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Formerly Monte Carlo, Park MGM metamorphosized into its current form as part of a $550 million rebranding project that wrapped up in 2019.
In addition to renovating and refreshing guestrooms and common areas, Park MGM added an exciting lineup of dining options that include Bavette’s Steakhouse, Best Friend, and Eataly, which has the feel of an Italian street market.
Notably, Park MGM is currently the only smoke-free casino in Las Vegas, which either adds to its appeal… or dissuades you from staying there, depending on your perspective.
Park MGM has always intrigued me as a mid-tier hotel option that’s nicer than the likes of Excalibur and Luxor, but not quite at the level of resorts like Bellagio, Aria, and Vdara.
I recently had a chance to stay in one of Park MGM’s baseline King Rooms for the first time since the resort’s rebranding and look forward to sharing my experience along with plenty of pictures!
The room was complimentary due to my gaming activity within the MGM Rewards program, however, I was still on the hook for the $39 resort fee + tax.
As I always espouse, the check-in process at resorts under the MGM umbrella is a thing of beauty.
I was able to check-in a day early via the MGM Resorts phone application and was told that I’d be alerted when my room was ready the next day.
Fast forward to the next day – Park MGM emailed me at about 1 pm, letting me know that my room was ready and that my room key was now accessible from within the phone app.
A screenshot of my room key.
I was able to walk right up to my room without ever waiting in a line, interacting with a person, or punching information into a kiosk.
Seriously, seamless.
Park MGM Common Areas
I always like to take note of the condition of common areas before getting to my room as they usually hint at what I can expect to find inside.
As you’d expect, Park MGM’s common areas still shined following the renovation work. The hotel lobby (below) is a stunner, and is certainly unique.
I couldn’t get a shot not ruined by crowds – Courtesy of MGM Resorts
The elevator lobby and hotel hallways were a bit of a letdown on the “bells and whistles” front compared to the lobby, but were in great condition and felt classy enough. No real “wow factor”, however.
Inside the Park MGM King Room
I know there are competing schools of thought and plenty of opinions regarding the rooms at Park MGM, but I was immediately impressed by the decor and overall “vibe” of the room.
The red accent walls popped and random photos lined the walls. I found the wall art to be interesting, different, and a departure from the bland pictures you find at so many Las Vegas resorts.
The room didn’t exactly feel spacious although it weighs in at a pretty standard 406 square feet, and the layout was certainly… unique…
Here are a few first-impression pictures:
An immediately noticeable quirk of the room was the viewing angle of the TV from both the bed and the couch.
While the TV could swivel back and forth, it wasn’t able to get to an ideal angle for people sitting on either, unless you were laying on the couch facing the TV, or sitting in the brown chair pictured below.
It’s almost as though the room designers ran out of space for the TV and had to punt by sticking it all on the one wall that was open.
I don’t mean to say that the TV is unwatchable, it’s just not in an ideal position.
Storage was limited to a few hangers and a skinny dresser with 4 drawers in the closet.
Also found in the closet was also an iron, ironing board, safe, ice buckets, and 2 drinking glasses.
The dark brown leather chair found in the living area was a nice decor touch and exuded an upscale vibe. As mentioned, it was also the only chair in the room that gave you a straight-on view of the TV.
Flanking the bed were two accent tables that had both traditional power outlets and USB charge ports.
Atop one of the tables was a white noise machine that could play the sounds of rain, a brook, thunder, an ocean, a summer night, or static.
Atop both bedside tables were small reading lights.
Aside from the white noise machine, there weren’t any other unique amenities or advanced technology that you sometimes find in modern hotel rooms.
Although the room lacked any “above and beyond” amenities, it felt clean, modern, and of good quality. Honestly, this is a budget hotel room done right.
The bathroom’s focal point was a red tile shower contrasted with white grout that had a really unique look.
Across from the shower was a single sink vanity, a backlit mirror, and a towel rack.
In addition to the standard soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion typically found in hotel bathrooms, I was surprised to find a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, scope mouthwash, shaving cream, and a razor on the counter. A nice touch, and a first that I’ve seen in Las Vegas.
Like the room, the bathroom felt basic, but nice, and of good quality.
Dining at Park MGM
I ate one meal at La Macelleria during my stay, and I feel the experience is worth sharing.
La Macelleria is a butcher shop & kitchen within Eataly. There, I selected a raw ribeye steak (which cost $39), and let them know how I wanted it cooked, and they grilled her up right in front of me.
Within ten minutes, I was chowing down on the masterpiece pictured below along with that massive cheesy baked potato (which was an additional $19).
Both were great, although the chunks of bacon on the potato were so hard I almost cracked a tooth.
If you’re looking for an affordable, quick, and really good steak, check it out!
There it is. The finished product.
What’s Not to Like?
Dusty Table: When I review hotel rooms, I scour the place, hunting for hairs, stains, scuffs, etc. Although this was an exceptionally clean room, I did notice that the coffee table hadn’t been dusted in some time.
Fortunately for the clean freaks among us, this was the room’s only real cleanliness infraction.
No personal fridge: The absence of a fridge with space for personal items is always a bummer for those that like to stock the room with cheap cocktails (slowly raises hand) purchased at CVS or Walgreens.
No real bells & whistles: Aside from a white noise machine and USB ports near the bed, the room didn’t have any real signature amenities beyond stylish decor.
Odd bed to TV angle: As I mentioned, the TV was in an odd spot on the wall and didn’t offer quite enough swivel to be easily viewed while sitting on the bed or from the couch.
Is the Park MGM King Room Worth the Money?
Although it’s not a room that’ll blow your socks off with luxury and unique amenities, I think Park MGM is my favorite budget-friendly hotel in the MGM Resorts family.
The room simply felt nice, classy, polished, and clean. The red accents were unique, and the shower was impressive.
While some argue that Park’s hotel decor gives rooms a “blah” or “non-Vegas” feel, I found the room to be unique and visually appealing.
The room layout was less than ideal for TV watchers, but it’s not something I minded.
The couch, table, and leather chair in the small living area made for a decent spot to hang out and chat or have a drink before heading out for the night, even if the couch didn’t face the TV.
Commonly priced just a tad higher than lower-tier resorts like Luxor or Excalibur, Park MGM is a no-brainer in comparison and worth spending a few extra bucks for.
Park MGM is a far cry from high-end options like Aria and Bellagio, but it does a nice job of finding the middle ground between those upper-echelon resorts and those in the lowest tier.
Ultimately, this is the perfect room for those that want to book a fresh, stylish, clean, and quality hotel room without breaking the bank. If that’s you, then book with confidence.
No more searching for the perfect yarn! Learn the easy basic steps of dyeing yarn right at home
Have you see the stunning hand dyed yarns in your local yarn shop or at a wool fest? Don’t those lovely skeins make you want to try and dye your own yarns? Well, you can!
This easy step by step tutorial shows you the basic steps of dyeing wool yarn right at home. And don’t worry, it does not have to be expensive, either.
What is hand dyed yarn?
It may sound obvious but it refers to yarn that has been dyed by hand, in small batches and without the use of large machines. This can be done with a variety of techniques including hand painting, kettle dyeing, speckle dyeing, crock pot dyeing and more.
The main criteria (in my view) is that the batches of yarn are relatively small and the dye process does not include the use of large machinery and is “hand made”.
A note about the supplies you need:
Before you begin, there are a few things for you to consider. First, for this particular method your yarn needs to consist of protein fiber or mostlyprotein fiber.
By protein, I mean any animal fiber such as sheep wool, alpaca fiber, goat, bison or any fiber that comes from an animal.
Then, you need to make sure that the dyes match the fiber. Specifically, you need acid dye for wool, not fiber reactive dyes which are used for cellulose or plant fibers. (Don’t worry, the “acid” refers to the vinegar we will use)
Please keep in mind that although these dyes are safe to use, they are chemicals and should be used with a few precautions:
Work in a well ventilated area: If you can do your dyeing outside, that would be ideal. If you have to work indoors, make sure your room is properly ventilated with open windows and fans.
Use only dedicated pots and pans: ANY AND ALL equipment that you use for dyeing is no longer safe to use in the kitchen! (The only exception to this rule is if you use food coloring as dye.)
This includes: Pots and pans, microwave, crock pot, strainers, bowls, measuring cups, mixing cups and spoons, lids, scales.
Yarn dyeing process steps:
Before you begin it is important to note that when you dye wool yarn, there is a chance that it can felt if handled incorrectly. The two things you need to remember to prevent felting:
Handle your wet yarn very gently and carefully anytime you need to move or rinse it
Avoid extreme temperature changes
1. Soak the yarn
First you will want to soak your yarn in very warm water with white vinegar added. This can be done directly in your roasting pan. Pour enough water to cover about 1 inch of the bottom of the pan with warm water. Then, add about 1 cup of white vinegar.
Push the yarn down into the water to make sure it is completely submerged and then leave it for at least 30 minutes or longer to give the wool the chance to absorb the water.
Note: dry pockets of yarn will not take the dye the same way as wet yarn so you may end up with odd patches of color.
2. Mix the dyes
While your yarn is soaking, it is a good time to mix up all of your dye powders. You want them all to be ready to go.
How much dye you need depends on the amount of fiber you are dyeing. Check the specific directions on your dye containers for exact ratios.
Here is what I do with small batches. In this case, I am dyeing one skein that weighs 100 grams or 3.5 ounces so I will start with ½ teaspoon of dry dye powder to about 1 cup of water per color.
Keep in mind that you can always add more later if the color is not deep enough for you.
So, put your dust mask on and then measure out about ½ teaspoon of dye into a small, old container. Then add a small amount of hot water and work it into a paste with a plastic spoon. You want to get all of the dye wet, if possible.
Add a bit more water and keep stirring. Repeat until all of the dye is dissolved and then pour it into one of your squeeze bottles. Top it off with more water and shake thoroughly.
Repeat this with the rest of your colors.
3. Apply the dyes
If your yarn is soaking in a roasting dish, you can set that on top of your hotplate or stove. At this point, I go ahead and turn the stove to low/medium heat. (If it starts to simmer, you want to turn the heat down).
Note: make sure there is some water in your dish. How much water will depend on how muted and blended you want your colors.
For instance, if you completely cover your yarn with water, the dyes will have more of a chance to move around and mix with other colors. This will result in a more muted color palette.
A small amount of water keeps the dyes more localized, resulting in sharper colors and less mixing.
With the skein in the images below, I wanted muted colors so I used a lot of water.
Take one of your squeeze bottles and apply some dye to your yarn. Don’t put too much dye too soon. You can always add more!
Next, take an old chopstick and stir the dyes a bit to make sure they get distributed.
Note: if you want brighter colors, stir less vigorously to keep the color in place.
Repeat applying the dyes and distributing them with all of the remaining colors. You can overlap the different colors to create more tones or you can try and keep them separated.
Note: If you don’t use a lot of water, it may be harder to get color to the underside of the yarn so you may end up with white patches. You can carefully lift different sections with a chopstick to check the process.
4. Heat the yarn
Once you have the yarn dyes where you want them, it is time to “process” or set the dyes. Turn the heat on your stove to medium/high until it begins to simmer. Then turn it down and just lightly simmer until all of the dye has been exhausted or absorbed.
This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Once the dyes have been absorbed and the water is clear, turn off the heat and allow the yarn to cool completely.
5. Rinse the yarn
Once the yarn has cooled, carefully remove it from the pan and rinse it with room temperature water to remove any remaining dye particles. Remember to handle it gently and avoid extreme temperature changes.
Finally, just hang your freshly dyed skein up to dry completely. Your hand beautiful yarn is now ready to use!
What can you make with hand dyed yarn?
These unique yarn colorways are perfect for knitting or crocheting one-of-a-kind scarves, mittens, hats and more. Just make sure that the type of yarn matches your chosen pattern.
For instance, if your pattern calls for worsted weight, make sure that is what you are using.
Hand dyed yarn also makes a wonderful diy gift idea for someone who loves to knit or crochet. Do you know someone who knits socks? This blank sock yarn takes Jacquard dyes beautifully and you only need one skein to make a pair of adult socks.
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