Viva Las Vegas 2008-'Those Pink and Black Days'

Here we are. Back from another great vacation in sunny Las Vegas and hankering ever more to return...possibly for good.

Following is my trip report and though all of it may not be of interest, you guys are welcome to read it.

THURSDAY:

After an slightly turbulent plane ride (Victor wore his baby b'air and I loved the security it gave me when the bumpy parts came), we finally arrived at McCarran Intl. Airport, which is in my opinion the real low point of any Las Vegas Trip. The place is a veritable maze and the Baggage Claim area is gargantuan (and confusing). We must be getting used to it however, since we got out of there in relatively quick time. We were smart this time and took the shuttle instead of a cab. Cabs to the strip are cheap (5-8 bucks); a Taxi to our off-strip hotel (The Orleans) runs up to 25.00 so taking a shuttle (at 7.00 a person) is always a better option. We had only two stops before making it to our resort, which allowed us to check in early. After ordering club sandwiches via room service, husband and baby relaxed, and I picked up the rental car. By 4pm we had made it to the Gold Coast for our event wristbands and were well on our way sightseeing. We had opted to make the drive to Boulder City this day, which is only about 15 miles outside of Vegas. It proved to be a lovely drive and the small town was great with alot of big old established trees, gorgeous views, and a cool downtown area that reminded me the Old West. Since Hoover Dam was only a short drive away we made a quick visit (impressive!) and headed back to meet our friends, Misty and Michael, who were just arriving. Since it was already pretty late, we only just had time for dinner and some shopping before bed. Little Victor was very sleepy, poor thing.



FRIDAY:

The Orleans has 15 (count 'em, fifteen)restaurants and The Courtyard Cafe was our choice for Friday breakfast. After which, Michael and Misty went to the Gold Coast for their wristbands and we made a 40 mile drive to Pahrump NV (yep, as in 'pahrump-a-pum-pum') to scout around and basically visit the local Wal Mart. It's fun and familiar to visit Wal Mart when you're away from home...try it sometime. The drive across the desert was INCREDIBLE and overwhelming. The joshua trees and craggy mountains made for the most brilliant landscape I've ever seen. And since Pahrump is only 3 miles from the California border, we made the slight detour to the state line and I got out and took the above photo (but only after grabbing some soft serve at the cutest little ice cream stand). We ended up staying out later than we intended so had to head straight back to the hotel and get ready for our 7:15 meal at Mon Ami Gabi (in The Paris resort). I've never tried french food before (and I love food so that's pretty amazing) but this is a pretty great place to start. The escargot was phenomenal, the scallops were perfect, the beef wellington was hearty, and the creme brulee was sinful. I had really been looking forward to Misty seeing the Bellagio fountain show but unfortunately the music selection was Faith Hill's 'This Kiss' which made the impressively choreographed waters seem to be line dancing-so dissapointing. After dinner, I went back to the hotel w/ the baby and Jonathan, Misty and Michael headed over to the Gold Coast to catch some bands.







SATURDAY:
After more room service, we spruced up for the car show (Victor wore his new sock monkey shirt and was a big hit) and I dropped off the rental car. The GOld Coast has always been the home of the Shifter's Car Show but this time it was badly cramped since it has gained in popularity over the years and the people were bumper to bumper-heh heh. We scanned the vendors and took a couple of pics but it just got too difficult to navigate so we went for a quick indoor break and made plans to come back later. Unfortunately, the show closed down at four (not what we had expected) and we missed a big chunk of the cars. Grrrr. That night, we ate dinner at Big Al's Oyster Bar and I got to go out w/ our friends while Jonathan stayed w/ the baby. A great band called 'The Two Timin' Three' was playing and it was fun watching them and the jive dancers. I was done by 2:30 though. Late nights are not my thing.




SUNDAY: Sunday is my favorite day. It's Tiki Pool Party day. All the girls put on their retro swimwear and the guys slick back their hair and show off their tattoos. A documentarian was there and he fell in love w/ Victor so I was interviewed by he and his crew for a while. It was wierd and intimidating but it might be cool to see what comes of it. The Orleans pool was a perfect location and the surf music was ideal-and live, as it turns out. A few barefoot couples started dancing by the stage and we got some video of them from up in our room. It was extremely nice. After the party, we dressed up a bit and went back to the Gold Coast for a more shopping and a premiere of a Rockabilly documentary. It was too smoky there for the little one so we went upstairs and watched the jive competition. It was so amazing-one guy actually had TWO girls he was twirling around. I could not believe the talent! And I'm extremely jealous.



MONDAY:

Monday was a quiet day. We all went the strip to get my favorite Cobb Salad (The Caribe Cafe in The Mirage)before heading back to the airport to catch our smooth flight back to Nashville. When we got back to the house, my son had just come down w/ a virus and was covered in a rash from head to toe and throwing up. Sigh. And the beat goes on...