#2 How much does Kodi have to eat?!

When traveling to Vegas with Tom, Kodi was used to having two meals a day. They would often have a coffee/juice at a machine first thing, and then have brunch later, or a snack at lunchtime and then an early buffet dinner.  Toos  however, had to eat more often to keep her blood sugar from crashing, so Kodi for the most part, ate when she did.

She had read about Della’s Kitchen in the tips she’d been given about staying at the Mandalay hotels. ( One casino serves both hotels…and the Four Seasons as well). It offered that newish concept of “Farm to Table”, and was open for breakfast and early lunch.   

They were up very early, still on East Coast time.  There was only a small line , and with two hostesses seating people, they were looking at their menus 5 minutes after arriving.  Today, they met lovely LIZ, who would become their favourite server and actually favourite employee during the trip.  The restaurant was a hive of activity, with most tables were full, and speed and efficiency was evident in any direction they looked.  There was no problem getting a second plate for the breakfast platter of two eggs house made  sausage or bacon, roasted potatoes or tomatoes, and toast, with house made  apple spread, and butter.  The coffee was excellent, and service super.  When they left, they told Liz they’d see her the next day.

The pool plan was shelved when they discovered that it was 114F outside.  Instead, they moved around the casino, checking out machines ( all losing ones apparently) and getting their bearings, noting landmarks, for restaurant and restroom locations.  Baileys and coffees went down well, and then Toos mentioned she was going on the hunt for a banana. Since she’s a single lady, Kodi decided not to be judgmental….because even though they were sharing a bedroom, they each had their own queen bed.  She did find one in the market store, but wasn’t happy that it cost $2.50 and wasn’t very ripe.  Kodi thought to herself  “ But isn’t firmer better?”

Well, it seems that she had bad leg cramps during the previous night,  and eats a banana every day at home to increase her potassium and help with that problem.  Kodi suggested that she save the banana for a day, letting it get a bit riper, and try some tonic water as it has quinine, which helps with cramping muscles.  She’d never heard of that. She also said that many people have it with gin, since it not very palatable on its own.  Toos sat down next to her and immediately ordered a gin and tonic!  She had one every day after that, and also got bananas whenever she could find them.  No more cramps during the night, while they were there.

Because they had eaten breakfast so early, they needed to look for food again ( a coke or protein bar kept Toos going for a short while) by 1 p.m.

Walking around, they decided to try the Seabreeze Cafe.  It was another restaurant that was only open until 2 p.m.   This beautiful space is where the buffet was in the days before Covid.  They were seated at a round table near a a future bride and her gaggle of girls.  They had been there for a while, celebrating , and a couple of them were now boisterous and loud. (One of the prettiest gals had a laugh like a hyena .) No problem in the scheme of things, since Kodi and Toos could chat later…but one of the quiet girls  turned towards Kodi a couple of times and mouthed ‘sorry’.

Prices here, like everywhere they’d checked were quite high.  Toos and Kodi each had a bowl of ‘homemade’ chicken noodle soup. They split a BLT ($18) and added a coffee and a tea, as the room was chilly (according to Kodi).  The food was delicious, and the service excellent. It was a $50 lunch, so they kept the resort credit for another breakfast and just split the bill.

 

(The soup was not as thick as it looks here, but Kodi overdid the crackers.  For some reason, she thought she had to use ALL of them. 😆😏)

Later that evening, they got a tuna sandwich from the express Market store ( that sold bananas!) and had it with a Baileys and coffee at the machines.

Toos found her gambling budget wasn’t lasting as she’d hoped.  The longest she had spent in a casino before this was 4-5 hours.  With it being so hot out, and the machines showing a distinct preference for the gamblers either side of them who were risking $5-$20 with every push, it looked like it was going to be a day for watching Women’s Tennis and napping.  Kodi suggested they play a bit of Keno for 25cents a turn, and Toos had never played it before, so was keen to preserve the little she had left in her envelope at 3 p.m.  She played 4 numbers and hit a couple of times, then accidentally played 2 quarters, and won 182 quarters .  

She quickly put that in her wallet, so she could play a little a over the evening . Off to the room they went for a couple of hours, while deciding where to eat that night. They played a bit, with absolutely no luck, so dragged themselves upstairs after sharing their sandwich.  It was only 9 p.m. but midnight East Coast time, so they were moving automatically at that point.  They got off the elevator, went to the room, and the key wouldn’t work. Oh, geez…Kodi couldn’t face having to go back downstairs to get the keys reprogrammed.  They groaned and headed back towards the elevator.  As they reached the elevator lobby, something occurred to Kodi and she chuckled.  They had got off the elevator and instead of turning left, they had gone straight down the corridor to room 904.  Their room was 804.  They both hooted all the way to the room….and an hour later were sleeping, full of relaxing endorphins, and melatonin released by the laughter.

The next morning they relaxed in the room for an hour, and enjoyed their keurig brews,  eating protein bars, with Kodi texting Tom,  and Toos daughter with a few tidbits from their trip so far.  They ate a late breakfast at Della’s Kitchen again, asking for a table in Liz’s section ,and and sharing the same meal, with one exception.  Kodi coyly batted her eyes and asked if they could skip the potatoes on the plate, and instead have two pieces of toast. With a big smile, Liz said she probably would be able to do that for them.  The meal was out really quickly, and once again hit the spot and was plenty for the two of them.  This was the second time that they put the food charge on the room ( giving Liz a cash tip) towards the resort credit.  

They noticed a number of gentlemen who were attending conventions, eating in groups and saw that a few left their tab with a takeaway coffee.  Kodi asked Liz if they could do that as well.  It was nice having that at the machines once they arrived at the casino… which they went to, using a new route that Kodi had read about online.

They went out the Valet entrance into the parking garage, and along a nicely tiled walkway, and then into Mandalay Bay, next to some restaurants.  It also gave them a chance to check the outside temperature…which was 110F and definitely not going to work for them .  Well, the idea was to relax and enjoy being together, gamble a little, and people watch for the weekend. After being unable to be out and about for nearly 3 years, it felt good. So far they were on track.  The population of the hotel and casino had swelled overnight, which was to be expected on a holiday Weekend .  The only place it seemed impossible to move sometimes, was in the corridor between Delano and the casino, where the Michael Jackson Theatre was. It still didn’t feel as crowded as Kodi had always found it at Centre Strip during past trips.

The day was spent slow-playing, putting $20s in, winning $30 , losing $40. You know how it can go.  They both went upstairs to rest and refresh ( and for Toos to eat half a banana, lol) at around 3 p.m. 

The rest of the evening, was once again, unremarkable, and they had another early night.

At 3 a.m. Kodi discovered the value of having the second powder room.  Lots of light, and being a fair distance from the bedroom made it perfect for reading Facebook, and Messenger  without any chance of disturbing her Roomie.