Vegas virgins returned Vegas virgins?? TR

Well, for anyone who reads these for the gamblin stories turn back now....turns out we%26#39;re not gamblers! :)

Posting as a reply....

Vegas virgins returned Vegas virgins?? TR

Day 1 (night 1? Got in at 11:30)

So...we left Winnipeg at 4:30 in the afternoon, had a 3 hour stopover in Minneapolis. So. we get off the plane at gate F something, have to go to Gate G16. How hard can this be? (remember, we ARE from Winnipeg...small airport here)

So...we start walking. And walking....and walking...and JUST before we get to Timbuktu, hot damn, there%26#39;s a gate with our number on it! So...now, being smokers, we figure that there%26#39;s gotta be a post-security smoking area. Nope, uh uh...off to the great wild yonder, walking of course....thru security...outside.

Strangely enough this is where the weirdest thing on our trip occurred. Some guy in a cowboy hat comes ROARING out of the building, straight toward us and off he goes, yammerin on and on about winning a trip to the Philip Morris Marlboro ranch, how he had to sign a contract about never EVER suing Philip Morris, how they had such good food, so much beer, loved Montana, wanted to move there....talked for a good 10 minutes straight, and the POOF! like a flash, he was gone again.

Back in through security...and they took my DH%26#39;s lighter....back out an hour later, back in, lost more stuff in security!

So off to Vegas finally! Pilot comes on, tells us that it%26#39;s 52 F in Vegas, with winds of 150 knots (or something) or, in people speak, 50 MPH. We%26#39;re hoping that the winds die down a bit by the time we get there, 1/2 hr early! well, who cares about winds if we%26#39;re early!

So...we%26#39;re at Vegas, circling, circling, finally get the clearance to land. heading down, suddenly we%26#39;re on a rollercoaster ride that we didn%26#39;t pay for! only major issue is there%26#39;s NO TRACKS under us! So we ALMOST touch down (saw some convention centre on the left?!) and suddenly we%26#39;re accelerating and lifting off again! You know those movies where everyone is white knuckled, holding on and you see the front of the plane jumping up and down? yeah that was us.

So 15 minutes later, we try again. personally, I don%26#39;t feel any difference, the lady next to me has her eyes squeezed shut and I think she was praying or getting ready to puke, not sure which. But we hit the ground with a thump, and we were down. Applause all around. The the FA gets on the mike and says we should applaud when the captain comes out. um...lady? I ain%26#39;t waiting around that long. I%26#39;m in VEGAS baby! DH says we just had our first gamble lol

So we get into the airport and follow the people who have a clue where they%26#39;re going. A tram?? noone said anything about a tram! But ok, seems that people know, so we follow like the sheep we were. Finally get to a cab, and tell him %26#39;no tunnel%26#39;. What tunnel you talking about lady?? I just squinted at him and said NO TUNNEL, PLEASE AND THANKS. He was quite nice after that and talked us to the hotel.

So we get there, asked nicely for an upgrade (first time, birthday, brush with death), and she put us on 20, pool view. Very nice girl.

So, we do what people do when you first get to Vegas (good thing too, cause in the following days, we were too friggin tired/sore to do more than look at each other, and kiss good night!), and off to explore.

Here%26#39;s where the uh oh comes in. Got to the Casino with time to look around and out comes the old deer-in-the-headlights look. Not even an ooh or ahh. Just OMG that%26#39;s a lot of very mesmerizing lights and noises and OMG that lady looks like she%26#39;s gonna climb into the machine and and and and

Now, granted, we are young but USUALLY in bed by 10:30 our time, and it is now 12:30 am Vegas or 2:30 am to us. So we chalk it up to that, and off to Carnegie%26#39;s. Had some great grilled cheese sammiches...better be good for $20! OK..first hint of how much $$ this place really is gonna take!

Went out and walked around a bit, and then back for beddy bye.

Day two in a bit.

Vegas virgins returned Vegas virgins?? TR

enjoying the tr so far

but

WHICH hotel/casino is this - - have i missed you naming it?

Can%26#39;t wait to hear more!!

Carnegies.... is that at the Mirage? Is that where you stayed?

haha, still sleeping. Yes, we were at the Mirage. Working on day 2...it%26#39;s LOOOOOONNNNGGG.

Long TRs are gooooood.......... :)

Sorry, fell asleep...4 hour naps are nice :)

Day 2 – till noon

So yeah, about that going to bed early thing? Well, we%26#39;re also up early. So, up at 6 am Vegas time. Took some pix from our room, went down to grab some coffee, went back up, got ready and out to the day.

We walked to the left, past TI...no wait! there%26#39;s some guy being really nice and giving us drink tickets for Mist at TI, and askin where we%26#39;re from, and how do we like it. He walks us over to this guy in a booth, talking all the while. Buddy #2 says, SO! Going to any shows? Whatcha wanna see? I can get you tickets for $20! Ohhhhh, now it dawns on me who and what these guys are. They’re the evil evil timeshare people!!! So I ask, ‘oh? And how many timeshare presentations do we have to see?’ He blinked. HA! I made him BLINK! And said…’62! Or just one, I suppose…’ Laughing, we walked away.

Now, I will exit the tale for a moment and say…I have seen complaints about the pornslappers, but those were tolerable for me. THESE guys P*SSED me off! They would not leave you alone! Our last day there, one guy came at us as we walked by, and then came at us again when we walked back and I snapped. ‘I said NO!’ sez I, and ‘have a nice trip!’ sez he, less than nicely. DAMN they bugged me!

So, found the Tix4tonite location at the Fashion Show mall for reference at 9 or so (I tried to do hand stands for you, I tried to do hand stands for you. Ooo OOO oooo OOO – damned song), and kept walking. Ended up at the Wynn, looking at the pretty waterfalls. Then I spotted some bizarre wildlife in the pond. Stood there, trying to identify this thing, with it’s long flat tail, round head and long fins…then I realized, in my sleep deprived state that it was a worker, cleaning up the tree droppings. OOPS! Lol

So, I had been telling DH about this fun slot machine called Wizard of Oz. So, into the Wynn we went, took lots of pix of the pretty lobby (I will post a link to pix later, when I’ve uploaded them) Wandered around the casino, looking like deer again…ooo, look, I heard that this Goldfish game is fun! Happy me, I sit and feed the machine $5 (gotta start small!) nothing. So…I had a few credits left, but apparently not enough to do anything…in goes another 5. and a few ones. Finally play it down to nothing (never getting above what I had put in), get up scratching my head, and walk away, wondering what all this ‘fun’ is!

Now another little sidebar, We tend to try to save money, so it was a bit foreign to us to try to GIVE it away! Lol...we have agreed that if we ever go back it’s with the plan to actually gamble.

Back to the Fashion mall, it being roughly 9:00 now. Sat at Sbux (never did get to any really new coffeeshops, even after I asked for your help!) for ½ hr, and went to check out the shows. Managed to get pretty close to the front of the line, so had our tickets for Mystere in hand by roughly 10:15. We also opted for Pampas for $15 off per person. BUT, backing up to being in the line…it was still quite cool-ish and windy outside. Being in the line, we were sheltered and started getting very warm. OFF WITH YOUR CLOTHES….er…jackets. So we get to the door, I glance in and there’s a lady looking at me with her hand out, off to the side. I look behind me, make sure it’s me she’s looking at. I look back in, and realize it’s Whoopi Goldberg?! WTH? Oh wait, her face and fingers are peeling…she’s a dummy..whoops, I mean, she’s a wax figure! Gave me a start tho! So, as we stand right in the entrance, we realize it is now a wind tunnel. Winds are HOWLING around us, hair is being flipped and wound around, clothing is suddenly not enough to keep you warm. Back on with your jackets and huddling for body warmth. That sucked. :P

We decide to, once we’re back outside and realize that the crazy windstorm was centred around Tix4tonite (must be haunted!) to go sit by the pool for a bit. DH’s new sandals were giving him grief, and he needed to get them off. Back we go. So, having flown, no scissors came with us. No way to cut the moleskin I had bought. Called housekeeping. NO, ma’am, sorry no scissors! (seriously? Housekeeping has NO scissors?) I transfer you to front desk! NO ma’am, no scissors! AGAIN!? HOW can you run a ginormous hotel without scissors? OK, no moleskin.

So, off to the pool. Funniest thing, being white and pasty from the coldness, so finding it mildly cool, but nothing serious, and seeing the staff and lifeguards all bundled up in tracksuits and huddling under towels for warmth! HAHA!

And if you remember security in Minne taking ‘more stuff’? Well, that was our sunblock. But we were only out for a bit, so what’s the harm, huh? Me be white woman. Me walked out hot pink woman! Lol..DH is native, so no burn. Go figure.

So, noon-ish, we decided that was enough, let’s go to the Cheesecake factory for lunch! (Thank you TA!) Had DH drooling like mad, he LOVES his cheesecake!

Afternoon to come later.

Here%26#39;s the first batch of pics. Sorry they%26#39;re on Facebook, but I haven%26#39;t gotten them into my other album yet.

www.facebook.com/album.php…

Day 2 – afternoon

So, we head off to the Forum shops, and of course it takes us an hour to get to the Cheesecake factory, since it IS at the other end of the mall! And there were SOOO many cool things between point A and point B. First thing to goggle at is the circular escalators. Neat-o, man! And the sky-ceiling –very cool!

So we go up the round escalators….trying to find the fall of atlantis too. Go up again. Nope, that’s not right. Back down, on the normal escalators. OK, floor two? We’re off!

And we walk again! FAO Schwartz, cool Trojan horse. Saw the fountain of the Gods, now THAT was cheesy! Took some pics and moved along. Walked and walked and walked (did I mention how grateful I am for the suggestions of comfy shoes?!) and TADA! The cheesecake factory! We got a table right away, and sat down with a sigh. Since we were REALLY there for the cheesecake, and less for actual food, we ordered lightly, DH ordered fries and I had zucchini sticks. They forgot his fries, but my zucchini sticks were very good and delivered with the admonition ‘They take something healthy and make it unhealthy by deep frying it!’ from a different waiter. Raised eyebrow, shrug, dig in!

We were on the ‘patio’ and got to watch the fish in the aquarium, which was very nice. Got to watch a young lady swimming around and cleaning it as well…very entertaining! The fish, I’m sure, were used to it, but it didn’t stop them from trying to groom her, nibbling on her hair, etc. Saw her wave them away more than once! lol

Then the cheesecake…I am not usually a cheesecake fan. This one was for my DH, all the way. But I had the tiramisu cake and it WAS fabulous!

So we finished up just in time to watch the Atlantis show. YES it was cheesy, but neat to watch! And the flamethrowers added a bit to my sunburn….when you’re from the land of snow and ice, you’ll take whatever heat you can get!

Naptime at 2:30. Set the alarm for 3:30. off to lala land.

So back to our tickets. (from this morning, remember?) We were booked in for the 7 pm show, so made our dinner reservation for 5 pm at Pampas in PH. Since we could see the PH sign (that globe thing?) from our room, that was PLENTY of time, right? It was almost right next door, after all.

So we get up and get ready, and I’m starting to do the math in my head. OK, if we sit at 5, that gives us roughly an hour or so to eat, since we are supposed to enter the theatre around 6:30. Well, it’ll be tight but not too bad.

So, all dressed up, snapped some pics of the gorgeous couple with the timer on the camera, and out the door. In my heels. And dress. Thought for a second, decided to bring my sandals in my big purse JUST IN CASE!

So, out the door, onto the strip, hang a right and tada! There’s the sign! But, but, but…that’s Ceasars! That’s not PH!

We pop across the street and ask a shop clerk where it is. Same side, further down? REALLY? Why the H-E-double hockey sticks is there a PH sign out there then?? So, we step it up and start people dodging! All we see is Bally’s and Paris. WHERE is PH!? Just before the street crossing at Bally’s, I decide it’s time to change into flip-flops. Good thing, we were only half way there!

Get in front of Bally’s and LOOK HONEY! I see PH! So, we get there, and dart up the steps at 4:55, and wouldn’t you know, here comes a lady, straight at us, talking as fast as we’re walking ‘Have you got your comps yet?’ ‘We’re not staying here’ ‘That’s ok, let me help you’ ‘Lady we’re in a hurry’ ‘This will only take a sec!’ ‘We’re late for our reservation, we’re leaving’ I think she was still talking as we now tried to find our way out of the casino and to Pampas.

Asked a very nice security guard, who directed us to the mall and out we went. Made it to Pampas just in time, explained our dilemma and got seated immediately. SO…we went to the Salad bar, not bad. Some of it was questionable (I thought I had potato salad, but I’m pretty sure there was no potato, and big chunks of meat?) it wasn’t BAD. Nothing fabulous, just, ok. Now, the meat starts coming and THIS was good! I don’t know exactly what the first one was, but it was beef, and much rarer than I’ve ever had, but it was amazing! Best of the bunch! Next was filet mignon, dusted with parmesan cheese (I think) and again FAB! The rest of the meats were all quite good, although some were very dry. And, if you know anyone with high blood pressure that you’d like to see knocked off, this is the place to go! Lol..The meats were also quite salty. Some more than others, but all had some salt quotient. But I really enjoyed the way they come around to the table with the meats, and you don’t have to select just one meat for your meal. Try them all! Done and out by 5:30, pretty impressive!

Back to the race! Off we went again, dodging people and pornslappers (which we had finally encountered at some point the previous night). The thing is, I’m originally from a pretty small town, south of Winnipeg. The next town over is close enough that you know, at least by sight, most of the residents. It was at this point in our trip that I went OMG! That guy is from W! And my DH started laughing cause he’d just been about to say that he was surprised that I hadn’t seen anyone I know yet! Lol

So, we made it back to TI in time for the Mystere show, thank god.

SO, what I learned about myself is that I need to see it ALL. And you just can’t see it ALL with a Cirque show. What an amazing show! And what kind of messed up mind came up with some of it!? Lol…The strong men portion was PHENOMENAL! Except for the little pregnant frog person that kept distracting me. But really, it was breathtaking. And DH, who is notoriously not enthusiastic about much, movie/theatre wise, raved about it. If it had been in the budget, we’d have gone to see it the next day too.

Day 2, part 3 next.

I%26#39;m enjoying your TR. You really did gamble when you bought the coupons for pampas. Must not have liked my review on TA, ha ha ha.

That%26#39;s a crazy story about the plane!!

Keep it comin%26#39;

Honestly, that was a shot in the dark, never heard of it, but liked the idea behind it.