Beach Crazy
Hostess With the Mostess
Wednesday, August, 9th - It was the annual trip to Vegas with my sisters. My usual flight to Vegas was great, Allegiant Air out of Peoria getting into Vegas a half hour early. Hurricane Mikey picked me up at the airport and off we went. First order of business, off to Paris to check in. There was no line at the registration desk at 11 am, so we gave the clerk my credit card, and a $20 bill and politely asked if there was an upgrade available. He said that he'd certainly try to find one. After a few minutes of typing away, he told us that we could get an executive suite on the 27th floor. Unfortunately, it was non-smoking and offered a king bed only. I needed a room with two queens. Nothing else was available, except a huge upgrade to another type of suite that would cost another $80 per night, so we declined. The clerk was well-mannered enough to return the twenty spot for coming up empty, so we gave him a ten-spot for the effort. I ended up taking a standard room on the fourth floor overlooking the pool and Eiffel tower, but it wouldn't be ready for a couple more hours.
What a view!!
We decided that we wanted to have lunch. We really wanted to get started because the priority of the day was to get out to the BMW dealership in Henderson so I could test drive a Nissan 350Z Roadster I was hoping to buy. I've been looking for one for about a year now and as luck would have it, I stumbled across this one a couple weeks ago on the Internet. Before I left for Vegas I had already done my research, arranged financing and checked into having the car shipped home. Believe me, it's not easy to find a used, low mileage Roadster that's an automatic.
While sitting at the stoplight outside of GVR, we noticed the Cheesecake Factory on the left, so we decided to go there. We both had a fu-fu drink called a Flying Monkey or something like that. We ordered some crab rangoon, an order of avocado egg rolls, and some spinach-artichoke dip saving room for cheesecake.
After that we headed to the dealership for a test drive. Long story short...the last thing my hubby told me before I left was, "don't buy that car the first day." So what did I do? I bought it.
Thanks to Mikey for making me stick to my price, I knew they weren't going to go any lower and it was a great price, so it was now or never. All I had to do now was decide if I wanted to ship it home or drive...oh, I'll worry about that later.
Mikey negotiating
After what seemed like an eternity, we were finally headed for the strip. The sun was going down behind the western mountains, and the dusky sky provided the perfect atmosphere for us to drive down Las Vegas Boulevard, topless, listening to Elvis tunes. We were Thelma & Louise...breaking out of our normal lives. Well, maybe Mikey felt more like a young Brad Pitt...no, that doesn't sound right either. Well, anyway, somebody said get a life... so we did.
Later we met my nephew and his friend (my new LVPD connection
) at the "Hooker Bar" — I'm sure that's not the official name, but that's what we've been calling it for the past couple of years. After some drinks Mikey and I headed out to Boulder Station. Just as we were pulling in the drive I got a text message from my good friend, Vegas Jer, who asked us to meet him at the Paris dice tables around 10 pm. Mikey and I both lost a hundy at the Pai Gow table in less than a half an hour, and we were outta there. We met up with Jer and spent the rest of the night wandering the strip, drinking whatever alcohol we could find and playing craps and blackjack. No banana chips this time. After a drunken Vegas breakfast at 5 am, Jer was off to the airport and Mikey and I were off to crash.
Spent several hours the next day at the pool. No problems whatsoever getting chairs, which was a nice change from Mirage. Later in the evening I headed to the "Hooker Bar" again and this time met up with my Vegas girl, Vegasdrea and her boyfriend, Aaron. After several rounds of drinks and catching up on the latest news we were headed off to Voodoo Lounge to meet up with my sisters, nephew and a few other friends. No matter how many times I go to Vegas, Voodoo is still a must do...I love that place!!
Did I mention it was a full moon!!
Andrea and Aaron had to work the next day, so after some drinks they headed out. Before I knew it, my whole group was gone. No problem, I'll just hang out a while with all the fun people here. I cabbed it back to Paris with a few other people I met and hit the sack.
Fun at Voodoo
I don't know what time I got in, I know the sun wasn't up yet, but it was damn close to it. Next thing I know, my phone is ringing. It's my girlfriend, Sin, and it's 5 PM!! My sister wasn't feeling well so we ordered room service and just hung out in the room. I had a salad and a seafood crepe, my sister ordered the fruit plate. The food was just average, nothing in comparison to Venetian room service. I was not impressed.
Saturday, Mikey, my sister, Gale, and I headed down to the pool at 10am sharp. This was our cabana day!! :banana: Later Andrea, and the rest of my posse showed up. The cabana was pretty cool — it had a TV, fridge, phone, couch, table with four chairs, five chaise lounges, misters, ceiling fan, two pool floats plus all the towels we'd ever need. The fridge came stocked with fruit juice, bottled water, and soft drinks. Around 11 am they brought us a fruit basket. Service was excellent. Our hostess, Tammy, came around every 10 minutes or so filling our ice bucket with fresh ice and asking if we needed anything. We also ordered lunch from the pool cafe, it was excellent!!! We all agreed that we could get use to this kind of life.
We did order some fu-fu drinks...they were terrible so after emptying out a few of the bottled waters, off to the room I went to refill them with rum. I snuck them down to the cabana and for the remainder of the day we made our own mixed drinks.
That night, Andrea and I headed over to Carnival Court to meet up with crazy Sin and her friend Bliss. Sin could have owned that place. She had seats at the bar saved for us and all the bartenders knew her by name, they waited on us hand and foot. Girl, you are awesome!! Tonya and Larry, you missed a great time. I don't know how long we stayed, but it was long enough to make a few drunken phone calls. And by the way people...you are not supposed to answer the phone, I could hardly hear a thing!!
Having fun at Carnival Court!!
At some point we went next door to Toby Keith's. If we are anywhere near that place, Andrea has got to go!! This was actually my first time there, and I was expecting hot cowboys in tight Wranglers, instead I got a country bar where no one knows how to two step and men greet you with "you're coming home with me, I just got outta prison"…!!
With the exception of the band, I didn't see very many cowboys, but it was a great time and I'm sure I'll go back again. After requesting the band to play "Whiskey Girl" for Andrea and a little dancing we decided to head downtown.
The girls at Toby Keiths
Andrea's serenade
We decided on Hogs & Heifers. This is where things start to get a little fuzzy
. Maybe Sin or Andrea can fill you in better. I do remember admiring a bunch of Harley's out front. Those guys were really nice, they even let us sit on their bikes. Jer called and said he was on his way. He later told me all he could hear when he called was "Three screaming school girls!!!" I think the bikers were a little jealous when he showed up. :evillaugh H&H was dead so we hoofed it to the Plaza to catch a cab to IP. Jer and I played some blackjack (not that I remember) while Andrea and Sin sat at the bar having some cocktails. Eventually we made it back to Paris for breakfast. Sorry Bill, this is why we didn't call you. Sunday morning, Andrea and I said our goodbyes 
and I was off to walk the strip with my remaining posse.
We started out walking south from Ballys stopping in various casinos here and there to drink and gamble. We also met Elvis along the way and couldn't resist the photo op.
We made it as far as NYNY and decided to head back. On the way back we stopped at the Monte Carlo. I gotta say, I have been there before but don't quite remember it being so big. And the whole casino had a very pleasant fresh smell to it, something I don't remember noticing when I entered any of the other casinos. After a little gambling and a few drinks, we decided that maybe we need to try a stay here next year, so we put it on our list. We headed to Ceasar's looking for one of those rapid roulette games. I know that not everyone likes those, but this trip I played it at four different casinos and ended up doubling my money or better at three of the four.
Me and my possee
Sometime during our afternoon the hubby phoned and said our washing machine had died and he was going shopping for a new one. I didn't even know he knew how to work that thing...ohhhhhhh, maybe That's what happened :evillaugh. At that point I decided I would drive my car home. Last stop for the evening was Ballys. After a little more rapid roulette and doubling my money I decided to call it an early night around 1 am so I could get some rest before my long drive.
The next morning I was sitting at the Peppermill at 11:15 waiting for Mikey. He was supposed to print me driving directions from Map Quest, but I guess he forgot. Lucky for me, he had made the very same drive several times and was able to give me directions to St. Louis. From there I could find my way home. We had a nice brunch and then I had one more stop to make before leaving town. We walked across the street to the Stardust to have one last look and pick up a few trinkets.
I left a little later than I had planned...of course I had to have the top down. I got just past Hoover Dam where the thermometer was reading 107 and my shoulders were starting to blister.
Had to stop and put the top down. When I got to New Mexico, I saw nothing but rain and the most wicked lightning I have ever encountered
. As I drove through Albuquerque, I almost called my girlfriend, Sin, to see if she wouldn't mind an overnight guest, but I had a long way to go, so I followed a semi hoping he didn't plunge off the side of the road, because if he did, I was going right along with him. After a while, I couldn't take the rain anymore...I gave up. I wasn't even out of New Mexico!! I managed to get on the road the next day around 8 am. From there on out, it was smooth sailing. As I got a couple miles from home, I swear I have never been so happy 
to see Marty's water tower...it was 3:30 am and I knew in five minutes and I would be home fast asleep in my own bed, another successful Vegas trip behind me. The end!
:wave2:
What a view!!
We decided that we wanted to have lunch. We really wanted to get started because the priority of the day was to get out to the BMW dealership in Henderson so I could test drive a Nissan 350Z Roadster I was hoping to buy. I've been looking for one for about a year now and as luck would have it, I stumbled across this one a couple weeks ago on the Internet. Before I left for Vegas I had already done my research, arranged financing and checked into having the car shipped home. Believe me, it's not easy to find a used, low mileage Roadster that's an automatic.
While sitting at the stoplight outside of GVR, we noticed the Cheesecake Factory on the left, so we decided to go there. We both had a fu-fu drink called a Flying Monkey or something like that. We ordered some crab rangoon, an order of avocado egg rolls, and some spinach-artichoke dip saving room for cheesecake.
After that we headed to the dealership for a test drive. Long story short...the last thing my hubby told me before I left was, "don't buy that car the first day." So what did I do? I bought it.
Thanks to Mikey for making me stick to my price, I knew they weren't going to go any lower and it was a great price, so it was now or never. All I had to do now was decide if I wanted to ship it home or drive...oh, I'll worry about that later. 
Mikey negotiating
After what seemed like an eternity, we were finally headed for the strip. The sun was going down behind the western mountains, and the dusky sky provided the perfect atmosphere for us to drive down Las Vegas Boulevard, topless, listening to Elvis tunes. We were Thelma & Louise...breaking out of our normal lives. Well, maybe Mikey felt more like a young Brad Pitt...no, that doesn't sound right either. Well, anyway, somebody said get a life... so we did.
Later we met my nephew and his friend (my new LVPD connection
) at the "Hooker Bar" — I'm sure that's not the official name, but that's what we've been calling it for the past couple of years. After some drinks Mikey and I headed out to Boulder Station. Just as we were pulling in the drive I got a text message from my good friend, Vegas Jer, who asked us to meet him at the Paris dice tables around 10 pm. Mikey and I both lost a hundy at the Pai Gow table in less than a half an hour, and we were outta there. We met up with Jer and spent the rest of the night wandering the strip, drinking whatever alcohol we could find and playing craps and blackjack. No banana chips this time. After a drunken Vegas breakfast at 5 am, Jer was off to the airport and Mikey and I were off to crash. Spent several hours the next day at the pool. No problems whatsoever getting chairs, which was a nice change from Mirage. Later in the evening I headed to the "Hooker Bar" again and this time met up with my Vegas girl, Vegasdrea and her boyfriend, Aaron. After several rounds of drinks and catching up on the latest news we were headed off to Voodoo Lounge to meet up with my sisters, nephew and a few other friends. No matter how many times I go to Vegas, Voodoo is still a must do...I love that place!!
Did I mention it was a full moon!!
Andrea and Aaron had to work the next day, so after some drinks they headed out. Before I knew it, my whole group was gone. No problem, I'll just hang out a while with all the fun people here. I cabbed it back to Paris with a few other people I met and hit the sack.
Fun at Voodoo
I don't know what time I got in, I know the sun wasn't up yet, but it was damn close to it. Next thing I know, my phone is ringing. It's my girlfriend, Sin, and it's 5 PM!! My sister wasn't feeling well so we ordered room service and just hung out in the room. I had a salad and a seafood crepe, my sister ordered the fruit plate. The food was just average, nothing in comparison to Venetian room service. I was not impressed.
Saturday, Mikey, my sister, Gale, and I headed down to the pool at 10am sharp. This was our cabana day!! :banana: Later Andrea, and the rest of my posse showed up. The cabana was pretty cool — it had a TV, fridge, phone, couch, table with four chairs, five chaise lounges, misters, ceiling fan, two pool floats plus all the towels we'd ever need. The fridge came stocked with fruit juice, bottled water, and soft drinks. Around 11 am they brought us a fruit basket. Service was excellent. Our hostess, Tammy, came around every 10 minutes or so filling our ice bucket with fresh ice and asking if we needed anything. We also ordered lunch from the pool cafe, it was excellent!!! We all agreed that we could get use to this kind of life.
We did order some fu-fu drinks...they were terrible so after emptying out a few of the bottled waters, off to the room I went to refill them with rum. I snuck them down to the cabana and for the remainder of the day we made our own mixed drinks.
That night, Andrea and I headed over to Carnival Court to meet up with crazy Sin and her friend Bliss. Sin could have owned that place. She had seats at the bar saved for us and all the bartenders knew her by name, they waited on us hand and foot. Girl, you are awesome!! Tonya and Larry, you missed a great time. I don't know how long we stayed, but it was long enough to make a few drunken phone calls. And by the way people...you are not supposed to answer the phone, I could hardly hear a thing!!
Having fun at Carnival Court!!
At some point we went next door to Toby Keith's. If we are anywhere near that place, Andrea has got to go!! This was actually my first time there, and I was expecting hot cowboys in tight Wranglers, instead I got a country bar where no one knows how to two step and men greet you with "you're coming home with me, I just got outta prison"…!!
With the exception of the band, I didn't see very many cowboys, but it was a great time and I'm sure I'll go back again. After requesting the band to play "Whiskey Girl" for Andrea and a little dancing we decided to head downtown. The girls at Toby Keiths
Andrea's serenade
We decided on Hogs & Heifers. This is where things start to get a little fuzzy
. Maybe Sin or Andrea can fill you in better. I do remember admiring a bunch of Harley's out front. Those guys were really nice, they even let us sit on their bikes. Jer called and said he was on his way. He later told me all he could hear when he called was "Three screaming school girls!!!" I think the bikers were a little jealous when he showed up. :evillaugh H&H was dead so we hoofed it to the Plaza to catch a cab to IP. Jer and I played some blackjack (not that I remember) while Andrea and Sin sat at the bar having some cocktails. Eventually we made it back to Paris for breakfast. Sorry Bill, this is why we didn't call you. Sunday morning, Andrea and I said our goodbyes and I was off to walk the strip with my remaining posse. We started out walking south from Ballys stopping in various casinos here and there to drink and gamble. We also met Elvis along the way and couldn't resist the photo op.
We made it as far as NYNY and decided to head back. On the way back we stopped at the Monte Carlo. I gotta say, I have been there before but don't quite remember it being so big. And the whole casino had a very pleasant fresh smell to it, something I don't remember noticing when I entered any of the other casinos. After a little gambling and a few drinks, we decided that maybe we need to try a stay here next year, so we put it on our list. We headed to Ceasar's looking for one of those rapid roulette games. I know that not everyone likes those, but this trip I played it at four different casinos and ended up doubling my money or better at three of the four.
Me and my possee
Sometime during our afternoon the hubby phoned and said our washing machine had died and he was going shopping for a new one. I didn't even know he knew how to work that thing...ohhhhhhh, maybe That's what happened :evillaugh. At that point I decided I would drive my car home. Last stop for the evening was Ballys. After a little more rapid roulette and doubling my money I decided to call it an early night around 1 am so I could get some rest before my long drive.
The next morning I was sitting at the Peppermill at 11:15 waiting for Mikey. He was supposed to print me driving directions from Map Quest, but I guess he forgot. Lucky for me, he had made the very same drive several times and was able to give me directions to St. Louis. From there I could find my way home. We had a nice brunch and then I had one more stop to make before leaving town. We walked across the street to the Stardust to have one last look and pick up a few trinkets.
I left a little later than I had planned...of course I had to have the top down. I got just past Hoover Dam where the thermometer was reading 107 and my shoulders were starting to blister.
Had to stop and put the top down. When I got to New Mexico, I saw nothing but rain and the most wicked lightning I have ever encountered
. As I drove through Albuquerque, I almost called my girlfriend, Sin, to see if she wouldn't mind an overnight guest, but I had a long way to go, so I followed a semi hoping he didn't plunge off the side of the road, because if he did, I was going right along with him. After a while, I couldn't take the rain anymore...I gave up. I wasn't even out of New Mexico!! I managed to get on the road the next day around 8 am. From there on out, it was smooth sailing. As I got a couple miles from home, I swear I have never been so happy to see Marty's water tower...it was 3:30 am and I knew in five minutes and I would be home fast asleep in my own bed, another successful Vegas trip behind me. The end! :wave2:
Get with the stick...grrrl...
