just another vegas update

Monday, 12 February 2001 12:45pm ominous clouds looming behind the Mirage V egas, baby, Vegas. No, this wasn't no big trip or anything, but it was my first trip out with my new bad-ass camera. Technically it was just me and Leanne driving out to her folks' place to pick up some stuff. Or that's what I keep telling myself anyway, hehehe. The drive out and back was super easy, no traffic or anything. And oh yeah, the bigger versions of these pics are available, as always, from my gigantic repository that is not open 24 hours a day that you can get to by clicking HERE. Also, I've noticed that some people hadn't noticed that you can click on the thumbnail pictures to get bigger ones. No, those tiny 150 pixel wide images are not all that's there!! The first thing to notice was the weather. It was cold. 40's in the day time, 30's at night. But it was, for the most part, beautiful out. When we drove by the "World's Tallest Thermometer" in Baker, it was so cold that only a few bars were lit up on the bottom, and none of the numbers were even lit up! I'm used to seeing that thing up to like 110 degrees or something. The first night, Leanne just stayed back at home... I set out for some blackjack and mostly, to take some pics with my camera. It was already pretty late, and well, the strip is pretty empty at 3:30am when it's only 35 degrees or Not too many people going in or out of Bally's at 3am in the cold so outside... which gave me some opportunities to take some pictures without anybody in them. The Magic 8 Ball predicted that I would win big in Vegas. It was wrong. Oh well. Anyway, I came home really late, and the next day, after getting some dim sum in the morning, Leanne and I hung out on the strip. We went into Madam Tussaud's where I got to meet Al Roker, Don King, Patrick Stewart, and a bunch of other (wax) people. It was pretty cool, and worth it, especially after getting the 2 for 1 coupon from Leanne's mom. We also checked out the Mac King Comedy Magic Show (or was it Magic Comedy Show?) at Harrah's. It was free. Apparently, you can get lots of free stuff in Vegas you look like you might be a couple, even if you aren't. Several people asked us if we were a couple or married or whatever, and offered free stuff. Some of those people required some personal information to get that free stuff, which we mostly declined. Some of the stuff was just free, like the show tickets. Which were cheap anyway, and pretty much anyone can get the free tickets, but still. Anyway. It's a fun show. Cami had seen it with Leanne before, and the last time I was in Vegas with Cami there, she wanted to find Hangin' with Don King that show, but we didn't know where they had it. It was funny, and entertaining, and much, much better than the free show at the Stratosphere that Zac and I saw a couple years back. Somewhere along the way I ended up playing some blackjack at Imperial Palace. There was some guy there betting around $50 a hand, and he was totally drunk. Anyway. The dealer made a fuss about him touching his cards after the dealers cards have come out. He got all mad. He was yelling to the floor person and being dumb, saying stuff like, "Are you telling me that I can't touch my cards? After I pay fifty dollars, I can't touch my cards? That makes me angry!" He basically seemed to think that $50 was some pretty big action and that gave him the ability to act loud and obnoxious and get whatever he wants as if he was some high roller or something. I'm sorry dude, but your $50 bet is not going to impress the floorperson when guys come in and bet $5000 a hand. And losing your $50 action is not going to make them sweat when there's 30 other guys in the same pit playing at least as much money as you. I just got up and left. He basically stopped the whole game and was acting like a big shot when really all he was doing was being drunk and whining. I just wanted to play. We grabbed a quick snack and got some gelato from the place at the Venetian before heading down to Sushi on Tropicana for some ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI. Yes, All you can eat. I'd never even heard of this place before, as it isn't much of a tourists attraction, but hey man it was worth it, and I'm definitely going back there as often as possible. After that, we just went home and vegged out for a couple hours. I guess during that time, some rain came and passed. And passed really quickly, because by the time we went back outside, my car was wet, but the clouds were already gone. Those clouds, by the way, are the some ones as the ones in my "ominous clouds" pic at the top of the page. Downtown is where we headed next. Partly cuz I wanted to play at some of the casinos down there, and partly because I wanted some 99 cent shrimp cocktail from the Golden Gate. It's the best 99 cent shrimp cocktail you'll get Everybody's favorite offramp in the middle of the Mojave Desert anywhere, and even though the shrimp is small, you get a lot, and the sauce is good too! And best of all, it's only 99 cents (plus tax)! We didn't stay out too late though. And we got a lot of sleep. Cuz sleep is good. On Sunday we had brunch at the Aladdin buffet. It was pretty good. Then we were shopping down at the Desert Passage shops down there. All the newer megaresorts have their own shopping centers, but I have to say that Desert Passage is by far the best. Yes, Caesars kinda pioneered the fake sky thing (and did it well, with the changing colors and stuff). Sure, Venetian added the canal, but man, I'm sorry, but their sky sucks compared to Caesars. The Aladdin' shops... well, first of all, the ceiling is about twice as high, and the sky is about twice as wide, and goes back behind the front of the shops. It's bigger, and it's better. And the overall theming is better, with all the shops looking like you are in some arabian desert bazaar or something. Not like the other places that seem more like a regular mall with a cool ceiling and/or a canal. And oh yeah. I haven't had a good, working watch in a while, so I decided to buy one from the Fossil store. It has a cool blue face and yeah. And then we drove back. So yeah. It wasn't your typical full of drunken debauchery in vegas type of weekend (drunken debauchery is overrated, anyway), but it certainly was relaxing and fun! And we got to bring back Leanne's stereo. Woohoo.