PROLOGUE:
Dear readers of the LVA forum; it's good to be back. Originally, this trip was destined for wine country, California as a family reunion of sorts, but Mother Nature decided to raise up in her firey fury and change our plans at the last minute. We(my son and wife and myself) were to fly into SFO and meet my daughter who lives in Napa and spend a week enjoying what the wine country had to offer. Well, the voracious inferno that sprouted so suddenly a few days before our scheduled trip really threw a monkey wrench into my well laid plans. My daughter had to leave her home in Napa because of the excessive smoke and told me many of the places that we planned on visiting had succumbed to the flames and were now mere ashes.
Several telephone conversations later we decided to change plans and meet in Las Vegas...I was heart broken....well, maybe. I was able to secure last minute rooms for us at the Flamingo and everyone was able to change our flight plans. Undaunted, I was determined to make this trip a family trip to remember. Unfortunately my youngest son could not join us. My oldest son and daughter in law flew in a couple of days before me and stayed at the Palazzo. My daughter arrived a few minutes after I did and we met at the baggage claim before heading to the car rental center.
Hotel:
We checked into the Flamingo via the Diamond checkin area and was assigned rooms on the top floor (28th); Fab rooms facing the High Roller; except upon entering my son's room we were greeted with the air conditioning unit running at a volume that you could hardly carry on a normal conversation over the noise. I called down and after a brief conversation an employee was at my door with a new set of keyes to a Strip facing room a few doors down from mine...score. Except to complain about our neighbors smoking weed in front of my door one evening(the smell and smoke seeping into my room was overwhelming)...management quickly evicted the offenders. Housekeeping and the rest of the Flamingo staff were great for our entire stay. The elevators worked without a hitch all trip.
Shows:
We saw "Love" on Thursday night and Ringo Starr and his All Star Band on Friday evening. Both performances were very entertaning. I have seen "Love" several times previously, but the new changes to the show's format were a plus. Ringo is no great vocalist, but his band was a very talented group of musicians and we enjoyed the show immensely.
Dining:
We dined rather well this trip. Monday night we ate at the Thai restaurant at Bally's using a TravelZoo coupon. My daughter did a lot of the ordering for us and we had a very enjoyable meal. Waitstaff were excellent; a great place for a small group to eat and carry on conversation while enjoying delicious food. Wednesday was a nice dinner at Basttisa's Hole in the Wall behind the Flamingo. Gordie was there to play us a few tunes tableside. The Italian food is not gourmet, but is solid and is a good value. The kids really enjoyed the initimate atmosphere of the place. Thursday was dinner at BLT steak at Bally's; again using a TravelZoo coupon. I have dined at BLT several times and each time it has been a pleasant dining experience. My son's ribeye was enormous, but that did not stop him from finishing off the rest of my tasty filet mignon...that kid can really eat. I have to be honest, I love this restaurant....everytime that I have dined there it has been great. The food is good, the waitstaff have been terrific and the coupons make it a great value. So much so, that I had to dine there the following month...BUT that's another trip report, folks. Friday was dinner on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi. It was a pleasant evening for mid October sitting outside, enjoying the view and the Bellagio fountain shows. Again, fabulous food and our waiter was excellent. Of course I had to take them to the Peppermill for breakfast one morning. The kids really liked the place.
Activities:
We were on the go for most of the trip. We traveled about 20 miles south of the Strip to take in the "Seven Magic Mountains"....google it. I had read about this art work last year and the kids were intriqued about my description...so off we go. Very impressive, better that I thought it would be...worth the time. We took an afternoon and toured the Tillman bridge and the Hoover Dam. My DIL is not fond of heights, but she braved walking out to the halfway point on the bridge to take some photos. The bridge shakes a little when the semis come roaring over it. The view of the dam....wow. Tuesday night was hockey night. We had great seats for the Vegas Knights vs the Buffalo Sabres. The game went into overtime with the Knights scoring to seal the win. It was a very enthusiastic crowd and a fun time. A very drunk Sabres fan sitting in front of us made a rather crass comment to my daughter during the first period. I thought my daughter was going to clobber him, but I stepped in and told her that this guy would never be around after the 2nd period. The guy was dragged out by his buddy midway through the 2nd period and we never saw them again. Wednesday night we took a tour of the Neon Museum. My daughter and I had taken the tour last year, but we still enjoyed the tour. Our guide was a wealth of Vegas information and history. Thursday afternoon we toured the Secret Garden behind the Mirage and spent a very enjoyable time watching the staff interact with the dolphins. Exploring deeper into the exhibit, we spent a lot of time watching the various "big cats". We also were fortunate to meet a member of Vegas Royalty, Sigfried. He was very gracious and posed for photographs with us...a very nice and humble man. My son,DIL and daughter took advantage of the mild weather and spent a couple of afternoons poolside while I did a little gambling.
Gambling:
Very little as a group. The kids were on a tight budget; my daughter was worried about the resort that she works for in Napa would not pay her (they closed because of the fires...she is one of their top massage therapists). They did the right thing for their employees and she was paid for her scheduled work days even though the resort was closed. I was able to hook up with my Vegas buddy, Timberwolf, during this trip, but our gambling sessions together were rather short and not very profitable. During my trip I received an e-mail from CET about their change in the Diamond status tier points in order to maintain free entry into their Vegas Diamond Lounges...got to have 25,000 points starting next year...nice to let us know. The kids flew out on Friday evening leaving me free my last day in Vegas. I hit the Pho high limit room early Saturday morning playing a multi-line VP machine, 8 lines at a time. My plan was to put 1,000 tier points on my card in order to receive the 1,000 point bonus. If I repeated this session on my Nov/Dec trip I could make the 25,000 point threshold. I grinded away for over an hour when I was dealt 4 to the Royal. Egads, a Royal would pull me out of my hole and afford me a chance to make the 1,000 point mark on CET's money. I held the four cards, held my breath, closed my eyes and hit the "deal" button. To my great surprise, I hit two royal flushes on that hand for my first ever handpay....what a rush. I had a hard time restraining my enthusiasm....afterall, I'm in the high limit room...this sort of thing happens all the time. Having the slot attendant count out all those Benjamins in my hand...wow. I hit several good hands after that, and cruised to my 1,000 point goal. I took home all the money from the handpay...and then some....sweet. What a way to end the trip. If you are wondering, I did hit a couple more Royals on my following trip (best gambling trip EVER...could not lose) and reached over the 25,000 point mark.
EPILOGUE:
The kids and I had a great time; thoroughly enjoyed every day. It was great to see and sit down and talk to my daughter about what is going on in her life...she has so many "irons in the fire". My son and DIL really enjoyed themselves. A month after the trip they informed me that I was going to be a Grandpa for the first time....what happens in Vegas?? I have over 50 Vegas trips under my belt and this was one the best. Sorry Timberwolf that I could not spend more time with you...but I did make it up the next trip....THAT was one hell of a trip. Hope you enjoyed reading.....didn't do anything wild and crazy this trip, but had a good time. I hope to post my Nov/Dec trip report soon. My escapades with Timberwolf and his girlfriend Julie made for one action packed trip...quads fell like rain. Hope your next Vegas trip is soon. Take care, all.
