Go, go, go

The weekend was great. It was fun running around with Andie, squeezing in all we could during her whirlwind trip. Thursday after she got in we headed downtown. We walked all around Fremont so she could see the sights and snap photos. Meanwhile, Frank played some crazy three-hand blackjack game. I’m sure the odds are stacked against you, but the extra gamble looked fun.


After work, on Friday, I picked Andie up at O’Sheas. We shopped at H & M to kill time before our reservation at Fiamma. Traffic was ridiculous getting around between heavy weekend crowds and construction. The hassle was worthwhile; we each walked out with cute finds. Next, we headed over to MGM for dinner. We both opted to have the summer tasting menu. I had Caesar salad, Fusilli Carbonara with tiger shrimp and Panna Cotta for dessert. Yum! I just love their panna cotta it's served with white balsamic honey, dried mission figs, and topped with marcona almonds. I was able to sample Andie's selections, as well. She chose Gamberoni with grilled prawns and strawberry panzanella, skirt steak, potato purée and spinach, and tiramisu. Her dishes were tasty, too. Another great meal at Fiamma.

After dinner we met friends at Harrah’s Carnaval Court. We took the monorail over. After the dealing with the traffic earlier I thought it’d be best to leave the car in valet. The monorail was quick and convenient. I was surprised to see Cook E Jarr still around. He was still as awful as ever. We had a drink and visited, but good grief it was hotter than hell in there. It was terribly humid and inside the court there was no cross breeze. I was dying. I felt bad for everyone visiting, it was the wettest weekend we've had in years. Normally, Vegas’ summer nights are very comfortable. It was getting late. Andie had sights to see before it was time to go so we parted ways.


We walked to Venetian, Mirage and down to Bellagio to see the fountains. At Mirage, we spotted Steven Tyler and ZZ top at Rhumbar.

Here are my ridiculously awful attempts to capture them; needless to say I'd make an awful paparazzi.




Believe it or not, in all my years of visiting and living in LV they were my first celebs spotting. I've usually been too clueless to notice.

After Bellagio, we walked to Bally's to catch the monorail back to MGM. We retrieved the car, and then I managed to work my way across six lanes of traffic to make a left on Las Vegas Blvd so we could hit the LV sign. It was a major feat. I was so excited. Andie and I high-fived, yes, I’m a dork. We saw the sign quickly and then jetted to the airport. We said good-bye. I think she made the most of her time here. I'm glad she visited.

Saturday, I ran errands and had lunch with Frank at Siena Deli. It’s always a treat to grab a bite there. It’s over on the eastside so I don’t get over there often enough. We ordered a Sicilian sub, eggplant parmesan sandwich and a couple slices of Sicilian pizza. That eggplant parm was out of this world. Just the thought of it has me craving another sandwich. An excellent lunch! Frank got off work shortly after. We had a wonderfully lazy day. We laid in bed and watched the first disc of Breaking Bad season one. We picked up the show at the second season premiere. Now, we’re going back to see what we missed. That pilot has got to be one of the best ever. Beautifully done, I see why it won awards.

The family arrived around 7 o’clock. We had dinner at BJ’s brewhouse. Dinner was fine, but I think I’ve grown tired of it. We returned to the house for a night of swimming and relaxing in the hot tub.

Sunday, we swam again, surprise – surprise! Until the storms chased us out. Earlier in the week, Amy and I took Nicky to the strip to see Spongebob at Excalibur and the lions at MGM, but we were too late. They are only on display until 7:00pm daily.


After seeing Spongebob, we rode the tram to Mandalay Bay to occupy some time. Nicky loved it. We rode it over and over again. Eventually, I had to tell him the tram was tired and had to go night-night. Ever since, that’s all Nicky has talked about. So, Sunday afternoon, we went back and we took uncle Frank and grandma along with us.




First we saw the lions. Then, we made our way back to the tram. Grandma and uncle Frank weren’t up for riding the tram back and forth so they got off at Mandalay Bay to try their luck gambling. Meanwhile, Amy, Nicky and I rode for at least an hour. People watching is entertaining for us, and Nicky just gets the biggest kick out of it. Amazing how such simple things can amuse kids for hours. On one ride, Nicky and a little girl about his age worked the pole. It was hilarious. Can you imagine when they’re 21?




The tram had a long day and was getting sleepy so we went to collect uncle Frank and Grandma. We took one last ride back to Excalibur, much to Nicky’s dismay. He wasn’t buying my night-night excuses, it was still light out.

We had dinner at Fuddruckers, tasty as always. They had the balloon lady making stuff for the kids. She came by and made Nicky Patrick from Spongebob. Nicky was in awe. It was cute to see his reaction. Trouble was after he kept wanting to pop the balloons. It was tiresome trying to explain why that would make Patrick garbage. Kids and their neverending string of why? Last stop of the night was to Madhatter Cupcakes, next door to Fuddruckers. There’s nothing like an Island Joy cupcake to cap off a fun-filled weekend. Yum! The family went back to Pahrump and I crashed. Instantly.