Las Vegas

Another first for me on this tour: Las Vegas. I've never really taken an interest in going to Vegas. The whole concept of flashing neon, gambling, and glitzy shows just isn't my thing. I found the atmosphere at the Palms Casino uninviting in every way.
It wasn't until I struck out on my own, tourist-style, that I found something to like about Las Vegas. Being at the Palms, off the Strip, gave me no real sense of what lengths they've gone to in their creation of a fictional adult fantasy world: Once I took the 25-minute walk over the highway to the Strip, I found the crazy statues and fountains and gated pedestrian areas made it seem like a cross between a Sandals and Emerald City. And....GOOD FOOD!

I made my way to the Bellagio to see the fountain show they have every half-hour. I came upon what looked to be a decent restaurant named Olives. I got a table outside, overlooking the fountains. I opened the menu, saw that they had nice wines by the glass, decent-looking entrees, and oysters. I ordered a half dozen Fanny Bay oysters with some citrus whatever mignonette and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and my opinion of Vegas improved immediately. The fountain show started just as the waiter brought my entree. The fountains were set to music, some opera. It lasted maybe ten minutes. I wouldn't travel far to see it, but it was a cool thing to watch while I ate. I had some terrific sea scallops and finished with a glass of 20-yr tawny port. Viva Las Vegas!

During my walk around the Caesar's Palace end of the strip, I passed a homeless person, stationed on a pedestrian bridge. This person (I'm honestly not sure if it was a man or a woman) was holding a dachshund in a gym bag. The dog looked like my Franki, but a little smaller. I wanted to talk to the dog, of course. But I knew that if I gave this person a dollar, the other homeless people around would all start in my direction. So I passed this person by twice before I had my lunch. On my way back to the Palms, I knew I'd have to cross over that pedestrian bridge again. As I approached the bridge, I reached into my pocket for a dollar bill, but came out with a twenty. I'd just had this fantastic meal, on this fantastic tour, and I felt like a very fortunate man. So when I found this person, with his/her wiener dog, still sitting on the bridge, I stopped to chat. I showed the person a picture of my Franki on my phone. This dog's name was Oscar, and he was just terrific. Oscar lives on the street in his person's lap, and is happy as can be. As I pulled out the rolled-up twenty and handed it to the weathered human, I saw surprise in his or her eyes. He looked down at Oscar and said, "We can go home now, Baby."

On tour, the crew all gets a $40/day per diem, basically spending money. Every ten days, they give you an envelope with $400 in it. Many of my tourmates gambled away all of their $400 per diem money at the tables in Vegas. I bet $20 on good karma and a happy dog named Oscar.

See you in Reno.