I'll try to do much better on keeping our readers posted on all of our adventures, but truthfully we didn't really have many adventures in January and February. I spent a lot of time on writing projects and got to interview some interesting people, including couples who had been married more than 40 or 5 years for a Valentine's Day story and some truckers who cook their meals in their big rigs while rolling along at 60mph.
But it's time to get back to the blog, so here are some of our recent shenanigans.
Helen's brother Norman and his wife Lorraine came to see us on Thursday for 3 days and got a room at Ballys. I arranged Helen and I to be comped there too, in fact, we set it up so we were right across the hall from each other on the 17th floor of the newly remodeled Indigo Tower.
Highlight of Thursday was a "belated birthday" dinner for me at Martirano's an upscale Italian eatery located in the walkway between Ballys and Paris. The meal was fantastic and the service was excellent. I had rigatoni with veal smothered in tasty "gravy" along with crusty bread and a glass of chianti.
On Friday the foursome piled into Norman's Tesla for the one-mile ride to the Venetian. He had driven the Tesla over from Thousand Oaks, northwest of Los Angeles, for the weekend. The drawback to the electric powered Tesla is that he had to stop twice to recharge the car. The normal 5-hour drive really took about s. Anyway, we rolled to the Venetian where Helen was on a mission to find a hard-to-find Pez dispenser for her cousin Carrie who is an avid Pez Head. Word on the Pez Street is that a shop at the Venetian's Canal Shops had these babies and Helen was determined to find one for her cuz.
So while Helen and Lorraine went Pez hunting, Norman and I hit the sports book to bet on hoops and hockey. We each had a winning wager on the Los Angeles Kings, so that was cool.
Helen not only found the elusive Pez, but was able to buy 3 of them for Carrie. Then we all met up for lunch at Black Tap, a burgers and beer joint near the sports book. I opted for a classic All American burger with cheddar and onion rings.
Helen had a California burger topped with avocado, while Lorraine went with a broccoli and quinoa salad. Norman picked a burger and we all had a tasty time.
Black Tap is known for their outrageously Crazy Milk Shakes and assorted desserts. They are packed with all sorts of sugary treats,candies and baked goods. And they come with a crazy price tag too, $16-20 per milk shake. I didn't get a shot of any shakes, but here are some of the fixin's they use to make 'em.
After lunch, Norman and I were back in the sports book, while Helen and Lorraine went off shopping. It was a fun time and we decided to head back to Ballys for dinner. Last year we started a nice relaxing tradition of ordering a Giordano's deep dish pizza and salad for dinner in the room and watching a movie on TV in Norman and Lorraine's room as we wind down after a fun Vegas day.
But first, Lorraine gave me a great birthday present, a beautiful book "Las Vegas Then and Now."
This great book has tons of historical photos of old Vegas and compares them side by side with what is on that particular site now. For example, it shows the classic Desert Inn and compares it with Wynn now on that location. It's detailed and a very fun read for a Vegas fan!
The movie we chose was "Molly's Game," an interesting study of a woman who got into the business of running high stakes poker games in New York. Very compelling tale!
On Saturday we headed back to the Venetian, since Norman and I had some winning sports bets to cash. We watched some more hockey and basketball, then the four of us enjoyed a lunch at a Mexican eatery in the Venetian Food Court. Lorraine and I had burrito bowls, while Helen enjoyed three steak tacos and Norman opted for steak and chicken enchiladas. Muy Bueno!!
We headed back to Ballys where Helen and I got out of the Tesla and said our goodbyes to Norman and Lorraine we drove back to LA. It's always, always a fun time when they come to visit and we're hoping they get back to LV before we leave for TC around April 10-12. We discussed seeing the Beatles show "Love" if the can make it back here in the next month or so.
Helen and I stayed at Ballys Saturday night. I got up very early on Sunday and went down to play some poker. I logged 3.5 hours of play and won$30, but lost $50 in blackjack. Made a couple of $10 sports bets - a 5-team hoops parlay and a 3-team hockey parlay. Lost the basketball bet when Hofstra (a 5-pt favorite) lost outright. But won the hockey parlay, which pays $45 and gives me a $25 profit.
We drove home Sunday morning. It was nice to get back to our apartment and our regular life here. I had some 150 emails to deal with - most of them very delete-able!
And so our adventure continues...
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