vegas: most relaxing city award?

I know it seems that every other post we talk about how we “revamped” and “really needed it;” we talk about our friends who graciously let us use laundry facilities and how we reorganized the car and how whichever city was a godsend.  It is not untrue that Seattle and LA offered us relaxation, each in their own ways (cough cough, laundry), but Vegas has been a different beast altogether.  We’ve been staying with my friend Alana and her boyfriend Steve who have offered us unlimited laundry use and cold drinks galore.  And even though we have ‘reorganized’ before, yesterday we actually got to clean out the car.  I mean, everything was out and we threw things away and vacuumed and Windex-ed and Armor All-ed and it felt so good.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me start at the beginning of our day:

We woke up late, apu (as per usual), and had a leisurely morning before heading to the Bellagio, where both Alana and Steve work.  Alana is a stage manager for Cirque du Soleil’s O (it is amazing, you must go see it) and Steve is an acrobat in the show.  They are a pretty awesome couple.  They keep interesting hours, but manage to be more energetic than we could ever dream of being.  So, we went to the Bellagio to have lunch at a restaurant that Alana has really been wanting to try: Todd English’s Olives.  I must admit, when I first read the menu, I thought a lot of the items were tired.  But when we arrived and tasted the food, my mind quickly turned.  I had a Bellini (when in Rome…) while Joellen stuck with water and Alana had a raspberry lemonade.  We ate some bread with different olive tapenades and tried to decide on what to order for our main courses.  It took me an unusually long time, since it’s Vegas Restaurant Week and there were so many options.

Alana had the Boston Bibb Salad and the Sea Scallops, Joellen had the Portobello Flatbread and I had the Caesar Salad (with anchovy fillets) and the Sea Scallop dish as well.  Alana really enjoyed the salad and scallops and Joellen’s flatbread was delicious.  Made with fontina cheese and white truffle oil, it was aromatic, slightly salty and really well-balanced.  My salad was so tasty (it was also nice to have something fresh and green…it’s been a while…), and the anchovy added a great amount of salt and depth of flavor.  The sea scallops were absolutely fantastic.  I mean really, really stellar.  Paired with a whipped yukon gold mash, fava bean puree, roasted beets and frisee, I was floored at how well balanced the flavors were.  The beets were, in my opinion, what made the dish.  The scallops were, for the most part, seared nicely, and who wouldn’t love mashed potatoes?  And the fava bean puree was just divine.  For a restaurant I was none too excited for, Olives really delivered.  The server even remembered to get me lemons for my Diet Coke (I might have had three drinks in front of me…caffeine, alcohol, hydration; they’re all key)–hooray for nice, attentive servers (to the server from Park Grill, you could take a few notes from Olives guy).

After lunch, Joellen and I headed back to Alana’s house, but not before stopping for me to get a manicure at a wonderful 24-hour salon , having a Starbucks break (very necessary) and seeing someone get arrested…for stealing from CVS…really?!  We went back and had the massive car cleaning session, which was just so fantastic and really cathartic.

Afterwards, we got cleaned up and decided that we would again stay in; after all, we’re in Vegas!  We sat outside sipping on our respective drinks of choice, enjoying the nice change in weather, reading.  Or at least I was reading.  Joellen was doing something on her computer.  We got hungry and so we decided to eat two of the tamales that we purchased in Grants Pass at the farmer’s market.  The girl who sold them to us said that re-steaming them was the best way to enjoy them, but that a microwave would also suffice.  I decided to MacGyver a steamer using a deep skillet to simmer the water, a large metal bowl to catch the steam, and a cooling rack to hold the tamales.  I was pretty impressed with myself.  It might have taken almost an hour, but the results were delicious.  Everything a tamale should be.  Alana came home and we had another drink with her before everyone turned in for the night.

So this might not have been the Vegas experience everyone dreams of, but it was truly blissful for us.  Being in the car for the bulk of our days is pretty tiring and having a nice soft bed and a washer-dryer is all we need to make us happy.  Now on to touch multiple states at once!

❤ Amy

roadside (minneapolis to south dakota)

Our new air mattress doesn’t have an auto-deflate feature. Today was so great that I have little else to complain about. Except maybe the excessive bugs on my windshield.

We started with lunch. And if you read Amy’s post before this one, you’ll know why. All fun nights deserve a special next-day meal; and all departure meals deserve to be momentous. Amy’s been mentioning this “Jucy Lucy” concoction for a while. Minneapolis is the home to Matt’s Bar and Matt’s Bar is the home to the “Jucy Lucy.” (Which, I’ll add, is apparently debated.) Andrew kindly called the order in for one “JL” and I saw a twinkle in a certain eye. While plans were being made for Matt’s the previous evening, I was making my own plans for a delicious vegetarian lunch. Birchwood Cafe did not disappoint. I ordered the black bean quinoa burger with avocado mousse (goat cheese based and so yum) and a jalapeño aioli. Andrew and Angela split the summer veggie pizza and it looked really great. Amy waited for us to get our food so we could eat together (read: so she wouldn’t be judged harshly for bringing a greasy burger to the local granola hangout). According to her, it was worth the hype, the wait, and the judgment. I loved my burger – I have had some great food so far. After we finished lunch it was time to say goodbye to Andrew and Angela. It’s not “goodbye”, it’s “see you soon.” Thanks guys – you were great. If I have my way, I hope we’ll visit Minneapolis again next summer(ish) – not winter. I think Amy and I were both impressed by the city.

Have you ever driven from Minneapolis to Rapid City, SD? No? Just stare at this for 10 hours:

Though a consistent scenery (we all know I love consistency), it was really gorgeous. I thought my eyes would tire of the rows and rows of corn, but I surprised myself. We drove a lot today. In fact, we are still in the car as I am typing this. We’re in the Badlands, but it’s late and dark. We encountered farmland from outside Minneapolis until about 50 miles ago – about 8 hours of it. Shortly after crossing into South Dakota a longhorn sculpture in the distant prairie caught my eye. We hadn’t made but one stop for sodas, why not? This type of experience is what this trip is about. Porter Sculpture Park is odd America. And so is the sculptor. I think Amy was a little (lot) wary of the strange man with crazy gag glasses and a sunscreen-pasted face…he did want to know if she was a botanist because she was photographing a flower. I still think we should have played along with that. His grapes needed her. The “garden” was scattered with metal sculptures – some with accompanying philosophical stories. See the pictures, I don’t think I could do the details justice.

Back on the road. Another 10, 67, 100, or 200 (I can’t keep track) miles and we decide to succumb to the many advertisements for “The Corn Palace.” We also needed gas and a caffeine fix. After the very brief, but “I wonder what it would be like to live here” drive, we arrived. And departed. Drive bys count. There was a small fair of sorts happening as evidenced by teenager girls in short shorts clandestinely hopping out of mom’s minivan. It was big and corny. Here’s are pictures that other people took

On the way to the interstate, we stopped at the local gas station/convenience store for gas and restrooms. Of course, we chose the one with the small green dinosaur on the sign. Duh. I’m only adding this segment so I can tell the world (aka our 200ish followers) that the Sinclair at Exit 332 on I-90 in South Dakota has an awesome bathroom. There was a wicker chair in there for guests. It felt just like grandma’s house.

We’re now 10 miles from our exit and I need to navigate. I’m sure the Rapid City Holiday Inn is anxiously awaiting our arrival, but I doubt it compares to the excitement I am building for a washer and dryer. We’ll miss friends greeting us with open arms and free room and board.

Update: Room is great. We’re in a corner suite with a mini fridge and like 80 (3) sinks. Also, not to toot my own horn, but I have become quite the car chef. Amy has driven the late shift and I have made sure that we consume food for fuel. I make a really mean Triscuit/cheese snack. Be jealous.

Time to change the laundry over…yay!

Joellen