We ended up having a Mexican lunch at Tacos & Tequila in our hotel. There, we both had our first margarita. After eating, we walked around the strip. We checked out Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, New York New York and MGM among others. For dinner we shared a pizza at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside the MGM. It was kind of cool as the National Rodeo Finals were also happening that weekend so there were tons of cowboys walking around.
On Friday, we decided to walk down to the Venetian for check-in. There was not a coffee pot in the room so I went downstairs to Starbucks first thing in the morning and got my mom and myself a coffee. The walk down to the Venetian and back ended up taking the better part of the day. We took our time getting there and enjoyed walking through the booths and check-in. We wondered through a few casinos down at that end of the strip and found a spot along the canals in the Venetian for lunch.
Once we made it back to the hotel, it was time to clean-up and get ready for dinner. Aunt Barbara and Earl had driven down to spend some time with us and planned a special dinner for my birthday. My mom and I took a cab to the Golden Nugget where they were staying and had a nice dinner at an Asian bistro. It was really good food. After dinner, we gambled a little and enjoyed the Fremont Street experience. It was fun being down there. We spent some time with my aunt before heading back to the hotel.
On Saturday, we headed over to the Hoover Damn and see the new bridge with my aunt and uncle. My mom and I wanted to have an easy day without much walking so we would feel good for the run on Sunday morning. The damn was fun and so was the bridge. I walked to Arizona and back! On the way home, we stopped for lunch and at a store that sold metal work before heading back to the hotel.
Sunday was the big day. We got up early and had room service breakfast before heading out to the race. It was nice staying at the Luxor as the start and finish line were next door at the Mandalay Bay. The totally shut down the strip for the event. It was neat at the beginning as all of the hotels were showing live coverage of the race on their big screen billboards. I started out doing good, but then ended up bad. It was a bummer, once I realized I wasn't going to beat my previous time, I gave up. Overall, I really enjoyed the course as it went down Las Vegas Blvd from the strip to downtown and back. It was fun running in front of all the casinos, but I am bummed I didn't get a better time. My mom also felt the same way. After the run, Bret Michaels performed and then we headed back for showers.
For lunch, we ate at Dick's Last Resort. The food was good and the atmosphere was a lot of fun as the draw for the place is the rude waiters. We eventually made our way down through the Bellagio to the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. The Bellagio was amazing! I loved their displays. After some window shopping, we made our way back to our hotel and got ready for dinner. We eventually made our way back to Fremont Street to have dinner with Barbara and Earl. This time we ate at a cafe in the Golden Nugget. My mom and I were both tired after the long day, so didn't stay out too late.
Our flight left Monday morning and we had to get up early to head to the airport. It was funny there as you could see people wobbling around and knew they did the run the previous day. Our flight amazingly ended up landing early in Seattle. Andrew picked me up at the airport so my mom could head directly home. Zeus was very happy to have me home and it was nice sleeping in my own bed again. We did have a good trip and am looking forward to my next trip to Vegas which will most likely be in May for my cousin's wedding!
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