20 random observations from last weekend in NYC
1) I learned from someone it's not a great idea to drink a Starbucks Frappucino and a bottle of water within a five minute timeframe.
2) Dad got hooked on Sequence before we even started a game. I guess he's pretty quick to make up his mind about something and then slow to change it.
3) Only my dad would have dinner at LouCa's and then rush home to catch a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central that he had already seen before. On a steek...
4) There is not much to speak of at Ground Zero right now. Where we walked, there was no sidewalk, no memorial, nothing. Just a two-block long huge hole with a few construction cranes. And now the future building will not be called the Freedom Tower. I am okay with that as long as it doesn't get some lame corporate name. When people hear the name of the building, they should be reminded of 9/11 or what was there before.
5) The Natural History Museum was incredible. The dinosaur skeletons were excellent. But the Brontosaurus is no longer called that. They took his name away like they took planet status away from Pluto. No good!
6) We rode a lot of subways. Everyone on there is very tight-lipped, very closed off. Very understandable. But then we walk into Central Park. It felt like another place. Everyone was smiling, seemed like when they walked through the green, their problems disappeared, if only for a short while. Lots of dogs...And I got to climb rocks just like when I was in New England. That's one of the few things that still relaxes me. And I credit Chicago for setting space aside for parks and quieter areas.
7) Dad was so sad that the Nathan's in Penn Station is being reconstructed. The downtrodden look on his face... I swear it was like he lost his best friend.
8) John's sausage rolls...Hellooooooooooooo! And the thin crust pizza with the ground beef and onion...Dang. And the Brooklyn Pilsner beer. Man oh man. Somehow, I got very energetic in that restaurant. Despite what the Chicago bigshots like Mark Malnati may say, that thin crust style they cook in a coal-fired brick oven at John's is the best pizza around. And by the way Mark, the first syllable of "sausage" is pronounced like "Fall" not a short "a" like in "ask." There is a "u" in the word, so use it!
9) Another food opinion. Junior's cheesecake is simply the best in the world. I don't want to hear about Eli's and I damn sure don't want to hear about the Cheesecake Factory. This is a much lighter, airier cake, with a sponge cake bottom instead of graham cracker. And I had a slice with crushed pineapple and sugar crumbs on top. Off the charts. Dad had a devil's food cheesecake with a layer of cheesecake on top of a layer of chocolate cake and then surrounded by more chocolate and hazelnuts. Tara had the opportunity to devour a chocolate swirl cheesecake. And only one of us finished our slice...Maybe it was because I was the only one who did not drink any coffee.
10) As we walked from Penn Station across the street to MSG, I walked by the spot where Mom was hit by a taxi a few years ago. I still can't get that out of my mind.
11) There is no sports arena like Madison Square Garden. The buzz in that building is second to none. If I could only see all the banners in the rafters...I hope the renovation will take care of that problem.
12) The Rangers fans in the blue heaven are so rabid. As rabid and devoted as any fans I have ever seen. And Dad and I fit right in!
13) I still cannot find a concession booth in the Garden that serves cotton candy in the 300 level or in the 400 level. And there isn't exactly much room in the concourses to get around the building.
14) It is never a good idea to elbow a girl in the nose and nearly knock her down a flight of stairs. And when you know the girl rather well, eh, it's a worse idea.
15) I did not get to Ring of Honor's 7th Anniversary Show, which was going on just one block up from the Garden at the Manattan Center. I wished I could have at least seen Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA for the world title live. But I wanted all three of us to go or none of us to go. Ah well, I will have to wait for the DVD to come out next month.
16) I really hate flying standby. Bumped off three flights total.
17) If that wasn't enough, our return flight to Chi-town was cancelled and we did not find out about it until after we arrived at the airport. So I called Dad back and he drove 30 minutes back to Newark Airport, picked us up, and drove another hour to take us to LaGuardia airport in Queens, where they have hourly flights on American to Chicago. And that turned out to be okay. Because just before we pulled off the highway to the airport, we passed by CitiField. Looks pretty darn impressive from the outside. If they could only add another 5,000 seats...
18) NYC simply has a spark, a heartbeat to it that I have never seen anywhere else. I'm not saying it is the best city, many would argue otherwise. But in Manhattan, it fells like something is happening on every corner. Other places have a more laid back feel in certain parts. And that can be a very good thing. But there is that little, indescribable, intangible extra something you feel when walking through Manhattan.
19) I am a fortunate guy to have the things I have and to have lived what I have been able to live.
20) Anybody up for some more games of Uno in LaGuardia airport, if someone knows what I mean...
PS. Tara and I had lunch at Chipotle after we got back in town. This is really bothering me. Instead of $1.35, it costs $1.80 to add guacamole to a burrito. I am seriously pissed over this. Now I know it's only a raise of a quarter and two dimes, but are we going to get to the point where avocados cost more than the meat? This is just not cool. As an American, I should have the right to enjoy avocados without worrying the price will soar like premium gasoline. President Obama, keep our guacamole affordable!!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vegas Part 2
Tuesday started feeling like I was back at work. 6 am and I'm out of bed. We walked west to Circus, Circus, which I guarantee will be torn down inside of three years. By Vegas standards, it is too old and not nice enough. And on the walk down Riviera Blvd, the entire north side of the street was a construction zone.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
Detour
Five quick hits:
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Vegas Part 1
I woke up at 3 am for a 6:10 am flight. When you factor in the time change, that's 1 AM Pacific time. The only thing I learned from the flight? Sierra Mist is not as good as Sprite. We landed around 10 am and walked into a 65 degree day after a week of 30's in Chi-town. and Anthony picked us up. We drove to the Hilton Vacation Club, which is on the north side of the strip and a block east. So we get in the elevator. Now we're on the 11th floor. And I look at the floor buttons on the elevator panel. There is no 13, it goes from 12 straight to 14. I guess it was because they thought 13 was unlucky. Here's the catch. The buttons go B, 1, 2... So in reality, the "14th" floor is still the "13th," isn't it? We had two rooms next to each other, which was great since everyone could now have their own space.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)