Dumpster Diving in Vegas (TR)

Six days in Vegas led to some big wins, big losses, great food,....and a little dumpster diving. Just a few pics from the trip and a few tidbits after...

I spent three days in the newly designed tower suites at El Cortez. Six of them are themed. This one is called the "The Long Sleep" where you are meant to be in your final resting place in the desert after being taken out by the mob....




The room comes with a Jacuzzi tub... unfortunately its one of those triangle shaped ones that only comfortably accommodates people who are too small to ride the roller coaster at Six Flags.


Interesting accents throughout the room... crocodile skeletons in the Nevada desert? Sure, why not.



Nighty night. Don't let Luca Brazi bite...



Aw crap. They're closing the doors for good at the Western in a couple weeks. You know you're gonna miss it. Its the dollar store of casinos. Dollar hot dogs, dollar craps, dollar beers....what they really needed were dollar tetanus shots. Lots of people playing the cheap tables during my afternoon visit.


Wonder where all the vagrants will hang out once the Western closes? Answer: Poker Palace. Its kindof a cross between Medieval Times, a casino,.... and Auschwitz. On the plus side they've finally adopted TITO for most of their machines so you dont get the bucket of grimy nickels.


The thoughtful folks at Poker Palace provide a smoke free entrance for those who prefer the smell of cheap aftershave and urine over cigarette smoke.


Its a bowling alley. Its a casino. And its one of my favorite dives in the city. The Silver Nugget has lots of cheap, player-friendly tables and some interesting clientele. "Interesting" is a synonym for "homeless" right ?


One of the great things about Vegas is that every casino has its own theme. Treasure Island is a Pirate Ship. New York, New York is a city. And way out on North Main Street the Opera House has its own theme too. No, its not an Opera House. As near as I can tell the theme here is "Emphysema". No worries. All the smoke and disease on the planet wont come between me and a good gambling coupon. After winning $40 inside I got a second dose of good luck as I made it back to my car without getting stabbed.



Quite possibly the nicest casino downtown - Jerry's Nugget. Albeit that's like saying you're the tallest person in Munchkinland. They have really turned the corner here. Too bad its in a neighborhood full of pawn shops and low rent strip clubs.




Check out the manicured gardens outside Jerry's Nugget.



The coffee shop has really good food and a jaw dropping dessert case. I popped in for lunch and got this avocado stuffed with chicken salad atop salad greens. Delish.


I made a grand tour of several of the Station Properties throughout the city. Santa Fe Station might be my favorite. Maybe because I managed to win $400 there. Its a hike to get there but they've got a great combination of eateries and games.


Fremont Street in December...



Nothing reminds me of the Holidays more than the table dancing stripper-chicks on the daiquiri bar outside Golden Gate.


My favorite ice cream parlor in the whole wide world....Lapperts. Its Hawaiian inspired ice cream. You'll find White Chocolate, Macadamia Nuts, Coconut...and other Island flavors here. What, no Spam flavored ice cream? Located near the bridge that connects Main Street Station to the California Hotel.

Rooms

Bluegreen Resort 36
This is a timeshare condo resort a few blocks east of the MGM Grand. The rooms are nice and come with a kitchen, living room, and a large bathroom. The resort offers an indoor pool, fitness center, and several onsite restaurants and stores. Not bad. Its not close enough to the action for my taste, though. Oh, and make sure you bring a big wooden stick to fend off the time share salespeople here.


El Cortez Designer Suites. These are the refreshed rooms in the tower that were professionally designed. They're nice, yes. But at $175 per night plus another $12 for WIFI they are way overpriced - especially when you consider you can nab the Palazzo for under $150 nowadays. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and you wont find a bigger fan of the El Cortez than me...but I would probably just take a standard tower room next time.


Shows:

I kept my entertainment dollars fixed at the Riviera this trip. The Riviera entertainment venues all fall within my parameters for any Vegas Show: C-H-E-A-P.

Riviera Comedy Club: This is just a simple club with the same rotation of comics you probably find at your local club in anytown, USA. $20 for over an hour. I would guess the quality of the comics is hit or miss but ours was a hit.

Crazy Girls: This is the long standing topless show at Riviera. Discount tickets go about $24. Its lip-synced dance routines mixed with some cheesy jokes offered up by the comic host. Eh. The show is about an hour long. I was bored by the 30 minute mark. I got more entertainment value from the "Family Guy" pinball machine in the lobby. For a much better show at the same price see "Fanatasy" at the Luxor where the lead singer sounds more like Christina Aguilera than Christina Aguilera.

Interesting Eats:

El Dorado Coffee Shop: Its way out in Henderson. But if you have the desire to explore the city they have a dirt cheap special in December. $2.99 Spaghetti dinner which includes garlic toast and a bowl of soup. An extra dollar gets you meatballs on top. I splurged. Hey, you only live once. Its a perfectly decent meal for dirt cheap - of course, I spent $5.00 in gas getting out there and back.

Marilyn's Coffee Shop at The Tuscany. 50% off coupon will get you a great deal here. Prices are a little steep by default but the coupon brings them down to earth fast. $6.99 Steak and Eggs special came down to $3.50 and it was a good steak - not the slab of horsemeat you get at some of the cheap joints. The Tuscany is a beautiful property and this is a beautiful room.

The Flame Steakhouse @ El Cortez. El Cortez comped me here. Jumbo Shrimp cocktail, french onion soup, Filet Mignon, Asparagus, mac-n-cheese, creme brulee, and a double espresso...and two glasses of wine. I had to pay for the wine. Total bill was $12 plus nice tip for the waiter. Its a must every trip.

Fiesta Henderson Buffet. The Fiesta properties get no respect - and they deserve it. All the station properties have discounted buffets in December - Fiesta's is only 8.50. I was expecting it to be awful but was pleasantly surprised. Good everything - carving station, fresh veggies, good salad bar and desserts. What a steal !

Oyster Bar at Palace Station. Its good but the wait is long and the prices seem higher than other Oyster Bars in town. If you can get a seat then great. Don't wait in line for an hour like some people were doing.

Gambling Notes:

When all was said and done I came home down a few hundred bucks but I managed some good hits along the way....

El Cortez has 3 roulette wheels running with $1 bets and 25 cent chips. Good luck getting a seat at one. They are packed 24/7. Also, El Cortez awards points on video poker at the same rate as slots. You can rack up comps here very fast. I got into their "Saphire" level after three days of playing quarter video poker. No Royals to report but several hefty 4OAK's

Riviera now has a single zero roulette wheel and 3/2 Black Jack. And its getting people back in their casino. Good stuff.

I hit $300+ jackpots at three different Stations Properties this trip: Boulder Station, FIesta Henderson, and Santa Fe Station. I'm talking slot machines here. Probably just lucky but thats enough to make me visit these places again next trip. I'm still singing the theme song to the new Ghostbusters slot.


Fiesta Henderson - nothing screams "class" more than a resort that boasts its very own "Denny's" onsite. This place rocks. I was here until 2AM trying to lose $100. I couldn't do it. Every bet I made seemed to turn up roses. I finally had to leave after dozing off at the blackjack table.


The Cosmopolitan is offering up reimbursement of half your losses in slot play for new signups...up to $100. I took them up on it. Before I could put a dent in my hundred bucks I hit $180 on a dollar slot. I celebrated with a girly drink in the chandelier bar.

This is an excellent report PJ. You should start your own blog or something like that. It could be called

Uncle PJ's Discount Guide to Las Vegas

PJ,
I know you're not done but I'm loving every photo, every comment and every snarky word.
Bravo!
You brought Vegas into my living room on a cold Dec. night in NYC!! Thank you!!!
How addictive is Ghostbusters???

Ghostbusters is a trip. Its one of those machines where the top jackpot is only like $1000....so you can play forever and gets lots of bonuses - you just never really win or lose too much.

Hot Damn, what a great report!

Thanks

Very entertaining

Thanks for that very nice and entertaining trip report as well as for those photos! Sorry about your losses! And I do like El Cortez for their Video Poker and Blackjack.

RecVPPlayer

A very fun and funny report. Thanks for posting!

Nobody spit on your shoe?

Funny report. A side of Vegas I never venture. Your story is a hoot. Thanks for posting!