In the morning we went to the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat (long name). Lucky thing, too, because we walked right in with no line at about 10am, and when we left, there was a massive ugly line outside in the rapidly building heat, and the dolphin area was really crowded with people. In the morning, there was plenty of space around the dolphin pool to sit and watch at very close range. They say that they don't train the dolphins to do tricks, but regular 'interacting' with the dolphins pretty much means tricks. So we saw a dolphin show from as close as you can get without buying the Supreme Dolphin Experience (or whatever it's called). Basically I was right behind the people who did buy that ticket. Check it out:
We meandered towards the Venetian, passing by the gondolas and Madam Tussard's. I asked Nan if he wanted to check out a gondola ride, but it was really sunny and hot, the people in those gondolas looked like they were baking. He asked me if I wanted to check out Madam Tussard's, and that's a firm no. Wax people are creepy, period the end.
When we got inside the shops at the Venetian, we were all but assaulted by a door greeter that dragged us to a time-share seller that made a very hard sell to get us to go to one of those presentations. Even though she actually wanted money (a deposit to ensure we'd show up), the presentation seemed legit enough, so we agreed. What else were we doing in the morning, anyway. This whole vacation post is turning into an extreme couponing episode, isn't it? Well, the money we save, we in turn blow on the blackjack tables.
We finished up exploring the Venetian - apparently there's two gondola rides, one inside and one outside - and went to Mandalay Bay to see the aquarium. I didn't realize it until later, but there was a big boxing match going on in Mandalay Bay. We must have missed the crowds lining up for it. The aquarium is open pretty late, so we were confident there would be few people there, and there weren't many - apparently only the bad parents take their kids to an aquarium at 9pm at night. These bad parents are also the ones who let their kids run around screaming at the top of their lungs. So that was a little bit ruined. Also, strangely, the large tanks were significantly cloudy and poorly lit. Otherwise, it was a nice setup - glass floor and ceiling panels, glass tunnel through the tank, gigantic sharks and rays, touch-tank rays, jellyfish, lionfish tank.
We ate in Citizen, the 24-hr restaurant in Mandalay Bay, and saw all the people from the fight leaving. The music was turned up crazy loud in there, can't recommend it, despite free drink refills. I wanted to play spot-the-hooch, but there's no where to sit or stand discreetly in Mandalay Bay, and their new nightclub isn't open. Nan came up with a new game, though: Bad Parent Watch, so we also vied to see who would spot the worst parents. I scoured the casino floor, looking for someone smoking a cigarette, playing slots, and holding a baby, but no such luck. We did see some parents buying their kids candy at 11:45pm, but no clear winner yet.
We played some late blackjack back at the Westin. Usually I don't see the appeal of throwing money away, but I entertained myself by counting cards while Nan played. It wasn't a busy table, so the dealer let me sit next to Nan and watch. I told him I'd kick him or something to signal a favorable deal, but as it turned out, every time I was about to, the dealer would just so happen to win, so it would have just made him lose more money if I had anyway. I was sufficiently entertained, though - contrary to popular opinion, it does not take any smarts to count cards, just an enormous amount of concentration. Our first dealer dealt so fast that I probably couldn't have kept up if I had an abacus out. Our last dealer dealt at a more sedate (rookie) pace. Nan thought I looked incredibly bored, just staring blankly at the cards and refusing all drinks and conversation. At least I have something to keep myself occupied. Hope the dealers in the future let me sit at the table.
