Las Vegas 2012

Training for a marathon is tough enough without the added pressure of all the Christmas stuff that needs to be done. Training, trying to shop, mail packages, wrap gifts, & plan our annual Christmas party, really took a toll on my body.
 The day after Christmas, I woke up with a severe sore throat. I think everything has finally caught up to me. I took some ibuprofen, waited for the rain to stop, and went for a 5 mile run. My husband says, "being sick is always in your mind". We were heading for Las Vegas for a few days with some friends. There was no time to be sick.
The first day of the trip, I still had a sore throat, but not as bad as the first day. My nose was running and I was beginning to sneeze. We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Hotel http://www.hilton.com/search/gv/us/nv/las_vegas?WT.srch=1  .
 It doesn't have a casino in the hotel and the suites include a full kitchen.  It also is a smokeless hotel which was refreshing to come back to after spending the nights in smokey casinos. The valet parking is very affordable and it's only a few dollar more than regular parking. The service is amazing and the amenities are high end. It's a home away from home. We loved this hotel and can't wait to return.
The first night we ate Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace http://mesagrill.com/las-vegas-restaurant  . I ordered the Fire Roasted Veal Chop and my husband ordered the Cascabel Chile Crusted Rabbit. The veal chop was decent and probably the biggest veal chop I've seen! My husband's rabbit was dry and the crusted coating made it taste worse. One of our friends had the Grilled Chicken. It too was dry. The restaurant is pricey and the decor is modern. The drinks were good, the service mediocre, & because the food was displeasing, we will not be returning.
My husband didn't want me running on the strip no matter what time of day it was. The second day, I did do a 5 mile run on a treadmill. The fresh towels and easy sanity wipes to clean of the machine was plentiful. I am glad I came down early to complete my run, because out of the 6 or so treadmills available, there were people waiting for an unoccupied treadmill by the time I finished.  I was feeling pretty good. My sore throat had gone but I still had a stuffy nose.  I have already made up my mind, I wasn't doing a long run and would consider the weekend a wash.
That night we went to Old Las Vegas on Fremont. This place was crazy and fantastic! We gambled a lot at a place called the Golden Gate http://goldengatecasino.com/ . We loved this place because the atmosphere was welcoming with good gambling and a party atmosphere!  The cocktails are plentiful just as much as the bottle water when you wanted it. Hehehe, I have no idea what kind of cranberry cocktail they use, but it turned our mouths red like we had been drinking cherry kool aide! Our friend is photo bombing our shots! Later that night, we ate late that night at a place in the Four Queens Casino called Magnolia Veranda http://www.lasvegas.com/listing/magnolias-veranda/2132/  . My hubby and I had a thin crust pepperoni pizza. The food is cafe style. It helped us all after a night of drinking and gambling. My husband has eyes like an eagle!  From inside the restaurant, then looking through a smokey casino, he spied a large girl dressed in a pirate costume wearing a smile and tassels on her nipples on the street. She was taking photos with tourist. Sorry, I didn't pose with her or get her picture. She was charging $20 per picture.
By the Saturday, a cough had set in and I officially had to admit, I had a cold. DayQuil helped minimize my symptoms. We ate brunch at the Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant http://www.blueberryhillrestaurants.com/ . Afterwards we all took a naps, showered, and went back to Old Las Vegas.  For dinner, we ate at Binions Steakhouse http://www.binions.com/dining/steak_house.php.  It was delicious. The service was amazing, friendly, and seemed to know what I needed before I did! The atmosphere was warm and inviting. I ordered the rib eye. The chefs know how to cook a steak here! Thanks you Binion's for the best food night of our trip!

We came home Sunday and my husband began to complain of a sore throat. I still have a cough and will try to run a few miles tomorrow. Las Vegas was a blast! We had such a great time with our friends and can't wait to go back soon!