Our time in Vegas is quickly nearing the end as we head into the final couple days. This morning Chris and Jennifer flew out at 7am while more fellow Newfoundlanders arrived as friends and fellow pool players Amber and Marilyn arrived with their partners. They weren't here for pool but to take in a concert conveniently taking place at the same time!

Once checked into their hotel rooms at the Flamingo we all headed over to In-N-Out Burgers for lunch. This place still amazes me, it's super busy but is run like a little factory. Despite over 30 guests ahead of us we had our food in less than ten minutes and it was delicious.

Brad, Marilyn and Amber headed off to do some touring around while Sandra, Rod and I made our way over to the Fashion Show Mall for a look around.

One store I never expected to find was an Olight brick and mortar location! I've been using their lights for years and conveniently picked up a charger for my seeker.

After a quick tour of the camping section at Dick's Sporting Goods we started to make our way out.

Our next stop was Caesars. This was Rod's first time to Vegas and such a trip couldn't be had without a visit to such a Vegas icon.

"Excuse me, you probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesars Palace is it. Did umm...did Caesar live here?!?!"

Next stop on today's walking tour was another must see legendary Vegas icon, the Bellagio.

The conservatory at the Bellagio is always spectacular and changes multiple times throughout the year.

The current display is "Springtime Symphony: Music in Motion" which features moving displays, stained glass centerpieces, Faberge style eggs and thousands of flowers.

Lobby of the Bellagio.

Leaving the Bellagio we hopped on the Southbound DEUCE and rode all the way to the South Transfer Station. Here we picked up the 217w which would take us on a short ride over to the Silverton Casino which is conveniently attached to the local massive Bass Pro Shops.

As per usual, Sandra checked out the casino while I accompanied by Rod did a thorough tour of Bass Pro.

It's always a fantastic opportunity not so much to purchase but to at least get a hands on feel for different items we may consider ordering in the future. Everything from fishing reels, the latest GPS units, firearms, clothing, coyote callers and so much more.

I did manage to find a few odds and ends to bring home, I would have loved to bring home a couple of these buckets for Bassan who is a bucket connoisseur.

Didn't buy these but they're pretty epic.

A favourite restaurant for Sandy and I when visiting the Silverton is the Sundance Grill. They made some changes recently to the menu, disappointingly my favourite Italian sandwich was no longer listed. However I did order a corned beef Ruben sandwich which was truly epic.

Sandy ordered the Philly cheese steak which was also amazing.

Meanwhile Rod ordered the daily special turkey dinner. This was a true standout, it was definitely by far the most tender and moist turkey breast I've ever tried!

When we got back to the Horseshoe, Sandy met up with Chris and Jennifer while Rod and I made our way over to the pavilion between the Linq and Harrah's to meet up with Brad.

On stage at the Carnival Court stage was an awesome band Spandex Nation. They were super talented rocking out classic hard rock all night, even performing songs by request!

The concert finished up around 12:30am and we hung out shooting the crap for about an hour before calling it a night.

Due to ongoing issues with housekeeping not servicing our room, Sandra and I were granted a late checkout which worked out well for getting everything packed up for the journey home. Our flight wasn't due to leave until 11pm so once checked out we still had a full day to finish off our trip.

One final hotel room view :(

After dropping our luggage off at the porter Sandra, Rod and I headed back to the Miracle Mile Shops for breakfast. Today we went back to Flights as the breakfast special was over at our favourite restaurant LaSalsa Cantina. We each ordered the breakfast special and I ordered the pancakes with blueberry dressing for the table.

After breakfast Sandra wanted to check out a few stores Southbound down towards the MGM. We opted to walk taking in a few extra shops alonog our way to Target and Burlington's.

Our last supper in Vegas ended up being a real bonus. Earlier in the week we noticed signs at the Miracle Mile Shops stating opening soon: Soul Belly southern style BBQ in the food court. Well today we discovered it was actually open and we couldn't leave without giving it a try.

Rod and I both had the Texas Cheesesteak, which is slow smoked beef brisket topped with onion, peppers, spicy BBQ sauce and cheese. For sides we both chose the mac-n-cheese. The meal was truly epic, and after so many great meals all week it was fantastic to end the trip on top!

At 8pm it was time to grab our bags from the Porter, hail a taxi and head to the airport to begin our journey home.

Thankfully this time everything went smooth and a few hours later we touched down in Toronto where we cleared customs.

There was a small mix up in booking the trip as Sandra and I were on a different flight than Rod for the next leg to Montreal. LoL Thankfully we had a three hour stop over there so Rod had plenty of time to meet back up with us for the final leg home to YYT.

Home again home again baggage and all! Huge thanks to Tash for offering to pick us up from the airport!

Home again to two very sooky boys. Huge thanks to Bassan for taking such good care of the boys while we were away, to neighbour Dan who braved the early morning hours to get us to the airport at the start of this epic adventure, and Dad who looked after the company phones while I was away.

All in all this was really and truly a trip of a lifetime. It was fantastic to visit the APA Championships for the first time, to be there for Rod's first trip to Vegas, and to create so many lifetime memories all week long. This is a trip that none of us will ever forget.

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith