Penn (one of the guys) talked a little too much for my liking and while third row seats were awesome to sit in, it made for a noticeable exit halfway through the show as the performance was disappointing. Instead, I would recomend to you Cirque du Soleil's The "O" Show and Mystere. I am hoping to see another show soon and give you my Siskel review(he is the one who has passed so I have recently been appointed to his position).
Interesting restaurants worth mentioning include Buzios in the Rio Hotel and Casion for crab legs and cosmos. Great, fast service with hot entrees. It is an open-air kitchen (for those not familiar, this is a kitchen where you can see directly into the actual kitchen from your seat and watch the magic chefs with their tall white hats prepare your entree). Wo nelly, they have strong drinks. Ipanema Lounge, also inside the Rio, has fabulous coffee (although I assume if you travel to Vegas you won't be drinking coffee). The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay has a beautiful restaurant with an eclectic menu accompanied by slow service. House of Blues was a restaurant/club recommended to me, however, the atmosphere reminded me of The Basement on the East Bank of the Flats in Cleveland with its twinklelights and hardwood floors that make you want to toss peanut shells onto the ground as if you were at a LoneStar restaurant. While I wasn't impressed with the decor and there was a lingering odor of campfire smoke, their front and center stage did welcome some bigger name artists: Ted Nugent, Wyclef Jean, Michael McDonald, Dwight Yokum and a few others. The Palm, a restaurnat inside the Forum shops of Caesars Palace, ha a so-so dish of seafood ravioli but the best prime rib humans can cook and serve. Cafe Lago, also inside Caesars, has an attractive atmosphere with waterfalls and marble tables with colorful carpeting and a unique patio outside with palm trees.
In terms of racking up my airline miles, the next stop will be in Houston. It will be a brief but interesting stop and then I will scoot on over to Cleveland for a day. Yes, just that short! Then I will jet back over to Vegas on Friday. I was planning on San Diego but it appears that the city of year-round 70 degree weather will wait until next month.
In the midst of the travel arrangements and work, I have decided to plan a new excursion along the west coast. I will head out to California to see the awesome and lofty Redwood trees, a.k.a. the Sequoias. Sequoia is the second-oldest national park int he United States. It was established in 1890 to protect the Big Trees in Giant Forest, including the General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living thing. Sequoia also contains the Mineral King Valley and Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the U.S. outside of Alaska. I have reservations in Wusachi Village, a cabin inside Sequoia National Forest and have plans for horseback riding. It should be quite the adventure, one I have waited for since I can remember. Kodak doesn't make enough film for me to take on this trip. A great site is www.visitsequoia.com for more information.
I had also made plans to head over to Carmel which is on the coast of California. Carmel is a little city that has awesome restaurants and scenery. It is supposed to be one of the nices areas on the west coast. If you are interested, a website address with a travel guide is http://www.carmel-california.com/?source=overture. I will of cousre let you know of my "visited areas" upon my return.
Napa Valley is another area in California that is the wine country of the state. The Harvest Inn hotel has views of vineyards and the Mayacamas Mountains. There are winding pathways through cool redwood groves and eight acres of gardens and cottages with private terraces and spa tubs. Check out http://www.harvestinn.com/leftnavpage.cfm?LeftNavID=10 for some really awesome pictures. I was planning it for this month but it might have to wait until next along with . . . Lake Tahoe will be the last place of adventure . . . which I am sure many of you may already be familiar with.
I have a luncheon with Alan Waxler, the owner and founder of the Alan Waxler Group. He is connected with several names in Las Vegad and the casino industry with a large special events business and modeling agency (www.awaxgrp.com). I am also supposed to go to lunch with the owner of Glory Days, a west coast restaurant/bar chain, who plans on opening more locations.
