Day 4: Departure Day

Today is our fourth and final day in Vegas. Judy woke up tired and my feet were hoping for a day off. Before we checked out of our room we headed down to the pool area. The hotel had three pools. It was a beautiful morning and we thought we could sit by the pool and talk about our day. We talked about where to store our luggage and whether or not we wanted to visit the Body exhibit again. Judy had not scene it and was interested in seeing it. She ruled it out as it is also at our home science center for the summer. She said that she would like to hang at the pools, grab dinner and go to the airport. Her worry was the luggage. I told her that I noticed that the cabanas were not all full so I was going to ask what we had to do to rent one. I went to the desk to find out that one was available. I did not ask the cost as I did not want to know - it might ruin the choice. I rented a cabana and went back to tell Judy. She was thrilled. We could bring out luggage down by the pool and store it in the cabana. They closed at 6 p.m. That would be perfect. We could then get dinner and go to the airport. The cabana was great. It came with snacks and beverages. It even came with sun tan lotion. The weather was cool, but for us northerners it seemed warm. No one was swimming, but we were able to lay on the lounge chairs and read and nap. We had a great lunch and enjoyed a slow, relaxing day. At 6 we packed up and found a sports bar in the hotel. We had dinner and watched the wall full of sport events. Obviously a sports betting lounge with food and drink. I could watch the Tigers while Judy watched the Indians. A group was watching the NBA semi-finals and others were watching the hockey semi-finals. A sports fan's heaven. We hung out until we left for the airport for the red-eye home. I was looking forward to being home, but really glad I had the opportunity to visit Vegas with Judy.

Day 3: Las Vegas

Today everyone is done at 3 so we will have the afternoon together. Judy's co-worker leaves on the red eye tonight. We have tickets to the Elvis show. I was up early and went to work out in the amazing fitness center. It was as big as one floor of the gym I work out at weekly at home. After the work out I set out to explore more of the stip. Today I was going to visit the Titanic exhibit and the Human Body exhibit at the Excelcer. Yes, most people go to Vegas to gamble, not me, I do the educational exhibits. Hey, I am who I am. The Body exhibit was spiritually moving. To see real, preserved bodies with all of the details was amazing. I could not help but worship my God in praise of how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I wish I had been more interested in biology and he human body in high school as I think my career path would have been very different. Next I went to the Titanic exhibit. They used a similar approach to that of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. They gave you a card on the way in that had the name and some information about one of the passengers on the Titanic. The hope was that you would view the exhibit through the eyes of your passenger. When you entered, you entered in second class. The exhibit displayed items consistent with second class and told you a bit about the experience you would have had, if you had traveled as a second class passenger. Next they told you about your experience as a third class passenger and then as a first class passenger. Several of the recovered artifacts were on display in each area. Next you entered the ball room that included the display of the stair case. I would just see the scene from the movie, Titanic, as I entered the room. Next you entered an area that explain the icebergs and the events and timing of the sinking. You then entered an area where a piece of the side of the Titanic was on display. It had been recovered. Then you were able to search list of names on the passenger list to find out if your passenger had survived. My passenger did. They display was very moving and enjoyable. I finished in time to return to my room and get a quick nap before Judy returned. We then headed out for dinner and then to the Eivis show. The show was great They use footage from movies and interviews intertwined with his recordings and life entertainers to provide a great overview of his life and career. After the show we returned to our room only to have our keys unable to open the door. We headed down to the front desk thinking that maybe they keyed the room to have us check out early. The front desk clerk issued us new keys but thought that the battery on the lock may be dead. She told us to try to new keys but call security if they did not work. We got back to the room, tried our keys and nothing. A security person was walking by and call down to the office to get someone to come up to the room. When security arrived he had all he needed. First he tried charging the battery. Nothing. Then he had to drill through the lock to trip the door. Once that lock was destroyed he had to replace the battery and then replace the lock, MMMMM an expensive repair because of the failure of a 5 dollar battery. He encouraged us to call the front desk to ask for a meal voucher or some concession. We did call down and they gave us an extended check out and a 75 dollar meal credit to the bill. At least we could sleep in after spending a hour out in the hallway waiting to get into our room. What an adventure. Tomorrow we had a day to ourselves to explore before our red-eye flight to Detroit.

Day 2: Las Vegas

Judy was out the door early to her conference. I had the day to myself. We were all going to reconnect at 5 for dinner and then we had tickets to the Chriss Angel show. I had not seen Mind Freak prior to going to Las Vegas so I was not sure what to expect, but I always enjoy trying something new. I spent the day walking the strip and visiting the various hotels. I went through New York, New York and try to figure out how realistic the renderings were. I went to the MGM Grant and wandered for a while. I visited several of the interesting stores like the M&M shop. Four floors of M&M themed items. I did not know that it was possible to create that many themed items. I found a camera shop and much to my delight I found someone who could give me informed advice on lenses for my camera. I had by trying to find a good wide angle lens and also determine if it was worth investing in a telephoto lens with power beyond my 150 to 300. I was able to determine a 2x teleconverter was more economical for my needs that a major investment in a 500 to 750 telephoto. I left with a wide angle lens that I am looking forward to using when I get back home. I got back to the room with time for a nap. We reconnected for dinner, at the buffet this time, and then headed out for the Chrss Angel show. It was a great evening in Vegas.

Day 1: Las Vegas Bound

Today we leave for Las Vegas. The last time I was in Las Vegas was 1983 when I spend a couple of nights there on our way back home from the Grand Canyon. I expected Vegas to be very different from what I remembered. We left Detroit early in the morning and arrived in Vegas early in the afternoon. Judy was going on company business and I was along for the ride. I rarely have the opportunity to travel on business when I am NOT the one traveling for business. I was looking forward to some unscheduled time to just explore and then hook up with Judy and the group in the evenings to enjoy time together. We were booked to stay at the Aria hotel. The hotel is located at the center of the strip and has about 4000 rooms. It is a city within a city. It took us forever to check in, but once we did we headed to our room. Once we opened the door to our room, everything came alive. The curtains opened, the lights came one, the TV fired up and included a welcome message to Judy. It was totally impressive. The hotel was amazingly modern with touch pad controls for lights, TV, Curtains, Radio and Alarm. The room was elegant. We then explored the hotel We visited the casino. For me if you have seen one casino you have seen them all. Certainly it was very large and very active. I am not a gambler, so I certainly was not going to spend much time in the casino, but it is still a site to take in and behold. The group connected for dinner at one of the 9 hotel restaurants. It was a Japanese stake house. We all order fish or stake. Our appetizer was interesting: bone marrow. Oh yea, bone marrow. A bone cut in half, with salt and garlic lightly warmed and served with crackers. tried it. I will not order it again. It just tasted very fatty to me. I tasked far more garlic than anything and I can think of other items that taste better with garlic and fatty "stuff". However, I am glad I tried it. For eight people the dinner bill was over $1200.00. Yes, I typed that correctly, $1200.00. The company hosting Judy and her co-worker picked up the tab. I was very thankful for the opportunity to join the group and listen to conversations about the latest medical technology. One thing about being an educator, I find so many things intersect with my job and my interests so it is easy to be engaged on almost any topic. After dinner we walked the strip. One of the most enjoyable sights for me were the fountains in front of the Bellagio hotel. I could have stood in front of those for hours taking in the music and the energy. From there we explored the London hotel. The interior architecture is truly an art form and captures the real London. We hit the bed exhausted ready for adventures waiting for us tomorrow.