Little Less Conversation, Little More Action

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We woke up at about 8, rip roarin’ and ready to go! Today was the day we would experience Las Vegas in all of its glory! So, after conversing with Darren and his aunt Donna, we got directions to the Safeway for some donuts and gas. After getting some gross donuts, the 4 hour trek began.

There was little to look at until we reached the Hoover Dam. I (Jenn) had only seen it in movies and was shocked that it was a total tourist place. It cost $7 to park the car and look at it! We drove through, stopped at a look out point, snapped a few pictures than headed out into the Nevada heat.

Vegas appeared suddenly in the desert. The huge buildings were visible through the hazy heat at least 25 miles away. As we pulled into town, we saw a lady on the off ramp asking for money. We gave her a cold bottle of water and she thanked us. Then she read the side of the van and saw that we are newlyweds. “Can I give you a piece of advice”, she asked. We agreed and she said, “Whatever you do-stay true. That’s all that matters. What he do, he tell you. What you do, you tell him. Just stay true. That’s all the matters.” It was quiet in the van as we pulled away.

We found our hotel easily, much to our surprise, and I went in to check us in. I opened the heavy gold door of New York New York and heard the clanking of slots and flashing lights of the casino! I got the keys and we checked out the room. It was very nice, but we didn’t stay long. We walked out onto the strip and marveled at the massive amounts of people and busyness. We went to the MGM grand in an effort to get tickets to Cirque Du Soleil. I called one week ago to buy tickets, and the lady told me to come to the box office the day of the show to get $25 student tickets…she lied. There were no tickets below $180!!! It was very disappointing, but we decided to go exploring instead. We checked out a few of the casinos, then headed to the Belliago to see the Chichuly glass displays that I learned about in an art class a long time ago. As we walked up to the lobby, we caught the last 2 minutes of their famous water display. The Chihuly glass was beautiful (see it here: http://sylviagarza.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/lobby-of-the-bellagio.jpg). There was also a whimsical giant bug’s life (not affiliated with the movie) display thing that turned out to be my favorite part of Vegas. It made you feel miniature as you walked through the garden.

From there we went out searching for a buffet, we talked about eating crab legs, pudding, mac and cheese, etc, excitedly. However, we never successful found one! I thought that was the thing to do in Vegas, but apparently it is more of a lunch time thing (unless you want to spend $50 a plate). So, we went to an authentic New York Pizza Restaurant, Sbarro. We ate our delicious pizza and hit the slots. Zack is a lucky guy, Jenn should just throw money in the trash, that way it would be less of a surprise when it is gone. We wandered through several casinos than when back to the hotel.

We got our complimentary drinks, lit up a cigar (you can smoke cigars in Vegas casinos!),and played some rapid roulette. It is a fun game that actually uses a little strategy. Between the two of us, Jenn watching for trends in numbers and Zack strategically placing the bets, we were able to win back almost all of our money from the evening. As soon as we broke $100, we cashed out and went to bed.

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Comments

[anonymous]

Hey guys, it's Andy. When I went to Vegas we found a Brewery/Casino called Ellis Island on (I believe) the south end of the strip. Anyway there's a restaurant in there where I was told to go and order the "Steak Special" which is not on the menu. It turned out to be a filet with baked potato, soup, and a veggie side for like $4.95. I think only the locals are supposed to know about that one. Have fun!