livin' on the strip: nights v – ix

It's already Day 3 of Leg II of Livin' On The Strip and it's...well, it's something. What started as an unpredictable adventure is now closely resembling a hostage situation. I guess we'll just have to leave it at that. The venerable, old Imperial Palace is serving as the host site of this second leg of the tour. And, be "venerable" and "old," I mean OLD AND OLD AND BEATEN DOWN AND OLD!

Gone is the opulence of the stately Bella Suite at the Palazzo. Only to be replaced by a small, standard-sized room on the sixth floor, overlooking a parking garage and what might be remnants of a crime scene.

You call this a palace? My room at the Imperial freakin' Palace.

I'm hardly a snob. But after enjoying the comforts of the Palazzo—flat-screen HDTV, monstrous bathroom, a comfortable, king-size bed and complimentary bathrobe—it's really hard to look past peeling wallpaper and highly suspicious stains in the carpet. This is why I chose to not take up an offer from a friend to borrow a black light for my five-night excursion at the IP. Sometimes, just sometimes, the devil you don't see under a black light is MUCH BETTER than being cursed with the knowledge of what REALLY happened over in that corner by the night stand.

I really don't know where the stain begins or ends. I really don't.

Keep me in your thoughts this week, folks.