The Venetian

We arrived on the strip by early afternoon. We were thinking about scouting the Waldorf Astoria where we will be staying later this week... see if we could find parking for the van. All the parking in the strip seems to be in parking garages in which we will not fit.

After spotting the hotel, we ride on through the first time and head to The Joint Chiropractic where I can get an adjustment. The young doctor used the activator on my jaw and did his thing. Once again, we returned to the strip. I called ahead to the Venetian to find out where we could park. "Valet for large vehicles," I'm told.

We get in the long valet line, and Doug hops out to wheel and deal. He's good at talking to people, "Hey, brother. Hey, I'm in this van right there, and I was wondering is it possible to get one of these parking spots right here? How much do I need to pay you to get one of these parking spots? How much did that guy pay you?" He secures a spot for $20.

Inside the beautiful resort, we fight our way past the smoky casino to the shops and restaurants. Doug wanted to take me on a gondola ride. We had an hour wait, so we found the bar and had a glass of white wine while a group of performers in traditional Spanish dress danced and sang.

Our Gondelier loaded us and another couple about our age from Long Island on the gondola. We put our seat belts on so, God forbid, we wouldn't fall out and drown in three feet of crystal water with coins at the bottom. The seat belts have to be for keeping drunk people seated. There were plenty of drunk people for sure. Facing forward with the other couple facing us and the singing Gondelier behind us, we rowed down the Grand Canal vowing we would do it for real in Venice one day.Read more