What’s been happening in Vegas
Shuttle arrived just after 2pm. The driver was completely insane, and insisted that I go to some seafood buffet. I said I though that sounded like a horrible idea, because seafood needs to be fresh – not shipped out to the middle of the desert and slapped on a tray for hours. He insisted that they had “the best seafood in the world.” I am, wisely I think, utterly ignoring his foolish advice.
Got to the airport without incident. The woman in front of me was randomly selected for more intensive screening, though I managed to avoid the TSA anal probe once again.
I sat around for a while, ate lunch, (re-)read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (a most appropriate book for this vacation, I think), and listened to some Converter. I flew out on time at 5pm, and got into Salt Lake City. I thought the layover there would be around an hour, but I forgot they’re an hour ahead – it was just enough time to use the bathroom before boarding started.
I got into Vegas around 9, and went back to the hotel. My lame boss and his friend decided to go directly to sleep – this was unacceptable for me, so I wandered on down the strip. I hit up New York New York, and got myself a Singapore Sling. I also won around $18 on a 1¢ slot machine. Flush with my victory, I promptly spent it on another Singapore Sling.
I hung around there a while longer, then wandered back down the strip. Nothing caught my eye, so I just went to the hotel and went to sleep. But it was around 2:30am by that point – a good start, I think.
We started out by going to the Stratosphere. This place is insane – they have a tower 1,200 feet high, with an amusement park on top. Unlike anywhere I’d been previously, they had a metal detector. This is bad news, since I’ve been carrying my mini Wortac everywhere. But I pulled it off with aplomb, hiding it under my billfold in the cup, then palming it after I got through the detector. Go me.
I had to do some serious convincing to get my boss or his friend (Jim) to go on the rollercoaster with me, but in the end, I was successful. The coaster itself was pretty tame, but when you’re going 30mph down a drop in the track, and all you see in front of you is the city spread out… well, it’s a pretty effective rush.
We sauntered down to the restaurant, and had lunch. The place reminded me of the Space Needle – the track the tables are on rotates. The Space Needle is significantly taller, though.
After that, my nerd boss insisted that we go to the Hilton for their Star Trek Nerdvana. We went on both of their rides; Borg Invasion 4D and the Klingon Incident. Borg invasion was pretty neat, but the ride wasn’t too intense. It had it’s moments, though, like when stuff which appeared to be right in front of your face (thanks to the 3D glasses) blew up, you got sprayed with a burst of air and fluid. The Klingon ride was much more intense, to the point that I felt I may actually hurl.
Whew, this is getting long. So after that, Jim decided to go back to the hotel and take a nap, while Shawn and I contuned to wander the strip. We went to the Mirage and checked out Sigfried and Roy’s secret garden, and the dolphins. Then on to see when the show at Treasure Island started. It wasn’t for a bit, so we went to find me some swimming trunks, since I forgot those. We did find some, but they were intensely ugly, and $60. I dedcided I’d just wear my shorts in the pool. We got back to TI just as the show was ending, so we went to the Wynn (the slick new hotel in town) in the mean time.
They had an art exhibit there, which I decided I had to see, because they had a Van Gogh. They also had a couple Picassos, a Rembrandt, a Vermeer, a Matisse, and a few others. The Van Gogh was Young Peasant Woman with Straw Hat Sitting in the Wheat
After that, we went back to TI and caught the show, which was pretty impressive. Then we went back to the hotel, since it was around 10 by that point, and we hadn’t heard from Jim. We went back to the hotel and located him, and got ready to go to dinner at the Hard Rock Café.
That place was insane. There was some Vegas wedding reception going on, and everyone was utterly smashed. The groom took his top off and laid down on some of the tables, while a friend sprayed his chest with whipped cream and his bride licked it off. Madness.
And the DJ sucked. I wanted to hear some, you know, hard rock, but he didn’t have any: Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, or any decent metal. Of course, he did have Metallica’s Black album. Grumble.
We decided to get some expensive scotch after that, and the waiter told us a place were we could locate some. Of course, we had no idea where it actually was, and so I used this as a pretense to strike up a conversation with a pair of very cute girls from Norway. While Shawn and I were chatting them up, Jim wandered away. We fumbled the close, and didn’t get the girls’ numbers, and now Jim is missing. Crap!
We wander around until we find the liquor store, but he’s not there. However, there is a conspicuous empty slot on the top shelf of the scotch section, so we know he’s been there. We backtrack to the Hard Rock Café, and see him there. We start walking back to the hotel, and see the girls going the same way. I dash across five lanes of drunk drivers, and invite them to have some scotch (18 year old Macallan) with us poolside. They decline, but say that we should have a drink and meet up with them at the club up the street. I agree, and make the 200′ drunk-driver dash again.
So, we go up and have some scotch, and then mosey down to Ice, the club they were at. The wench at the door said that she wouldn’t let me in with shorts, and that was fine aparrel “if you want to go to the beach. But not here.” So we go back to the hotel, and I put on pants, and we go back. The club is packed, and it’s an insane meat market. I finally locate the girls, who have managed to get into the VIP section of the club. They don’t want to come out, so I sneak in, then get busted and tossed back out. Then they reject us, harshly, saying that they’re going home, and no, we can’t get their number or anything. Crap.
So, we wander down the strip some more. We wander into the Bellagio, which is incredibly nice. We were too late to catch the fountain show. And the girl hanging around by the fountain (from Central America) had a boyfriend, who was right there. Sigh. We wander across the street and into Paris, which was quite cool. I won a few bucks more on a 5¢ slot machine, and we decide to go lounge poolside with the scotch.
We get in the hottub and relax, then go back up to the room and go to sleep. It’s around 6:30am.
More updates as they come… on the menu today: The Luxor, Caesar’s Palace, the fountain show at the Bellagio, using some of these VIP passes, and more Singapore Slings.