Flight got in last night on schedule and the luggage some 45 minutes later (typical for Vegas). All was in order. Cab line went quick, but asshole cab driver took us for serious ride. Very pissed. LAS to Mandalay Bay is a $10 cab ride at best and it was $20. I even said something. I didn’t get his cab number, or I’d have reported him. Checked in and found Karen’s room had been moved to another hotel, but they managed to move it back so we could be on the same floor. They put us both in the handicapped section. Same rooms but they have special showers, toilets, and are large to accommodate wheelchairs. How prophetic that would be.
I was in bed at midnight local time and up at 3am local time, back in bed, and up for good at 4am local time which is 7am Eastern. Resisted urge to use computer but caved at 5am due to boredom. Emailed Karen that I was up, she answered shortly thereafter, so we were out of the hotel a little before 7 to walk to the Bellagio for the buffet.
We walked from the Bay to the Luxor, to Excalibur, to NY NY, past the Monte Carlo, via the CVS for water and then stopped to gape at the soon to open CityScape — it’s due to open in under 30 days and there’s no way it’s going to make it. Not if they follow building codes. Made some gambling stops and lost. As is to be expected.
Ate at the buffet until we were both overstuffed. I was pleased to have two glasses of watermelon juice, two hot chocolates, a glass of water, and three trips to the buffet for brunch (skipping red meat) and a fourth trip for fruit and dessert. I got my $26 worth. I tried to comp it but the bitch at the host desk was clearly new (and really rude) and failed to understand 4500 points at any MGM property is good for quite a few buffets. But she insisted since my Bellagio totals were small, I wasn’t entitled. So I said screw it, and just went and paid. You gotta pick your battles and with several more days here, it’s not a big deal. I’ll use it later.
Walked from Bellagio to TI to get the new player’s card as it’s switched ownership and is no longer and MGM property. Cut across to the Wynn to go see Encore but were sidetracked by Wynn’s first ever warehouse auction that Karen insisted we see. About thirty minutes in line to look at some very very expensive stuff being sold for very very cheap. Such as: $2500 suits for $200, Avenue Q stuff for a DIME, Ferrari Sterling Silver business card cases $15, and tons of women’s clothes, furniture, fixtures, china, and flatware. We spent about ten minutes there, took one look at the checkout line and left. Went through the Encore, which is half finished, and then out to the strip. We crossed the street to the median (big intersection, fast light). Light changed, I stepped off the curb onto the yellow safety dot (you know the raised dots for blind people), and Karen (assumedly) had the same plan only the sidewalk went down, and so did she. A big face plant, banged her face, nose, both elbows, and both knees. None of it looked too bad until she tried to stand. One knee hurt her, so we hiked up her pant leg and it was barely bleeding and didn’t seem bad. Barely swollen so she decided to walk it off. We made it two blocks to Walgreen’s (near the convention center), and she started saying it hurt. So, we bought her Band-aids®, ice packs, and such. We left and made it about 20 feet, me still insisting we take a cab to the hotel so she could rest. She started to tear up, looked at it again and it was obviously more swollen. I got a cab (no easy trick where we were), and she finally said she wanted to go to a clinic. We told the cab driver to take us to an Urgent Care facility, but he took us to a real hospital ER via the slowest route possible using first gear or possibly reverse.
We got there, he helped me get her out as she couldn’t move at this point, and I paid him, and he left. Went to the desk and the guy pointed WAY down at another desk and said that was check-in and we should walk there. I carried her as best as I could where they took her name and said they’d be with her in just a few minutes as soon as they were done with the lady in triage. Some Time Later, she was called, they checked her out, and admitted her to the trauma ward. Yeah, it was that bad. (This story is posted with her permission, for dignity’s sake I am leaving parts out). So, the nurse’s name was Karen and the doctor’s name was Eric. How cool and weird and coincidental is that? Anyway, he poked, prodded, and otherwise inspected her. I left the room so she could put on her hospital gown. They iced her, drugged her, and then x-rayed her. Nothing is broken. It’s strained and sprained at minimum and she’ll need and MRI when she’s home. She can’t drive and her car is at MIA. She leaves tomorrow and I’m here on business for a few more days. She is in a full immobilization brace on her driving leg. So, she’s trying to find someone who can drive a BMW M3 with paddle shifters to come to the airport in a cab and drive her home (she’ll pay for the cab). If you can help, email me or her or call my mobile or her mobile. Called a cab from the ER which came and thankfully it was a great driver in a big van. I had him stop at CVS, picked up Karen’s prescriptions — thankfully they were really nice and did hers first since I was paying for a cab to wait. Then got her out of the cab and to her room, which happily is a handicapped room since she now needs one. She’s now drugged in her room and I’m now treating the migraine from hell on myself. I am assuming Santana is cancelled for tonight since I won’t leave her alone. No idea what I’ll do tomorrow since our original plans are clearly scuttled as they involved 5 or 6 miles of walking. And that is your 3pm update from Las Vegas.