Las Vegas

1st and 2nd day - 25th and 26th March 2008

We left Barstow on Tuesday morning and drove the 160 miles to Las Vegas, the GPS got us right to the entrance of the MGM Grand car park.

We have a problem with the car in that the stereo, clock and cigarette lighter don’t work. We have our iPod loaded with songs and it is important that we have the lighter so we can listen to our songs.

We checked in to the MGM Grand at around 2pm and then went for a wander down the strip. As far as the Bellagio and back. There is so much hustle and bustle. We tried to get 50% off for tickets to a show but there is not that much on and we decided against going to something we were not really interested in. We ended up having a buffet dinner at the Excalibur and we even managed to buy some Krispy Kreme do-nuts.

We were back in our room early and I made the very big mistake of laying on the bed. Wow, this was a comfortable bed. We were both asleep early which was silly when we are in such a vibrant city – still jet lagged and I have a head cold.

The next day was a long one for many reasons. We caught the Monorail to the Sahara and walked the entire strip (3 miles) back to our hotel. On the way we checked out the Fashion Show Mall where we bought our son Scott a birthday gift at the Apple shop. We also checked out the 50% off show tickets again but still no luck – there was just one ticket left for Mamma Mia. As we progressed through the crowds we checked out the Venetian, very impressive place and eventually we arrived back at the hotel. I rang Alamo about the problem with the car and asked if I brought it back to Alamo in Vegas could they replace the fuses so we have a stereo. They wouldn’t do that but did offer to replace the car. So out into Vegas traffic we went – tried to fuel the car at a Chevron Gas Station, waste of time that was and finally ended up at Alamo at Vegas Airport where we were upgraded to a Chevrolet Impala. Being upgraded is kind of nice but it does mean more fuel costs but fuel is still much cheaper here than back home so we can live with it.

We then GPSéd an Outback Restaurant just off the I15 and found the location OK but the restaurant is no longer there, the area is being redeveloped – the Outback is suppose to be Australian but really isn’t. We ended up ringing Ryan at home and got the co-ordinates for an Applebee’s and had dinner there.

Back in the hotel around 9pm, we chatted with son Scott and then headed to that nice bed.