So Kari's family and I spent Easter in Vegas this year. I hadn't been there yet, so I had to see it. And now that I'm back I must say that the city was pretty amazing. I've already got a list of things to do for the next time I go back.

Friday night we flew out of Cedar Rapids to Vegas. The landing was nice since it was nighttime and the airport is right next to the lit up strip. As soon as we stepped off the plane there were slot machines, which was pretty hilarious. Jeff won $4, ha. We then headed to our hotel - MGM Grand, which is huge huge. Like, there are multiple theaters, a gigantic casino, tons of restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping centers... seriously nuts. Our rooms were nice as well. Big ol king sized beds and all retro/modern at the same time, heh. Since we got in so late, we basically just walked around, had some dinner, a few drinks, and played some slots.

Saturday was pretty awesome. We ate at one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants, then walked around the strip. It was nice to see all the themed hotels, the Bellagio, Bellagio fountains, etc. The mall inside of Caesars palace is also pretty insane. They had a pretty cool exotic car shop with a mini showroom/dealership in the back. I wish I had like 5 grand to spend at that mall - Armani, Diesel, Versace, Burberry, Fendi - wait...nm.

Later we checked out this really nice sushi place called Shibuya. It was some of the best sushi I've had - overall, it was probably the best japanese meal I've had. We sampled a few nice sakes, some appetizers, etc. So good. Afterwards we went to a Cirque du Soleil show called Ka. It was amazing, like... seriously one of the most amazing live shows I've ever seen. There are so many different talents/technologies combined to make that show. I can't even begin to explain it, I could write like a 3 page post just on that show. I want to see some of the other Cirque du Soleil shows now, but judging by the previews of them, I don't think they'll come close to Ka.

After that show, I finally worked up the courage to play blackjack at the casino. I've never sat at a table before unless Josh was next to me showing me what to do... at which point I didn't really learn, I just did what he said. So this was exciting stuff, ha. I threw down $100 at a $10 table and played for a bit. I was up $50, then down $50, then I ended up getting back up to $100 and quitting. What a rush, haha. We played more cards, some roulette, slots, etc. Then Kari and I stopped to get a drink at the West Wing Lounge. 2 drinks - $24 plus tip, haha. It's times like that that make me appreciate Des Moines.

On Easter Sunday we took a tour of Hoover Dam. That was also pretty amazing. Like Nathan said, you know it's big - you've seen pictures, but once you're up next to it, it's just like whoa. Which I guess holds true for most gigantic things, ha, but yeah - it was really cool. We got to take a little paddleboat cruise on Lake Mead, which was also nice. Then on the way home we stopped by an Ethel M chocolate factory, then ate at Craft Steak which was a super nice steak house inside of MGM - jazz playing, a la carte menu, really good food. Then after dinner we saw Dennis Miller, who was one of Jeff's favorite comedians. I haven't really ever heard him before, but he was quite hilarious. I'd see him again for sure.

Later that night we walked up and down the strip to take more pics, drink beer ON THE STREET, and see the bellagio fountains at night - which were turned off due to high wind - stupid.

So yeah, Vegas was awesome. We gambled, saw great shows, saw the Hoover dam, ate really well, drank well, etc. I feel like I needed one more day, but that's why there's always next time. One thing that rules about Vegas is people watching. Sooo many different types of people - hot, old, rich, poor... but no matter who they are, there's a good chance that they're throwing loads of money away. Pretty good time. Thanks again to Jeff for another awesome trip.

Here are photos.