Memorial Day - the unofficial start of Summer

In the USA, three day weekends are few and far between. Monday is Memorial Day here, so I am looking forward to being able to spend some extra time with my family, since my work has had me doing quite a bit of traveling recently! My most recent trip sent me flying to San Francisco on Monday afternoon, to spend two days of training at the YouTube headquarters, before making my way back on Wednesday night. I had a good time in San Francisco, but due to my current workload, I did not have the option to explore the city. The course ended roughly at 8pm on Wednesday, and immediately afterward, I made my way back to the airport for a 10pm flight to Las Vegas. One advantage to flying so late, is that the airports are generally quiet and there is no wait to pass through the security checkpoints. My flight took off on schedule and I landed in Las Vegas just after midnight. Bear in mind, that I had been awake since 5:30am the previous morning......
This was the first time I had been to Las Vegas, and as soon as I came up from the jetway in the airport, I was greeted by a huge welcome sign and row after row of slot machines!

Considering I had 6 hours to wait before my next flight, I took a shuttle from the airport to the (in)famous Las Vegas Strip. I got of at the MGM Grand Hotel, which was indeed Grand! The foyer consisted of mostly marble and gold and could easily accommodate large crowds of people! Then came the casino section, which seemed never-ending. I was amazed how many people were still gambling at around 2am. Also, coming from Ohio where all smoking indoors is banned, I was disgusted to see how many people were sitting at the slot machines and tables, puffing away at their cancer sticks! After wandering around aimlessly in through the maze of slot machines, I managed to make my way out and onto the Strip. The temperature outside was a pleasant 80 degrees (27C) at 2am - so I was still working up a sweat as I walked between the hotels. I walked past the Excalibur and Tropicana (where the finals of Dancing with the Stars is being held), before a saw a familiar skyline. Diagonally opposite me was the Empire State Building, Chrysler building, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty! I had stumbled upon the New York New York resort, which was my next stop.

I went inside, but once you've seen one casino in Las Vegas, you've pretty much seen them all! Basically there were thousands of slot machines, with hundreds of gaming tables all around (with people smoking and drinking as they emptied their accounts...) I made my way outside again and looked for the Bellagio, home of the famous fountains. My eyes caught the hotel's signage in the distance, and I determined that it was way too far for my weary legs to get me there and back. Shortly afterward I caught a shuttle back to the airport where I could relax for a couple of hours before my three and a half hour flight back home!

This weekend was spent mostly at home, enjoying the record breaking heat, and relaxing in our pool! On Saturday evening, we put our bikes on the bike rack and drove to a local park for a family bike ride which is always enjoyable. Liesel and I worked in the garden on Sunday, pulling out a tree and two shrubs, before getting cleaned up and going on a date night! We chose this restaurant that is owned by a renowned chef, Michael Symon,  and specializes in hamburgers. It is called the B-spot, and the variety of hamburgers is amazing! I also ordered myself their Chocolate Expresso milkshake, and it is by far, THE BEST MILKSHAKE I HAVE EVER HAD! Liesel agreed with me! It was thick, creamy, and had chunks of chocolate and expresso beans that added texture to the delectable flavor. The hamburgers were also out of this world - so it was the perfect end to another good weekend!