I spent all of last week in Las Vegas.  I returned home very tired, with a little less cash and a lot of great memories.

We went to a few shows, with Love at the Mirage being the best.  Cirque du Soleil celebrates the music of the Beatles using the master tapes of the Abbey Road sessions.  The performance is colorful, energetic and graceful.  Everyone in my group (even non-Beatles fans) totally enjoyed Love.

We saw a couple of good comedy shows.  At Harrah’s we saw Darryl Lenox, Chris Mancini and Rocky LaPorte. Coincidentally, I had seen LaPorte about 20 years ago in Chicago.  We also saw Vinny Favorito at the Flamingo.  While not the biggest names on the strip, the comedians kept us laughing all night.

Finally we saw Defending the Caveman.   This was an enjoyable one-man show about relationships.  It was good, but I wouldn’t list it as a “can’t miss.”

We also made a short trek to see the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, the setting for the TV show Pawn Stars.   This was a major disappointment.  After about an hour wait, we were herded through the overcrowded store.  They featured a lot of Pawn Stars merchandise, but the stars of the show were nowhere to be found, contrary to its appearance on TV.

As expected, I spent a lot of time at the Pai Gow poker tables.  Pai Gow wasn’t as generous to me as it has been in the past, but I played a lot without losing much.  Having my nephew Matt and brother-in-law Scott playing at the same table added to the fun.  Scott also hit a nice bonus when he got a Royal Flush.

Of course, we also played several slot machines.  I loved when a few of us played a row of machines.  That was great fun.

It was an excellent trip.  I think everyone got to do everything we wanted and all had a fantastic time.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist