Road Trip, Day 5

After getting into Las Vegas around midnight, nervously praying that the "Check Engine Light" would disappear or not cause a spectacular spontaneous combustion of the Pontiac's engine during our trip from the Grand Canyon, Paige and I crashed for the night at the Stratosphere.

We got up reasonably early the next morning to do some much needed laundry and lounge around the pool with some tropical drinks. By about 11 AM, it was over 100 degrees outside. Nothing like some Las Vegas sun.

Around 2:30 PM, we took the Pontiac to the local Pontiac Dealership and had lunch across the street at a Burger King. About an hour later, we found out that the transmission had been slipping recently, probably due to the transmission fluid being overly heated-up. Then they told me they could replace the transmission for about $3,500.00. Seeing that the car itself is probably worth $3,000.00, it took me about 1 second to say, "no, I don't think that will be necessary. We will try to get to Santa Rosa, CA as is." The workers there were really nice, actually agreeing with my decision (a 1st in my book) and giving me tips on how to handle the car to prevent future transmission slippage: try to drive when it is cool, try to stay out of stop and start situations, try not to the slam on the gas / rev the engine, etc.

After that little adventure, Paige and I went back to the Stratosphere for some gambling. Although I didn't have much luck at blackjack or slots right away, when Paige left to go back to the hotel room to fetch her sunglasses, I proceeded to win big at slots. Within 5 quarters, I won $200.00 and then $60.00. Pretty sweet.

Paige and I then took a walk down the infamous Las Vegas Strip. The Stratosphere is located on the northern-most portion of the strip, so it is quite a hike to get to the more interesting hotels. We were able to make it past the Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas, which are both very impressive. We took a stroll through each's shopping malls that Paige had heard so much about on the Travel channel. I think every major casino-hotel-resort has these malls, all filled with Gucci, Cartier, Chanel, Louis Vitton-like stores.

After that, we went back to the hotel, got cleaned-up, then hit the town for some dinner and clubbing. For dinner, we went to Bradley Ogden, located in Caesar's Palace. It served traditional American cuisine, and was delicious. Paige had rack of lamb with lamb meatballs, and I had pork loin. We also had deliciously paired glasses of wine with our meal. After dinner, we were supposed to meet Paige's friend, P. J. Haley, and her friends at the club, Pure, located at Caesar's Palace, but it was madness. We waited in "line" (more like mass chaos) for 15 minutes, before settling in at a casino-floor bar. It was Memorial Day weekend, and I guess Pure is pretty popular with the local kids, as well as visiting Los Angeleans. There we all chatted and had some stiff martini's.

We ended the night by taking a stroll down the Strip to a night club called Seven, where it was extremely dead. It was still pretty hot out at that time (ex. at 10 PM on our way to the restaurant, it was still 100 degrees). Paige, P.J., her friends, and I all danced for a while (Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" got me going), but by that time, Paige and I were pretty tired, and so we took a cab ride back to the Stratosphere, and retired for the night.

We still had a nice 10 hour car ride ahead of us the next day.