Viva Las Bule

My Vegas trip was a last minute decision after I had some weekends "freed up" when I manouvered my way out of heading to Oregon. Five of the other secondees were locked and loaded to go when I threw my hand up after hearing how cheap the flights were. The drawbacks were a late night Friday arrival (losing time across the continent) then a 4am pickup for a scenic dawn flight into the Grand Canyon and a overnight flight back to NYC in time for work on Tuesday morning. It also meant no chance of catching Coldplay in Long Island (and just before Gywneth popped little Moses out).

Being the only blokes on the trip, Robbie Dubs and I boldly declared an all nighter for Friday night. Halfway through an uncomfortable flight this was looking a foolish decision. Picking up our bags at the Airport I was surprised to find slot machines in every spare inch of the terminal.
Checking into the MGM Grand I was astounded to find numerous loose units walking around drinking in public dressing in some of the rudest gear known to man. As Dubs had never gambled at a casino before, I directed him to the Blackjack table where my alter-ego The Gamblor assumed control of my soul for the rest of the weekend.

After several weary hours at the tables and a few 'free' Coronas whilst I played (Dubs watched studying earnestly), we trudged back to the room via McDonalds to wake the others for our 4am pickup. Lacking unselfish forethought at that hour of the morning, we had failed to provide breakfast for travel companions. This was welcomed with a suprising abrupt retort and suggestions of grabbing something on the way were backhanded with "I just won't operate without a proper breakfast". I bit my tongue when I motioned to suggest that McDonald's was hardly a proper breakfast.

The Grand Canyon was breathtaking. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Unbelievably weary we returned to the MGM around 1pm where a pre-agreed afternoon nap was had. Waking at 5pm it was finally time to hit the Strip. We headed down to the Bellagio for dinner and wandered around the surrounding casinos - Paris, Bally's, Caesar's Palace, Treasure Island, Wynn's, Venetian - the place is truly ridiculous. After some random gambling and a few more complimentary drinks we retired for the night planning a full assault on Sunday.

All the pieces were falling into place beautifully - the girls got shopping fever and headed to some outlets while Dubs and I took it easy playing each other on PSP via wi-fi. When we finally escaped the confines of the MGM we trundled across the road for breakfast at the new Hooters Casino. A little disappointing but guessing it would be a different crowd at night time - nonetheless as we searched for somewhere to sit around the pool we encountered a sausage fest which would have made it hard to digest our bagels. In a disturbing trend Americans continue to ignore blatant fashion faux-pas recognised by most of the Western world (except French men) in this case - budgie smugglers.

Dubs had a fire in his belly (not from the smugglers) and was keen to hit the tables. Foolishly he had allocated both a monetary and time budget - rookie mistake. Unbeknownst to Rob but we were about to begin a 5-hour odyssey as he chose a Blackjack table with a $5 minimum bet. As The Gamblor tried to impart some of his secrets, Dubs had runs of good and bad luck. Using my 'pocket your winnings' method, slowly I began accumulating an audacious booty in my shirt pocket. When our time drew to a close I had uttered the words 'colour me up' six times and walked away with $600 after starting with $100. I had also uttered 'another Corona thanks' a few too many times yet Rob and I were hardly felt the effects. All that Rob was feeling was the emptiness that losing $160 leaves you with.

We met back up with the girls and headed up to Treasure Island to try to catch the "Sirens of TI" show where two pirates ships have a battle and one sinks - three times a night. It was in the middle of this show that standing in the throng of onlookers I began to feel light headed and needed air. Dubs wasn't feeling much better. We were later informed that Vegas casinos pumped pure oxygen in order to keep people awake. It also means that you don't feel the full effects of a few beers. I powered through as Dubs headed off to see a Cirque Du Soleil show.

Sunday was spent 'filling the gaps' as we tried to see and do anything we had missed so far. We headed to Caesar's Palace for a buffet breakfast then onto the Stratosphere where I took the X-Scream ride which hangs you off the edge of the tower itself. We took the monorail back to New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor (and the Sphinx) and Mandalay Bay. It was then off to the airport and one final ceremonial session on the pokies before boarding our overnight flight via Phoenix back to NYC. Let's just say that Tuesday was another productive day at Eisner.

Kate Wilkie's boyfriend Andrew J Johnson had touched down in NY whilst I was away. It was good to have the big fella in town to prove to the other secondees that I was not actually the biggest man in Australia. We headed to the Knicks Celtics game at the Garden on Wednesday night. The Knicks have the highest paid roster in the NBA and the worst record. They were no different on the night I attended - losing by 30+ points to a Boston team with only a very slim chance of making the playoffs.

This leaves me with one week left of work and one big party provided by Eisner on Thursday night. More in my next written post.

Apologies again for my tardiness.
I fear the end of work and Europe will not aid the situation.
Bear with me though - it should be worth it.