Vegas Part Deux!

Tuesday was another busy day on the Strip! Once we were up, about, and fed we took a cab down to the Bellagio so that Mary and Becky could pick up their tickets to Wednesday night's performance of O, an aquatic Cirque du Soleil show. We also wanted to see the fabulous Chihuly glass adorning the lobby ceiling and the famous Conservatory.

The Bellagio Conservatory is an area right off the lobby that has a glass ceiling, a sun room of sorts. The great thing about it is the displays change with the seasons. The current display was summer-themed, complete with a Ferris wheel and greenhouse filled with parakeets and lorakeets. The most amazing thing is that just about everything is made of plants and flowers! They also had archways created by jets of water, which were not encased in plastic as we found out when Becky stuck her finger in one and splashed Mary and Janet! The Conservatory is well worth a trip to the Bellagio and you're guaranteed to see something different every time you go!

After leaving the Bellagio, we made our way to Caesar's Palace so the girls could see the casino and to visit the Bette Midler store again! We also staked out the front of The Colosseum to see if we saw Bette, but we didn't have any luck...

After that, it was time for lunch at Planet Hollywood in the Forum Shoppes. Of course we had to take pictures of some of the movie memorabilia!

From Planet Hollywood, we moved next door to the Mirage to see Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. This was about $15 or so and was pretty cool. The first part is the dolphin habitat which features two above ground pools, as well as an underwater viewing area. The dolphins aren't trained, but the trainers exercise them and interact with them, encouraging them in natural behaviours, resulting in extremely playful animals. Behind the dolphin pools, is the Secret Garden, which houses several animal environments featuring Alpacas, Leopards, Tigers, and Lions. Most of the animals were sleepy since it was the middle of the day and hot as hell out, but some were awake and a baby leopard was playing with a trainer. It was really awesome to be able to see all of the animals up close and personal.

The next stop on our list was Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum at the Venetian. This is probably one of the most entertaining attractions on the Strip, but it is slightly pricey at $25 per person. It is well worth it though! There are tons of figures, and you can pose with just about all of them, making for some pretty memorable pictures. Below are just a few of my favorites!

After Madame Tussaud's it was time for Kyle and I to head back to the hotel to begin getting ready for what would be an amazing night - we had Smug Mutha package tickets to Bette Midler's The Showgirl Must Go On. The package included front row center tickets, drink vouchers, signed show programs, and the chance to meet Bette backstage after the show and get our picture taken with her!

We got ready and scarfed down a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut and headed over to The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace.

When we got there, we had to pick up our tickets at the box office and the General Manager of The Colosseum personally escorted us through security and down to our front row seats as VIP's. It was pretty awesome, because a few times as we passed people he said, "Two VIP's." and miraculously our way would be clear. After we got settled in our seats, we cashed in our drink vouchers (well I did and Kyle kept his as a souvenir) and then we hit the gift counter where Kyle got a t shirt. We then made our way back to our seats to finish our wait for the show to start. We had our picture, which we later purchased, taken by one of the professional photographers, since you aren't allowed to bring a camera in.

The show started about 7:30pm and was amazing! Our seats were only about 5 feet from the stage, so we could see every detail of Bette and her dancers up close and personal. At one point, she comes and sits on steps that were so close that Kyle could have reached out and touched her without getting up! The show features everything from singing, to dancing, to jokes, to a singing mermaid. For anyone visiting Vegas, I highly recommend spending an evening to see it!

After the show was over, Kyle and I along with the two other women who had also purchased the Smug Mutha were escorted backstage to the official green room. Immediately upon entering, we spotted Kristen Chenoweth of The West Wing and Wicked. While we were waiting for Bette, we heard a familiar voice and turned around...Who did we see but Lily Tomlin, the comedienne! We also spotted Adam Shankman, the director of the movie Hairspray and a talent scout/judge for So You Think You Can Dance.

After waiting a little longer, we heard Bette come out saying, "Where are my VIP's?" Well, Kyle and I were first in line to get to meet her, so she went down the line of the four of us and we introduced ourselves to her. Then Kyle and I went to the picture area and had a few shots snapped. She then asked our names again, so we said our names and I added "Rhiannon, like the Fleetwood Mac song." Bette then started to sing my song! How awesome is that?!? By that point they were trying to get us out of there, but Kyle wanted to show her a picture of when he was 8 years old standing in front of a Bette poster at Disney, wearing a shirt that said Kyle Loves Bette. She ooh'd and aww'd over the picture and then we were on our way back out into Caesar's proper.

It was a whirlwind experience, but totally worth every penny we spent. Bette was so nice and friendly, and very caring about her fans. It was an absolute pleasure to meet her.

After that experience, we were both on cloud nine and headed back to the hotel to share everything with the girls, who were properly excited for us! All the excitement finally caught up to us and we headed back up to our room to get rest for our last full day in Vegas!