Vegas wrap up

Ah, yes, three days late the final installment of the Vegas Diaries!

When we last left our 4 intrepid gamblers (me, Kathy, Dick and Trina) we had celebrated Dick's birthday at the Bellagio with a lovely dinner and a Cirque show.

So, on Saturday, we went to Hoover Dam. Very, very cool. The Dam itself is such an amazing piece of engineering, especially when you consider it was constructed about 70 years ago, under budget and two years ahead of schedule (of course, there were no unions, no 40-hour work week, and the workers only got two days off a year). And without using tax monies.

Of course, one of the best things about the Hoover Dam is it's one of the few places where you can turn to your companions, say, "Hey, let's walk to Arizona!" and then do so!



After we were all Dammed out, we drove back to Vegas. Since we still had the rental car (an amazing Lincoln Town Car, very comfy), we decided to do some of the things that were not walking distance from our hotel, primarily the Stratosphere and the Hilton Casino (where they have cheap craps tables and Star Ward penny slots!). The Stratosphere was fun, but a little cheesy. I love going up in towers, and do so whenever I'm in a city that has one, so I loved going up and getting the view. It led me to the conclusion, though, that humans are NUTS! On top of the Stratosphere, 900 or so feet in the air, are three Thrill Rides, two of which HANG OVER THE EDGE OF THE TOWER!!!! Does this really seem like a good idea? I'm sorry, but metal is metal, and nuts and bolts can fail. Seems foolhardy to me.



The Hilton was fun. Kathy got on a great run at the craps table -- she rolled for about 10 minutes or so, won herself lots o' money, took me from about 30 or 40 dollars down to 25 dollars up, and won a couple of thousand for a guy at the table making crazy big bets. When she finally crapped out and we left the table, he tossed her a $25 chip as a thank you!

Then it was back to the hotel for a brief rest, then to Emeril's for another really good dinner, then back to the MGM Grand Casino for our final night of gambling. We all wound up down for the weekend, but had an absolute blast.

Got to bed about 2 am Sunday, and had to get up early (again) on Sunday to catch our planes out, but both Kathy and I slept tons on the plane, so it was all good.

All in all, a wonderful trip. Vegas Rocks.