Today is Tracie’s birthday, and I wanted to kick it off with a surprise, so I ordered a few surprises through Instacart — a happy birthday banner, flowers, a balloon, a small cake, and snuck it in to have it ready when they opened their suite door. A fun way to start the day!
We called an Uber and got picked up at the hotel entrance. That first ride started out a little exciting. It was me, Tracie, and Glenn getting into the back seat, all trying to grab our seatbelts and not goose each other at the same time. Glenn still had his door open — and may or may not have had one leg still on the ground — when the driver started to move and even put it in reverse. He yelled “woah, woah, woah”, we laughed about it once we were safely on the road, but it definitely got the adrenaline going early.
The minute we pulled into the drop-off area of the Venetian, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling above the driveway — completely covered in frescoes. Even before you step inside, it feels grand.
Then you walk through the doors, and there it is: the massive golden Armillary Sphere in the center of the lobby. It’s a globe of interlocking rings surrounded by sculpted figures, modeled after ancient instruments once used to chart the stars. Created by artist Toland Grinnell in 2014, it’s become one of the resort’s most photographed landmarks. I must have taken a hundred pictures of it from every angle throughout the day.
We wandered through the grand marble lobby with its frescoed ceilings and chandeliers.
We then wandered through the casino on our way to Restaurant Row, taking in how huge the resort really is. Our plan was to find Bouchon, the restaurant our birthday girl chose, and figure out how to get from the Sphere later that night to Bouchon. We needed to know how long that walk would take so we could be sure our dinner reservation timing made sense. We had it set for 7pm and ended up moving to 745pm.
Sound simple? Well it is not easy, but it’s like trying to find a speak easy without GPS. After looping around for a while and not finding it, we decided to change direction. We said, “Let’s go find the Sphere first, and reverse to figure out how long it takes to walk from there to Bouchon.”
So we walked outside, following the signs toward the pedestrian bridge that supposedly connects the Venetian to the Sphere. That’s when we learned — from an email Tracie had received — that the bridge was temporarily closed for updates. Crews were out installing barriers and enclosing walkways in preparation for the upcoming Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix, happening November 20–22, 2025. So we ended up walking along the sidewalk instead, passing the work crews and watching all the setup taking shape.
The weather was nice making for a great walk. When we reached the Sphere, we saw the giant ruby slippers outside near the base of the building, a fun nod to the Wizard of Oz theme.
We made it as far as to see the main entrance, the area was locked until later for showtime. Once we’d gone as far as we could, we turned around. Glenn started his stopwatch and pulled up Google Maps so we could track our route from the Sphere back to Bouchon.
That’s when things went sideways. Google Maps told us to turn left when we should have gone straight. It sent us right into the crowd from the AAPE (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo), a huge auto parts trade show that brings in close to 50,000 people to the Venetian each year. One kind soul told me to go back to where we’d made the wrong turn, keep going straight to the glass doors, go in, take a right up the escalators, and that would put us back on track.
That tip worked perfectly. We took the escalator, followed the flow of people through the Palazzo — which sits between the event center and the Venetian — and finally made our way back through the maze of hallways to Bouchon.
By then we were starving, so we stopped at Chica, a Latin-fusion restaurant by Chef Lorena Garcia. The place was bright and lively. We started with guacamole and ordered bottomless margaritas — most of us mango, which were excellent. Tim and I had tacos, while Tracie and Glenn had hearty bowls. Our birthday girl got a treat!
After lunch, Glenn and Tim went to try a dealer-led Texas Hold’em table, and Tim actually won money. Meanwhile, Tracie and I went shopping in the Grand Canal Shoppes. The whole area feels like Venice — painted sky above, cobblestone walkways below, and gondoliers singing as they steer boats through the canals.
We wandered through the huge shopping area, stumbled on a fun Wizard of Oz display, and found a boutique that had a familiar vibe. Turns out they have some of the same things we’d seen at Mandalay Bay the night before — the bonus was everything was 50 percent off. We picked up a few things and, by some miracle, ran into the guys right as we came down an escalator.
We felt confident we knew our plan for our return trip, so we head home to get changed for the show and dinner after.
After a power nap, and refresh, we met promptly at 315pm. This time we scored our favorite Uber driver, Joseph, who took us to the Sphere that evening. He was funny, sharp, and full of Vegas stories.
Joseph told us the Sphere stands about eighteen stories tall, holds around eighteen thousand people, and is covered in over a million LED lights. It opened in 2023 and is now the largest spherical structure in the world. We told him about how Google Maps had steered us wrong earlier in the day, and that started a great conversation. We joked about how someone should invent an indoor-map app for casinos, and Joseph laughed and said it would never happen — the casinos want people a little lost. We all agreed he was probably right.
Inside the Sphere, it felt futuristic and enormous. Before the show, we looked at the merchandise. I was doing fine until I saw the Wizard of Oz souvenir cup. I ordered a drink, but it came in a plain one, so I asked to switch. The guy said, “Sure, but it’s a seven-dollar upcharge.” I wanted the cup and the little witch stir stick, so I went for it. When he spun the screen for payment, the lowest tip option was 20 percent for counter service, which drives me crazy. I adjusted it, and he spun it back to see what I tipped. It probably affected the pour, but all I really wanted was the cup. My poor decision meant I had to keep up with that cup the rest of the night!
Once we sat down, we realized there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Each chair has built-in speakers and effects. When the Wicked Witch appeared, our seats shook; when the Wizard showed up, flames went off and you could feel the heat. At one point, it literally felt like we were inside a tornado. I was glad I’d pinned my hair down. It was one of the most impressive shows I’ve ever seen, and we even caught a few floating leaves to take home.
When the show ended, our earlier dry run paid off. We found our way easily through the crowd and back toward the Venetian. Our shortcut through the conference center was closed, so we had to go the long way through the casino again. It really does feel like they design those layouts to keep you wandering.
On the way to dinner we found a Wizard of Oz photo op.
Dinner at Bouchon was worth the effort. It sits up on Level 10 by the pool garden, with outdoor seating that wraps the terrace — one of those spots where you have to double-take to be sure you’re looking at the real sky and not one of the resort’s painted skies. Inside, the ceilings have hand-painted murals by French artist Paulin Paris, and along the upper trim there are whimsical painted phrases that feel like a riddle. Our waiter didn’t know the “answer,” and neither did we — but it was a fun, very French touch. Tim and Glenn had leg of lamb, Tracie ordered salmon, and I had the roasted chicken with a French sauce that was perfect. They brought Tracie a birthday dessert, and we toasted her day.
Getting an Uber afterward was another adventure. The Venetian was built before rideshares existed, so finding the pickup area took some time. Eventually we found our driver and headed back to the hotel, tired, laughing, and full of good food and stories.
It was one of those days that felt like three in one — fun, unpredictable, and full of little surprises. The perfect way to celebrate Tracie’s birthday.
Happiness is Possible 