Posts Tagged ‘wedding’

USA 2009 – Day Three

September 7th, 2009 - 1:30am - No Comments »

Day Three – 7th September 2009
Las Vegas
01:30 – Encore Hotel


Again we slept in late; I don’t think we’re quite used to the time zone yet, but Vegas hours aren’t helping either.

As we lucked out at M&M’s world last night we headed straight to that area. We started at the Coke Store, buying a few things. We brought a Coke 16 drinks sampler which had different Coke-brand drinks from around the world. Some like “Smart Apple” from China, and “Vegitabeta” from Japan were both tasty and interesting. “Beverly” from Italy on the other hand was disgusting.

Then at M&M’s World Justine loaded up on M&M’s stuff including some of the 50+ types of M&Ms in stock.

As time was running short, we headed straight back to our Hotel and ordered room service. I had a Philli Cheesesteak, which is exactly as it sounds. It came with a massive pickle on the side which was also tasty. Justine had another turkey burger which she seemed to enjoy.

Seeing as the only way to get around Vegas is by cab, we took another cab to the “Viva Las Vegas” wedding chapel. Situated right in the middle of “Beautiful” downtown Las Vegas, where all the wedding chapels, strip joints and dive bars are located, its far from romantic.

We were there however for fun. After a few moments wait, the photographer leads us to the Motel room (two actually) which had been turned in to a mock 50s diner.

In just 10 minutes we had Elvis sing us “Love me tender”, read our nuptials and then sing “Viva Las Vegas” afterward. The whole event was hilarious and though maybe not the ideal way to get married the first time, it was an enjoyable experience.

From there we strolled to the Stratosphere Hotel, back past motorbike bars, strip clubs, random shops and numerous other wedding chapels. We paused to watch a couple being married in the drive through window at the “Little White Chapel“. Funny Stuff.

At the Stratosphere, we grabbed another taxi—interesting to see how rude the staff are at the cheaper hotels—back to our hotel. The staff at our hotel remembered us and what we were doing, which is a nice touch too.

To kill some time before a show we played some blackjack, or rather lost money at blackjack. We had three pairs in a row but split none of them.

Again a taxi, this time to the Rio Hotel to see the Penn & Teller show, the guys often repeated the illusions they’d just done but the second time they would explain how they did it, and the slow it down. The two guys are skcptics and hate a lot of the security rubbish which is so popular with governments at present.

The most enjoyable section for me was also the last flashy. Teller went through the motions of sleight of hand and palming things while Penn explained what he did and how. I get the feeling Penn enjoys the flashy magic and Teller prefers the technical accomplishments and more street type magic. I prefer that too. The jazz before the show was a nice touch.

As we exited the theatre, I found an old iPhone under a seat. I returned it it to a counter but not before taking a photo with it, why not?

Back at our hotel we gambled, this time Justine’s favourite, roulette. Overall we won back the money we’d lost on the other gambling and a small amount more. As we exchanged our chips for cash I noticed how much some people had. The person behind us had three or four $1000 chips and a handful of others beside.

We has some more drinks at the downstairs bar—me a mojito and Justine another strawberry margarita—and headed upstairs.

Vegas reminds me of the Gold Coast, fun for a short time but all attention-seeking venues and energy of the place is easy to overwhelm. I found myself sick of it in the short amount of time we spent here.

Tweets from today:

  • 11:18 AM - It’s Labor Day Weekend here in the US; everyone’s descended on Vegas. The crowds in popular areas are so intense we literally can’t move.
  • 11:19 AM – But here on the 29th floor (less than half way up), the views are nice and we have automatic drapes, so who’s complaining?
  • 11:23 AM – For those interested, our “wedding” will be on at 17:00 PST (10:00 AEST) live here: http://tr.im/y1UM Click the Doo-Wop Diner.
  • 11:25 AM – It looks like the wedding feed at http://tr.im/y1UM is RealMedia .rm format. Might be worth giving it a test beforehand. Old tech!
  • 6:14 PM – If anyone missed our Vegas wedding, an archive of the stream will apparently be up in a few days. I’ll post the link when I get it.
  • 6:15 PM – And to those who watched or tried to watched, thanks for joining in. Uh huh!
  • 6:17 PM – Oh yes, and the ring exchanged was a new one, purchased from Tiffany and Co. yesterday. Shotgun style!
  • 12:36 AM – Note: “Shotgun Style” wedding reference was to haste of ceremony and proceedings. No actual parents, shotguns or pregnancies were involved.
  • 12:37 AM – @pennjillette and @mrteller this evening were fantastic. Perhaps a bit too patriotic in some sections but enjoyable anyway. #pennandteller
  • 12:38 AM – Finally, if you lost a 4GB iPhone 2G at #pennandteller this evening, it now has a photo of me on it and is with the sales desk. Good luck!
  • 12:53 AM – @MrTeller Thanks for putting on a great show tonight. The sleight of hand was the most interesting for me; I’m fascinated by that stuff.
  • 1:08 AM – Hey, if you’re those douchebags in our hotel making so much noise I have to shout in my own room, you’re about have a visit from security.

Photo statistics:

Where we went:

GPS Track

« Older Entries