With Ethan staying at our timeshare with us, I got him a late birthday present of tickets to see Steely Dan, his favorite band. We got dressed up as per the great opening from Swingers but we’re also in agreement that there are times you need dress like a grownup if you want to be treated by the casinos as a grownup.
First goal, the concert. We managed to snag tickets for their last show in a month-long residency at the Venetian. There was no opener so the band got started close to 8 PM. The duo of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker strolled out a few minutes later. They obviously played the hits I knew with a mix of lesser-known stuff, primarily from the album Aja. There were some hits I was surprised they skipped like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” and “Do It Again.” Overall, I did have a good time and I’m always relieved when I’m on the left side of the age curve in a crowd.
Afterwards we got a late dinner at the White Castle in Casino Royale followed by my demonstration on how not to win at craps. What we dropped at Encore was nothing compared to what Steve Wynn needs to keep the lights on so I’ll say it was a push. The main thing is we had a good time catching up on stories about the antics of Ethan’s three daughters. We were also a tad snobbish about this young man who was getting the third degree from a pit boss over his age; dude, when you show in a knit shirt like you just got off your shift at Best Buy, the higher-end places might be sending you the vibe to move on.
Other things we were able to share with Ethan. The timeshare’s lazy river, the restaurant, the pool/hot tub and he said the built-in bed in the couch worked out. The second night was a kick-ass dinner in the rotating restaurant up in the Stratosphere.
Years ago, we (Ethan, Garrett and I) used to talk about a road trip to Las Vegas to celebrate getting hired by Apple. It never really happened because other elements in our lives stepped in but I’m going to count this. Maybe next time we can convince Garrett to fly out, build up our own rat pack from two to three.