Vegas in Review

It's been a few weeks now but I promised a Vegas review. So let's go back...

When you go away part of the experience (for me at least) is the weather wherever you are going. The weather in Vegas was pretty much the same there as it was here. That's not bad, it just wasn't different. And it's usually hot there. It was not. I missed out on pool time since we didn't have the sweltering heat that is the norm.

So when we arrived Monday afternoon it didn't feel like we were anywhere different without the sun beating down on us. But when we arrived at The Flamingo and walked in the doors, the scents and sounds wrapped themselves around us and then, finally, it felt we had arrived. I don't know what it is that makes the smell so distinctive (other than the smoke everywhere - ick) but something about it brings back the fond memories of past visits and we were very happy to be there!

The first thing we did after checking in was take a walk down the strip. There were many new buildings to see, namely City Center. We walked past it all to go to a particular favorite restaurant at the Monte Carlo. The end of that long walk did not result in lunch at our fav spot though. The place changed and we had to settle for a random cafe and free margaritas (we waited forever for our meal. We were starving and unhappy. Tequila has a way of making all things better.) I did win $9 here on slots! Later that evening, our friends Dena and Kent arrived and the party began. We went to the "kick off" party for the convention we were there for (Bar Owners Something or Other). We went to a big ball room where passed or devours and free drinks were flowing. That's how the rest of the trip went for the most part. Lots 'o booze!

We enjoyed our favorite haunts on the strip and managed to stay up until 2am or so. I have no idea how this happens but it's really amazing how we were up this late (5am Eastern Time!) with no problem. But sleeping in was not a success for any of us being on East Coast time still and having kids that basically ruin any ability to sleep late ever again. Booo. But we had much to look forward to. We met for breakfast then headed over to the convention center.

As I said, there was a lot of drink. The whole place was vendors with liquor samples, bar ware, glowing items for your bar, and even a beer garden for Leo, who was in heaven. Being the master brewer at home he picked the brains of the other brewers there and had a great time trying everything out. We all managed to swipe some cool glowy things for the kids - ice cubes with blinking lights, light up straws (or light sabers as we knew they would become) and flashing necklaces. We walked, sampled, walked and sampled. The following day was much of the same. We saw a guy who Dena thought was some rocker from the 80's but he turned out to be a different, less famous rocker, than we thought. No matter, we got pictures with him as well as the painted girls who were quite literally only wearing paint. Hey, it's Vegas. What do you expect?!

The cooooolest part happened by complete chance. Walking around at the start of the first day, Leo ran into an old friend from college, Artie. Artie is a co-publisher of a big magazine and his industry brings him to these events all the time. And he has great connections. Which means we suddenly did too. Artie invited us to his suite at the new building of Planet Hollywood, which was sponsored by Bacardi. We didn't even really know what the heck that meant, but it sounded like fun. So later that night, all dressed up and ready for the Vegas evening, we made it over to the 50th floor penthouse. Woooohoooo! This place was pretty cool. A full kitchen, projector TV, amazing bathroom, bedroom, etc. And the VIEW! He had a 270 view of the strip from way up there. It was awesome! We enjoyed cocktails and company for a while before venturing out again. Thanks Artie!

At that point we split up. We ended up playing slots for a while and just enjoying the night, stopping on the way to watch the Bellagio fountains of course. That's my favorite.

Wednesday night, after day two of the convention, we ventured out once more to see the Cosmopolitan. This new casino/ hotel is quite amazing and my new favorite place ever. It was quite gorgeous with it's leather padded walls, crystal beads, and other intricate designs on every inch of the place. The club there was  just as jaw dropping. But being the end of our trip, and knowing a very early morning was ahead of us, we didn't stay long.

The trip did go fast. But it was a good one. Having a little boy at home waiting for you changes things. I really wanted to get home and hug him! Also, living the Vegas lifestyle, even for a few days, is tiring! Not to mention horrendous for your health. So I was ready to call it quits and get back to the real world. Had there been some pool time though I may have been convinced to stay a day longer . . .  ; )