Vegas - Day 4
The four of us got up and around early this morning. We were all heading over to the convention center for the SEMA show. Jeff left before the rest of us. He needed to be in the booth before the show opened to have the car ready, windows rolled down, trunk and hood open so the public could view all the features on the car.
Amber, Robin and I were about 45 minutes behind him. We ordered an Uber and went down to catch our ride. The traffic was unbelievable. Police and security had all the curbs blocked off to keep people from parking on the street so we had Terrell, our driver, drop us off in the street in front of the Westgate Hotel, which attaches to the convention center. Robin had his pass for the show but Amber and I still had to get ours. SEMA is cracking down on the spouse passes this year, and you must show id to be able to obtain your pass. I guess they were tired of huge men walking around the show with passes that said Mary Jones.
We joined the sea of people moving toward the building, but had no idea where we were supposed to go. Finally, we got smart and asked one of the security people who pointed us toward an enormous sign that read REGISTRATION. That might have been a clue.
Once we were official, we made our way into the building through the entrance at North Hall. The Ron Francis booth where we needed to be is located in Central Hall, so we were tasked with finding our way to it. Our first obstacle was locating a way out of North Hall, easier said than done. To understand why this was so difficult, you would have to know what SEMA is like. There is a carpeted walkway, leading around thousands of booths with cars, car parts of every variety, paints, audio equipment, and on and on and on. It is total chaos, with people everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Robin had a map and was trying to navigate us through the throng, but we kept getting turned around. Finally, we caught sight of the doorway and began weaving our way toward it. We were out. Whew!
Central Hall was easier to find, and Jeff had given us instructions on how to find the booth. That orange paint job on the car was visible from 100 yards away and drew us like a beacon.
We stayed for a while, visiting with Jeremy and Melody, the car’s owners, and watching people walk by and admire the car. It didn’t take long before Amber and I were done with the whole thing, though, so we said goodbye, leaving Robin behind and wove our way to the front doors of the convention center, through all the outdoor exhibits and up the escalator to the monorail station. We were going back to the strip to find lunch and shopping!
We exited the monorail at the MGM station and walked all the way up the strip to Caesar’s Palace with a specific goal in mind. Amber was set on having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, due to the fact that we ate at the one in Albuquerque a couple of months ago and, since then she has had a craving for their strawberry lemonade. I was good with it. I mean, cheesecake, right?
We had a delicious lunch of honey chicken with mashed potatoes and asparagus, strawberry lemonade – of course – and a to-go bag full of cheesecake. We were happy campers! We did some window shopping as we made our way out of Caesar’s, but Louis Vuitton, Prada and Cartier were just a hair above our price range. We went across Las Vegas Blvd to the Miracle Mile where we did a little shopping and a lot of browsing before giving up and heading for the condo. It was time for a nap.
We lounged around the condo until Jeff and Robin showed up, then we all changed clothes and prepared to leave for dinner. We were meeting a large group of people Jeff has become acquainted with over the last few years, along with Robert Kibbe, our dear friend and the owner of the first SEMA car Jeff built.
Jeff ordered a Lyft car and we piled in. Dinner was at Battista’s Hole In The Wall and as we pulled out into traffic, our driver told us how the place got it’s name. Apparently, the restaurant, which has been open since the 60’s, was the frequent lunch spot for a group of gangsters who would eat there before heading out to rob banks and jewelry stores. To enter their targeted buildings, they would blow a hole in the back wall. They became known as the Hole in the Wall gang.
The restaurant was packed when we entered, and the music and voices raised in conversation and laughter assaulted the ears. The atmosphere was completely unpretentious, walls covered in years and years of collected memorabilia from law enforcement patches to autographed pictures of celebrities. I loved it! We were set up at a table for 20 where we all chose seats and perused the menu, which is posted on the wall. With each entrée you are provided a carafe of red and white house wine, minestrone or salad, and your meal comes included with a cappuccino to finish things off. The waiters were frighteningly efficient, and in no time at all, we were shoveling in really excellent Italian food. My spaghetti and meatballs was, hands-down, the best I’d ever eaten!
The party eventually broke up, but we weren’t done for the night just yet. Jeff wanted to go check out Freemont Street, so we called for another Lyft and off we went. If we thought the restaurant was loud, we were soon feeling nostalgic for the serenity we had just left behind. The air throbbed with the noise of competing rock bands and the fans enjoying their music. With the lights flashing and the music blasting, it was a full-on sensory assault.
We waded in, heads swiveling on our necks, trying to take it all in as we walked. If our day hadn’t already been so full of activity, we may have enjoyed it more, but after a few minutes, we had seen enough and called for another car to take us back.
As soon as we were through the door of the condo we separated and fell into bed, exhausted but satisfied, having enjoyed a really great day!
More to come!
Lori
Amber, Robin and I were about 45 minutes behind him. We ordered an Uber and went down to catch our ride. The traffic was unbelievable. Police and security had all the curbs blocked off to keep people from parking on the street so we had Terrell, our driver, drop us off in the street in front of the Westgate Hotel, which attaches to the convention center. Robin had his pass for the show but Amber and I still had to get ours. SEMA is cracking down on the spouse passes this year, and you must show id to be able to obtain your pass. I guess they were tired of huge men walking around the show with passes that said Mary Jones.
We joined the sea of people moving toward the building, but had no idea where we were supposed to go. Finally, we got smart and asked one of the security people who pointed us toward an enormous sign that read REGISTRATION. That might have been a clue.
Once we were official, we made our way into the building through the entrance at North Hall. The Ron Francis booth where we needed to be is located in Central Hall, so we were tasked with finding our way to it. Our first obstacle was locating a way out of North Hall, easier said than done. To understand why this was so difficult, you would have to know what SEMA is like. There is a carpeted walkway, leading around thousands of booths with cars, car parts of every variety, paints, audio equipment, and on and on and on. It is total chaos, with people everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Robin had a map and was trying to navigate us through the throng, but we kept getting turned around. Finally, we caught sight of the doorway and began weaving our way toward it. We were out. Whew!
Central Hall was easier to find, and Jeff had given us instructions on how to find the booth. That orange paint job on the car was visible from 100 yards away and drew us like a beacon.
We stayed for a while, visiting with Jeremy and Melody, the car’s owners, and watching people walk by and admire the car. It didn’t take long before Amber and I were done with the whole thing, though, so we said goodbye, leaving Robin behind and wove our way to the front doors of the convention center, through all the outdoor exhibits and up the escalator to the monorail station. We were going back to the strip to find lunch and shopping!
We exited the monorail at the MGM station and walked all the way up the strip to Caesar’s Palace with a specific goal in mind. Amber was set on having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, due to the fact that we ate at the one in Albuquerque a couple of months ago and, since then she has had a craving for their strawberry lemonade. I was good with it. I mean, cheesecake, right?
We had a delicious lunch of honey chicken with mashed potatoes and asparagus, strawberry lemonade – of course – and a to-go bag full of cheesecake. We were happy campers! We did some window shopping as we made our way out of Caesar’s, but Louis Vuitton, Prada and Cartier were just a hair above our price range. We went across Las Vegas Blvd to the Miracle Mile where we did a little shopping and a lot of browsing before giving up and heading for the condo. It was time for a nap.
We lounged around the condo until Jeff and Robin showed up, then we all changed clothes and prepared to leave for dinner. We were meeting a large group of people Jeff has become acquainted with over the last few years, along with Robert Kibbe, our dear friend and the owner of the first SEMA car Jeff built.
Jeff ordered a Lyft car and we piled in. Dinner was at Battista’s Hole In The Wall and as we pulled out into traffic, our driver told us how the place got it’s name. Apparently, the restaurant, which has been open since the 60’s, was the frequent lunch spot for a group of gangsters who would eat there before heading out to rob banks and jewelry stores. To enter their targeted buildings, they would blow a hole in the back wall. They became known as the Hole in the Wall gang.
The restaurant was packed when we entered, and the music and voices raised in conversation and laughter assaulted the ears. The atmosphere was completely unpretentious, walls covered in years and years of collected memorabilia from law enforcement patches to autographed pictures of celebrities. I loved it! We were set up at a table for 20 where we all chose seats and perused the menu, which is posted on the wall. With each entrée you are provided a carafe of red and white house wine, minestrone or salad, and your meal comes included with a cappuccino to finish things off. The waiters were frighteningly efficient, and in no time at all, we were shoveling in really excellent Italian food. My spaghetti and meatballs was, hands-down, the best I’d ever eaten!
The party eventually broke up, but we weren’t done for the night just yet. Jeff wanted to go check out Freemont Street, so we called for another Lyft and off we went. If we thought the restaurant was loud, we were soon feeling nostalgic for the serenity we had just left behind. The air throbbed with the noise of competing rock bands and the fans enjoying their music. With the lights flashing and the music blasting, it was a full-on sensory assault.
We waded in, heads swiveling on our necks, trying to take it all in as we walked. If our day hadn’t already been so full of activity, we may have enjoyed it more, but after a few minutes, we had seen enough and called for another car to take us back.
As soon as we were through the door of the condo we separated and fell into bed, exhausted but satisfied, having enjoyed a really great day!
More to come!
Lori
No comments have been added yet.
