We woke up around 8 and headed toward the Hoover Dam. We figured that if we were here, we might as well give it a look. On the recommendation of one of the pit bosses from the night before, we were looking to grab breakfast on the way there: there was supposed to be a cantina place with amazing eggs or something...to make a long story short, we didn't find it, and just made our way to the dam. Way too many dam jokes were made, and it was an awesome time. We also technically walked from Nevada to Arizona. Fun fact.
We drove an hour or so the other way, and hit up the Red Rock Canyon. A beautiful national park with some great views of the natural rock around Nevada. Something so unlike us, but I think it may have been one of the most fun things we did.
After some much needed relaxation time at the hotel, we walked out to City Center and gambled a little bit at the Aria. Beautiful hotel, but the gambling kind of sucked: annoying "house rules" and a mediocre atmosphere.
We kept walking on our way to the Bellagio, saw the sweet water show (which to me, never gets old), and then went to see "O," which I have wanted to see for quite some time now. My dad managed to get us front row center tickets (yes, I realize I am spoiled, but I also know how luck I am). IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE. Holy shit, one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen of any kind, ever. The acrobatic stuff was great, but the movement of the stage to allow for the pool to open and close and have people virtually walking on water was just surreal. I don't think there was a moment where my jaw was not hitting the floor -- except for when the clown picked me to come dance with him on stage. That's right: I was in "O" in Las Vegas!
From there, we gambled some in the Bellagio: my mom and I played Pai Gow for what seemed like forever (which is a great thing when you're gambling and not taking out more money), and then my dad and Pamela came to join us. After some more playing, we decided to cash in and head out...until we saw something called "Blackjack Switch." Intrigued, we went over to ask how to play, and the basic premise is that you play two hands, but can switch the top card from your two hands in order to improve each hand. The only kicker is that if the dealer gets 22, it is a push. So we decided to, "Play for a few minutes." A few minutes turned into a few hours, and before we knew it it was 3AM...so we proceeded to walk down the strip, and stopped off at Denny's for some fourth meal, and made our way back to the MGM...where we decided to play some more Blackjack Switch...for another 3 hours. We absolutely couldn't lose, and everyone walked away a winner (both money-wise and with such an amazingly fun experience).
We headed upstairs to pack up our stuff, and made our way to the South Coast Winery, which we had booked for the day. It was about a 4 hour drive, and when we got here, it was absolutely stunning. We got here just in time for our wine tour, which, because no one else signed up, ended up as a private tour for the four of us. We got to tour the vineyard, see how it was bottled, aged..etc. and even got to taste some wines that weren't even ready yet, and still in the filtration barrels. It all culminated with a wine and cheese pairing that was stellar, and then we grabbed some lunch at the restaurant on the vineyard itself. We just checked into our villas (complete with complimentary bottles of wine and gorgeous views, and a nice little patio), and are relaxing, taking naps, and deciding how to spend the rest of our evening. We're tossing up between Euchre, massages, naps, or a complimentary wine tasting, before we have our dinner reservation at 8.
Tomorrow, we head to L.A. before I take off at about 10:25 for the other side of the world.
Pictures aren't working...they'll come up soon....
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