We go out, inappropriately dressed for the scorching heat. For some reason I thought that a long-sleeve shirt, lambswool jumper and summer jacket would be the ideal configuration of clothing for 77 degree weather. We only get as far as the Excalibur next door when we decide to turn back to get the camera and indeed change into more suitable outfits. Delicious sugar cinnamon pretzel in New York New York.
Rachel by the various cod-New York buildings of New York, New York.
Follow the laborious network of raised walkways along Las Vegas Boulevard – which often take you into the jaws of the casinos themselves, surprise surprise – and stop for lunch at Caesar’s Palace.
Rachel outside the Bellagio.
We can go no further – not without a siesta, so head back.
Matt Goss sharing billboard space with... Jerry Seinfeld? Good luck to the former Bros singer, but who knew!?
Rachel at Caesar's Palace. Check out the 3D effect.
In the evening we decide to start next door at the Mandalay Bay Hotel – Andrew says it has a great rooftop bar. We struggle to find it within the cavernous hotel but eventually manage to – and it’s spectacular. Rachel’s glass of wine costs $16 but “was completely worth it”.
We go down to the ground floor for dinner, where the waiter asks us if we mind “sitting outside”. This means on the restaurant’s terrace, which is, er, still inside the hotel building...
Day 20
Rachel went to the pool while I began an epic odyssey to the Venetian, during which I texted Andrew in London to check directions. He has a good knowledge of Vegas casino locations. I even try to find the monorail within MGM Grand but the signposts unhelpfully run out somewhere around the lion enclosure, which I assume to be a hallucination.
I find the Venetian with 20 minutes to spare and buy into their midday $150 deepstack freezeout.
The Venetian. 'Ere, mate, give us a bite of your Cornetto hahaha ("What was the Venice-based Cornetto TV advert of the late 1970s, grandad?")
Doug Lee bizarrely joins our table early into the tournament. Poker people will need no explanation as to who he is. He is reserved and not willing to tell someone his name but we know who he is. He gets knocked out by a wily old Chinese man next to me. I last nearly five hours and come 15/69 in a toughish field.
A small section of the ceiling at the Venetian. I painted it while waiting for Rachel to pick some postcards from the gift shop.
I meet Rachel, who is across the road at Treasure Island, and we go to a buffet where you cough up your $22 and then are allowed to enter the buffet arena, where you can go crazy on all types of food from sushi to barbecue.
We end the evening by catching the classic Vegas public shows: the pirates at Treasure Island, the volcanoes at the Mirage and the amazing fountains at the Bellagio. Rachel even plays a few hands of blackjack - we leave O'Shea's casino $12 up! Come on!
Rachel's brain whirring into high gear, like a gigantic 1960s mainframe.
For logistical reasons we left the camera at the hotel on this day so please excuse the redued quality of these pics, taken on my phone.
We finish with a drink in the swanky Bellagio, where I peek a look into the high stakes poker room – sadly no-one famous. Taxi back to Luxor.
The front of our hotel. 'Ere squire, where's your mummy hahahaha!??!!
High:
R: Dancing fountains at The Mirage
T: Lasting so long against good players in a deep stack tournament at a proper poker venue like the Venetian
Low:
R: None
T: My endless procedural faux pas in the tourney. I never play live.
Ben, I'm afraid we're going to have to let you go...
Posted by: Monty | 06/04/2011 at 04:05 PM
R seems to have gone native with the cowgirl hat!
Posted by: Vix | 08/04/2011 at 05:07 AM