Last weekend I took a short vacation to Las Vegas with my boyfriend and one of his best friends. They have been on many gambling trips over their long friendship, and I had a blast accompanying them this time.

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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As this was my second trip, we skipped the long laborious walk down the strip in the heat and went straight for the festivities. We opted to stay on the strip at Treasure Island, an economical and logistical choice for us. We all like gambling at the Venetian and the Mirage, which are across the street and next door respectively.

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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The boys both enjoy playing Black Jack, but as I am not as skilled a player as they, I chose to play the slots. My slot of choice is an old school quarter slot called Double Diamond Deluxe, pictured above. If you've been gambling before, you've seen lots of "diamond" slots. There is quite a variety, from Pink Diamonds to Triple Double Diamond - they run the gauntlet. I prefer this one, because it has an added feature. See above in the photo how the diamond on the left points down, while the one in the middle above points up, these shift after the slots hit. The diamonds will move either up or down if they fall between a line and help you earn extra credits! If like me, you're not comfortable gambling a lot of money at a time, you look for games that extend your play while you feed the machine more money. Part of the fun for me is searching for these particular machines - again it extends my play.

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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One of the things I really enjoy about traveling is the opportunity to try new foods at restaurants that we don't have locally. Last year we ate at a restaurant in the Palazzo called Sushi Samba and it was fantastic. This year we returned and tried a few new dishes and drinks. According to their website, "Only at SUSHISAMBA will you find a unique blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, music and design."

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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Everything we tried was wonderful, but the sea bass pictured above was "melt in your mouth" amazing... that's why you only see one skewer. Two were served, but one was devoured immediately. The Peruvian corn was incredibly tasty as well. In fact, none was left - my boyfriend ate it all! He loves it.

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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The Brazilian beef was a close second. Spicy and full of flavor, but it didn't over power the flavor of the meat. The drinks weren't bad, either. Boyfriend had a Kirin Beer to pair with our sushi rolls, and I opted for a mojito.

Mandee Montana
Mandee Montana
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Our dinner was spectacular, and afterwards we ventured downtown to enjoy the Freemont Experience, but that's for another post.

Where do you choose to stay, and where you like to eat when you travel to Las Vegas?

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