Category: My adventurous self

Divas in the desert!

There are soooooo many reasons why I love love love Las Vegas and as what usually happens with me, I discover something good later on in life.  Why it took me 50+ years to discover Las Vegas though is beyond me.   I’ve had ample opportunities over the years to go and now that I’ve been (twice already this year alone!)  I can’t wait to go back (smile).

Again, the first time I ever went was this year (2016) in April with my man James.   We stayed in a condominium off the ‘Strip.’   The experience, although fun and exciting, was not the same.  The ‘Strip’ was a place we visited via Uber and Lyft, both the preferred (and most cost efficient) taxi alternatives.  However, because I was visiting the ‘Strip,’ I didn’t feel as strongly attracted to it until I came back in October of that same year where we (me and my girl squad) actually booked a hotel on the ‘Strip.’

We booked a Fun Girls Getaway Weekend with my client Charlene of Clear Vision Productions in Hamden, CT.  The agent who worked with her on it was Karen Quinn-Panzer of Dream Vacations.

The Fun Girls Getaway Weekend was originally scheduled for Friday, October 7th through Sunday, October 9th but we all upgraded our hotel room to stay one extra night –  Monday, October 10th (4 days/3 nights).

Here’s what our Fun Girls Getaway Weekend included:

A hotel stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas.  This hotel (the oldest Las Vegas hotel on the Strip) is smack dab in the middle of all the action.  Most of the other hotels with their themed casinos are within walking distance as this is truly a walkable city.  The rooms we stayed in on the 9th floor were simple and clean but with no view and sparse amenities.  The stylish modern rooms they boasted about on the flyer are situated on the upper floors where the remodel has taken place.  I’m not complaining because outside of putting away our clothes, showering, and crashing for a few hours, our rooms were nothing more than our base…

 

Our room at The Flamingo was simple and clean – perfect for our busy weekend

 

Flamingo Las Vegas in its entirety is stunning as it has:

  • The 16 acre ‘Go’ Pool
  • The Mall Shops
  • The Health Spa
  • The Caribbean themed Casino
  • The Restaurants
  • The Bars
  • The Wildlife Habitat

We could easily have spent our entire weekend there as it seemed to have everything but the streets were beckoning (smile).  We even ran into the “doctor” from Grey’s Anatomy (actor Jason Winston George) in the hotel lobby  who was even more handsome in person (smile).

Our first night (Friday at 6pm) we had our ‘Welcome Champagne Tour of the Las Vegas Strip‘ transported via a “Presidential” stretch limo.

 

Our very own stretch limo complete with alcoholic beverages

 

Me and my girls in the limo sipping on our welcome drinks (smile)

 

We ended our tour at the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign to take pictures under it with the photographer on duty.  It was awesome!

 

 

Later on that same evening we had  VIP seats (practically front row, center) to Frank Marino’s Diva Show (a cast of celebrity female impersonators) at The Linq Theater, literally across the street from the Flamingo.  I must admit I had never heard of Frank Marino before that night, but when he came out in his Joan Rivers get up I immediately knew who he was.  He was, and still is, a hoot and his Celebrity Look-a-Like Divas:  Whitney Houston, Madonna, Pink, Lady Gaga, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Liza Minnelli, just to name a few, are all true pros and simply spectacular!

 

 

We were on our own for food all weekend long so we ate at a variety of restaurants though most of them were located at the Flamingo (our fave was a $22.95 lunch/dinner buffet at Garden Paradise that included bottomless Mimosas and/or Bloody Mary’s!)

Oh, I forgot, I met another celebrity (a canine actress and model out of Beverly Hills, CA) while walking through the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat (shown below) the very next day on my way to the 15 acre ‘Go’ Pool.  

Her name is Miss Coco Puff and she’s a Chi-Weenie (part Chihuahua, part dachshund) so she had me at Hello (smile).  Her owner gave me her calling card so we are now friends on Instagram (double smile).

 

Miss CoCo Puffs herself – looking fierce (smile)

 

Speaking of the Flamingo ‘Go’ Pool, this could have been one of my favorite places to hang out, but because we were in Vegas (the City that never sleeps) hanging out was not part of our weekend plan.  Our goal was to visit as many casinos, shops, tourist attractions, etc.  so the ‘Go’ Pool on Saturday was merely a pit stop for us 50-something weekend adventure seekers (smile).

So our next adventure on Saturday was a ride on the High Roller at the Linq Hotel and Casino. This spaceship-looking ride reminded me of The Jetsons, a TV show I used to love watching in the 70’s.  After standing in line for a short while, all 4 of us got into this big bubble then sat down to watch and listen to a computer-generated young man on a screen above us as we slowly ascended 550 feet up into the sky…

 

High Roller

 

The whole trip (to and fro) took all of 30 minutes, but the experience was unbelievable and the aerial views were breathtaking.

 

Me and Thais
Sherry and Gina

 

By the way, there are a ton of nightclubs at the hotels for each and every taste. There’s Hyde at Bellagio, Drai’s at Cromwell, Marquee at Cosmopolitan, Foxtail at SLS, Tao at Venetian, Intrigue at Wynn, Omnia at Caesars Palace, Hakkasan at MGM Grand and XS at Encore.  Most of them open at 10pm and close at 3am, 4am or 5am. Some of them offer free admission and/or free or reduced drinks for the ladies. Unfortunately we did not get to take advantage of our VIP Club Pass with VIP Entrance (it was included in our weekend package – free access to 8 nightclubs!) as we just did not have the time or the energy in our 3 night, 4 day stay.

 

Bright Lights, Big City vibe

 

P.S. Here’s a huge time and money saver tip – If you are visiting Las Vegas for the first time, do yourself a favor and book a professional tour as there is so much to see and do and you can easily get overwhelmed by all of the choices.  We spent $62 for a 3 hour bus tour on Sunday night called The Las Vegas Night Lights Tour and it was truly money well spent!

 

We met up at Bally’s – there were about 19 of us in all – and according to our tour guide, we were one of the most diverse bus tour groups she ever had (smile).  Our tour was fantastic – Renee, our tour guide, taught us a lot about the history of Las Vegas in the most engaging way, and since it was a stop and start tour, our first stop was to see the volcanic Fire Show at the Bellagio – afterwards I felt as if my face were melting!

 

We then cooled off at the grand Water Show at The Mirage…

 

And we couldn’t leave our Las Vegas Night Lights Tour without actually seeing (from our tour bus windows) all of the colorful and beautiful lights at night in ‘Old Vegas’ and then getting off the bus to actually go in and see the ‘Old Vegas’ casinos (reminiscent of the movie, Casino).  Renee, our tour guide, told us that this is the section of town to ‘do Vegas’ if you are looking for cheap eats, reasonably priced hotels and dollar tables!   Plus, it included my favorite part of ‘Old Vegas,’ The Fremont Street Experience – the pedestrian mall and attraction where I believe the phrase, ‘What Happens in Vegas…” came from (smile).

 

This woman was not happy when she realized I was taking her picture!

 

What happens in Vegas…

 

Lastly, and Reason Number 42 on why I love love love Las Vegas: there’s always something different to see or do…and apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way.  Our tour guide Renee told us that Vegas typically has 42.5 million visitors a year but this year they were projecting a record 45 million visitors!  45 million!  Wow!!  It’s no wonder Vegas remains one of the top travel destinations in the country!

 

I felt like I was part of a movie scene in this photo op at the Mall (smile)

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

TVFL

 

 

 

Sports Nut

From as far back as I can remember, I’ve been playing sports and/or keeping busy with physical activities.   I have an inordinate amount of energy so this works out just fine (smile).  And Growing up Hollis, both my mother and father always made sure that their 7 children were kept busy with physical activities and/or sports all year long.

Today it’s the gym (The Edge Fitness Club in Hamden, CT) that keeps me active and sane.

But back in the day it was either organized sports (during the school year) or any kind of sports, activities or games (indoors or outdoors) with my 6 siblings and/or our neighbors.   I grew up in the ’70s, a time when there were no smart phones or tablets or laptops.  Check out my blog post:  R U Social?   We played games with each other and if you needed to see someone, you simply hopped on your no-speed bike and peddled your way over to their house (smile).

Speaking of houses, this is the house where we grew up in the small town of Groton, CT – lots of really good memories were made here –  Check out my blog post:  Easter Sunday back in the day…This is an updated version of when we lived in it as this picture was taken just two years ago.   For instance, back in the day we had a car port, not a garage…

 

Lots of memories were made in our house on Alder Lane

 

Organized Sports:

  • Softball – I started playing softball in a Women’s league when I was just 11 years old.  I ended up playing every position on the field with this league by the time I turned 15. I even won the team ball (which was signed by all of my teammates before they carried me off the field).  To this day I still own that ball…
  • Bowling – I starting bowling in a league at a local bowling alley when I was 11 as well.  Check out my blog post:  Bowling Date
  • Judo – I started when I was 12 years of age and ended at age 16.  I almost made it to ‘purple belt’ and my rugged gi (purposely made to be loose-fitting) fit me all 5 years.
  • Track & Field  – I started running track in high school ( 10th through 12th grades back then).  My events were the 220, 440, mile relay and the long jump (the metric system was not in place back then either).   I have to admit: although I was a decent runner, I had nothing at all on then Fitch Senior High School track standout,  Sherry Johnson, whom we were all in awe of because her legs never seemed to stop (smile).

Outside during the Winter – I (we – family) enjoyed sledding, playing ice hockey, building snowmen and/or snow caves, as well as ice skating – check out my blog post:   Ski Date.

Outside during the Spring/Summer  – I (we) alternately participated in or played:  kickball, badminton, field hockey, dodgeball, roller skating, bike riding, and volley-ball – check out my blog post:   Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!

I (we) also walked on tall stilts, played on swings, climbed monkey bars and skipped rope.

A fave toy of mine back in the day was Big Wheels.   We lived on a cul-de-sac so I could easily (and safely) ride up the street, around the circle at the end of the street and back down again for hours at a time.  Once I picked up speed,  I would take my feet up and off the pedals, stretch my long legs out in both directions and whiz away!

If it happened to be raining outside, I would ride my Big Wheels up and down our driveway underneath the car port (as long as my father was at work) which meant that our oversized two-toned family station wagon was not parked underneath it and not in my way (smile).

Speaking of rain, Inside on rainy days:  I (we) played Klik Klaks, Clacker Ball, Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Monopoly, and pored through novels Check out my blog post:   Put your slippers on…plus I (we) enjoyed clap games like Patty Cake and Miss Mary Mack, musical chairs, blowing Bubbles and playing Freeze Dance or Monsters.

Outside  in the Fall – We played Hide and Seek, Hop Scotch – tossed with a bean bag, Jump Rope, Jacks, Marbles, Red Light-Green Light, Mother May I?, Simon Sez, Tag, and Slinky.

Life sure was different back in the day.  Electronics did not rule, our arms and legs did and, dare I say, we were better for it…

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Block Isle

I was born in a blizzard in Newport, Rhode Island in the Winter of 1962.  So my birthdays have not, nor ever will, involve memories of fun in the Sun, water, big waves and boats.  Perhaps that is why I like the Summer and the opportunity it provides to spend time on Block Island, RI (smile).

 

Block Island is in my opinion the perfect getaway for a day, a week, and if you’re lucky enough, even a month.  I first started taking day-trips to the island with my family when I was 16 years old.  We  grew up in Groton, CT, just across the bridge from New London, CT so we could easily catch the Block Island Ferry from New London during the Summer.  Back then there was no high-speed ferry.   The old  ferry from New London lumbered along, and it literally took us 2 1/2 hours to get there.   We didn’t know any better so we had no cause to complain (smile).  We just used the time to talk to each other, eat breakfast from the onboard food and beverage stand, play cards or board games, watch tv, read newspapers, magazines or books, or simply stare out at the open water as we chugged along.

 

 

Once we got there, Old Harbor, our destination, never looked so good (smile).

 

Today the Block Island Express or ‘high speed ferry’ is relatively new, sleek and transports you to Old Harbor, Block Island from New London in a little over an hour.   The price has increased considerably – about 4x as much as back in the day – today it costs $45 for adults and $22.50 for children same day, round trip.

 

The sleek modern hi-speed ferry

 

The high-speed ferry is exciting and once inside I often feel like I’m sitting in movie theater seats or in a restaurant booth, as flat screen TVs greet you from every angle.  Because of the state-of-the-art art motion controlled system, you never really feel like you are on a vessel, smooth sailing indeed…

 

Once we arrived in Old Harbor we would stop at The Visitor Center to load up on island pamphlets and usually rent one or two lockers to store some of our miscellaneous items.  The Visitor Center used to be nothing to look at but today it is fancy (smile).

 

One of my favorite places  to eat breakfast back then, and still today, is the restaurant at The Harborside Inn.   The restaurant has a wonderful open-air deck on the second floor that provides a great view of the waterfront and port.  You can’t miss it as it’s not too far from where they drop you off from the ferry.  We had brunch there as we arrived after 10am and were starving.  The portions were hearty but not too pricey.  It was delish!

 

The Harborside Inn

 

As far as island activities go, over the years I have rented mountain bikes and/or mopeds to explore the island, partied on various marinas, went horseback riding, kayaking, swimming, shopping, dining at any number of seafood restaurants, I once even took a historical taxi cab tour of the island…

The day me and my partner chose to go (Tuesday, August 23rd) was 80 degrees and sunny with a light breeze.  Perfect island weather.

 

 

Our plan was simple:  look for good food, good drinks and good beach time so after our leisurely brunch and a short walk around the block to the Beachcomber (an old fave) we headed  to Ballards.

 

Ballards, back in the day, was the Hollis family’s go-to for dining and for beach time.  The restaurant was not remodeled at all back then and we always chose to eat outside on the patio deck because we knew our friendly silver-haired waiter (Walter) would be working.  The food was fantastic (loved those clam strips, clam bellies and hush puppies!) and the beach view was awesome.

 

 

Trying not to get too wet from the big waves at Ballards beach (smile)

 

Ballards is Fancy now (comparatively speaking) and very well put together.  There’s a ton of staff, and there are nice beach chairs, umbrellas and gazebos to rent for the day.

 

Plus there are adorable little tiki bars right on the beach, full waitress service (our waitress was young, cute and from South Africa) and plenty of beach volleyball games to enjoy.

 

We had an awesome time – we caught the 5pm ferry back to New London, CT (instead of the last ferry at 830pm which would have got us back home around 11pm  – late for a weeknight(!) and vowed to return again next Summer.   Good times!

 

Sincerely,

 

TVFL

 

 

 

Bowling Date

I remember the first time I picked up a bowling ball.  I was 11 years old and in 5th grade at Mary Morrison Elementary School in Groton, CT.   Someone in my classroom was joining a league at the local bowling alley and I thought it might be fun to give it a try.   I had just finished up with Judo for the year and was looking for a new activity.  So I joined the league and have been bowling off and on ever since.

Back in the day bowling alleys were dark, musty, smoky places with beat up old pins, wooden lanes and loud, piped in music.

When I bowled back in the day, you really had to know a little something something about the game because you were truly on your own when it came to scoring and keeping track of your pins.   To this day I’m quite sure I gypped myself and my teammate out of points due to sheer ignorance.  Plus, quite honestly, focusing on keeping track of the score took most of the fun out of the game.

Conversely, what I like today about the modern bowling alleys (outside of the fact that they are both glamorous and sexy) is that everything is electronic and therefore soooooooo easy (smile).   Music videos play on large wall areas in between the lanes.  The lanes are now synthetic (low maintenance!) and feature automatic scoring systems which take the guesswork out of fully knowing the game.   At these modern bowling alleys you simply put on your bowling shoes,  enter your name(s) in the keypad of your assigned lane, take your photo(s) with the built-in camera and (this is optional) sign onto your social media account(s).  By the way I tried signing onto my social media account and did not like this feature as it felt too intrusive as every spare, strike or pin I knocked over was instantaneously posted to my Facebook timeline so I shut it off…At the end of your games a tally of you and your bowling party’s scores are handed to you.  Easy Breezy!

Today bowling alleys are sleek and modern and easy to navigate

There’s even a snack bar with real food if you get hungry, an arcade if your kids need more stimulation, a bar for adult beverage recreation and a lounge featuring flat screen TVs.

I also like the fact that it’s a great way to spend quality time with family and/or friends.  And it’s fun!

Here’s the best part:  Check your Groupon app as there’s almost always a Groupon for bowling and shoe rentals at a location near you.  For example:  Two games of bowling for 4 people with shoe rentals included is just $25 dollars — you know how much I love Groupons :))  A real bargain compared to a lot of other entertainment options today…You’re welcome!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

Like moths to the flame…

Life was simple and good back in 1986.  I was in my early 20’s, fresh out of college and  working my first “real” job in media as a Television Sales Assistant at  WTNH “Action News 8” in New Haven, CT.

I made $16,500 a year which sounded like a lot of money to me back then as, up to that point, I was used to hearing how much I would make per hour, not per year…

As it turned out, it was enough money to afford me a $375 a month studio apartment in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, CT.   It was not, however, enough money for me to own a car, as that required maintenance, gas, insurance, etc.  Thankfully for me I lived right on the bus line so I could easily catch a bus to and from work.  To save money I brought my lunch to work and ate in the lunchroom, or outside on the New Haven Green when the weather was nice.  Dinner was simple:  Happy Hours!  They were everywhere back then and these bars/restaurants gave you real happy hour food, not chintzy bites like today.  Who could forget 368 State (Street) with their free juicy, delicious steak,  The Palms Restaurant (right next door to the Shubert Theater) with their appetizers of the Italian variety, or Boppers on Crown Street with their “free parties for you and 200 of your friends” which included lots of hearty appetizers and cheap drinks.   ‘Free’ was the operative word back then and me and my friends were on it like moths to the flame!

 

 

At work I typed contracts on a real typewriter using messy white out, sent out “twixes” to our rep firm in NYC and answered the phone for 3 tv sales managers, 6 to 8 Account Executives, and our new Research Director, ‘Tony Baloney,’ as I affectionately called him.  Tony started one year after me and we both reported to the General Sales Manager.   I can’t lie, I couldn’t help but wonder  what the heck was I doing with a college degree working as a glorified secretary when I had the talent and drive for bigger and better things (smile).

 

 

Then, in year 2, things got really exciting!   The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, a national television talk show arrived and would now be taped out of WTNH’s New Haven, CT studios…Our lives would never be the same…

 

 

It was the first real professional talk show I had seen up close and personal in our local New Haven, CT studios and it was sooooooo much fun to watch!

 

Every morning, when I got off the bus, I was greeted by a super long line of people the SJR Audience Coordinator, Jackee B., had arranged to be in Sally’s studio audience on that particular day.

 

Once I came upstairs and got to work, me and my co-workers would then sneak back downstairs around mid-morning to watch the pros at work.   They had a full staff of people working on the show and we marveled at how they put together this 30 minute television talk show complete with a studio audience 5 days a week!    I also met and/or came into contact with a whole  bunch of famous people who were at the tv station to serve as guests on SJR’s show or as guests on our own Action News 8’s newscasts.  Phones did not take pictures back then or else I would have a whole bunch of selfies as proof (smile) as I had the pleasure of meeting then President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn, Donna Rice, Suzanne Somers, Marlo Thomas,  and Dana Plato, just to name a few…

 

As a matter of fact, I’m thinking I stayed in the support position I was in for 3  1/2 years simply because I was having too much fun (smile).  Every day was unique and different and you never knew what to expect.   I get bored easily at work so this new change was very exciting to me.  Although I did not work directly for the show, I benefitted by virtue of my proximity.  And, as luck would have it, I worked with a lot of  like-minded fun and young people (Janna, Connie, Judi, Debbie), just to name a few.

 

As far as finances went, I had my  monthly rent, my student loan, my Sears charge card, food, laundry, miscellaneous and not much left over.  Vacations, in my mind, were an opportunty to put in more hours at work so I decided the only way I could afford a better quality of life was if I had extra income.  Hence I started  waitressing every weekend plus one or two nights during the week…

 

 

I was super busy but too young to notice (smile).

 

To keep up my energy level,  I was a member of Bally’s Fitness in Hamden, CT which only costs me $5.00 a month for unlimited aerobic classes.  Definitely fit my fast paced lifestyle and meager budget…

 

As I mentioned before, I took full advantage of everything that was free and/or at a reduced cost, especially when it came to my nightlife.

 

New Haven had a ton of Jazz and/or Blues clubs open back then (The Foundry, Jackee’s Blues Cafe, The Monterey) so me and my girls would enjoy live acts with free happy hour food and a small cover charge.

 

 

Free Jazz concerts on the Green…

We also went to free Jazz concerts on the New Haven Green which lasted all Summer long back then and were sponsored by one individual: Brian Alden (Furniture).

 

 

So here I am working full-time as a sales assistant at WTNH; waitressing part-time, and managing somehow to find time to moonlight on Monday nights.  I had previously completed a radio announcer training course at Yale Broadcasting Corporation after graduating from college.  This certificate allowed me to work as a Community Volunteer Radio Announcer at WYBC 94.3FM radio in New Haven, CT.   The end result was having my own show on Monday evenings  from 7p-9p, I called ‘Lovers Corner with Lajeune’ where I played a variety of R & B, Soul and Contemporary Jazz (love songs on vinyl) for my Greater New Haven listening audience.  This was strictly a labor of love and a “resume builder” as I was not getting paid to do it…

 

 

WYBC on-air crew:  I’m in the front row wearing the black sleeveless top…

 

WYBC on air crew – I’m in the front wearing black

 

Again, life was simple and good in the mid-80s.  It wasn’t always “Summertime,” but the living sure was easy…

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL