The following is a chronological report from our 'first-timers' trip to Las Vegas over Labor Day weekend 2000 (Sept. 1-4).

Friday -- Wheels up at 8:30 a.m. from Texas to LV non-stop on the aerial Greyhound, er Southwest. No problems at all. Go to Bellagio and get a room at 10:20 a.m. with a bad view on the 11th floor which is what you get for an early check-in. Out the door south to the strip to the Monte Carlo brewpub which was very good. Then off to New York New York to ride the coaster. Excellent coaster with two big drops and a twist. I don't know if it's because I'm getting old or the sinus surgery 3 weeks ago, but near the end I thought I was going to black out. Note to self: Don't ride a looping roller coaster 3 weeks after getting your melon worked on. Off to Mandalay Bay and the lllooonnnggg walk past the pool to the Shark Reef. Not sure it was worth the money but good none the less. Next stop Luxor. I guess I thought it would be cooler but that is quite a distance to the top of the pyramid inside. Back to Bellagio to get ready for the big night: Vow Renewal with Elvis! Ate at Shintaro at Bellagio and it was excellent, then Jesse Garon (hereafter known as Elvis) picked us up in his pink Cadillac to go to Little Chapel of the Flowers. Everything went great and had a great time. Elvis took us back to the hotel and....... I'd highly recommend the Chapel and Jesse. High in LV: 84°, Home: 102°.

Saturday -- Tried to sleep in but with the time change and Vegas waiting outside, we're up early. Head to the Bellagio buffet which was excellent and got to try a few things I'd never normally have for breakfast (like marinated mussels). Then off to the Venetian. Went directly to get a reservation for the Gondola ride (1 hour wait) so off to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, sorry, 'Celebrity Encounter'. Most of the figures were good, only a few were bad. The Gondola Ride, while a good idea, is kind of cheesy and anti-climatic. You think the thing would go outside for a little while? Next stop to check out the Mirage on the way to Ceasar's Palace Forum Shops and only went in one store: Niketown. Also caught the tail end of the Atlantis show. As Donna's feet were tired, we finally do our first gambling: 25¢ slots at Ceasar's. We both ended up having to have the attendant cash us out at over 400 quarters with both of us up. It can't be this easy. Read on. Back to Bellagio to 'freshen up' then cab it to Treasure Island and Madame Ching's, the Chinese restaurant, for an excellent meal. Then give more 25¢ slots a whirl and our profits are shrinking fast. Then over to the 7:30 showing of 'Mystere', the Cirque du Soleil show. The best way to describe 'Mystere' is as a 'circus and gymnastics meet on acid'. I finally know the job the flunkies on the gymnastics team in college got. Then a stop to check out the Mirage Volcano. Turn in early for a tour tomorrow. High in LV: 89°, Home: 104°.

Sunday -- Up early for a Gray Line tour called 'Glitter City tour'. First stop out to Henderson to the Ethel M Chocolate factory. Unfortunately the assembly line's not running but a good video gives you the idea and, SAMPLES! They also have a cactus garden which is interesting. Then head back to LV for a trip Downtown. With a stay of 30 minutes, that was enough time. Saw the Golden Nugget, Binions, and I had to check out if the California Hotel really was a Hawaiian hangout: Affirmed. Tour over and not worth the money, though seeing the real Vegas off the strip was a little interesting. Driver drops us at Stratosphere and we head to the Top of the World Restaurant. Food was ok and I thought it revolved? It sputtered twice and we moved about 4 inches total in an hour. On to the High Roller which looked safe since it didn't loop. It was actually a little more intense than it looked but maybe it's because your like 6000 feet in the air (ok, it's only 900 feet). Pass on the Big Shot today with the incident Friday. Then on to the outside observation area for awesome pictures. Cab it to Paris Las Vegas to do the Eiffel Tower (with no wait) for an eagle eye view of a Bellagio fountain show and excellent view of the south strip. Then over to Aladdin for some 25¢ slots (and an end to our profits) and watch some of the Packer game in the sportsbook. Desert Passage was definitely different looking and I didn't understand what the heck was the big deal with the thunderstorm. Back to Bellagio to 'freshen up', watch Favre throw an interception, and dinner at Olives. I called over a month in advance for a reservation and said I wanted to eat outside. They told me how to accomplish this and then we get there and - no room outside. With this snafu maybe tainting our view, we thought the food was just so-so. Should have went over to Spago at Ceasar's. Next on to the 7:30 showing of 'O', another Cirque du Soleil show. The best way to describe it is a 'circus, gymnastics meet, and syncronized swim meet on acid'. The water definitely gave it an interesting twist and the show was great. Turn in early due to an early flight. High in LV: 95°, Home: 104°.

Monday -- Early flight home at 7:55 a.m. on Southwest with no delays or problems.

Summary -- An excellent first trip and the Bellagio was worth the money. We accomplished what we wanted which was to just see what the Vegas hype was about, tour the casinos, and not lose our life savings. Thanks to Bob and Aunt Barb and Aunt Sue for watching Nicole.

Greg