Las Vegas Christmas 2005

Where else to begin this wonderful vacation but the bar? Not just any bar – the “ibar”, a circular bar in the middle of the Rio Hotel & Casino. I dumped my suitcases in the room and called dad who told me to meet him in the circle bar. After I greeted mom and dad, I looked down at the cocktail napkin and knew that this was the place for me!!! The napkin read: i am dangerous i am sexy i am exciting i am confident “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME NOW” That’s my slogan for 2006. This was the first drink that marked the end of 2005 and the beginning of not just a new year, but a new life and lifestyle for me. It was a goodie, too – a Belvedere martini, up – very dry with a twist. It was probably three times larger than any martini I ever had. When the tab came, I found out why. It was the COST of three martinis. The bar tab for three drinks was $36 plus tip. Note: My “seatmate” on the flight from Phoenix was a guy from Scotland who gave me a few tips about Vegas. One of them was that when you were gambling you could order brand name liquors. Therefore, while gambling, I ordered Belvedere on the rocks with a wedge of lemon. I honestly do not remember eating dinner that night, although I know we did. I asked dad and he said that we ate at Antonio’s, the Italian restaurant. I guess I was in such a state of pure “pressure release” that I just zoned out. After dinner, we went to the “Masquerade Bar” and saw the first (of many) Carnivale parades and show. The show started out with about a dozen characters, some were clowns, some on stilts, that interacted with the crowd. The music was exactly what you would expect if you were attending Carnivale in Rio de Janiero. That is, until they played the “dolla dance” song. You know how it goes: “Cent, five cent, ten cent, dolla” – it was the dance I learned on a booze cruise beach party in the Bahamas. On the word “cent”, you swing your hips to the left and on “five cent” you swing them to the right. “Ten cent” is where you thrust your hips backward and “dolla” is where you – ok, ok, you get the picture. Anyway, it seems that I was the only person in the whole hotel who knew the dance. Did I dance it? You betcha! After the show, there was a place set up where you could have your picture taken with a real member of the Chippendales. Mom got there first, but I got there best! I think it was the leather pants that set me off!!! I dumped $6 in the slot machine and lost it in about 6 seconds. That’s all the gambling I cared to do that night. The next day was Thursday, December 22nd. I had to unpack, so I ordered corned beef hash and eggs from room service. We had decided the night before that we would go over to Harrah’s other property and then to the MGM Grand to make reservations at “Emeril’s”, Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant for Friday night. A LOT of walking, even though we took the shuttle. This is a picture from the refurbished MGM Grand - it used to be "Wizard of Oz". We knew we weren't in Kansas any more - that's for sure!!!

After some gambling and rest, we met at the seafood restaurant called “Buzio’s”, located at the Rio. Great seafood as I recall. Can’t remember what I ate. Probably lobster. Or scallops. Or shrimp. Whatever. All I remember is that it was GREAT FOOD! I stayed low carb - except for the alcohol.

I think that that we played the slots for a while. I really wanted to play blackjack, but the cheapest table was $10 a hand. I just wasn't quite ready for the "big girl" games. Quarter slots were about as adventurous as I was willing to get. After all, I had only been in Vegas for two nights!!! There was plenty of time for more gambling. And, yes, there would be more gambling.

That's all for now. I'll post more soon. Hope you enjoyed!

Carroll