Confessions from Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but I brought 2 pounds home with me  : (   Could have been worse – there were unlimited opportunities for indulgence and I wasn’t completely bad.  Here is what went well and where I could have done better.

What went well:

·      We had a great time!  That’s important – it’s why we went there.  Las Vegas may be an odd city to have fond homey feelings for, but I do.  I lived there for four years, and just seeing those bare mountains and palm trees against a very blue sky makes me feel happy.

·      My friend Marcia and I had a lovely lunch and reunion.  So sorry I had such a good time I forgot to take a photo.  After lunch she took me on a driving tour of the west side and downtown in her new Hundai.  Thank you Marcia!!

·      Jersey Boys was fantastic!  I highly recommend it – good story and great music.

·      We didn’t gamble at all.  When I lived there, I learned I don’t have that kind of luck.

·      I drank a lot of water.  I bought a bottle of San Pellegrino to have at the condo, and even eating out, at some opportunities for drinking wine I ordered water instead.

·      I ate a lot of salads.  Had salad for some lunches at our condo and ordered it when we were out for lunch.  (Am being truthful and including wine in photos.  More about that below.)

·       For breakfasts I added fruit or vegetables, even though I wasn’t cooking the veggie scrambles I usually have at home.

·      I went swimming twice.  One of the pools was the “lazy river”, a big circle with a current that made me feel like I was swimming really fast.  There were inner tubes to float on, but I did swim about ten laps first.

·      I did fine with the rental car.  For most people, this is a given, but I’m a somewhat nervous driver when I don’t know what lane I should be in at all times.  In Las Vegas, Stan appoints me designated driver, as I am familiar with the city, and I’m proud to say I got us around safely.

·      Our gourmet dinner at Alizé was a personal lifetime best so far.  Unbelievable!  The restaurant is on the 56^th floor of the Palms, with a stunning 360° view.  We had a corner table overlooking the Strip – definitely the very best table in the restaurant!  

Our food was amazing, too.  We had the 7-course tasting menu, with three additional treats for a total of 10 fabulous experiences.  I remembered to photograph most of them, although I dug into my rack of lamb and forgot.

The servers were lovely, all male I noted, and kind and friendly as well as correct.  A first for me was when I made a trip to the restroom:  I asked where it was and the young man said “I’ll show you” and he walked me to where I could see it.  When I came back, the host, a different young man, was waiting at my chair to seat me.  I could get used to that!

Okay, here’s where I could have done better:

·      I bought a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay to have at our condo.  We grocery shopped right after our flight, while waiting for check-in time, and I was hungry.  I lied to myself “Oh, I’ll just have a glass each day and stretch the bottle over the whole time.”  Not.  I drank most of it the first evening and didn’t sleep well.

·      I ordered wine out several times.  What do you think about this, Readers??  Is alcohol a valid ingredient in having a good time?  Nice-to-have?  Must-have??  I will say, the prices were shocking enough to keep it to a minimum!

·      I ate this, from the Starbucks right by our pool.  To my credit, I didn’t get a latte to go with it, and I cut it in half and saved half for another day.

·      We never hiked and didn’t walk around as much as I expected.  There just wasn’t that much time in three full days.  We like to take our time when traveling, and each day included some time reading in our condo or by the pool.  We did take one walk from Paris over the bridge to the Bellagio and back, but it was more of a stroll than a power walk.

·      Didn’t swim as much as I expected.  It was just a bit more chilly than my ideal swimming weather, and again, not much time.

·      Did not even think about doing my physical therapy exercises – not once the whole time.

Altogether it was a very nice trip.  I feel so lucky to be in a position to do something like this once in a while, and I am grateful for my life.