Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!

Wednesday and Thursday we also spent in Vegas. It was nice to not be on the road for a short while, although we did have to check out of Caesar's and move across the street to the Flamingo. It's kind of like going from having a fabulous steak dinner one night to a two cheeseburger extra value meal from McDonald's the next night. However, the location for the Flamingo can't be beat and the walk to and from the room is much more manageable for those of us who don't like to stay in the hotel the whole stay.
The only thing we really had planned to do on Wednesday was an impersonator show at Stratosphere. Alex and I were super excited for this as there was a Michael Jackson impersonator performing. After we parked the car at the Flamingo parking ramp, we hopped on the Deuce and made our way down to the Stratosphere to purchase our tickets. I picked a close table and then asked about the Michael meet and greet. After the show, you could have your picture with MJ for $10. Since our tickets were bought with a 2for1 coupon, I told Alex we would see. But, I was pretty sure we would do it although I didn't tell her that. We had lunch at Stratosphere and then made our way back down to the Flamingo. It was still too early to check in but there was a long line so, I decided now was as good a time as any to try. With luck we were able to check in, and we made our way to the room. It was quite a long walk from the elevator to the room but it was very close to the ice machine. Our view was of Mikki's favorite hotel, The Imperial Palace. After we got a few things situated, Bob and I decided we would let Alex veg for a while in the room and we would go play for a short time. She had Bob's cell phone and has gotten very good at calling me. lol I was only gone an hour tops. It was the only time on the whole trip that Bob and I were able to have couple time. I made him buy me a drink, too. :) I think I went back to the room with an extra $100 so it was a good time. And, the only time Alex tried to call me was when I was in the hallway going back to the room. She was happy as a clam to watch cartoons and suck on ice chips. While Alex and I got all dolled up for the show, Bob continued to play. From here we hopped the Deuce again and went to watch the show. While in the line, they had a host playing a game with show-goers. I happened to win a picture of the Britney Spears impersonator. Oh cool (sarcasm). The show opened with Elvis and Wow was he good. He had won a National Impersonator contest held at Graceland. Watching him made me want to go watch the '68 Comeback Special. Next out was Britney. She was very different from Elvis. Because of a slip up during Elvis, we knew the performers were really singing so Britney had the vocals down but she wasn't as interactive with the crowd. Following her was Charlie Daniels. He too, was incredible. He had recently won the state of Nevada fiddling competition. Boy could he play to mean fiddle. Holy Cow!! After Charlie was Reba, and she had her down to a tee although she was a little over the top. She did make eye contact with Alex and Alex thought that was awesome. You know, those red-heads have to stick together! Last but not least was Michael. They started his 3 song set with a video montage. It gave me shivers as if I was really at one of his shows. Unfortunately, that was the best part of his set. This impersonator was very new, he wasn't the one pictured on the ads, and was disappointing. Alex was so crushed. After the first song, Billie Jean, she asked if we had to go meet him cuz she just wanted to go to bed. We knew going into it, he wasn't Michael and he wasn't going go look exactly like him. But, that was a huge understatement. I think this impersonator was actually white with dark make-up and while he sang well, he didn't sound like MJ. He had on a black wig and could have used some shading to make his nose look smaller. It was obviously large. He did a good job with the dances to "They Don't Really Care About Us" and "Thriller" but, he didn't know all the words to them. I mean, really, even Alex knows all the words to these two. We do know for sure he was a MJ fan as he got choked up when talking about losing the great star a year ago. And when someone in the crowd yelled they loved him, he did a nice impression of Michael talking to the audience. The show was closed with all the artists coming on stage to sing "Heal the World". Alex remained animate about not wanting to meet him after the show. I asked her several times and then we did talk about how disappointed she was. I told her we would try to see another one some time to see how they compared but, I also planned to watch "This is It" after we got home. We made our way back down to the casino where Bob was playing and then went to have dinner. We decided on Roxy's Dinner where the servers sing also. Man do they have some talented employees. It was getting late so, we went back down to our hotel to turn in for the night. Bob had had two 190 octanes and was like watching another child so, I was happy he went to sleep. I pondered going out on my own but I really prefer to go in the morning, so I, too went to sleep. I woke up early again on Thursday and thought about going back to sleep but then remembered this would be my only chance to go play my favorite machine at IP. Away I went. And, the machine was super good to me. I turned $20 into $120 and then played back some of it when I played several other machines. Next thing I know, Alex and Bob are awake and although the pool is not open, Alex is ready to go to it. It wouldn't be long til it was open so we made our way down walking through the Flamingo Habitat. We took some pictures (imagine that) and by time we got to the pool, tons of people were already swimming and playing. I took advantage of the pool bar and ordered a large Pina Colada. Very tasty! Bob had soda as he was feeling the effects of his drinking. I warned him! From the pool we set out to find some food. Our first choice was Mandalay Bay or Luxor so we waited for the Deuce. And waited and waited and waited and waited. Did I mention I had a large Pina Colada? Our original plan was to go to Mandalay Bay to see the Aquarium exhibit then make our way down to NYNY, let Alex play in the arcade then walk to M&M World. Instead we ventured to Bellagio's Buffet, which was super good but they didn't have out the lunch items yet and I was in the mood for pasta. No luck, maybe later. Next we caught the monorail through City Center and down to Monte Carlo and then walked to NYNY. The arcade was loud. Oiy! I stayed with her for a short time while Bob played and then we switched. NYNY is one of our favorite places to play although this time was not very nice to me. When Alex was done playing, she selected her ticket prizes and we walked over to MGM for her to see the Lion Habitat. While Sprout probably weighs what those big cats do, her paws are slightly smaller. (Sorry Sprout!) When we left there, we went to a couple gift stores in between MGM and M&M World. 4 floors of M&M stuff is a lot of M&M stuff especially after being in a loud arcade. Once we arrived back at the Flamingo, Bob was going to take Alex to the pool while I gathered up our stuff that needed to be shipped. Once downfall to only packing carry-on's is not being able to bring much back. The amount we shipped cost us just under $20. If we had checked luggage, it would have cost us $150. And, the Flamingo had a UPS store right in the hotel which made it super easy. When we finally got Alex out of the pool again, we went up stairs, packed some stuff and decided to go to Margaritaville for dinner. While the wait was only 30 minutes, Alex was too hungry to wait. So, we went to the buffet at Imperial Palace. No MJ impersonator at the dealertainer tables tonight but I talked to the Whitney Houston impersonator and she was very nice. I had wanted to know if MJ would be performing so Alex could see a good impersonator. Unfortunately, he was off until Sunday. Whitney got a big kick out of watching Alex dance while we were talking. She also had Whitney's wording and personality down. She was a riot. I wish we could have seen her perform. Since it was our last night in Vegas, Alex said she wanted to go watch some more fountain shows. She was mesmerized by them and didn't even realize the first one was the same show we watched Tuesday afternoon. It was a nice way to end a wonderful vacation. Alex has said we have to take her back next year. I don't think that will happen!
Returning the car Friday morning was very smooth and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to shop at a couple stores and eat. Security was also very smooth. And, I wish I could say that about the landing but, I can't. It was probably one of the worst landings I have ever experienced due to the wind in MSP. But, we made it back safe and sound (and early) and Denise and Scott were there with our car just like always. They really do rock, even if she told me there was hail damage to my car which there was not.
Stay tuned..... pictures are yet to come. And, by now, I'm way behind on this blog.