We got back from Las Vegas last night. It was a good trip. Not an excellent trip, but we did have a good time. We enjoyed being with Chris and Jessica. There were high points and low ones, too. The lowest of the lows had to be trying to get there. We were scheduled to fly out on the day that the freak storms hit all over the east coast.
Our first flight got cancelled. We got reassigned to another flight, felt positively elated when we finally boarded it only to have it taxi out to the runway, sit for 45 minutes and then taxi us right back to the gate. Because it got cancelled, too. Bummer. We were so exhausted by the end of that day, haggling to get a flight, standing in lines, multiple trips through security because we kept having to go out to the front ticketing counter to try and figure out how we could get the heck out of Raleigh. Ugh. We had to finally get a hotel and stay overnight, taking an early morning flight the next day. The one bright spot was flying first class that day as compensation for all of our trouble. I don't know if it made up for all the hassle completely, but it did help.
I have pictures to share as soon as I can download them. I am in slow gear today having gotten in late last night and then making an early morning Dr. appointment this morning. I can tell you that I am going back to work tomorrow, as my ankle has finally (tentatively) healed. I no longer have to wear the boot, but I have to be very careful for another month. I am supposed to wear an ankle brace, but its much less intrusive than the boot. I can't do yoga, running (as if), or extended walking for at least 30 more days. I assumed yoga would help, but the Doc said that its too soon to do any serious stretching yet. If I feel any pain I have to slap the awful boot back on, and I am still supposed to take anti-inflammatory meds for another month. I go back on Dec. 2nd and hopefully I will be completely cleared to go back to normal life after that....? This has been weird and long and I hope to never have this flare up again.
But anyway, I do want to write more about the trip later. The high points were dinner at Emeril's "Table 10"....so delicious. And Cirque Du Soleil "O". That show was strange and amazing and I would recommend it highly. Its done in a huge pool onstage, and the performers are all multi-talented divers/gymnasts, who are also synchronized swimmers, contortionists, trapeze artists and dancers. It very entertaining. We also saw the comedian/magicians "Penn and Teller" and we all loved that show, too.
Our hotel, the Bellagio, was luxurious. Our rooms were amazing, and the view of the fountains were fantastic. We were on the 20th floor, right in the middle of the building. Beautiful. On the downside, besides being expensive, you were nickel and dimed to death there. The wi-fi was NOT free. I refused to pay for it, too, so we went without it, even though I had dragged my laptop there. A 6 cup pot of coffee delivered to your room in the morning was something like $20. These were small cups, too. And I thought Starbucks was expensive. Geez. Honestly, I half expected to be charged for my wake up call request yesterday morning. And it was so crowded. Apparently, the casino, shows and restaurants are really popular, so in the evenings these areas were claustrophobically packed with people from all over. Most of them were not guests of the hotel. You had to show room keys to get past the elevator Nazis who guarded the guest room towers. In a way that was a good thing. But don't accidentally try to get upstairs if you left your key card with your husband, and he has disappeared into the vast, never-ending casino to entertain himself while you run upstairs for a minute.
The thing that surprised me was that I don't love Vegas anymore. I used to. When we went 10 or so years ago it was so much fun that I couldn't imagine running out of things to do. This time around....eh.....things have changed a whole lot there since we last went. Case in point, the Excaliber has always been advertised as one of the most "family" oriented hotels. We went there because Chris wanted to do the "Tournament of Kings" dinner show (the one in Myrtle Beach was much better, although the principle is the same). Right in the lobby, in front of the entrance to the "Fun Dungeon" arcade for kids, there was a stage out in the open area with a dancer. She wasn't nude, but almost. The dancing was erotic and provocative, and it kind of creeped me out how many people were dragging kids or pushing strollers past it as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. I do NOT have a problem with exotic dancers, strippers or whatever, but those performances should be in an adult-only club. Not out in the open public areas. Oh well....a lot of Vegas had gone much seedier that way. Even the food, and all of those highly advertised buffets were not all that great. They were much more expensive than the last time we went. Expect to pay upwards of $30 per person, but the quality is more like the local Golden Corral. I was a bit disappointed in that.
Anyway, we had fun, didn't win any money (at least we didn't lose too much so at least there's that}. It was entertaining, and I can officially put Las Vegas to rest now. Been there, done that, and now I am over it. I really don't think I will go back. If I feel the overwhelming urge to gamble (unlikely) I will go to Atlantic City or take myself a cruise to someplace warm and friendly in the Caribbean. Seriously.
