s07e06 - Viva Las Vegas

Vegas is a crazy place.

No, I don't think you're quite getting me when I emphasis how crazy a place it really is. Unless you've been here, even the stories of its grandeur and excess don't live up to the real Vegas.

Las Vegas is a sprawling city nestled deep in the Mojave Desert seemingly near nothing spectacular. Well, there is that small canyon about 300mi away, but still, no reason to build something like this where it is or grow like it is. Clarke County (which is basically Vegas) has 2 million residences now and will have 3 million by 2018 (or so they seem to think anyway). The area is growing at about 5% per year which is just phenomenal.

In the movies when they 'offer' to bury someone and they'll never be missed because"it's a big desert out there" .. they aren't kidding. It really is a big desert and a fairly unforgiving too (I'm told)

It is my second trip into LV and so I at the very least knew that for the first minute or two you have to breath deep and resist the urge to point at things. Baz on the other hand couldn't help but be amazed at everything. For those that know Baz, he is pretty excitable, and for those that know me, I'm not, so it was a rather funny reaction inside the car as we drove down Frank Sinatra Blvd and then off onto "The Strip" (Las Vegas Blvd) to find our hotel, the iconic, Tropicana.

It didn't take too long after having the valet park our car and us getting checked n that we hit the Strip for a bit of a 'bo peep' and maybe a little bit of dinner a little later on at one of the fine buffets that the casinos have to offer.

The idea on day one was to just go for a walk and take it all in a little before committing to anything inside anywhere. This changed a little when we hit the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. A quick stroll through the Forum consists of about an hour of looking, then an hour or so trying to find an exit. The looking in shops was easy as the Versace, Armani and D&G stores where a little of my league (even the Niketown there was pricey).

After 3mi of walking down the strip it was time to head back and on the way we ran into an Outback Steakhouse. Now Ive been to several of these and besides the tacky Aussie stuff, they do do really good food, and seeing as both of us had been craving something more than just another burger joint, the Outback was where we ate.

I had the 32oz T Bone ... it was hard yakka getting through it, but I did and thoroughly enjoyed it. This T Bone was ridiculously big I must say. There where people walking past and getting full just looking at it.

After dinner it was time to womble back to the Tropicana where I intended to get a little R&R in my room for the evening. First though we both had a small flutter at the Roulette wheel before randomly dropping a dollar or two into the slots (useless those things ... Ive dropped about $10 in them so far and picked up one spit of 25c .... that's it)

Back to the room (see photo for the view that I have) where its time to kick my feet up and just do some writing. Heading to the Hoover Dam tomorrow, so that should be worth a look.

Might hit up the after midnight Hooters special tonight: 25c wings or $10 all you can eat ribs from midnight till 6am ... sounds like a challenge!

Oh, and I almost forgot ...

Girls carrying small dogs count: 15