After a sublime dinner at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, the night was still young. Due to the fact that I took my time just plain old relaxing, sampling many dishes, and schmoozing with the friendly and personable employees of Bacchanal, the time was almost 9:15PM. Lucky for me, the night was still young, so I decided to explore more of Caesars and check out The Forum Shops. On my way back to see the casino portions of Caesars and The Forum Shops, I saw a space that appeared to be vacated by an outpost of Raos, a famous Italian restaurant out of New York City. If I am not mistaken, it will be replaced by an outpost of Peter Lugers, which is due to open sometime in 2023 (https://www.latimes.com/vegasguide/s...s-in-las-vegas). If it is as good as the ones in Brooklyn and Great Neck, NY, which are among my favorite steakhouses, it will make my decision on where to get a steak in Vegas a little trickier, as The Palm in The Forum Shops, another favorite, is there as well along with many other excellent steakhouses I have not tried throughout Vegas.
As I got lost through the many meandering paths of Caesars, the grand rotunda, with high dome-shaped ceilings and multicolored marble flooring, as well as escalators leading to the Conference Center and Ballrooms, the effect felt almost colosseum-like.
Continuing to make my way towards the casino and Forum Shops, I took in more of the over the top yet luxurious designs, like the many pillars and even more marble flooring. Although kind of old school, it was still very classy, making Caesars one of my favorite places to be in Vegas.
And I got a kick out of a display with parenpenahlia representing the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team. It is especially cool considering that Las Vegas will host the Superbowl in 2024!
And of course, the theme would not be complete without more statues depicting Roman times.
Walking further towards the casino through the Appian Way Shops, a smaller shopping area of Caesars Palace, I was greeted by a statue of David.
I then entered the vibrant and colorful casino of Caesars, where my eye was immediately drawn to a bar serving what appeared to be frozen alcoholic beverages. As someone into Classic Rock, the names Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd reference) and Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix reference) were something I enjoyed!
There was a plethora of slots and other electronic games in the colorful and bustling casino, which had its theming accented by black, red, and gold patterned carpeting with silhouettes of Caesar's head in the center of the pattern. Also, although I had no plans of gambling on this night, I had a grand old time watching guests try their luck on the various machines and at the tables and their reactions, to happiness from winning to frustration from losing. Just being in the thick of things to me was stimulating!
While I was walking, I called my Mom to update her on my whereabouts, as I had not called her in a while. While the time was about 9:15PM PST in Las Vegas, it was about 12:15AM EST in Florida. Luckily, my Mother was up and was very happy to hear from me! Naturally, she first asked me about my dinner at Bacchanal, as she knew I was looking forward to it. I told her it was outstanding and more than lived up to the hype, thanks to the delicious food, warm and welcoming service, and festive and classy atmosphere. Mom was pleased and wanted to know what I was doing for the rest of the night? I told her that I was exploring Caesars and would be going toThe Forum Shops, which made her excited as she had fond memories shopping there. Mom then said how she and the dogs missed me, but she was glad I was having a great time and was looking forward to my return. After talking for a bit, my Mom then wanted to go to sleep, so she asked me to text her when I returned to the room and would look forward to speaking with me the next day. We then wished each other a good night and I continued to check out Caesars. I then arrived at the larger than life entrance for The Forum Shops, which was graced by two towering Roman style pillars and an arch on top with The Forum Shops written across.
Like the remainder of the hotel, towering pillars and larger than life statues in addition to high ceilings with a sky that changes colors depending upon the time of day and cobblestone floors stimulated my senses as I walked into The Forum Shops. As depicted below, it was quite busy!
Immediately, memories were brought back of the many times I visited The Forum Shops when I was a kid. As I started walking through The Forum Shops, I passed The Palm, which appeared to be updated with a different logo than when I was last there and had the addition of outside seating. Sadly, I did not go to The Palm on this trip as I went to other restaurants, but I always had excellent experiences there and these days, I hear they have a solid three course lunch special in the $30 range, which is not bad for Vegas these 
I continued meandering through The Forum Shops.
Although I remember The Forum Shops being large when I last visited the many times I went to Vegas with my parents in the late 1990s and early 2000s, thanks to expansions in the mid-2000s if I am not mistaken, The Forum Shops felt even more immense! I was having a grand old time taking in all of the scenery!
I then found myself in front of the Fountain of the Gods, which was graced with towering columns shaped evocative of The Colosseum in Rome and inside, statues of presumably Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea.
From the Fountain of the Gods, there were two wings of the mall spurring to the left and right sides of the fountain, anchored by many stores. Being just a bit closer to the left side of the fountain, I walked to the left wing of the mall, anchored by mainly upscale and luxury retailers. As I had mentioned, The Forum Shops felt even more immense than I remembered and this H&M to the left of the Fountain of the Gods reinforced that impression.
As I continued walking, one shop, known as Urban Necessities, a sneaker consignment store, caught my eye with white marble floors, bright lighting, and a statue of Mickey Mouse holding a camera.
My senses were definitely stimulated and on a majority of the surrounding walls of the store, there was a plethora of different kinds of sneakers you do not see at your average sneaker store.
As I was perusing the selection, a kind young male Sales Associate asked me what I thought of the store? I told him it was excellent, as although I could not afford any of the sneakers being that they were thousands of dollars due to being special sneakers, I loved how everything was displayed and the cheerful atmosphere. This pleased the Sales Associate and he asked me where I was from? I told him I was from Florida and prior to that, the New York City area. He was impressed and said that he had been to both New York and Florida and liked them both when he visited. I asked the Sales Associate where he was from and he said that he had been living in Vegas for the past few years, but was originally from the Los Angeles area. I asked him how he liked Vegas and he said he liked it, thanks to its vibrant energy and being far cheaper than LA. However, he lamented that in comparison to the LA area, that there are less things for children to do, being that Vegas is geared towards adults. I told him I understood, but was surprised as when I went in the 1990s-early 2000s, it was when Vegas was marketing itself towards families. As we conversed, he then asked me if I saw the Louis Vuiton Air Sneakers? I told him I didn't, so he was eager to show me and they looked lovely, thanks to their pattern reminiscent of a Louis Vuitton purse.
In the center of the store, there was a large glass display with Mickey Mouse shaped statues painted in various characters and patterns on the top shelf, sneakers of all kinds on the center shelves, and on the floor, two boxed PS5s, what appeared to be a red punching bag with Supreme written in white lettering, a basketball with Supreme written across, two footballs, and more figurines.
After seeing the large glass display in the center of the store, my eyes were then caught by four pinball machines, which were themed to various cartoons including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "The Simpsons," "Rick and Morty," "Family Guy," and "South Park."
After having fun checking out the unique sneakers and other goods at Urban Necessities, I then checked out the rest of The Forum Shops. As I continued walking, I then ended at the left rotunda, where The Atlantis Show is normally hosted. Unfortunately, it was dark during my visit, but such is life.
Nevertheless, looking at all of the incredible marine life in the surrounding fish tanks, which were also decorated with rock formations as well as columns and statues that depict Atlantis made for a tranquil end in the hustle and bustle of The Forum Shops.
I found Dory in Vegas!
I could not get over this funny looking fish.
And even more fish plus some rays.
After a fun-filled evening at Caesars and The Forum Shops, I decided to end my evening around 10:10PM, as I was feeling tired, so I decided to head back to the Conrad. I then followed the signs downstairs, where the rideshare pickup for The Forum Shops is located. Once there, I checked my Uber and Lyft apps for a ride to the Conrad and thanks to Lyft being cheaper, I requested a Lyft. While I was waiting, I could feel how hot it was outside, even at night, which contrasts from South Florida in the Summer, where the temperatures get a little milder at night. It was still 96 degrees at 10:12PM (although this was less than the 100s-110s during the day).
Lyft paired me with Chrisnel, who was driving a Toyota Highlander and was 3-minutes away. Unfortunately, Chrisnel got a little lost and called me, as he was unable to find me. I told him that I was outside of The Forum Shops and we both determined where the confusion happened. What had happened was that Chrisnel went to the rideshare pickup for Caesars Palace, not The Forum Shops, where this is a dedicated rideshare pickup. Once we fixed that problem, Chrisnel was then able to find me without an issue. Once he found me, I then got in his Toyota Highlander and made myself comfortable for the quick ride to Resorts World. After leaving Caesars, we then took some back roads to turn onto Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, a north-south street that runs to the east of I-15 and to the west of The Strip. Chrisnel provided excellent service and drove very well, making excellent time up Sammy Davis Jr. Drive. Just a few minutes after we left Caesars, we were already passing the back of the Fashion Show Las Vegas mall and the Trump Hotel.
A minute later, we were approaching the intersection of Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and Desert Inn Road and to my left, I could see the Erotic Heritage Museum.
According to the Lyft's GPS, we were 0.7 miles from Resorts World Avenue, where we would turn right to enter Resorts World. Just a few seconds later, we were getting closer to Resorts World.
A couple of minutes later, I was back at the Conrad at Resorts World. The red and yellow hanging lanterns looked beautiful at night and the misters near the entrance provided welcome relief from the still hot temperatures.
Across the way, I could see Circus Circus.
Although I was tired, I wanted to explore Resorts World to get a feel of it, so I passed through the sophisticated lobby of the Conrad, making my way towards the casino and other amenities. When I saw the casino, I was impressed, thanks to its sleek and modern theming, like marble flooring, columns evocative of what appeared to be trees, a hanging light fixture almost reminiscent of a pearl necklace, and of course, a plethora of tables and slot machines. Even at close to 11:00PM, there was plenty of action! Another positive thing I noticed was that thanks to Resorts World being basically brand new, their ventilation system was pretty good at reducing the smell of smoke, which came in handy since indoor smoking is allowed in most Vegas casinos.
I then turned left, wanting to check out The District section of Resorts World, which contained some of the eateries as well as their shopping district. As I was making my way towards the District, Gatsby's Cocktail Lounge stimulated my senses thanks to its globe lamps from the ceiling that lit to various shades of purple, its bustling vibe, and "Levitating" by Dua Lipa followed by "Dancing Queen" by ABBA playing.
Once I passed Gatsby's, I then turned right into The District, which was sleek with its marble floors continuing from the casino and its minimalist style. However, this minimalist style was broken up by hanging flowers and what appeared to be a cut out of a monkey. In addition, on the floor, there were a multitude of elephant statues, likely in conjunction with an exhibit known as the Elephant Parade, which was advertised by projection on a humongous orb in the distance.
As I continued to walk through The District, I could see that the elephant statues were painted in various patterns upon closer inspection and that emoji faces were projected on the humongous orb.
Passing through, I could see that the stores here were very upscale, but were names I was not as familiar with. For instance, Judith Leiber Couture is not a store I see everyday. In addition, upon seeing this elephant, which almost had a startled look in its eyes, the Elephant Parade exhibit was done in conjunction with the World Wildlife Foundation, likely to prevent extinction of Asian Elephants.
The orb then changed to a laughing emoji.
Feeling even more tired than before, I decided to head back towards the Conrad section of Resorts World, but not without seeing the orb finally change to a winking face expression.
As I passed Judith Leiber once again, this multi-colored elephant with shades definitely exuded a relaxed and content vibe.
And of course, this elephant was another favorite, thanks to its patriotic spirit with an Uncle Sam hat and the American flag painted along its body.
Feeling tired, I then walked back towards the Conrad section of Resorts World. Right next to the elevator bank leading to my floor, there was a display featuring a reddish orange purse that belonged to Kylie Jenner. As I texted my Mom good night, letting her know I arrived back at the Conrad, I sent her a picture below of it, since I thought she would get a kick out of it (and she did when she saw it the next morning).
After a quick elevator ride to the 51st floor, I was then back in my room. Before getting ready for bed, I then took in one last view of the Northern Strip and Downtown Las Vegas in the distance, which looked incredible at night, especially seeing the neon lights of the Circus Circus sign, The Strat, and Downtown.
By zooming in with my phone, I was even able to see the Circa in Downtown Las Vegas!
After taking in the glorious view, I then got ready for bed and went to sleep a little after midnight. This first day was an incredible day and I was grateful to be back in Vegas. I fell asleep almost instantly, thanks to the very comfortable bed. What would tomorrow hold? Find out soon! 