Time to Recharge the Batteries

After the frenetic pace of the pre and post-election period, it’s time to take a brief time-out. I need a blogging break.

In a couple of hours the Mrs. and I will be hitting the road for a 270 mile jaunt to Las Vegas and four days in Sin City. I briefly considered lugging the laptop along, paying exorbitant hotel rates for high-speed internet access, and trying to keep posting during the few moments of down time I expect to have in the next few days, but then slapped myself and realized that the world can get by without my words of wisdom until Monday night.

If I can get the post-by-cellphone feature to work I’ll try and send a couple of photos to the blog during the trip. I’ve had mixed success with that, so if something shows up, consider it a bonus.

We’ll be staying at the Flamingo Hotel in the heart of the Strip, the former home of mobster Bugsy Seigel. We’ve never stayed there before, but I like the location and the pricing. We usually end up walking ourselves stupid whenever we’re in Las Vegas, and the Flamingo is a good launching pad from which to get to all the things we usually like to see. It’s right across the street from the Forum Shops, which to my wife is sort of like a Muslim staying right across the street from Mecca. This is her hajj.

My wife is an inveterate shopper and I enjoy people watching while she’s perusing the shops. Neither one of us are gamblers, though we’ll probably contribute a few nickels to the local economy at the slots from time to time. For the most part we just enjoy wandering around and seeing the excess that all the losers have bought.

There are a few things that we always have to do:

• Buy some of the best Peanut M&M’s on earth at M&M’s World (I don’t know why they’re so much better there, but they also come in a rainbow of colors)
• Stand out on Las Vegas Blvd. and watch the fountain show at the Bellagio
• Hit the mall to see if their Talbot’s carries anything that every other Talbot’s doesn’t have
• Tour the shops the Aladdin and the Venetian (do you see a theme here?)
• Go to the MGM Grand and watch the high maintenance women trying to get into Studio 54, or cross the bridge to New York/New York and watch the low maintenance women trying to get into Coyote Ugly (hours of entertainment)
• Eat at places you can’t find anywhere else, including the little French cafe in Paris Las Vegas where you can dine and watch the folks pass by while the strolling musicians play (it’s my wife’s favorite spot to eat and is already scheduled for Saturday noon)

So, for the next four days I’ll be blissfully unaware of what’s going on in the world. The big downside to all that is that Sunday marks the end of the NASCAR season and the race for the championship will be decided during the final event in Homestead. I might have to sneak down to a sports book somewhere and see how it turns out.

I’ll give you a report on the trip when I get back. I should be back to somewhat regular blogging by Monday night. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend of your own!