4 days in Las Vegas

Hector had to do a presentation in Las Vegas on Saturday so naturally we arrived on Wednesday. Because Harcourt was picking up the tab we decided to save a buck or two this time and stay at Paris instead of Bellagio. But we did have a lovely 31st floor view of the Eiffel Tower (1/2 scale), the dancing fountains and faithful old Bellagio across the street. (See terrible cellphone photo.)

I lost a lot of money so I'm still a little pissed off about the whole trip but I will say that we had two wonderful dinners and saw a great show. We were a bit disappointed in the room. It was looking a bit worn.

On Thursday evening we had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, the "French Bistro" at Paris. They have great steaks and seafood. I had my usual filet mignon medium rare. Then we took the tram down to MGM Grand to see the new Cirque du Soleil show, Ka. It was really spectacular. We were brought into the auditorium by the ushers dressed up as Cirque freaks, with crazy hair and all their oddities showing. The place was all decked out like an underground factory or something but all we could see of the stage was a deep pit with smoke and fire belching out like a volcano. As the show began, huge platforms rose up and floated above the stage with no visible means of support and all the activity took place on these floating platforms. It's a bit less acrobatic than other Cirque shows and, sadly, there's not much skin. But it's loud and exciting. $150 a ticket. They're getting a bit full of themselves. Even Elton John tickets at Caesars Palace can be had for less.

On Friday night we returned to MGM to have dinner at Joel Robuchon. This is a brand new place, very hot, French chef, his first U.S. restaurant, oo la la. It was clear from the beginning that all this fanfare was going to translate as: breathtakingly expensive. We stepped from the pandemonium of the casino into the hushed elegance of the restaurant through two huge glass doors. The dining room was one of the most beautiful we've ever seen and from the first instant, the service was just remarkable. It was so well choreographed that we never lifted a finger to pour a glass of wine, never looked twice at a dirty plate and, best of all, I was escorted to the men's room each time I went (3 times) and had a lovely brand new napkin waiting at the table when I returned. There were only two choices on the menu: an 11 course tasting menu ($169) or a 19 course tasting menu ($259). We each chose the 11 course and the sommelier chose two half-bottles of wine for us, a California white and a French red. There was a fresh bread cart with a dozen varieties and at the end, after dessert, a chocolate cart with scores of delicate little candies and truffles and bon bons and all kinds of nonsense. So we sat for 2 and a half hours, ooohing and aahing over each little gorgeous nothing that was put in front of us. And it was all delicious. No... more than that, it was all flawless. Can't wait to go back. Already started saving up for it.

Other than not winning any fucking money, the only unfortunate thing was that it was a big sports weekend and by Friday morning the hotels were all full of loud straight guys acting like jackasses. It was a relief to get out on Saturday afternoon. As always, nice to come home to wonderful San Diego, where there is at least a bit of moisture in the air. I was begining to mummify after 4 days in the desert. And we have a new bed- a king sized Heavenly bed, very aptly named. On Sunday, after Hector left for Lima, I piled up in that bed watching Miss Marple DVDs all day.