What happened in Vegas...
May 12... We started our day with breakfast in Paris, enjoying the finest Parisian cuisine - croissant and crepes. We all thought it would be fun to try the breakfast buffet, but the line was way too long, so we settled with the bakery and crepe stand. 
After breakfast, we decided to head next door to check out the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino (the former Alladin Hotel and Casino). The interior of the casino was really cool. Very modern looking decor. We decided to play Blackjack here and sat down with my buddy, President Grant. It was an epic battle fit for a Hollywood movie. In the end, President Grant decided to stay with the casino, and the three of us decided to check out the Miracle Mile shops. The shopping area is a mix of new and old (still retaining some of the cool middle east look from the Alladin). I suppose that part of the decor will eventually be replaces with the new modern look of the PH Hotel/Casino.
From there, we headed to the Bellagio to check out the conservatory and to pay a quick visit to Lori's friend Tiffany. Tiffany operates a small jewelry store in the Bellagio. The conservatory was closed while they changes the flowers, plants, etc. I've never been comfortable gambling at Bellagio, but it is a fun hotel to visit with the conservatory and all of the Chihuly glass. Plus the tiramisu gelato is very tasty. Lori visited with her friend and left with a shiny new ring!
After that, it was off to O'Sheas for some 'serious' gambling. Well, at least as serious as we're capable of being. :-) Five dollar Blackjack is becoming as elusive to find in Vegas as the Southwestern Yetti. We ended up playing $10, single deck, hold your cards Blackjack. The single deck and hold the cards options slow the game down a lot, which makes it more fun. At O'Sheas, you get a strand of green beads for every Blackjack. Sure, when you get home there is absolutely no use for them; but when you're in the thick of things at the casino, they're a big deal and lots of fun. Lori got started with her other-wordly luck and leapt out to a quick lead in the bead department. She was quickly followed by Mark, leaving me with no green beads. That's when the mocking started. It was incessant and funny. Didn't matter that I was actually winning money, I had no beads and was, therefore, a loser. It got so bad that the dealer threw me a set of beads. Sure, they were 'pity' beads, but they helped break the dam and got the ball rolling on a couple of Blackjacks. By the time we were finished, Lori had 7 beads, Mark had 2, I had 3 (and $150 more than I started with!)
Once the bead mocking (and money winning) was over, we headed to Caesar's Forum Shops for a snack. There was a really cool video store that sold HiDef tv's and cameras. Check me out in HiDef!! The Forum Shops also have one of my favorite store OF ALL TIME! Tourneau. This store houses most of the major Swiss watch brands in one place! In a word, it's Awesome! So many watches, so little money. :) I did get to check out two watches I've been wanting to see. The Hamilton Jazzmaster Maestro Day-Date and the Rolex GMT Master II. The Hamilton because I can see it on my wrist some day, and the Rolex just because I wanted to check out the changes Rolex made last year. I read about many of the watches in Watch Time and it is fun to actually see them. For instance I also got to see an IWC with a Tourbillon movement actually running!
Dinner was at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I'd made a reservation using Open Table. The reception desk didn't have a record of it and they were not particularly helpful or pleasant. After pressing the issue, we were taken to a table. Ordinarily, the best part of eating at Mon Ami is the outside terrace that faces the fountains at Bellagio. This evening though, the wind was really moving and it looked like rain. So, we had an indoor table. We could see the fountains from our table and the food was excellent. One of the highlights was the potato soup -- it was a Yukon gold potato soup served over a slice of brie. Interesting combination and very tasty.
After dinner, we headed back down to O'Sheas to give them back some of the money we won earlier. After that, we retired to Napoleon's at Paris for drinks and a cigar. There were two guys playing requests from the audience on dueling pianos. They were a lot of fun.
After a super fun day, it was off to bed.
May 13... We were supposed to meet Lori for breakfast at 9:00. She finally called at 9:40 to check to see if we were up...I told her "we are now!" Mark and I had WAY overslept. We proceeded to do the mad dash through the shower and then start packing. We needed to get checked out and get our bags moved to Lori's room by 11 AM. We finished the task and met Lori for breakfast at Paris. The buffet line was too long, again, so we headed to the cafe. The food was good and we all played a few games of Keno. They really make it too easy. Still the allure of betting $10 for the chance to win $3,000, while eating eggs, bacon and french toast, was too good to pass up.
We finished breakfast, switched rooms, and headed out to make our fortunes. Back down to O'Sheas for more bead fun. This time, Mark was on a roll. He racked up 7 sets of beads in the hour and a half we played. Four of them were in-a-row! To steal a line from Barney, "It was legendary!" Lori, with her other-wordly luck hit 4 Blackjacks. I had just one. Still after 1.5 hours, I was even money. As I couldn't move my legs because they were stiff from sitting so long in the chair, I decided to call it a day. Lori and Mark did the same and we headed back to the strip. We walked to the Venetian to confirm our dinner reservations at Delmonico. (I didn't want a repeat of the previous night - especially since this was Lori's Birthday!)
After Venetian, we headed to the 'Spanish Steps' in front of Caesar's for a cold drink and a rest. I think we were all mostly gambled out by this point, although I did try (once again) to spin the darn wheel on the Wheel of Fortune slot machines. All around my I were people spinning the wheel (including Mark), yet no Wheel love for me. This game is definitely my Casino nemesis.
Dinner at Delmonico Steakhouse was excellent. Just what you'd expect from Emeril - outstanding food, service, decor. It was Lori's Birthday and she selected the wine. A very nice Montepulciano San Callisto Valle Reale 2004. There were steaks for everyone, Mark had the ribeye and Lori and I had the special (3 petite filets with a parmesan encrusted, roasted tomato). We also shared broccoli and an awesome bacon and cheddar twice baked potato. We finished it all with Banana Cream Pie (Mark and Lori) and a personal pecan pie with an oatmeal cookie crust. Truly an outstanding meal.
After dinner, we said goodbye to Lori and headed to the airport.
This was a really fun trip. Not only the celebration of Lori's birthday (and 10 years cancer free! Yeah Lori!), but also to see Mark relaxed and having fun. He said it had been about 18 months since his last vacation. I can't think of anyone who deserved a fun trip more than Mark. This has been a tough year for him, but there are good things (really big Texas sized good things) on his horizon!
After breakfast, we decided to head next door to check out the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino (the former Alladin Hotel and Casino). The interior of the casino was really cool. Very modern looking decor. We decided to play Blackjack here and sat down with my buddy, President Grant. It was an epic battle fit for a Hollywood movie. In the end, President Grant decided to stay with the casino, and the three of us decided to check out the Miracle Mile shops. The shopping area is a mix of new and old (still retaining some of the cool middle east look from the Alladin). I suppose that part of the decor will eventually be replaces with the new modern look of the PH Hotel/Casino.
From there, we headed to the Bellagio to check out the conservatory and to pay a quick visit to Lori's friend Tiffany. Tiffany operates a small jewelry store in the Bellagio. The conservatory was closed while they changes the flowers, plants, etc. I've never been comfortable gambling at Bellagio, but it is a fun hotel to visit with the conservatory and all of the Chihuly glass. Plus the tiramisu gelato is very tasty. Lori visited with her friend and left with a shiny new ring!
After that, it was off to O'Sheas for some 'serious' gambling. Well, at least as serious as we're capable of being. :-) Five dollar Blackjack is becoming as elusive to find in Vegas as the Southwestern Yetti. We ended up playing $10, single deck, hold your cards Blackjack. The single deck and hold the cards options slow the game down a lot, which makes it more fun. At O'Sheas, you get a strand of green beads for every Blackjack. Sure, when you get home there is absolutely no use for them; but when you're in the thick of things at the casino, they're a big deal and lots of fun. Lori got started with her other-wordly luck and leapt out to a quick lead in the bead department. She was quickly followed by Mark, leaving me with no green beads. That's when the mocking started. It was incessant and funny. Didn't matter that I was actually winning money, I had no beads and was, therefore, a loser. It got so bad that the dealer threw me a set of beads. Sure, they were 'pity' beads, but they helped break the dam and got the ball rolling on a couple of Blackjacks. By the time we were finished, Lori had 7 beads, Mark had 2, I had 3 (and $150 more than I started with!)
Once the bead mocking (and money winning) was over, we headed to Caesar's Forum Shops for a snack. There was a really cool video store that sold HiDef tv's and cameras. Check me out in HiDef!! The Forum Shops also have one of my favorite store OF ALL TIME! Tourneau. This store houses most of the major Swiss watch brands in one place! In a word, it's Awesome! So many watches, so little money. :) I did get to check out two watches I've been wanting to see. The Hamilton Jazzmaster Maestro Day-Date and the Rolex GMT Master II. The Hamilton because I can see it on my wrist some day, and the Rolex just because I wanted to check out the changes Rolex made last year. I read about many of the watches in Watch Time and it is fun to actually see them. For instance I also got to see an IWC with a Tourbillon movement actually running!
Dinner was at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I'd made a reservation using Open Table. The reception desk didn't have a record of it and they were not particularly helpful or pleasant. After pressing the issue, we were taken to a table. Ordinarily, the best part of eating at Mon Ami is the outside terrace that faces the fountains at Bellagio. This evening though, the wind was really moving and it looked like rain. So, we had an indoor table. We could see the fountains from our table and the food was excellent. One of the highlights was the potato soup -- it was a Yukon gold potato soup served over a slice of brie. Interesting combination and very tasty.After dinner, we headed back down to O'Sheas to give them back some of the money we won earlier. After that, we retired to Napoleon's at Paris for drinks and a cigar. There were two guys playing requests from the audience on dueling pianos. They were a lot of fun.
After a super fun day, it was off to bed.
May 13... We were supposed to meet Lori for breakfast at 9:00. She finally called at 9:40 to check to see if we were up...I told her "we are now!" Mark and I had WAY overslept. We proceeded to do the mad dash through the shower and then start packing. We needed to get checked out and get our bags moved to Lori's room by 11 AM. We finished the task and met Lori for breakfast at Paris. The buffet line was too long, again, so we headed to the cafe. The food was good and we all played a few games of Keno. They really make it too easy. Still the allure of betting $10 for the chance to win $3,000, while eating eggs, bacon and french toast, was too good to pass up.
We finished breakfast, switched rooms, and headed out to make our fortunes. Back down to O'Sheas for more bead fun. This time, Mark was on a roll. He racked up 7 sets of beads in the hour and a half we played. Four of them were in-a-row! To steal a line from Barney, "It was legendary!" Lori, with her other-wordly luck hit 4 Blackjacks. I had just one. Still after 1.5 hours, I was even money. As I couldn't move my legs because they were stiff from sitting so long in the chair, I decided to call it a day. Lori and Mark did the same and we headed back to the strip. We walked to the Venetian to confirm our dinner reservations at Delmonico. (I didn't want a repeat of the previous night - especially since this was Lori's Birthday!)
After Venetian, we headed to the 'Spanish Steps' in front of Caesar's for a cold drink and a rest. I think we were all mostly gambled out by this point, although I did try (once again) to spin the darn wheel on the Wheel of Fortune slot machines. All around my I were people spinning the wheel (including Mark), yet no Wheel love for me. This game is definitely my Casino nemesis.
Dinner at Delmonico Steakhouse was excellent. Just what you'd expect from Emeril - outstanding food, service, decor. It was Lori's Birthday and she selected the wine. A very nice Montepulciano San Callisto Valle Reale 2004. There were steaks for everyone, Mark had the ribeye and Lori and I had the special (3 petite filets with a parmesan encrusted, roasted tomato). We also shared broccoli and an awesome bacon and cheddar twice baked potato. We finished it all with Banana Cream Pie (Mark and Lori) and a personal pecan pie with an oatmeal cookie crust. Truly an outstanding meal.
After dinner, we said goodbye to Lori and headed to the airport.
This was a really fun trip. Not only the celebration of Lori's birthday (and 10 years cancer free! Yeah Lori!), but also to see Mark relaxed and having fun. He said it had been about 18 months since his last vacation. I can't think of anyone who deserved a fun trip more than Mark. This has been a tough year for him, but there are good things (really big Texas sized good things) on his horizon!
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