Las Vegas - June, 2013

We arrived in Las Vegas with temperatures over 100 degrees, but that didn't stop us from getting out onto the Strip and seeing what was new.  Our main goal for this trip was Greg entered the Senior World Series of Poker Tournament which was held at the Rio.  There were over 4,000 players, so it would be a long three days for Greg.

Here's Greg with his ticket to the tournament

Inside the poker room

Las Vegas changes so much that there is always something new to see.  New renovations going on everywhere and now Imperial Palace is gone and replaced by Quad.  We spent the first night at a comp'd room at the Flamingo Hilton and were upgraded to a huge suite which was awesome.  Went over to the Rio for dinner at a great Italian restaurant and Greg got checked in for his tournament.

He left early the next day, while I was in charge of moving our bags to our timeshare and rounding up our niece and her husband who were flying in to join us for the week.  By the time they arrived in the afternoon, Greg had just finished up his stint in the tournament.  He lasted 6 hours, had a great time, but was obviously disappointed he wasn't able to stay in longer.  Tournament format, low amount of chips and no cards mean you don't last.  We were then able to spend the rest of the day and evening showing Jena and Bo all around Vegas.

Jena and Bo at the Bellagio Gardens

Our routine is usually to have breakfast together, go off and gamble and then catch up for drinks and dinner.  We were able to do that many days, but other days it was fun to sit by the pool, or be tour guide to Jena and Bo.   We took them to some of our favorite haunts, Trevi in Caesars and the awesome bar at the Wynn.

Drinks at our favorite bar at the Wynn

 

Tapas in Aria

Crazy bird chairs outside Aria

Men being silly

Watching the water show at Bellagio

Visiting the Venetian

Imitating the Flamingos at the Flamingo Hilton

Jena in awe at the Wynn

 

We had a wonderful week and were able to see 3 shows:  Mystere, Terry Fator and Legends in Concert.  The heat stayed the entire time, but between the timeshare shuttle and cabs, we got to see everything and experience it all.  We even managed to spend an evening down at Fremont Street where Bo was able to have a fun time playing blackjack.

All in all, a great trip, and one not to forget.