Vegas Vacation Part IV: Vegas

We did in fact travel to Las Vegas for a vacation, and had some good times.

First, our friends Paul and Montana were there, staying at the Luxor, so we were able to spend some quality time with them. We hadn't seen them since their wedding in eastern Oregon last summer. And Montana had never been before, so she was living it up!

Let's see, in summary... We ordered room service. We strolled down the strip in the sunshine. We had a few meals out. We went to the Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay. Oliver's first trip to the aquarium!

We also did some gambling. I stuck to the slots, and did quite well. Spending maybe $60 - 80, I came out about $600 ahead! If only Mitchell and Kerry weren't also gambling and losing...

Sunday we reserved a cabana in the middle of Mandalay Bay's lazy river. It was perfect. First, it was the only way to enjoy the pool. It was near 100 degrees outside, and people were seriously getting there when it opened to reserve a space, and none of it was in the shade. I did have to get there early to claim our cabana, but then they held it for us the rest of the day. At this time of year, 9 am and 4 pm seemed to be the most pleasant at the pool (note to self). But one part or another of our group hung out all day in the cabana. Our host brought Oliver a pack 'n play, thank goodness. Not sure what we would have done without it, and he actually slept a majority of the day. Heat and plenty of background noise will do it, I guess. We floated the lazy river and ordered food and drinks. It was quite nice and definitely worth the splurge.

Sunday night, Kerry and I went to dinner. The concierge at Mandalay Bay was pretty unhelpful and quite frankly, rude. They gave us a coupon book for the eateries in their mall as one of their suggestions for dinner... So we hopped in a cab and headed for the Bellagio, in search of a classier dining experience. Their concierge recommended Fix, and we're glad he did! (He was tipped appropriately.) Fix was delicious. Good drinks (including Kerry's $25 margarita), good food (fried mac & cheese, filet mignon and a seafood tower!) Kerry even saw Carlos Santana leaving the bathroom while we were there. I was in the women's, and she was waiting for me. She didn't actually know it was him until his entourage (brother-in-law) confirmed it. We saw him eating at Fix as we headed out. It was him. He was wearing the hat. All-in-all, a decent way to wrap up a mature weekend in Las Vegas.