overnight layovers suck anywhere, if you don't have a hotel, even in vegas. i rented a car, the plan being that i would eat somewhere, maybe drive around to a couple casinos and check out the sights, and then take a nap in the car. everything was OK, up until i tried taking a nap in the car. couldn't. too f'ing hot. it was like 100 degrees outside at 3am, and i didn't want to leave my car running with the AC on.
so i decide to just go back to the airport, 3 hours after renting the car. i drove the car back to the car rental place.. and i got a little concerned cuz it looked like all the car rental places were closed. i didn't check whether advantage (where i rented from) was 24 hours or whatever.. but, thank God, it turned out to be the only 24-hr car rental place there. i was literally thanking God after i returned the car, cuz i hadn't planned on returning the car at 3 in the morning, and i didn't know that advantage was open 24hrs. i don't know what i would've done.. i guess just drive around, maybe try to sleep again. but man, that would've sucked. instead, i just slept inside the car rental place. lots of couches and whatnot.
so now i'm at the airport, 2 hours early, sitting at gate B19.
something i found out last night while prowling the streets (haha) was that aladdin is now planet hollywood. here's how i found out. i wanted to eat at this restaurant that wendi and i ate at last year.. i forget the name, but their menus looked like cheesecake factory menus, and the food was substantial and good. i remembered that it was right across the street from bellagio, but i couldn't remember the name of the hotel. i just knew that the same hotel had the spice market buffet, and there were ramps leading up from the strip to the casino doors. so yeah, i figured i was in the right place, cuz i saw both of those things. but the inside looked totally different, and new. i thought maybe i was in the wrong place.. maybe it was at the venetian, or something. so i try walking north on the strip.. but i forgot how far away the venetian was from the bellagio. so when i reach monte carlo, i turn back.
little side story while i'm heading back. i am waiting to cross an intersection, and i notice a lady next to me who is by herself. she's pretty, and older (was that predictable?), but not like blatantly hot or whatever. she just looked nice and kind, with a motherly look, sorta, yet attractive. anyway. so we're crossing the intersection, and suddenly these two guys start badgering her about how she's "got the goods" or whatever. i don't know whether the two guys knew each other. but basically they were hitting on her, or making propositions, or something. the lady just tried to get away.. moved off to the side and continued walking, trying to ignore and escape them at the same time. there wasn't a scene or anything, it was just something i happened to notice. well eventually she got away, and i almost asked her whether she was ok, but figured she would think i was part of a scheme for a 4-some (the worst kind, at that.. gross).. but i was left wondering, do guys just hang out at intersections and look for women who are alone, and then start hitting on them? i wonder what their success rate is.
ok back to planet hollywood. i'm back there again, and i wander around, scoping out the hot cocktail waitresses (again, predictable? i'm so lame), and i see a restaurant called planet dailies. they have an interactive menu at the entrance, so i check it out, and decide to eat there. while i'm waiting in line to be seated, i ask the greeter how long this place has been here, and said that i could've swore it was a different place last year. and that's when she told me that it used to be the aladdin. shazzam. that explained everything. ok, that's the end of that boring story. food was good, place was nice, atmosphere was chill. they played some catchy music. during this trip to the east coast, i heard two versions of rihanna - umbrella. the first one i heard was like a regular mix, which isn't bad, and this one i heard at planet dailies was a dance version. i don't like the dance version. it sounds like she is saying "armed beretta."
another side story from while i'm walking back to planet hollywood. there were a bunch of guys who were trying to pass out cards for "hot chicks delivered to you in 20 minutes" or whatever. i just walk by them cuz they are annoying, slapping their cards and whatnot. so i walk by one, and i hear the guy mutter something about "ah, chino" (he was latino.. actually all of them were), as if the reason i was not accepting a card was because i was "chinese". that made no sense to me.
anyway, i am now very sleepy. harry potter later today.. hope i'm awake for it.