As Nevada has different rules from California's, we thought it prudent for Alex to take the test there (rather than wait for another opportunity in California).
Although many colleges in California, including the University of California system, have decided to be test-blind, other universities (especially elite universities on the East Coast such as Cornell, Columbia, and Duke) still require either A.C.T. or S.A.T.
On Thursday, September 10, we drove our Toyota Sienna Minivan from Laguna Beach to Las Vegas, Nevada. On the way to Las Vegas, we encountered some traffic but made up our time lost with fast speeds on I-15. Everyone seemed to be driving crazy fast. (When I was moving at 85 mph, other speeders were blasting by me at 100 mph!).
We arrived Thursday night at Red Rock Resort Casino & Spa at about 11:07 p.m. After taking our suitcases out of our van, we checked into our room - #18156 (on the 18th floor) - and went directly to bed. By the way, Inna asked for a room upgrade, and we did get a much larger room (though at the far end of the corridor).
Friday, September 11, 2020
After waking up at 7:00 a.m., I took a shower and dressed. Inna and I walked downstairs to try to order a quick breakfast, as I had an early work-related meeting at 8:00 a.m. The 24-hour cafeteria had a 10-minute wait (which would be too late for me), so we ordered room service instead.
Inna ordered a fruit salad with yogurt and coffee for me. It wasn't bad at all. I had many long meetings until lunchtime, when we decided to walk downstairs and eat a typical lunch.
Alex only had 30 30-minutes free for lunch (from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.), so we purchased him a sandwich at Starbucks. Since both Inna and I had more time before our next meeting, we ate lunch at the Grand Cafe. I ordered a 1/2 sandwich and a cup of New England Clam Chowder. The clam chowder was horrible, but my 1/2 sandwich (sourdough with corned beef) was tasty. Inna ordered a Philly Cheesesteak but couldn't finish it all.
After lunch, we returned to our room and continued working until about 5:00 p.m., when we decided to try to enjoy the outdoor pool. We found some nice lounges but didn't really swim, as the pools were relatively shallow, and there was nowhere to swim laps. At around 6:00 p.m., we returned to our room and rested.
After dinner, outdoors, around the resort, to get some needed exercise and fresh air.
After an early alarm rang at 6:30 a.m., Alex took a shower and dressed for this A.C.T. test. I ordered a yogurt parfait and a 6-cup container of coffee from room service.
At about 7:30 a.m., we walked downstairs, and I asked the Red Rock Hotel valet to retrieve my Toyota Sienna. The short driver to the Faith Lutheran Middle School/High School (on S. Hualapai Way) was uneventful and dropped off Alex on time and before 8:00 a.m. (as required).
After taking multiple photos of the beautiful exhibit, we ate a few pastries in our favorite Bellagio bakery. Imagine our surprise when we found out that the Bellagio Patisserie was closed.
We decided to try the bakery at the newly built Aria Hotel nearby. After a long roundabout route, we finally walked to Aria Hotel & Casino.
It took some time to find the Patisserie there, and we quickly got in the long line.
I ordered a savory Italian crepe and a couple of pastries with white mocha. Inna selected a Croque Monsieur sandwich.
The pastries were delicious, but the Bellagio Patisserie
used to have an even better quality of croissants and other pastries.
I liked the moving statue of "Remy," the rat nearby (rolling dough) - the start of the Pixar movie Ratatouille.
We explored the rest of Aria and liked some of the restaurants. I especially liked the lavishly decorated (in the French style) Bardot Brasserie. It looked like a typical bistro in Paris. Next time, we could try eating there.
After finishing with Aria, we walked over to the Vdara hotel. I didn't find it as elegantly decorated as Aria or Bellagio; it seemed rather spartan. We didn't spend much time there, as there wasn't much to see
We walked over to the newly built Cosmopolitan Hotel & Casino from Vdara.
I liked the shops & restaurants in Cosmopolitan. With eateries like
Eggslut and multiple big screens playing all sports games, it seemed
like a nice place to hang out with the guys.
Besides, Inna liked the whimsical Down the Rabbit Hole from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book series. It was clever and enchanting.
Finishing with Cosmopolitan, we walked over to Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino to see if anything had changed over the past 10 years. We noticed that the famous Paris Las Vegas buffet was closed. However, the weekly Cabaret show is still running.
After walking around Paris, we returned to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. At the entrance, we noticed a giant statue of a Japanese Samurai (beautifully arranged with flowers). Inna thought about finding the Chapel where we were married, but Alex texted us that his A.C.T. test had finished.
Thus, we returned to our Sienna Minivan and drove to Faith Lutheran High School to pick him up. He was tired and hungry, so we treated him to a delicious lunch at the Yard House in Red Rock Hotel & Casino.
At the Yard House, Alex ate the Classic Burger while Inna and I shared two appetizers: Ahi Poke Nachos and Chicken Lettuce Wraps. The appetizers were delicious. For dessert, we shared a bread pudding. Alex was really exhausted after his test.
Once our lunch was finished, we returned to our Sienna Minivan and started our long drive back to Laguna Beach. With just one stop to purchase gasoline at a Chevron (the gas price was $2.74/gallon - almost $1.00 cheaper than in California), we continued our drive uninterrupted. I drove relatively fast, sometimes exceeding 80mph, and it took us about 4 hours to return to Laguna Beach.
Las Vegas Trip Report
Highlights
- Touring the Conservatory of Flowers in Bellagio - Magic Kansai - was incredible.
- Eating dinner at Hearthstone in Red Rock Hotel & Casino
- Seeing the new Cosmopolitan Hotel & Casino
Lowlights
- Having to wear masks everywhere
- All Vegas shows closed
- Long drive from/to Laguna Beach (4 hours) through the smoky air
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