Serendipity & Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

Who's seen the movie Serendipity?? So cutesy and romantic. Did you know that they have a restaurant called Serendipity 3 in Las Vegas? It's right in front of Caeser's Palace. (Yelp)

Katie, Andrew, and I went there on our last day in Vegas. Tyler had a coupon for a free Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, their specialty drink, if you ordered a certain amount of food. Between the three two of us, it was a great little treat on that hot day (Andrew only had one sip, Katie and I guzzled the rest down).

After decades of keeping their frrrozen hot chocolate recipe a secret, like Bush's Baked Beans, they released it to Oprah. Of course!

You'll need:

1/2 ounce of Chocolate (bittersweet, semisweet, milk - you choose)

2 t Hot Chocolate Mix

1 1/2 T Sugar

1 1/2 C Milk

3 C Ice

Whipped Cream

Chocolate Shavings

1. Chop the chocolate into teensy pieces, then use a double boiler to melt it.

2. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar, stir until melted.

3. Take it off the heat and SLOWLY add 1/2 cup of milk. Continue stirring and then - hardest part - let it sit and cool to room temp! Resist the urge to drink.

4. When it's cool, put the remaining cup of milk, the mixture you made above, and the ice into a blender. Blend it on a high speed and when it's all smooth and delicious looking, pour it into your favorite goblet. 

5. Top it with whipped cream and chocolate shavings!

If you decide to order one at the REAL restaurant you'll be indulging in a concoction that blends 20 different kinds of chocolate into an icy, rich cocoa flavor. 20 different kinds?? That's crazy!

Add 3 straws and it will look like the one we had...

While eating our food we looked over and saw a tiny man eating this ENORMOUS French Toast LOG. Look at the size of one of the eggs for comparison purposes. It was HUGE! $15 for bacon, sunny side up eggs, breakfast potatoes, fresh berries, whipped cream, and a foot long of French Toast!

And the guy ate the entire thing....

Katie and I split The Summer Bries ($16) - a turkey sandwich, served open-faced on a raisin pumpernickel bun with apples, cranberry mayo and brie. (LOTS of brie FYI). The sandwiches all come with a side of sweet potato fries.

The Vegas Cupcakes

Two remaining cupcakes.

Fruity Pebble fun.

Delicious.

First split with Nat.

Second had an adventure.

Reach LAVO?

Kerry!

Tasty treat hiding.

Munching on the dance floor.

Smushed frosting.

Yummy!

Vegas IV: Lavo, Pure, & Big Boi

After a yummy Chipotle dinner, Amy, Kali, and I met up with the other three that bounced out of Rhumbar early. We got back to the hotel and I continued to scarf down some of my favorite foods: Hot Tamales and Cheez-Its. NOM NOM NOM. We all got ready and Natalie joined us at the hotel room. I had so much fun with her the whole weekend I'm really excited that we were able to hang out so much despite being with different groups of people.

Anyways, the seven of us headed over to LAVO Nightclub (3325 Las Vegas Blvd) in the Palazzo. (Yelp.) This is another one of those restaurant/nightclub combinations. The website describes LAVO Nightclub as "one of the most intimate, yet energetic, dance floors in Las Vegas." I think that description is pretty accurate. We waited outside for about 5 mins while our contact secured us with Girls Drink Free wristbands. We walked up the winding staircase, around the sinks spitting out water, and entered the club area. IT WAS PACKED. I'm not kidding here. It probably took 3 minutes for us to develop a game-plan for reaching the bar. All the girls grabbed a drink and we escaped the mass of people - headed towards the dance floor.

I remember these two girls who were next to us that were - out of control. I actually think they were on something illegal. Nevertheless, the dancing was fun and Kerry, Jacquelyn, and Ashley showed up after about 5 songs. The DJ there was awesome. I retrieved the last Fruity Pebble cupcake, which was still hidden behind a bathtub, and gave it to Kerry. She said it was still yummy!

We left to go to PURE, it was our goal to spend the night there. Right when we got there, we walked in and were led to a table with a group of guys. I hate it when that happens! I don't want to be forced to hang out with people just because they have bottles of Sky! I grabbed Natalie and asked her to come with me to the dance floor. So happy she said yes :) A guy working the ultra VIP area (which was empty at that moment) pointed at us and told us to come up to where he was. OKAY!

For hours we danced, took pictures, and took dancing pictures. The VIP area started to fill up with other pretty ladies.... and Big Boi from Outkast! We snatched a quick pic with him and continued to dance to the great music. Around 1 am Big Boi took to the stage aka the area where we were already dancing, and started rapping. His set lasted about 10 songs, with the famous "I like the way you move"

After he finished some new and old raps, we joined the other girls who had stayed at the table with those guys. Immediately when we saw them I could tell that they really enjoyed hanging out with those guys. They were dance battling and standing on the booths and cheers-ing each other... We sat there for a while and then Nat and I decided to leave. On the way out, we ran into Kerry! Magical timing. So picture the crowd jamming, the dance floor packed, lots of noise, and Kerry all by herself roaming around. We took that baby bird under our wing and brought her outside. It was time to gamble! I played $20 on a slot machine (requested by Lauretta), and then played about $40 on the craps table. I wasn't prepared to play more than that. The only way to make money in Vegas is to be prepared to gamble away at least $400. I ended up losing about $15 of the craps money, and all of the slot machine money. Oh wells!

We all went back to our hotels and I began packing my bag at 4 am. Slowly the other girls returned and I decided to finish the packing (took about 45 mins because I also had to finish the Cheez-Its :) so that I could sleep until 5:45. 1 hour of sleep? That's how I roll.

Woke up > Airport > Flew home > Picked up by Lauretta and Katie > Alice in Wonderland > Sushi > Drove back home to Seaside > Kickball game? Can't remember!

Vegas III: SaturDAY strip walking

Ringing phone. So Loud. Dark of night. 
L: WHYYyyYYYy are you calling meeEEee? It's like 5 in the morning!
K: What? No it's not.....
L: Yesssss it isssssss..... ughhhh
K: It's 10:30...
L: .... ... wha? oh. It's juuuust so dark out! - still - sleeping ... bye.

The second time I woke up on Saturday, closer to noon, Taylor said the funniest thing: she said that she needed to get the Treasure Island drapes in her room. Those things are so potent! You shut them, go out at night, come back to the room, fall asleep, and then before you know it, it's 3:37pm and it's just about time to start gearing up for the next night! Luckily we all woke up around noon, got dressed, and headed down to grab food.

Kelly and I were the first ones out of the room and we went to Treasure Island's Coffee House, a 24 hour casual dining spot in the middle of the casino floor. (Yelp) This comfort food was just what the doctor ordered! Holy moly! I ordered a stack of pancakes of course! Pancakes McGee! For $10.50 I got a fatty stack coated in mixed berries. MMmmMMmm. Has anyone caught on yet that I'm sort of a pancake fanatic? Where has this trend come from? Growing up my sister was the french toast girl, and we never had a waffle maker... I think I only ate belgian waffles when I was in Oregon. I digress.... Kelly ordered an omelet, I can't remember which one though... it looked good!

The other girls met up with Starbucks in hand (there was one in the hotel), and the four of them split two omelets. After they ate, we began traipsing down the strip. We posed for several "day" pictures, all for the adoring fans of 32above. Wait a second... I have no fans? Sad...

We eventually went into the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and walked around for hours like camels. First we bought Fat Tuesday's before heading inside. Oh wait - no we didn't. I guess I dreamed about that. Fat Tuesday's are glorious - must get one for the next trip April 23/24/25! I think we went into half of the 160 boutiques/shops. My favorite thing: silver sparkly hats! I wish I bought one. The girls bought shoes, scarves, and gelato while I contemplated the possibility of returning to purchase the sparkly hat and wear it out to the club with my galactic one-shoulder dress. Zenon much?

We decided to get some drinks at Rhumbar (3400 Las Vegas Blvd S.), an outdoor lounge near the entrance to the Mirage from Caesar's Palace. They had a very stylish outdoor patio with heat lamps! Thank the lord! We sat down next to two silver foxes, and they proceeded to offer us lemon drop shooters because they just wanted us to "have a good time."

They were actually really sweet and not sketchy at all. Prices were high, so I just had the free gifted lemon drop. The others had either a glass of wine or a mixed drink. I liked how laid back the place was, and yet it was still very classy. I could see all of us here, again, in 2020, with money to spend on delicious mojitos. Note: Rhumbar is the destination of very snazzy people from LMU. If you see one, you should go up to him/her and complement him/her on his/her amazingly creative outfit!

Vegas II: Tao

Spring Break '10

For our first night in Vegas we decided to go to Tao Nightclub (3355 Las Vegas Blvd). We all got ready and walked across the street to The Venetian. FREEZING! (Thanks go to Sea Ridge Merlot for the invisible blanket.) This Asian-influenced nightclub is amazing on the inside. The entrance is lined with bathtubs filled with rose petals and go-go [sitting] dancers. I am 80% sure I heard that Kerry climbed in one later that night? We quickly bypassed the restaurant on the first floor, but we were there long enough for the delightful aroma to waft past our noses. Those twelve seconds stimulated my olfactory senses in a wonderful way. Sigh... one day.

Now I know what you might be thinking when I say Tao... Taoism, Confucianism, etc. Am I right? Well, yes, "Tao" translates to "way," "path," "doctrine;" the true nature of the world. Let's roll with this "yin and yang" idea to develop this blog post into more of a research paper? Don't ask questions - just accept.

The common yin and yang argument is that each action creates a counter-action. This is an instinctive, inevitable shift within manifestations of the Tao.  Consider a night in Vegas at Tao through the yin/yang goggles: dressed up men & dressed down women, chilly drinks & steamy dancing bodies, obscure shadows & glowing flashing club lights - all prime examples of complementary opposites making up the greater whole that is Tao Nightclub. I will revisit this idea later... 

Natalie/Alex and Kerry/Jacquelyn/Ashley met up with us inside. We were led to a prime-spot table on the dance floor, enjoyed the free Girls Hour drinks from 10 - 11 pm, danced, and took pictures. With my eagle eyes I spotted a friend from high school in the thick of the dance floor. I think I almost ran her over when I eagerly approached her! Such a small world... only in Vegas!

Unfortunately, my yin and yang were out of balance that night and I had to retreat to the hotel early. Luckily, like a dropped stone in a calm pool, my friends were there to balance me out and get me back into a quiescent state. I love them so much and appreciate how they came to my rescue! Thank you!

Vegas I: Flight & Treasure Island

On March 5th I caught the 4:20 pm flight to Las Vegas, Nevada for a weekend trip with some fabulous girl friends of mine. We had this trip planned for some time now, so I was excited that it was finally time to revisit Sin City and cause some trouble. Okay - that sounded really hokey. Among the six of us, there aren't really any troublemakers.... 

It was only two years ago when I made my first trip to Vegas (with Kelly, Megan, and Sierra). Last year I returned with Kelly, Megan, and four more AOII girls: Taylor, Kali, Amy, and Katie G. This year Katie wasn't able to make it because she is living and working in Australia.

Spring Break '09

Hopefully this trip can become a tradition for the six/seven of us. It's nice to be able to gather from different parts of California and convene somewhere with shopping during the day and an over-the-top nightlife! I love playing dress up.

My flight got in around the same time as Kelly's, so we were able to grab a cab together. The six of us stayed at Treasure Island (3300 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas). The hotel was so much fancier than I imagined it was going to be. Each room was very sexy on the inside, with a flat screen LCD TV, floor-to-ceiling windows, two fluffy pillowtop beds with large padded headboards, and sleek, dark, wood furniture.

9 Days!

Can't wait to be in Sin City with this girl!!! Good luck writing your essay! See you soon :)