I’m not a Vegas person.  As many times as we’ve been here, I’d much rather go somewhere else.   But the hubby enjoys it so the kids and I indulge him.  It’s a quick 4 hour drive from the house and with our timeshare points, it makes an inexpensive last minute let’s enjoy the last week before school adventure.

As promised, I spent the morning working while the rest of the family slept in.  But when they were all up and ready, we went to the Bellagio to check it out.  I’d been there before at a friend’s bachelorette weekend but the kids hadn’t yet gone.  First stop, Jean Phillipe Patisserie, with 4 stars/1112 reviews on Yelp, I was hoping for some good pastries.

Jean Philippe Patisserie
8/3/16

I love love love pastries.  The hubby got a sandwich, the girl got a caprese panini, the boy got a chocolate croissant and I got a sticky bun.  For kicks, we also got a nutella brioche.  Let’s just say as with anything in Vegas at a big hotel, it’s overpriced.  We enjoyed the food but it was not worth $10 for the sandwich or $12 for the panini.  The boy loves chocolate croissants and he just thought this one was okay but not exceptional.  For myself, I loved my sticky bun and at $4.50 was definitely worth it.  It wasn’t too sweet.  And it was big enough that I couldn’t finish it myself but had to share it with the rest of the fam.

Next we went to check out the Gallery of Fine Art  in the Bellagio.  There’s currently an exhibit of Yousuf Karsh’s work.  The boy’s favorite was of Mohammad Ali.

The girl’s favorite was of Audrey Hepburn.

I really liked the Audrey Hepburn photo and the Helen Keller Photo.  I loved how he focused the attention on her hands.  It really captured the meaning and importance of those hands.

Helen Keller and Polly Thompson, 1948 by Yousuf Karsh

It cost us $30 to get in the gallery and I felt like it was worth it.  We had an audio guide that we used to take us through each photo and I felt the kids enjoyed it.  Actually, the girl really liked it.  She listened to all the audio and read all the notes.  The boy did the best he could but I could tell after the first few photos, he was bored.  He hung in there though and allowed the girl and I to explore and take it all in.

The Bellagio also has a conservatory with a lot of flowers and stuff to look at and take pictures.  I couldn’t stand the smell in such a small enclosed environment but I managed to take one picture of the three of us.

Me and the kids at the conservatory at the Bellagio.
8.3.16

Another great thing I like to do while visiting these beautiful hotels is to check out the floors and other things that would look great as a quilt.

The parking situation at the Bellagio was not great.  Like many of the other big hotels on the strip, they no longer offer free valet parking.  I believed for the few hours we spent, it was $13.  And after spending $60 at the Patisserie, $30 at the gallery, and I think the hubby lost at the tables, paying for parking left a sour taste in my mouth and we’ll probably not come back again.  Once for the experience was enough.  I guess most people take a cab here so if I do want to come back I’ll have to remember to do that instead of driving.

After the Bellagio, we hightailed it to our favorite casino off the strip so we can play some $5 blackjack and the kids could watch a movie and play a few games of bowling.

Today’s plan is to hang out at the pool, have dinner at Rollin Smoke BBQ (4.5 stars/1843 reviews on yelp) and then catch a showing of Suicide Squad.