Story Part #1

First a caveat. This story is NOT terribly interesting from the "OMG! PERIL!" standpoint, because I was never in danger. Neither was all the stuff I'd left in the hotel. But it was interesting (I thought) from the overall logistics standpoint. How to relocate everyone booked into a 3000-room hotel? Let me tell you, FEMA could learn something from these people.

On to our tale.

Friday morning, my husband and I left the Monte Carlo to go meet a shuttle bus at the MGM Grand (across the strip) for a Hoover Dam tour. We see a bunch of fire trucks go by, sirens blaring, and I idly wonder what happens if a high-rise hotel catches fire. Then I notice that all kinds of people are walking to the strip to stop and stare up. Hmm. So we walk forward to see what they are looking at. It's smoke. Lots of black smoke pouring off the roof of.... Uh oh.




( So I pulled out my cell phone... )

I've got a wretched schedule today, so I'll resume this saga in a bit.

Saga Part 2

Yohkay. So when we last left our heroine, she was in a bus headed for a large concrete mass on the NV-AZ border, leaving behind her a charred hotel and a lot of questions.

( Read more... )

More later. No, it doesn't get more interesting. Not really.

Saga part III

So. On the shuttle the Luxor. The guy next to me is from Canada and was supposed to be going home but....no luggage and no passport. So they were staying at least another night.

Is there ever NOT a line at hotel check-in at Vegas? No line jumping for us, we had to queue up with the non-refugees, but that wasn't bad. From the Monte Carlo people in front of us, I got some info and an 800 number that I'd failed to get at the Staging area. The Luxor clearly had a link to the Monte Carlo system because when I finally got to the desk, the clerk didn't need much info from me. We got room keys and.... ( the rest of the story )

So that's the tale.


I should also note that the fair Nancy was quick to let me know that if worse came to worst, we could shack up at the Grumblypants Las Vegas Homestead. So at no time did I have to fear being truly homeless--even if Las Vegas was booked to 100% capacity I had a place to stay. Which was an awesome insurance policy. Thanks, Nancy.

But then I wouldn't have met Kayne Gillaspie at a slot machine at the Luxor, now, would I? But that's another story.

And no, we didn't see Carrot Top. I may or may not have tried to see if seats were available on either night we were there only to find out they were sold out. Some secrets I will take to the grave.