Love, Lessons, and Donny & Marie

"Why would you go to Las Vegas?" I've been asked on occasion. "You don't drink, and you don't gamble."

But that's not entirely true. I most definitely drink. Diet Coke! Lots of it. This can be a challenge in Vegas because so many establishments there are Pepsi only. Gross. What are they thinking? Last time I was there, Gerald and I stayed at New York - New York, directly across the street from the Coke Store. How beautifully convenient! He made multiple trips across the street to get me Diet Coke whenever I wanted it.

A week ago, Shulamith and I escaped to Vegas for a 3-day girls' party. This time we stayed at the opposite end of the Strip, so the Coke Store was far away, but never fear! Resourceful women that we are, we sought out restaurants that had self-serve Diet Coke, so we could get refills. No problem.

As for gambling, true, that's not really my deal; however, did you know the casinos offer free lessons on how to play the games? Well they do! So Shulamith and I took an hour-long lesson on how to play dice (craps), the game where people stand around this big table, and someone rolls the dice to see who wins based on the bets they place on certain numbers. I learned so much! I was the "high roller" and won $500 in about 10 minutes. Of course it was all fake, but that's why it was so great. I got to play this game with zero risk. Perfect. We didn't have time to take a Black Jack lesson, but next time we're there, I'm definitely doing that. Meanwhile, we did play the $.01 slots for a few minutes, and Shulamith managed to turn her $5.00 into $10.79. I was not so lucky.

So maybe we don't go to Vegas for the gambling, but there is really so much more. We love live shows. Seriously, the two of us are entertainment junkies, so a lot of our preparation involves deciding what to see. Our favorite, Celene Dion, wasn't performing last week (insert very sad face). Fortunately, we saw her when we were there seven years ago, and it was life altering. This time we opted for the Cirque Du Soleil show "Beatles Love." It combined classic Beatles music and video with circus-based artistic stage performance. "Love" was lovely. We enjoyed every second. The Diet Coke there? Uh, well, let's just say it cost literally eight times what it does at Chevron. Worth every penny.

Even better, though, was the following night when we saw Donny & Marie's award-winning Vegas show. It was awesome! They are such incredible performers with so much talent both independently and together. Can't wait to see them again sometime.

Now if you know Shulamith and me, you are probably thinking something like, "Really? She's talking about shows and gambling lessons, when in fact, all they ever do on vacation is eat?" Truth. And this time was top of the world superior to any other time. Why? Because we asked our world traveler, who has spent probably six full months of the past four years in a Vegas hotel. Isaiah made us a detailed list of his favorite restaurants, noting locations, prices, specialties, etc. We managed to hit three of his top places. All were outstanding. We dined on crazy yummy street tacos, mouth-watering chicken parmesan with veal meatballs, and Gordon Ramsay's famous fish and chips (well, chicken strips for Shulamith cuz she's dumb). We missed breakfast at Hash House a Go Go because the line was all the way out the door. Next time! We also ate nachos at the Rainforest Cafe and crepes at New York - New York. Mmmmmmmmm!

Oh I nearly forgot to mention the Krispy Kreme store right in the lobby of our hotel. We literally walked past it every time we went from the elevator to the outside doors and back. How many times did we stop for a Krispy Kreme, you wonder? Our secret.

And, believe it or not, we didn't even gain any weight. How could this be? The answer is right here:

Yep, the first day we walked nearly 24,000 steps; day two, nearly 18,000; and day three, 16,500. This was evidently enough to offset all those calories, thank goodness!

Now we are back to reality. But the love, lessons, and Donny & Marie are in our memories and in our hearts forever. How's that for some rhetorical pathos to add to your day?  :-)