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Published: June 29th 2006
Stratosphere Dinner
The gang + Nicole. Wonder why she isn't sitting by the window?Vegas with the Boys!
December 15, 2005 - December 19, 2005 The much anticipated Las Vegas trip seemed a good way to close in on the end of 2005. This was to be a trip for the guys. Joining me on the trip were Brian, Joe, and Alex. For me, it was about the 5th time I was heading to Vegas. For the rest of the gang, it was a first time experience. We booked the first three nights at the Luxor, squeezing four guys into two beds and a cramped room. We decided to leave Vegas in style, booking the final night in a suite at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Let the fun begin.
The trip kicked off on Thursday evening. With the help of some local friends, we got a good deal on flights through Independence Air. After booking our flights months before, we only hoped Independence Air would stay in business long enough to get us back and forth from Las Vegas. Fortunately for us they did by a mere
17 days! Little did we know, this was about our only run of good luck when it came to the Vegas trip. The flight went
Joe, Me, Alex
Taking a break in Caesars by the aquarium. by quickly as we managed to squeeze in a few games of Spades. For the record, Joe and I are the reigning champions, however it's very much disputed. Our high energy, entertaining games drew the attention of other passengers, which eventually led to one random girl joining us for a mean game of Go Fish. Despite a valiant effort, Alex was unable to obtain the digits. "Does it have a 7?" "GO FISH!"
After landing in Las Vegas, we caught a cab to the Luxor hotel. Team Subterfuge launched into action as we headed for the registration desk. Joe and I handled check-in, while Brian and Alex became phantoms and disappeared. In order to save on room cost, we booked all of our rooms as two guests (each additional occupant after two is a bump in room cost). Fortunately, our exploit was never discovered throughout the trip. The room was satisfactory, nothing really jumped out as exceptional. Needless to say, it was crowded with four adults. So crowded I do recall one sleepy, intoxicated, nameless individual falling out of bed in the middle of the night. Taking sheets, pillows, and neighboring chairs with him to the floor. I'm also
Blues Brother
"We're on a mission from god!" very sorry to report that the toilet in the Luxor room, contrary to Keith's hype (see Prague journal), failed to impress. How very disappointing! I wanted a refund immediately!
After dropping off our baggage at our rooms, it was off to The Strip to get aquainted with Las Vegas. We spent the remainder of Thursday evening sampling Las Vegas. Walking the strip, taking in the casinos, a few hands of blackjack, and a drink or two along the way, we were collectively soaking it in. Las Vegas at night really is quite a visual treat.
Friday kicked off with more action on the strip. We spent most of the afternoon gambling and touring the many shopping quarters within the casinos. I don’t like to look at our gambling results as losses; I much prefer to imagine that my little cocktail cost me several hundred dollars. Remarkably refreshing!
In the evening we got ready for some late night Vegas entertainment. One of the guys picked up some entry passes for club Tao in the Venetian Casino. We spent the majority of the evening tearing it up at Tao. The club had a very cool, trendy layout. Nothing beats an entrance with girls in bathtubs filled to the rim with rose petals. Not too crowded, thankfully there was never a real difficulty getting the bartender’s attention for the next drink. The dance floor was forever packed as the DJ kept the place jumping with a steady mix of hip hop and techno. All around, I was very impressed with the nightclub and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Vegas nightclubs.
Saturday morning I climbed out of bed and headed for the Mandalay Bay Sports Book. If you want a comfortable seat for watching the game of the day, I find you have to show up a little early. After picking out a prime piece of real estate, the rest of the gang eventually rolled up. We spent the majority of the afternoon relaxing in front of the big screen monitors watching the Saturday NFL games.
Forever thirsty, Joe and Alex spent a good part of the afternoon in what they termed as “The Hot Spot”. Knowing that drink service can sometimes be an inconsistent thing, they found a nickel poker machine conveniently located right next to the drink station. Making friends with the servers, the drink runs became a thing of beauty. It felt almost as convenient as running to the fridge during commercials.
While enjoying our always filled beverages compliments of Joe and Alex, Brian and I marveled at the superman like day that Tiki Barber was having over the Kansas City Chiefs. For those who didn’t see the game, I can comfortably say Kansas City’s defense was the worst display of tackling I had ever witnessed by a NFL team. Brian being a Giants fan (dressed in his Giants jersey of course), was particularly loud in his enjoyment. One particular individual took a liking to our table, and opted to join us. Thus began the introduction of Nicole.
Nicole fit right in instantly. She was very friendly, understood football, and could trash talk with the best of them. Being from Seattle, we couldn’t get her to shut up about the Seahawks. She convinced us to bet on the Seahawks for Sunday’s game, who naturally didn’t cover. A lot of laughs were shared amongst the group. We had such a good time we all agreed to get together at a later time for drinks and entertainment. By far, she was the coolest person we talked to while in Vegas.
Once the day of football watching came to an end, we started making plans for the evening. Rummaging through the pile of VIP nightclub passes we accrued throughout our Vegas travels (yes, I know, they’re worthless), we settled on Body English nightclub in The Hard Rock Casino. What a mistake this turned out to be. Once we reached the entrance to Body English, it became quickly apparent that our group was not welcomed. Despite no line at the entrance, our questions and gestures were rudely ignored by the bouncer. It was definitely an interesting way to do business. We all agreed that Hard Rock Casino was terribly over hyped. After about 10 minutes of effort, we dismissed the club for being overly pretentious and spent the remainder of the evening bar hopping in various casinos. As usual, the night ran joyfully late into the Sunday morning.
Sunday started by checking out of The Luxor Hotel, and checking in to THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay for one evening. Everyone really appreciated the new suite, flat screens and all. I enjoyed the small flat screen TV in the bathroom so much, it will definitely be an accessory added to my personal bathroom someday soon. Relaxing shower + football watching = man’s paradise!
Once checked in, it was back down to the Mandalay Bay Sports Book for another day of recuperation while watching the NFL games. After pressing our luck with more bets on the games, we collectively decided to let our winnings ride on the Sunday evening game. Big mistake! Da Bears put a hurting on Mike Vick and his warm blooded Atlanta Falcons in the frigid Chicago cold. Battered, but not beaten, we sucked it up and headed out for the night.
Based on his sister’s recommendation, Joe insisted we visit The Stratosphere before we left Vegas. My expectations were initially low, but looking back it was one of the more memorable experiences for me. The gang (including Nicole at this point) all agreed to eat dinner at the revolving restaurant in the top of The Stratosphere called Top of the World. For Vegas, the food was average at best, but the view of the strip at night couldn’t be beat. During dinner, the most unusual battle of stubbornness ensued. Initially, I claimed one of the two popular seats closest to the window. Having realized my rudeness, I insisted our guest (Nicole) have my seat. I moved myself to a different seat at the table anticipating her move as well. Little did I know, little Mrs. Nicole wasn’t having that kind of chivalrous gesture, so she adamantly declined my proposal. Having already moved and not understanding her reasons for declining, the standoff commenced. One valiant stubborn fighter to another, it seemed we had each met our match, as the empty chair closest to the window remained unoccupied throughout the dinner. Madness, yet comical!
After dinner we headed up to the amusement rides on the top of the Stratosphere. Alex had been daring us all throughout dinner to join him on one of the rides. No one seemed ballsy enough to accept his challenge. Following much coaxing, Joe agreed to join fearless Alex on “Insanity-The Ride”. For those who don’t know the ride, here is the description from the Stratosphere website:
Insanity-The Ride consists of an arm that extends out 64 feet over the edge of the Tower and will spin passengers at up to three 'G's.' As the ride spins faster and faster, the riders are propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees. Riders will experience the thrill of being flung over the edge of the Tower and literally facing downward at the City of Las Vegas below. The ride is programmable with various ride options. An unobstructed view of historic downtown Las Vegas rewards those riders brave enough to experience three 'G's' at a height of more than 900 feet.
**If you (the reader) know anything about me, you realize that that description is about as alluring to me as going water skiing with the tow line tied to my testicles. I cringe at the thought… of both options. Back to the blog**
As a non-rider hoping to get a glimpse of my friends, the view of Insanity from within the Stratosphere is one with limitations. As the apparatus rotates around, you probably get about a 1 second glimpse of your friends as they go zooming by. It goes something like this: “I see them! (2 seconds pass) I see them! (2 seconds pass)”… and so on till the ride stops. For Brian, Nicole and I, the most humorous observation was the contrast in behavior between Joe and Alex. One rider completely at ease, laughing and joking as the ride whips him around in circles. The other rider strenuously grasping at the seat handle while holding on for his dear life, white knuckles and all. Much to the enjoyment of Brian, Nicole and I, Joe wasn’t the rider who was most likely to have wet himself. It was such a role reversal from the pre-ride coaxing. Naturally, on our way out of the Stratosphere, we each took turns teasing Alex. Of course, having not been brave enough to go on the ride in the first place, our teasing was easily extinguished.
Bellies full, it was off to the nightclub in The Bellagio Casino called Light. Everyone we talked to in Vegas said Light was the place to be for Sunday night entertainment. I’d like to share with the readers how great the nightclub was, and what a great time we all had there, but sadly we never saw the inside of the joint. One word, “pretentious”! Apparently our group was three vaginas short of an acceptable party ratio. We patiently waited outside the club for upwards of an hour, talking to other wannabe club customers. On numerous occasions we’d negotiate with a group of girls to join us in line, only to have them renege on their promises to include us in their group when asked by the bouncers of their party size. I was completely over this whole scene within minutes of arriving, but my fellow group members (namely Nicole and Alex) continued to valiantly work hard to get us in the door. Once the thirst for a drink got too overwhelming, we gave up and headed to Pure nightclub in Caesar’s Casino.
Pure turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for our last night in Vegas. Great music, plenty of places to relax, not too overly crowded; we were all pleasantly pleased. The layout of the club was very comfortable. Reluctant to let the vacation come to an end, we stayed at Pure till they closed the joint down. It’s hard to recall everything that happened that night, but I’m pretty certain we didn’t make it back to our hotel room until sometime after 4:00am. Completely the norm for a last night in Vegas.
Hung-over and terribly sleep deprived, we checked out of THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay Monday morning and headed for the airport. As usual, leaving Las Vegas is never a healthy experience. I definitely believe you take a little bit of Vegas home with you. It’s just a matter of determining how many days it’ll take to clean it out of your system. The flight home was uneventful, as each of us pretty much slept through the entire flight.
One question remains….
where will our destination be for the next guys’ trip?
Quote of the trip... it's a tough choice. Joe's random Chuck Norris jokes at the most inopportune times are a close second to Alex's forgetfulness. Throughout the trip it seemed as if Alex was constantly misplacing things. Leaving credit cards behind, losing his cell phone atleast 2-3 times, the pattern was forming. We headed to the airport to pickup a rental car after realizing it would be an improvement over the cab fares we were piling up. Alex had brought along a green skull cap that he was moving between his head and his backpack throughout the morning. While I secured the rental car, which took a good 15 minutes, Alex and the others wandered around the room. When it was finally time to leave, we all gathered and headed for the door. Enroute, Alex came to a brief halt and turned his focus to a small green object on the floor across the room from where we were headed. With a very puzzled look on his face, he asked with disbelief...
Wait! Is that my hat?
Sure enough, there on the floor laid Alex's skull cap. Mysteriously not where he had last left it. For some reason, the moment just stuck with me. For Alex, Las Vegas became a black hole, sucking up all of his loose possesions. That little green skull cap was one of his few affected possessions that he managed to save from the Vegas vacuum.
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Alex
non-member comment
Editorial Correction.
Sheeit, the airplane girl definitely dropped the digits. And even though that was the last we heard from her, that was a great start to the trip. One tip from captain obvious: If they're not letting you into the club inside the Hard Rock within 5 minutes of standing at the ropes, then you're not getting in, not unless you have 3 benjis in your hand. Don't be a sucka and spend one of your preciously few nights standing there, hoping to get in. There's plenty of nightlife all around. The "if-you're-still-reading-tip": A trip to Vegas the weekend before Christmas is... [drumroll]... kinda empty. There are many pros and cons to this like lower table minimum bids, shorter lines at restaurants/clubs, less traffic, more attention from cocktail servers, santa claus little helper outfits, and all the intensity of the final weeks of football to name a few pros. Cons, well, if you like people, there's less people.