Vegas Recap

October 5, 2008

My poor… forgotten… blog. I know, it has been forever. 

Last weekend was the Vegas extravaganza. The trip did not start off as planned. Our flight was canceled so we spent the next two hours lugging my bagzilla from terminal to terminal in a desperate search for a replacement flight. I have never been the person in the ticket purchasing line and hope to never be again. It was eye opening how many people are stuck making day of arrangements. Even more eye opening was the high percentage of people who, even though they are likely in a time crunch, also find time to argue with the booking agent about the bag check fees. Since we were on a tour de terminal that day, I can confirm that this is a constant phenomenon. I can also assure you that there is no need to argue about the fees. I saw many a manager called to the front that day. Not one budged.

Three hours later when the layer of sweat was finally dry, we boarded the plane. After an uneventful trip, minus a brief moment of extreme motion sickness as we approached McCarren International in a bumpy descent, we had arrived. 

We rushed to the hotel and met my brother and his beautiful girlfriend at the Palms Place pool for some cabana time. Cabana time quickly turned into bucket ‘o beer time. 

One too many bucket ‘o beers caused a member of our group to miss Tao that night. Another member of the group potentially should have stayed in and slept it off. The weekend was off to a good start. 

Surprisingly we were up bright and early the next day. We brunched, we explored the strip and we even spent some time admiring the lanterns at Wynn. 

At night, our balcony served as a perfect photo shoot locale. That is my brother in the white. For those that know me, you may agree that he looks more like his girlfriend than me. No, they are not related. 

Then we were off to dinner and Moon/Playboy Club. Hmmm…looking at the pic below I am realizing that I may look a little bit like Nick. Kind of weird.

Vegas was H-O-TT (pronounced: H, O, double T) that weekend so we logged countless hours by the Palms pool. I will never forget the miserable look on my brother’s face as he sprayed aerosoled SPF 30 on himself in vain. I couldn’t help but to laugh…my *ss off. He did redeem himself however, when he bought two plastic bikini girl cup drinks and rocked them in the pool. I was proud.

Between all the adventures we snuck in some time for paid entertainment, of the classy kind. We saw the Mac King Comedy Show one day and it easily trumped our tempered expectations. It was entertaining, funny and incorporated a fake bear (you have to see it to understand). We also saw the O Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio. Described in one word: AMAZING. It is expensive, but well worth it. 

For our last night we met up with LA friends at Tryst nightclub. I have pictures from that night, but most people probably wouldn’t approve the postings so they will remain in the secret vault. You know what they say, “what happens in Vegas…” It was the perfect ending to a fantastic trip.

I love seeing my family no matter where we are, but there is something to be said about meeting in Vegas!

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Posted by marcypoz7

Cali Coast Trip

September 7, 2008

This weekend Nick and I reached a California milestone – the Highway 1 drive. We started off going through the central coast to Monterey. It was a shock to see how rural this state really is once you step away from the chaos. Just remember to bring a nose clip because cow farms = bad, very bad, smells. 

The time went by fairly quickly, thanks to Stephen Colbert’s, “I Am America, (And So Can You!)” audiobook, and before we knew it we were checking into the hotel.

We roamed the town and had a blast scoping out the sights and pretending to be the mentally impaired, yet charming, Forest Gump. 

We even made friends with a fearless, and slightly feisty, bird. Unfortunately, Nick no longer likes our feathered friends because of an unfortunate shirt soiling incident that occurred later on during the trip. 

After a bottle of Spanish Grenache we were in bed early and were driving through Big Sur on schedule the next morning. The views did not disappoint. 

Roooomance!   

We continued south, and then the strangest thing started to happen. A marine layer/fog began to roll in. It was the heaviest blanket of white I have even seen. Suddenly, the blue waves turned into an ocean of clouds. 

The drive along the cliffs became precarious as the white fluff started pouring onto the roads. Suddenly our cruise turned into a slow crawl. The road mileage signs became painful visual reminders of our slow progression. 

Eventually we found ourselves at Hearst Castle, former home of William Hearst, an American newspaper magnate (click here for a history lesson). Needless to say, Hearst’s abode in San Simeone (one of many) was very luxurious. 

I imagine his lavish pool was the envy of all of his friends and the site of many scandalous evenings.

Lucky for those around him, he treated his circle well and build five star accommodations for their visits (very similar to the pull out couch our visitors are blessed with). No wonder the ranch became a getaway for the Hollywood elite. 

After two hours of living vicariously through Hearst’s show of riches, we were heading back to the car (unfortunate bird incident happens here) and on our way south again. 

We drove and drove, through San Luis Obispo, through Pismo Beach and stopped at Solvang. The town is a little Danish getaway, made famous by the movie Sideways. We sipped and swirled, had dinner and roamed the streets. 

Like a long lost friend, we were thrilled to see our freeway exit later that night. It was a long and wonderful day with a perfect ending – an enthusiastic greeting from one very happy dog.  

There were many life lessons during this trip and I feel like I came away from it a wiser person. Because I believe in sharing knowledge, I have listed out the most important points below: 

  • An Egg McMuffin will never cease to be excellent road food
  • If you stare at the seaweed long enough, a sea lion will eventually pop its head out of the water 
  • There is such a thing as too much salt water taffy 
  • You can, in fact, drive off of the cliffs in Big Sur if you are not careful 
  • Just because a winery has a tasting room, it does not mean that the wine will be good
  • If you are able to parlay your money into a media empire and build a castle on a hill, do it. 
  • A healthy marriage means surviving 15 hours in a car together without incident  
  • The happiest cows really do come from California 

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Posted by marcypoz7