Vegas: China Lights Las Vegas 2018 part one

A much belated Happy Chinese New Year! 

I know this is nearly a month late now, believe it or not.. How the time flies! Hard to believe we're already sliding into Mid-March...Feels like just yesterday that we were saying our vows at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel but that was nearly a month ago now! Sheesh. Antho has already watched the entirety of the Office twice since then, and it's only a matter of time until he's finished it again. It's such pleasant background noise, though, and it's fun finding new dimension to the characters with the repeated viewings illuminating little details and interactions we'd missed previously... but anyway, enough lamenting the passage of time, let's focus on the pretties! This post will be focusing on the China Lights festival and there are going to be LOTS of photos, so I've split the photos into three separate posts with the next two coming out on the 14th and the 15th, so if you like these make sure to check back for the rest! 

And pretty it most definitely was!

Have you ever been to a Chinese Lantern Festival? I 'm a bit embarrassed to admit I haven't been to many, despite having lived in Asia for three years... I visited one when I was in Seoul in 2016 and I'll have a post about that experience up in the next couple of months, but this is the second one that I can recall ever going to. I mean, there would be lanterns abounding at festivals in Urayasu or at any temple I visited while in Japan, but they were a very different sort of variety. 

It was a cold night in late February when we went, and unfortunately by now the event has long since closed up and moved on. It ran from January 19th to February 25th and we caught it very near to the end of it's stay. Because it was so cold and windy on the night we visited, the evening performances were cancelled and we were left to simply meander about the lights listening to the ambient music as we wished. It was a wonderful experience and despite the cold we enjoyed ourselves. There were several vendors providing hot foods, from grilled chicken to yakisoba and donuts, and we were extremely grateful for them! We got some pork yakisoba and the freshly fried donuts, with the vendor using a fun contraption to drop the little balls into the hot grease as you watched. This meant SUPER fresh, steaming hot donuts coated in sugar, perfect for the cold weather! Anttho also kindly got me a cup of coffee, which didn't take me long to drink but helped warm me as the temperatures grew colder as the night crept deeper.

I would wholeheartedly and happily recommend anyone curious about the event simply bite the bullet and go! I was a bit trepidatious about the $20 per person fee, but we really had a nice time walking through the park taking in the displays. Excellent date night idea, just make sure to bundle up to stay warm!

More photos below!

Vegas: Ethel M. Lights of Love 2018

The Ethel M. Lights of Love event at Las Vegas's own chocolate factory is a limited time shindig and will, unfortunately, already be closed for the year upon the publishing of this post. By limited time I mean severely limited, lasting only ONE week, and they close it up at 8pm! That's right, from February 7th through the 14th the cactus garden outside of the chocolate factory will be open to the public, completely free, to enjoy the beautiful romance themed lights. We went to check it out more or less immediately after our adventure at Sunset park photographing some of our tie-dye and hanging out with the local wildlife. We were surprised by how sparse the crowds were, considering, and enjoyed our stroll through the grounds. We did pop over to the factory for our pieces of free chocolate, however the actual factory area was mostly under construction as they reconfigure their manufacturing processes a bit. We didn't spend too long here as the grounds themselves aren't very expansive, and it was pretty chilly for the boys. I found a onesie in the van and slipped into that to heat up, but the boys were limited to jackets. If you're feeling a bit of deja vu with this post, it's probably because we went to the Ethel M Cactus Gardens not too long ago for their Christmas lights. I, personally, still like to call them illuminations because that sounds more romantic to me, but they're whatever you want them to be. Either way, the lights are lovely to look at and fun to photograph. We weren't the only ones with a camera out as I think there was an engagement photoshoot or something going on, too. A trio of photogs with their tripods out and ready were dutifully chasing a cute couple around the grounds, occasionally offering suggestions or asking for them to make some adjustments. Everyone was courteous and scooted around trying not to interrupt anyone else's photos or strolls, which was nice. It's not hard to see why a romantic photoshoot would be so apt here! If you happen to be in the area around next Valentine's day, this is certainly something to consider checking out. You can always buy a hot chocolate in the gift shop to warm up, and don't forget your mints lovebirds!

More photos below!

Las Vegas: Halloweeny sushi date with Antho

いくら軍艦寿司, Ikura gunkanzushi

Antho and I have many things in common, from our blue-tinged hair to an enthusiasm for Doctor Who and backpacking. Happily, sushi is one thing that we both greatly adore so our choice on date nights is usually quite an easy decision. We even share a profound appreciation for the glory of sea urchin! As such it makes an ideal choice for those rare nights we two get to go out and celebrate our coupleness.

A top choice for us to satiate our need for sushi in Vegas is Sushi Twister.

One of the bigger selling points for me is that the restaurant is owned and operated by Japanese staff, so I get to bust out my rusty Japanese skills and impress my guy. Winning!

Their specials board changes often, but we're always happy when they have super white tuna!

シマアジと白まぐろ握り寿司

shima aji in the front, super white tuna behind

Shima aji's appearance made me exceptionally happy as shima aji is traditionally considered a summer season fish in Japan and I don't think I've ever encountered it in a restaurant stateside. The oily fish has a rich, supple flesh without the fishiness of other mackerel. I'm a big fan of aozakana (blue fish), and the seasonal specialties of Japanese cuisine are one of the things I miss most.