Vegas in July...

I just got back from a vacation in Las Vegas.  This was my first trip there in July, and it did not disappoint!  The weather was nice and warm, even HOT.  105+ every day, no rain, little to no humidity.

This trip was taken with my wife and another couple.  We met Sunday night before the flight to have dinner, then proceeded to head to the airport.  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:15pm, but due to issues with the incoming plane, we left late.  We landed in Vegas around midnight, which was already 2am back home.  We found our limo driver(we wanted to give them a great first time in Vegas), picked up our luggage, and headed to Bally's!  We checked in, and were in a nice room in the Jubilee Tower.  We had a great view of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, and the swimming pool there.  No one was ready for bed, so we went out to walk around and explore, as our friends had never been to Vegas.  We checked out The Cromwell, and the Flamingo.  The women played some slots, while the guys played some blackjack.  I won $50 at blackjack, and the women were ready to head back.  We went back to Bally's, and my friend and I headed out again.  We were searching for cheap blackjack, but at the time we could only find $10 tables.  We played at Harrah's for a bit, and I won a little more.  After that, we returned to the room..

Monday morning we woke up and got ready.  We headed down to the food court, too late for breakfast.  We ate at Johnny Rockets.  We ended up with the same server/bartender as my wife and I had in January.  He was just as energetic and attentive as before!  After lunch we headed to Maddame Tussaud's wax museum.  We walked around and explored the wax figures.  It was a good time.  We left there and went to Mirage to see the Secret Garden Dolphin and Wild Life Habitat.  We walked around that for a bit, and left.  We headed back to the room to get ready for Penn and Teller that night.  We headed to Rio to eat dinner.  We ate at the buffet, paying extra for the seafood portion.  It was amazing!  Definitely a great choice.  They had many delicious options.  After dinner, we headed to the theater.  I decided to check out the WSOP area.  It was something to see.  I looked at the merchandise, but there was only 1 stand left and not much of a selection.  I watched a few hands being played while there were only 2 tables.  I saw Phil Helmuth across the way, but had no chance to interact or get an autograph or photo.  Penn and Teller were amazing!  We had a blast, and the things they did were incredible.  After the show, we got autographs and pictures with each of them.  We were happy with our choice of shows.  We went back to Bally's and played a little more.  The women stayed there and the guys again went off to find some blackjack.  We received a text from my wife who had hit a handpay on a Wizard of Oz machine.  She hit a jackpot for $1255.00.  SHe was excited, as it was the first handpay and biggest amount won in Vegas by far.  After winning $100 at blackjack, I was done and we headed back to Bally's.

Tuesday morning we were ready sooner and headed to Aria to redeem buy 1, get 1 free breakfast buffet coupons.  The buffet was nice, and it was a good value, but overall I wasn't overly impressed.  We went to MGM, and found the Sigma Derby game.  We spent some time at it, and I actually won $40.  We went to check out Luxor and the elevators that run diagonally.  From there, we walked through Excalibur and to NYNY.  We browsed the Hershey candy store, and then M&M World.  We walked back to Bally's, and got ready to head to Fremont Street.  We took Uber to Fremont Street.  It was my first experience with Uber, and I thought it was easy and convenient.  Dinner was at the Heart Attack Grill.  It was an experience, for sure.  The food wasn't good, but I finished it to avoid the spankings they give to those who don't finish their meals.  After dinner we walked around and checked out the Fremont Street Experience.  It was definitely interesting as usual.  We played a little at Fremont Casino, and then again at Golden Nugget.  We then got another Uber ride back to Bally's.  I played a little poker, finishing down $200.  I headed back to the room, hoping to get some rest in preparation for the Venetian Deepstack event I was planning to play on Wednesday.  The next part will detail that as well as the rest of the trip.