The Wonders of Vegas

Hubs decided we needed to spend SuperBowl Weekend in Las Vegas (never mind that he decided this while ripped on wine--my computer was on and I had reservations at The Sahara in approximately 8 minutes).
It's about a 4-1/2 hour drive from LA, just a nice little jaunt across the desert, which is gorgeous in its own way.

We stayed from Friday to Monday and had a great time! Surprisingly, we only gambled a few times, playing video poker. We came out about $150 ahead, all told. And won on the game--again, a BIG surprise, given the way the Steelers played like some peewee league team who'd never seen a football before. Back to rooting for The Browns next year!

Most of the trip was spent wandering through the hotels and casinos,
window-shopping, people-watching, and eating at favorite restaurants. The picture is of one of the items for sale in The Dale Chihuly shop in Bellagio. The man is a wonder. Many of the fixed displays at Bellagio are works of his--the ceiling in the check-in area, sculptures throughout the hotel and in the several bars and restaurants of the property.

My other favorite place was The FAO Schwartz Toy Store in The Forum Shops at Caesar's. They sell arcade games on the 3rd floor--you can buy tokens and try them out before purchasing (in case you have a house big enough, and an extra $30,000 burning a hole in your pocket). It was more of a ride than a game--you recline on benches and hold on, because the benches move in tandem with the scene on the screen--going down the first hill of a roller coaster, soaring out over the Grand Canyon, landing on a dirt road and roaring around a sharp curve, etc.). Lots of fun and action for a mere $2! People were looking askance at us when we finished our ride--were we really yelling THAT loud?!