PROLOGUE
Another solo trip for me: Madman Mike is still adjusting to his new role as a father, Fingers Freddie is still in the Navy, Big Jake (Jason) had his tonsils out & my girlfriend Gail decided to save her vacation time and money for our September Vegas adventure. I bagged a decent airfare from Sun Country, Bally's gave me 2 free nights & Bill's sent me a promo for a reduced rate that I thought was decent. I bought a 3 day bus pass on line before the trip, so that, and the free casino shuttles provided me with needed transportation for the trip. Absinthine, Love and the Sterling Buffet were on the menu this trip. Started to mark my calendar off before Christmas, counting down the days.....let's light this candle!
SUNDAY
The weatherman predicted freezing rain the morning of my flight, so I left early for MSP. I snagged a 1st class upgrade with no problem for $118. Think about it: They wave the $30 baggage fee, I don't spend $25 for breakfast at one of the airport restaurants, free booze during the flight ( a $15 savings..at least) a decent in-flight breakfast, board first, exit first, comfortable seats...it was definitely worth it. After boarding was was happily sitting in my 1st class seat, sipping on a Jack Daniels on the rocks with a Mich Golden Light to back it up...life is definitely good. Listened to some tunes on my MP3 player and the pilot put us down in Vegas with a smooth landing. Bags in hand, I took a shuttle to Bally's and at 10 A.M. I am standing in line to check in.
A friendly female clerk offered me to upgrade my north tower room to a jacuzzi suite for an additional $50 per night. Hey, it's just me; solo trips I spend about 6 hours out of 24 in the room..no thanks. After dumping my bags in a very nice room: comfortable bed, clean, nice bathroom, quiet...what more could I want, it was off to place some sports bets on the NFL games and hit the Sterling buffet. My waiter, Alexandro, took great care of me..never had an empty glass of that delicious champagne. Great variety of food; their lamb chops are amazing, the vegetable souffle is wonderful and their raspberries rival the ones that I used to pick on my Grandfather's farm when I was a kid....desserts...yum. There was a rather large woman eating at a table next to me; she had to tower over 6 foot, was ....how should I put it..."big-boned". I was amazed at the platefuls of food she consumed; when I left, she was on her third plate of desserts.
I sat and played VP at the bar at Bally's during the Patriots/Ravens game, had a few cocktails, talked to some interesting bar mates and walked away, winning $80. Caught the shuttle to the Rio, where I had a couple of Cloudy Bay Sauvignan Blancs and shot the breeze with the friendly server, Lita. Then it was back to the strip to Harrah's, played a little Vp (even), stopped at O'Sheas only to learn that their $3 Irish Car Bombs are now $5..outrageous..give me two. Next, on to see Absinthe. Don't bother with the VIP seats, unless you want to pay too much for your seat and want to get ridiculed by the Gazillionaire during the performance. I picked up a reduced general admission ticket beforehand(thanks LVA) and found a nice aisle seat in the 3rd row...perfect. Absinthe is...well....not for the thin skinned, off color, a little raunchy humor, but one hell of a funny and entertaining show...fits in great with the Vegas venue. After the show I headed over to the Cosmo and had a couple of slices of pizza at their 'hidden' pizza place. This was one of the few disappointments of the trip.....average pizza at best...definitely had much better. I ended the evening gambling at Bally's. I had an amazing run of cards playing 3 card poker, but due to the fact that I usually play conservatively my 1st night in Vegas, I only cashed out $275 ahead. I hit 3OAK for the first time...sweet. Midnight found me with money in my pocket, a pretty good buzz and desperately needing some sleep. Cash in..lights out.
MONDAY
I'm up at 0800, watch some news, shower and out the door; ready to take on Vegas. Breakfast was at the Bally's cafe; eggs Benedict, grits and coffee. The waitress was very nice and attentive. There was a nice little old lady at the table next to me who had a nice head of white hair, accented with a big blotch of bright pink...what the hell is that all about? Fortified with a satisfying breakfast, I hopped on the Monorail to make my way down eventually to the MB and my appointment at the Art of Shaving. This is my equivalent to going to a Spa. Jack, my barber, gave me a great haircut and a Royal Shave...took a little over 90 minutes, cost $80...worth every penny.. Some of you probably think this is outrageous...kiss my ass. If you never have had a straight razor shave you should experience their Royal Shave at least once in your life...it's a real treat. I had my first experience last fall, and this is on my "to do" list for every Vegas trip. Afterwards I made my way down to NYNY, played some slots and then sat at the bar at Nine Fine Irishmen and had a Bushmills neat and a pint of Guiness. I then walked over to the MGM and played for the longest time on a $100 on the Lions Share progressive slot before giving up and cashing out with $101...giving the slot attendant a buck for her troubles. I ran thru a roll of quarters playing the Sigma Derby horse race game and had a good time...and a couple of Heinekens.
Back on the Monorail to Harrah's and picked up my tickets to Love at the box office at Mirage then VP at Harrah's and lost $100 playing 3 card poker at Bill's. Shuttle over to Gold Coast & played JOB 9/6 at the 50 cent level at the bar; putting 1000 points on my card and walking away with my original $100. Had a couple of glasses of wine at the Wine Cellar at the Riio...I love this place, more VP at Harrah's then settled into a great seat to see Love. What a great performance. I am a child of the 60's, but not a great Beatles fan; this show is all about the music...and great music it still is. Great visual effects and dance choreography, all blended magically with the music. I definitely would like to see this show again. Had a late night dinner Carnegie deli....Rueben..open faced...too much food, but yummy....burp. Played more VP at Harrah's and lost $100 playing LIR at Bally's before giving up and slipping in the arms of Morpheous.
TUESDAY
Wake up a little unsteady; how many Heinekens did I have yesterday? Packed up and moved across the street to Bill's; they charged me an extra $15 for an early check in fee...pain in the ass. The room was surprisingly nice: clean, quiet, roomy, flat screen TV, nice view of the Bellagio fountains...this will do. Had a late breakfast at the Victoria Room at Bills. One thing that I did notice right away was that they have taken out the hot dog cart by their sportsbook...too bad..that was great for a quick, cheap snack. Lost $100 playing LIR at Bills then sat down to a LIR table at the Margarittaville Casino. I was only going to play for an hour tops, but ended up staying there for about 3 hours. I played with a great set of tablemates and a young entertaining dealer. I was wearing my Stetson fedora hat and a woman at the table said that I looked like the guy from the movie, Jurassic Park.....from then on I was addressed as "Hey, Jurassic!" I ended up losing another $100, but had one hell of a good time doing so. The CW's at their casino are knockouts..whoo hoo.
I caught the SDX for downtown and played some slots and VP at the 4 Q's leaving up $30, used my ACG coupon for free play at Vegas Club..this place is a real pit and then it was off for a mini LVA meet at the El Cortez. I met Judy and her husband Dennis from Ohio, Lee O, Parrothead, and one other member, who's name fails me. I ended up having a great conversation at the bar at the El Co, playing DW at the 50 cent level with Dennis and Judy. They have a great happy hour special at the bar; their premium martinis are two for $8...what a deal. While talking to Dennis, I held a single deuce only to have the other 3 fill for 4
Ducks! A $500 win....ended up cashing out for $600 and had two delicious martinis, which they do not comp for players..... but they are very tasty,,,especially their gin martini, the Bullit...could easily be addicting. Judy, Dennis and I had a delightful dinner at the Flame and then played some more VP at the bar before I said my goodbyes(had another bullit.. Judy and Dennis...LVA members are such great people to hang out in Vegas with. Judy, hope you enjoyed the Merlot and enjoyed your stay at Southpoint.
I ended the evening playing BJ at the Golden Gate for the rest of the evening. I got pounded at the 1st table that I sat at, lose, lose ,lose, female dealer was unfriendly, and dealt the cards as fast as she could; no chit chat. Down $175 and not having any fun; time to switch tables. Sat down to a $10 table with four guys from North Carolina and played, drank and laughed until 0300 cashing out down $150 after some generous tips to the dealers/dancers. Caught the deuce back to the strip...bus driver had to evict one passenger who was pretty drunk..bet Metro gave her accommodations for the night. Played some slots at the Flamingo and then crashed at 0430 after giving a drunk call to a co-worker back in Minnesota. Hey, Madman, you should be here!
To be continued..........
Another solo trip for me: Madman Mike is still adjusting to his new role as a father, Fingers Freddie is still in the Navy, Big Jake (Jason) had his tonsils out & my girlfriend Gail decided to save her vacation time and money for our September Vegas adventure. I bagged a decent airfare from Sun Country, Bally's gave me 2 free nights & Bill's sent me a promo for a reduced rate that I thought was decent. I bought a 3 day bus pass on line before the trip, so that, and the free casino shuttles provided me with needed transportation for the trip. Absinthine, Love and the Sterling Buffet were on the menu this trip. Started to mark my calendar off before Christmas, counting down the days.....let's light this candle!
SUNDAY
The weatherman predicted freezing rain the morning of my flight, so I left early for MSP. I snagged a 1st class upgrade with no problem for $118. Think about it: They wave the $30 baggage fee, I don't spend $25 for breakfast at one of the airport restaurants, free booze during the flight ( a $15 savings..at least) a decent in-flight breakfast, board first, exit first, comfortable seats...it was definitely worth it. After boarding was was happily sitting in my 1st class seat, sipping on a Jack Daniels on the rocks with a Mich Golden Light to back it up...life is definitely good. Listened to some tunes on my MP3 player and the pilot put us down in Vegas with a smooth landing. Bags in hand, I took a shuttle to Bally's and at 10 A.M. I am standing in line to check in.
A friendly female clerk offered me to upgrade my north tower room to a jacuzzi suite for an additional $50 per night. Hey, it's just me; solo trips I spend about 6 hours out of 24 in the room..no thanks. After dumping my bags in a very nice room: comfortable bed, clean, nice bathroom, quiet...what more could I want, it was off to place some sports bets on the NFL games and hit the Sterling buffet. My waiter, Alexandro, took great care of me..never had an empty glass of that delicious champagne. Great variety of food; their lamb chops are amazing, the vegetable souffle is wonderful and their raspberries rival the ones that I used to pick on my Grandfather's farm when I was a kid....desserts...yum. There was a rather large woman eating at a table next to me; she had to tower over 6 foot, was ....how should I put it..."big-boned". I was amazed at the platefuls of food she consumed; when I left, she was on her third plate of desserts.
I sat and played VP at the bar at Bally's during the Patriots/Ravens game, had a few cocktails, talked to some interesting bar mates and walked away, winning $80. Caught the shuttle to the Rio, where I had a couple of Cloudy Bay Sauvignan Blancs and shot the breeze with the friendly server, Lita. Then it was back to the strip to Harrah's, played a little Vp (even), stopped at O'Sheas only to learn that their $3 Irish Car Bombs are now $5..outrageous..give me two. Next, on to see Absinthe. Don't bother with the VIP seats, unless you want to pay too much for your seat and want to get ridiculed by the Gazillionaire during the performance. I picked up a reduced general admission ticket beforehand(thanks LVA) and found a nice aisle seat in the 3rd row...perfect. Absinthe is...well....not for the thin skinned, off color, a little raunchy humor, but one hell of a funny and entertaining show...fits in great with the Vegas venue. After the show I headed over to the Cosmo and had a couple of slices of pizza at their 'hidden' pizza place. This was one of the few disappointments of the trip.....average pizza at best...definitely had much better. I ended the evening gambling at Bally's. I had an amazing run of cards playing 3 card poker, but due to the fact that I usually play conservatively my 1st night in Vegas, I only cashed out $275 ahead. I hit 3OAK for the first time...sweet. Midnight found me with money in my pocket, a pretty good buzz and desperately needing some sleep. Cash in..lights out.
MONDAY
I'm up at 0800, watch some news, shower and out the door; ready to take on Vegas. Breakfast was at the Bally's cafe; eggs Benedict, grits and coffee. The waitress was very nice and attentive. There was a nice little old lady at the table next to me who had a nice head of white hair, accented with a big blotch of bright pink...what the hell is that all about? Fortified with a satisfying breakfast, I hopped on the Monorail to make my way down eventually to the MB and my appointment at the Art of Shaving. This is my equivalent to going to a Spa. Jack, my barber, gave me a great haircut and a Royal Shave...took a little over 90 minutes, cost $80...worth every penny.. Some of you probably think this is outrageous...kiss my ass. If you never have had a straight razor shave you should experience their Royal Shave at least once in your life...it's a real treat. I had my first experience last fall, and this is on my "to do" list for every Vegas trip. Afterwards I made my way down to NYNY, played some slots and then sat at the bar at Nine Fine Irishmen and had a Bushmills neat and a pint of Guiness. I then walked over to the MGM and played for the longest time on a $100 on the Lions Share progressive slot before giving up and cashing out with $101...giving the slot attendant a buck for her troubles. I ran thru a roll of quarters playing the Sigma Derby horse race game and had a good time...and a couple of Heinekens.
Back on the Monorail to Harrah's and picked up my tickets to Love at the box office at Mirage then VP at Harrah's and lost $100 playing 3 card poker at Bill's. Shuttle over to Gold Coast & played JOB 9/6 at the 50 cent level at the bar; putting 1000 points on my card and walking away with my original $100. Had a couple of glasses of wine at the Wine Cellar at the Riio...I love this place, more VP at Harrah's then settled into a great seat to see Love. What a great performance. I am a child of the 60's, but not a great Beatles fan; this show is all about the music...and great music it still is. Great visual effects and dance choreography, all blended magically with the music. I definitely would like to see this show again. Had a late night dinner Carnegie deli....Rueben..open faced...too much food, but yummy....burp. Played more VP at Harrah's and lost $100 playing LIR at Bally's before giving up and slipping in the arms of Morpheous.
TUESDAY
Wake up a little unsteady; how many Heinekens did I have yesterday? Packed up and moved across the street to Bill's; they charged me an extra $15 for an early check in fee...pain in the ass. The room was surprisingly nice: clean, quiet, roomy, flat screen TV, nice view of the Bellagio fountains...this will do. Had a late breakfast at the Victoria Room at Bills. One thing that I did notice right away was that they have taken out the hot dog cart by their sportsbook...too bad..that was great for a quick, cheap snack. Lost $100 playing LIR at Bills then sat down to a LIR table at the Margarittaville Casino. I was only going to play for an hour tops, but ended up staying there for about 3 hours. I played with a great set of tablemates and a young entertaining dealer. I was wearing my Stetson fedora hat and a woman at the table said that I looked like the guy from the movie, Jurassic Park.....from then on I was addressed as "Hey, Jurassic!" I ended up losing another $100, but had one hell of a good time doing so. The CW's at their casino are knockouts..whoo hoo.
I caught the SDX for downtown and played some slots and VP at the 4 Q's leaving up $30, used my ACG coupon for free play at Vegas Club..this place is a real pit and then it was off for a mini LVA meet at the El Cortez. I met Judy and her husband Dennis from Ohio, Lee O, Parrothead, and one other member, who's name fails me. I ended up having a great conversation at the bar at the El Co, playing DW at the 50 cent level with Dennis and Judy. They have a great happy hour special at the bar; their premium martinis are two for $8...what a deal. While talking to Dennis, I held a single deuce only to have the other 3 fill for 4
Ducks! A $500 win....ended up cashing out for $600 and had two delicious martinis, which they do not comp for players..... but they are very tasty,,,especially their gin martini, the Bullit...could easily be addicting. Judy, Dennis and I had a delightful dinner at the Flame and then played some more VP at the bar before I said my goodbyes(had another bullit.. Judy and Dennis...LVA members are such great people to hang out in Vegas with. Judy, hope you enjoyed the Merlot and enjoyed your stay at Southpoint.
I ended the evening playing BJ at the Golden Gate for the rest of the evening. I got pounded at the 1st table that I sat at, lose, lose ,lose, female dealer was unfriendly, and dealt the cards as fast as she could; no chit chat. Down $175 and not having any fun; time to switch tables. Sat down to a $10 table with four guys from North Carolina and played, drank and laughed until 0300 cashing out down $150 after some generous tips to the dealers/dancers. Caught the deuce back to the strip...bus driver had to evict one passenger who was pretty drunk..bet Metro gave her accommodations for the night. Played some slots at the Flamingo and then crashed at 0430 after giving a drunk call to a co-worker back in Minnesota. Hey, Madman, you should be here!
To be continued..........
