Vegas, Baby! Part 7: Flamingos and Fancy Face Acid

In Part 6 of our Las Vegas Adventure, we talked about the best darn "tea" in the world at Ku Noodle, but what did we do after that? Well our livers certainly couldn't afford to sit in there all day and sip on tea, so we moved on to the third resort to open on The Strip, and the oldest still in operation, Flamingo Hotel and Casino.

Flamingo was opened in 1946 by infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel. Today, the hotel and casino has the streamlined moderne style of Miami and South Beach. The resort features a wildlife habitat complete with giant koi fish, Chilean flamingos, and ringed teal ducks. Around the resort is also located exotic bird stands where you can have your picture taken with brightly-coloured parrots and macaws.

The Flamingo sign

Whistling Ducks

Giant Koi the size of salmon

Of course, flamingos!

It was raining, oddly enough, but we still made our way through the lush gardens to see the variety birds, and ended up in Club Cappucino, a little coffee shop on the other side of the gardens near the casino floors and shopping area. We ordered a Pistachio Cheesecake to split. I decided on a Blended Iced Caramel Latte for myself, while my husband ordered, as usual, Cafe Americano. While the cake didn't have much pistachio punch at all, it was still a tasty little treat with moist layers of super fluffy sponge, cream, tart raspberry and some lovely little chocolate discs adorning the top with just the right amount of snap. My iced latte was extremely sweet and, as usual, far too big for me to finish. It was lovely and creamy, though. I'd order it again, but I wish these drinks came in a size smaller, because I never really want to carry them around.

Pistachio cheesecake

Blended iced caramel latte

Club Cappuccino signage

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Next was the beautiful Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a luxury resort on the Las Vegas Strip that opened in 2010. Called "The Best Hotel in the World" by Gogobot, The Cosmopolitan boasts 2,995 rooms, many of which feature private terraces. The hotel also has 28,000 sq. m (150,000 sq ft) retail area with the Cosmopolitan chandelier lying at its heart. This massive, multi-story spectacle contains glittering strands and curtains of beads to create an art installation and unique cocktail experience all in one. Breathtaking!

Photo by Retail Design Blog

My plan was simple. Go into the overpriced shop and look at perfume, since mine ran out. Simple enough, right? WRONG!! I was lured in by the promise of a free sample, and instead of a tiny packet, I was handed off to a flamboyant and extremely aggressive salesman who proceeded to slather expensive cream under my eyes with the promise of ridding me of my dreadful under-eye bags.
During this process, he told me how delicate and perfect my skin was (it's really not) like someone wanting to wear it as a hat. Meanwhile the cream begins to burn my skin like hydrochloric acid. He creepily assured me that my first time was the worst, and that it's the eye cream he himself uses, ignoring my pain. After insisting that my face is burning off, he attempts to sooth my sizzling under eye area with cool cotton balls, but then began slathering my inner arms with a slew of creams and scrubs quoting me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. At this point, I'm feeling extremely anxious and stressed about the situation, feeling like a frightened animal backed into a corner. Finally, I made some sorry excuse and run out of the shop as if I stole something, dragging my poor, patient husband as far from the shop as physically possible.

I never did get to look at perfume.

We rushed on to get dinner at "Wicked Spoon", Cosmopolitan's highly-acclaimed buffet restaurant. But that will have to wait until the next installment of my Las Vegas adventures.

Until next time, stay Chefy!

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If you're new, and a little lost, you can start reading from the beginning of my Las Vegas adventures here.

Surrounding the chandelier is a multitude of shops with everything you could ever want, need or dream. There is a tailor featuring a wall of antique sewing machines, a Dean and Deluca with cocktail and cooking instruments, cigars and gourmet popcorn, and a posh little beauty boutique called Skins 6|2.

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