Free and Cool Las Vegas Part 2

This week we continue our journey on how to travel to Las Vegas without going broke. If you missed it, see Part 1 here. I love Sin City and am always looking to see more things there for a different kind of Vegas vacation. I was able to get out on my own this time, which I really enjoyed, and also dragged Eric along to check out things we hadn't done before. Last time I talked about the Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and the Flamingo, so let's look at some other hotels and activities that will leave you with money to gamble or just save cash to spend on a future vacation.

Mirage – We had gone to the Mirage last time we were in town to see the indoor rainforest. Now, I will admit it's not much, but if you do go, make sure it's during the day, because it's much more picturesque. In the dark of the evening, it's not all that impressive, you can't see the water feature or the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, this means if you want to see the other freebies, you need to time your visit just right. 

Here's what I suggest: head over in the late afternoon, splash out some bucks ($19.95pp) to visit the Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden, and then come inside to view the rainforest and take some pics in this tiny little slice of paradise. Head back out front, where you can see the other water features and cement sculptures of dolphins and then wait to watch the volcano erupt. It starts before sundown and runs every half hour, so you can easily also grab a bite to eat inside, possibly at BLT Burger, before you go out to see the eruption. 

Mirage also has an aquarium onsite with fantastic marine creatures. It's right behind the check-in desk and holds 20,000 gallons of awesomeness. I missed it on my trip, but I'll make sure to catch it next time around.

New York New York – If you'd like to visit The Big Apple, but find yourself in Vegas instead, head over to NYNY and wander the streets of New York City, see Times Square and grab a Nathan's hot dog (or something more appetizing) while you sit in a cute little urban neighborhood where you don't have to worry about getting mugged or dirty streets. Unfortunately, they've taken out Central Park for more slot space and the steaming manhole covers seem to be gone, but it still has a fun feel and is worth taking a trip over to the resort. 

If you like bigger thrills than games of chance, you'll want to ride on the roller coaster here. It loops a bunch and gives you amazing views of the resort and The Strip. We were lucky to get a free ride coupon from family who work in the MGM resorts, but you can often find 2-for-1 coupons. If not, and you really want to get your money's worth, skip the $14 one-shot ticket and get an unlimited all-day pass for $25 instead. Bring some quarters for the mandatory lockers.

Walk along the street to view the NY skyline, walk along the Brooklyn Bridge and see Lady Liberty. There are some awesome photo ops inside and out at all hours of the day and night.

Paris – If Europe is more your thing, walk over to Paris and wander the streets of the City of Light. This is my favorite hotel and resort. I love the feeling of being outside while being inside. I love seeing the European-style "buildings" and restaurants and, of course, I love the Eiffel Tower. 

Splurge a bit on lunch at Ile St. Louis, where you sit at a "sidewalk cafe" and get served Parisian-style dishes with amazing service. You won't regret it. If you are looking for a quick meal, go straight to Le Creperie, across from Le Village Buffet and get a delicious crepe and a drink that you can enjoy wherever you find a seat.

What are some of your favorite Vegas must-dos?

Review: Packing Cubes from eBags

Are you sick of being totally disorganized when you travel? it can be a big pain when you are pulling everything out of your carry-on to find that one thing that you need. eBags Packing Cubes can help you make the most of the space in your bag and eliminate rummaging, so you can spend more time enjoying your vacation and less time trying to separate your clothes from everyone else's in your bag or looking for your swimsuit so you can go just in the pool.

Though I enjoy rolling my clothes to save space in my bag, you can roll within your packing cube. Earlier this week I review the EXO 2.0 Hardside Spinner Carry-on, which I packed for my East Coast trip for the fall. Well, I took those same clothes and separated them into packing cubes and then repacked the carry-on as you would any bag you would be taking with you. With the three different sizes, I could keep my clothes separate from Eric's and use the smaller one for undergarments or for our swimsuits, towel and waterproof pouch for my phone.

As you can see, each bag has a side handle for easily carrying or pulling out of your bag or the top of the closet. This is perfect for the one I packed for beach essentials. Once there, I could add a bottle of sunscreen and just throw it in the back of the car for when we find ourselves at the beach, or to pull out of drawer and have all our swim necessities right at our fingertips to quickly dress for some time at the pool. 

With the mesh panels on the top of each back, you can see what's inside at only a glance and it allows the contents to breathe and not get all stuffy, no matter how long they are packed. it also allows airport security to quickly scan the bag without unpacking it all. Obviously, they can see it is full of clothes, toiletries or underwear and can move on. 

Packing cubes are totally lightweight, but the fabric is high-quality and durable, so you will be using them for years. Because they aren't stiffly constructed, the cube molds to the contents you pack inside. As you can see, I used the large size to pack all of Eric's clothing and the medium size for all of my own. I rolled his for maximum effectiveness, but folded all mine, for you to see that – either way – they can compress once packed in your carry-on. Of course, fitting everything in the cube snugly will help use all the interior space efficiently.

I also love the double zippers. They feature eBags' corded pulls, making your Packing Cubes super simple to open and close. The zippers are heavy-duty and are made to last.

Packing with cubes would allow me to have a little extra room in our carry-on, leaving space for an extra pair of shoes, some accessories or to bring back souvenirs from our trip. Obviously, I love the variety of sizes in the 3-piece set, but eBags makes all different sizes. Use these different sizes to make the best packing system for you and your travel needs. Maybe you will opt for two large cubes or six large slim cubes or three medium cubes. However you want to pack, eBags has a packing cube set for you. Sets range anywhere from $22 to $45.

Just think how easy it will be to unpack at your destination with packing cubes. Just pop them out of your luggage and into a drawer and you're done!

Other stuff you need to know:

What are these bags made of? TechLite Diamond Nylon

Available Colors: Aquamarine | Black | Canary | Denim | Eggplant | Grasshopper | Peony | Raspberry (shown) | Tangerine | Titanium

How much do they cost: The 3-piece set above is $29.99Where can you buy them? On the eBags website

Like eBags? You can also find them on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Disclosure: I recieved the eBags Packing Cube set for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Free and Cool Las Vegas - Part 1

It appears that Las Vegas during the summer is now the norm for us. Last year we made the trip in June to visit family and this year we made it July to catch the NBA Summer League games (and also visit family while we were there). I can't say the weather is all that lovely in the summer. 110 is not particularly enjoyable, but luckily most of the things we do are inside. This trip I did quite a few free activities on my own while Eric and his friend Alex spent the day watching basketball. I had already done two full days and was ready to do some Vegas stuff. We also got off The Strip for some meals and other stuff.

Now, you know I like to do as much interesting free stuff as I can in order to offset the prices of paid things and dining, which can really add up quickly in a place like Vegas. We are also lucky to have family that works at the MGM resorts, so we can get discounted shows and attractions when we go too. You can get some of these same deals if you know where to look.

Awesome Free Stuff

Believe it or not, there are quite a few free things in Vegas to keep your attention for at least a full day and evening. A lot of the old freebies are gone, like the MGM lions (sadness), Rio's Carnival in the Sky (more sadness) and Treasure Island's Sirens of TI (good riddance to that), but there are plenty left. Here are some of my favorites:

Bellagio – I think you can get the best bang for your non-existent buck here. You can spend a lot of time not spending a dime, though at some point you probably will want to eat. Window shop at the upscale fashion shops at the Via Bellagio corridor that leads to Caesar's Palace. This is where you'll find stores like Louis Vuitton and Prada. It's worth taking a stroll along this stretch of the resort just for the window displays and the wall and ceiling decor. All day you can watch runway videos from Chanel fashion shows, giving you a front row seat at some of the most prestigious shows in the world. 

Head to the lobby and take in the amazing Chihuly floral sculpture that spans the majority of the ceiling. There are also some beautiful fountains and other sculptures to check out before you enter the conservatory and botanical garden. The greenhouse ceiling is amazing and the theme of the conservatory changes with the season and holidays, so it's always different when you visit. When I visited, it was adorned with giant garden tools, snails and frogs made of flowers and tons of sunflowers. There are also ponds filled with koi and live entertainment throughout the day. The great thing about the conservatory is that it is open 24-hours a day, so if you feel like looking at plants and fish and birds (did I mention there's an aviary with adorable finches?) at two in the morning, you can!

Beyond the conservatory, you'll find some specialty shops and Jean-Phillipe Patisserie. It sells delicious coffee drinks, hand-made pastries, crepes, sandwiches, wraps and salads. The focal points of Jean-Phillipe are the breathtaking wedding cakes on display and the World's Largest (and most interesting) Chocolate Fountain. Though not cheap, this is a nice place to order lunch and then sit overlooking one of the hotel's pools.

Obviously, there are other shops that are reasonably priced and at night, you can watch the dancing fountains. if it's too hot (and crowded) to go stand outside to watch, head up to the shops that overlook the water and you can get a great view from above and also hear the music, with the benefit of air conditioning.

Caesar's Palace – this was another on-my-own activity. After the Bellagio, I meandered over the Caesar's to wander the Forum Shops and watch the Fall of Atlantis. It's a free animatronic show that plays every hour throughout the day. I won't say it's phenomenal, but there's water and fire and thunder and it's a fun way to waste 10 minutes in between shopping, because one can only peruse H&M's three levels of chaos before you have to get out. 

If you don't mind waiting around for ten minutes near the Fountain of the Gods, then you'll get a decent spot and can listen as everyone else freaks out that they won't be able to see or that someone is standing in front of them. It's all above your head anyway and if you miss it, you can come back in an hour. For watching a free thing, I was quite amused by everyone's grumblings.

Of course some of the best freebies at Caesar's are decor-related. Go outside and check out the amazing fountains, columns and statues then go inside and look up as you walk around. It's truly the details that make the experience. They have named their concert venue The Colosseum. While you can't go inside to see what it looks like, the outside is all Roman architecture. It's pretty awesome.

Once you've saved your money by doing the free stuff and shopping the sales (that's what I did), splurge on a fabulous lunch at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill. Choose from traditional British dishes with a fun twist. Eric declared his Coronation chicken "worth $17", which tells you something, because I don't think he's ever said that about anything he's ever gotten anywhere. You're obviously paying for the name, and nothing is spared on the decor either, but the portions are large and you don't leave hungry. In fact, we both finished our meals and were a little disappointed we couldn't add an order of sticky toffee pudding to our bill.

The Flamingo – As many times as I've been to Las Vegas, I don't remember ever going to the Flamingo. The whole place is packed with slot machines, which is awesome if you like to gamble. They also have several affordable restaurants including Carlos 'n Charlie's. Right across from the food court and next to the bar are the doors that lead out to the Wildlife Habitat. It's open 24-hours a day, but it's best to visit during the day, so you have a better view of the resort's flamingos, ducks, swans and other animals and can witness one of the two live feedings. You'll also see a lovely waterfall and flamingo fountain among the shaded walking paths and bridges.

Obviously, there's more to do for free in Vegas, but we'll get to that next time. What are your favorite things to do in Sin City?