Viva Las Vegas

This past Thursday, Sean, my parents and I headed to Las Vegas for a long weekend. My parents have never been and being the high roller my mother is, we thought it would be a fun weekend for all. We arrived at the Monte Carlo Casino Thursday evening and met up with Sean's friend, Don. We had a quick bite to eat and then off to bed.

Overall, the Monte Carlo was a modest and adequate place to stay. We chose it because it was one of better deals and I liked the location. Not to mention I was excited about the Lazy River. I was dismayed to find two double beds in the room, but although I had requested a King, I did not ask at the front desk. The beds were uncomfortable, the comforters in a bad shape and the choice of dining in our hotel seemed to be minimal compared to others. But, I have stayed in a lot worse. (Ask me about Vegas in 1998!)

On Friday, Sean competed in a poker tournament while the rest of us ventured down the strip. We visited the MGM Grand, Paris, NY NY and others. After we had enough of the heat, Dad and I hit the pool while Mom hit the slot machines. One of the highlights of the trip was the Lazy River that I mentioned. It's essentially a river (chlorinated of course) with current! And it was fun. We bypassed the $14 tube and went tube-less. A nice refreshing way to remove the grime each day.

The highlight of the trip has to be our visit to the Price Is Right show. Very similar to the show we all know and love, except it is not televised, the prizes aren't as great and sadly, no Bob. I give credit to the show for trying to include as many people as possible. For each of the 6 games, 4 people get called down to bid, different people spin the wheel, different people in the showcase showdown, and random people win casino credits throughout the show. Lots and lots of winners. Now I've been using my DVR to record TPIR and practice the past several weeks. This was not just a show to me. This was serious bidness.

Come on down! Notice the coordinated shirts. Serious Bidness for sure.

Each person has a small device that we use to punch in the letter of the most expensive item showing on the screen. Those who get the question right are eligible to be called to come on down. It is fairly random, but it helps to get as many questions right as you can.
For the third game, the third person:
Kristin Walsh come on down! Ack! Whoohoo! I jumped up and ran down to contestants row. It's really happening I thought. I was very nervous, but yay for me. I knew that the stuffing was more than the rice cakes and definitely more than the jello back in 1986.

The showgirls roll out a juicer. I don't recognize the brand and to be honest, I'm not sure it's a juicer. It could be one of those old fashioned hair dryers for all I know. The first guy bids $120. The second lady, $69. I think it is more than $69 but less than $100. I take $79. The grandma beside me takes $199. I think I have it in the bag. The actual retail price is: $125. %&^&^
Oh man, you got to be kidding! I pick up my free T-Shirt and amble back to my seat feeling rejected, dejected, and bummed. Really bummed. The guy didn't win Cliffhanger, but I think I would have.

Later, we hear Mom's name! She runs down to contestants row just like a pro. Unfortunately she bid $59.95 on a scale and we all laughed at her. She revised her bid to $59 (and swears that is how much hers cost. This scale was over $100.) A few minutes later she came up with her free t-shirt too. All in all, it was a lot of fun. I thought about going the next day but did not.

Saturday, we visited the Hoover Dam and the Rio Buffet. We also visited old Las Vegas.
After spending a quiet day Sunday checking out the lions at MGM, getting a facial and spending more time at the Lazy River, we went to see O at the Bellagio. Very impressive show, if only just thinking about the logistics of the stage which was usually a deep pool, but quickly transformed into a regular stage.

We flew back on Monday night. Mom was lucky enough to win $567, however we never found out how much she spent to win that money. Fun was had by all, I just hope someone takes the time to clean the littered streets and extinguish just half of the cigarettes. While spending time in lavish and glitzy Vegas, I also read a great book about a place that is nothing like Vegas making my trip very reflective. More on that later.