Vegas Baby!

My first trip to Las Vegas...

Tim won a place in the World Series of Poker Main Event, so I went out to visit while he was playing... 

Tim playing next to the Player of the Year, Frank Kasella. Courtesy of World Series of Poker website.

I flew in Friday evening, met Tim at our hotel, we were staying at the Rio, which is where the poker tournemant was. We pretty much headed straight out onto The Strip and settled on dinner in the mall attached to Planet Hollywood. I was in serious sensory overload, my eyes were like saucepans that whole first night, everywhere you look bright lights and noises. Most people seemed drunk and oddly tall. All was a bit much. Thankfully the next day I was "meh, another load of slot machines, another casino...".

The next day Tim was playing in Day 2. Our friends Suzie and Ian had also come to join us in Vegas to see Tim playing so they met us at the Rio down where the tournament was. I'm not sure what I was expecting of a poker tournament, maybe silent concentration, restricted access... It was pretty different. Huge rooms of thousands of people playing poker, the constant clinking of people fiddling with their chips. Most people were chatting with friends who were watching, playing on their iPhones, most looked pretty bored. I guess 12 hours of poker a day is a lot.... Suzie and Ian and I stayed for an hour or so marvelling at the madness of the whole thing and then decided to venture off, not knowing whether Tim would bust out and join us or not... 

The New York, New York.

It's seriously hot in Las Vegas. 42 degrees celsius during the day and not a lot cooler during the evening. Like being in an oven. We wondered around the malls, and looked at the famous Bellagio Lake. Tim and I had watched the fountain show the night before. It's pretty cool, apart from all the cheesy music. We then headed into the Bellagio, a spectacle in itself, and tried our hand at some gambling. Turns out Suzie has some freaky good luck and the roulette wheel. So that was pretty fun.

Ian and Suzie looking out over The Strip

The Paris Hotel

The botanic garden inside the Bellagio.

In the evening we went to see the Cirque de Soleil show, Zumanity at the New York, New York hotel..... It was, erm, interesting! Some impressively flexible and daringly crazy people thats for sure. Definitly adults only. ;-) Then we went to a lovely dinner at the Venetian. Tim was still in at this point, so I went back and met him afterwards to celebrate his successful day!

It was a flying visit to Las Vegas. Next time I definitly want to go to the "Old Vegas" part of town and see some random people getting married in an Elvis chapel and hunt down that famous Vegas Sign. Loved it though!