RoadTrip: Las Vegas

We somewhat planned this part of the trip in that we wanted to get to Las Vegas in the middle of the week because we were able to get 2 nights at the Flamingo Hotel for $86.  Total.  That would probably be $130/night if we were to be in Las Vegas on the weekend.

Hoover Dam

We made the 3 hour drive to Las Vegas and after a quick stop at Hoover Dam to take some Dam pictures, we passed on the Dam tour, we made it to the Flamingo.  Checking in was an incredible hassle as the computerized self check-in stations were down.  The line was about 100 people long the front desk people were only getting through them at about 1 person a minute.  We waited about an hour to check-in and right as we finally got our room, the computer stations were up and running again.






It was still early afternoon so we dropped our stuff and changed into our swim suits and found our way to the enormous Flamingo Resort pool.  After some searching, we found two vacated chairs and plopped down.  There were so many people there drinking, relaxing, partying and it was Wednesday at 3 p.m.  We had some beers but I wasn't going to be paying $5 for a bud light all day and night if I could just go inside and gamble while drinking for free.  I also really wanted to play some blackjack as I have been known to do.

Welcome to Las Vegas

We were very glad that we decided to stay in Vegas for two nights which allowed us to do some major relaxing after hiking and driving and camping for the past two weeks.  We also had book club on our first night in Vegas so we called in from our hotel room and discussed the book with my family as we were a little buzzed after beers by the pool and drinks at the blackjack table.

We showered and got ready to the hit town without any plan for the evening.  We found some food at Johnny Rockets, which the chili cheese fries were a huge hit.  I then decided that I was going to teach Megan to do Vegas how I was taught by my father.  We wanted to see the strip, gamble, and drink, so we would sit down and play a few hands, get a drink from the waitress and then move on to the next casino.  We worked our way down the strip, from casino to casino, and I also taught Megan how to play some blackjack, pai gow, and Let it Ride.

Megan quickly picked up on all three games and after I played a few hands of Let it Ride at Bill's Gamblin Hall, Megan tried her luck. As I turned around to tip the waitress, the dealer passes out the cards and I hear Megan say "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, but I want to stay."  I quickly jerk my head around as she was dealt a pair of aces which means she is an automatic winner and is able to leave all three of her $10 bets out on the table.  With a huge smile on her face she picks up her $60 in chips and walks away.  We also played a few rounds of roulette with Megan winning a couple more dollars betting on red or black.

All in, Megan turned her $20 bill into a Benjamin and couldn't have been happier when she told the cashier, "hundred's fine," and is handed a crisp $100 bill.

Happy Megan with Her Winnings

The next day we were going to do much of the same, we got out to the pool what we thought was early but almost all of the chairs were already taken and we finally found two together way in the back corner.  What do all these people do for a living that they can hang by the Flamingo pool all day during the week.  I figured they all weren't like Megan and I on a 5 week roadtrip vacation, but maybe they were.

So Many People at the Pool

Megan wasn't feeling 100% and I wasn't 100% enjoying the sitting by the pool when I could hear all the winning going on inside the casino.  I was switching back and forth between sun by the pool and free drinks in the casino as Megan napped and relaxed with a bloody mary all day.  By the evening Megan was toasty and I was toasted but we had tickets to go to Cirque du Soleil: Mystere at Treasure Island.

We showered and on our walk to Treasure Island stopped to grab dinner at Chipotle, the only time we had a meal at a national chain the entire trip and Vegas shouldn't count because what happens there stays there.  Mystere was crazy weird but the acrobats were amazing.  I was loving it and could not believe some of the crazy cool things they were doing, like the giant teeter-totter with guys doing flips on.  After the show, we were both a little burned out and a couple rounds of roulette didn't bring any energy to us so we went back to bed.  This was the only day on our trip that we didn't drive anywhere.

The next morning I had to place one more bet, for IU to win this year's NCAA championship, which will hopefully pay off come April 2013!  And we were done with Vegas.