New Years Eve in Las Vegas

We currently live in Las Vegas  and we could not resist going out for New Year's Eve. We heard all the horror stories of how they block off the strip and close all the exits off of I-15 and you get stuck in traffic forever. Despite this we headed down there. We actually got down there quickly, but it took a while to get into a parking garage. We finally ended up in the Caesar's parking lot. They have a huge parking garage and we should have just gone there to begin with. We walked through Caesar's on the way to the Bellagio and they had random ice bars set up throughout. The ice bars were elaborate.
It didn't take us long to make it to the Bellagio, but we did stop out front to watch the water show.  Around 10:30 PM we went back out and watched another show.  This time it was a very long one, the longest I have seen there.  I assume they did this because it was New Years eve.
This is us inside the Bellagio. We did a tiny bit of gambling and of course lost!  It was very crowded and hard to get drinks, so be sure to start gambling near the area the waitresses come out of.
Here we are in front of the lounge we went to called Caramel inside the Bellagio. It was fun. They turned it into a kind of night club with a dj. They had a few party favors and covered the ceiling with balloons. It was so dark we couldn't get picture inside. The tickets were over priced and the drinks were insanely over priced. Although we had fun, we would not go again and would not recommend it. Their staff was incredibly rude. I watched some of the interactions the staff had with guests and I saw people get yelled at for no reason. I understand there are a lot of people out and the workers are probably uptight, but they were still awful especially when you factor how much money you are spending in there.

About twenty minutes til midnight we started to make our way outside for the count down and fireworks.
We could see fireworks going off at six different casinos.

Ayza Chocolate and Wine bar - NYC

Ayza Wine and Chocolate bar in New York City is awesome. This is a super fun place with delicious chocolate martinis and desserts.

Best Chocolate Martini in NYC

My sister got the chocolate raspberry martini. It was so good I just had to get the recipe and much to my delight I got it from Behind the Burner!  Turns out chocolate martinis are easy to make.

Chocolate Raspberry martini
2 oz Kahlua
2 oz chambord
2 oz cream (I use whipping cream)

Shake with ice for 15 seconds.


I went with the peppermint chocolate martini. It was also delicious. I was unable to get the actual recipe from them, but based on what the menu said I figured it out or atleast something equally as yummy!

Peppermint Chocolate Martini
2 oz peppermint snapps
2 oz creme de coco
2 oz cream (I use whipping cream)
Squirt of chocolate syrup

Shake with ice for 15 seconds then strain into glass.

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The New Yorker hotel - NYC

This was my second time to stay at the New Yorker, a family friendly hotel.   It's an older hotel in New York City, but well kept. Our room had two beds, a small bathroom, a couch, two sitting chairs, and a desk. The New Yorker utilizes their space well and I felt like we had enough room.  A family of five could have stayed comfortably in there. The mattresses were good. I actually slept and the heater worked great. The bathroom could use some serious updating and was really small. The location was good. I know some people that would disagree with me on this, but I thought the location was great and the subway is right there. (get the subway app for your phone it's a life saver!)  The New Yorker is very close Macy's department store, where you can see their famous Christmas windows!


We had a killer view of the Empire State Building from our room.


Here are a few pictures I snapped in the lobby. I wish I had taken some of the room, but I was having so much fun I forgot.





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Cosmopolitan las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan is the newest hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. We walked around there last week and took some pictures. It's a really well done hotel. The whole place is awesome, they've done a great job.  I saw a lot of kids around so I am assuming this would be a good family hotel, but I can't say for sure since I did not actually see a room.

This first picture is the Chandelier Bar. The Chandelier bar serves fancy martinis.
You are sitting inside a chandelier, kind of.



This is a picture of Holstein's restaurant right next to the Chandelier bar. It's a burger place. The prices are good, but the portions are small. The avocado salad here is yummy.

The Cosmopolitan Pool
They have a pool lounge area that's incredible and has good views.





The game area in the pool area complete with 6 tvs, Play Stations 3's, and more.  I can't wait to check this place back out when it warms up.


The view from the Cosmopolitan Pool

A sitting area on the third floor of the Cosmopolitan.  This is where many of their restaurants are. There were lots of kids, so it seemed to me to be a kid friendly area. Right near there is a tapas bar. It's good and has paella too.  It was a little pricey, except for the Sangria. It was priced right and delicious.
Nearby was a family game area. Again, I saw kids. This time playing games with their parents. There were also teenagers playing games while their parents watched.

Hotel Review
Las Vegas

• Hope Lake Lodge in Cortland, NY 

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