Vegas - Day 1

Richard and Jean took us to the airport at 9:30 in the morning. Our flight wasn't until 12:10 in the afternoon, but we didn't want to take any chances. We arrived at the airport, and went through the usual procedures. First, we checked our bag. We only packed one suitcase for the two of us, because they charge for each checked bag ($25 for the first, $35 for the second, etc). Second, we had our carry-on luggage scanned. Third, we went through the metal detector. Finally, we were each questioned by U.S. customs agents. That whole process took us about an hour, leaving us with ample time to spare before our flight. We passed the time by checking our flight itinerary, buying overpriced snacks from the shops ($2 for a chocolate bar!), and listening to music.

The boarding call for our flight to Chicago finally came at 11:45 and we found our seats on the plane. When we booked the tickets, we were unable to get seats that were next to each other, so we had to settle instead for being one behind the other. The flight went well and lasted 4 hours. I passed the time by reading a book that Jeff and Namgyal had bought for me while they were in India, which was Roger Moore's own account of the filming of the James Bond movie Live and Let Die. Upon our arrival in Chicago, we checked the electronic board for our connecting flight to Las Vegas and made our way to that gate.

We boarded our flight almost immediately. Once again, we were not seated together, but across the aisle from each other. The flight went by rather quickly, only being 2 hours long. To add to the usual excitement of airline travel, we experienced quite a bit of turbulence upon our descent into Las Vegas, and we were in the presence of celebrities! Aboard our plane for the entire flight from Chicago to Las Vegas were Stefi Graf and Andre Agassi! They were on their way home with their two children.

We arrived in Las Vegas at McCarran International Airport at 4:30 in the afternoon, local time. If we had any doubts about where we were, it certainly wasn't due to all the slot machines that we passed on the way to the baggage claim area! There was confusion in the air when we arrived because an announcement was made that some of the luggage had arrived quite some time before, so people were being asked to check for their bags not only on the carousel, but in a special holding area as well. Needless to say, everyone was in a state of absolute panic! I stayed by the carousel while Karen took courage in her hands and went to look for our luggage in the holding area. Eventually, our luggage arrived via the carousel which we promptly claimed. We noticed that our hotel, the MGM Grand Signature, had a check-in desk nearby so we went there and got our room keys made, as well as purchased tickets for a shuttle to the hotel.

We boarded the shuttle and made our way to our home for the next 6 days. As we approached our destination, we could see The Strip from the windows of the car. It was quite impressive to see these gigantic structures with literally nothing but desert around them. We arrived at our hotel and made our way up to our room on the 28th floor. We wasted no time and we immediately began to check out our new digs. Among the features of our suite were a kitchen, a king size bed, a couch, a balcony, and an immense bathroom with a glass enclosed shower, a deep soaker jacuzzi tub, and double sinks.

After we settled in, we went down to the pool area, where we swum around, layed about, and each drank a Corona. Dinner time came and we decided to eat at The Rainforest Café, one of Las Vegas' famous theme restaurants. Located in the adjacent MGM Grand hotel, this restaurant was complete with animatronic creatures, giant fish tanks, and waiters and waitresses dressed up in safari gear. Once in a while, the entire restaurant would get dark, and thunder and lightning could be heard coming from the speakers. Despite our best efforts, we were unable the finish our meals because the portions were immense. Luckily, we had a fridge in our room! We capped off day one of our trip with a bottle of champagne and a relaxing dip in our jacuzzi tub.

Vegas tomorrow!

Karen and I were giddy with excitement and anticipation for this trip. We had bought 'Las Vegas for Dummies' months ago, and we had been reading it on an almost daily basis since. We visited websites and talked with and heard stories from friends and family who had already been to Las Vegas, and we were given suggestions and ideas on where to go and on what to do. The day finally came when our plane tickets were booked, our hotel reservations were made, our bags were packed, and we had a vague idea of what we were in for (based on the movie The Hangover) and what we were going to do when we got there. For all intensive purposes, we were ready to go to Las Vegas!

Chicken 'n Ribs

Impressed by our visit last year, we were eager to come again and enjoy the flavours, sights, and smells of the Ottawa International Chicken and Rib Festival. I met up with Karen after work at Bank and Sparks and we quickly took our place in line at Uncle Sam's (pictured left) from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As we were waiting in line, we noticed that each time someone ordered a full rack of ribs, the guy manning the barbecue would slam his first into a cow bell above his head, proclaiming 'full rack' in the deepest and loudest voice he could muster. It was quite entertaining. Needless to say, when it was our turn to order, we got a full rack of ribs and our bell blast. The price had gone up to $22 this year (from $20 last year). We took our ribs and went and sat down at a patio table along Sparks Street. The ribs were excellent..

Next, we went to get some gelato on Elgin Street. We got a small cup of half chocolate Skor, half blackberry, which turned out to be a very nice combination. We went back to the festival and met up with friends. Our friend Dan, recently arrived from Toronto, parked his motorcycle right there on Sparks Street. With sustenance in hands, we went up to Parliament Hill and sat on the lawn, where preparations were already underway for Canada Day.

Montreal

While having breakfast, I got the idea for us to go to Montreal and quicker than you can say 'frivolous spending', we were on our way! We got there just a little after noon, and parked the car in the garage at the Palais des congrès. From there, we walked to our first destination, Carlos and Pepe's. It's a nice Mexican restaurant located on Peel Street that we have frequented many times before, and to which we keep coming back to again and again, mainly for their fajitas and margaritas.

Our next destination was H&M, conveniently located on St. Catherine's, Montreal's main shopping street. This store's first two floors are entirely comprised of women's clothes, and the third floor entirely comprised of menswear. We parted ways and I went all the way up to the top floor and looked around. I found a plaid shirt that looked nice on the hanger, but not on me. Karen came away with a nice red summer dress, for which I can't wait for her to premiere.

Our next stop was Simons, which only has stores in Quebec. We each wandered around in our respective areas, and once again, I came away empty handed, just like last time. It wasn't a total loss however as Karen found herself a nice top. Another staple of any shopping trip is RW & Co., which is where we headed next. Disappointment followed as neither of us were able to find anything we liked. Our last stop was Winners. Here, I was determined to find something. Last time, I was able to score a nice pair of black dress pants, but this time, it was not meant to be.

Thirtysomething

This post is not about the television drama about a group of baby boomers in their thirties that aired on ABC between 1987 and 1991. It's about a guy, let's call him Alex, taking his first steps into this new world. I am now thirtysomething. Your twenties are a blur. Your thirties, you raise your family, you make a little money and you think to yourself, "What happened to my twenties?". Bonus points to whomever knows what movie that line is from, and whom said it.

Today was a very busy day. It started at noon at the aerial park at Camp Fortune where seven brave individuals walked a very fine line between victory and disaster, all the while being supported by, a very fine line. We set out on their beginners course, aptly named The Explorer. Three hours of tempting fate while climbing ladders, walking across ropes, and cruising across the sky on a zip line. It was invigorating and definitely worth doing again. For pictures, go here.

Next, we went to the private room at Dooly's, situated in the back corner of the pool hall and featuring two pool tables, leather sofas, coffee tables, stone fireplace with heater, personal stereo system with multi CD player, 50 inch HD plasma screen, and hi-speed internet connection. We even had our own waitress who proceeded to card everyone in the room, even if our order solely consisted of an iced tea; they don't mess around. Lastly, we went to Tucker's to belly up to their fantastic buffet. 

Bluesfest Update!

Since my last posting, new bands have been added to the Bluesfest lineup, such as Hole, so check out the official website for an updated roster.

Karen and I will be going to see Great Big Sea on July 16 and Weezer on July 18. You're welcome to join us!

May long weekend recap

Karen and I spent Friday evening on Elgin Street. First, we stopped in at Pure Gelato for some decadence. I had a cup of dark chocolate gelato, with bits of Skor mixed in, and Karen had a cup of Toblerone chocolate gelato, infused with orange. Next, we walked up and down the street for a while before going into The Standard, where Karen had a glass of wine, and I had a pint of Steamwhistle. Next, we were off to our main destination which was Karen Fong's surprise birthday party at Woody's Pub, expertly organized and executed by her nearest and dearest friends. Many pictures were taken and lots of laughs were had.

Saturday. I went to the get some groceries after our pancake breakfast, while Karen stayed at the apartment to tackle the mountain of dishes we had built up. Upon my return, I was amazed at how much she had gotten done, and we continued together to finish them up. That afternoon, we set out to Clayton for the day to visit our friend Dew at her place for her birthday; she had no idea that we were coming to see her. We played a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit, took a trip out on the canoe, and feasted on what seemed to be an endless supply of food. The evening was topped off with a well executed fireworks display and two delectable birthday cakes.

Sunday. We cleaned up a bit around the apartment in the morning and then we went to see a couple of open houses in the early afternoon. Karen dropped me off at my mom's afterwards and she went to her parents' place. I went with my mom to Lowe's to pick up a patio table and a couple of chairs and we set it up when we got back. Karen and I stayed in for the evening, catching up on our TV shows courtesy of Rogers on Demand.

Monday. Karen and I went for a picnic in the morning, where we drank memosas and played Bocce. We installed the air conditioner in our bedroom window, which took a little more effort than last year's installation. We spent the afternoon at Mandy and Nick's lounging on their back patio, drinking, playing Euchre, eating BBQ'ed delicacies, and playing Bocce.