Holo Holo Blog

Las Vegas Field Trip: Gilcrease Sanctuary

The Southern Nevada Zoo is permanently closed but families can still visit Gilcrease Sanctuary in North Las Vegas to see a variety of animals for a small admission fee of $4 or $2 (2- 12 years of age). My only regret is that we visited the sanctuary closer to noon when it was getting hot, hot, hot!

The sanctuary has a large number of birds but I had to stop and smell....I mean smile at the baby goats. The are super cute and super stinky. Did I mention that they are cute? How can you not resist those puppy goat eyes?

There were also little horses (hey, I don't know the proper terms but they were little), emus with gigantic scary eyeballs and llamas, oh my. Unfortunately, the heat was getting to us so we cut our visit short with a promise to see the rest of the animals another day.

RISE Lantern Festival 2014 - Jean Dry Lake Bed, NV

We (The Mister, The Kid and I) attended the RISE Lantern Festival outside of Las Vegas at the dry lake bed located in Jean, NV. It was an awesome, breathtakingly beautiful sight. However, the whole experience was marred by the lack of organization and the transportation nightmare.

It began with our wait in the traffic that was building up on the I-15 South exit to the Gold Strike Hotel & Gambling Hall. We parked and proceeded to follow the line of people snaking around the parking lot for the next hour. This was the line to get on the shuttle to the event.

The Kid was wiped out before we even got there. I somehow didn't realize that when you left the shuttle, there was a 500 yard trek through sand and rocks to the event location. Not the easiest trek for those who elected to wear wedge sandals, flip flops or heels. I felt sorry for those with babies.

The view was worth the walk. However, trying to find the location of the section you were supposed to be in was difficult. Signage was not clear and I had to ask multiple volunteeers for directions to our "seats" which were yoga mats. The lantern lighting and release was scheduled for 7:30pm but it was delayed until 8:30pm due to transportation issues. We wrote messages on the lanterns while we waited. I was disappointed that the organizers assumed everyone knew how to light the ground lanterns and that they would all light properly. Of course, ours didn't light and neither did the next one that we moved to. In the end, we lit the fuel source directly to get our lantern off the ground. By then, lanterns were released and floating upward.

We left early to catch a shuttle back to our car but there was a massive crowd of thousands who had the same idea. The 500 yard walk through the dimly lit desert made it difficult and hoardes of rude people cutting to the front of the line cause an uproar and chanting of "get in line". One woman had the nerve to flip us the bird as she walked past the line. In the end, it took us 3 hours to get on a return shuttle. I hear people waited for 5 hours or longer and that the shuttle contract ended at 11pm so shuttles left the site empty while people were stuck in the desert. Apparently the 100% retrieved lanterns did not get retrieved which is a question I had before attending. It was pretty awesome to see but definitely not worth the effort or the wait.

Bunnies and Guns at the Las Vegas CAL Ranch Store

The Mister was told that the CAL Ranch Store had chickens. Unfortunately, due to the summer heat, they were no longer selling them. The helpful cashier told us the chickies would be back in the fall. It's not like we were planning on buying any chickens but The Mister wants to raise them sometime in the future.

They did have fuzzy bunnies and bunny hutches for sale. The vampire bunnies (that's what I call the red-eyed lagomorphs) scare me. What's a lagomorph? I have no clue. All I know is that rabbits are not rodents, they are lagomorphs. It's on the internet so it must be true.

I hung out in the General Store section. Yes, this means food aisle. There was a good selection of bottled sodas and breakfast and summer sausage mixes. They had Horehound candy which I love but I still have some lurking in my desk drawer at work. I did pick up one of these burlap sacks for $1.19. I am sure I can think of something to make out of it. It seems that the store has an endless supply of them sitting in a chin-high stack on a pallet.

On the way out I stopped to check out this little display. "Grandpa says; If you get dry lips, put chicken poop on 'em so you won't lick 'em!" Yum, Free Range Chicken Poop Lip Junk for your dry lips. Seriously, what does this taste like?

No, C-A-L Ranch Las Vegas, thank you!

C-A-L Ranch
232 N. Jones Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89107
Hours: 8am - 9pm Mon-Sat, 9am - 5pm Sun
(702) 430-7002

Dear Paper Source, What Took You So Long To Arrive In Las Vegas?

It took a trip to Houston to find out that Paper Source was opening it's doors at Tivoli Village and Town Square in Las Vegas. I was so excited I nearly peed my pants. Okay, so that's an exaggeration but I was seriously excited since I was always forced to purchase everything online. For those of you who don't know, I have a serious paper fetish. Pens too. By the way, where was I when this was advertised? Cuz, I sure could use the discount!

Yes, I would like to do something creative every day! If only I could make a living cutting and folding paper.

The Kid has inherited my passion for paper and as you can see, he had a great time at Paper Source.

Paper Source
Tivoli Village
410 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite #165
Las Vegas, NV 89145
Mon-Thurs: 10am - 8pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 9pm
Sun: 11am - 6pm
(702) 233-8740

Stupididiotic Finger Pointing on the Las Vegas Strip

The Mister, the Kid and I stumbled upon this Stupididiotic store at the New York New York Las Vegas Hotel and Casino as we departed from the Hershey's Chocolate World. I have to say that the signage is working for them because I actually stopped to read that "Nothing in this store is on sale. What makes you think you're so special that we need to give you a discocunt? None of this stuff is free!"

I was intrigued and had to check it out. It just seemed like my kind of store and surprisingly, it was. The store is filled with novelty toys and other gadgets and gizmos that make  you laugh or say "wow, that's pretty cool".

The Mister picked up a giant jumbo calculator for a friend while i opted for these $3.00 Sip-N-Spoon's that are all-in-one spoon/straws. They will be great when we make snow cones.

The Kid found these signs which can definitely come in handy...somewhere in the world.

Oh, and for all you Zombie apocalypse, end of the world types, be sure to stock up on this essential Dehydrated Water because you just never know when you will run out.

Stupididiotic
New York New York Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
3790 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Sugar Rush at the Las Vegas Hershey's Chocolate World

It's the summer time "Mom, I'm bored" time of year so I dug out my list of cheap or free things to see and do with the Kid. We braved the 109 degree temperature and headed out to the New York New York Las Vegas Hotel and Casino to play toursit and visit the newly opened Hershey's Chocolate World.

The first thing you encounter upon entering Hershey's Chocolate World is a case of chocoate confections. I was tempted to buy the Sprinkled Chocolate Covered Marshmallow but it would melt within seconds of leaving the store. So I took a pass, this time.

You can't have a Hershey's store without Hershey Kisses dispensers and bags to buy your fill of chocolate Kisses by the pound.

The first floor (yes, there are two floors full of chocolate goodness) offers a spectacular view of a an 800 lb. solid chocolate Statue of Liberty sculpture while the second floor displays the Empire State Building made of 1,800 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars. That's a lot of chocoloate!

There is also a view of the Strip through a lovely yellow tinted wall of glass where all the Reese's products live. I had to snap a photo of these light fixtures before we left. How can you not love peanut butter cups hanging from the ceiling?

Hershey's Chocolate World
New York New York Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
3790 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Hours: 9am to 11pm
(702) 740-6969

The Farm of Las Vegas

We have lived in Las Vegas for 17 years and have only just discovered The Farm. The Farm is not only an animal rescue facility, but an establishment that produces raw honey and fresh eggs. The Farm is open on Saturday and Sunday from 9am til dusk. There is a small entry fee of $2 for adults and $1 for children. A small price to pay for keeping the animals fed.

Seasonal vegetables are also available from local vendors. Zuchini, or is it zucchini?

The Farm is not that large of a place but it is packed with animals. This kitty cat didn't move the whole time we were there. Bunnies, peacocks, chickens...and something that I stepped in. Eww...I don't want to know what it is.

For a small fee you can buy pellets to feed these hungry looking guys. Feeeeeed meeeee........

For a large fee, you can feed this guy. The Kid thinks he can hold up the humangous gumball machine.

Fresh local raw honey and eggs are not inexpensive but so worth it.

I love the color of these farm fresh eggs and can't wait for breakfast!

Total cost of vist: $3.00 (Entry Fee) + $25.00 (Honey and Eggs) = $28.00

The Farm
7222 West Grand Teton Drive
Las Vegas, NV, 89131
(702) 982-8000

K-Drama Binge Watching Makes Me Hungry

Lately we have been making an effort to cut down on movie rental spending. We have a monthly subscription to Netflix streaming and used it fairly often in the past. But now we are streaming movies and television shows daily with our wonderful Roku player and have found ourselves, minus The Kid, K-drama binge watching. We started with The Great Doctor (a.k.a. Faith) starring Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun. The High Doctor (Kim Hee Sun) is a plastic surgeon who is kidnapped from 700 years in the future by the Choi Yong (Lee Min Ho) to save the Princess who has been injured.

 

I find it funny that instead of using "him" or "her" the subtitles always say "that person". I also find it amusing that Asian romantic scenes seem extremely awkward. The actors look so uncomfortable when they hug or kiss. Tee-hee. It really does make me giggle.

We just recently finished binge watching the Rooftop Prince which had me ROFLOL half of the time. The other half of the time I wanted to reach through the television to strangle a few characters.

 

But mostly I found myself laughing...

 

And getting hungry. Throughout the show they kept eating omurice. It looked so good that we finally made a trip to Aloha Kitchen. They have a Hawaiian version of omurice called the Fried Rice Omelette. The Mister ordered the Portuguese Sausage Fried Rice Omelette and I got the Adobo Fried Rice Omelette. The Kid ordered his usual Hamburger Steak.

It was so good! We binged constantly this weekend and definitely did not stay within a budget of any sort. I guess that's why it's called binging.

Total cost of K-drama and food binge: $0.27 (Prorated $7.99/month Netflix Streaming) + $24.94 (Food) = $25.21

Aloha Kitchen
2605 S Decatur Blvd. #110
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 364-0064

Braddah's Island Style - Hawaiian Kine Burritos and Tacos

We were craving Hawaiian food but definitely not the typical plate lunch. That meant only one thing, Braddah's Island Style. I have been driving by this building for a while now and it just so happens that it is located next to Nakata Market where we were doing some shopping. BTW, the photograph above is courtesy of the Las Vegas Informer since I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of the building exterior.

The first thing you notice when you walk up to the building is the smell of Hawaiian barbecue. Is that huli huli chicken I smell? Why yes, it is. So exciting!

The three of us opted for bowls. The Mister got this bowl of Pulehu Steak over seaweed rice with toppings galore.

The Kid got the Huli Huli Chicken with brown rice. Plain. So unadventurous.

I couldn't decide and got half Kalua Pig and half Grilled Fish. Uh, don't ask me why I asked for cheese. Seriously? Cheese and fish? Not one of my best decisions but I was feeling pressured and forgot I wasn't at Chipotle!

I did, however, make the great decision in purchasing a small Box of Coconut Bark. It is definitely broke da mout and then some.

The chocolate, the caramel, the coconut, the cavities...but well worth it.

If you plan to visit Braddha's, be sure to take a picture of your toes in flip flops and post it on their Facebook page. You will receive free chips and guacamole.

Total cost of food binge: $33.02

Braddha's Island Style Burritos, Bowls & Tacos
2330 S Rainbow Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 220-0767

A Trip to Nakata Market

There aren't too many Japanese markets around Las Vegas so I am thankful that we have Nakata Market. It's very small but stocked with the essentials such as furikake, umeboshi and Calpico (can't live without it). What! You don't know what Calpico is? Where have you been! Calpico is a delicious addicting drink that seems to disappear in our house. The Kid chugs it like there is no tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I had other errands to run after my impromptu market visit. I wasn't prepared and didn't have my handy-dandy cooler with me. No perishables today. Bummer. Instead I got a few things that I knew I needed. Also a few things I didn't need but was too tempted by the drink packaging to care about the price. I am all about the visual.

Total cost of visit: $17.33

Nakata Market of Japan
2350 S. Rainbow Blvd, # 6 & 7
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 257-1414