What's that smell? Oh yeah, it's this place.

Vegas Update #2: The Venetian

* You may have heard rumors about the $20 dollar trick when visiting hotels in Las Vegas (or elsewhere).  I can't say if it'll work for you or not, but it certainly worked for us.  We got our room upgraded to a bigger room than the standard suite, this one with a view.  It's nice...

* ...almost too nice.  The first thing you notice when you walk into this hotel is the smell.  It's not a bad smell, mind you.  It's pleasing.  They pump some kind of froo-froo flowers talcum powdery stuff into the air circulation to eliminate the smoky smell.  At times can be a bit overwhelming.  It's calming though.  Almost to the point of making me sleepy.  Maybe that's what happened to the Roman empire.  They all got too sleepy.

* There are *3* TVs in our hotel room.  Two wall mounted widescreen TVs in both the bedroom and the sitting area, and another mounted to the ceiling in the bathroom.  Unfortunately you cannot see the set from the toilet, defeating the entire purpose of having it there, if you ask me.

* The casino here is darker than I expected it to be and kinda cramped in places.  But there are a bank of slot machines that allow you to try and win a brand new BMW.  It's my goal to win a car from one of these things on this trip, either here at this casino or elsewhere.

* We were starving upon arrival last night and opted to just hit the food court in the mall inside the hotel.  Yes you read that right, there's a mall inside the hotel.  My meal?  A simple plate from Panda Express.  Cost?  $10.  My beautiful bride got a standard combo meal from Johnny Rockets.  Her cost?  $15.

More to blog about later, including the flight into town, the first drive up and down the Las Vegas Strip, and visits to Paris, Bally's (where my bride won over $325 on penny slots), Planet Hollywood, and The Mirage to see The Beatles' / Cirque du Soleil production of Love.