It's 7:58 p.m., and the daytime has just finished conferring briefly with the approaching darkness. California is the only state I know of thus far where the daylight and the night sky meet amicably ever so briefly in the evening at this time of year.
If I had a car, and a confident sense of direction, I would go on an impromptu trip to Las Vegas right now, sure that America's Best Value Inn off the Strip, on Tropicana Avenue, next to Hooter's, would have a room available. An hour and 37 minutes, according to MapQuest, from here to Victorville where Richie's Real American Diner is, and I'd stop there for something big. Maybe a steak, maybe that five-count stack of pancakes, as big as the dinner plate they serve it on. Definitely a shake to accompany whatever it would be.
Then off to Vegas, nearly three hours to get there. I wouldn't mind driving in the dark. I'd get there around 2 or 3 a.m., hopefully get that room at America's Best Value Inn, and then crash until about 10 or 11 a.m., ready to start the day in Vegas. A late breakfast first and then hedonistic exploration. Caesar's Palace, the Luxor, the MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay, to the high-scale restaurant row they have there, which has my favorite architectural design that I would live in if I could. I would actually put a bed there, a bookcase, a big-screen TV provided there was an electrical outlet close enough, a DVD player, I would.
I would undoubtedly go off the Strip as well. I'd want to see if the Eastside Cannery casino on Boulder Highway improved since our first visit. It appears they've gotten rid of Sweet Lucy's Tableside Buffet, which never worked, not even from the start. You'd get tossed salad and homemade potato chips at the start, then order your entrees from the table, as many as you'd like, or as many times as you could get the waiter to your table. Fortunately, we had a friendly waiter, so it was easy. But the food was too salty and not at all to anyone's taste. An unimaginative chef in that kitchen. I can see why the casino closed the place and reopened it as Cannery Row Buffet. The more foot traffic you can get there, the more people that eat and move on and the more people you can get in rather than sitting at the table, waiting. And I'm sure the food would get to the buffet faster as well. No individual orders to keep tabs on for many tables, no hassle.
I'd need a Las Vegas Review-Journal too. Can't visit Vegas without that, and despite the steady downfall of newspapers across the country, the Review-Journal and the Las Vegas Sun will not falter, because that's all there is in the DESERT. That's what keeps those two newspapers alive. You can't get news from anywhere else about Las Vegas. The sales will always stay level.
I'd also want to see if the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio is still the best in Las Vegas, though I'd save that for dinner. More than enough to eat to carry me through the evening, and a late-night snack, though I don't know where that would be. A lot of options, though.
And seeing The Amazing Johnathan at the Harmon Theater near the Miracle Mile Shops. There we go. That would be a perfect impromptu trip.
But I've never been that adventurous, so my mind will make the effort for me.
