Late Summer Weekend on the Las Vegas Strip
Vegas with the guys for a late summer weekend, and the timing lined up with college football's opening Saturday, which set the agenda. Started with the view across the Bellagio gardens — the half-scale Eiffel Tower at Paris, the High Roller wheel turning behind Bally's — then straight to the sportsbook, where the wall of screens had Wisconsin's offensive line stats up next to Tulsa–Michigan State, with baseball crammed into whatever space was left. We sat in the big chairs for a long stretch and let the games run.
Worked our way down to Aria after that. Put a little time into a Crystal Forest slot machine, which took my money the way slot machines do. By dark we were back out on the Boulevard, Aria's sign lit up over the intersection, the Eiffel Tower switched over to its night lights across the water.
Ended up on a bar stool with a martini, two lemon twists, a video poker screen built into the counter in front of me that I mostly ignored. The walk back ran the length of the Bellagio floor, marble and slot rows, following the sign toward the guest elevators.
