El Cortez to Undergo $20 Million Augmentation Procedure

It was somewhat smoky but I didn't notice any smell this previous weekend and I'm highly sensitive to perfumes and scents.  I remember The Plaza used to have a weird stink that clung to your clothes, but I didn't get that at El Cortez.

Starbucks was open.  I never saw a line longer than 2 or 3 people in it.  Drinks were easily $1-2 more than where I'm from, but that might be Vegas prices, I didn't go anywhere else.

Siegels prime rib was quite good, I was surprised.   But the joint felt like a Denny's with slightly better food.

The drinks there are actually still a bit cheaper than many of the downtown joints and all of the Stripoffs, but that doesn't mean they're reasonably priced. Take the Kevin Cheapo Option. Find a nickel video poker machine. Insert a dollar. Play slowly, one coin at a time. It's almost a certainty that a cocktail server will show up before your dollar is exhausted. Get a free drink, tip her appropriately, it'll still cost you less than if you had ordered it at the bar. Repeat until drunk.

Siegel's is indeed an upscale-ish Denny's. But their prices are no longer in the Denny's range. That place used to be "Somebody's (??) Kitchen," the best steakhouse downtown. Heavy sigh. (My meh attitude might come from the factor that I don't see Siegel as any kind of celebrity or anyone to be interested about,)

Ah, the $1-2 price increase was regarding the Starbucks drink costs.  I rarely buy a drink in Vegas...

Oh, OK...I've always wondered how Starbucks got people, twenty years ago, to pay $4 for a cup of coffee...now, I'm wondering how they get people to pay $6. I guess it's something special. Me, I drink McCoffee at $1.49 for a large cup. Though I wonder how much more than that the McD's downtown charges.

Large at McD's next to Slots of Fun was only $1.99 this morning. 

    I will never understand the attraction to Starbucks, Seattle's Best or any other overpriced coffee outlet. I get my coffee fix normally one of two ways when in Vegas - (1) sit at a video poker machine and get my Bailey's and coffee and/or (2) use Starbuck's, Taster's Choice, etc. instant coffee packets in my room. I also buy Irish cream liquor at Smith's for my in room coffee.

Some people are "foodies", like my wife and I, not in a diva way, we like grungy local joints as well as the fine dining. Some people aren't, I have friends who tell me they eat just to survice, all of them are skinny. I fought drinking the "better" tasting coffee for years because I knew I wouldn't go back to Folgers if I did. We started buying Sam's Club Columbian coffee beans, grinding it in the store and I was hooked. COVID caused them to remove the grinder, so I grind at home and I'm not happy some mornings to grind! Oh well.

I just returned from Japan after two weeks, their coffee is fantastic everywhere! We ate at a breakfast chain restaurant called Gusto, their coffee was included and top-notch. I made my first pot of coffee when I returned and it was not near as good, after a couple of weeks now, I'm good with it.

I only drink Starbucks at my local casino when I stay the night for some drawing I want to participate in, comped night of course! I don't put booze in my coffee.