Las Vegas / Yosemite Foothills

Here are some photos from our short trip around Yosemite. We live close enough that it's easy to get there for a day or two. Yosemite is gorgeous, but I love to drive through the small towns in the foothills. We always seem to discover something interesting, and it's nice that there are so few other people out and about (unlike Yosemite proper which is usually crowded).

We found this wonderful fruit stand that sold every possible type of pumpkin.







You can be driving on a road in the middle of nowhere--no town or homes for miles and miles--and suddenly come across these small cemeteries from the 1800s. We've stumbled upon several of them and we always stop and explore.



Dave's anniversary gift pile--I bought him one gift for every year we've been married. I also made him one of his favorite breakfasts--French toast. We were out of maple syrup so I made a sauce from apple butter, a little Lyle's golden syrup, and apple juice. Very tasty!

I can't even count the number of times we've been out somewhere without a flashlight when we really needed one. So, one of Dave's gifts was this gigantic flashlight. It's so huge it cracks me up every time I see him with it.



Near Las Vegas we discovered the Williams-Sonoma outlet. Score! They had lots of lovely things at amazing prices. I was very self-restrained and only purchased a few things, dishes mainly.

I totally goofed up and forgot to bring my camera charger to Las Vegas, so basically the only photos I was able to take before my camera ran out of charge was of the hotel. Sorry about that!

I'll give you links to some good food places at the end of the post.

We gambled a total of $1 on the slot machines--we're definitely not big gamblers.



So, we stayed at THEhotel, a very last minute decision based on a great price from hotels.com. THEhotel rocks! The rooms are all huge suites--larger than some apartments I've lived in. It's more of a quiet hotel with no casino on site. Everyone--staff and other guests--was super friendly and chatty. It's a relaxing place to stay, especially for Las Vegas.

The room had a separate living room, two bathrooms, a bar area, and a lovely deep bathtub. It was all quite posh and VERY comfortable. I think there were at least 3 tvs, one in the big bathroom.

Though there are no swimming pools at THEhotel, as a guest there you have access to all the pools st Mandalay Bay, which is on the same property.

Since I'm seriously lacking in photos with this post, I'll give you links to our favorite things in case you'd like more information.

THEhotel
Williams-Sonoma Outlet

Las Vegas food we like:
Settebello-- Amazing wood oven pizza.
Rao's-- Good old-fashioned Italian food.
Spago-- Go for dessert!
Siena Deli-- Nice deli with fresh baked bread.
Burger Bar-- Gourmet burgers (veggie and vegan friendly).
Harrie's Bagelmania-- Wonderful fresh bagels.
Bouchon Bakery-- Every single thing is delicious and amazing.
Panevino-- Good Italian and deli food.
Payard Patisserie-- Not to be missed.
Buffet at Paris hotel-- Lots and lots of yummy veggies prepared in a variety of ways. Good desserts as well.
Pastry shop in the Bellagio-- Everything is just gorgeous.
Whole Foods-- To stock up on things for in-room snacking.

Some of my fav Las Vegas things to do:
Swimming at Mandalay Bay hotel
Bodies... The Exhibition
Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Water-Fountain Show
CSI: The Experience
Shark Reef
Atomic Testing Museum
Gallery of Fine Arts