Yowza!

The Lounge iTunes jukebox has cracked the 1,000 songs mark! The jukebox is now busting with 1,021 songs (4.4 GB)!

The other night the shuffle struck up a number I haven't heard in a long while that got me thinking about the Summer Mix 2007. I have some ideas whirling around, just gotta see where they land.

Notes "On Tap"

Just wanted to add that the wines listed below are far from pricey. The most expensive wine there is the Dynamite at $13.97, although I have seen it as high as $17 at some stores. The Rosemount may be the cheapest in price, $6.97, but is always exceptional. I've seen the Rosemount as high as $10-12, but still a great bargain.

Here's another one for ya... Bonny Doon Vineyards Ca' del Solo Big House Red. Although not currently on our rack, this one comes with a screw cap, which is becoming more and more acceptable. This is usually around $8-10 and a nice easy going red. I'm thinking perfect for a summer afternoon or evening, especially since I like to be a little crazy and drop an ice cube or two in my glass with this one.

Salut!

On Tap at The Lounge

No, we didn't install a keg-erator, but thought I'd keep y'all updated on what's in our fridge and on our wine rack.

Beer:
Harpoon IPA (MA, USA)
Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic)
Victory Lager (PA, USA)

Wine:
Casillero del Diablo - Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (Chile)
Dynamite Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 2003 (Napa, CA)
Rosemount Estate - Diamond Label Shiraz 2004 (Australia)
Vignobles Michel Gassier - Les Piliers Syrah 2004 (France)

I know what you're thinking with that last wine selection, a Syrah from France? Yep, I thought the same thing until I tasted it - good stuff.

BTW, there are only two types of wine - wines you like and wines you don't.

Vegas, baby! – The Wrap Up

We got home late last night and were happily greeted by all our four-legged friends. It’s good to be home and good to have the weekend to “decompress” before heading back to work on Monday. I must still be on west coast time, because it’s after 2 p.m. ET and feels like morning to me.


Our Thursday evening (Final Night) in Las Vegas consisted of taking a cab to The Venetian. We didn’t have a real plan for the evening, but figured we’d fall into a restaurant after walking around and looking at the menus. Emeril has a steakhouse there, but we had a good deal of excellent steak already for the week.


We decided on Zeffirino’s, an Italian restaurant which overlooks the “canal” that winds through the shops at The Venetian. The food was excellent. I had the homemade Fettuccine Sautéed with crab meat, lobster meat and shrimp with a touch of tomato sauce, and Lago had the homemade pasta sautéed with lobster, white wine and baby shrimp in a light tomato sauce. We paired it with a Chianti Classico Riserva Casa Emma.


After dinner we did a little gambling, but it wasn’t long before we were both ready to call it a night after a long week. We took a cab back to the Luxor and bid farewell to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Looking back, below are some comments and observations about our trip.

The impression I had from everything I saw and heard about the current Las Vegas, is that it was now full of family-friendly entertainment. Don’t be fooled. Vegas is still an adult entertainment playground. Granted, there are things geared toward children and families if you do decide to bring the whole clan, but remember they don’t call it “Sin City” for nothing. Almost every hotel/casino has what I call a “boobie show” with ads plastered all over hotel common areas and huge lighted signs. The casinos are still a smoker & drinker paradise, and a walk down the street will find the sidewalk littered with photo handouts for strippers and call girls. When we walked down the street with Dave’s family, two guys were behind us graphically discussing “picking up chics.” You can make up your own mind, and we certainly had fun. Just some words of caution if you had the same misconception I did.

Funny Line:
Dave pointed to a nude statue outside Caesar’s and said “Look, a boob.”

Speaking of boobies and on an entirely unrelated trip – best name for a strip joint, “Boobie Bungalow.” That name cracks me up every time I hear it. Saw this sign on a BBQ run from Nashville to northern Alabama a couple years ago, thanks to ol’ Lazy Acres.

Best Cocktail Waitresses:
The Venetian waitresses had the best outfits, and all were fit and attractive. Of course with those skimpy outfits, there’s nowhere to hide anything. This rating is based only on the casinos we visited (Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, MGM Grand, NYNY, Rio, The Bellagio, Caesar’s, and The Venetian), so your own opinion may differ. Sorry no photo. I even looked online and found no examples, have to see for yourself.

TV Channel:
There's a Tourism & Convention TV channel that airs nothing but A&E and History Channel programs about Las Vegas' history & personalities, the Hoover Dam and Area 51. That's Must See TV!

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.
You might say I broke the cardinal rule by posting our nightly outings. But, who’s to say I posted EVERYTHING about our trip? You’ll never know what I may or may not have included, so there ya go.

Here at the Lounge, we have different rules...

You must sing.

No biting – this rule is mostly for our four-legged friends, but you never know.

No violence around the holidays – again a four-legged rule, but...

... And finally, what happens at the Lounge, gets posted to the blog.

Salut’!

Vegas, baby! - Final Night

Tonight is our last night in Vegas. Still not sure about dinner plans, but we’ll be heading down to the Venetian and then make our way back down The Strip to our hotel.

Last night we saw Styx as part of a special performance for Lago’s conference. Being Vegas, I suppose it was customary to have a ventriloquist open the show. I think we saw this same guy during Letterman’s Ventriloquist week.


The concert was held in what may be the largest conference room I’ve ever seen. This place would rival most arenas. Styx stuck to their rock hits, but did a medley of 18 songs that included a single line from “Mr. Roboto” and a portion of “Rockin’ the Paradise” sans lyrics. Dennis DeYoung is not part of this incarnation of Styx. The guys apparently had enough of his shtick with the whole Mr. Roboto debacle, but the lineup does include original member James Young and Tommy Shaw, who joined in 1975. The bass player was a former member of The Babys and Bad English – remember John Waite?


They played all their biggest hits including: Blue-Collar Man, Too Much Time on My Hands, Miss America, Lady, Fooling Yourself, The Grand Illusion, Come Sail Away, and Renegade.

Styx Video Clip (Windows Media Video)
The video clip is from my cell phone and the audio is not good, but you can clearly make out the chorus of Come Sail Away at the end. The video is actually a compilation of three clips: Blue-Collar Man, Rockin’ the Paradise, and Come Sail Away.

We had a quick dinner after the show and got to bed early, 1 a.m. PT.

All for now. See ya back at The Lounge!

Vegas, baby! - Part V

"Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in."

After the previous night, I figured last night would consist of some dinner followed by an early bedtime. This was not to be.


A couple docs who work with Lago were going to eat at the Paris buffet and then go over to the Bellagio. They wanted to tour the art gallery and the gardens there. Lago wanted to try a restaurant at the Bellagio and then meet her pals. We decided to eat at Sensi, which has a fusion of American, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. It’s on the garden side of the Bellagio and filled with glass, metal and waterfalls. The kitchen is centered in the restaurant and surrounded by glass walls. I had the lamb chops and Lago had lobster. We paired it with the Mac Murray Ranch Pinot Noir. Everything was excellent.

Lago’s pals decided to call it a night and never made it to the Bellagio. Lago was feeling wide awake and wasn’t ready to go back to the room. We went over to the New York, New York and found a cover band playing in the Big Apple Lounge. They played all classic rock tunes, including three or four Journey songs. I should have called ol’ Lazy Acres and let him listen in. I know he would have enjoyed a call in the middle of the night.


We even managed to meet up with the New Orleans doc from the previous night and at that point we were out. The only bad thing about a Tuesday night in Vegas is that even though the casinos and bars don’t close, most entertainment stops at 2 a.m. We looked around for a $10 Blackjack table, but they were all full. We stopped and asked a guy playing alone at a Three-Card Poker table how to play. It seemed like he lost a lot more than he won. He was dealt three 6s while we were there and won big. I was thinking maybe the dealer gave him that in hopes that we would sit down and play. Who knows, but we didn’t play.

When we left, the New Orleans doc found himself a “non-working” lady to chat with. We heard that after 2 a.m., most single women in the casinos are “on the clock” so to speak. We wished him good luck and good night sometime after 3:30 a.m. PT.

"You're money and you don’t even know it!"

Vegas, baby! – Part IV

Slow getting up this morning… scratch that, slow getting up this afternoon. Last night was a late one. We started the evening by going over to the Rio. We had dinner at the Voodoo Lounge at the top of the hotel/casino on the 50th & 51st floors. A glass elevator on the front of the Rio takes you to the top. We had a drink before dinner in the bar where you can walk outside on the rooftop for amazing views of the city. After dinner, we went back down to the casino level to see Penn & Teller. I think I’ve seen most of their TV specials and it was great to see them live. Even when they’re showing you how a trick is done, like using clear plastic cups for a simple cup & balls trick, you’re still amazed at their slight of hand.

We were thinking about heading back up to the Voodoo Lounge after the show, but Lago wanted to go over to The House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay for their RockStar karaoke. It’s not affiliated with the TV show on CBS, but does employ the same format of singing in front of a house cover band instead of singing along to some lame recording. We had a good time, even though Lago didn’t sing. We got their too late for her to sign up.

The Queen of Karaoke was there with her date, a cardboard cutout of Elvis. Mojo Nixon was right, Elvis is everywhere! My camera-phone picts do not do justice to the crazy Queen, who pulled off her skirt during her performance. Believe me, this is something no one wanted to see! OK, well maybe that one guy in the photo below, but that's it.


We met up with a couple doctors from Lago’s hospital and another doc who had interned there, but was now practicing in New Orleans. He was a funny dude who sparked a debate over the greatest rock ‘n’ roll song ever. He swayed between Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” I liked the Stones choice, but I thought there were better Led Zep tunes than “Stairway.” I posed another Stones tune, not for its writing but for its simplicity and I think one of the greatest recordings ever, “Gimme Shelter.” That song gives me shivers every time I hear it. Look up the definition for “rock ‘n’ roll,” know what you’d find? The definition for rock ‘n’ roll, of course.


The House of Blues closed at 2 a.m. PT, so we meandered over to the casino lounge for a couple more drinks before calling it a night an hour or so later. It's not easy livin' large in sin city, but dagnabbit we're giving it one hell of a try!