Read Part 1 First
DAY 4
Mandalay Bay
After a good night’s sleep at Rio, we drove to Mandalay Bay for breakfast at House of Blues. This was a major let down. My two favorite breakfast menu items at HOB have been removed: that is the Pain Perdu (French Toast with orange honey sauce) and the Eggs Benedict w/filet mignon. Without those choices it was only an average breakfast menu... also, the waitress came back to us after a twenty minute wait and claimed she lost our order. What a disappointment. I was close to playing the wounded tourist card. ½ off with MRB made HOB more of a value, but without my favorite selections and with a ditzy waitress, it’s a lot closer to average.
-5 Degrees
Out of the HOB and into the icebox. Next stop, -5 Degrees at Mandalay Place. This joint is basically a bar in a big freezer. Unfortunately they don’t allow pictures inside this fridge. They reserve that right for their own photographer.
You are outfitted for your expedition with Jackets and Gloves. Once inside the cold room you are greeted with an Icefull wonderland…There were life-sized ice sculptures of Elvis and a Penguin. The seats, the tables…..all ice…the seats had some kind of fur or hides on them. Even the glasses are made of ice. The visit includes 1 free drink, which in our case was a tasty fruity vodka concoction.
-5 Degrees Hostess
It was 11:00 AM and we were the only visitors. I understand that they originally charged $30 per person for this ‘experience’. With the MRB Daily Deals Coupon, a single admission and a drink was $15. At $30 a pop, it’s a rip. At $15, it’s very close to worth it. You get a decent drink in an ice glass…that’s got to be worth $5.50. You get to sit on ice seats and enjoy both Elvis and Penguin Ice Sculptures. I’d pay $2.50 for that any day. It really is -5 Degrees… at least a $1.75 value. So, in the world of tourist rip-offs, getting clipped for $5.25 each barely equates to a taxi ride through the tunnel. If we had paid $60, my opinion would be different. Good for me for having the foresight to print this MRB Daily Deal!
Imperial Palace
When we were leaving the cold room, Mrs AlanLeroy got The Call from her Uncle David. He and his crew had arrived at the Imperial Palace. In addition to Uncle D and his friends, two of Mrs AlanLeroy’s cousins from Texas and their families had also arrived. Mrs. AlanLeroy has 30 first cousins she’s never met. I come from a small family and just can’t fathom this. The Texans were a fun bunch of back slappin’, gamblin’, drinkin’ partiers. Kind of like me without the back slappin’.
We spent the afternoon at the Imperial Palace…Playing VP, Watching the Dealertainers, getting to know Mrs AlanLeroy’s cousins, catching up with Uncle David and drinking. I had a run at craps where I almost lost my bankroll, but ended up winning $100 before I came to my senses and cashed out. Also had a fair few Martinis and no luck at keno.
Auto Museum
Visiting the Auto Museum at IP has been on my To Do list forever. I happened to have two free admission coupons and an hour to kill, so off to the 3rd floor I stumbled. Dec 1, 1981 Ralph Englestead, then owner of the Imperial Palace opened the Auto Museum. Now it’s more of a showroom with classic cars for sale than a ‘museum’. Maybe it’s always been like that. I’m guessing they had about 200 cars ranging in price from $20,000 to well over a million. A few cars were just being exhibited and were not for sale.
After sizing up the cars, I thought it would be fun to capture close ups of the best Hood Ornaments. Why? No particular reason. On my third hood ornament, I heard a booming voice out of the corner of my ear. It was an official guy behind a desk yelling at me. “Don’t take pictures beyond the yellow rope!” he strongly suggested. I gave him a knowing nod and a wave as if to say “Ok…sorry” or maybe as if to say “I’m an inebriated tourist and I can’t hear a fucking word you’re saying”.
I turned the corner and immediately continued my wanton photographic ways. A few minutes later, there was that voice again…only closer….like right next to me. “I warned you about this, buddy. I have to ask you to leave now”. Hey! It’s the Desk Guy. My response was “Ok, but where’s the bathroom, bud?”. Under my breath I was saying in my best Arnold voice: “Allll be back”. And I was back…after using the bathroom. After all, I did have TWO free admissions and Desk Guy never said I couldn’t come back. I just needed to avoid him, which I did, except for the little wave I gave on my way out.
So here’s my latest photographic expose: I call it:
“Hood Ornaments beyond the yellow rope.”
Hey! Stay behind the Yellow Rope!
Self Portrait
Stutz
More Orns 1
More Orns 2
More Orns 3
More Orns 4
More Orns 5
More Orns 6
Bellagio
Around 6:00 PM the whole group cabbed it from IP to Bellagio where we had the dinner buffet. This was the week following Dany Ganz untimely death and lots of cabs displayed this sign.
I always enjoy the Bellagio dinner buffet, but it might be time to change up some of the dishes. Everything seems so familiar now. For example, the first time I ate there I was impressed they had chicken wellington…not something you find at a typical Buffet. Now, it’s like, get out of the late 90’s….put some Tapas or Nepalese food out there for cryin’ out loud.
Always a treat.
One of the Texas Cousins had never been to Vegas, so the Fountain show was a must do for that family. Unfortunately, the Conservatory was switching to Spring so we couldn’t check it out. That’s three times in a row I’ve gone during a switch over. We gambled some at Bellagio. Turns out the Texans are a bit crazy on the slots, playing some $25 a pull type machines. After a couple of hours, made it back to IP and eventually Mrs AlanLeroy and I called it a night and returned to Rio.
DAY 5
Rio
Up again at 8:00 AM. Check out of Rio and over to Bally’s…our final Hotel Destination Resort. The only regret I have is not exploring Rio more. I didn’t get one Bombay Sapphire there (They don’t comp premium brands) they’re supposed to have a topless pool (I never saw a single pool boobie), I didn’t ride the Masquerade in the Sky and make it rain money, no trip up to Voodoo Lounge. That just means “Alll be back”.
Bally’s / Paris
Got to Bally’s around 9:30 AM. Attempted Check In. They just laughed at me. Told us to store our stuff at the bell desk and return at 2:00 PM. No Problemo. We were meeting Uncle D. at Mon-Ami Gabbi and then on to the Neon Boneyard. We didn’t need no stinkin’ room until after 3:00 PM.
Paris Mon-Ami Gabbi
Breakfast at Mon-Ami Gabbi was good. Good Food, Good Service, Good Atmosphere. We were looking forward to their Bloody Mary Bar where you select your Bloody Mary Ingredients and they fix it up on the spot. Turns out the The Bloody Mary Bar is only available on weekends. Instead, we ordered Bloody Marys from the regular bar. That works too.
The outdoor seating area at M-A G is a lot of fun. Bellagio was testing the fountains across the street. Bocelli was booming out “Con Te Partiro” People walking by….Hookers, grannies, trannys, and touristas. It’s great entertainment and was enjoyed by all.
Breakfast was tasty, but a little pricey. $100 including tip and three bloody Marys. Well worth it though.
Neon Boneyard
The Neon Bonyard is on Las Vegas Blvd North of Downtown (Just before you get to Cashman field). Our Neon Boneyard Tour started at Noon (In summer they start at 10:00 AM). We were right on time until we got a little lost. Funny thing is Mrs AlanLeroy and I found the Boneyard a couple of days earlier. The problem was the tour actually started at the Neon Museum which isn’t exactly at the boneyard. There’s a little merchado there on LVB next to the boneyard. We stopped and determined that the Neon Museum was at the “Reed Whipple Cultural Center” directly across the street.
As it stands now you can’t just drop into the Museum. You need tour reservations. It’s not really open to the public. This will change once they finish the restoration of the La Concha Motel Lobby (Designed by noted African-American architect Paul Revere Williams). La Concha will serve as the entrance to the boneyard and house offices for the neon museum.
La Concha Motel Lobby
There’s SIN in every casino
More Bones 1
More Bones 2
More Bones 3
More Bones 4
Please see my thread New Game: Guess The Sign for some of my favorite bonyard pics. A couple of boneyard tidbits: They filmed a CSI episode there in 2005 (I saw it the other day). They have about 150 signs with commitments to receive many more when existing signs are retired. Three neon signs are being fully restored for placement on Las Vegas Blvd near the entrance to the boneyard. The long term plan is to restore enough signs to make a neon corridor from the strip to the boneyard. Several restored signs are on display on Fremont Street.
From the boneyard we headed over to main street and past Vegas’s dirty little secret…the massive homeless Tent City that exists between Jerry’s Nugget and downtown.
Homeless Encampment
Past downtown and to the Gambler’s General Store which is on Main between downtown and the Strat. If it relates to Gambling, the Gambler’s General Store has it all Chips, Dice, Books, Machines, Cards, Craps Tables, Roulette Uncle David is interested in purchasing a VP machine. I bought some ‘Leroy’s Casino” dice.
Bally’s
Dropped Uncle D off at IP and returned to Bally’s. It was 2:30. I hit the Check-In line and Mrs AlanLeroy hit the bell desk to pick up our luggage. “Oh no. Not ready”. “Sorry. Give us an hour. We’ll put a rush on it”. Both Mrs AlanLeory and I are parched. Hunt up the Keno Lounge and wait some more. No cocktail waitress. I played a game of Keno. Woo Hoo! $150 winner! Winner! That’s the most I’ve ever won at keno and it put me ahead for the trip. Oh, and the cocktail waitress showed up. Everything’s going my way. Around 4:00 I headed back to Check In. “Sorry sir. It doesn’t look like your room’s ready”. I returned at 4:30 and played the wounded tourist card with a supervisor. Upgrade! Immediate Check In!
Not bad room in the North Tower. We unpacked. Uncle David offered to treat everyone to a steak dinner at Fitzgeralds’ Don B’s restaurant. We met him downtown around 6:00 PM. He was hating on IP. He really preferred Fitzgeralds where he’d stayed the last two trips. What a nice guy. Uncle D was beside himself though. Not only did no one else show up. Don B’s is not open Tuesdays. He asked me if I knew of a good Steakhouse he could treat us to. Let’s see. It’s Tuesday night. Check MRB. Nice Steak? Oh yeah. How about T-Bones at Red Rock?
Made it to Red Rock in 25 minutes. Entrées: Bone-In Rib Eye. New York. Salmon. Sides: mushrooms, Green Beens, and Potatoes Au Gratin. No pics. Uncle David thinks taking pictures of your food in a fancy restaurant is rude. Got to say it’s a BIG steak….and those are big sides and the bread is excellent…..While the service was a little lacking, the food was perfect. The food would make it into my top 10 steak dinners….the service….no.
T-Bones
I asked the server if we could use two MRB coupons on one bill. That is 2 meals two for one and the third ½ price. She looked at me like I was speaking Russian. She finally said “I don’t know, but probably not. I’ll check”. She returned with Uncle David’s final bill for under $100. I don’t think they calculated that right. I think they just took $100 off….(not that I’m complaining). Sure beats the hell out of Don B’s….for less. Your mileage may vary with the using 2 coupons on one bill for three people scenario.
Downtown
Returned Downtown to gamble a bit more. Playing some wheel of fortune and I felt a big slap on the back! Why it’s the Texans…with Footballs of Beer and Footballs of Margarita….and yard long glasses of who knows what. We watched a couple of light shows and partied around until the cows came home, or 12:00 Midnight….I don’t remember which came first.
Finally returned to Ballys and beddy-bye.
End of Part 2
DAY 4
Mandalay Bay
After a good night’s sleep at Rio, we drove to Mandalay Bay for breakfast at House of Blues. This was a major let down. My two favorite breakfast menu items at HOB have been removed: that is the Pain Perdu (French Toast with orange honey sauce) and the Eggs Benedict w/filet mignon. Without those choices it was only an average breakfast menu... also, the waitress came back to us after a twenty minute wait and claimed she lost our order. What a disappointment. I was close to playing the wounded tourist card. ½ off with MRB made HOB more of a value, but without my favorite selections and with a ditzy waitress, it’s a lot closer to average.
-5 Degrees
Out of the HOB and into the icebox. Next stop, -5 Degrees at Mandalay Place. This joint is basically a bar in a big freezer. Unfortunately they don’t allow pictures inside this fridge. They reserve that right for their own photographer.
You are outfitted for your expedition with Jackets and Gloves. Once inside the cold room you are greeted with an Icefull wonderland…There were life-sized ice sculptures of Elvis and a Penguin. The seats, the tables…..all ice…the seats had some kind of fur or hides on them. Even the glasses are made of ice. The visit includes 1 free drink, which in our case was a tasty fruity vodka concoction.
-5 Degrees Hostess
It was 11:00 AM and we were the only visitors. I understand that they originally charged $30 per person for this ‘experience’. With the MRB Daily Deals Coupon, a single admission and a drink was $15. At $30 a pop, it’s a rip. At $15, it’s very close to worth it. You get a decent drink in an ice glass…that’s got to be worth $5.50. You get to sit on ice seats and enjoy both Elvis and Penguin Ice Sculptures. I’d pay $2.50 for that any day. It really is -5 Degrees… at least a $1.75 value. So, in the world of tourist rip-offs, getting clipped for $5.25 each barely equates to a taxi ride through the tunnel. If we had paid $60, my opinion would be different. Good for me for having the foresight to print this MRB Daily Deal!
Imperial Palace
When we were leaving the cold room, Mrs AlanLeroy got The Call from her Uncle David. He and his crew had arrived at the Imperial Palace. In addition to Uncle D and his friends, two of Mrs AlanLeroy’s cousins from Texas and their families had also arrived. Mrs. AlanLeroy has 30 first cousins she’s never met. I come from a small family and just can’t fathom this. The Texans were a fun bunch of back slappin’, gamblin’, drinkin’ partiers. Kind of like me without the back slappin’.
We spent the afternoon at the Imperial Palace…Playing VP, Watching the Dealertainers, getting to know Mrs AlanLeroy’s cousins, catching up with Uncle David and drinking. I had a run at craps where I almost lost my bankroll, but ended up winning $100 before I came to my senses and cashed out. Also had a fair few Martinis and no luck at keno.
Auto Museum
Visiting the Auto Museum at IP has been on my To Do list forever. I happened to have two free admission coupons and an hour to kill, so off to the 3rd floor I stumbled. Dec 1, 1981 Ralph Englestead, then owner of the Imperial Palace opened the Auto Museum. Now it’s more of a showroom with classic cars for sale than a ‘museum’. Maybe it’s always been like that. I’m guessing they had about 200 cars ranging in price from $20,000 to well over a million. A few cars were just being exhibited and were not for sale.
After sizing up the cars, I thought it would be fun to capture close ups of the best Hood Ornaments. Why? No particular reason. On my third hood ornament, I heard a booming voice out of the corner of my ear. It was an official guy behind a desk yelling at me. “Don’t take pictures beyond the yellow rope!” he strongly suggested. I gave him a knowing nod and a wave as if to say “Ok…sorry” or maybe as if to say “I’m an inebriated tourist and I can’t hear a fucking word you’re saying”.
I turned the corner and immediately continued my wanton photographic ways. A few minutes later, there was that voice again…only closer….like right next to me. “I warned you about this, buddy. I have to ask you to leave now”. Hey! It’s the Desk Guy. My response was “Ok, but where’s the bathroom, bud?”. Under my breath I was saying in my best Arnold voice: “Allll be back”. And I was back…after using the bathroom. After all, I did have TWO free admissions and Desk Guy never said I couldn’t come back. I just needed to avoid him, which I did, except for the little wave I gave on my way out.
So here’s my latest photographic expose: I call it:
“Hood Ornaments beyond the yellow rope.”
Hey! Stay behind the Yellow Rope!
Self Portrait
Stutz
More Orns 1
More Orns 2
More Orns 3
More Orns 4
More Orns 5
More Orns 6
Bellagio
Around 6:00 PM the whole group cabbed it from IP to Bellagio where we had the dinner buffet. This was the week following Dany Ganz untimely death and lots of cabs displayed this sign.
I always enjoy the Bellagio dinner buffet, but it might be time to change up some of the dishes. Everything seems so familiar now. For example, the first time I ate there I was impressed they had chicken wellington…not something you find at a typical Buffet. Now, it’s like, get out of the late 90’s….put some Tapas or Nepalese food out there for cryin’ out loud.
Always a treat.
One of the Texas Cousins had never been to Vegas, so the Fountain show was a must do for that family. Unfortunately, the Conservatory was switching to Spring so we couldn’t check it out. That’s three times in a row I’ve gone during a switch over. We gambled some at Bellagio. Turns out the Texans are a bit crazy on the slots, playing some $25 a pull type machines. After a couple of hours, made it back to IP and eventually Mrs AlanLeroy and I called it a night and returned to Rio.
DAY 5
Rio
Up again at 8:00 AM. Check out of Rio and over to Bally’s…our final Hotel Destination Resort. The only regret I have is not exploring Rio more. I didn’t get one Bombay Sapphire there (They don’t comp premium brands) they’re supposed to have a topless pool (I never saw a single pool boobie), I didn’t ride the Masquerade in the Sky and make it rain money, no trip up to Voodoo Lounge. That just means “Alll be back”.
Bally’s / Paris
Got to Bally’s around 9:30 AM. Attempted Check In. They just laughed at me. Told us to store our stuff at the bell desk and return at 2:00 PM. No Problemo. We were meeting Uncle D. at Mon-Ami Gabbi and then on to the Neon Boneyard. We didn’t need no stinkin’ room until after 3:00 PM.
Paris Mon-Ami Gabbi
Breakfast at Mon-Ami Gabbi was good. Good Food, Good Service, Good Atmosphere. We were looking forward to their Bloody Mary Bar where you select your Bloody Mary Ingredients and they fix it up on the spot. Turns out the The Bloody Mary Bar is only available on weekends. Instead, we ordered Bloody Marys from the regular bar. That works too.
The outdoor seating area at M-A G is a lot of fun. Bellagio was testing the fountains across the street. Bocelli was booming out “Con Te Partiro” People walking by….Hookers, grannies, trannys, and touristas. It’s great entertainment and was enjoyed by all.
Breakfast was tasty, but a little pricey. $100 including tip and three bloody Marys. Well worth it though.
Neon Boneyard
The Neon Bonyard is on Las Vegas Blvd North of Downtown (Just before you get to Cashman field). Our Neon Boneyard Tour started at Noon (In summer they start at 10:00 AM). We were right on time until we got a little lost. Funny thing is Mrs AlanLeroy and I found the Boneyard a couple of days earlier. The problem was the tour actually started at the Neon Museum which isn’t exactly at the boneyard. There’s a little merchado there on LVB next to the boneyard. We stopped and determined that the Neon Museum was at the “Reed Whipple Cultural Center” directly across the street.
As it stands now you can’t just drop into the Museum. You need tour reservations. It’s not really open to the public. This will change once they finish the restoration of the La Concha Motel Lobby (Designed by noted African-American architect Paul Revere Williams). La Concha will serve as the entrance to the boneyard and house offices for the neon museum.
La Concha Motel Lobby
There’s SIN in every casino
More Bones 1
More Bones 2
More Bones 3
More Bones 4
Please see my thread New Game: Guess The Sign for some of my favorite bonyard pics. A couple of boneyard tidbits: They filmed a CSI episode there in 2005 (I saw it the other day). They have about 150 signs with commitments to receive many more when existing signs are retired. Three neon signs are being fully restored for placement on Las Vegas Blvd near the entrance to the boneyard. The long term plan is to restore enough signs to make a neon corridor from the strip to the boneyard. Several restored signs are on display on Fremont Street.
From the boneyard we headed over to main street and past Vegas’s dirty little secret…the massive homeless Tent City that exists between Jerry’s Nugget and downtown.
Homeless Encampment
Past downtown and to the Gambler’s General Store which is on Main between downtown and the Strat. If it relates to Gambling, the Gambler’s General Store has it all Chips, Dice, Books, Machines, Cards, Craps Tables, Roulette Uncle David is interested in purchasing a VP machine. I bought some ‘Leroy’s Casino” dice.
Bally’s
Dropped Uncle D off at IP and returned to Bally’s. It was 2:30. I hit the Check-In line and Mrs AlanLeroy hit the bell desk to pick up our luggage. “Oh no. Not ready”. “Sorry. Give us an hour. We’ll put a rush on it”. Both Mrs AlanLeory and I are parched. Hunt up the Keno Lounge and wait some more. No cocktail waitress. I played a game of Keno. Woo Hoo! $150 winner! Winner! That’s the most I’ve ever won at keno and it put me ahead for the trip. Oh, and the cocktail waitress showed up. Everything’s going my way. Around 4:00 I headed back to Check In. “Sorry sir. It doesn’t look like your room’s ready”. I returned at 4:30 and played the wounded tourist card with a supervisor. Upgrade! Immediate Check In!
Not bad room in the North Tower. We unpacked. Uncle David offered to treat everyone to a steak dinner at Fitzgeralds’ Don B’s restaurant. We met him downtown around 6:00 PM. He was hating on IP. He really preferred Fitzgeralds where he’d stayed the last two trips. What a nice guy. Uncle D was beside himself though. Not only did no one else show up. Don B’s is not open Tuesdays. He asked me if I knew of a good Steakhouse he could treat us to. Let’s see. It’s Tuesday night. Check MRB. Nice Steak? Oh yeah. How about T-Bones at Red Rock?
Made it to Red Rock in 25 minutes. Entrées: Bone-In Rib Eye. New York. Salmon. Sides: mushrooms, Green Beens, and Potatoes Au Gratin. No pics. Uncle David thinks taking pictures of your food in a fancy restaurant is rude. Got to say it’s a BIG steak….and those are big sides and the bread is excellent…..While the service was a little lacking, the food was perfect. The food would make it into my top 10 steak dinners….the service….no.
T-Bones
I asked the server if we could use two MRB coupons on one bill. That is 2 meals two for one and the third ½ price. She looked at me like I was speaking Russian. She finally said “I don’t know, but probably not. I’ll check”. She returned with Uncle David’s final bill for under $100. I don’t think they calculated that right. I think they just took $100 off….(not that I’m complaining). Sure beats the hell out of Don B’s….for less. Your mileage may vary with the using 2 coupons on one bill for three people scenario.
Downtown
Returned Downtown to gamble a bit more. Playing some wheel of fortune and I felt a big slap on the back! Why it’s the Texans…with Footballs of Beer and Footballs of Margarita….and yard long glasses of who knows what. We watched a couple of light shows and partied around until the cows came home, or 12:00 Midnight….I don’t remember which came first.
Finally returned to Ballys and beddy-bye.
End of Part 2
