Las Vegas in 2009...... We're back!!!!!

Had to take a break from writing this since so much was going on at the same time plus we didn't have a stable internet connection during the move, but managed to get it all done in a couple of days and now we are moved in to a new apartment, got all the services installed and in working order, went and bought furniture and got it delivered and outfitted the apartment with all the necessary items you need to live comfortably..... so all in all you can surely say we've been working hard and obtaining our goals ahead of schedule! YAY! Sore and tired right about now but with so much done, it was worth it.....

We had been gone from the Las Vegas area for almost four years when we began our world wide travel adventure to ascertain where we wanted to spend some time while evaluating our options. My husband had retired and didn't want to remain in the US and after working at our restaurant for a while, everyone was tired and needed a well deserved break, so the search began....

After selling the restaurant we decided to have a short vacation and go see the family who are in San Diego, CA, Tijuana and Zacatecas.... so off we went to reconnect and a great time was had by all. We arrived in Zacatecas at the start of the "Culture Week" celebrations and the entertainment they had scheduled was truly world class.... from Opera in the main Zocalo area under the stars (which was amazing!!!) to theater in the round, music minstrels, you name it.... plus the required family BBQ's and traditional Zacatecan food specialties like "gorditas" (stuffed masa pockets in all flavors), "Asado de Boda Zacatecano" (a smoky, spicy/sweet adobo covering tender pork meat), "Pollo Placero" (chicken fried in a red chile flavored oil served with vegetables cooked in the same oil) and others that everyone enjoyed.....

Ricardo had never been to the "Sureste" of Mexico so I decided to surprise him and go on a spur of the moment trip to Merida and Cancun.... We spent ten days lounging on the beach in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, eating our fill of fresh fish and seafood and enjoying the sights and then we drove over the Peninsula towards Merida "The White City"..... we had so much fun and enjoyed the city so much we decided to make this our destination for a while (after our big surprise vacation, that is.... where we spent many months knocking around all over Europe).

Ultimately we settled in Merida, Yucatan which we enjoyed tremendously, making good friends and scoping out an area full of Mayan archeological sites, French colonial architecture and a great blend of old and new. A lovely, tranquil city yet a cosmopolitan urban area as well full of excellent schools, museums, galleries and much much more. Technologically aware and full of friendly people, from the Maya who are very much a part of the city to the many expats that make their home there now too. A great area and one we will continue to revisit in the future..... definitely recommend if you've never been there.

After Merida (when the heat got to us..) we made a move to the state of Puebla- about 2 hours south of Mexico City in the Valle de Mexico, known for it's volcano's and great history and food. The weather there is much cooler (since it's a high altitude) and we were rewarded by pleasant, sunny days with temperatures in the high 70's with cooler nights (pretty darn perfect if you ask me).... another large city, close to traditional areas as well and full of marvelous food you won't want to miss. An impressive Colonial center of town that will take your breath away.... a definite "must see" if you've never had the change to make it there.....

But now the circle seems to be closing, for a while anyway (I won't assure anyone anything since we have the "Gypsy sickness" which means we move around a lot) but we never say never.... and don't know how long this stop will last and depends a lot on how things turn out, and since Ricardo and I aren't locked into anything..... we'll surely move around some more, but for now I need to get the kids settled into colleges and jobs and get them back on track..... after that, it's all a coin toss.

Since we had been out of the area we found lots of changes all over town, and not all due to growth either since the present economic slowdown hit Las Vegas pretty hard, yet there are definite signs of recovery all around. Construction is still going on with new and bigger than ever mega resorts going up all over and we even found the landscape to have changed as well with the addition of many skyscrapers all over the city offering deluxe condos for the well-healed and the many celebrities which now make Vegas their home (due to the ever expanding film industry here....).

Of course the resorts that where near and dear to us are still here, doing business and advertising some pretty incredible packages too. We were lucky and got some amazing deals when we first arrived and needed a place to stay until we were able to move into something of our own. Hotel and restaurant packages that are sure to tempt almost anyone.... but then Las Vegas has always been known for being masters of reeling people in, right?

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, the official end of summer and Las Vegas has, as always the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon going on and with that you know that lots of entertainers are going to be in town so the resorts have lots of great shows going on: Santana, Bette Middler, Kiss, the Platters and Coasters, Deff Leopard, Cheap Trick, Van Morrison, Mariah Carey, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Barry Manilow, and of course all the Cirque du Soleil shows, Blue Man Group, Lion King, Phantom of the Opera and all the famous magicinans.....

But Mexican Independence Day is also coming up this month (16 de Septiembre) and this always means a huge entertainment opportunity from the Mexican artists like: Luis Miguel, Marco Antonio Solis "el Buki", Pepe Aguilar, Alejandro Fernandez, Ricardo Arjona and much, much more.... races, rodeos, shows.... well, you know.... plus I get to go see Britney Spears on the 26th (my daughter has always been a fan and got tickets.... so kind of have to go.....).

And last but not least Las Vegas has a wealth of food options for every taste and budget which is one of the reasons we've always been partial to the city. Celebrity Chefs all have places here (and at lower prices than anywhere else for the same quality food too!), resorts take pride in offering the best available and whether you like American, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian or whatever you can think of, it's all here in Vegas! All except excellent Mexican Food (that's what I used to do which is why we were named #8 of the Top 10 Restaurants in Las Vegas, a feat never before obtained by a Mexican Restaurant. We were the first ever Mexican Restaurant ever on the list! We were also voted #1 for Mexican food!).... but there's still no competition around and all I've seen is the same places (just bigger than before, so I know there's still a market out there..... I'm looking around for investors to see if there is a chance to do something and I'll keep you posted).

From what I've been able to see in these days that I've been back it seems that prices are lower for many things than what I was paying for in Mexico (can you believe it?), food prices aren't bad at all and I got services installed the NEXT DAY, which is unheard of in Mexico- I also got the furniture delivered next day too!..... supermarkets are open 24 hours a day (helping all those hourly workers working round the clock shifts, but if you need something..... pretty practical too). Plus I also found customer service hours here are mostly 24 hours (I had a problem getting my new router to work and it was fixed within 10 min. at 11:30 pm!)..... The traffic is not as hectic as I remember either and people are nicer than before (maybe the tough economic times have softened some people?).....

In any case, so far so good and things are looking up.... just went to the market so I haven't been doing any cooking to speak of but I promise to get back to it now that we're more settled. No more eating out and back to a more normal routine now.... back on my diet (UGH!) but first I need to hit the Labor Day Sales and get some work clothes once again (all I've got is vacation type stuff and sandals....lol).... pretty soon (next month) the cooler weather will come in and Vegas has been getting snow for the winter so we'll need to get outfitted for that too (a visit to the Land's End store will be in the schedule) and then just "get to it"....... (the picture at left is the front of the Fashion Show Mall which is on the Strip next to the Wynn Resort and has over 250 stores with anchor stores being Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's, Macy's, Sak's Fifth Avenue, Bullock's, Goldwater's and so many others it's hard to keep count... but being a holiday weekend they are all 70% OFF!..... so a perfect place to get a work wardrobe while seeing the sights.... that flying saucer you see in the top of the picture isn't just for shade, it's actually a huge screen which lights up during the evening and gives you another entertainment venue. Called "the cloud" and is over 480 feet long!.... of course all malls here offer free valet service (all over town most stores have this too... so great!), personal shoppers and their own car wash where you can drop off your car while you shop and it will be ready when you pick it up; there are also babysitting services full of playtime activities for the kids while you shop too. The food court here has over 50 restaurants of all types, nationalities and prices and this mall is indoor / outdoor so you can choose how you want to shop. Live runway fashion shows and demonstrations, gourmet and designer stores and of course, always open late!

So keep checking in and I promise some interesting food choices and great recipes to go along with this too. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend..... Talk soon....