Last Days in Las Vegas (for this year!)

 Day 9 of 59

July 8, 2018

Another day of PPR. Actually the final day of PPR, as we are down to our last two days in Vegas. We were out later than usual last night, so slept in a bit today. When Steve got up he went down to register for his tournament right away. If you register right before the tournament you stand in a big line, but not if you go early in the morning... let's clarify that we mean 'Vegas early' meaning before noon.

Next we headed out for breakfast to the Gold Coast. I thought I'd mention them here because this is the cheapest buffet we have found, and the only buffet where I actually feel like I'm getting my money's worth (unless, of course, you are getting it free from MyVegas... then I always get my money's worth!) It is right across the street from the Rio, so easy to walk to. Sunday ended up being their "Champagne Brunch", which was pricier than the regular breakfast buffet... but still cheaper than buying anything at the Rio.

The buffet seemed like the regular breakfast buffet with the exception of extra hot meats, a WAY better dessert selection which included a chocolate fountain (YAY!) and the champagne. When she offered me champagne she gave me a variety of "flavours" to go with it. I guess that is like mimosas with choices? Anyway, I chose the peach. To say I was astonished when my champagne arrived at the table is an understatement. Let me show you a photo, and you can decide if you are also astonished.

Surprised? I was!! I think I can safely say that this is the largest glass of champagne I have ever personally had 😉 She was quite pleased to tell me that the glasses they had in the back were "so small" so she likes to bring it out in these glasses. She was also happy to refill if necessary. I'm not afraid to admit that champagne with peach syrup in it is quite tasty. Steve and I decided what we liked most about the buffet was the champagne and desserts. If you are into those two things... in quite obscene amounts if you like... this buffet is for you... at an amazing price of 14.99 per person if you get their free players card!

Here is my first plate of dessert. Notice the emphasis on first.

The rest of the day was dedicated to poker (for Steve) and relaxing for me. He played in his final deepstack tournament and cashed again. His little buddy Princess Avery send him a good luck video with some sage advice about poker, and it seemed to work for his final two tournaments. So thank you, Avery!

There were 574 entries, 87 people got paid, and he ended up coming in 79th. Another good showing, and a little extra money to put away towards next year's poker events 😀

Day 10 of 59

July 9, 2018

Mom and Gary arrived in Vegas last night for a few days, so we decided to hang out with them today.

We started our day visiting them at the Bellagio. I know, fancy right? Mom got a lovely cabana by the pool, and we hung out there all day. The Bellagio pool is beautiful (and so was their room). I would definitely recommend it!

When we arrived we found these little things in the cabana that are either amusing signs on popsicle sticks... or fans. This was my favourite. In case you are wondering this is as close to "gangsta" as I can get 😉

It was quite hot today, so we felt the need to get into the pool after every two songs (our Vegas norm has been every four songs for me... and well Steve just gets in when he's hot... and me... I'm always hot!) The Bellagio pool site is divided into a bunch of small pools with this being the smallest.

Here is a shot of Mom and Gary lounging in front of the cabana.

And here I am reading trashy magazines inside the cabana... although it strangely looks like I'm sleeping... or passed out from the heat.

After Bellagio pool time (thanks Mom and Gary) we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. For our final night in Vegas we ate at my favourite restaurant Mon Ami Gabi. It is located in the Paris hotel and the patio faces the Bellagio fountain. I have only ever been for dinner, because it would be too scorching hot to sit out on that patio in the direct sun! The service, food and wine were excellent.

I particularly loved the profiteroles we had for dessert.

One of my favourite things about this restaurant is the view of the Bellagio fountains across the street!

After dinner we headed out to the pharmacy to pick up some last minute supplies. We made a small pitstop to take an obligatory photo with the fake Eiffel Tower...

You may notice I'm holding my hair out of the way. It was suddenly windy... and then the torrential rain started! Luckily we were finished dinner on the patio, and only had to be outside a teeny bit of time to get from place to place. Our cab ride home was a little slow because some of the traffic lights were not working. The driver said it hasn't rained in months in Vegas!

And so ends the Vegas portion of our trip. Tomorrow we head to Verona, Italy!