VEGAS!

Actually, remove that exclamation point in the title.  I don't think I'm all that enthusiastic about Vegas.  But I did go there a couple weekends ago to give it another shot.  See, the first time I went, it wasn't so great a trip.  If you're not going to drink and gamble, that requires some planning and ticket purchasing of other things to do, neither of which happened.  I wasn't in charge, so we ended up with last minute very expensive tickets to Cirque du Soleil one night, while plans to go out dancing the next night ended in sickness, Nyquil and an 8pm bedtime for everyone else but me.  I sat up alone in a hotel room til 2am.  Not. Fun.

I decided to try again when Darryl was going to be there for work during the week with an extended stay into the weekend.  Another DJ love of mine, Ferry Corsten, would be at Marquee on Friday night, and a friend of Darryl knows Ferry himself.  I'm always wary of those 'friend of a friend knows someone who will get us on the list and blah blah blah' but I didn't expect much and things happened to work out in this case.

I drove up on Thursday afternoon, and even leaving at 3:30 in the afternoon didn't help me escape LA traffic.  Met up with Darryl and friends at the Wynn, and headed out to a late dinner at STK.  

Some girls next to us were having a birthday party.  They had firecracker candles!

I had the shrimp rice krispies dish with a hot shrimp bisque poured over it.

Morning view from the Wynn.

I worked from the hotel in the am, then it was time to move over to the Cosmopolitan for the rest of the weekend.  I'm a fan of this place.  Club, excellent restaurants, shops and concerts in one building = no need to go anywhere else!  I can see how people never leave their hotel during a Vegas trip.  And why many trips would be needed, to check out all the hotels.  Is that enough of a reason for me to return?  Probably not.

Jose Andres has a couple restaurants in the Cosmo, so Darryl and I hit China Poblano for lunch.  Asian Mexican fusion.

We started with guac.  Delicious, but I just made some at home that was as good and 1/3 the price.

When Pigs Fly

The Silencio taco - duck tongue + lychee

Time to check in.

Our room for 6.

View from the 59th floor. We upgraded to the Bellagio fountain view.

Exploring time.

Time to get ready to go out.  The only naturally pretty thing in Vegas.

We grabbed a burger from Holstein's downstairs for dinner. The chocolate shake was excellent.

Time to get our club on.  Nicky Romero opened.

 

I did end up meeting Mr. Ferry, via Darryl's buddy.  The pic I have with him is blurry and terrible, so I shan't post it.  But it happened.  At 2am it was time for Ferry to take control.  I got my dance on til 4:30am, when I'd had enough and went back upstairs.

By Saturday morning, I had done what I came to do: eat some food, meet Ferry, dance. Now it was time to go home.  

We grabbed some food at the outdoor gardens in Paris, and then I was out.  I left the rest of the gang to liver and wallet damage in a casino.

Hello sunset, adios Vegas. Not sure when/if I'll see you again, but thanks for an okay time of great people watching, good food, and weirdly fascinating happenings.  Oh, and a couple things that I don't ever want to see again.