first vegas trip

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've posted! I've been quite preoccupied with work.

It's pretty embarrassing that Daniel and I have never been to Vegas. I mean, we live really close: four hours driving or one hour by plane. But whenever we get the itch to play blackjack, we drive an hour and are sitting at a table in one of the Indian casinos. So why go to all the hassle of Vegas, right?

It was going to take an occasion to make us go to Vegas. The occasion was one of our friend's 30th birthday celebrations! She adores the Dave Matthews Band and she wanted to see them play there and invited a bunch of us to go. I am in sore need of a vacation (last one was in August), so I jumped at the chance.

Another friend we have has some serious connections in Vegas. She's just one of those people who, no matter where she goes, meets the right people to know and she has an immediate "in" with them. She scored us a spectacular, AMAZING suite at the Wynn at a discounted price. Go ahead. Look at the photos on the website. It was sick. The main bathroom (yes, there were two bathrooms) is bigger than my kitchen. The shower had a "rain" setting. There was a separate jacuzzi tub.

We had our first night's dinner in the adjoining Encore Hotel at a restaurant called Switch. Great French inspired seafood and the walls/ceiling changed while you ate!

As we were walking past the craps tables, we tried to see what the minimum bets were. (Craps has always fascinated me, but I'm too chicken to try it.) $25. $50. $25. $1,000. Wait. Did that really say $1,000? We stopped to watch. My friend (who is hotter than all get out, by the way,) was watching the sole craps player bet upwards of $14,000 with each roll of the dice. They start talking, she starts shooting. This guy has about $10,000 on the pass line, $3,000 on each number, and about $300 on each of the hard ways. Up $26,000, down $14,000. Back and forth. He tosses my friend a $500 chip. She's talking me up and he gives me $100 chip. I felt really weird about keeping it, so when he asked me if I wanted him to bet it, I said yes. (Easy come, easy go, I guess.) He finally gets wiped out and leaves, but not before telling us that he won $150,000 the night before and trying to get up to some kind of room. Gross.

Saturday night we had dinner with the birthday girl at Nine Fine Irishmen. Excellent Irish food and half and halfs. She goes off to her concert and we head to the old strip... the Golden Nugget. I heard that the slots had really good odds and wanted to see what old Vegas looks like, even if it's not the cool place to be.

Now I know why it's not the cool place. Ugh. Dirty. Smoky. Questionable crowd. Maybe I didn't like it because the Russian blackjack dealer by the pool took me for $100. Or perhaps it was because I lost my cell phone there.

But I didn't know I had lost my cell phone until after we took another cab ride back to the strip and was almost back at the Wynn. We retraced our steps after dinner, since I clearly remembered having it there. Meanwhile, Daniel and my friend were calling and texting my phone, offering rewards and giving the number where to call if found. About two hours later, someone calls my friend. It was security at the Golden Nugget. Back in a $40 cab right to downtown and get my phone. He didn't accept the reward I offered him and he actually apologized for taking so long to call, but he had to log it into his record book downstairs.

He was nice, but I still don't like the Golden Nugget.

When we got back to the Wynn, my friend managed to walk past the huge line to get into Tryst, which is arguably one of the hottest clubs in Vegas right now. Of course, never having been to Vegas before and not being much of a club-goer in general, I wasn't showing nearly enough skin and looked matronly in the club. Oh, well. It was cool to check it out, even if I did get slobbered on by some fat guy who had a table with bottle service and was trying to offer me a drink. Again. Gross. Leave me just outside at the bottom of the stairs after you get through the line. There they have a separate lounge with couches where I can sit, drink, and talk in peace. We'll have to arrange that for next time.

Sunday was pretty low key and we had to drive back. Daniel and I did a lot of exploring and I have definite ideas of what I want to try next time. ShadowBox at Ceasars. Maybe a show. Shopping at the premium outlets. But one thing is certain, we will go back.