#4 Moving sideways…

The front desk at Delano was busy, but the line was moving along not too badly.  Kodi was looking for ‘her’ gal that had checked her in, but she wasn’t there, even though she said she’d be working that morning.  Oh well, she figured any of the clerks would be able to help her. She had a paper bill printed, and thanked the gentleman …and then when the fellow began to turn away said “Excuse me, I’d also like to check into Mandalay Bay.  She told him about her preference for location, and about needing a medical fridge.  He said there was a room ready for her, with everything she asked for…..for an extra $50 early check in fee. It was 11:15 . Official check in time was 4:00 but he said some rooms might be available at 2:00 p.m. for no extra charge.  Kodi found it so annoying that , when a room was cleaned and ready for occupancy, that they did this now, especially since she was a current guest.   Since the room was very close to the elevators, she asked if he could possibly put a hold on it for her. Nope.  She’d just have to hope there was a similar one when she checked in.

Well,  Toos and Kodi began their lonnng walk to the Mandalay Bay lobby, rolling, and sometimes dragging their cases over smooth, and then carpeted surfaces.   It was a beautiful, large space, and at the far end there were some couches and a few chairs. 

There was a line snaking towards the front desk,  and Kodi took a  photo then,  but it didn’t turn out, so got one later in the day, when it wasn’t particularly busy.   

 

Toos thankfully sunk into a seat on the couch. Well, actually she was thankful to sit, but not to sink.   Kodi helped her up,  and then she tried a chair by the window, which was considerably firmer and more comfortable. There was a beautiful view of the garden area behind her, and people were posing next to her, to capture it in their photos.

They had decided to ‘people watch’ for a while, rather than pay for an early check in, and it really wasn’t that difficult to fill the couple of hours they were there, watching some interesting and strange scenarios.  Some of these taking multiple selfies were either ‘influencers’ or thought they were. And a few would-be fashion models used the lovely space to take 30 or more shots of themselves for the latest portfolio…LOL   

One hip young couple spoke Italian while they took turns posing. An older gentleman approached them and offered to take a couple of shots of them together.  The fellow said….”no, no ….my sister”, using hand gestures. Shortly after he left, they took some couples selfies that were far from sibling shots, involving tongues, haha.

Kodi noticed that there were only a couple of dozen bodies in line at 1:30, so she took a chance and waited to speak to a clerk.  It worked, and they actually were  up in their room by 2:00.

The room was very similar to the bedroom portion of the Delano suite.  They still had a nice sized vanity and two sinks, so had lots of room to spread their things out….don’t be picturing too many lotions and creams, or makeup…but rather, medications, LOL.

They had a nice view of the pool area…and it no longer looked 5 miles away . They were only two doors from the elevators.  The mini fridge arrived quickly, and they also had a keurig there, with the same set up as previously.

Since they were staying 5 nights, Kodi unpacked most of her stuff, and they filled the safe with the things they  needed to keep secure.  Sadly, Kodi’s ‘Take Home Envelope’ was still empty.  Any time she hit a bonus or jackpot over $100, it was supposed to be tucked in there, to prevent her from going home completely broke ( since she was charging a few things on her U.S. credit card, and would have to pay that off, somehow.)

They headed downstairs to play for a couple of hours and then had arranged to meet at the foot of the escalators that led up to Mandalay Place, and the Pizza restaurant they had seen up there during their walk,  the previous day.  

SLICE of VEGAS turned out to be a great choice!  Eating mostly low carb at home, Kodi hadn’t had a retail pizza in a year.  They decided to share a supreme (12”) and Toos had a cola, and Kodi water.  Never a ‘crust eater’, Kodi devoured the one on this pizza.   It was SO tasty.   The pepperoni had the most perfect little curls, the toppings were adequate and evenly placed ( so important when you are splitting a pie, to avoid fist fights) and the service was friendly and efficient.  She rated it a 9/10,  (only because Kodi is pretty sure it must have been just an 11 inch pizza, since she would have enjoyed one more tiny slice, to be perfectly content. ) Bravo,  Slice of Vegas!

Dinner came with entertainment as well.  There was one of the ‘perfect eye cream’ and make-up places across from the restaurant.  From their table, they could see the kind and lovely young ladies stopping passing female walkers, with samples and a wee chat, and an invitation into the store to relax for a while.  Once there, dapper, smooth -talking young gentlemen took over the care and cultivation of the ladies who had been invited to sit and chat about their aging and beauty issues.   Once one side of their face had been treated, and made absolutely radiant, (judging by the reaction of the smiling young men who were occasionally seen to swoon over the difference in the victim’s ( um , client’s) skin,)  the high pressure sales pitch began.  99% of the now  partially transformed gals escaped with their wallets intact.  Being in Vegas, Toos and Kodi began to make bets about which ones would fall for the slick sales pitch.  When someone would leave the store, with no purchase , but with a portion of their face creamed or hi lighted, Kodi would exclaim “Oh look…half of her is so beautiful now!” 😂

Back in the casino, they played for a couple of hours with no notable wins, but Kodi at least stayed solvent until bedtime.

They decided that they’d get a hot drink and pastries at Hazel Coffee and Cocktails, near the elevators the next morning, and then finally make their way to the Mandalay pools, which seemed within reach now, since it was supposed to be ‘only’ 104F…and perhaps they could get out early enough that it would be cooler than that.

 

D