My Shoes Fit Bigger, Now - My Vegas trip for Halloween 2013

[kandi.dolfen]

Some of the Gurls of DLV gathered in Vegas this year on the suggestion of Cami Desiree. I was excited about going back to Vegas to meet up with them and complete my research for potential DLV2014 venues. I was able to get away early and travel on Sunday, Oct. 27. My Goals for this trip were to ‘push’ my comfort zone by visiting more main stream venues, get final Agreements with the restaurants of interest and have a vacation in Vegas with some DLV gurls. Overall, it was a fun week, walking in heels every day. Now that I’m back, my shoes feel big on my feet (sigh). This was another fun and productive trip/ vacation. I hope my research helps the planning for DLV 2014. I hope to see you all then.
Best wishes,
kandi

Sunday – Oct. 27
I picked up my rental car on Saturday late afternoon. This lets me return the car late on Friday, Nov.1, since I will be out late Halloween night. I really liked this rental Company but decided not to publish it here. Their contract does not allow traveling out of CA State.

I made good time getting to Vegas and stayed at the QUAD hotel, 3535 S Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: (800) 351-7400 Sunday Oct. 27 thru Oct. 31. I checked in at the front desk, just past noon. The Check-in sign says you have to pay extra to check-in early, but they didn’t charge me for it. The nightly rate was just $18 and the resort fee was $15 per night and includes free Wi-Fi and local phone calls.

They gave me my room keys in Tower #1, 11th floor, room#11143. It’s very strange that there is a room # 1143 and it’s on the same floor..what? The funny part is that this is the same room I stayed in during DLV 2012. What are the odds against that? My room is closer to Tower #4 and the elevator is just steps away from my 'old' room.

The Quad is undergoing a huge remodeling. The most notable difference is they created a new below-street level entrance into the parking structure, complete with nasty speed bumps. For my previous stay, I had to wait for a ‘break’ in the foot traffic just to enter the parking structure. Something that was neglected in their remodel was to add signage for ‘getting around’. I saw most people wandering around lost.

I quickly unpacked some necessities, showered, applied makeup and changed into my warm-up suit. In flip-flops I drove over to T Nails and have my nails done. If you read about my June ’13 trip, you may recall I had lots of trouble removing them at the end of the week.
T Nails, 4110 S Maryland Pkwy Las Vegas, NV 89119 ‎Pioneer Plaza, (702) 369-6766 Sunday 10am-6pm
Turn right onto Sands Ave 0.9 mi,3. Continue onto E Twain Ave, 1.0 mi, 4. Turn right onto S Maryland Pkwy0.4 mi
5. Slight right to stay on S Maryland Pkwy 0.5 mi, 6. Make a U-turn at E University Av
I arrived ~5:30 pm and there were only a few clients sitting in chairs. They started on me right-a-way. I asked ‘Trinh’ to match my purple toenail color and that I wanted the nails to last for only one week. She said she would not apply primer to my nails so these could be removed easier. I watched her working quickly but noticed too late that she didn’t put primer on my left hand, but she forgot and put it on my right. I asked for longer nails this time. These were just over 1” long with straight cut across the front. I was done & dry in about 20 minutes. These Full set of acrylics only cost $20 and I gave her $5 tip. This was good fast service, convenient location and friendly staff. I recommend we add them as a DLV TG-friendly vendor.

I returned to my room to change for Dinner. I put on a blue & white tunic top with black pants and black sandals (flats). I planned on going to the Silverton Hotel and eat at the Mermaid Café.
Location: 3333 Blue Diamond Rd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89139
Merge onto I-15 South, 4.6 mi, 5. Take exit 33 toward Blue Diamond Rd, 0.2 mi
6. Keep right at the fork and merge onto Blue Diamond Rd, 0.5 mi, 7. Make a U-turn at Dean Martin Dr.
The Mermaid Aquarium holds 117,000 gallons of water with over 4,000 living fish, rays, sharks and of course, mermaids. This free Las Vegas attraction features mermaid performances and animal feedings. The Aquarium can be viewed 24 hours a day but times for the Mermaid Show every 30 minutes: Thurs. 2:15pm-8:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 2:15pm-9:30pm and Sun. 12pm-7pm. The mermaid tank is located at the Mermaid Lounge and Restaurant at Silverton Hotel Las Vegas. Enjoy a meal or drinks as you watch the whimsical sea creatures swim and perform. I considered this as a potential venue for the Sunday welcome session.
I got there just in time for the end of the 7:30 pm show. I missed the Mermaids. I hoped this place might be a good welcome meeting but the Lounge was $$$$ out of 5$ expensive. I ate at the Sundance restaurant instead. I ordered the tuna salad. It tasted ordinary and was slow to arrive. The waitress was handling a difficult family in the booth on the other side and neglected my service. The cashier asked for ID to pay for just the $13 total bill. I didn’t think this was necessary. I used the Ladies room 2x when I was there without incident. After Dinner, I walked around the Casino. The World Series Baseball Games were on four 8x10 ft. TV screens. I decided to have some fun and walk in front of these TVs while the World Series was playing. No one noticed me for some reason. LoL! Overall, I can’t recommend this place to DLV for several reasons; high prices, ordinary tasting food, poor service and non-friendly atmosphere.

Afterwards, I went to the 99 Stores to pick-up some food for breakfast. I walked around & didn’t find what I wanted. I drove to the Food for Less on 3864 W. Sahara (702) 227-3880 and found bananas & juice for the morning ($2.45). The weather had turned very windy that night. I was concerned about my wig. I drove straight back to the Hotel.

Monday, 28 Oct. 2013
This is the day I planned to make most of my business meetings. I wore my new Red top, black pants, new dark purple swede 4” heels & black jacket. My first meeting was at Bare Minerals in the Fashion Show Mall.
Fashion Show Mall, 3200 S Las Vegas Blvd #600, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Hours: Monday- Saturday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Directions from QUAD to Fashion Show- Bare Minerals
North on S Las Vegas Blvd, 0.7 mi, 2. Make a U-turn at Fashion Show Dr.
Bare Minerals (702) 369-1556 Zone C, Lower Level East, near Mall entrance of Neiman Marcus

The Gals at Bare Minerals have been strong supporters of DLV for several years. They enjoy working with us and it’s good for their business, as well. With more DLV’rs attending next year, I thought it would be good to add more MU sessions and divide the group into Beginner and Intermediate Attendees.
I parked in Blue section of the underground parking then took the escalator up to Neiman Marcus. I was greeted with a warm welcome from the Gals; Miriam, Abigail and Crystal. Cindy, the store Mgr. walked out to join us. I gave her the dates for DLV 2014 so she could mark her calendar. This allows her to plan the schedule. She commented that the store did well on the day of the DLV sessions for 2013 and is eager to work with us for 2014. I showed her my “kandi’s Cookbook for Makeup with Bare Minerals” that I wrote from my June session with Stephanie (Look for a revised cookbook from this October trip). I posted this on DLV so DLV’rs could print out a copy and bring it with them to their session. Taking notes makes it easier to learn how to do your own makeup and the Gals help select the right products. Since more attendees are expected for DLV2014, I suggested we add more days for 2014 and give first time attendees the choice of Sunday/Monday sessions and returning attendees the Monday/Tuesday ones. Cindy agrees with these suggestions and will schedule as many sessions as we ask them to have! She can provide more MU Gals as needed to help us. We need to add scheduling to the DLV sign-up tools and let them know about 3 days in advance. Also, I suggest we let DLV’rs know they can expect to buy a Starter kit for $69. This first meeting went well. Stephanie doesn’t work until Wed. afternoon so I need to return then to see her.

My next meeting was at the Erotic Heritage Museum, 3275 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (702) 369-6442
Hours of Operation: Sunday - Thursday 11am - 6pm, Friday & Saturday 11am - 9pm
North on S Las Vegas Blvd, 0.5 mi, 2. Turn left onto Spring Mountain Rd, 0.2 mi 3. Turn right onto Mel Torme Way, 0.2 mi, 4. Turn right onto Industrial Rd. Destination will be on the left opposite Fashion Show Mall
I met with Dorian and she was helpful. I asked if I could checkout the sound system & microphone for EHM party for DLV 2014. She didn’t know where the PA system was located but promised to check the model# and gave me her email. I sent a follow-up email when I got back to my room.

Now, it was past time for lunch so I headed over to Firefly, 3824 Paradise Rd.
Head southwest on S Las Vegas Blvd toward Spring Mountain Rd, 0.1 mi, 4. Take the 1st left onto Sands Ave
0.9 mi, 5. Turn right onto Paradise Rd.
I parked in the rear of the building since the front parking spaces were full, as usual. I walked around to the front entrance and was greeted warmly by the receptionist. She sat me at a booth in the center of the restaurant. I had chicken salad on grape leaves, Scallops escargot & garlic bread. Lunch was excellent again and only $25 with the tip.
I spoke with the Manager, Edgar about reserving the white banquet room. Does it have a PA system? He says he would enjoy having us for dinner and that room has a PA system with a microphone and Latin music playing, continuously. It also has an iPOD jack. Edgar also referred me to Regina for a contract. This is the first time he mentioned I needed to contact her for a contract. I sent a request to her after lunch.

My next meeting was with Jacquelyn at Buca di Beppo – Paradise, 412 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV
North on Paradise Rd toward E Twain Ave, 318 ft, 9. Turn right onto E Twain Ave, 0.2 mi
10. Turn right onto Palos Verdes St, 0.4 mi, 11. Turn right onto E Flamingo Rd.
It was good to meet Jacque in person. We have been corresponding via emails for several weeks. She’s very friendly. We discussed how the contract would work, then promised to send contract via email. We have a draft that I sent to Annie for review. I think this venue is a GO for DLV 2014. The DLV ORG needs to decide what night to schedule Dinner there.

For this evening I decided to change into my beige & black dress with taupe pumps. This is the first time I’m wearing these 6” platform closed-toe pumps. I drove to the ARTISAN Hotel, 1501 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102 800.554.4092
I know some people don’t like this hotel. I enjoy the artwork in the lobby and their beautiful Ladies room. There’s a possibility the Sunday Welcome party might be held here on March 30 2014. The Lounge holds 30-40 people.

I visited Artisan on Monday night, Oct. 28 @ 7:30 pm. I parked with the valet and walked inside. The hotel had two panels of front doors but they removed the inside doors so it's easier to walk in heels up the grade. They decorated the lobby for Halloween with ghoul costumes on the statues and other creepy things. It was very interesting to walk around to see how it was decorated.

It was sparsely attended and quiet that night. I used the Ladies room. I had a nice conversation with a gal I met inside when one of her earrings dropped to the floor with a loud crash.

I walked over to the restaurant for Dinner. They were preparing for a comedy show. This event happens every other Sun. & Mon night here. This could be important for DLV 2014 if this show continues that long. The full menu is not available and seating is mostly theater style rows of chairs.

I had the wedge salad with bacon bits & tomato vinaigrette dressing. Dinner and the waiter service were very good for just $13. I then walked around inside to view the artworks. I walked inside their chapel. I thought I would have a religious moment there but the background music was playing, "Boogie Down Tonight." (;o))
The contact person for Artisan events & sales is Karla Lewis, klewis@siegelcompanies.com I recognize that not everyone likes this hotel but I enjoyed this night very much. I gave the valet my ticket and he retrieved my car, quickly. It was cold outside now and I felt the breeze flowing through my dress. I gave the valet a $2 tip. Afterwards, I drove to Wynn hotel, self-parked and walked to the Registration lobby. I was looking for an aquarium but discovered they don’t have one. So, I returned to the Quad hotel.

Tuesday, Oct. 29
I decided to wear a knee-length black dress with black boots & leggings since it was cold outside (63*F).
The QUAD hotel has an automobile show on the 5th. floor. I found a free coupon on their website for the Car show; http://www.autocollections.com/index.cf ... e&tab=free
I walked around slowly to take in the cars. I also used the ladies room without incident.
It was time for lunch so I drove along Flamingo, going east to find some place for lunch. I drove to Baja Fresh, a casual Mexican restaurant. 1380 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Tel: (702) 699-8920 This chain is no longer open in San Diego. I had the shrimp chipotle salad. It was good for fast food for $14.

Today, I wanted to try more mainstream venues, so I drove to the MGM Grand hotel & self-parked.
MGM Hotel, 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
right onto Sands Ave, 0.4 mi, 3. Take the 2nd right onto Koval Ln, 1.5 mi
4. Turn right onto E Tropicana Ave, 0.5 mi
Inside the MGM hotel is CBS Television City, Hours: Daily 10am- 9pm, Ticket Info: Reservations Not Required, free. Register at CBS Television City's desk at least 10 minutes before the screening begins. Various screenings are shown all day. Visitors also have the opportunity to rate brand new commercials and technology like iPhones and Wii consoles. Inside Knowledge: Allow at least an hour to watch the show and take the 15-minute survey following the screening. The shows are shown commercial free, so episode lengths vary based on whether it's a half-hour sitcom or an hour long drama. Do's and Don'ts: Do Be Honest: Viewers are seated in front of a test pad with a movable dial where you can let your feelings of the pilot be known. Don't be afraid to express your true emotions, otherwise you might find that less-than-stellar pilot interrupting your TV line-up in the future. Don't Miss the Focus Groups: A few lucky reviewers may be invited to participate in a brief focus group after the session. Participants are asked contribute to an intimate discussion on a variety of television topics, and are often paid up to $75 for their time! I didn’t want to wait and I’m not a TV fan so I moved on to the next venue.

I asked for directions & then walked over to Showcase Mall via the street from MGM. I was not comfortable walking outside on LV blvd strip sidewalk. Most women were dressed in sloppy jeans, t-shirt or sweaters.
Showcase Mall, 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109 No Valet parking, but $3 to park in the parking garage.
"Mall" is a bit of a misnomer here, where stores are more like highly evolved interactive marketing concepts. The Showcase Mall's parking structure ($3) is right next to MGM Grand. A less hectic option is to park at any of the surrounding hotels for free (MGM, NY--NY, Monte Carlo) and walk here, as I did.

M&M's World Las Vegas, Attraction Dates: Ongoing, Age Restriction: None
Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 9am-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 9am-12am Ticket Info: Free entrance for all ages.
There are 4 stories (levels) of M&M's shopping with 3D M&M's movie shown, daily. 22 bright colors of M&M's available.
Movie times are Sun.-Mon. 10am-6pm and Fri.-Sat. 10am-8pm.
While riding the escalators to the various floors, don't miss the M&M character timeliness displayed on the walls. It's an interesting look at the evolution of how cute chocolate characters we all know and love came to be. See also the Coca-Cola store 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
This place is advertised as an attraction but it’s really a store. It has narrow aisle-ways that force you to look at the racks & racks of M&M candies and souvenirs. All of this is available for sale, of course. The 2nd. Story was closed for remodeling. This shop was Very crowded with too many lookers. The shop layout puts people face-to-face, just walking around. I didn’t feel comfortable there. I was disappointed by Showcase, not worth the walk. I went back to my hotel room, gabbed turkey wrap ($8) froma hotel lobby shop, Betty’s. It had a soggy taste & poor quality. I stayed in that night.

Wed., Oct. 30
I stayed in my room in the morning waiting for Cami to call me when she arrived at the QUAD hotel, est. ~ 12 noon. I got dressed and waited for her to arrive. She called ~10 am and said she arrived early & will hang out till 11am.
When she arrived I was glad to see her and surprised she travelled en-fem. I asked her if she wanted to get her nails done @ T Nails and she agreed it would be good to start there. I drove her over there but she had to wait for 15 minutes without an appointment. We walked thru Buffalo Exchange, while we waited.
BUFFALO EXCHANGE 4110 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89119 (702) 791-3960
Location: at Flamingo. Minutes from The Strip. Store Hours: Monday–Saturday 10am–8pm, Sunday 11am–7pm
This store buys good used clothes and resells them on the rack. I tried on blue jeans, size 8, but too large. I need a size 6 but long legs are hard to find. Cami found some ‘skinny’ jeans and bought those on the spot.
T Nails was ready for her so we walked next door. Trinh helped Cami with her nails and did a good job for just $20.
Afterwards, we were both hungry for lunch, so I drove past several places until we saw a deli. It seemed to be crowded for lunch but I intended to try more mainstream venues. Cami insisted it would be OK.
Jason’s Deli #691, 3910 S. Maryland pkwy., LV 89119 tel: 702-893-9799
We ordered at the counter and our order #s were called when the food was ready. I had the chicken club salad for just $7.99 We both thought our food was good. We did attract some attention from 5 gals in the adjacent booth. They looked at us but didn’t want to talk to us. I waved at them when we walked out. That lunch place was a stretch on my comfort zone.

On the drive back to the hotel, Cami wanted to visit Buca. I said it was just ahead. When we walked in, I asked if Jacque was available to talk with us. She came right out to help and patiently answered our questions. Cami wants one large contiguous space for our DLV group. Buca can arrange the adjacent rooms to accommodate most any size group. The total capacity of the place is 288 guests. I thanked Jacque for the draft contract and promised to get feedback & corrections back to her.

We went back to the QUAD and our rooms. Cami had her luggage sent up. I drove over to Fashion Show Mall to see Stephanie @ Bare Minerals. She had read the copy of “kandi’s cookbook for MU” and enjoyed the message. We discussed my suggestions for DLV 2014. She loved the ideas. Since she got married in Spetember, she is only working p/t, now. This was the highlight of the day/ week for me. She is truly a good friend. I also asked about some MU questions I saved for her. How do I change my MU now that I’m wearing prescription glasses instead of contacts? She answered, not to worry about it. Just make sure your eye shadow color is strong enough to be seen while wearing the glasses. How to clean my brushes better? Bare Minerals has a cleaner for their brushes that they sell. I looked at the ingredients and found it contains Aloe Vera. I know I’m allergic to aloe. So, she recommended a smallest drop of Woolite cleaner in cold water to clean my brushes. When I returned home I tried this and it worked great. Look for this on my MU update.

Cami made reservations at Carmine’s Italian restaurant in the Caesar’s Forum shops mall. It is nearby the Trevi restaurant that DLV attended in previous years.
The Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 South Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.carminesnyc.com/locations/las-vegas/
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11:00am to 11pm, Friday - Saturday 11:00am to Midnight
Telephone: 702.473.9700

I got dressed for dinner and decided on my Green dress, taupe heels with white & pink pearls. Cami wore bright orange dress with leopard color pumps. Maybe we should have color coordinated our outfits, beforehand. Even though it’s just across the street we decided to drive over there. I valet parked car and we walked thru the shops.

It seemed to be a very long walk through the Mall to get to the restaurant. I got nervous walking that distance. When we finally arrived at Carmine’s, Tara greeted us and Dan, the Mgr., showed us the banquet rooms. This place has several large banquet rooms that could hold our entire group. They have beautiful wooden floors and a winding staircase. Their balcony has a view of Planet Hollywood. After walking around I visited the Ladies’ room. It was very nicely decorated and clean. After about ½ hour, Stacey joined us there. She looked great in her black dress & heels. The Mgr. gave us a free appetizer and refilled my cranberry juice drink for free. The items on the menu looked good with large family style portions. We agreed on the veal parmesan with spaghetti as our entrée. It arrived promptly and was very large. The three of us couldn’t finish it off. We had a nice conversation over dinner. After dinner we decided to walk around the Mall. This made me nervous again, so I let them walk ahead. Annie showed me how to do the ‘walk-behind test’ where you have someone walk ahead and watch for the crowds’ reactions from behind. The crowd was watching us so I wanted to get back to the valet to pick up the car.

Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South , Las Vegas , NV 89109
After picking up the car & tipping the valet $2, I drove over to the Paris hotel with Cami & Stacey. I valeted the car again and we walked inside to the Cabaret Lounge. It was ½ full with some people dancing. The club had a live band playing ‘olde skool’ tunes and they were very good. After ~ 1:45am I decided to return to my room. Stacey was staying at the Paris so she was OK. Cami said she would get a cab ride back to the QUAD. She didn’t say how late that would be. I walked over to the valet and there was a long line to pick up the cars. While I was waiting I noticed a group of young (20-something) Gals dressed in Halloween costumes. They looked very cute and they were having fun. When the valet finally arrived with my car, I was very cold. I gave him a $2 tip and drove back to my room. When I got back to my room the electronic key no longer opened my room door. It was well past midnight so it was probably incorrectly programed to expire on Wed. I’m glad I had the 2nd key in my purse. Fortunately, it worked first time.

Thursday, 31 Oct. & Halloween
I waited until 11 am to call Cami and suggested we meet the group @~4pm to take the Deuce bus to the Fremont Street parade. I expected the parking & traffic to be difficult on Halloween night. She says she will ask the group. Today, more DLV’rs should be joining us.

Since last night was stressful, I went to get lunch alone. I drove to Food 4 Less and picked up a chief salad, mango slices and ice tea for $7.48. Rather than find a picnic spot, I just ate lunch in the car. Afterwards, I drove to the Mandalay Bay hotel and self-parked. I enjoyed walking through these shops & casino on my June’13 visit. When I returned back to my car, it was ~3pm. This was too late to visit the Mirage hotel and see their Aquarium. Maybe on my next trip I will.
Mirage Aquarium Info, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S., Las Vegas, 89109
All Ages, Hours: 24 Hours, Free Attraction 20,000-gallon saltwater tank behind the front desk.
Mirage Aquarium Quick Facts: More than 60 species from Australia, Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, the Red Sea, the Marshall Islands, the Sea of Cortez and the Caribbean. There are more than 1,000 coral reef animals in the 20,000 gallon tank. No live coral is used in the aquarium to preserve the living coral in the oceans around the world. This is an aquarium masterpiece at 53-feet-long, eight-feet-tall and six-feet-deep. The Acrylic measures four-inches-thick.
Volcano Eruption Schedule: Begins at 7:00 p.m. and runs every hour on the hour until 11:00 p.m. (nightly)
Atrium has towering palm trees, lagoons, waterfalls and exotic blooms.

When I returned to my room, Cami was not in her room. But, she stopped by to chat ~3:30pm. She says the group wants to go to dinner ~5:30 in costumes to Firefly then drive to Fremont. I agreed but figured it would be too late to watch the parade.

The 4th Annual Las Vegas Halloween Parade http://www.thelasvegashalloweenparade.com/
Looking to do something exciting on Halloween? Check out the Halloween parade. Patrons can either be a spectator or participate in the Las Vegas parade. The parade starts on Garces and 4th Street (just North of Charleston Blvd.) and ends on 3rd Street between Ogden and Stewart. The best place to watch the parade is North or South of Fremont Street. The parade starts at 7pm on October 31 2013. There is also a huge after-party following the festivities. Dress in the most eclectic and extravagant costume to try to win the costume contest. There are a several different categories for individuals and groups as the event promotes radical self-expression. Some awards are Most Outrageous Costume, Best Illuminated Costume, Best Group Costume and Best Child Costume. So get those thinking caps on and make this a night to remember. Along with the costume contest, the parade will have music, fire performances, mobile artworks and the wild and unexpected sights that the people of Las Vegas have to offer. The event is free for all ages. Fremont St. & 13 th., right onto Sands Ave, 3. Continue onto E Twain Ave, 1.0 mi 4. Turn left onto S Maryland Pkwy, 2.7 mi, 5. Continue onto S Rue 13

At almost 5:30pm Cami knocked on my door and says she needs help with her costume. Her ½ Man, ½ Woman costume was good but she needed help with duct taping it together. So, we worked on it and that seemed to help. I wore my black spider witch costume. It has long sleeves, mesh neckline and jagged edge skirt that is very short. I wore black leggings and boots to keep warm on that cold night.

Dinner at Firefly
When we arrived at Firefly, we met up with some DLV gals for drinks. When Stacey & Vivian joined us we sat down at a table for dinner. Cami ordered Firefry’s and let us try them. These were the first item I had on the menu that I didn’t like. I’m not a fan of French fries, anyway but these were limp and not tasty. I ordered the shrimp diablo which was so good to wanted to lick the plate. Edgar stopped by our table to visit with us. I explained that Regina hasn’t replied to my questions about using the banquet room. He promised to text her a reminder. I believe he did that. Cami asked for my opinion about this and I said I expect Firefly will self-eliminate due to lack of timely response. I hope that doesn’t happen since we all loved the food here and the banquet room would be the perfect size for our entire DLV group next year.
As we were leaving the restaurant, Cami started a conversation with a few Gals at another table. They wanted to take our pix outside. They were ‘enamored’ by our being ‘guys’. As usual, I refused to have any pix so I walked around to pick up the car and drive it to the front entrance to wait until they were done. We agreed to meet up at the Neopolis parking garage on Fremont st.

I parked in the underground parking of Neopolis. As we walked to the elevator and got out on the main street level, we confirmed that the Drink & Drag was dark & closed up. I walked around to ask if any of the other shops in Neopolis would validate my parking in their lot. I walked into the Denny’s where the waitress said only Drink & Drag validated parking and their gone now. When we finally got reassembled out group, we walked towards the parade area but it was already over. I was disappointed we missed it. We walked around watching some crazy costumes and listened to the live bands playing classic Rock and other fav. tunes. At one point I got separated from the group. I circled around the area I last saw them and found Vivian. She and I had a nice conversation. We eventually found Stacey & Cami listening to the Rock band. After a while I had gotten cold and tired, so I decided to return to my room. I was leaving in the morning and needed to get some sleep before my long drive home. I said good night to the gals and hoped I would see them during DLV 2014.

Friday, 1 Nov.
This was check-out day for me. I packed up most of my stuff the night before. So, the main thing I needed to do was remove my nails. I hated to see them go, but it was necessary for the trip home. I soaked them with acetone using Q-tips and cotton balls. My left hand (without the primer) the nails came off with some trouble but OK in about 1 hour. I was eager to get on the road but the nails on my right hand (with primer) were very difficult to remove. I used my nail clippers to trim the nails down and the acetone helped to remove all but the thumb and pinky nails. After several trips to my car, it was packed up and ready to get on the road. I dropped my keys into the Express Checkout box and walked to my car. It took about 1 hour to travel to Spring Mountain.

Spring Mountain Motorsports, 3601 South Hwy 160,Pahrump, NV 89048
north on S Las Vegas Blvd0.5 mi, 2. Turn left onto Spring Mountain Rd0.7 mi , Turn left to merge onto I-15 S 5.3 mi 4. Take exit 33 toward NV-160 W/Blue Diamond Rd, 0.2 mi 5. Keep right at the fork and merge onto NV-160 W/Blue Diamond Rd, Continue to follow NV-160 W, Destination will be on the right. Just getting near this place gets me very excited! As I drive up, I can hear several cars on the racetrack. This facility does not yet have full perimeter security but I know it’s coming, soon. I parked right next to a yellow 2014 Corvette. WOW! This is the first time I’ve seen one in person and I was very impressed with this totally redesigned car. I was able to walk around the main clubhouse and onto the paddock. There were a dozen or so new Corvettes in all the available new colors. As I walked over to the cherry red one, I noticed the keys were left on the center console. Of course, I had to open the door and sit down inside the car. The interior is completely redesigned for this new car. I was also impressed with the improved quality of the leather interior and instrument cluster. I popped open the rear hatch and the hood. I looked around the car and just fell in love with it. Despite the strong temptation, I didn’t start up the car. I knew I would get into a lot of trouble if I did, maybe even banned from coming back for the performance driving classes. I also sat inside the black one parked next to it. This one has the optional paddle shifter while the red one had the new 7-speed manual transmission. Decisions, decisions, which one do I want? One of each, of course (;o))

It was time to get back on the road to head home. The directions had me driving though Death Valley. When I drove though in June, it was over 120*F outside. It was a mild 101*F, today.

Home: northwest on NV-160 E/Pahrump Valley Rd toward Wheeler Pass Rd. Continue to follow NV-160 E, 5.0 mi
7. Turn left onto NV-372 W, Enter Ca, 7.8 mi, 8. Continue onto CA-178/Charles Brown Hwy 19.3 mi 9. Turn left onto CA-127 S, 56.2 mi, 10. Turn right to merge onto I-15 S, 121 mi, 11. Keep left to continue on I-215 S, 19.7 mi 12. Slight right to stay on I-215 S (signs for CA-60 E/San Diego/Indio), 5.5 mi
13. Keep right to stay on I-215 S, follow signs for Interstate 215 S/San Diego, 30.5 mi, 14. Merge onto I-15 S.

I arrived back to San Diego late and past due with my rental car. I phoned them to let them know I was on my way there. They didn’t charge me for any extra time. I plan to rent from them, again.