Herman’s dad was generous again to treat us to a breakfast buffet, this one over at Bellagio. The upside of arriving late paid off too. We arrived during the last 15 minutes of breakfast so the lunch goodies were put out: pate, reubens, jumbo shrimp, free range turkey, teriyaki steak, etc. Somara is correct on what Anthony Bourdin stated, buffets are profitable, especially when the customers stuff themselves on the cheap stuff. I am definitely making sure that I eat the expensive stuff. It was then another day of exercising all this food off by walking from the central to north side of the Strip. I also managed to hit the Apple Store in the Fashion Mall but was too pre-occupied balancing my checking account, so no immediate update to the web page. I did see the brand new Wynn casino. The Sands was torn down and replaced by Steve Wynn’s latest contribution. How is it? Simply it’s the Bellagio II in decor, theme and price. Right down to a Cirque du Soleil-like show headlining. The biggest thrill of the day was at Caesar’s Palace. We were just wandering through that mall, working our way north to the Mirage and there he was, Pete Rose! I’m not a huge baseball fan, but he was a major part of my childhood when I did follow the sport. Truthfully, I was sad to hear about the gambling accusations when I was in college but I never really thought the league made a strong case, especially when the team owners are larger crooks (Selig family, I’m looking in your direction). He was a great sport to let me have my picture taken with him. He asked me where I was from, I told him Austin, Texas. He knew that UT is strong in football but I reminded him that the Longhorns are nothing to sneeze at in baseball. He quickly remembered that they’re the NCAA 2005 Champs. He was a class act all the way and I let him know that I believe in him. Why? He still achieved what he did in hits, games played, his coaching, stealing bases with that famous head-first slide and even singing off key for an Aqua Velva commercial. That can’t be erased or forgotten. The hypocrites at the Hall of Fame should just admit him and move on. At least his numbers won’t need asterisks next to them because he used drugs.
Okay, I had a little tirade but I felt that I had to defend my statement of why I believe in Pete Rose. It was a statement of support, not faith, for him. Moving along, I’m holding up rather adequately healthwise. Jose’s friend Glenn (who is also here) explained my sinus issues well, it’s the dryness of the desert so my sinuses are overcompensating. Same thing happened to me in Phoenix. Well, the water is continuing to be consumed followed by numerous trips to the bathroom. I’m also using sinus medication to cut down on the hacking and snorting.
The other aspect of why I love coming to Vegas came to mind after recuperating at the Luxor’s spa, meeting all the people from other countries that vacation here. At Luxor, I met a man from Queensland Australia. He was impressed I knew the name of his state since he stated only northeastern Australia. He is a house builder and it seems the rules of their equity are radically different as I read in the Economist so I’d love to get a house there now. He laughed and chided me about how all the Americans come to his state and are disappointed about there being no such town as Porpoise Spit from the movie Muriel’s Wedding. I ran into a couple Canadians (Albertans) at Bellagio who wanted to know where to buy a pair of Chucks like mine (I had my Philly pair on. They also wanted to know where was the hockey action. That turned into a 15-20 minute conversation as I let the others move on without me. Met a couple from New Zealand in the elevator, I couldn’t quite place their location other than it being on the small island. The amount of French spoken in this town is always amazing, how je dois pratiquer plus!
As always for me, I haven’t had much luck finding time to gamble. I don’t like machines because they depend upon speed and poor judgment. I prefer being at a table, sitting back, soaking in the ambience. I did put down my official, annual bet on the Flyers to take the Cup! I stayed with the Venetian with 9-2 odds ($45 won on a $10 bet). More later, when Day 4 (and Day 3’s evening) reveals itself.