Every decade since his 40th, Steve has celebrated his big birthday in Las Vegas surrounded by family and friends. His 60th birthday was on February 14, 2025, and this party was the biggest one yet. We are grateful to the 28 people who came from all parts of the country to join the festivities.
We arrived on Thursday to get settled into our suite at the Flamingo Hotel. Since we had lots of supplies and things to set up, we wanted to have a day’s headstart on the party. Some of our favorite people arrived on Thursday too, so we started with a few drinks to warm up. Thanks to Mitch, Lauren, Caleb, Larry, and Tom for carrying everything from the parking garage to the room so the party could get started!
That first evening we had dinner at Havana 1957, the Cuban restaurant at the hotel, with more of our favorite people. Joined by Sam, Kunio, Michelle, and Mitch, we had a great dinner and even better conversations.
Steve just had to start his actual birthday early on Friday morning with a free Grand Slam breakfast.
But, the real party started with a Friday night happy hour in our suite. We were overwhelmed by the energy everyone brought. For over two hours, this special group of people met and mingled like they’d all known each other for years. From cousins to RV friends and from family to neighbors, this group came from every corner of our lives (and the country). Having everyone in one room was so heartwarming.
Saturday began with an informal breakfast gathering before everyone set out on their own to explore Las Vegas. Thanks to Judy Green for supplying so many options for breakfast. Again, more laughs and great conversations.
Saturday’s main event started with another happy hour to warm up for our group dinner at Battista’s Hole in the Wall. Happy hour allowed us all to gather the group before walking together to dinner.
Nearly 40 years ago, Steve and I found Battista’s in the yellow pages and were drawn to the landmark restaurant by the offer of free wine. It’s still one of our favorite places in Vegas. It’s always a loud place and was even louder since we were seated in a room with a youth hockey team. Talk about an energetic room!
We hope everyone enjoyed their dinner and the warm company of our group. Battista’s is not gourmet, but we sure enjoyed sharing it with our wonderful family and friends.
Mark your calendar for the weekend of February 14, 2035 when we’ll gather again to celebrate Steve when he turns 70!
Then, we drove along Lakeshore Road around the lake. The best stop was at the Redstone Trail where we all took the easy hike among incredible sandstone formations. Even Mia loved the hike!
Now it’s a really cool trail perched above the lake that takes you through five tunnels carved through the rocks. It’s just east of the road we’ve driven to Las Vegas for many years and we never knew it was there. We were told to watch for bighorn sheep but had no luck.
Marnie and Steve Travel 