My intention was to write this at breakfast but for some reason I found myself suffering from a hangover, I blame the jet-lag and the rubbish beer. Breakfast was the same excellent affair as yesterday, with added biscuit and eggs Benedict. I lay down for a short snooze which turned into an hours deep sleep. I awoke exactly at ten, my body clock still appears to work in a pre-programmed alarm mode. I checked my email from the events organisers,10AM registration for VIP tickets at the Pacific Ballroom, Bally’s. Right, time to hustle, as I believe the Americanism goes, or, more correctly time to get my sweaty arse into gear.
Whoa, just realised that I am getting ahead of myself. What did I do last night, how did really come to have a hangover and why are there dead bodies in my room? The last bit was just put there to keep the readers interesting and to confuse the invisible angels that live in my pancreas. Following a wander around the strip, checking out some the casino floors between The Luxor and Caesars Palace, I returned to the hotel, freshened up and set off to find somewhere to eat.
I didn’t fancy what The Excalibur had to offer so strayed as far as the Mandalay Bay pausing only for a beer at a Mexican themed bar. I asked for the menu, I had eaten Mexican the previous evening so didn’t really want to repeat the experience. I remarked to the waitress that there were a lot of Tequilas on the menu and that this was somewhat peculiar for an Irish bar. Without a hint of irony she responded that this was not, in fact, an Irish bar. I left.
I eventually ended up back at The Excalibur at Dick’s, a BBQ type eatery. Excellent. I ordered the pulled pork, sausages with mac ’n’ cheese and fries. The sausages were odd, more like frankfurters than bangers, slightly spicy but heavily processed. The pulled pork was marvellously tender and juicy and went well with the mc and cheese. Needless to say that I only managed half of the dish, in my defence I will say that I almost finished the meat but left most of the sides. I had to as I was beginning to feel sick. Full to bursting I decided to hit the blackjack tables and get the gambling element of my visit out of my system. I had tried the previous evening to use drinking and gambling as a means to beat jet-lag, I failed. This was, I decided, because I was not trying hard enough. I was still suffering from this peculiar affliction so changed $150 into chips and hit the tables. It is well known that in Vegas as long as you are gambling then the drinks just keep coming, this is true but I had an interesting conversation from the grumpiest barman in the world regarding this misconception, I will tell later. I found a great bar that served a good G & T so bought my drinks there in between tables ordering from the wandering waitress when gambling. At one point I was $150 up but this dropped to $50 by the end of the night. I bought a decent bottle of red from an offy then retired to my room to polish it off, catch up on notes and get some sleep.
During the night I was awoken twice, once by an ill tempered neighbour who had been locked out and was hammering on his room door and yelling. The second was a fire alarm urging me to stay calm and await further instructions. I went back to sleep.
Right, that’s last night done. Where was I? Oh yes, getting my arse into gear.
I cashed in my chips, not a euphemism, I actually did and set off for Bally’s.
The walk to Bally’s isn’t far but is awkward when negotiating the walkways between the hotels, there is no such thing as walking in a straight line here, as in all of America, the primary mode of transport is the llama, I meant car, with drive through everything, even weddings.
I wandered around the hotel for some time until I found the Pacific Ballroom which appeared empty. I poked my head around the door and saw a young lady sitting, alone, amidst the vast array of banqueting tables and chairs. It transpired that, as a judge, I did not need to do anything until tomorrow, when I am judging. I did, however, pick up my VIP pass, or as termed by the organisers VIF (very important foodie) and was informed that the media event was at 5PM, I suppose I’ll turn up for that as it’s just before the evening reception.
Back to the hotel, some food and a couple of beers as I wait for the evening to commence. Oh, I am not bloody walking to Bally’s again, I am sick of being accosted by pamphlet distributors, homeless bums, waitresses inviting me to eat etc. etc.
More later.
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