My husband wanted to attend a technical conference being held in Vegas. He went last year by himself and enjoyed it, but was a little lonely. This year I decided to travel with him, and attend the conference as well. If there is anything I'm lacking, technical knowledge is it. I can't even manage to reload paper into the printer without jamming it at least once. So I figured maybe I'll learn something, God forbid. Anyway, we arrived late on Wednesday night. The plan was to attend conference sessions during the day, and explore the Strip at night.
I have only been to Vegas once before, about four years ago. That time we stayed at the Excalibur and mostly stayed on that end of the strip. This trip we wanted to explore the other side, so we booked a room at the Imperial Palace (link). I had never been there before, and it was a diamond in the rough. Imperial Palace is an older casino, but thankfully lacks the "smoke stink" common among casinos of comparable age (Flamingo, Tropicana, etc). We got a complimentary upgrade to a room with a balcony, it was clean and affordable, but most importantly, the proximity could not be beat. The heart of the Strip was right outside our door.
The conference was very interesting and I was able to absorb more than I thought I would. My eyes only glazed over a few times. Females were an endangered species, so all my single ladies, if you are seeking a tech-saavy man, consider attending next year - the odds are in your favor. The nerd quotient was high, which meant the people-watching options were vast. My favorite sighting was a woman wearing a light-up bunny ear headband who surrounded herself with stuffed rabbits, cuddling them while listening to the speakers. Amazing.
On Thursday night we had dinner at BB King's Blues Club (link) in the Mirage. Their house band played Motown classics by the Temptations, the Supremes, and more. It was all I could do to stay in my chair. I usually hate to dance, which shows how delightful the music was. The food was all Southern inspired. We had fried pickles for an appetizer, and I bravely ordered a catfish po-boy for my entree. It's not something I would order every day, but it was tasty! Another food pick is Pizzeria Francesco's in Treasure Island (link). They have great Sicilian pizza by the slice, perfect for lunch. Quality pizza is lacking here in the Antelope Valley, so Francesco's really hit the spot.
My husband has always wanted to go see Blue Man Group perform, so we decided to splurge and attend a show on Friday night at the Venetian (link). They do offer a military discount, just fyi, which helped a little. I didn't know a lot about Blue Man Group previously, and I wasn't sure it would be "my thing," but I truly recommend their show. It was just pure entertainment. The music was great, the lights and artistry were impressive, and the theatrics were a lot of fun. It's the kind of thing you don't get to experience every day, so if you make it out to Vegas, take advantage of the opportunity.
All day Saturday we acknowledged our inner pigs, and participated in the Buffet of Buffets tour. For $45, you can get 24-hour unlimited access to seven different buffets on the Strip (link). We began with breakfast at Paris. My husband recommends the crepes, and in general they had delicious bread and pastries. Lunch was at Caesar's Palace. Life-changing. There were hand-carved meats, fresh salads, mouth-watering pastas, and the highlight - professionally crafted desserts worthy of the Food Network. They had these chocolate covered Oreos with chocolate mousse that were to die for. Our dinner buffet at the Flamingo was mediocre at best, but we were still so stuffed from earlier in the day that we didn't really care all that much. Anyway, it's a great deal - if you eat at a buffet twice you will make your money back and then some.
This morning we checked out around 5am to beat the traffic. We'd been warned about the Sunday rush of people traveling back to the LA area from Vegas. Doubling our drive time didn't sound too attractive, so we downed large amounts of caffeinated beverages and hit the road. It was a fun and relaxing trip, but it is always comforting to be home. It's a little weird to be without our dogs, who are being boarded til tomorrow morning, but given my current state of semi-consciousness, it's probably for the best. I hope I get back to Vegas soon! There's so much to enjoy and explore. Also, I have a $4.75 voucher from the Rio I forgot to cash in that expires in 6 months, so I kind of have to. :)
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