Ups and Downs

So, this entry will be short.
We woke up.
We waited for the plumber all day (caught up on all outstanding episodes of Black Mirror - thank godness for Netflix in this apartment!)
That's all.


.... it was raining anyway and so when we eventually did get out of the house we checked out Chelsea Markets (which we thought was cool - converted from an old biscuit factory where they invented Oreo's).  Fully enclosed market full of cool places to eat, so that took care of our dinner.  Back in Harlem, we went hunting for a highly-recommended jazz club called Minton's, but unfortunately as our luck that day would have it, it was closed. Blessing in disguise (or is it blessing in the skies?? :)) anyway as we stumbled into the Paris Blues Club only a few blocks from home.  Such a cool vibe in this small and pokey bar.  Live jazz band playing for tips, drinks in abundance and free food in big pots.  We have to go back!

We woke up, in a city, that never sleeps.....

We woke up late...had a bit of catching up to do after the craze of Vegas.

The flight was a little ordinary...First our luggage was over the weight limit, so we had to wear an additional 5kg each to avoid the $100 US fee.
United airlines are like flying with Tiger...NEVER again...

Our first challenge of finding our way to our AirBNB apartment via the train and the subway proved successful and we arrived and settled in by 8pm.  We went grocery shopping (because supermarkets don't close until 1am, and re-open at 6am) and filled up the fridge with supplies for the next few days.

This morning (or rather early afterternoon), we ventured out into the cold winter day and braved the weather walking through Central Park, the Rockerfeller Center and Times Square.

 

To be honest, although it's 2 degrees and no question it feels cold, we expected a lot worse and haven't brought out the real ammunition which is our thermal underwear yet.  The weather forecast appears to be worsening over the next few days, so we might just save it for when we really need it.

Sitting in an Irish pub sipping spiced rum to warm up our bones before heading out again...

Check this out:

This was increasing by $10,000 per second.  USA is in real trouble...!

Christmas festivities in Sin City

It is fair to say that Christmas didn't feel very Christmassy over here.  And as a cab driver pointed out, Vegas doesn't want you to feel like it's Christmas and that maybe, possibly, you should be somewhere else...... like with your family... instead of playing four hands at a time at a $100 blackjack table....

Nonetheless it was an absolute experience. Like the buffet at Aria where we stayed - it seemed like 1.5 hours wait wasn't going to be worth it, but nonetheless we enjoyed the American Christmas lunch experience heaps. Every imaginable cuisine type - including some Polish Kielbasa, carvery, seafood, Indian, Italian, Asian, and loads of desserts to choose from. Champagne was bottomless and served in (basically) flower vases.
After we rolled out of lunch around 4pm, we had about 6 hours before our second Vegas circus show - the Absinthe at Caesar's Palace. We checked out the MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur and The Luxor and stopped for a few hands of low-stakes blackjack at the Tropicana.

Shared a table with a couple of down-home folks from Indiana and picked up a few dollars to offset the previous night's play. Free drinks for players (just tip the waitress)  and a good laugh made time really fly.
True to form, we lost track of time and ended up running (literally) to get to the show on time - had a whole 2 minutes to spare. Because we had recommendations for this show (thanks David & Desinta) we splurged on the VIP tickets that gave us a table for 2 right by the stage. Therefore, we featured heavily in some parts of the show, including tap dancers on our table, getting hit by flying bras, being picked on by the MC, and splashed with water from the feature bath on stage used by one hot topless male acrobat. Show was AMAZING - totally worth the money and a great recommendation. Brilliant acrobatics, but also genuinely hilarious (and super crude.) Definely not for the easily offended or prudish.

Boxing Day was an early start - the shuttle bus for our re-booked chopper ride to the Grand Canyon was a 5:30am pickup from the hotel. We had some mild concerns over the strict weight limits given the aforementioned buffet (more so because we got squeezed in for a re-booking based on a commitment to a weight limit). We drove out into the desert for about an hour, and then boarded one of about 30 choppers waiting on the tarmac. Sun was rising as we lifted off and headed out over the Hoover Dam, the Colarado River, Lake Mead and eventually landing on the bottom of the Western Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Champagne Breakfast and lots of photos of what may have been us, but it is hard to tell given the layers, gloves, beanies etc we had to have on just to stay thawed out. The view and the experience was a must-do and great, but not much different to what we expected.

  

  

  

We spent the remainder of the day at the Southern Premium Outlet malls - HUGE mistake.......
We walked straight in from the car park to our favourite store (Colombia Sports) which is no longer in Australia. We subsequently cleaned them out of stock (which we had to wear most of just to avoid excess luggage fees the next day) and then moved on. Awesome deals (thanks Sugar for the tip), particularly during the post Xmas sales.

The plan was to pay for said shopping at the tables at The Venetian after the Jerry Seinfeld show that night, but that part didn't work out so well.  To avoid running down the strip like we did the night before, we got to Ceasar's early for Seinfeld. Without spoiling it with the details, suffice to say that Seinfeld has still got it and was the quintessential showman - performed for over an hour without missing a beat and his timing was spectacular. Highly recommend it for when he comes to AUS next year -  we will certainly want to go again.

The Venetian was truly spectacular inside and out:

 

  

J had one more roll at the Casino before bed, and ended up calling it a night at around 3am before our morning flight. After all is said and done, the total gambling outcome was around $20 down and about a dozen free beers, so we will call it a draw.

On leaving Vegas we agreed that:

• Time has no meaning here
• Going to a casino with your dog is weird (but kind of okay)
• Even the people who are not being tipped or paid are really nice & helpful 
• For a party town it was pretty orderly 
• Bring an empty suitcase if you come

Off to New York.....

Christmas Eve

Our holiday started with shopping for some cheap clothes for Jake, because as anticipated, our bags did not arrive...After a couple of hours waiting at Wendy's, mine managed to reach Vegas on the next flight, but his has decided to take a later flight...Eventually though, the next morning we were all happily united and began our first day exploring the city.

It is true what they say about Vegas - you really do lose your sense of time over here.  We stumbled back to our room at 3:30am (quite unintentionally) after a really full first day.  We started it with a little jog up and down the strip to work off the massive burgers with fries we had the night before.  Running past so many interesting sights, dancing fountains and buskers and weaving between party goers on their way home from a big night out, made our run quite amusing and before we realised it, we clocked up 10km.

We got ready to take a trip to the Grand Canyon later in the day, but unfortunately, due to less than ideal weather conditions, the trip was cancelled on the last minute.

So, instead we bought a bus ticket and headed North to the old part of Vegas for a look.
We found it a little underwhelming, to be honest, but Jake did like the historical element as this was the real 'old vegas' that the mobsters made famous. It is a bit of a strip that (to me at least) resembled Surfer's Paradise but less busy and overall pretty boring...

But we did find some treasures though, check out the old slot machines at the Casino famous for hosting Frank Sinatra's performances:

By the time we left at around 4:30pm, it was dark and this is when our night really picked up.  We read somewhere about a place called the Air Bar, which is a rooftop bar on the 108th floor of the Stratosphere Tower (just out of the main strip).  We got off the bus to check it out.  On advise from the hotel lobby workers, we actually settled on the 107th floor lounge bar which was enclosed (so protected from the elements - yes, it is freezing over here), had a happy hour and half price tapas on top of a 360 degree view of Vegas.  A pretty sweet spot to get our party started...

Full and a bit tipsy, we headed back for the Cirque the Soleil 'O' Show (water show) at the Bellagio. Of course!
We had some spare time to explore the hotel a bit.  Usually posting photos of dunnies is not the done thing, but pictures say a thousand words, so let this be an exception:

So...anyway....

after picking my jaw off the floor, we saw the show, which was great although, as I have heard someone tell me before, once you've seen a good circus show they are all much the same...so we are seeing another one tonight.. (and this one comes also highly recommended).

Before hitting the blackjack tables, we did some exploration of other hotels and casinos - some where truly breathtaking (like the Bellagio) and others quite tacky (like the Paris).  There are so many more to see... People smoke inside and bring their dogs inside to play... Australia should really loosen up a bit.

Today is Christmas Day.  We had a well deserved sleep in before heading downstairs for a Buffet Christmas lunch (which is open 12noon - 10pm, all you can eat and drink for $59! Of course it is!!)

Today is also the day our luck is going to turn around at the blackjack tables.

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Sin City

After what has been a long and busy year, we finally boarded that plane on the eve of Christmas Eve and after 25 hours, we arrived in the middle of gambling central.

But as it often happens, not without some minor inconveniences...like not being booked onto a connecting flight from LA to Vegas for example...and luggage mysteriously vanishing from the face of the earth...

Thankfully, due to some skilful pleasantries on our part and some helpful airport staff, we were allocated last minute seats and now killing time crossing fingers and toes for our bags to arrive on the next flight.

Delta Airlines apologised profusely and compensated us generously with lunch vouchers so we did the right thing and got a chicken burger combo at Wendy's (that drink is just under a litre hehehe):

Looking forward to having a shower and hopefully changing into something half respectable shortly before hitting the slot machines.  

Though, it appears you don't have to go far to try your luck with a game of chance. Pokies machines are everywhere throughout the airport, including right outside the arrivals gates.  (Now I wish we took up the offer of $800 per person to take a later flight in LA - we could really have a crack at turning lead into gold :))