Date Night: Hall and Oates

I went on a date last night...so I took him to The Greek and his name is not Russell Brand. I'm an 80's baby so I pretty much grew up with one of the greatest music eras evvaahhhh. Male artists used to be very comfortable with their feminine side (eyeliners, long locks), music lyrics used to woo women and not consist of words like butt, bootycall, twerk or up in da club. Damn, I miss the good ol' days.

To kick off a pre-celebration of the beloved boyfriend's birthday, I took him to see one of the iconic groups that greatly influenced my childhood, even until now--- HALL AND OATES!

I was supposed to cancel out on this, but thanks to my family, we made it!

Getting there...
The Greek Theatre is an amphitheater with mostly stacked parking lots, so I opted to purchase an off-site parking pass that includes free shuttle to and from the concert without the hassle of dealing with heavily congested roads and the crazy parking situation. The parking area is actually just located at Griffith Park so it's pretty close to The Greek. The best part? They only charge $7 per vehicle, not per person!

The Greek is perched up on the mountains...so the roads are sloped and walking around, even from the closest parking lot, in sky high heels is just not worth it---PLUS it's an amphitheater, which means you're gonna be climbin' up and down those steps.

We got there about an hour and a half before the show started so we decided to check out their concession stands. They served alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and different kinds of food like pulled pork, beef brisket, hotdogs, burgers, kettle popcorn, etc.

There were some benches and even a grass area where people can just hang around, enjoy a quick bite or a full meal and of course, people-watch.

Mercedes Benz was one of the sponsors for the concert so they had some new models on display.

We just grabbed some food from the Greek Village so we could get that out of the way before the show started. The boyfriend got a double cheeseburger (why am I not surprised) and I had a Pink's regular hotdog. Very no-fuss.

 I tried the fresh lemonade from that "Fresh Lemonade Stand" but uh...it was totally NOT worth it. It was $5 dollars worth of watered down grocery lemonade.

Nothing better than thick-cut fries to save the day!

The boyfriend found our own little spot where we could enjoy our food and eat in peace. Romantic, ey?

We started heading up to the amphitheater to figure out our seats, but I did so with a heavy heart. You see, this is the first time that I grabbed really crappy seats---at least in my standards. I don't have to be in V.I.P. but at least be at the center, or the seats after the V.I.P would be awesome. My theory is, if you're going to a live concert and shell out some cash for it, you might as well get your money's worth. What's the point of going to a concert if you can't SEE the band or artist from the nosebleed seats, right? I got the tickets a little too late and it was either I swallow my pride and take the side terrace seating or not be able to see them at all. At this point, I was desperate. I just can't pass off Hall and Oates.

Our seats were not categorically nosebleed seats though, so you know I'm just whining. Still, I wanted better seats. And still, I'm whining.

I love the fact that the amphitheater is surrounded by big, leafy trees. It was a bit chilly when we got there but the temperature dropped further later at night so if you're planning to see a show here, make sure to pack a light jacket or sweater, even if it's not winter yet.

The opening act was Mutlu, I haven't heard of him but he was pretty good with his acoustic guitar. A few moments after, the dynamic duo came out to start the show with "Man Eater". The crowd was definitely a little bit more mellow, as the demographics consisted more of senior citizens. I felt like a teenager who needed to behave in front of my grandparents. Of course, there were still people around my age group, whom I totally sympathized with because they were always SCOLDED by granma and grampa, for standing and dancing and enjoying the music....at a concert. Luckily, the peeps behind me were in their late 30's so they didn't mind standing up too and they were tinier than me so I can just drop kick their asses if they told me to sit back down.

Overall, the concert was pretty good. I always enjoy real music---with real instruments and very few synthesizers. I think they did their best but of course, both Hall and Oates are already in their mid-late 60's so I understand sometimes they can't hit the high notes anymore. Oh, and I hope they get a better sound engineer 'coz there was bad feedback about three times in the middle of a song! Nevertheless, it was fun, nostalgic and I got to sing along with the songs AND I was holding hands with this hot, tall dude.

That long-haired dude on the keyboard? He's really awesome with a saxophone.

Maneater

She's Gone

Rich Girl

You Make My Dreams

And just like any other good date night, we went back home with his jacket around my shoulders. Alas, I indeed got myself a keeper.

Toodles! :)

Fruit Adventures: Sin City Part Two

If you were me, what would do if you won a couple of bucks at the slot machines? Would you go shopping with it? Maybe buy a ticket to a show? If you've been reading my blog for awhile now, you'd know that that's not how I roll. You would know that the very next day, I'd get up and know exactly what to do with my money...

and beeline to the .... BUFFET!

I haven't tried Caesar's Palace buffet, Bacchanal, and it's been highly praised so I thought I'd see and find out for myself what the buzz is all about.

It was a Friday so obviously the line was horrible, but they have an express lane where you can add like 20 bucks or something like that, or you if you have someone handicapped in your party, they'll take you to the express lane for no extra charge.

So I wandered around like a vulture picking my next prey...

I went ahead and tried the Chinese food station. The har gow was okay but the shu mai was kinda bland.

They offered these juice fusion drinks in one of the stations and they tasted really good.

They've got some fresh seafood like oysters and crab legs but I always go for the shrimp cocktail in any buffet.



Getting some protein with BBQ beef short ribs and roasted chicken. Very tasty!

I tried some of the breads...it was no bueno. Too salty or too tough to eat! Unless these were all made of plastic and only for display, then yeah, it tastes alright. Ha!

The pizza station. I like how they're thin-crusted.

The cheese station with some sharp cheddar, manchego and the like.

The sushi wasn't anything special and I didn't see any shrimp tempura in the Japanese station so...boo!

They have a made-to-order taco station, I haven't seen this in other buffets before.

Small bites: Hotdog with sauerkraut and beef sliders. I'm not a big red meat lover so the sliders are a perfect size for me.

Time to feed the sweet tooth in me!

The gelato area. I tried the pistachio flavor, it tasted weird. I don't know how else to describe it.

To be honest, I didn't like any of the desserts except for the flan (that round brown thing in the pic below) and the crème brûlée.

Meh, maybe next time I'll stick to the buffet at Wynn. I honestly think that Bacchanal has more of the hype than what they can actually deliver.

Anyhoo, it was too hot outside so the boyfriend and I just ended up hanging around in the casinos 'til the sun went down so we could stroll down the strip. I think that's when the Vegas strip releases the crazies shines at its best, anyway.

Caesar's Palace.

The Dancing Fountains at the Bellagio.

A live mannequin at the Cosmopolitan's Bond lounge bar. Like, yeah. I only noticed it when she moved and struck another pose.

Notice anything? Yep, they've got dancers up on a ledge while you play at the tables. Talk about entertainment! This is still at the Cosmo.

If you're into bling, The Cosmopolitan is the place where you wanna be. They've got a lounge that's called The Chandelier and everything is pretty much blinged out, with thousands of crystals dangling from the ceiling.

The Chandelier.

To wind down from all the craziness, we went back to the north of the strip to find a place where the boyfriend and I could just relax and have a drink or two without the *tugsh, tugsh, tugsh* in the background so we ended up at the Wynn.

They've got this cute display of colorful flowers (I have no idea what kind) in their main area, they change it often but I think this is one of the best ones so far.

Finally having some refreshments after a long day of hotel-hopping! Remember that bars and clubs at the Vegas strip always charge insane prices for alcoholic drinks, so make sure to put that in your budget if you know you're going to be drinking the night away. Or you can always run down to Walgreens located at the Venetian and buy your own booze!

Don't underestimate these mojitos (to my old drinking buddies: yes I am a lightweight now) at Parasol Up. Mr. Bartender knew what he was doing. The drinks kinda knocked me and the boyfriend for a bit, thankfully we were able to walk it off.

We kinda hung around a bit since the vibe was very chill but we just got blind-sided by an old Eastern European man who was groping his 30-years-younger-girlfriend at the table next to us. Dude, seriously. We're INSIDE a hotel. How hard can it be to push that elevator button and go up to the room and do your bitnez.

What happens in Vegas...is on Instagram the next morning. So get your shhh straight when visiting Sin City!

Toodles! :)

Fruit Adventures: Sin City

After visting the Getty Villa, I decided to book a last-minute getaway to Sin City with the gang (family and the boyfriend). Bad idea---why? Because it's October. I thought October was off-peak season in Vegas, but NO. I found out it's freakin' convention month, so pretty much all the hotels are filled with corporate peeps with their semi-casual business ensemble (something that they could wear to network with other business associates then go ape-shhhh in da club later at night). 

So yeah, the cheapskate in me couldn't bear booking at the Venetian or Wynn or Cosmopolitan at $400-$600 dollars a night for just a regular room (off peak rates go as low as $139) so I chose to remain at the middle of the strip minus the uber luxury amenities and booked at The Mirage instead. Considering the location (The Venetian's across the road and Caesar's Palace is on the right) with a decent-looking room, the price at $144 a night (with my Triple A discount) was well worth it.

The Mirage at night.

Everybody knows that The Mirage is an older hotel at the strip but I think they've been doing some small upgrades like the elevators, hallways, rooms.

My room. Not bad, right?

The bathroom is pretty outdated but as long as it's functioning and clean, it's all good. There wasn't a bathroom counter to lay out my toiletries though, so that was a big bummer.

We got to Vegas a little past dinner time so I took the front desk lady's advice and checked out the hotel's new 24-hour restaurant, Pantry, located conveniently right by the hotel room elevators.

I like the homey-slash-country-ish concept since it's got a casual vibe to it.

This is still Vegas, so they've got a full bar. Of course.

Everything we ordered was Yum to the O and the proportions are pretty generous!

Damn Good Potato Chips with roasted cipollini onion and truffled mushroom chive dip

Texas Pete Fried Chicken with potato-carrot mash, sawmill country gravy and cheddar chive biscuit

Pork Chop Schnitzel with kitchen fries, arugula and pickled lemon jam

A Brit's Fish and Chips Made with beer-battered cod. This one didn't have a gross fishy taste at all!

Your Not So Typical Sundae So delicious but beware: this size is to share!

After devouring all that culinary goodness, my boyfriend and I needed to burn some (take note: just some!) calories so we decided to head on over to The Venetian.

Whoa! What a rare sight to see...no big drunken crowds wandering aimlessly with their flip flops.

I think they redid the public restrooms, I don't remember the walls being all fancy like that during my last visit.

Time to hit the slot machines! This is very rare but I made over a hundred bucks with just a $20! Yey! Obviously I'm not a gambler, getting excited over a 1¢ machine. Ha!

So what did I do with my newfound billions? Did I make it rain? Or maybe lose it all back to the machines?

Stayed tuned for Part Two! :)

Toodles! :)