First Night in Vegas

At long last, Vegas. And I almost didn't get here.

After the terrible bus accident in Atlanta yesterday, they diverted everyone off 75 and onto surface streets, which caused the road to seize up right around that long curvy hill that leads down to the Chattahoochee... Suddenly parking lot when there's usually that salom down the to the river.

That made me almost, kinda late getting to the Marta station. And despite Marta's unsavory legendary status, I like riding the tram. It's just that I so rarely get to do it. I rode the subway in New York and felt a million times more threatened than I've ever felt on the Marta; in fact, Marta people seem downright friendly in this "stay in your seat and I'll stay in mine and we'll both be friendly like that" sort of way. And the Marta is cleaner than the subway, I don't care what anyone says. The guy across the isle from me listened to his music too loud, but that was fine. I was busy looking out the windows.

And, while I was looking out those windows, the train stopped. Fifty something feet up, over some one's backyard, where their red Chow was investigating something. I watched the dog and listened to the people who seemed to more regularly ride the train to figure out if this was unusual, this stop. After a few minutes, the restlessness of the natives alerted me to the change in pattern. Finally the Conductor came on and informed us that the train in front of us had broken down, and we were going to be a couple minutes.

Twice more, the train in front of us broke.

I got to the airport well eaten into the time that security needs to see if I'm a danger or not. Check in, give up my suitcase, take off my shoes, set off the metal detector twice... And then the security guard decided I'd been on the same Marta train as him and he wanted to talk about the two Military Guys I'd been sitting near.

I had to run off before he could ask for my number, pretty much. And then the Atlanta Airport Tram, featuring the new intercom phrases "This is the A terminal, A for Alpha. This is the B terminal, B for Bravo.". It made me notice how many military people, in full fatigues were running around hoping flights. It felt very safe. But I kinda thought Military People had military planes to fly around in. Like that big thing in front of the AFB on 41. They all had neat badges on their arms, with flashing lightning bolts and leaping triangle mountains. And Dot Matrix Camo!

Well, I made it to my plane with about thirty minutes to spare and couldn't find the Nathan's Famous that I'd seen in the airport before... Very sad. Had to have Wendy's instead, which is a very poor, common substitute for the glory that is Nathan's. That's where they have that hot dog eating contest at.

After listening to the ENTIRE William Tell opera on the plane's XM Radio I arrived in Las Vegas. To find all sorts of new shows are here, like the Beatles' Love, and Phantom, and about fifty new Cirque du Soleil shows.

It was great seeing Dad again and we immediately went to the Orleans Hotel and Casino to gorge ourselves on their Buffet. And then we went home and had a nap, and then we went out to see my friend Matt, who happens to be in town, and Matt took us to a Comedy Club.

And then, after 22 hours awake, I went to bed. Hooray first day!