Doubling Down in Las Vegas

Please deposit your money here.

So we got to Vegas in the early afternoon and checked into the MGM Grand, which was recommended by a few knowledgeable friends. We then did what any young post-twenty-somethings do when they get into the action-packed strip of Las Vegas... we took a nap.

Well, Kate did anyway, while I looked online for Cirque Du Soleil's Beatles LOVE tickets. I found some on craigslist for half-price, but the gentleman on the receiving end of the phone sounded a little to eager to sell them to us, and I had a set policy of not being swindled within the first ten minutes of being in Vegas. We instead walked down the strip in 100 degree heat and ended up getting the concierge at the MGM to get us two legitimate tickets (in the balcony because I read that was the best seating for this show). Next, we went and got lunch at a classy little place called "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville." It was all my fault. I really wanted a Margarita, and when I realized it came with a COMMEMORATIVE GLASS I was sadly sold. So now at this point we had food in our bellies and some time to gather ourselves before going to the late show at the Mirage to see the Beatles show (which I had been demanding to see since 2006).

Before the show we had a great dinner (for a great price) at an Italian restaurant in the Mirage where the host seemed like he floated when he walked in front of us. I won't bore you with my review of the show, but here's a teaser of what it looked like. For a die-hard Beatles fan, it was simply amazing.





And here's the Beatles Revolution Lounge just outside the show (in the Mirage Hotel):

Here is a bass signed by ALL FOUR of the Beatles.

After the show we went and checked out the fountain at the Bellagio which is a huge waste of water, electricity, and pretty much everything else, but wow was it cool. I hate when things are like that.

After all the excitement we got back, crashed and SLEPT IN. That was awesome. We had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the MGM Grand and then I went off to play poker, while Kate caught up on phone calls and emails. I am happy to report that I went in with $40 and tripled up after playing very tight and realizing that the games at home with my friends were harder. I also did not know that the drinks were free until just as I was leaving. This fact may explain some of my success.

Fresh off my sensational poker game, we headed back out and onto the Monorail that runs down the strip; taking the train instead of walking was great, because it was 111 degrees outside. That is not a typo. We had drinks at a bar in the Hilton while I did some reconnaissance for an event I am planning in Vegas. By sheer coincidence it was 2-for-1 drinks at the location and someone else was buying. Now THAT is the Las Vegas I've heard about!

We walked most of the way back and bought a few postcards and had dinner at a Chinese place and then packed up. But not before the Majestic Lions you see below paid Kate $20, but then took back $7 of it.

They lure you in with their majesty!

So after feeding the big cats, we went to bed at a reasonable hour because we were getting up at the most unreasonable hour the next day - our goal was to leave at 4am to avoid driving in the desert heat. The good news is that we didn't have to get up that early. The bad news is that we didn't get up because I woke up at 3 and shut the alarm off for no reason. I'm good like that.

We got up and shot out of there like two (very small) cannonballs and said a prayer to the Prius God that the little car would be ok driving in the heat. The Prius has been our one sure thing this whole trip and I am happy to report it didn't let us down again. The drive through the desert was great, even if we didn't notice when we had entered our new home state. This was probably because we were playing and singing along with every song on the iPod that had the word "California" in it.

The best part is that our calculated gamble of heading to Big Sur instead of Utah was about to pay off !