I grabbed lunch and unpacked some things before heading downstairs to do a little bit of gambling while I waited for Rachel to arrive. Her flight was on-time and since I'd already checked-in we were able to head straight to the room so she could settle in. We had early dinner reservations at the Wynn because we were going to see La Reve at 7:00 so we didn't have too time to do very much before heading up the strip towards the Wynn. Rachel had never been to Las Vegas before, so we decided to take a cab to the Wynn and walk the length of the strip back to Aria after the show ended so we could take in the pirate show at Treasure Island, the volcano show at The Mirage and the water show at Bellagio. All and all, the walk took 90 minutes. Dinner at Lakeside was delicious. We got an avocado and crab appetizer that was fantastic and we both got the scallops in celery root puree which was amazing.
Canopies and umbrella's inside the Wynn
Fountains outside Bellagio during the water shower
We rented a car on Monday so we could spend the day at Red Rock Canyon. It was one of the things I had never done in Las Vegas, so Rachel agreed to check it out instead of Hoover Dam (which I've done several times in past visits). We got an early start and stopped at a mini mart to pick up water and snacks since those items are hard to come by inside the hotels on the strip. We pulled up to the entrance of the National Park before the crowds arrived and went inside the welcome center to get a map of hiking trails and some gifts for Rachel's kids (Lawson and Claire). I had done some research before we arrived on easy to moderate hikes and we picked one that started a short distance up the driveable road inside the park. As we parked at the first pull off spot along the drive we saw a family taking photos on a huge boulder. Of course, we wanted to get our photo taken on it so we swapped favors and we took their photo so they would take ours! The National Park was absolutely spectacular and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We spent several hours meandering through the park and taking in the sights before heading back to the strip.
Rachel and me on the boulder just inside the park
Me along the trail in Red Rock Canyon
One of the cool multi-colored rock formations
After leaving the park we decided to make a stop at Gold & Silver Pawn which is the shop where Pawn Stars is filmed. Rachel's husband Phil is a fan of the show and she thought she could grab him a T-shirt or souvenir. We were shocked to see a line of people waiting to get inside as we pulled up. The line was so long we decided it wasn't worth the hassle and since we were starving we continued on towards Fremont Street. I had only been there twice and both times were for work-organized events, so I wasn't much help in navigating the best things to see or places to eat. We were completely starved, so I pulled out my iPhone to find a place we could grab a bite inside one of the casinos. It was nothing spectacular, but it served it's purpose. We watched a few people doing the zip line above the street and headed back to the hotel for a brief nap before doing some gambling. We made reservations at the Japanese place at Aria for dinner and hit the roulette tables. Rachel was quite lucky and bet the actual number that was spun right out of the gate. She doubled her money immediately. Her lucky streak continued and eventually rubbed off on me. I turned $100 into $252 in less than an hour and decided I had reached my gambling pinnacle and would walk away while I was ahead. Plus, I had spa appointments booked for the next day that cost far more than my winnings and decided not to press my luck. We called it a night relatively early and decided to hit the pool on Tuesday before Rachel's business meeting and my spa appointments.
The line outside Gold & Silver Pawn. Really?
As many of you know, I am a spa expert. I have been lucky enough to enjoy many spa visits over the years and I must say that the Aria spa ranks in my top 10 of all time. Not only was the atmosphere serene, but they way they had it setup kept me from seeing another customer throughout my entire 3 hour visit. My 90 minute custom massage was absolutely perfect, followed by 30 minutes in the Shio Salt room which is constructed completely of salt bricks. Supposedly this type of room helps with breathing and allergies!? I don't know if it does that, but it certainly is relaxing. I also did some back and forth dips in the hot and cold plunge pools. It was a great experience from start to finish. Well worth every penny.
I met up with Rachel and her teammates after their meeting let out at 9:00 and we were supposed to head over to the Bellagio for some Craps, but we were both tired and her business meeting started early the next day so we stayed behind at Aria, Rachel did some gambling and then we called it a night.
It was nice to get caught up with Rachel and have some one on one time for a few days, but all things must some to an end and I caught my flight back to Atlanta while Rachel stayed behind to finish her meetings.
I plan to start the networking process now that I am back in Atlanta with only a handful of trips yet to come in April, May and June. We'll see what develops in terms of getting back into the grind of the working world. It's hard to believe my sabbatical will be coming to a close in the coming weeks/months. Stayed tuned for details on what's next!
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