What Happens in Vegas...
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2007
1
9
17
Trip End
Oct 2007
Las Vegas, Nevada
Thursday, October 11, 2007
After we took showers and relaxed a little we headed to the strip. It was just about time for the pirate show at Treasure Island, so we stopped to wait for it to start. It turned out to be pretty lame- scantily clad men and women dancing around, but we weren't close enough to really see anything anyway. After just a couple hours of walking around we were both exhausted. So we headed back to the hotel and decided that we needed to 'ease' into Vegas, especially since we had been out of civilization for a while.
The next day we woke up and Silas wanted to go down for the breakfast buffet. We got down there and realized that if we timed it right, we could probably get both the breakfast and lunch selections. We paced ourselves a little better than the day before, but unfortunately we were both stuffed by the time they finally put out the lunch food... We did manage to find room for dessert though. We had decided that we wanted to go to a show so we went to one of the half priced ticket booths to see what they had. We finally decided to go see 'Matsuri', a show from Japan that said it was 'Japan's #1 show'. It turned out to be really cool. It was a mix of all kinds of different stuff, there was some traditional music and dance, some that was almost like an exercise routine, a guy that was a master with a yo-yo...all kinds of stuff. It was very high energy and very 'Japanese' in my opinion, I really liked it a lot.
We also spent some time gambling...unfortunately the most I was ever up was $6.40 on a 'Wheel of Fortune' slot, but if I figure in how much I had already put into the machines I probably lost $15 or so...plus $4 of Silas' money too. :( The closer it came time to leave Vegas, the more I wanted to play to try to win my money back. It's a vicious cycle...luckily Silas was there to drag me out of the casino, otherwise who knows how much I would have lost!
We left Vegs in the evening and drove as close to Death Valley National Park as we could. We ended up pulling just off the road and sleeping there last night. It was really scary. I thought it was scary anyway, Silas didn't. We watched a couple episodes of Wonder Years and then it was time to go to bed since we were planning on getting up as early as we could to try to make it throught Death Valley before it got too hot. And it was EARLY when Silas got up this morning. I really didn't want to get up...I just wanted to cry. It reminded me of my mom waking me up for school when I was a little kid. About an hour later when we got our coffee I was fine, but poor Silas was stuck in the bus with me until then.
Allison
Yes, Vegas was definitely a shock to the system. The flourescent lights, the overwhelming sound of thousands of slot machines beeping away at the same time, the crowds, and the clouds of cigarette smoke, were too much to take the first night. We walked down the strip as far as Caesars Palace and then gave up and walked back to Circus Circus to sleep. I lost $4 in the machines the first night. The next day, after stuffing ourselves at the buffet we bought tickets to "Matsuri" and then rode the bus as far as New York, New York. Allison and I went to the arcade there and played one of those basketball games where the basket moves back and forth. I thought I was shooting exceptionally well, but she beat me in a best out of 3 tournament. I couldn't believe it! Especially, after seeing the unnatural way she was shooting the ball. But I shouldn't be surprised she always seems to beat me at games that require hand/eye coordination (pool, ping pong, darts, etc...). After basketball, it was time to go to the show. It was so good! I had a lot of fun.There were lots of schoolyard tricks (jump rope, hula hoop, yo-yo, bike, etc...), funny skits, and a little audience participation. After the show we played the machines at the Sahara and I lost another $5. We ate a late night dinner at Denny's and then went back to the hotel. The next morning I only had one thing on my mind, and that was downloading the new Radiohead album. We found a place to download it and then we walked around the strip a little more to kill time and find a better road atlas. Before we left Vegas we played the machines at Circus Circus one last time and I won $9. I had a hard time getting Allison to stop playing. She had a fire in her eye and she said she had a feeling she was gonna win big. We left before her feeling became a reality. Maybe just one more dollar. I didn't want to leave Vegas until evening since the bus is air-cooled and would overheat in the desert heat. So we got a late start and ended up camping just outside Death Valley in the middle of nowhere. This morning we drove through Death Valley as fast as possible to avoid the heat. What a harsh landscape! Definitely not a place you would want to breakdown. It's just rock, dirt, salt, and heat. At one point we were more than a hundred feet below sea level.
Silas
Comments
Circus Circus
It's funny that you mention the buffet stories Allison--I didn't even remember that until I read it. Unfortunately, my Reno and Circus Circus memories were overshadowed by the 'theft incident.' I hope you guys didn't leave any quarters laying around where employees of the hotels could get them. The gambling stories had me thinking of 7 Feathers...I remember you giving up sleep and showers in exchange for slots when we were staying there. And Silas--that unnatural shooting technique has won Allison many a game of HORSE. She is freakishly good.
what happens in vegas doesn't always stay there.
My God! Everything Sarah said, I was going to say. I swear it's all true Silas! Once Allison starts gambling, she forgets everything else. She'll even go to the casino in her pj's if you let her. And in the middle of the night if you don't keep an eye on her. Watch your money! She may take yours if she runs out and is still out of control with her 'addiction'...if you know what I mean. Don't say you weren't warned. I also thought about 7 feathers, where Allison gave up on showers and stuff in order to spend all her time gambling. And I swear, I didn't know my children were hoarding food until I read about it here, so I guess what happens in Vegas may stay there for a while, but it comes out eventually.
one more thing
I almost forgot--Silas, when Allison inevitably asks you to borrow gambling money you need to specify what the terms of the loan are. She borrowed gambling money from me at 7 Feathers and I was under the assumption that we would split the profits made from that money. Instead, she won $120 and just gave me back the $10 I lent her.
Stays In Vegas
Silas, I have a comment about Allison and basketball...when we were younger, I used to bribe her to shoot baskets with me. I offered her five cents for every basket she made, and as you so tactfully pointed out, she's got something of an 'unnatural' shot. Needless to say, I never had to pay her much more than a quarter. But I'm glad all her practice paid off! Also, Mom and Sarah are right...I've heard about her notorious gambling habits! Like Sarah, I'd forgotten about Sarah's smuggling in Reno. I always knew we kept her around for a reason!
Re: what happens in vegas doesn't always stay ther
Maybe if you could've torn yourself away from the casino, you would have realized that your poor kids were subsisting on nothing more than stale dinner rolls that your youngest daughter had pilfered from the buffet line! ;-)