This
time, the trip diary is being divided up in a slightly different
way. In the past I’ve done it one day at a time… maybe two days
at a time… even by theme park. Essentially I’d go over the amount
of material I had and try to sort out the best way to present
it.
After
careful consideration I’ve decided that here, the best way to
present it is to split things up by the three phases of the trip…
Vegas… Grand Canyon… and back to Vegas.
It
all began on a Saturday in April…
Day
One ~ Saturday, April 19, 2008
There’s
an interesting twist to this trip… one that isn’t so unusual I
suppose given the cross-country nature of our flight, or even
when some thought about previous adventures reveals that others
began in a similar fashion… but we are leaving awfully late on
day one.
Ellen
and Richard are morning people. I am fairly certain they are involved
in making the wake up calls necessary on a daily basis to coordinate
sunrise for America’s east coast. I have been at their house…
trunk of my car open… on several occasions, in the quiet stillness
that is the dark of 4am, waiting to load luggage.
So
it is really throwing me off that I actually got to sleep late
today. Not really late… I could have slept later… but 8am on a
trip day? I really think that’s unheard of.
Around
11am we have united as a group of four, and not long after have
eaten at D’Angelos, met up with my parents to drop off our car,
and switched our luggage over to theirs for the drive to the airport.
We’re
heading out to Vegas on Continental this time… via Newark. And
our first real story of the journey comes to us from the Terminal
C food court. I am not sure whether our decision to get something
to eat was smart or not considering the chronological order of
things… but in the end, it definitely turned out for the best.
You
know how airlines have cut back on food? I mean seriously… these
days unless you have exact change, and that means cash only, chances
are you won’t even get a fun size Twix. Oh sure, they tell you…
in places like the deepest informational corners of their web
sites… that they serve meals on any flight over, well, let’s say
4 hours. What they then hide deeper on their web site is that
no plane in their entire fleet is ever scheduled for a flight
of more than 3 hours.
We
decided to grab something to eat in Newark. It had been three
hours or so since we ate lunch… and we figured that if we wanted
to go out for dinner in Vegas, we would want to avoid snacking
on the plane. So… after landing way ahead of schedule, only to
crawl to the gate and arrive there on time… we organize ourselves
at the gate for the next flight, then Richard and I wander off
to play hunter and gatherer.
Turns
out cell phones are a blessing of sorts. Menus are exchanged over
the phone (and the girls can’t see us rolling our eyes)… options
are discussed… and ultimately we are getting meals from the Wok-n-roll
and Greenleaf Grille. (If you want to have some fun when it comes
to the need for proofreading and quality control, do a search
and check out a page for the Newark Liberty EWR
airport. I certainly wouldn’t be upset to find out that
Wok-n-roll is spelled differently than I have it written down
here. And, having never heard of the Greenleaf Grille before,
I could have made a mistake. But on one page I found when originally
working on this piece, in the span of a few inches, there was
Wok-n-roll and Wok & Roll… and it has Greenleaf’s Grill and
Greenleaf’s Grille… so I’m going with my notes about the places
and the spellings.)
As
we wait in the food court for our meals, I start reading some
of the signs and postings and advertisements on the wall. Most
of them are telling me of the delicious temptations to be found
in Terminal C dining venues. And oh look… there’s one for Continental
Airlines! Did you know they are… oh wait… is that right? They
are the only ones offering in-flight meals for all passengers
on flights just like the one we are about to take?
Gee…
how about that? Makes you wonder.
Richard
and I take our food back to the girls.
We
get on board and Terry is sitting across the aisle from a wonderful
young girl named Emma. Don’t really have a joke here or some amazing
Emma note, but if you were a very young child named Emma and flew
across the country on this day, well, congrats, you are now on
the internet.
Looking
out the window at the wings of our plane, I see that they end
in those new, stylish, sweeping up curves. New plane… neat.
Or…
not so neat. Our first announcement over the relatively new address
system is that the in-flight entertainment system hasn’t been
installed.
I
sit there trying to figure out if I can ask for some extra honey
roasted peanuts instead of a meal… you know, as a way of apologizing
to me for not having the video system ready. On one flight a year
or so ago they didn’t serve peanuts at all because of some kid
with food allergies. I’m hoping the little brat isn’t on this
flight. (Joke people… it’s a joke.) But as I am considering all
this, I encounter the first example of the mixed blessings that
Continental is about to bestow upon me.
I’m
flipping through the in-flight magazine. Turns out the movie would
have been P.S. I Love You. Ok… so… a romantic story starring
Hillary Swank that involves love letters arranged from beyond
the grave?
And
I can’t watch it because we have no entertainment system of any
kind installed?
Yeah…
I dodged that one.
Our
meal arrives. Pizza and a salad. Ok… more like hot stale bread
with bad sauce and something that could have been vegetables on
the side. But it is an improvement, since the stale bread and
bad sauce was served hot.
Looks
like I dodged this one too. (At least there’s a fun size Twix
bar.)
We
reach the Rocky Mountains and are they gorgeous. For whatever
reason… either because I wasn’t paying attention, it was dark,
or something else… I haven’t really seen them before. We also
get a bit of a preview of the Grand Canyon… a location we will
be visiting in the middle of our trip.
For
the second time today our flight lands early. This time we pull
to a complete stop in the middle of nowhere in particular on the
runway instead of crawling along, and we wait until a gate is
cleared for us to use.
A
late day arrival has us ultimately deciding to grab a few items
for our room, get checked in, and settle down for the night. It
almost goes as planned…
My
personal Mi Luv U is along for the ride. It’s a Garmin Nuvi 200w
unit, and I love the thing. (Don’t go looking for it… they don’t
make it now, having advanced to other models. But… by all means…
buy a Garmin if you buy a GPS. There is no other brand. Trust
me.) The only problem? It takes a little while to get up and running.
So, naturally, instead of waiting a few minutes I decide to wander
into traffic and end up heading down the wrong street and making
a u-turn.
Let
me amend that. …end up heading down the wrong street and making
a u-turn while both ladies ask if I’m lost. Oops.
Quick
stop at Food 4 Less for some groceries and then over to the Grandview.
As we check in, Ellen is told that meeting times are filling up
fast… which kind of becomes a running joke. Soon we’ll see she
can’t get an answer about a problem with her room… but if she
wants to meet one of their sales agents, well, there are actually
lots of openings available on their booked solid schedule (and,
amazingly enough, without even asking we’ve even been placed into
one of them).
We
get to our room, but I’m wired. No chance of getting to sleep
even though it’s roughly midnight here and 3am back home. I decide
to wander across the street. Our resort is literally just a few
steps away from the South Point Hotel Casino. I figure maybe some
blackjack will do the trick.
It
was probably the lack of company as I look back on it… Terry,
Ellen and Richard all stayed back in the unit and went to bed.
But the first impressions of South Point won’t contain glowing
recommendations from me… the notes confirm my memory… incredibly
smoke filled, waitresses wearing unappealing uniforms that looked
like bad bathing suits, and a crowd of younger kids that seemed
to suggest a frat house serving alcohol to underage students instead
of people interested in slots and table games. I spent no more
than 45 minutes on the casino floor and went back to try and get
some sleep.
Day
Two ~ Sunday, April 20, 2008
An
interesting show is developing in our room this morning.
Richard
has earned quite possibly the most accurate nickname our group
has ever thought of… Mumbles. He has this funny habit, and it’s
one I’ve noted before.
Picture
yourself driving a van down the road with six people inside. At
a red light, you ask if anyone is hungry. The immediate and seemingly
unanimous response is no. As you prepare for the light to change,
you notice that the sign on one nearby restaurant is bragging
about the world’s best apple pie. So you mention it to the group.
The response has nothing to do with pie… you’re being told by
the back seat drivers that the light is green. But… at barely
a whisper… probably inaudible if you weren’t listening for the
possibility of something being said… you hear it…
“I
like apple pie.”
This
morning Ellen is ironing. Richard is supervising. Apparently,
near as I can tell, Ellen isn’t that happy with the suggestions
of upper management. I’m not sure if Ellen heard Mumbles as he
walked away… “Just trying to help. But if you don’t see the wrinkles,
iron it any way you want.” (Ok… maybe those aren’t the exact words.
I don’t want to get my guy into trouble. But it was close. I’m
also pretty sure Richard was lucky he didn’t spend the rest of
the day ironing his boxers from the inside as he walked.)
Ellen
is also trying to figure out how Terry and I managed to sleep
all night through the noise. Apparently, though we tossed and
turned on the pull out sofa (not because it was a pull out sofa…
I just never sleep well on the first night in a hotel or on a
trip), somehow we were unaware of the category 17 hurricane brewing
outside the window of the unit’s bedroom. Ellen can’t believe
it.
We’ve
got the Food Network on… and Robin Miller is running through some
interesting recipes with shrimp and pan fried dumplings. Orange
juice… lime... ginger… garlic… going to need to remember this
stuff.
Finally
we’ve got our act together after a slow start to the day and we’re
off… across the street so the whole gang can see South Point.
Richard
loves it. He’s playing roulette and within 5 minuets
he’s up $30.
I’m
not quite there yet with my opinion, but I do have to admit I’m
liking it more than I did just a few hours ago. Walking around
with Tigg we find a full-service movie theater with several screens,
a bowling alley, and other interesting corners. We might be spending
some time here after all.
All
four of us finally reassemble and debate the day. We decide to
head over to Ellis Island… a place we didn’t even know of last
time that Ellen had heard about when we got back and filed away
for the next trip. It’s the next trip… and we’re in the car… and
we have to wait for Mi Luv U to wake up. Apparently this isn’t
simply her usual slow routine of getting started in a new place…
but eventually she locates her satellite signals and all is well.
Parking
at Ellis Island is… well… to say it sucks really wouldn’t be fair.
It’s
worse than that.
The
trash… the signage… the walkways… and heck, you just name me a
feature, any item at all of a parking garage that leads to an
attached building, and I’ll sum it up here… At Ellis Island, the
____________ is horrendous. In fact, let’s have some fun… sort
of an Ellis Island Mad Libs.
At
Ellis Island, the way they lined the parking spaces in the garage
is horrendous.
At
Ellis Island, the lighting in the garage is horrendous.
At
Ellis Island, the labeling of the broken elevator so you know
it’s broken and you shouldn’t wait for it is horrendous.
At
Ellis Island, the walk from the garage into the resort is horrendous.
Funny
thing though. We walked into the casino and… as it turns out…
the parking garage is one of the most impressive and well-maintained
features of the Ellis Island property.
The comedian Larry Miller has a routine where he talks about the
levels of drinking. During it, he mentions being served by a waitress
with fresh stitches and thinking to yourself that this is the
woman you’ll marry. I can’t be certain, but I’m pretty sure that
in order to develop that routine he was at one of the later levels
of drinking and also very close to a gaming table on the Ellis
Island gaming floor.
(Amazingly,
in a few days I’ll see a waitress with fresh stitches… at a completely
different property.)
We
didn’t stay… turned around quickly, made a few guesses as to which
way to go to get back to the car, and left. Ellen’s pretty ticked
about the whole thing… because the visit cost her time out of
her vacation that cannot be reclaimed.
We
talk over some options and then head over to The Orleans… another
place we never visited on our first trip. And this time, the first
experience is going to be very different.
The
decision is quickly made to find a place to eat… we’re all starving.
After some glances around, we finally pick Don Miguel’s Cantina…
a small place featuring Mexican food, but more importantly with
a sign promising 99-cent margaritas and half-priced appetizers.
This
may have been one of the greatest accidental finds we have ever
experienced on a trip.
Settling
in at the bar, we all put a few dollars into the countertop slot
machines. The raspberry margaritas were great, and the peach and
banana were also pretty good. If I wasn’t driving, I would have
gone through the entire menu. (A few times.)
Our
food arrives, and all of the offerings are really decent. We had
stuck with appetizers, but we’re sharing them… and drinking… and
playing the lower denominations of the slot machine offerings…
and we’re just having a ball. Good food, good drinks, good friends…
great time.
And
then… the bill comes.
Because
we were playing, the bartender didn’t charge us for a single drink.
Not one 99-cent margarita on there and we went through more than
a dozen. And the appetizers were half price. Heck… we even tipped,
generously, based on the full-price costs of the items, and between
the four of us it was under $25 for four appetizers and the tip.
Amazing.
The
gambling wasn’t as thrilling. Ellen tried her hand at let it ride,
Terry went with blackjack and slots, and Richard played some roulette
and let it ride. I lost quickly at roulette and blackjack, so
I wandered over to keno to sit down for a bit.
Overall
though… not much money lost and a very enjoyable stay. If Don
Miguel’s is running their happy hour specials… absolutely stop
in and enjoy them.
The
Palms was our next stop… and I honestly don’t know what to tell
you about it.
I
was realty excited about going to the Palms on this trip. Part
of that excitement was because we also didn’t go to this property
on our last visit. Admittedly, most of that excitement was for
the Playboy Casino.
Richard
and I really wanted to play blackjack with a bunny dealing. We
would have gladly paid the cover charge… no questions asked. Heck,
short of having Princess Leia in the Jabba bikini outfit dealing…
in fact, no, strike that… the Playboy Casino with a bunny dealing
would be the top casino blackjack experience.
(And
don’t try to say something about a topless casino and how that
would be an improvement… because you have to remember, Richard
and I travel with Ellen and Terry, and I don’t see how you could
get me into a topless casino without my having to eventually answer
questions about whether or not I enjoyed it. It would be awesome
though.)
Well…
the Playboy Casino was closed when we got there. It’s only open
in the evening. And most of the tables were full… and we just
didn’t feel that comfortable.
Until
we started winning.
With
Ellen looking for a slot machine, and everyone seemingly intent
on hanging around a bit longer, I spotted a blackjack table with
a spot open and joined in. After a little more than a half-hour,
I was up about $140, bringing Terry and I back to even after losses
last night and earlier today.
Richard
wasn’t too happy when Vivian the robo-dealer made his stay at
third base uncomfortable, but he started doing better after leaving
that table… and Ellen was winning a bit on her video poker machine.
In
general it became a pleasant stop… but the reality is… I can’t
say anything too memorable about the place. Heck, the thing I
recall the most about it was driving past Pole Position Raceway…
a stop for later this week… as we pulled into the parking lot.
You know… and the closed Playboy Casino, because apparently at
the Palms they subscribe to a version of FCC rules and bringing
out the boobies only in prime time.
Back
to the hotel rooms… we are spreading out into our second room
this afternoon… and we have tickets for O that night.
A quick stop is made for the move and freshening up, and we’re
off.
I
had heard about Buffalo Wild Wings many times before, but had
never been close to one of their restaurants. But on this trip
we’ve passed a location, and I think the others agreed to try
it for dinner tonight just so I would stop offering it up every
time we got in the car.
The
result?
Good.
Very good. But not awesome. And I think the reason behind that
was… a tricky menu. They have more than a dozen signature sauces…
14 to be exact. And all of them are pretty darn good. So as first-timers,
we were just being pulled in all sorts of directions about what
to order. If we had stopped there to watch TV, drink, and eat
at will… awesome place. We were there for dinner and then off
to the show.
We
got some controllers so we could join in the trivia game. I won’t
say who won… but I will tell you who lost. And that would be Terry,
Ellen and Richard... and all of the other people logged into the
game. Some guy… sitting at their table… had logged in under the
name Travis and he leveled them all.
Off
we go to Bellagio. I’m really not sure what to tell you about
O, except this…
Fantastic.
On
our last visit, I thought Mystere was ok. Having seen
La Nouba in Florida though, I was expecting much more
from Cirque du Soleil and Mystere didn’t deliver that.
In this performance… I got everything I hoped for and more. And
from the conversation, it’s clear all of us enjoyed the performance.
On
our way out, we decide to walk through the Conservatory. A favorite
for the holiday decorations on the previous trip, we’ve heard
they go all out during the year and change up the look. And what
we’ve heard proves to be true. The place is decked out for spring,
with a floral display that also features live butterflies.
We
all leave feeling pretty good… unanimous wild applause from our
four impressions of the show… and head back to play some cards
on our own.
For
the record… Richard and the guy who kicked ass playing trivia
at Buffalo Wild Wings got our butts handed to us… Terry and Ellen
won without much of a challenge being mounted.
Day
Three ~ Monday, April 21, 2008
As
this day starts, I’m pretty disappointed. And frustrated too.
When
we checked in, we had to go over a list of items in the unit.
Kind of a standard thing that many of you may be familiar with,
and I’ve had some fun with it on this site before. 4 wine glasses…
check… 1 bottle opener… check… 1 glass mixing bowl… “Honey, do
you think this is the glass mixing bowl or the glass salad bowl?”…
check… flyswatter…
Yeah,
flyswatter. I spent some time wondering about that one on the
last trip to Las Vegas. Anyway… checklist… and I can’t find one
of the remotes for the television sets.
This
morning, it turns into a scavenger hunt for the group. Where’s
the remote? Is it in one of the night stands? No. How about a
secret drawer on an end table? Nope. Do the arm rests on the sofas
lift up to reveal some sort of storage container and cup holder?
Creative thinking… seen it in other places… but no.
In
all of our searching though, we do discover one thing. Happened
when Ellen wondered if the bedroom remote would work on the main
television set in the living room area. We’re not surprised to
find it doesn’t, or that the television sets in the living room
and bedroom are different. Different sizes… different brands.
Nothing really shocking there. Ahh… but the channels. There’s
the surprise… because they’re different. Everything is on a different
station, and some of the networks aren’t offered on both.
I
wake up this morning and start trying to find NESN. It’s Patriots
Day, and that means morning baseball in Boston… which means really
early morning baseball in Las Vegas... and we are awake, and moving,
but not really moving, here in the early Las Vegas morning. So
I decide to watch the game. Well… I would if I could find some
form of the game, or even a score, on any of the stations.
I
go into the bedroom to check the set in there. And… wouldn’t you
know it… no baseball game there either.
But
the really annoying part was no baseball score. We all know ESPN
stopped being the home of sports coverage and switched over to
entertainment a few years ago. Fine. But with only one game being
played… and we’re talking a live, in progress game… not a score
for it to be found. I certainly do understand people like seeing
those extended scores run along the bottom with game details and
stats. But when a live game is going on, you’d figure they could
work it into the rotation more often than they did.
We
gather our things, kick around a few ideas, and then the unexpected
comes together. Boris, a friend of Terry and I that works at Bellagio,
is available to meet up with us for lunch. We decide to head over
to Paris, wander around a bit, and then cross the street to catch
up with Boris.
Here’s
a strange detail about Paris. I left it and never knew I had left
it until I was told I wasn’t there.
Oh…
don’t get me wrong… visually I sort of knew it. The steel beams
of the Eiffel Tower were gone, and it really felt like I was in
a different place. But I had no clue… none… that I had crossed
over to Bally’s.
We
had stopped in a few stores, made some purchases, and I even went
back to the car to drop them off. We crossed the casino floor,
played a really short time, and then figured we’d check in at
the player’s club to see what was going on. None of us could remember
getting a Paris card on the previous trip, and we had no idea
who they were affiliated with, and if we were thinking of staying
or coming back or investing any real play into the property we
didn’t want to miss anything good, so… to the club desk!
I
swear I didn’t see any signs saying we had left. We had just moved
from one gaming pit to another, wandered around a corner or two,
got in line at the player’s club and… wham… the representative
welcomed us to Bally’s. In fact, I swear, I even thought Bally’s
was on the other side of the building I thought I was in when
I found out I was in Bally’s.
Does
that make sense? Good… because it didn’t to us either.
We
arrive at the Bellagio and Boris is looking great. We head over
to the buffet, and it is fantastic. Huge assortment of food, and
an amazing variety of desserts.
Now…
it’s a buffet. So the idea of talking about it would seem to rest
in one of two areas. Either this buffet was really big and I need
to tell you it was stupendous… or… after experiencing it in person
I need to tell you that it was just like all the rest. One or
the other. Right? Well… I think there’s a slight bit of truth
in both concepts.
The
buffet at the Bellagio is very similar to several others I’ve
tried at different casinos, in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and at
other assorted properties. For example, it is very big. I thought
the Pharoah’s Pheast at the Luxor was big, with ok food, but by
and large unimpressive. On the other side of the country, I remember
being impressed by the Epic Buffet at the Sands in Atlantic City…
but then again, given the limitations of my wallet and how long
ago that visit was, all you can eat for as little as possible
was fine dining to me about ten years ago when Terry and I were
there. Plus… you know… that place is gone. (Isn’t it? Yeah… the
Sands is gone in AC. Been gone a few years I think.) The main
idea being… this was not our first casino buffet… this was not
our first big casino buffet… we’ve met before. So the variety
and the scale and the fresh plates and the amazingly coordinated
chaos of people weaving and moving in seventy-five different directions
while all thinking the same thing (“How do I save room for as
much dessert as possible?”)… yeah… I’ve seen this show. And the
weaving around the service areas at the Bellagio is vaguely familiar.
What
impressed me about this one, and separated it from those others,
was…well… apparently no one told the people at the Bellagio that
a buffet is casual dining, where the menu can sound all fancy
and such, but you’ll impress people by saying lobster and shrimp
and prime rib, but it doesn’t really have to be awesomely prepared
lobster. It doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be there.
The
quality of the food here seemed a step or two above any other
buffet I’d ever seen. And beyond the food quality, even with seating
set up to maximize the numbers in the room, the space was divided
to give a sense of comfort to the surroundings. This wasn’t cheap
food with mobs of hungry tourists. This was pretty darn good food
that you happened to serve yourself with mobs of hungry tourists
you really didn’t even notice were sitting nearby.
We
finish our lunch and Boris offers to take us on a tour of the
property and… oh… my… god… is it huge!
No…
really… serious here. You go out to a pool and around the Conservatory
and through the spa and down into the convention services area
and between some ballrooms and you turn a corner and there…
There
you find out there is an entirely different list of Renaissance
age artists you hadn’t even considered people would think of naming
conference rooms after… well known artists… well known artists
that the fantastic folks at Bellagio did decide to name
conference rooms after. (Oh… I see… you think I’m kidding. After
all… how could you run out of names? Ok…)
Our
tour starts as we exit the buffet. For perspective, if you were
standing on the strip and looking at the fountains, we are in
the back right of the property near the O Theater. (The
trick being that realistically, to your point of view, we would
be off to the right… but looking down from above, essentially
we are only about halfway to the back property line.)
Boris
takes us across the casino floor and into some of the private
lounge areas, eventually crossing over into the Conservatory.
We
head upstairs to the spa and salon area, which has a beautiful
balcony overlooking the flowers. He takes us through the fitness
center and Sensi, and to a point overlooking the massive outdoor
pool area. A stunning design of pools, walkways and plants creates
an atmosphere quite similar to what I described about the buffet…
it is huge on a fantastically unbelievable level, but there are
ways to actually consider sections of it as isolated and comfortable.
We
come back down stairs near the Da Vinci, Rapheal and Tower ballrooms.
A long walk past the Grand and Bellagio ballrooms and… of course…
it finishes up with the Monet room. Oh wait… no it doesn’t… wedding
chapels are there, right near the entry way that leads out to
the opposite side of the pools from where we had seen them a short
time ago, and around another corner… well… the Galleria is surrounded
by Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Gauguin and Cezanne. Heck… look… I
didn’t even name them all here.
This
property is gorgeous… and immense… and incredible.
Boris
has to leave us, so we wander back on to the casino floor and
over near some blackjack tables. Finding one with a $5 minimum,
all four of us join Sandy and Sylvia to play for a while.
Eventually
it’s time to go… we have tickets for Love, and that means
a journey to the Mirage. We gather our belongings, get ready to
go, and start heading back over toward the Paris and our car.
And that’s when Ellen crossed the line.
Anyone
remember dirty card day? It was one of the high points of the
2004 trip for our gang.
All
over the Vegas streets are business cards… sort of business cards…
they are cards… they are for business… so dirty business cards
sums it up perfectly… some of incredible beauty and tasteful nakedness…
some of quite scary nakedness. On our first group trip to Vegas,
I wondered if I could find a full deck’s worth of different cards.
And… with Richard’s assistance… I did.
We
even managed to find the Holy Grail of dirty cards… two lovely
blondes that cared enough for each other to be photographed naked,
while each lovingly and admiringly gazed directly at the other’s
bum. Brings tears to my eyes that two ladies could share such
a wonderful moment and touching bond.
As
we crossed the street, Richard spotted Angel’s card on a light
pole. And, in all honesty, Angel did look like she was capable
of sharing and creating moments with you close in emotion and
beauty to those depicted on the Holy Grail card.
Richard
smiled… and looked at the card… and then held it up for me to
see… and then looked at it again and smiled… and eventually he
went to put it in his pocket. Ellen asked Richard if she could
look at the card… and try as best I could to quickly scream “Oh
Richard no!!!”… he handed it to her.
And…
she… tore… it… up.
I
left the three of them at the corner… mere steps away from the
scene of the tragedy… Terry sitting on a bench with Richard, offering
a kind word or two of sympathy. I got the car, came around and
picked them up. By the time I arrived, Richard was composed enough
for us to continue on our journey.
I
don’t recall Richard’s exact words at the time, but in the margin
of my notes it says… “Ellen is such a bitch.” It’s possible I
said that.
We
arrive at the Mirage and we… are… early. Terry and I
haven’t been doing really well with the gambling part of the trip
so far… losing overall. The Palms helped yesterday, and a few
hands of blackjack before the show serve us well in our attempt
to get back to even.
Love
itself is incredible. The theater is wonderfully designed, and
every inch of the stage… and audience… is used to perfection.
The music is brilliant, and the experience amazing.
Personally,
I enjoyed O a bit more… agreeing with Richard on that.
The girls both thought Love was the best. We all agree
that in back-to-back nights we have been entertained by two tremendous
shows.
We
decide to take a chance on seeing the pirate battle over at Treasure
Island tonight. It wasn’t running during our last visit, and there
is a tram between the two properties. Unfortunately… chaos ensues…
Between
Love getting out and several other people apparently
having a similar idea… the tram is packed. But, worse yet, the
tram lets us out just beyond the theater for Mystere…
which, of course, is just sending out the audience from its first
show along with having a packed hallway waiting on seating for
the second performance.
As
we reach the walkway around the casino floor, we start to see
a wave of people heading for us because as the final blow to our
chances… you guessed it… the pirate show just ended.
We’re
tired and not interested in hanging around until the last show
of the night. Tomorrow we’re off to the Hoover Dam and the Grand
Canyon. We decide to pass on the pirates, figuring maybe we’ll
catch it on another night when we get back into Vegas later this
week. (We don’t.)
Back
at the resort, Ellen is about to finally put the wind tunnel to
rest.
(Sort
of.)
We’ve
been spending portions of days two and three stopping at the front
desk for a variety of reasons. Terry and I are expecting a fax…
a package… a package of a fax… something. And Ellen is trying
to figure out the darn noise that has been keeping them awake
all night.
We
had figured out it was the duct work next store. The problem was
we couldn’t figure out how to turn it off.
Changing
rooms?
Would
have been a great option. But because of the way rooms are staggered
for lengths of stay, the only option that seemed to be possible…
and Ellen didn’t explore it long enough to find out if it was
possible… was going to involve changing rooms again later in the
week. And that was going to mean moving once, moving again, and
finally, moving again over the span of the last few nights.
Switching
rooms with us?
We
suggested it. Ellen wouldn’t hear of it. (She may be a bitch when
it comes to collecting pictures of beautiful naked hookers with
low self-esteem… but she’s all heart when it comes to the comfort
of her friends.)
Sleeping
in the living room on the pull out sofa instead of the bed?
She
already tried it. Wasn’t happy about it.
On
this night though, at least she has some closure. She’s decided
they are going to just stay put in the room until the end of the
week when they move in with us.
And
naturally… once that was decided… the wind stopped blowing. So
of course, after a decent night of rest, we’ll leave tomorrow
for a night in a new hotel.