Las Vegas: November 2008

Our first day in Vegas started out with a drive from Tulsa to Wichita Kansas.  The plane tickets were $200 cheaper to leave from KS so we took off at 4:15 a.m. to catch our 7:30 p.m. flight.  Stephen's flight left from OKC so he was already waiting for us at he airport when we arrived. We were exhausted by the time we landed but we were all ready to hit the strip.  We checked into our hotel, Excalibur, which is located on the south end of the strip. Our first order of business was to find food so we headed to New York New York and at ESPN zone.  The food was decent and they had plenty of TV's to watch any type of sporting event you would like.

                                                                                                                   (Ashley, Jessica & I, Vegas here we come!!)

After lunch the girls were sleepy and needed a nap so Stephen and I went the MGM grand to check out the lion habitat exhibit.  We both dropped some money into the slots before leaving, MGM 1 Stephen & Eric 0.  After that we headed down the strip and ventured into the Planet Hollywood hotel. I had not heard of this hotel before and was surprised because I liked it a lot.  They have a very upbeat atmosphere, it was a very clean/new hotel and the overall layout was much better than most hotels. Stephen and I decided we would have to come back later to play some poker.

We headed back to the room to regroup with the girls and get some sleep.  Upon returning the girls had been sleeping for close to 2 hours now and they were feeling great and ready to party.  Stephen and I skipped the nap and got ready to go out for a night on the town.

After leaving the hotel we headed straight to a margarita shop outside the MGM grand.  The drinks cost $18 a piece + tip, but they were huge, as you can see, they tasted great,  and there was plenty of alcohol in each one.  I personally recommend the frozen rasberry margarita.  Its tastes great and you'll be feeling great if you can manage to suck one down in just under an hour like I did.  The nice thing about Vegas is that you can take your drinks with you anywhere.  We took the drinks from hotel to hotel and no one ever said a word.  We were looking for a place to have dinner and found our way over to the Bellagio.  (Stephen has an SP drink!! HAHA)

Once we made our way inside, we quickly managed to find the Hot Shot slot machines which became a fan favorite for both Stephen and myself through out the trip.  Ashley and I sat down together at one machine and I put $20 in.  I quickly cashed out with $70 just a few minutes later and we hit the door in search of food.  I was happy I had recouped my losses from earlier in the day!!  As we headed outside to the famous fountain show at the Bellagio was in full effect and I took the picture seen to the right as we were walking to the Paris hotel.

We made it over to the Paris hotel and were all starving for food by then.  Ashley picked out an italian style place to eat we and all sat down to enjoy a quick meal.  I quickly darted off to find the slots because I wasn't feeling well so I couldn't tell you if the food was good or bad but they seemed to like it! The hotel paris was neat on the outside with the Eiffle Tower but I did not think the inside of the hotel was anything too exciting! I decided to leave them some $$ in the slot machine so they could fix it up and impress me the next time I arrive!

After leaving the Paris hotel, the girls were in need of some flops so we quickly jumped inside planet hollywood hotel to find a shop.  On our way in the door we were offered free wrist bands which would get us VIP access to their club.  While we didn't go, I would recommend you check outside for these free bands if you are planning to go to their club as it will save you the time of waiting in line and the money to get in.  Once inside Stephen and I quickly made our way to the poker room.  The poker room at planet hollywood was relatively nice and the cocktail service was top notch.  In the 2 to 3 hours we played there, I had no problem finding a server and all the drinks were delivered quickly and with plenty of alcohol.  Highly recommended poker room! 

Ashley and Jessica went across the street to check out another bar we were thinking about hitting but it turned out to be a dud.  They headed back to the hotel and we didn't end up meeting up with them again that night :( Stephen and I finally left the poker room up $150 betwen the two of us. 

First night in vegas.....GREAT SUCCESS!!