Vegas

Last week, Brenda and I went to Las Vegas. The primary purpose was for me to race in Rage in the Sage with other Practical Coaching teammates. However, since we were in Las Vegas, it was also a short vacation.

On Thursday morning, we flew into Las Vegas. It was surprisingly cloudy and a bit chilly as the storm that was about to hit Colorado was leaving the Vegas area. Not to worry, though, as the weather would soon change to sunny and hot for the rest of our time in Vegas.

We took a taxi to the Venetian and checked in. Since our room was not ready, we checked out the hotel and ate at one of the restaurants. Being huge gamblers (not), we then picked up our $25 slot credit and proceeded to lose it over an hour of playing video blackjack and video poker on the $0.25 machines.

After blowing through our slot credit, our room was finally ready. The room was almost as large as Brenda's house - just kidding. It was nice though with a remote control window blind that it took us what seemed like ten minutes to figure out and three TVs: one in the living room area, one in the bedroom area, and one in the bathroom. We had a very nice view of the Venetian pools and Treasure Island. I changed into running clothes and went jogging for 45 minutes on a treadmill in the fitness room (thanks Steve) while Brenda went to the hot tub.

After the jog, Brenda and I dined at an Italian restaurant in the Venetian. We then got some gelato at the gelato stand in the fake St. Mark's Square and took a ride on the indoor gondola. After the gondola ride, we headed out to check out other attractions as hotels on the Strip. Our first stop was the pirate show in front of Treasure Island - what a waste of time. The show was super cheesy with the directing you to go into the casino to "get the treasure" at the end of the show making it not only cheesy but also tacky.

We next headed to the Mirage to check out the volcanoes. However, the volacano show was still a half-hour from starting so we continued down the Strip until we reached the Bellagio. At the Bellagio, we watched the fountain show, which was awesome. By the time the show was over, however, it was too late to catch the volcano show at the Mirage. So, we headed back up the other side of the Strip towards the Venetian. As we walked past the Flamingo, I found it hilarous that the hotel that advertised Donny & Marie as its headline show also had pole dancers above its slots. After walking for what seemed like forever, we arrived back at the Venetian and went to bed.

Friday started early as I needed to drive to Hoover Dam to meet Gary, Laura, Steve and Andrea for a 9:00 am tour of the dam. Meanwhile, Brenda stayed at the Venetian to get a massage. After some confusion, Gary found a work colleague, who gave us a private tour of the dam. I wish that I had taken a camera to take pictures of some of the places that we visited, such as walking down a ventilation tunnel to the face of the dam and looking up at the dam from river level. After the dam tour, I headed over to Lake Mead national park to drive the bike course. Then back to Vegas to pick up Brenda, over to Henderson to pick up my race packet, and finally to Boulder City to check into the Boulder Dam Hotel.

The Boulder Dam Hotel was a nice surprise. To get into our room, we had a real key rather than one of those magnetic cards. The room itself had hardwood floors and was done in an art deco style. Even better, there were multiple restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. If I ever do this race again, I would stay there again. After grabbing a quick bite at one of the local restaurants, I got my gear ready for the race and we headed to bed.

4:00 a.m. came way to early. After a quick breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed over to Lake Mead for the race. While I raced, Brenda took pictures. This was Brenda's first triathlon. She was a real trooper waiting in the heat for me to finish. I was super happy to see her at the finish line. She was also very funny. She told me that the guy who won the Olypmic distance finished before I got off the bike. Like that was information that I needed!!! We stayed around and watched other Practical Coaching teammates finish the half-Ironman distance and then headed back to Vegas to return our rental car and check into Mandalay Bay.

At Mandalay Bay, we were informed that we had been upgraded to the Four Seasons. I asked Brenda if that was good, and she said "uh yes." We had to go check in at the Four Seasons registration desk. We must have been some sight. Both of us were sweaty and dirty, and I was carrying a trash bag filled with dirty clothes. I'm surprised that they let us check in. We immediately went to the room. While the room didn't look like much (especially compared to the Venetian), the bed was soooo comfortable. It was very difficult to get off it to get ready for a night on the town with other Practical Coaching teammates.

Despite the temptation of just going to bed, we headed out to New York-New York to meet the Practical Coaching gang for a Cirque du Soleil show, Zumanity. Zumanity is described as "a seductive twist on reality, making the provocative playful and the forbidden electrifying! Leave all inhibitions at the door and let loose as this adult-themed production takes you on a sexy thrill ride full of sensational acrobatics and naughty fun." It was definitely not for the under 18 crowd. The acrobatics were amazing, and the show was very entertaining.

After the show, we wandered up to Bellagio to watch the fountains. Interestingly, the music that accompanied the fountain show was the same music for the fountain show that we saw on Thursday. We then headed into the Bellagio to get something to eat. After missing getting into the buffet restaurant by about ten minutes, we headed over to Noodles where there was a long line to get into the restaurant. After waiting for a table for well over twenty minutes, the rest of the group decided to leave and go find ice cream, leaving only Brenda and me to get dinner at the overpriced Noodles.

When I told the hostess that our group was down to two, she told me that was a problem because while the table for ten was ready, we would have to wait at least another 5 minutes to be seated for two. We almost left at that news but Brenda was too hungry to try to find another restaurant. We finally got seated and had a very so-so meal. It would have been okay if it was not so expensive. After dinner, we headed back to New York-New York to get some ice cream. Unfortunately, Ben & Jerry's was closed so we took it as a sign to give up on trying to find ice cream and instead headed back the Four Seasons. At the Four Seasons, we both crashed on the comfortable bed.

The next morning, I headed to the Four Seasons' fitness room to spin on an exericse bike for 1 hour. While spinning, a Four Seasons' staff member constantly came over to bring me water. It was the first time that I have ever had water brought to me while working out. It was nice. Brenda and I then went to brunch at Verandah restaurant in the Four Seasons. We did the buffet breakfast. The food at the buffet was wonderful, maybe the best that I have ever had at a buffet. The fruit was so fresh, the pancakes were fluffly, the potatoes were delicously seasoned, and the dougnuts were freshly made at the doughnut station. Although expensive for breakfast, it was well worth the cost.

After breakfast, we sadly checked out of the Four Seasons, got a locker in the Four Seasons spa to store the clothes that we would change into for out flight home later in the day, and spent the afternoon at the pools in Mandalay Bay. The locker at the Four Seasons included a robe and sandals, again a nice touch. We mostly just hung out on lounge chairs by one of the pools and read the New York Times, which had been left outside our room in the Four Seasons. We also floated in the lazy river. The lazy river went under a couple of waterfalls. Each time we went past the waterfalls, Brenda and I tried to push each other under them. Neither of us succeeded, but we both had fun trying to get the other soaked.

Sadly, the evening came too quickly. We ate dinner at an expensive Mexican restaurant in Mandalay Bay. We spend well over a $100 for two, which was kind of shocking considering that we often eat out at Mexican restaurants in Denver for well under $30. Who knew you could spend that much money in a Mexican restaurant? We then headed to the airport and flew back to Denver, ending our short but fun Vegas vacation.