Back to the Future

Thankyou soooo much for such a great report! Sure seems like you guys had a great time. My son,who is 15, really wishes he could see some of the lounge performers as he LOVES Nat, Frankie, Dean, etc.. I told him he could if he survives his teenage years

How do you do it? You must spend weeks planning your itinerary and searching out new restaurants and coupons etc.
Most enjoyable read and the photos are priceless.

Thanks for taking the time to write such an entertaining report.
Love the humor and all the food and entertainment info.
We will give T-Bones a try.
Carol

Well done as always, Westie!

Another fantastic TR to go along with the others. Westie, you are either the most ingenius and prolific TRer we have, OR you have far too much time on your hands. I don't care which it is, just keep 'em coming! Your restaurant reviews are very helpful and have led me to more than a few spots on my trips.
Keep up the good work.

Good Luck!
Ric at Joes

Great trip report- thanks for taking all the time to write it up!

great report. nice to have pictures to connect with the reporter/s. congrats on the gamboling.

i have to read it again for some specific comments. M, Ellis Island, downtown, food. just so much to digest.

wayne

Great job Frank and thank you Ann (he couldn't have done it without ya!)

You chose wisely. Your "Oh ke doke" answer to the
Back To The Future offer was a good one!
Good thing the FPDW gods were smilin' on ya huh,
CONGRATULATIONS!!!...

Too bad they didn't have the Delorean...
They used to be the razors' edge...rode as smooth as a
mirror and would blow the competition away!
Good thing you weren't a flake about it and just accepted
the Hundai.

The off Strip adventures you two have are in many ways,
pretty different than a lot of other folks. The more trips ya
make, the more variety you like and the Strip can become a bit old over time...there's LOTS OF VEGAS out there!

You do your pre tip homework, take advantage of as many coupons and good deals as you can find...discover
new restaurants and revisit old favorites...stay entertained at local casinos for both gaming and shows...
you really seem to max out your visits the best way possible and probably save more money than those folks who prefer the Strip. Different strokes bla bla bla, but there is something to say about discovering other FUN places around Las Vegas...off Strip, especially in this economy.

The key to the FREEDOM you two have is the CAR RENTAL. Lots of folks still aren't renting...We take cabs,
use the bus/shuttles etc.
'IF' one wanted to explore a rental car...learn to get around town (I have and it's really pretty easy...) seek out and discover new, fun places to eat, cocktails, Shows and affordable hotels...is it really that cost effective?
How much dose the car and gas cost you for a trip?
What's the price of gas in Vegas?
Do you have any tips on 'filling up'?

One last question...here in the Bay Area, I understand
Kimberly Bell got quite a chuckle from your flax seed and
arthritis cream comment (don't ask how I know...)
She was curious how the 'pan roast' in the Oyster Bar at Palace Station held up to Blue Agave in the PALMS?

THANKS FOR A GREAT READ!

Greg - thanks for you wonderful response to my TR.

For those not following the case, Kimberly Bell was Barry Bonds' former mistress. Barry, baseball's all-time leading home run hitter, claims he never knowingly took performance enhancing drugs and as far as he knows the stuff administered by his trainer/friend was flax seed and arthritis cream.

Tell Kimberly the Oyster Bar at Palace Station is one of, if not, the best in the city IMHO. It is open 24/7. I was very disappointed a few years ago with the one at the Blue Agave in the Palms. It had been a favorite of mine since day one and I always used the MRB 50% off coupon.

I have tried a few others including Tides at GVR and the Oyster Bar at Sunset Station which are both superior to the Blue Agave. I looked into going to the one at Texas Station using the $10 off MRB coupon, but the comments on yelp and urbanspoon were uniformly negative. I have not tried the ones at the Orleans or South Point but I understand both are very good.

As far as car rentals go, the prices are very hit or miss so you have to check prices at least one a week. I usually begin by going to carrentals.com and then book directly with car rental company using what every discount codes I can find.

This past trip I paid $237 for a 2-week rental including all taxes and fees. In December I got an even better bargain plus 3 x rapid rewards.

The current price for our May trip is around $350 so I will be checking rates frequently.
Alamo usually has an online $30 or $40 coupon plus I try to some it with another coupon code for an additional 10% off. I have on occasion, booked 2 1-week rentals just so I can use 2 of the online coupons.

Fox often has the lowest price because they are not located at the consolidated facility, but what I don't like is you have to sign that you did not use the rental car shuttle which B.S. because 99% of their customers come from the airport via the shuttle.

The lowest gas price that I have find on the past several trips in located on the LV Boulevard - just a north of the South Point. It is a Circle K and accepts major credit cards.

Rebel gas stations, all the ones I saw this past trip offer both a cash and credit card prices, will knock
5 cents off per gallon with your B Connected card, but I found the Circle K price to be the cheapest.

Let me know if you are Kimberly have any other questions.

Frank, let me first wish that Connecticut does well in the Final Four. Let me then say that I truly enjoyed your trip report. I head off to LV on 04/10/11 and hope I do half as well as you did. I think I have had three (3) royals in 10 years and you hit three (3) in one trip. My hats off to you! At one time I thought I was the coupon king, but I know now that I am a rank amateur compared to you. Thanks for a great read!

Bob