i.don’t.even.know.where.to.look

Vegas…ahhhh…the city of sin. They should call it “The City that ages you 10 years” or “The City that leaves your feet in blisters” or even “The City that sucks all of the life from you.” what was supposed to be an overnight stay turned into a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday thing….have i mentioned that my feet hurt? So, Friday was a low-key day. I flew in that morning and hung out with Clint’s boss while he worked a little…when he was done, we ate at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where i was able to buy the COOLEST Elvis Presley t-shirt EVER.i wish i had more time there but was able to snap a few photos of some rad guitars… a really popular bar/restaurant in the Hard Rock is called the Pink Taco….with a gift shop to die for. Here are some of my favorite images from there…the chandelier is made of saxophones….wouldn’t you love one of those for the house? Oh, and the Paradise City song lyrics are kind of an *inside* thing…the elevators there have black leather and silver inside them and each elevator has different song lyrics, ours, of course, had this one. Oh, also, while clint was working, Denise rented a Mustang Convertible for him to reward him for a job well done. He had been there 12 days or so and it was time for a release….we surprised him by *pretending* we found the keys on the ground while we *thought* our car was elsewhere…his face was priceless.here is our car at the Hoover Dam….Ford commercial style, huh?  we made our way over to the New York New York where we rode the rollercoaster and played kiddie games …..then began an evening of debauchery….can’t talk about that, but i can tell you enjoyed the best sushi ever at Sushi Fever where our tab was over $1,200….yum yum.After the sushi dinner and a night on the town that ended around 3am, we needed Saturday to be a quiet day. Well, if you knew Clint’s boss, you would know there is no such thing as a quiet day in Vegas. So, after some brief shopping on my part and lunch on theirs, we put the top down and headed out to the Hoover Dam for some *educational* time.this is my *self-portrait* taken in the passenger side window.I love that you can actually read *objects in mirror are closer than they may appear* clint driving with the top down… a random image of the American Flag….patriotism is abundant at National Monuments, you can’t help but feel proud.  clint and i spent the whole time chasing his boss with ADD down. It was beautiful there…. 

That night, Clint and I headed to the Rio for the world’s largest buffet where we had crab legs, nachos, chinese, pasta, fried chicken, dumplings, gelato, cake….you name it. Afterwards, we crawled in a cab and *prayed* his boss wouldn’t call us after she saw the Phantom of the Opera so we could go to sleep. We were probably the only people in all of Las Vegas who were in bed on a Saturday by 10 pm…..LOSERS…but we were fine with it b/c the night before killed us.Unable to get flights out Sunday after we decided to stay ONE MORE DAY, we made the most out of Saturday by walking from the Stratosphere to the Mandalay Bay….7 miles….did i mention that my feet hurt?Having packed enough for only 1 day, my flip flops were not the most ideals walking shoes, but we were able to shop in 3 malls, see the Treasure Island show, have a 1/2 pound hot dog, win $30 on the slots (sidenote, i don’t gamble but played $2 to win….it was enough for me) saw the lions at MGM,  made our way to Mandalay Bay where we paid waaaaaay too much to see what was touted as the Best Reef Aquarium Show in the country…lame, the Denver Aquarium was waaaay better, and finally, walked into the Mirage to see if the Beatles LOVE Cirque de Soleil show was worth looking into…after about an hour in the gift shop and 200 pictures later, we decided it was worth it.

Before i talk about the show, let me just tell you that *I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO LOOK*…..we had never seen a Vegas show before and this was our 3rd trip to the City of Sin….i will NEVER go to Vegas again and NOT see a show.First off, we are both Beatles fans….Clint’s parents raised him on the music and while Elvis is still my favorite (because you can’t LOVE them both) the Beatles are a close 3rd behind The King and Led Zeppelin. But i love them b/c clint does…Cirque shows are amazing….art in movement….chaos….emotion….ballet…break dancing….roller bladers….people flying through the air….people diving into cars, jumping off of trampolines on the walls….rose petals falling from the sky…..holograms of the silhouettes of the Beatles on the stage.

I was in tears and Clint had goosebumps…after a $20 drink called The Hard Days Night, i spent over $1oo on a Beatles tote bag…WTF?We weren’t allowed to take cameras in the theater, but you can  YouTube it and be blown away yourself. It was a very emotional experience for both of us and we were so pumped afterwards, we stayed out until it was time to fly home yesterday.It was so amazing that i will post another entry just about the show…

but, i can tell you this, if life ever presents you with the opportunity to up and get away for a weekend to Vegas on a whim…DO IT….just take comfortable shoes