Nick and I decided to wander down the strip. heading towards the Bellagio. Betsy and Roddy joined us. It is bright outside but luckily not too hot and a nice breeze.
It really is an alternate world!
I thought that the fountains at the Bellagio did their thing every hour but it turns out they don't start until 3:00. Oh well. We continue on to the Cosmopolitan where we go in for lunch at a Japanese-Mexican fusion place. It was nice and cool and a nice respite from the outside commotion. Betsy and Roddy already had had lunch so only stayed for a little while before heading back to Treasure Island. Nick and I enjoyed some dumplings and tacos.
We had cochinita tacos and they were great! I complimented the waitress on how good and authentic they were. Turns out she was from Yucatan. We lamented the lack of sabutes and panuchos anywhere but Yucatan. She said she remembered her grandmother making them when she was small. When we left, we noticed women making the tortillas by hand. No wonder they were so good!
Vegas is one place that everyone is a tourist taking cheesy pictures. On our way back to the hotel, we wandered through the conservatory of the Bellagio.
Certainly unique.....
We enjoyed stopping in at the Chihuly store. Of course, we treated it as a museum rather than a shopping opportunity.
We also wandered through the Venetian and stopped at a bakery. I got a cannoli which was excellent.
We all met back up in our room so we could hop on the computer exactly 24 hours before our flight to check-in with SouthWest Airlines and plan the rest of the day.
One of Jorge's best childhood friends, Numa, is now driving a limo in Las Vegas. He used to sing with his brother but they found they made more money driving the limo than performing. He invited us all over to his house to meet his family and enjoy some botanas. What a warm, hospitable family!
It was nice to experience the human, residents side of Vegas.
Numo took Myra, Betsy, Roddy, Nick and me back into town so we could experience Fremont Street. We asked him what his favorite song is and he broke out singing a beautiful Spanish love song. He has a rich, full voice that filled every cranny of the car. Singing really is where his heart is.
Freemont Street - Well, here is still another reality! Numa drops us off at the Golden Nugget. Music bombards us from the main stage, zipline riders zoom over head, young women sporting little more than pasties. Almost everyone walking with a drink in their hand. Street musicians - particularly liked a jazz saxophonist -- imagine that. Then at 9:00 the lights go off or down on all the businesses and the sense of expectation is palpable. Lights and music burst from above. For 6 minutes at the top of every hour is a different show. Green Day was the featured band at the show we saw.
After the show, Nick and I went to a restaurant named Therapy. Appropriate. Nice, quiet atmosphere. We had Mac and cheese croquettes and corn on the cob slathered in mayo, garlic and something else. Then finished with a little casserole of some-mores. A great end to the day. We took an Ubber back to the hotel. The driver was a fourth grade teacher during the school year and drives for Ubber in the summers. Same challenges and frustrations in Georgia and Nevada.
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