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Trip Report July 2012
Day 1So the plane landed at LAS...
As I walked through the terminal I told myself "Do not look at the sad faces!" and I booked it! I made my way to the tram like an average New Yorker trying to catch a train, I was the first person on and the first person off. I grabbed my bag from the carousel and headed to the taxi line. I jumped in the cab and the driver asked where I was going. So I deployed a new "no tunnel please" variation. I said "take Swenson please (pause while he looked back at me) to the Flamingo." He said "Is there really any other way to go?" Then he started trash-talking the bad cabbies who tunnel people. Now there was traffic, but we got to the Flamingo and the fare was $16, so I tipped him $5 making it a nice $21, always a good number (my flight number was 711 btw, after my original flight got cancelled because of storms at JFK. I was put on flight 711 which they thought would be cancelled also, but it wasn't, and ended up being the only flight that made it to Vegas while the rest were cancelled).
I headed straight to the Total Rewards line, and got my card. I don't know why I was so enthusiastic but I was. I said "I know all about these because I did my research online, I just want to pick up my card." I handed her my ID, she said "You're the best customer I had all day!"
She gave me two cards and when I noticed the little hole on the bottom I asked where I can get one of those slot card keychain coil cord things like the old ladies have, and she said I can get one at the gift shop.
I went to the check-in line which was short and quick. Then again it was almost about 10:30pm on a Wednesday. I had requested a King but only a double queen was available which was no bother to me at all, sometimes you just don't get your bed request. The service was great, I payed everything in cash upfront and waived my room charging priveledges. Everything was no problem.
I went upstairs to my room, it was nice and clean. Using some technical know-how I was able to over-ride the preset 74 degrees for the a.c. unit and bring it down to 69. I did it the same way they would have if someone was sent to my room to do it for me, right out of the manual which I found online.
I made a quick room tour video:
At this point I realised I hadn't eaten in 15 hours.
I headed downstairs and food was the first thing on my mind, so I went to the food court and ate at Johnny Rockets. It really hit the spot.
After that I wanted to try the amber beer at Sin City Brewing, I stopped off at the gift shop and got myself a keychain coil cord for my TR card. I went to Sin City Beer, ordered the amber and played some VP to start getting my game on! I popped in $20 and played it up and down til there was nothing to cash out.
I took a walk to the casino and played electronic craps, I still have the "Hit the button! C'mon! Hit the button!!" in my head from that.
Since I knew I would end up finishing my night at the Flamingo I headed out to the strip. I went to IP to see how it's going with the construction and all.
Some internal construction walls were up but didn't feel intrusive. The walk from Flamingo to Harrah's was not as cramped as I expected it to be considering the construction walkway they had in place. I slot-hopped (hopping from slot to slot just based on whatever happens to catch my eye) at Harrah's
for a bit, small wins here and there. I got myself a $1 Michelob at Casino Royale, just so I can say I did. I played U-Spin and had small
wins. I headed to the Mirage and signed up for a MLife card via a pitboss as the player's club was closed.
There was no hole in the card for my keychain coil cord, I was wondering if I'd be able to remember that it was in a machine before I left that machine.
I wondered why they didn't come with a hole in it being that it seems so convenient on the total rewards cards.
I played Super Super Respin and had small wins which I played into U-Spin, small wins there so I cashed out and played into another machine, something with Pandas on it.
I also played Vegas Hits slot since I have the app for it on my ipod touch. John O'Hurley does the narration, so it's like Mr. Peterman from Seinfeld is cheering you on. It was cool, small wins here and there which I used for CW tips.I headed back out to the strip and remembered that I hadn't been to T.I before, so I went in and
played Zues III. Zeus was not very kind to me, not kind at all, not kind. I headed back to the Flamingo. I played LOTR and WOZ, the good witch gave me $40. I ended the night playing VP at Bugsy's Bar, I got a full house. Thus ended my first night of the trip, I was in bed by 5am.
Day 2
I woke up at 11am, earlier than I thought I would. I flipped the sheers and drapes switches and enjoyed my view:
I made coffee with the in-room coffee maker, not bad. Didn't seem very caffeinated (or I was just very tired). Personally I don't see the importance of having coffee in the room. When I'm in Vegas, I like my coffee with milk, sugar and a slot machine. For the rest of my trip all morning coffees were enjoyed in a casino area.
Matt Goss - Lovely Las Vegas was playing on the touristy channel at the Flamingo (channel 30 amongst a few others). I like the touristy channels that are all vegas-y with ads for shows and dining. Anyways, I have to say I am really liking this "Lovely Las vegas" song:
Go ahead and listen to it, it'll give you good Vegas vibes. It's ok I'll wait :)
I kept the In-Mirror-TV on as I showered because I just love hearing all those Vegas-y ads. The jets in the shower were awesome! After getting dressed, I pretty much finished my coffee and just looked out the window and enjoyed the view, just taking it all in that I am in Vegas. No bosses, no deadlines, no work stress. I'm in my happy place :)
Today is the day my buddy Gilbert arrives from L.A. It was because of him that I was introduced to Las Vegas back in 2009 when we were housemates in California. So every year since we've returned for an annual trip. This is now our 4th. He will be staying at the Venetian, which is where we stayed my first time in Vegas, so I'm looking forward to heading over there later to see if the rooms have changed much.
As I was about to leave my room, fire alarm testing began:
I was notified by a note that was waiting for me in my room when I checked in, so I wasn't "alarmed" at all. Shot a quick vid (above) and headed out. I went on a walk, I managed to find a $1 water boy under the pedestrian bridge. I gave him a buck, got me a water and went on my way. I ended up at Bally's, so I went in and walked around. Very well ventilated when I was there. I went to Nathan's and had a coffee. Walked out of Bally's from the side off the strip on Flamingo Rd, and saw the Stage Door. I made a mental note to stop there either this trip or next. It was interesting to see Vegas from a bit off the strip, not something I'm used to.
I walked through Bills where a Blues Brothers group was performing, they were very good! I went to the Flamingo and played Super Respin, I won a bonus round which gave me $40 so I cashed out and saved it for later. I headed to the pedestrian bridge and saw "Lucky" from O'Sheas working the crowd to come into Bill's for drinks and games. I'm glad to see he is still employed even minus the leprechaun suit.
I arrived at the Forumn Shops at Caesars and got a coupon book from the concierge. I really liked the decor of the forum shops. I payed $5.36 for a Gatorade, rediculously overpriced of course but when you're depleted of needed vitamins and minerals you will pay $5.36 for a 20 ounce gatorade, and they know it. I saw Dick Butkis signing autographs, and I thought to myself what a funny name Dick Butkis is. I kept on walking when I noticed the spiral escalators!
I couldn't believe there were spiral escalators! I didn't think this was possible! Well, I learned something new.
It was time to head over to the Venetian where Gilbert would be arriving. I arrived at the Venetian, sat and played a slot for a bit when my girlfriend texted me a picture of my dog Sundae.
I often worry about Sundae when I'm away but my girlfriend assured me that both her and Sundae were fine :)
I texted Gilbert and he met me at the elevators. We went upstairs for the traditional toast to the annual Vegas adventure. Turns out he was in the same room we were in on our first Vegas adventure. I filled up the ice bucket (just like the first time) and we chilled the champagne and then toasted. "To being back in Vegas, cheers!" We caught up over pictures of our dogs (our dogs used to be housemates too), and then Gilbert mentioned he had a surprise for me...in less than an hour we would be seeing Blue Man Group!
We headed downstairs to the theater and were seated. Third row, near the center, complimentary poncho. Great great show, much better than I expected! I highly recommend it! We then went to Zefferino's, a nice Italian restaurant overlooking the Grand Canal Shoppes. I had the...umm...you know I forget what it was called. It was some pasta with sauce and cubed mozzerella cheese. It was fresh and delicious. we left Zefferino's and went outside and Carnivale was in full affect! There were 3 women playing 1 Viola, 2 violins and there were dancers and outragous costumes and guys walking around on stilts.
We went to the Flamingo, played some VP and I got flushes, full houses and a few 4OAKs. We talked shop about his buisness venture for a while. I showed him my room as he wanted to see my view (which I had bragged about), he also liked the TV in the mirror. I walked him back to the Venetian and dropped him off at the elevators. I slot-hopped there, no wins, zippo. Went to the Flamingo and played "Reel Winners". I was not a reel winner nor real winner at that machine. I walked around a bit and played L'il Red. Li'l Red sure makes a lot of noise for nothing.
I then walked a bit more and found some classic, 3 reel, non-video slots. I popped a $20 in and played max bets on quarters.....
...and this happened:
I hit a 10x|tri-bar|10x playing quarters, max bet (5 credits).
The machine made such an ongoing noise that people gathered around and congratulated me. I was sure to keep my hand just above the cash out
button incase some sneak was relying on me being distracted to take the money and run, but it didn't happen. I was surrounded by a bunch of enthusiastic ladies. The slot went for so long I had time to smoke a whole cig. When the machine stopped paying out, I said outloud "Well, guess I'll be going!" which got a few laughs as I cashed out.
I then walked over to a slot I haven't seen before, I think it was called "Cash Eclipse" or something, it had very very dramatic music. You would think Hans Zimmer composed it. I put in $20 and played it for a bit and ended up winning $160, didn't think to take a pic though. I headed over to Bugsy's Bar for a few rounds of VP, headed back up stairs and took some pics of:
My winnings of the evening, and....
Me acting "gangster" with my winnings. Though I don't think I pull it off too well.
I got to bed at 5am.
DAY 3
I woke up at 1pm, showered with Channel 30 on. "Lovely Las Vegas" played again :) I headed out to the Venetian to meet up with Gilbert.
On my way I stopped off at Harrah's Piano Bar and caught Big Elvis for a couple of songs. He was really good! He stood up for one of the songs. I was glad to see him perform as he was suggested by some fellow TA'ers, so it was on my list of things to do. At the Venetian I got an ice coffee from Café Santa Lucia. It was very good.
I met up with Gilbert, and we slot-hopped for a while before heading to Madame Tussauds wax museum. I found it to be cool...but eerie. It ended with the "scream experience" (optional). Basically the "Scream Experience" is people jumping out at you in the dark. I did not scream. The actors were good with improv though. One was like "YOURE IN MY HOUSE!!" I was like, "Well the broker said to stop by for a look around". He goes "BUT THIS IS STILL MY HOUSE!!"
After that we headed south, cutting through every casino on the way to stay cool. We grabbed some Ben & Jerry's at Harrahs on the way to the monorail. I hadn't been on the monorail since my first Vegas trip on 2009, so I wanted to see if it had changed at all. It seems much quiter now. It used to be that when you left a station, this cool happening music would kick in and there were these pre-recorded DJs with quirky little facts about the monorail system or announcing specials at resorts. Now it was more like riding the terminal tram at McCarren. I couldn't help notice that the Blue Pool always had loungers available and seemed very laid back. We got off the monorail at the MGM Grand and had a bite to eat at the food court. After that we hit up a couple of slots, one was called Super Gameshow, I hit 2 bonus rounds and left with like $30 bucks on a ticket. After that we headed to the CSI Experience.
I liked the CSI Experience, probably because I like solving problems. It gave our brains a bit of a work out. There were different elements like toxicology, records, dna, etc etc. Long story short we solved the case. I would definitley recommend this as a good afternoon activity. The $28 bucks here will last much much longer than in the slots!
After that we took the monorail to Circus Circus. Gilbert has fond memories of Circus Circus so he wanted to check it out. We spent most of the time in the Adventure Dome playing various video games, and we also played air hockey to finally break the tie we had ongoing for the last 2 years.
Gilbert won. So as of now he is the reigning champion of air hockey....until next time! *shakes fist in determination*
We headed over to the Riviera and there was a Pinball Hall of Fame, so we played some pinball and Gilbert found Outrun, where he was glued for a bit.
We then took a walk through Encore as I've never been there before, I liked it. Lots of red going on, but reminded me of a Bellagio/Venetian hybrid.
After that Gilbert suggested we eat at Terrible's for some prime rib. This was surprising as he is much more into the expensive fine dining places, so for him to mention something on the cheap end is out of character, but hey it's Vegas! We hopped in a taxi to Terrible's and the voice of Steve Wynn was there to wish us a good trip and to go check out his businesses, very clever marketing. Gilbert said Steve's voice gave him the creeps. Like he was trying to Barry White his monologue.
We arrived at Terrible's and I have to say, the $9.95 Prime Rib was delicious! The bus girl took excellent care of me by constantly checking on my water. This made me happy because after a choking incident at a restaurant in NY 2 years ago, I get very nervous if I don't have lots of water at the ready when I eat. I gave the busgirl an individual $5 tip. The waitress got a tip from both Gilbert and I.
After dinner we played some VP at Terrible's, a host came by and offered to sign me up for their player's card. At first I declined but then she told me I would get a free t-shirt! Well, I couldn't refuse that so I signed up and got this awesome shirt!
After that Gilbert and I played some old slot machines, I kept getting good spins! Gilbert swore it was because I got the player's card. I tried to explain that the card and the RNG have nothing to do with eachother...but then again...there was a way with CET to play LOTR online to unlock bonuses that you can play with your TR card at an actual slot...so...maybe they are connected somehow?
Anyways, when leaving Terrible's there was no taxi in sight. None.
So we hoofed it from there to the Flamingo. It was a long and epic journey, however I was able to see parts of Vegas I hadn't seen before.
When we got to the Flamingo, Gilbert parked himself at a slot machine, while I went upstairs and dropped off my stuff in my room. I grabbed two waters out of my fridge and headed back down to the casino.
I gave Gilbert a water and told him to hydrate, and we headed to the Mirage because Gilbert said he feels luckier at the Mirage.
On the way there, I saw a massage chair outside a restroom in Harrah's, $1 for 3 minutes? Sounds
like a plan. Wow! I have got to get one of those things! "Party Rock is in the house toniiiight" started palying at Toby Keith's and Gilbert says "Well
that's not very country!"
At the Mirage, I got bonuses on WOF, Gilbert wasn't so lucky. I kinda felt bad for him. It seemed everytime we played slots, I always did good and he always lost his money. He said let's try T.I., so we caught the little tram that goes from the Mirage to T.I. which also had lots and lots of children...at almost midnight.
At T.I. Gilbert played Super Respin "O'Dublin'" version. We were just a bit away from Senor Frogs and the music was pumpin'! "Party rock is in the houuuuse toniiiight, everybody just have a good tiiiime" started playing. He put in $20 and ran it up to $230, he was definitly having a good good time! I was happy to see him finally start winning after what seemed like constant losing streaks. Slots for me on the other hand were ok, small wins and enough to keep me entertained the whole time I was there, but nothing major. Nothing will top the $750 from the other night on this trip.
We left T.I. as Gilbert was tired, so I dropped him off at the Venetian elevators and I headed back to the Flamingo. At the Flamingo, and this is out of character for me, for some reason I decided to wander into the high limit slot area. I popped $60 into a VP, and played a $5 a hand. I forget what hand I got, but when I looked down my total was $325. I took the money and ran :) The night ended at Bugsy's Bar where I played VP to the break of dawn. I was in bed by 5:30am.
DAY 4
I was up at noon, popped on my Channel 30, showered and got ready. "Lovely Las Vegas" played again. I started getting a bit sad as this was my last full day in Vegas, but decided to pay it no mind as I'd have plenty of time to be sad on theflight back to NY. I took a couple of shots of the Bellagio Fountains from my room. It looks much better in peron, but my camera kept focusing on the screen.
I left a $10 tip for housekeeping thanking them for their service, and asked them to leave extra shampoos/conditioners so I can take some home.
At the venetian, I had my ice coffee and met up with Gilbert. Food was in order so we had breakfast at Wolfgang Pucks Postrio.
I ordered the french omelet which was tasty and quite fluffy, very well done!
We left the Venetian and headed to Caesars to slot-hop for a while. Those were some hungry slots! We planned dinner at Gallgher's at the NY NY so we thought it would be best to put ourselves towards the south side of the strip. We walked over to catch the monorail at Bally's, no escalateors going "up" worked. Epic, epic journey ensued to the monorail. It was hot. It was Africa hot! 107 (of 109) by then. We made it to the MGM Grand. The MGM Grand should be the MGM Ginormous. I slot-hopped while Gilbert played the Grease slot machine where he had popped in $20 walked away with $141.
We proceeded to Excaliber. Gilbert went to get an MLife card. I got in line as well, to ask about putting a keychain hole in my card. When my turn came up I asked the lady behind the counter "Is it possible to get this one with a hole in it?" She said "Sure!" I handed her my MLife card and she punched a hole in it! This so made my day!!! (I swear it's the little things in life that make me happy most, lol) She also gave me a keychain coil cord for it (although I just put it on the same one with my TR card and Terrible's card). I played VP while Gilbert slot-hopped. I walked away with $125 after putting in only $20.
We headed to Gallaghers at NYNY, which is a tradition since our first Vegas trip. The Cowboy Rib Eye was just heavenly-deliciously, mouth-stoppingly epic as always. The service was great and the water kept coming :) Unfortunately we were a bit rushed because we had Penn & Teller tickets for 9pm and it was already almost 8pm. I made a mental note that when I come back on a solo trip that I will plan nothing for after Gallagher's so I can take my sweet-ass time! I highly, highly recommend Gallagher's at the NY NY.
We hopped in a taxi to the Rio to see Penn & Teller. I hadn't been to the Rio before so it was good to see for the first time.
The show was great, good laughs and good tricks. They debuted a new one called "He's a Little Tea Pot". I won't spoil it though.
After the show we slot-hopped for a while, this one machine did a good job at keeping me there. It had played up and played down within the same $10 area for atleast 20 minutes. We cashed out and caught a cab over to T.I. where ofcourse the voice of Mr. Wynn was there to keep us company.
I slot-hopped all over T.I. while Gilbert was hoping to win big on the same machine from the previous night, but lady luck would not be making a re-appearance, she must have been at Senor Frogs. I played a slot that had a crooked arrow that spins at the top when you reach a bonus. I think I got like $30 out of it.
We went to Harrah's and played Hot Shot again, I got lots of tier points off that $20 bucks I popped in. Played it up and down, up and down etc etc.
After Gilbert had enough of T.I. we headed to the Venetian where we waked around a bit and slot-hopped some more. We played a 2 person version of Hot Shot which took our money twice as fast.
I dropped Gilbert off at the elevators and then headed back to my homebase, the Flamingo. I played some VP here and there and slot-hopped for most of the night.
I ended my last night as every other, at Bugsy's Bar playing VP---where I got carded! The yellow shirts were walking around asking everyone for I.D. and then they put an orange sticky paper bracelet on me to prove my "21 or over"-ness.
When you have hairy arms, those sticky wrist-bands are a bitch to take off.
After my final round of VP and tipping the bartenders, I headed upstairs to my room. Housekeeping got my note about the extra shampoos and stuff :)
I packed up my clothes and decided to take some pics of the room.
I was in bed by 5:30am.
Day 5 - Departure Day
I woke up at 9:30am. I was sad, as today is the day I leave Vegas. Popped on my Channel 30, showerd and got ready to go. "Lovely Las vegas" played again. I made a quick walk-through video of the room.
I did digital check-out which was a breeze. I headed down to the lobby and dropped my bags off at the bell desk, as it was only 10:30am and I wouldn't be heading to the airport until 3pm. I remember John from the UK mentioned in his trip report about the mango sorbet and vanilla gelato at Palio Pronto in the Bellagio, so I knew that's what I wanted to have while watching a fountain show.
I headed over to the Bellagio, and walked all around the casino, the conservatory, the lobby, the shops and just could not find the place. I asked one of the employees and she gave me directions. Long walk ensued and sure enough, at the bottom of the stairs right before you exit at Flamingo Road, (ground level, not pedestrian bridge) there it was. I had the vanailla/mango in the same cup and was mouth-stopping (the moment when you bite into something and your mouth just stops and you just have a moment of euphoria over how tasty something is). I headed over to the front center of the fountain just in time for a show to start. I'm not certain what song was playing, but it was orchestral and had no lyrics and the composer in me appreciated it. It was a nice moment.
I headed back to the Flamingo and played some VP while drinking coffee from Pink Bean. Gilbert met me there and we went to the Tropical Breeze cafe for a late breakfast. I had the filet mignon and eggs. It was tasty and hit the spot. After that we just went slot-hopping in the Flamingo. Gilbert played Flaming Red 7 and won like $200. After that we said our goodbyes, and I headed to the airport.
The ride to the airport went well, no surprises, except for the voice of Steve Wynn telling me "If you're heading to the airport, please hurry back. We'll be waiting." through the in-cab video ads. It's nice of him considering I didn't stay at a Wynn property.
Boarded the plane without a hitch and as I watched my lovely Las Vegas skyline from my window as the plane taxied to the runway I sent it a shout-thought:
I will be back, Las Vegas! Activity by day, show at night, and gambling 'til the break of dawn :)
