Fun With Tricia and Kevin

Helen and I have spent the last two days having fun showing off Las Vegas to our visitors, Tricia and Kevin.

On Thursday morning we drove to the Mirage and met up with them about 10 a.m. They had enjoyed a breakfast at Denny's, right across Las Vegas Blvd from their room. We decided to check out some of the casinos, so a walk down the Strip soon began. Our first stop was The Venetian and a tour of the Canal Shoppes. They were really impressed by the beauty and luxury of The V. Helen and Tricia spent about an hour browsing in a special Las Vegas gift shop where they looked a lot and bought little.

Then we headed south on the Strip, stopping at Harrah's and The Linq, before checking out the High Roller. We didn't ride the giant ferris wheel, but walked right up to it and it's pretty impressive. Along the way, we stopped at the Ghiradelli chocolate shop where I stocked up on treats for Helen and me.

Continuing south, we walked past Cromwell and Ballys, stopping at Paris to check it out. Kevin and Tricia were seeing all the sights and taking pics along the way. After Paris, we visited Planet Hollywood, where Tricia and Helen spent two hours shopping in the Miracle Mile shops. Meanwhile Kevin and I were getting thirsty, so I sat at a blackjack table and we enjoyed a couple of $1 beers while I played and Kevin watched. He's not quite confident enough to play live bj yet, but that's OK. We all have to learn at some point.

The session started well and I was playing one-on-one with the dealer, Chun. Then a woman who didn't know the game very well came and changed all the cards. I immediately lost all my profit and some. I had to rebuy for $100 and eventually the woman left and two couples joined us. Things went well and after about an hour, I left with a profit of $185.

Kevin and I still had time to kill before we had to meet with the girls, so we visited the Planet Hollywood sports book. Kevin wanted to bet on the Super Bowl and bought a $20 ticket on Under 45 points. I put $25 on Carolina -5 and then we left to meet up with Helen and Tricia. By this time it was almost 4 p.m. and we were getting hungry. Kevin and Tricia wanted to try a Vegas buffet and the PH has one of the best for the money, so we went down there. As we checked it, the lady at the register asked if I was a Total Rewards member and I showed her my platinum card. She checked my points and we were able to comp the $120 meal. WINNER!!

We all enjoyed the buffet, eating too much and still saving room for dessert. Then it was time to waddle back to Mirage where Kevin and Tricia had tickets for a 7 p.m. performance of "LOVE," the great Beatles tribute. Helen and I said goodnight and made the drive back to our apartment. It was a full day!

On Friday, we drove back to Mirage, meeting up with Kevin and Tricia at 9:30 to start our adventures. They both loved "LOVE" and talked about it a lot as we drove. Our first stop was south to see the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. We took several photos at the site, which was pretty busy with visitors. Then we drove north on the Strip and I took them to see the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, made famous from Pawn Stars. It's in a shabby area of the Strip, surrounded by cheap hotels and several infamous Wedding Chapels where you can get married by an Elvis imitator or even while sitting in your car at a drive-through window.

Then we rolled west on Charleston Avenue, our destination: Red Rock Canyon National Area.

We've taken several visitors to Red Rock and they are always impressed by the mountainous terrain and colorful rock formations. Our first stop was the visitors center where Helen and Tricia explored the gift shop, while Kevin and I looked at the informative displayed. Then we spent over an hour driving and parking along the 13-mile road that takes you through the park. We saw some adventurous knuckleheads climbing up the shear rock faces and swore we'd never do that!

Kevin and I had built up a powerful thirst and we decided to visit Yard House, an eatery at the Red Rock Casino. It was a late lunch for us and we enjoyed it. Helen, Tricia and I opted for tasty burgers, while Kevin devoured a platter of four sliders. Some tasty craft beers washed down the good food.
I gave them a quick tour of the Casino, which has become my go-to place when I don't visit the Strip for gaming.

After a while, we drove back to Mirage and hung out for a while. We walked to Harrah's where I played blackjack, winning $89 while Helen, Tricia and Kevin watched me play. I thought they might be bored, but they said they enjoyed watching me stack the chips! Even though they have a Volcano-View room, Kevin and Tricia had not yet seen the volcano show. So we planned to see the 8 p.m. show and about 7:45 headed out to get a good viewing spot. It was an impressive 10-minute display and the volcano throws off a good amount of heat!

Then it was time for us to say our goodbyes, ending a fun-filled trip for Tricia and Kevin. Helen and I drove home, tired but happy. Kevin and Tricia fly back to Detroit today. They'll take a shuttle bus to McCarron Airport at 11:45 in preparation for their 2 p.m. flight. They should arrive in Detroit about 10:30, if all goes well. There's already talk of them coming back to celebrate Christmas with us in December. I hope that works out, it would be GREAT fun.

For now, our LV adventure continues...