March 10, 2003

Dan got up at some ungodly hour of 5-6am or something. I believe I grumbled something and threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't turn of the f-ing lights and be quiet. Not too long after that I heard the door to the room close and it was quiet again.

Moving to the Seattle area has meant a big change to my schedule and body clock. During the week it's up at 5 a.m., and on the ferry by 6:25. On weekends, "sleeping in" usually means getting up between 6 and 7, or earlier since the cats seem to be able to read clocks better than calendars, and are unable to understand that I don't want to be up at 5 on Saturdays and Sundays.

So even in Vegas, my brain starts to shut down around 10 p.m., and starts going again before 6. Though I tried to squeeze out a little more sleep, I couldn't, so I got up shortly after 6 a.m. and peeked through the curtains. The most amazing dawn light was falling on Bellagio and the Paris Balloon. I took a shower, dressed and went downstairs.

After buying a copy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal I saw doors open to the pastry shop next to the elevators. I bought a bear claw and a latte and took a seat in the casino lounge with a good view of a TV running CNN. Although I was reasonably sure they weren't going to start the war until after our trip, I did peek at TV news when I had the chance just to be sure. At this time they were just bantering about who was going to vote for which UN resolution - so far so good.

When I travel, I like to read the local newspapers of where ever I'm at. I like getting a feel of the social, economic and cultural environment of the place I'm at. And the LVRJ didn't disappoint me that morning. A Washington-based rock band called "Death Cab for Cutie" was playing at the Huntridge Theater that evening. I work with the mom of one of the band's members, and you'd never guess that a parent of someone in a band with that name would be deeply involved with school anti-bully programs. On the same page, Norm's Vegas Confidential writes about how many feel that Celine Dion will not be "Vegas" enough, that she won't be part of the headliner community and support other entertainers by attending there openings etc. The editorial page featured a letter from a Rio cocktail server who wrote that the real reason the Rio wants to replace its server staff is to replace all those waitresses who have aged and had kids and since the resort opened 10 years ago.

After finishing the paper, I took a look outside. By that time the dawn light was gone and was replaced by regular daylight. I went inside to play some blackjack. I'm a bit frustrated that blackjack tables with $5 minimums are an endangered species at the top Vegas resorts. Psychologically, a $50 losing streak is easier for me to take than a $100 losing streak. But Paris didn't have anything less than $10 tables. I did have coupon for blackjack that paid an extra $10 on a $10 winning bet. I placed that coupon down on a table with a $10 bill - and lost. I went out the door in search of $5 blackjack.

But $5 tables were not to be found next door at Bally's either. I did find $5 games across Flamingo road at Barbary Coast and so I played there. I came out of the gate strong, advanced to a $20 bet, and then started losing. Two of the three other players at the table were playing with beers in hand, cigarettes hanging from their mouths and spoke to the dealer in drunken slurs. Come on guys! It's 8 a.m.! Go back to your room and go to bed already! I was up and down for a while until the 2nd shuffle break, when I was about even. I checked my watch at it was about 8:24. I decided I would play until 8:30, then move on. Well, that shoe gave me one of those streaks where the best you can do is 17 or bust and the dealer gets 19 - 21 every time. I was down to $2.50 left over from a 21, so I left. But I did get to enjoy a comped Baily's & coffee at the cost of $47.50.

Back at Paris my luck changed fast. On my second max-coin play at $.25 video poker, I got 4 queens, winning back $30 of what I lost down the street. Not wanting to squander my changed luck, I cashed out and headed toward the bar.

Allow me to digress one more time… Last year after seeing the films "Moulin Rouge" and "From Hell," I became interested in a drink used by these films' characters called absinthe. This distilled liquor was quite popular with 19th Century European artists, poets and other bohemians until it was banned in most countries in the early 20th Century - an easy target for the temperance movement to hang the blame of all social ills. Absinthe is made with an herb called wormwood, which in addition to providing a bitter aniseed or licorice flavor, also contains a substance called thujone. This supposedly gave absinthe a more "clarity of thought" effect than other liquors and made it the drink of the 19th Century European artist & bohemian set.

In recent years, production of absinthe became legal again in some European countries, and it is currently having a resurgence of popularity in England, which never actually passed a law against it. It is illegal to sell absinthe within the United States, but it is not illegal to posses or consume it, and there is no law against importing one or two bottles for personal consumption.

What does this have to do with me wandering about a Vegas casino at 8:45 in the morning? Well, in the 19th century, the top absinthe brand was from a French distillery called Pernod. When absinthe was banned in France, Pernod reformulated its product and produced a thujone-free "near-absinthe" called simply "Pernod" ("absinthe" does not appear on the label) which has been readily available in the United States to this day.

I had been curious to try Pernod but didn't want to pay $25 for a bottle at my local beer & wine store. What better place to sample Pernod than a bar in a Paris-themed casino?

I found Pernod to be a more yellowish green than the drinks seen in "Moulin Rouge." The taste was licorice and less bitter than I expected. It took little imagination to picture myself at a Paris café in the 1880s enjoying the "green hour" with a glass of real absinthe. I told the bartender about absinthe, and he seemed interested. I gave him a web site where he could read more about it. By then it was about 9 a.m., so I returned upstairs to the room.

Dan brought me back a croissant for breakfast a couple hours later and I got dressed and ready for another day of wedding stuff.

We walked over to Bellagio and hiked all the way back to the chapel. It is really far! Through the casino, back past the pool, around the corner past the meeting rooms and then it's there. Good thing there are chairs along the way. You may need to stop and rest. :)

The chapels at Bellagio are GORGEOUS! It was very opulent and beautiful, just what you'd expect from Bellagio. The coordinators were both busy but called someone right away to come and talk to us. The woman who came out suggested we consider the South chapel because the East chapel can be tight with pew decorations even with a small party and she likes the longer aisle, but I think the smaller chapel would be just about right for our party size. I think we'd be lost in the big chapel, even with the longer aisle. Besides, I don't need the long walk down the aisle; I'll be tired from the hike to the chapel from the elevators. :)

I tried to call the banquet manager to see a suite or some banquet options, but couldn't get through to her. We could try again on another day. We started the walk back to the casino and on the way Dan decided that he wanted to get a chip for his chip collection. I picked out an area of Video Poker machines by the slot club and sent Dan off to find a $10 blackjack table. I got a new Players Club card to replace my old cards (I have them for the individual casinos) and sat down to play. The progressive locked up on me and Dan came back while I was waiting. I cashed out up and Dan had his chip and had played a little blackjack, happiness abounds.

Yes, the coordinator at Bellagio knew how to upsell. But I agree with Sonya that the cozy East Chapel would be comfortable with our needs, while the West Chapel would simply have too many empty seats in it.

While Bellagio in undeniably a grand and beautiful hotel, I don't feel the ambiance really suits my style. I find myself more comfortable in the art-deco styling of Mandalay Bay or the festive atmosphere of Rio.

As I said earlier, $5 blackjack is an endangered species at A-list Vegas strip resorts, and I didn't expect to find any at the Bellagio. As Sonya and I walked through the casino, all I saw were $25 and $100 minimum tables. I wanted to have a Bellagio chip for my collection, and I won't just buy a chip and take it home. I have to play at least one real hand to get it, and I was concerned about how much that might cost me if I didn't win the first hand.

When I left Sonya to play some video poker, I looked around for a $10 blackjack table, and was surprised to find not one but two tables with $5 minimum bets, so I bought in for $20. On my first hand I got 21 on my third card, but the dealer drew 21 also. I lost the second hand, then won the third. I decided that was fine and cashed out for $15, keeping the best chip for my collection.

We walked back across to Aladdin and met up with Deb in the Wedding Chapel. This time she had a Panorama Suite to show us. We headed up the elevators and down to the end of the hall towards Paris.

The room was beautiful! I wasn't too excited about the big screen TV, but thinking more about the TV, it sure would be nice to watch a movie or something from that big bathtub. :) We took tons of pictures and talked about how the coordinators daughter did a suite reception when she had the room. We got lots of great ideas and possibilities there.

I've never been totally comfortable and relaxed in those hotel meeting rooms, so I find a idea of a suite reception very appealing. Having such a large room with a spectacular view for two nights would be a great way to greet guests as they arrived in town, pass out gift baskets and give advice on places to see and things to do. I also liked the Aladdin chapel better than Sonya. It did have a window to a public area along one site, but there were drapes that could be drawn to provide privacy

After leaving Aladdin, we walked back to the parking garage at Paris to get our car and head over to Treasure Island. We used the valet there and went upstairs to the chapel. It was very pretty and comfortable. I liked that they have one chapel (west) set up for the ceremony and the other (east) set up for photos. Considering it was one of the less expensive places we were looking at, I was surprised we liked it so much.

We walked across the hall to catering to talk to someone about a banquet room. They were all full so we couldn't take any pictures, but we got a packet and peeked into a couple of meeting lunches to see how the rooms were set up. Not bad, but it looked like a meeting room. I wish I had been able to see one set up for a wedding.

After Treasure Island we went back to Paris and we were starving. We stopped at Le Boulangerie and got a couple of sandwiches. I got a turkey and swiss and Dan got one that had proscuttio and roasted peppers with a pesto sauce dressing. Both were yummy and hit the spot. We ate them in the room while we watched the movie trailer channel. Just needed a little time to relax and process the things we'd seen that morning.

At 2pm we had been told to show up at the Paris Chapel to see the Le Rendezvous Lounge. They have a continental breakfast and happy hour for special hotel and casino guests in the morning and evening, but have the room available for wedding receptions for people who get married at Paris from 1-2:30 pm or 1:30-3pm. It sounded like a good option for us, so we wanted to take a look.

I really liked the room. It's up on the 31st floor of the hotel and has a nice view of the Eiffel tower and Bellagio Fountains. The room has several small cocktail tables and a buffet along one wall. Dan didn't like the room as much as I did, but I think that if it were decorated with linens and small centerpieces it would be really nice. The only feature that concerns me is the staircase. They like to bring the bride and groom up to the 32nd floor and then you come into the room down the stairs. I'm not sure I'll be able to navigate stairs at that point. :)

I can't really put my finger on anything I didn't like about the Rendezvous Lounge. Maybe it's the yellow color scheme - I'm not sure. I guess it just didn't sing to me the way the suite guest rooms did.

On the way back down, we got off on the 3rd floor to check out the hotel pool area. It was nice but not spectacular like Mirage or Mandalay Bay. I know they have a bunch of poolside wedding packages available, but none of that appealed to me. I like the idea of being outside by the pool, but not with all the kids running around. :)

After seeing the pool area we went downstairs to play a little Video Poker and I had to find and play some Survivor Slots. I am a closet Survivor fanatic and love trying to spoil the show with some people on a board who love to hate the show. I put in a $20 and hit NOTHING. I was down to just 9 credits left (3 credits per spin) when I hit a bonus and selected the gross food one. I ended up getting 165 credits, basically doubling my money and decided that was enough for me. :)

We went back up to the room to look at my book and decide what to do next. We decided to take a trip out to Freed's Bakery. We got the car and headed down Flamingo to Eastern. We found Freed's in a strip mall type shopping center. There were a lot of places available for lease in the center, so I got a little worried.

We went inside and were greeted by a man who pointed us to a table full of books of pictures and information. We looked through some books to see some cakes we liked and after a while someone came over to help us. At first she didn't get that we weren't locals. We explained that we're just scouting on this trip and were trying to get information that we could use to book things over the phone later. Once we got that established, things went well.

She brought out two pieces of cake for us, one white and one chocolate. The chocolate cake had a raspberry filling and butter crème frosting and was delicious; the white cake was also very good with a strawberry filling and half and half frosting. (Half white frosting and half butter crème). She also brought out a plate that has fondant and some white frosting. We both agreed the white was way too sweet for us. Dan didn't know what fondant was and we both agreed we didn't like the taste much and the texture even less. Dan liked the butter crème, but I loved the half and half. Not too sweet, but not to buttery either. I'd pick that for sure.

We looked at a couple of cake ideas that we liked. For our size of party, we would get a 2 tier cake, 6"x10". We figured the cake would be about $150 with a $35 delivery fee to a restaurant and $40 to a suite. There is also a $10 deposit for plates and pillars. We wrote down a bunch of cake names that we liked (Wind Romance, Forever Lace, Great White Way, Sweet Reverie and Lori's Cake) and headed off.

It was getting late in the day and we were supposed to go to Mandalay Bay at 5:30 to check out the chapels. We had about half an hour to see Monte Carlo's chapel if we hurried. On the drive down Tropicana, I tried to call the chapel to see if it was a good time, but only got a busy signal. We pulled into the valet and there was a huge line of cars. I just jumped out and Dan headed to the self-park. I met him at the escalator and we went up to the chapel only to find a sign on the door that said "Wedding in Progress". An employee came out and we asked when would be a good time to come back. I asked if we could come back in the morning and she said that 10am was fine.

We got the car and headed off to Mandalay Bay. We pulled into the valet and were inside in a few minutes. We headed straight for the escalators down to the Beach Level and as soon as we got on the escalator I commented to Dan that I had forgotten how much I loved the hotel. I really am crazy about Mandalay Bay. I like the décor and the atmosphere and everything. Dan hasn't had good luck at the casino and he bases a lot of his feelings about hotels on that, but he had to admit that we have always had a good time in the non-casino parts of the hotel. :)

We walked out to the pool area and quickly found the chapel. There was a wedding party in front of the chapel area getting the last of their pictures taken. We stood off to the side for 5 minutes or so and then I called the chapel to find out if there was another way inside. The coordinator said that we could probably sneak through between pictures, but just then they finished and we all headed inside.

The chapel was really beautiful. It was probably my favorite of the trip. I like the wide chairs and the high ceiling. I also liked the fountain area out in front of the chapel. I wonder how loud it is there when the pool area is full of people.

We talked to the coordinators there for a little bit, asking questions and getting all the paperwork and information. We asked about the suites in the hotel and she said that they are probably too small for a reception. I'm not familiar enough with the larger rooms to know for sure. Forgot to ask when I called the hospitality department too. We got lots of good information from them and headed back into the hotel.

We had narrowed down our reception restaurant choices at Mandalay Bay to two - House of Blues and China Grill. We went to House of Blues to see the New Orleans Room. They didn't have any tables set up, but we could get a pretty good idea. It was a fun and funky room. Would be a great place to have a reception, but I'm not sure how the older people in our party would feel about the rock music and voodoo décor.

From there we walked back to China Grill. We asked the host and hostess if we could see the private dining area. They told us that the staff had just had dinner in there and it wasn't really set up, but we could look. The area is slightly above and off to the side of the restaurant. It's separated by a curtain from the rest of the room. The table is U-shaped and has large, high-backed velvet chairs.

While Dan took some pictures, I talked to the host. He asked if we'd eaten there before and I told him we hadn't. He said that we had to stay and try the food. We were sort of hungry and it was about dinner time so we decided to stay and have an appetizer or something.

We were seated and looked at our menus. Everything looked so good. We were interested in three of the appetizers and two entrees as well as a couple of the sides. Decisions, decisions. :) We ended up ordering their special "trio" appetizer which was a calamari salad, salmon roll sushi and some tuna tartar. FANTASTIC! The best sushi we've had since we moved away from our favorite Sushi restaurant in Santa Clara, California. We also had the sake-marinated "drunken" chicken and wasabi mashed potatoes. Both were excellent! Definitely the best meal we've had in a very long time. The service and food were amazing and well worth the extra money we paid to eat there. Regardless of where we get married and have our reception, I know we'll be eating at China Grill again when we're in Vegas.

We also made a point to visit the restrooms at China Grill before we left. The Travel Channel voted them one of the 10 best in the world. They are definitely different. Once you figure out how to get inside, you find your unisex bathroom pod and watch a little Dave Matthews video. It was fun.

Yes, the Dave Matthews toilet pods were different, but among the 10 best bathrooms in the world? I'm not so sure. But the food at China Grill is not your neighborhood Chinese restaurant food. It's not quite like anything anywhere else and every item was a great surprise.

We left Mandalay Bay and headed back to Paris. We grabbed a couple of waters in the gift shop at Paris and headed up to the room. It was 5 minutes to 8pm and we were in a hurry because Fear Factor was on. We watched them swing around Fremont Street, eat eyeballs and slide down Luxor. It was extra fun to watch knowing that we'd just been driving by all those places. I was a little worried when they headed back to Mandalay Bay for the gross food part. I was afraid they'd go to China Grill and I'd change my mind about liking the restaurant, but I was safe. :)

I think we just hung out in the room and watched TV until midnight and went to bed. We were going to order a dessert from room service but ended up not doing it. We didn't need the sugar anyway. :)