Only in Vegas!

Ms. Duck and I got a late start and decided to make the short drive from the Cosmopolitan across the strip  and down Koval to the Ellis Island Casino for an early lunch. We like to take advantage of their steak special, but this day we opted for Metro Pizza, which is located next to the brewery in the casino. I chose a slice of pepperoni and my gal went with the supreme. Add a couple glasses of the home brewed root beer and we were good to go. We sat in front of the brewery and were entertained watching the brew masters checking their product.

Ms. Duck enjoying a slice.

We hung around Ellis and played video poker for a couple hours. We hopped in our coach and drove a few blocks to the Miracle Mile Mall garage behind Planet Hollywood. For some reason the garage was more crowded than I've ever seen it, so we had to drive to the fifth level before finding a spot.

Shortly after walking into the mall, one of the "sharks," as my wife calls them, pounced on us, wanting to hand us some type of product that will solve all our skin moisturizing issues.

"Can I ask you a question?" the shark asked Ms. Duck.

"Why, yes," she answered. "And that was it," as she continued walking.

Ms. Duck 1, Shark 0.

Does anyone find these salespeople annoying? It seems you can't walk more than five minutes without someone sticking something under your nose.

We exited from the mall thru the large glass doors, onto the strip and trekked over to Paris. We strolled through the casino to see if there was anything new since we had last been there. Rather than playing, we chose to walk next door to Ballys via the connecting hallway, which is lined with specialty shops and restaurants. We passed the eating establishment where we met Rob and Lightning for dinner a few years ago and both smiled as we recalled the visit.

We heard that Ballys had redesigned the front of their property and were interested to see what they had done. In years past, we had discussed several times how the area wasn't as beneficial to Ballys as it could be. Apparently, one of their executives overheard our discussion and built a small shopping area. The idea is good, but the execution leaves a little to be desired.

Named the Grand Bazaar Shops at Ballys, the shops remind me of a storage facility. A lot of cinder blocks and tin form small cubicles which are leased to small businesses. There were a few interesting shops and I'm sure Ballys is charging a pretty penny to lease one of these cubicles located on the strip.

                     Grand Bazaar Shops at Ballys                                        

Our next stop was at the Linq. What a change from the old Imperial Palace days. It's a fun area with a good vibe. We both enjoyed our walk down the brick sidewalk as we headed towards the huge observation wheel.

Linq

After stopping in a couple shops, we made our way into the casino. I strolled to the sportsbook to see if there was anything of interest on their big screens while Ms. Duck played a Dueces Wild machine. I also walked over to see the poker room, which was surprisingly small, but at least they had one.

From there we headed back onto the strip and found ourselves in front of the Flamingo. We hadn't strolled through their garden area in a long time, so we took a few minutes and enjoyed the rainforest setting in the center of the resort. Of course, there was quite a collection of flamingos, and ducks, but we also spotted dozens of koi in the ponds and even a few macaws.

Where else can you see tropical birds and pond fish in the middle of the desert?

Only in Vegas!

Flamingo Garden