Friday, October 30, 2015

711. Classy

711. Classy
Definition: (adj) stylish and sophisticated
Location Placed: Montezuma Castle National Monument, Camp Verde, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/2/15 at 2:00pm





Our next stop was the Montezuma Castle National Monument. I had heard about that several years back on my first trip to the Grand Canyon. It seemed right up my alley, but I never managed to go. So when we had the opportunity, I definitely wanted to take it. Although we couldn't traipse around this one as it was high and literally built into the side of a rock formation, it was still a pretty neat site. It gave us a bit more history of the Native American's who made this land their home.

710. Rosy

710. Rosy
Definition: (adj) promising or suggesting good fortune or happiness; hopeful
Location Placed: Starbucks, Camp Verde, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/2/15 at 1:35pm





Definitely not one to turn down a placement, I might have specifically tried to seek out this Starbucks. I actually had been in the area once before a number of years ago going to the Out of Africa animal park. We actually passed by it on the way to the Starbucks. The thing I remember most about that animal park was the safari ride where the giraffe ate a carrot or orange pepper out of out tour guides teeth. Well, that and the big cats acting quite playful when diving into large pools after toys and meat!

709. Pamper

709. Pamper
Definition: (v) indulge with every attention, comfort, and kindness; spoil
Location Placed: Art Glitter, Camp Verde, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/2/15 at 12:15pm





 Apparently it's not a true trip until you've witnessed something you've never seen before. One of those things was definitely a store devoted to just glitter. I've definitely never seen so many types and varieties of glitter. If you're a glitter fan, this is definitely the store for you. My travel companion made a purchase for the annual Christmas card. While I definitely just buy store bought, those cards will be wonderfully glittered!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

708. Finest

708. Finest
Definition: (adj) the highest of quality
Location Placed: Tuzigoot National Monument, Clarkdale, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/2/15 at 11:18am





We decided to visit  a couple of local national monuments, including Tuzigoot. Native American's lived in the area for many hundreds of years before moving out of the area. They left behind many of their artifacts as well as their impressive stone structures. The site we visited still had a pretty substantial amount of the dwelling left to the point where we could go up on to the roof of it and see the large swath of land they called their home. It was quite impressive, and I am able to understand why they chose that location.

707. Brilliant

707. Brilliant
Definition: (adj) very bright and radiant
Location Placed: Arabella Hotel, Sedona, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/2/15 at 9:56 am





The Arabella Hotel is located centrally in Sedona. We were able to see all the wonderful red rocks at sunset from the restaurant we walked to. Sedona is such a lovely town and known for its rd rock formations. Had the winds been more favorable, we would've taken a hot air balloon ride above them. It wasn't meant to be, but we still got to poke around the lovely town and have a leisurely breakfast.

706. Experienced

706. Experienced
Definition: (adj) having knowledge or skill in a particular field, especially a profession or job, gained over a period of time
Location Placed: Flagstaff Airport, Flagstaff, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/1/15 at 4:00pm





After a slight mishap, our road trip took us unexpectedly to the Flagstaff Airport. I think it is the smallest airport I've ever been to. We were basically able to get into everywhere except the extremely tiny terminal. I hadn't even realized that Flagstaff had an airport. Tiny and adorable!

Monday, October 26, 2015

705. Contemplative

705. Contemplative
Definition: (adj) expressing or involving prolonged thought.
Location Placed: Lower Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/1/15 at





This was far and away, for me, one of the highlights of the trip Antelope Canyon is a recessed canyon in what looks to be the middle of a field. After climbing down several ladders, you're in the most gorgeous canyon. It was carved out by a flood and often fills quite substantially during the monsoons Arizona occasionally gets. Thankfully we had a gorgeous day and were able to get lots of AMAZING photos. Intel from people in the know say that Lower Antelope Canyon is more visually stunning than upper. Having only visited the one, I cannot say for sure. But I certainly recommend going if you're ever even remotely in the area!

704. Nonchalant

704. Nonchalant
Definition: (adj) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed
Location Placed: Starbucks, Page, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/1/15 at 11:00 am





This is the location where I learned that sometimes, Starbucks' might be located in a food store. They don't have any of those in New Jersey, so I was surprised to get into the plaza where I thought there would be a stand alone Starbucks, only to find it in a food store. No worries! Still a good location to release a crane!

703. Purposeful

703. Purposeful
Definition: (adj) having or showing determination or resolve.
Location Placed: Best Western Lake Powell View, Page, Arizona
Date Placed: 10/1/15 at 9:50 am





Page is definitely quite a tiny town. We were only there for less than a day, so we might not have seen all that it offered. As it is so close to the Utah border, a lot of people likely stay here to be a bit more cost effective with their trip to Lake Powell. I definitely want to take a trip to Lake Powell and rent a houseboat up there at some point in time. It looks like it would be a lot of fun!

702. Acquaintance

702. Acquiantance
Definition: (n) a person's knowledge or experience of something.
Location Placed: Lookout Shop, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Date Placed: 9/30/15 at 5:54 pm





We popped into the lookout shop on our way back to the car, hoping to pop out on to the lookout. Sadly, it was too close to closing and they had closed the viewing point. We had a bit of a poke around the shop and then decided to call it a night, heading to Page through lots of windy and dark roads for a bit more than 3 hours. It gets real dark and lonely in northern Arizona at night, that's for sure!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

701. Rich

701. Rich
Definition: (adj) plentiful, abundant
Location Placed: Kolb Art Gallery, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Date Placed: 9/30/15 at 5:49pm





We finally got to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon after heading out from the Hoover Dam. As I had visited the Grand Canyon, in this same spot, I had already seen a lot of the vistas. But it is still gorgeous no matter how many times you see it. I hadn't been there at sunset, so we got the real treat of watching the sky change colors over the Grand Canyon.

700. Acceptance

700. Acceptance
Definition: (n) the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable
Location Placed: Hoover Dam, Boulder City, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/30/15 at 11:06am





The Hoover Dam was our first stop on the road trip at only an hour away from Las Vegas. It is an impressive structure. We took the power plant tour that took us several stories down and showed us some of the interworkings/structures of the dam, how it reroutes the water, and provides the power from that rerouting. I absolutely recommend checking it out if you're in the area. It's such a neat place to visit and great for photos!

699. Alive

699. Alive
Definition: (adj) alert, active, animated
Location Placed: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, Paradise Valley, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/30/15 at 8:57am





On our way out of the city, we stopped at the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. Not really a trip to Vegas without seeing it! Might seem a bit silly to hit it as our last stop in Las Vegas, but better late than never! There was quite the long line of people waiting to take their pictures, but there was a fellow waiting there to help. Definitely made it a lot easier than trying to find some stranger to take your picture, only to realize later that it was blurry.

698. Inspirational

698. Inspirational
Definition: (adj) providing or showing creative or spiritual inspiration
Location Placed: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 11:20pm





Caesars Palace was definitely a very nice and central location to stay at. They had a Serendipity on the grounds which made a really mean Frozen Hot Chocolate. I might have had more than one during my time in Vegas. No regrets. Last Vegas was definitely a lot of fun and I'll be happy to come back again after some time away!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

697. Ingenious

697. Ingenious
Definition: (adj) clever, original, inventive
Location Placed: Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 11:13pm





Bellagio is definitely one of the nicest casinos. We went to see O there early on in my time there for business. It had to have been one of the most amazing shows I've seen. That said, the casino itself is huge with a connecting walkway of a ton of high end shops. I think I'm surprised by just how many high end shops Vegas can support. I guess if you win big, you need to have somewhere to spend it!

696. Progressive

696. Progressive
Definition: (adj) happening or developing gradually or in stages
Location Placed: Bally's Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 11:04pm





Vegas is definitely a more happening place at night with all the lights and sounds. If I hadn't been heading out relatively early the next morning to set out on a road trip, I definitely would've tried to stay out a bit longer and take in the proper nighttime Las Vegas scene. There's always next time!

695. Sincerity

695. Sincerity
Definition: (n) the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.
Location Placed: Paris, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 11:00pm





 Having also been to Paris before many years ago, I wanted to see what sorts of things that this casino was able to re-create. While not being able to hit the same mark as the Venetian, I really enjoyed walking on the "cobblestone" streets and look into the closed shop windows. It was a pretty fun theme, but I definitely recommend checking out the version in France before the one in Las Vegas.

694. Wow

694. Wow
Definition: (n) a sensational success
Location Placed: The Commonwealth, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 8:04pm





There is a speakeasy bar within the Commonwealth called the Laundry Room, which was our ultimate destination. You text a "secret" number for a reservation and text again when you arrive. The direct you where to stand to be let into the secret back room. It's quiet, intimate, and low-key. The mixologist can easily make AMAZING drinks out of items you mention enjoying. I would highly recommend the experience if you are in the area, or have the opportunity to go to a speakeasy. It was definitely something different and fun off the strip.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

693. Meticulous

693. Meticulous
Definition: (adj) showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.
Location Placed: The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 6:44pm





The Venetian was one of the casinos I was most looking forward to seeing. Having been to Venice many years before, I was interested to see how the re-creation was. For being an indoor version of an outdoor city, I definitely wasn't picturing it to be that good. Also, very similar to the city, it's extremely easy to get seriously turned around and not be able to figure out how to leave. This may, or may not, be coming from experience.

692. Hunkydory

692. Hunkydory
Definition: (adj) fine; going well
Location Placed: Palazzo, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 6:26pm





The Palazzo is definitely WAY nicer of a hotels/casinos than many of the others I popped into. Although it might've been all the extravagant cars parked out front, I definitely didn't feel like I was in the right place with my jeans and t-shirt. I quickly hustled around taking my pictures and then made my way into the next casino on down the line.

691. Extravagant

691. Extravagant
Definition: (adj) very fancy
Location Placed: Starbucks, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 6:096pm





This was one of 2 actual Starbucks locations in Las Vegas that wasn't inside of a hotel. The You Are Here Las Vegas mug was definitely a really lovely souvenir for my collection. I love looking at my mugs and seeing all the neat places I've been able to get a mug from in the last couple years. They keep coming out with new ones as time goes on. They recently decided to make a New Jersey mug!

690. Impartial

690. Impartial
Definition: (adj) fair and just
Location Placed: Treasure Island, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 6:13pm





This casino was definitely pretty western feeling, even though I was expecting more of a pirate-y type theme. I saw this little (non-working) slot machine prospector with his upturned hand, and knew it was meant for a crane. It's pretty crazy to see just how many different slot machines there are. While the new ones are all electronic with their different themes, I definitely think I prefer the older models like this one. Gives it a bit more character really.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

689. Profound

689. Profound
Definition: (adj) very great or intense
Location Placed: Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 5:58pm





The Mirage was a pretty neat looking hotel, even though it didn't have a theme like some of the others. It is pretty much in the middle of the pack in terms of the strip location. If you're looking to stay in a more central location, this is definitely a solid option. If I had more time, I definitely would've been interested in seeing the animal show that takes place at the Mirage. All the different shows at the casinos/hotels seem pretty neat. Definitely one of my favorite things about Vegas.

688. Connected

688. Connected
Definition: (v) bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established.
Location Placed: Starbucks, Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 5:49pm





I was pretty impressed by the number of Starbucks' around. I am pretty sure every single casino/hotel had one, although there were only 2 stand alone locations that would allow you to redeem a free beverage if you had one. Thankfully I was able to find a "You Are Here" mug for Las Vegas in one of the casino Starbucks locations as I like to try to get one from all the cities/states I visit if they have one I have not been to before. It was a nice find for my collection!

687. Straightforward

687. Straightforward 
Definition: (adj) uncomplicated and easy to do or understand
Location Placed: The Forum Shop's at Caesars, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date Placed: 9/29/15 at 5:45pm





I decided to go on a quick tour of several of the other properties that I had not yet seen in my travels as it was my last afternoon in Vegas before we started off on our road trip portion of the vacation. I popped into the Forum to see what was what. Like many of the other shopping areas, it was filled with high-end shops for people looking to purchase some goods on their vacation. I thought the statue was the coolest thing in the shopping area!