As you walk through the Botanical Gardens at Bellagio there is no need to look to closely because if you’re lucky you can enjoy your dinner and get a great view of the gardens while having a glass of red wine inside Michael Mina.

The Michael Mina Bellagio is a luxurious, contemporary dining room bathed creamy neutral tones and golden light.

The menu here is in the care of a talented group of chefs trained and transported from San Francisco, who create innovate seafood dishes with California ingredients. The menu is extensive and offers la carte selections in addition to a pair of five-course tasting menus, one vegetarian and one seasonal.

Classic dishes include savory black mussel soufflé with saffron and Chardonnay cream and Maine lobster pot pie. The wine list focuses on American producers and contains some gems from small vineyards.

Large bright spaces and a roomy dining room make this place a pleasure to dine at. The restaurant is a bit loud but that gives it a certain atmosphere that lends itself to whispering into your dates’ ear.

Inspired by the sidewalk creperies that line the streets of Paris, La Creperie Paris Las Vegas is the place to find this delicate, authentic French creation.

La Creperie in the Paris Hotel is the cheapest place I know in Vegas for an inexpensive bite that can still hit a sweet (or savory) spot on the taste buds.

Casino losers can buoy their spirits with a fruit crepe at La Creperie in the Paris Las Vegas hotel.

We’re in no-frills territory here. Walk up to the counter, place an order and watch the chefs pour out batter on those evocative round griddles. Retrieve the crepe when it’s ready and have a seat in the unassuming eating area to the left.

I’m fond of unceremonious combos: sautéed spinach and mushroom with cheese or ratatouille with egg, and crepes suzette or Nutella with banana slices for dessert. Staffers also let customers design their own concoctions.

This is also a good spot for a solitary breakfast. Something about the meandering layout of the hotel as a whole makes it enjoyable for strolling by one’s lonesome.

La Creperie

Paris Las Vegas,

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South;

It’s been announced that The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at The Venetian will close May 11, after a long 6-year run. This will bring to the end one of the most audacious experiments in the history of the arts.

From all accounts, the grand experiment did not work. But it wasn’t from a lack of effort from all that were involved and tried to make it a huge, Vegas success.

The museum exhibited some of the world’s greatest works of art in a beautiful space prominently situated within a big, bustling resort – The Venetian. By any conventional measure, it should have attracted longer lines than In-N-Out Burgers.  But it sadly didn’t.

Las Vegas is perhaps the last place on Earth where anyone should expect classical art to draw a crowd. That’s why the Guggenheim’s idea to open a museum here was so audacious. The respected arts organization aimed to prove perceptions wrong by enticing the masses to appreciate the world’s art treasures.  Read more…

A 450,000 square feet luxury shopping centre has opened on the Las Vegas Strip at The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino. The shopping center, Shoppes at the Palazzo, houses more than 60 luxury brands such as Anya Hindmarch, Christian Louboutin, Fendi, Montblanc and Jimmy Choo, as well as department store Barneys New York. It is owned by General Growth Properties.

Daniel J. Sheridan, executive vice president of General Growth Properties, Inc., said that the center was setting the new standard on the Las Vegas Strip for luxury retail.

“Home to an 85,000-square-foot Barneys New York and more than 60 premier luxury brands, The Shoppes at The Palazzo comprises one of the city’s most comprehensive and luxurious retail offerings to date,” he said.

The Shoppes at the Palazzo also offers nearly a dozen dining venues such as a gourmet wine bar, a French steakhouse, an Italian café and a restaurant fusing Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.   Read more…

The White Tiger Habitat is one of many attractions at The Mirage Hotel and Casino, and one that is a must see. You will leave here having a whole new respect for these gentle giants of the wild.

When you first enter this tropical atmosphere, surrounded by palm trees and lush foliage, you quickly notice it’s a different world that is exotic, enchanting and full of adventure lies before you. The exquisite animals enjoy relaxing in their environment, which was modeled after their natural habitats.

The open-air home of Siegfried & Roy’s Royal White Tigers is available for public viewing throughout the day and evening. Siegfried & Roy have dedicated their lives to preserving these rare animals, and their efforts have helped save them from total extinction.

A perfectly matched pair of these beautiful animals were bequeathed to this country in 1958 by the Maharaja of Rewa. In turn, Siegfried & Roy were able to secure two offspring, establishing their own Royal White Tiger breeding line.

Unlike conventional tigers, which have black and gold markings, the white tiger is white with black stripes, pink paws and ice-blue eyes. The purest of these animals are snow white and have no stripes.

The White Tiger Habitat contains many features designed to enhance the comfort of the animals and provide spectacular viewing for guests. The open-air environment features a swimming pool with fountains and simulated mountain terrain for the tigers’ enjoyment and the public’s entertainment.

The facility’s white setting gives the animals a sense of security by allowing them to blend into the background, and special slanted glass affords better viewing, eliminates glare and helps control the temperature.

The Royal White Tigers are rotated continuously in and out of the facility throughout the day. When not appearing in the Habitat, they enjoy their own spacious living environment and can be seen in the lush tropical environment of Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

It’s not often that you hear of a quarter-billion-dollar project in Las Vegas that does not involve poker tables, trendy nightclubs or luxury condominiums. But the Las Vegas Springs Preserve — 180 acres of museums, theaters, gardens and trails — is just that.

The project, above, a few miles west of the Strip, had been in the works since the late 1990s.

In June of 2007, the city opened the most unlikely of attractions: the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. The 180-acre tract about four miles northwest of the Strip marks the spot where a natural spring helped give the city its name (“the meadows,” in Spanish). Though the spring all but dried up half a century ago, it’s now the heart of a new non-gaming attraction that aspires to be the Central Park of las Vegas.

“Definitely not your traditional or stereotypical Las Vegas experience,” said Jesse Davis, the marketing and public relations manager for the preserve. It is a “100 percent non-gaming attraction,” he added for safe measure.

The project (www.springspreserve.org) is in an area filled with underground springs that helped give rise to, and later sustain, the desert city.

In 1978, the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places. One section, the Origen Experience, will trace the history of the Las Vegas Valley, and will include a complex with three museum galleries; an indoor IMAX-type theater; and an outdoor amphitheater with about 2,000 seats.

A separate section of the preserve, the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, will focus on the state over all, and is expected to be completed in 2008.

Another feature of the project is also decidedly un-Las Vegas: a collection of five buildings constructed of materials including straw bales and rammed, or compacted, earth. The Desert Living Center is intended to be a model and a learning center for sustainable and conscientious living, Mr. Davis said.

But what might turn out to be some of the most popular parts of the project are its botanical gardens and trails, both free. Desert gardens are being completely redesigned and expanded, and there will eventually be about two and a half miles of trails for those looking to stretch their legs after hours playing blackjack.

When you run out of land, then the only place to build is … up, up and way. It now appears the Las Vegas Sands has similar ideas with plans of continuing expansion of the Venetian Casino and Hotel.

Having just recently opened the Palazzo, the companion hotel adjoining the Venetian, Las Vegas Sands is now moving ahead with plans to add about 400 condos that will attach to the Palazzo. The condos will be built above a Walgreen’s and other stores, on land owned by the operators of the former Rosemont Grill restaurant.

The Rosmont owners wish to maintain ownership of the land, to build shopping areas. Sands will purchase the airspace right to build above whatever tenants the land owners wish to install.

The airspace purchase is common in congested cities which have run out of buildable land, but the practice will be new to Las Vegas, which is surrounded by wide open desert, which the city can easily expand.

However, the hot Strip locations have become so desirable that Sands and other corporations would rather build up than elsewhere. The goal is to constantly increase their square footage at the prime location, where all the action is.

Hawaii-specific travel Web site, Best Places Hawaii, has ranked Hanauma Bay on Oahu as the No. 1 snorkeling spot. It made the top spot on its list of “10 Best Snorkeling Spots in Hawaii.”

The location rankings take in account several factors such as scenic beauty, teeming with underwater life, good for beginners, and an accessible location.

Three beaches on Oahu and Kauai made the top 10 list and two each on Maui and the Big Island.

For Hanauma Bay, the Web site writes:

“This bay is a favorite (and crowded) snorkeling spot. The waters are clear, warm, and calm. Friendly and plentiful fish swim close by. The setting is gorgeous and easy to access. Even in waist deep water, dozens of species of reef and inshore fish common to Hawaiian waters can be seen. Novice snorkelers like to stay in the safe, shallow inner bay. Those with more experience take a passage through the reef to gain access to Witch’s Brew, a turbulent cove, and other outer reef.”

The top 10 snorkel spots:

1. Hanauma Bay, Oahu

2. Makaha Beach Park, Oahu

3. Molokini Crater, Maui

4. Kealakekua Bay, Big Island

5. Ke’e Beach Park, Kauai

6. Kapalua Bay, Maui

7. Anini Beach, Kauai

8. Kapiolani Park Beach, Oahu

9. Poipu Beach, Kauai

10. Kahaluu Beach Park, Big Island

The complete list with text and photos can be found on the Best Places Hawaii Web site at:

www.bestplaceshawaii.com/tips/10_best/snorkeling.html

Picasso Restaurant

Look up when you cross Picasso’s threshold: Rows of ceramics are embedded in the ceiling, a rustic touch that sets the stage for an unpretentious meal among precious, familiar-looking works of art. You are now ready to dine at Picasso Restaurant.

These are Pablo Picassos, all right. His paintings, gouaches and ceramics of several career phases are displayed in the room’s most flattering lights. The rest of the space is kept wisely neutral, so your eyes always wander to one piece or another.

Julian Serrano, the Spanish chef who presides over Picasso’s kitchen, is a Vegas anomaly. He moved here in 1998 after a long stint at venerated Masa’s in San Francisco. (To be fair, Alessandro Stratta lives in Vegas, too.)

Compared with the culinary fireworks offered in Vegas’ other high-end restaurants, Mr. Serrano’s food can come off as subtle, sometimes even safe. Certainly, there are charmed fillips, like the amaretto-nutmeg marshmallows in butternut squash soup that dissolve instantly in the mouth, leaving nothing but a tremor of spice.

And entrees such as fallow deer medallions with caramelized green apple and zinfandel sauce exhibit undeniable skill, though a ragout of seasonal vegetables with pieces of foie gras came off as unctuous.

The persistent romance of the setting elevates the meal, though. When the Bellagio’s water-fountain show explodes outside the window, obliterating the view of the Strip’s neon and the faux Eiffel Tower across the street, it’s hard not to smile inwardly at the myriad tricks up Vegas’ sleeves.

Bellagio Las Vegas
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702-693-7223
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/

Article by: Bill Addison Restaurant Critic – Dallasnews.com

Elvis is coming back to Las Vegas.

First hint was the site TradeMork, which follows trademark news and rumors, recently reported that Elvis Presley Enterprises has filed paperwork to protect the trademark names: “The Elvis Las Vegas” and “The E Las Vegas.”

Is this enough evidence to conclude that an Elvis themed resort will be coming soon to Las Vegas? Possibly.  But maybe this is.

FX Real Estate and Entertainment has announced plans to build an Elvis Presley themed hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The building will be located on an 18-acre lot beside the MGM grand and across from the Monte Carlo.  The site is currently home to several retail spaces owned by FX.

The complex will feature a 2,269 room hotel, a 93,000 square foot casino and a convention center with accompanying retail space.

The project is expected to cost roughly $3.1 billion dollars and could open as early as 2013.

Initial rumors also circulated about Graceland hosting the resort hotel. There are goals for “Graceland” in Memphis to double its annual visitors from today’s number of about 600,000. Adding an Elvis resort hotel near Graceland was another possibility and would help achieve that goal.

It still may happen, but Elvis is first coming to Vegas. Viva Las Vegas!

Photo by: Bill Curtsinger

The monk seal is an extremely endangered species. The Hawaiian Monk Seals Hawaiian name is Ilio holo kai. It means the dog who runs the sea. The monk seal is a land and water mammal. This precious animal is not only endangered it is also a native animal.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal is as precious as the whole world. The Hawaiian Monk Seal has a round head, silvery fur, black buttonhook eyes, a snout in which nostrils open up like quotation marks, a spray of cats whiskers and holes which are its ears.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal is pure black at birth and then turns gray. Later it becomes tan and brown and then to green and red. It turns green because of the algae from being in the water for such a long period of time. The different colors that the monk seal turns depends on how long it stays in the sun and in the water. It’s normal color is a tan color. Adults are dark gray to brown and light gray to yellow underneath on his belly.

When the pups are born they weigh about 35 pounds and at the end of their nursing period they weigh about 150 pounds. Female Monk Seals are usually bigger than the males.

Click here to see a video of a Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian Monk Seal has many types of food for its diet. Some of them are different types of fish, lobsters, octopus, reef fish, eels, and other marine animals.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal lives on tiny islands and atolls northwest of Kauai. Some of the tiny islands and atolls are Nihoa island, Necker island, Pearl Reefs, Hermes Reef, Kure atoll, French Frigate Shoals, Laysan atoll, Lisianski island, Midway island, National Marine Fisheries Department and the most wonderful place in O’ahu Sea Life Park Hawaii.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal is endangered because of people and the Tiger shark. What we are doing to endanger the monk seal is Human Disturbance. Some of the human disturbances are pollution, taking all their food and getting trapped in fishing nets. Another reason is Tiger the sharks. After a Tiger shark attacks, the monk seal becomes a shark’s victim.

Another big reason why the Hawaiian Monk Seal is endangered is because of “Mobbing”. Mobbing starts when the female population started dropping and the males doubling. The males fight, even kill each other for the females. This mobbing is rather new to the Monk Seal.

We still do not know why this sudden physical violence has come over the males. The shortage of females affect the pups that are being born. If the pups are born many die quickly after at a young age from an unknown disease.