Helen Hits The Strip

Saturday saw Helen's first visit to the bright lights and crowded sidewalks that ARE the Las Vegas Strip.

Early in the day I made a quick trip to the Suncoast to cash a ticket on Northern Illinois that paid me $50. I also ran a couple of errands, mailing some things and got back home around noon. We had some lunch, then made the 30-minute drive to the Strip. I wanted Helen to see some of the new places there and she was eager to check them out.

We parked at the Venetian, one of her favorite hotel/casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard. Our first stop was the Canal Shops and watching one of the singing gondoliers belt out "O Solo Mio." Then we checked out a glass shop, one of Helen's favorites. It features an amazing assortment of blown glass with correspondingly amazing price tags. The place also has a wide assortment of Italian masks that are pretty impressive.

Then we hit the casino for a while, just checking out the action and visiting the sports book. I had a live teaser bet with Missouri, Ohio State and Kansas State. The Missouri-Alabama game was on and we kept checking on it. After keeping it close for a while, Missouri choked in the second half and I lost that investment. The only gambling we did was at a 25-cent video blackjack game. I put in $20 and cashed out at $20.25 after about 20 minutes of play. I took the QUARTER profit and walked.

About 4 or so we decided to get something to eat at the Grand Lux Café, one of our favorite eateries in all of Vegas. I've eaten here probably 20 times over the years and never had a bad meal. We got immediate seating and both decided to eat light. Helen chose the Asian Chicken Salad, while I went for the Chicken Avocado Salad. Both were fresh and tasty with light, flavorful dressings.

Then we left the Venetian for the long walk south toward the Cromwell, formerly the Barbary Coast and Bill's Gambling Hall. With Helen in her wheelchair, we checked out Harrah's then rolled through the LINQ, formerly Imperial Palace, then through the new Margaritaville Casino which links the Jimmy-Buffett-themed Café to the Flamingo. I showed her the new shopping area where the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop entices us. Earlier in the week I had stopped in there to pick up a 85-count assortment of chocolate treats.

Eventually we made it to Cromwell where Helen was impressed with the place's red chandelier's and overall vibe. The only problem is that the place lacks a highly visible handicapped entrance. There's a lone door on the side of the place that accommodates wheelchairs. The two entrances from The Strip both feature steps that make wheelchair entrance virtually impossible. Would it really have been so difficult to add at least one ramp to one of those two entrances? C'mon Cromwell, get with it!

After a while we retraced our steps, heading back north toward the Venetian. The only highlight was when a "character" of Bert (of Bert & Ernie fame) tried to approach Helen. She has an aversion to all those type of big-headed, goofy mascots and characters and didn't react favorably.

Eventually we made our way to the car and headed home. Traffic leaving the Venetian was bumper-to-bumper and it took 20 minutes just to get out on Las Vegas Blvd. I drove us north, then west on Sahara. We got home about 7 or so. It seemed like a quiet end to our day, but Helen fell in the bathroom and sprained her ankle. She was in real pain and we iced it down, but it still swelled up and turned bluish. She had a rough night trying to sleep and we're laying low at home today. If she's not feeling better tomorrow, we may have to take her to a clinic or hospital.

So our Adventure continues...