When Buzzy and I toured Monaco, our tour guide pointed out the famous Monte Carlo casino but noted that admission was not part of the tour. However, for roughly a $5 fee we could go in and check it out to which Buzzy said “I’ll pass.” Usually I’d follow his lead on these decisions but decided to pay the admission fee and go in.
Glad I did because as we entered the big room, there before us was a full up card game going on just like you see in those James Bond movies. This was at two o’clock in the afternoon with the men in tuxes, beautiful women in gowns, dealers raking in chips, and dour looking pit bosses overseeing things. No photo’s were allowed and we were quickly ushered into a rear room where the slot machines were waiting to take our contributions. It was something to see.
When I came outside, Buzzy asked me how it was. I tried to play it down so as not to make him think he missed something cool. Nonetheless he said, “I could kick myself in the ass for not doing it. What’s $5 when I’ll never get to see this again.” Thereafter, whenever we would be somewhere and it required a fee or a surcharge to see or do something and he would hesitate, I could always sway him into doing it by saying simply “Monte Carlo.” He’d just smile and fork over the fee as he’d learned a lesson that when you get a chance to do something, you do it.