LEAVING LAS VEGAS!!!!!

And FINALLY.

After about 4 months of non-stop posting about our US trip last May, it has finally come to this.... 

Our last blog entry about our US vacation to celebrate Andrei's 7th birthday!!!!

I know you may already be sick and tired of this but sorry to say, the Chinese Adonis and I ARE NOT. He he he he! Besides, we did ERICJAZ FOODIES to serve as our online diary/photo album and since we enjoyed our family vacation in the US so much, we want to remember every single minute of it!

So with this, I bring to you our last day in Las Vegas.... hopefully, for now. Tee hee!

Anywho, the day of our flight, I woke up extra early for THIS.

OW EM.... to the highest maximum gulay! It's the day of our flight and I haven't even started with packing all our boxes and bags!! Even if the Chinese Adonis was willing to help, I have my own proven technique in doing it (taught by the great Ate Shiela) that saves space and cushions even the most fragile of objects. 

But since I was too hungry (AND lazy) to function, I went to the kitchen to have some breakfast first!

Garlic rice with lots of ham!

Crispy Bacon!

SERENDIPITY 3 (LAS VEGAS)

While we were planning our US trip, we were supposed to go to New York because our little lord's favorite movie then was HOME ALONE 2 (Lost in New York). I was pretty much excited to go there as well because I had a lot of restaurants mapped out for us which I was not able to try in my first visit in the big apple. One of them of course, was the famous little coffee shop named SERENDIPITY.

Unfortunately, our trip to New York did not push through but I was still craving for a taste of that creamy milk shake that was made more famous by Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack's movie. The foodie gods I guess were on my side that trip because lo and behold, there was a SERENDIPITY branch located in Caesar's Palace right at Las Vegas strip!

YOHOOO!

Now was that luck, fate, or destiny?

No, it was SERENDIPITY.

Lame? Oh well! THAT'S what you get from me this week! :P 

AND we're finally here... 

SERENDIPITY 3!

We may have to do with SERENDIPITY in Las Vegas for NOW. :)

Yes! FINALLY! We were supposed to have coffee here before going to Los Angeles but unfortunately it closed at 10:00pm! So here we are again with a vengeance.

HOT N' JUICY CRAWFISH (LAS VEGAS)

Before our trip to the US, I downplayed our excitement by joking that THE YAPPY BUNCH will be having a very long trip to Subic, a popular tourist spot in the Philippines. When finally my ex-Facebook friends ("ex" because they have blocked me since then) figured out that we were really in Las Vegas, quite a number suggested that we try out HOT N' JUICY CRAWFISH.  The restaurant was actually a very popular seafood joint that served its entrees piping hot in plastic bags that you enjoy on the table (no plates!) and using your bare hands. Yes, it is very similar to California favorite BOILING CRAB or KICKIN KASIAN but of course, HOT N' JUICY CRAWFISH had its own unique flavors that qualified for a family pig-out session.

We definitely had an over the top and delicious lunch with the family at HOT N' JUICY CRAWFISH. Unfortunately though, I lost a lost of FB friends after I posted about it in Facebook since they still thought that it was in Subic.

Ha ha ha ha! Kidding!

I'm not going to say SUCKER though.

:P

HOT N' JUICY CRAWFISH!

OLIVE GARDEN

After watching our XMEN MOVIE , I told Kuya Nap and Ate Shiela that it will be our turn to treat them for an early dinner. It was only about 7:30pm but we were feeling a bit hungry even though we just ate some PANDA EXPRESS before the show. We also finished a bucket of pop corn (save for Kuya Nap :P) so I don't really know where this craving was coming from. 

Then I realized what it is.

It was the power of OLIVE GARDEN!

When it's time to eat at OLIVE GARDEN, it IS time to eat at OLIVE GARDEN. Your stomach will yearn for it and succumb to its power.

Why?

Maybe because in OLIVE GARDEN, whenever you're here, you're HUNGRY... este... family! :)

He he he he!

OLIVE GARDEN!!

OUR MEMORIAL XMEN MOVIE DAY AND MORE!

I was not really planning on including this in our silly little foodie blog but the Chinese Adonis said it was still something we did during our trip so it was best to record it in our "online diary".  Besides, there could be other people out there who love watching movies so much that they are also curious as to how theaters are in the western side.

And that would be only YOU and ME.

Naks! I guess if you DO read this entry, it means we are somehow kindred spirits. UUUUY! Just kindred spirits. Don't get your hopes up or anything. (#hottieproblems) 

BWA HA HA HA!

And that's what you call menopause.... Or second childhood... Or mental instability. 

Tee hee!

Anywho....

Fast forward photo

One of the movies we were all raring to watch since the franchise started was X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.  By some stroke of whatever luck (good or bad) it started showing days before our departure right when we just got back from California.  It may seem silly to forego a sight seeing trip in and about Las Vegas (again) but the Chinese Adonis and I thought the kids might have fun watching a movie in the US.

Yes, we are a family who loves to watch movies. The whole experience of going to the theater and cuddling around while eating buttered popcorn is so fun for us.

So you could just imagine how thrilled we were at the thought of watching our much awaited movie with the kids in a different setting!

Good thing my cousins also loved the X-MEN series and agreed to watch with us. See? It was meant to be!

MARIE CALLENDER'S

If there's one thing I should ALWAYS get a bite of when I'm in the US (and I mean ALWAYS okay? Let us not ease up on the importance of it) that would be a heaping forkful of MARIE CALLENDER'S famous pies.

If you haven't had a taste of this heavenly dessert that must've been baked by singing angels (named Marie?) then you are missing a chunk of something so sweet and true that could make your life oh so loverly.

Believe me when I say, that there are some pies and there are other pies, but when you are faced with a plate of MARIE CALLENDER'S, you would definitely know that it is THE ONLY pie that matters.  My preference would be similar to THE WOMAN of Sherlock Holmes but I will not dwell on that any further. I shall not let my reignited love affair with Benedict Cumberbatch get in the way of declaring my love for this pie (which I'm always seem to have a habit of doing).

Yeniway, while my cousin was busy preparing our WELCOME SHABU SHABU dinner in Las Vegas, I made myself useful not by helping out in the slicing and dicing. No way! Ha ha ha! Instead, I dragged my husband to MARIE CALLENDER'S nearest branch to get a box of their awesome pies.

Don't worry. A plateful of MARIE CALLENDER'S pies is more than enough contribution to any dinner. He he he he! That counts washing the dishes too!!!!

MARIE CALLENDER'S!

If you THINK that I'm already hiding a pie under that shirt, I might bonk you if I could reach you. That's just flab.... pure Jazzie flab. 

MARIE CALLENDER'S!!!

A SHABU SHABU WELCOME DINNER!

After our California vacation, we headed back to Las Vegas in a hurry not because we will be going to another casino or that we were missing my cousins.

We were so excited for a SHABU SHABU dinner!

Yep! Sorry. Ha ha ha ha! We love food too much that we have forgotten any form of human affection. Instead, we just focused on what's waiting for us at the end of the sin city's "rainbow" and that is, piping hot bowls of SHABU SHABU.

Yum! I'm sure you'd know by now that SHABU SHABU is indeed our favorite!  To THINK that we just came from Days Inn Hotel for a heavy breakfast and Arby's for our late lunch. Yes it may seem gluttony that we are rushing somewhere just for a taste of our delicious food but we don't care -- we are willing to shed what's left of human decency just to get a sip of that heavily flavored broth, crunchy vegetables, tender seafood, and chewy noodles.

I'm sure you'd agree with me once you see the spread that my cousin prepared for us. You might even purposely forget that you have a wife/husband just so you'd get the first bowl.

I'm sure that's what my husband did. And even son.

I lead such a sorry life......

Kidding! He he he he he! 

Familiar landmarks that remind us we were near LAS VEGAS!

When we got to Las Vegas, my cousin Kuya Nap was so busy preparing the ingredients for his special SHABU SHABU dinner. 

My cousin is not really a chef but like us, he LOVED to eat. It's always a great day when he cooks because he is such a whiz in the kitchen! 

STUDIO B (M RESORT - LAS VEGAS)

Before going to Las Vegas, I promised myself that I will only eat a quarter of meat matched with a whole platter of vegetables so that I could still maintain my (ahem) wonderful figure. I have been pretty successful so far especially that I would just share entrees with the little lords then control my food intake by just having a side salad. Everything was going well until my Kuya Nap happily announced that he was going to take us to a seafood buffet in M resort.

Wow. Seafood and buffet. I don't need a picture to know that my diet will go downhill from there. 

We were driving to California on Sunday so we attended Saturday mass  in my cousin's parish. 

As their custom here in the Philippines, the little lords ran up to the priest to give respect (here we do it via "mano"). 

I'm sure the priest did not know this Filipino custom but he did give the kiddies blessings and a few words of wisdom.

After church, it was a long straight drive to M resort. Wow! You don't see this very often in Manila. This is what my husband definitely misses in the US!

And so we're here...

STUDIO B!

MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX MUSEUM

During our trip to the US, my husband and I made a fool proof itinerary of the things we will be doing as a family. We thought, we have scheduled everything that we wanted to do and that we've got all the important things covered for a true fun filled YAPPY bunch summer vacation.

While we were going around though, we encountered a lot more sights and activities that were not in our initial plans -- The Grand Canyon, Titanic and Car museum, Mamma Mia, Strip Shows... este... family oriented CULTURAL shows...

Whew! He he he!

Anyway, one insta-plan that we did was MADAME TUSSAUD'S wax museum while we were going around THE VENETIAN. It's a fun activity for the whole family and you will never get enough pictures. That's why I suggest that yes after some popular sights like Hoover Dam, Bellagio Fountain, Grand Canyon, Mamma Mia, Little Darling... (este) little boat ride in THE VENETIAN, you may want by the classic MADAME TUSSAUDS. It's your ticket to see your favorite American personalities all in one roof in Sin City!
  

MADAME TUSSAUDS!

GONDOLA RIDE AT THE VENETIAN

Las Vegas may be famous for casinos, quickie wedding chapels, Elvis Presley impersonators, outrageous buffets and shows. But besides those "usuals", you should also remember that Las Vegas is a haven for many attractions that you may not see in other states when you visit the US.

Now I have previously done a blogpost featuring the free fun in Las Vegas in my 3 part humongously LONG series (SEE HERE, HERE, and HERE). With this, I recommend that you also try this popular ride in one of their most famous hotels that would transport you to the romantic waters of Venice.

Yep. I'm talking about THE VENETIAN's Gondola ride. It may be a cliche to some but it is definitely a cause for L'amore in Sin City! 

The VENETIAN HOTEL in Las Vegas!

One of the musts to do when you're in this popular hotel is to have a GONDOLA ride in VENETIAN HOTEL'S very own Venice canal. 

DENNY'S

During our 2nd Las Vegas staycation at THE GOLDEN NUGGET (SEE HERE!!!!), the Chinese Adonis craved for something meaty. Now before your naughty minds get all riled up, I was referring to beef, beef, and MORE beef. But since he was on a diet, he wanted his MEAT inside a bun.

Wait a minute, now THAT doesn't seem right. Me and my mind! Ha ha ha ha!

Anywho, we were in Downtown Las Vegas and upon checking online, the most probable restaurant that was nearest to us was DENNY'S. My husband hasn't eaten there yet and agreed with mucho gusto. So after swimming with sharks in our hotel pool (yup check the link up there!), we proceeded to DENNY'S to satisfy my husband's need for some meat.

DENNY'S!!!

If you want to know where the DENNY'S branch is downtown, just look for the Stratosphere!

If you don't know what the Stratosphere is, THAT'S the Stratosphere hotel. :)

THE GOLDEN NUGGET (LAS VEGAS STAYCATION)

While in Las Vegas, we were only supposed to have one staycation in the strip which we had in NEW YORK HOTEL (SEE HERE). But then I got to talk to Ms. Eileen Macapagal (wife of my ever favorite EB host Mr. Joey de Leon) and she strongly recommended us to try THE GOLDEN NUGGET. Her family just came from Las Vegas and they got a room there not really for staying in but because the pool at GOLDEN NUGGET was truly one of a kind!

And when she told me what made THE GOLDEN NUGGET pool so special, we immediately booked a room before you could even say "You're gonna need a bigger boat".

:)

And here we are...

THE GOLDEN NUGGET!!! 

OUR FREE FUN IN LAS VEGAS (PART 3)

In our recent US vacation, I did not expect that the kids would love LAS VEGAS so much even though they were... well kids! Of course I thought: this "adult playground" was not called "Sin City" for nothing so I already plotted where we will go to that will be safe for children. When we went around the strip and casinos, we were able to catch shows that were not only free for everyone to watch, but it was also entertaining even for our little lords. And with that, YES, I will be using these two popular cliches on my blogpost...

What happened in Vegas, STAYED in Vegas....
Because.. We left our heart there....

Didn't make sense? Yeah I thought so.

Here's part 3 of our FREE FUN IN LAS VEGAS!

For our previous LOOOONG posts check out PART 1, and PART 2!! 

LAS VEGAS!

When you have kiddies with you, you may want to bring them in CIRCUS CIRCUS!

OUR FREE FUN IN LAS VEGAS (PART 2)

With our US TRIP this summer, I was able to show THE YAPPY bunch that there is indeed a LOT to do and see in Las Vegas that won't charge us any sort of admission fee. I was already able to do the first part of our LAS VEGAS fun (SEE HERE) and here's the "sequel". He he he he!

By the way, just a warning -- since my blog is really my online diary (i.e. it's not an instructional guide nor an advertisement page) there will be a LOT of pictures (since it's also my online photo album). So check this out on your own risk.

Have fun! Tee hee!

The lovely Las Vegas strip at night!

 And here we are at one of Sin City's most popular hotels...

CAESAR's PALACE!

OUR FREE FUN IN LAS VEGAS (PART 1)

If you are planning to go on a trip to Las Vegas, you should remember that it is ALSO another CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. Why? Because there is just a lot to do!!  Besides the casinos that are open 24/7, restaurants, shows, and events, LAS VEGAS loves the people so much that it also gives out entertainment for FREE!

Yup! You read that right!

Of course, you could still save money if you want to watch  Las Vegas' popular shows such as Cirque De Soleil, BEATLES' LOVE, David Copperfield, etc. etc. BUT do know too that there are other activities for you to enjoy that won't cost you a dime.

And that's what my little family did for an extra enjoyable time at LAS VEGAS that cost us nothing!

WE L-O-V-E Las Vegas!

On our first day in Las Vegas, we did not immediately go to the strip. But even if we did have an enjoyable dinner, we felt it calling out to us.  And yes, the lights of the strip may be so alluring but we have another thing planned for the next day!

And yes, we were up so early for it! 

Like our hats?

NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO LAS VEGAS STAYCATION

Before I start, let me give you a warning that this is a PRETTY long post. Longer than usual actually (is that possible??) because I wanted to record the great time and special memories that we had in our first US staycation!

If that doesn't bother you, then carry on. He he he he!
=====

While the Chinese Adonis and I were planning our itinerary for our trip to the US, we agreed that we will be having at least one overnight stay at a Las Vegas hotel so that the kids will experience a staycation at the other side of the globe. Of course, we made the usual criterias in selection: the hotel should be kid-friendly, with free wifi, pool, should be clean and in a very safe environment.

After scrutinizing the choices, the winner for us was NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO in LAS VEGAS. Not only did it have all those I mentioned above, but it was also located right at the Las Vegas strip! Now what could be more thrilling than that?

Ooops.... sorry. Can't tell. You know the drill -- what happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas! He he he he!

Except body odor. That'll go with you EVERYWHERE. Ha ha ha!

And here we are.... 

NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO, LAS VEGAS!

Valet parking was free for hotel guests. You could even go to NEW YORK HOTEL early to leave your bags with the valet and they will just issue you a ticket. When you are ready to check in, just present your valet ticket to the front desk OR call them from your room so they'll bring up all your bags.