PROLOGUE:
I had not planned another trip so soon after my December Father/Daughter Vegas trip, but those rascals from Spirit Airline and CET teamed up with a couple of deals that I just could not pass up...like I need a good excuse to get my ass back to the promised land. I bagged a $85 RT fare from Spirit Airlines and three free nights at Bally's and the 4th night(a Friday) for just 40 bucks...done deal. Since I would be solo and staying on the Strip, I bought my usual 3 day bus pass for transportation. I wanted to see Steve Wynn's Showstoppers on my last trip, but the show was dark the week that I was there with my daughter. The show, Jubilee, was soon to close, so I thought I would see the 'Old Girl' for the 6th and last time. No high end dining for this trip, just grab a meal on the fly. I planned on seeing the Chinese New Year display at the Bellagio and use a voucher from MyVegas to see the Picasso art display at their Gallery of fine art. A trip or two the the Rio wine cellar was on the docket as well. The rest of the trip would be by the seat of my pants....that's what I like about these solo trips.... make up your own schedule as you go along.
TUESDAY JAN 26TH
I had a mid afternoon flight so I spent a leisurely morning packing and driving up to the "Cities". Spirit flies out of the larger terminal at MSP, so the security lines were a little longer than I usually encounter when I fly on Sun Country airlines and the smaller Humphrey terminal. I had no problems with TSA and soon was wandering around to find a barstool...mission accomplished. Two double Hendricks gin and tonics put a glow in my cheeks, let's get this show on the road. We took off 30 minutes late, but the pilot "punched" it and we arrived on time after all. I had made a reservation on the Super shuttle, and after a 20 minute wait on the bus and fighting the rush hour traffic, I was the first one to be deposited at my hotel. The super shuttle costs just $2 more than the regular shuttle, but they limit the number of patrons on each shuttle and you avoid the buggy ride of dropping off a dozen people at multiple hotels...well worth the extra few bucks.
Diamond check in was a breeze and I soon was unpacking in my 24th floor Indigo tower room. The large room did not have much of a view, facing south, but I have been here so many times, I don't stand around and stare out of the window anyhow. Stashed most of my bankroll in the safe and headed down to Sully's bar to seek my fortune. Things started out great and I hit 2 quads in the first ten minutes...hadn't even finished that first Heineken of the trip. I made a small profit and then wandered over to the Harrah's diamond lounge for a snack and a couple of cocktails. I talked to a couple of the 'regulars' and Robert the bartender for a while and then hopped on the bus for downtown.
I played blackjack at the Gate, but struggled and left down about $150. I played a short session of DW at the bar, hitting a deuces assisted Royal which took the sting out of my blackjack loss. I bounced around the FSE and ended up playing a prolonged session of VP at the Vue bar at the D casino without any quads and a small loss. I showed my Spirit boarding pass at the D's players club desk and received two $25 matchplay chips which I will save for my March trip with MadMan Mike. I had some late night greezy pizza at the Flamingo food court before hanging it up around 04:00. I slept fitfully and finally crawled out of bed around 07:00...going to be a long day.
WEDNESDAY 1/27
I watched a little ESPN and then tried to fall back to sleep to no avail...a shower and two cups of in room coffee got the juices flowing and I headed out for the day. I spent a long time taking photos of the conservatory display at the Bellagio, year of the monkey, another great floral treat. The Bellagio cafe was close by and did not look too busy so I decided to have lunch at their counter. My waitress was pleasant and the club sandwich and fries hit the spot. The lady at the Mlife desk was great and hooked me up with my Art gallery voucher...I think she was flirting with me a little...nah, probably just wishful thinking on my part.
I did some reading up on Picasso so that I wouldn't be totally clueless about his works. The art display was not what I expected...it was so much better. This guy lead a very interesting life and the audio that explained what I was looking at added so much to understand what Picasso was saying on canvas. I think it would have been truly interesting to sit down and talk with him for an hour...fascinating guy. This was my third trip to the Bellagio gallery; a real hidden gem. I trudged back to my Bally's room after wandering around the ghost town that they call the Grand Bazaar shops and did get a few hours of sleep.
I partook of the buffet at the Harrahs diamond lounge again, washing my food down with a couple of tasty gin and tonics at the bar. I talked with a couple of guys sitting next to me who were wringing their hands as their college basketball team was going down in flames and they were losing a sizable sports bet. I wished them luck and then walked over to the Wynn to see my show. I was early so I played some $1 JOB to kill some time and cashed out dead even.
I had a 4th row seat in the center section and sat next to an elderly lady who was very talkative and smelled of vodka and too much perfume. The show started and ended with "There's No Business Like Show Business" with many great numbers in between. I especially liked the "Cell Block Tango" and "Razzle Dazzle" from the show Chicago. I thought Razzle Dazzle would make a great theme song for the Donald Trump campaign. I took dance lessons for 5 years and found myself concentrating on the performer's foot and hand movements...great choreography. The live band belted out the songs and I had a good time tapping my feet to the music...good show, go see it.
Afterwards, it was back downtown for another losing session at the Gate. One anecdote I will relate while sitting at the blackjack table. There was a goofy looking guy standing by my table watching the game, all the while munching popcorn from a huge bag. After 20 minutes he sat down at 1st base and bought in for $100. The guy was pretty clueless about basic strategy and quickly he felted. He bought in again with another hundy and what happened next left me rather stunned. This idiot played two hands that I still scratch my head over. 1st hand: He has a 12 vs the dealers 7...he doubles down, even after the lovely young female dealer asked him if he was sure....naturally he loses after she flips over a jack to bust him. Three hands later he does this: He is dealt two tens vs the dealers 9....he splits his TENS. He ends up with a 17 on one hand and an 18 on the other. The dealer flips over a king for 19...he loses both hands again. He then looks and the dealer and loudly calls her a "BITCH". She of course is stunned; I told her that she doesn't have to put up with that kind of abuse. She then called over the pitboss and repeated what the guy had called her and I backed up her claim....two security guards were quickly on the scene and this guy was told to "hit the bricks". What the hell was this guy thinking?
I played some more VP at the 4 Q's and at the Vue bar without any wins, so I gave up and took the Deuce back to Harrah's. But first I had to treat myself with a bowl of oxtail soup at the California cafe...yum. I ended up at the Tag bar at the Linq and played some more bonus poker. The Tag bar has a great craft beer collection, which includes some decent porters. "Hollywood" one the bartenders poured out my porter in a glass and wished me luck. I never can remember his name, so I just call him Hollywood, from his nametag, but I am sure he is not originally from there...great guy. A couple of porters and quads later I hold the ace and queen of clubs and the rest of the Royal fills in on the draw. My 3rd ever Royal and first in two years...this trip just took a turn for the better! Hollywood poured me out a healthy shot of Jameson and I tipped him $20. I cashed out and called it a night....take the money and RUN.
THURSDAY 1/28
I was up early again and ate at the Paris buffet. I filled out my omelet card and handed it to my server and then stocked up on the usual breakfast stables. Shortly after returning to my seat, my made to order omelet was delivered. Thoroughly stuffed, I waddled out to the bus stop and headed for downtown to spend the day. I cashed in my son's sportsbet at the El Cortez. He bet the Vikings would make the NFL playoffs back in September. The ticket was so faded that the guy behind the counter had a hard time reading it. My $10 in free play netted me $30. I stopped briefly to the Burlesque Hall of Fame located across the street from the TEZ. Interesting little place with lots of photos of the old burlesque Queens, Lil Egypt, Tempest Storm, Blaze Star, many others and of course Gypsy Rose Lee. I talked with the young lady behind the counter for a while; she looked more like she belonged in a library than a stripper museum....Vegas.
My free play at Binions turned into $10 and $20 at the 4 Q's. I lost $100 at the Boars Head bar at MSS, $60 at the Vue bar at the D and made $30 from my free play at the DT Grand. I was pretty thirsty after all that gambling so I headed over to recharge at Hogs and Heifers biker bar. Several shots and beers later I made it out alive only to lose another $100 playing blackjack at the Gate. I took the SDX back to the Strip and then took the Harrahs shuttle to the Rio to check into their wine cellar. I had a flight of a nice Twomey merlot....Yes I like drinking frickin merlot...and two very nice Silver Oak Cabs...one from Napa and one from Alexander valley. By the time I had finished my flight the place was filling up with people...nice to see the place busy.
I changed my smoky clothes back at Bally's and then lost $100 on some slots before seeing Jubliee. I like this show, even though it gets a little 'cheesy' in places, but the grand nature of the costumes and dancers more than makes up for it. Another Vegas icon fades from the stage...sad. Is this the demise of the Vegas showgirl...I hope not. I ordered up a Heineken and plunged a couple of twenties into the bartop at the bar towards the Jubilee tower. Two Heinekens later I hold the 10, jack and queen of diamonds at the rest fills in on the draw for my 2nd Royal Flush of the trip...YESSSSSS! I cashed out, bought some snacks at the gift shop and called it a night. Wow, two Royals in two days...sweet.
FRIDAY 1/29
A couple cups of coffee and a big glass of pedialyte backed up with some pharmaceuticals and I was ready for my last day in Vegas. I had a big breakfast at the Grand Lux cafe at the Venetian, my attentive waitress kept calling me 'sweetie'. I placed a couple of bets at the sportsbook at Harrah's...took the Broncos and the points for the Super Bowl and made a futures bet on the Kentucky Derby. I then played some 3 card poker at Bally's for several hours. I was steadily losing and to make matters worse I missed a chance for a $5000 payout. I never play the $5 bonus bet, which I consider a sucker bet....well wouldn't you know it...I am dealt the 10, ace, jack of clubs for a nice flush....the dealer turns over the king and queen of clubs...a 5 card Royal which pays 1000 to one. The lady at 1st base freaked out, but I didn't flinch.....I never play the bonus....just one of those things...I quickly shook it off....did take a long pull from my bottle of Heineken. Thirty minutes later I was dealt a 3 card straight flush for a nice payout, putting me up for the session.
I went back to the room, packed, checked out and then headed to the airport for my red eye flight. There was absolutely no line at the TSA checkin. I had a very interesting conversation with a young lady from Guatemala and her American husband at the airport bar..talk about a couple of free spirits. The flight home was on time and uneventful. I pulled up in my driveway by 8 AM. My cat, Nick, followed me around all morning, chewing me out with his meowing. Another trip in the books.
EPILOGUE:
A very profitable and enjoyable trip to start out 2016. I now have a hefty bankroll for my upcoming March Madness trip with MadMan Mike. We are staying at the Flamingo and then the TEZ later in the week. Freddy Five Fingers and the rest of the crew bailed out...pussies. I bought a groupon for BLT steak for $115. Two appies or salads, two steaks up to $58 each (which includes their NY strip and filet) a side and dessert to share, and two cocktails or glasses of wine.....pretty good deal. I also have my $100 diamond food voucher to use...we are eating high on the hog this trip. I really enjoyed both shows; really wished my daughter could have seen Showstoppers last time. After I recover from the March trip I can start planing my trip in early May....I'm becoming a Vegas glutton. I purchased a RT ticket on Sun Country for $186...nice. I'll give a shout out to Timberwolf and his girlfriend Julie.....looking forward to seeing you guys next month and see what kind of mayhem we can get into at the Gate's craps table. Thanks for reading. Hope all of you can get out to Vegas soon.
I had not planned another trip so soon after my December Father/Daughter Vegas trip, but those rascals from Spirit Airline and CET teamed up with a couple of deals that I just could not pass up...like I need a good excuse to get my ass back to the promised land. I bagged a $85 RT fare from Spirit Airlines and three free nights at Bally's and the 4th night(a Friday) for just 40 bucks...done deal. Since I would be solo and staying on the Strip, I bought my usual 3 day bus pass for transportation. I wanted to see Steve Wynn's Showstoppers on my last trip, but the show was dark the week that I was there with my daughter. The show, Jubilee, was soon to close, so I thought I would see the 'Old Girl' for the 6th and last time. No high end dining for this trip, just grab a meal on the fly. I planned on seeing the Chinese New Year display at the Bellagio and use a voucher from MyVegas to see the Picasso art display at their Gallery of fine art. A trip or two the the Rio wine cellar was on the docket as well. The rest of the trip would be by the seat of my pants....that's what I like about these solo trips.... make up your own schedule as you go along.
TUESDAY JAN 26TH
I had a mid afternoon flight so I spent a leisurely morning packing and driving up to the "Cities". Spirit flies out of the larger terminal at MSP, so the security lines were a little longer than I usually encounter when I fly on Sun Country airlines and the smaller Humphrey terminal. I had no problems with TSA and soon was wandering around to find a barstool...mission accomplished. Two double Hendricks gin and tonics put a glow in my cheeks, let's get this show on the road. We took off 30 minutes late, but the pilot "punched" it and we arrived on time after all. I had made a reservation on the Super shuttle, and after a 20 minute wait on the bus and fighting the rush hour traffic, I was the first one to be deposited at my hotel. The super shuttle costs just $2 more than the regular shuttle, but they limit the number of patrons on each shuttle and you avoid the buggy ride of dropping off a dozen people at multiple hotels...well worth the extra few bucks.
Diamond check in was a breeze and I soon was unpacking in my 24th floor Indigo tower room. The large room did not have much of a view, facing south, but I have been here so many times, I don't stand around and stare out of the window anyhow. Stashed most of my bankroll in the safe and headed down to Sully's bar to seek my fortune. Things started out great and I hit 2 quads in the first ten minutes...hadn't even finished that first Heineken of the trip. I made a small profit and then wandered over to the Harrah's diamond lounge for a snack and a couple of cocktails. I talked to a couple of the 'regulars' and Robert the bartender for a while and then hopped on the bus for downtown.
I played blackjack at the Gate, but struggled and left down about $150. I played a short session of DW at the bar, hitting a deuces assisted Royal which took the sting out of my blackjack loss. I bounced around the FSE and ended up playing a prolonged session of VP at the Vue bar at the D casino without any quads and a small loss. I showed my Spirit boarding pass at the D's players club desk and received two $25 matchplay chips which I will save for my March trip with MadMan Mike. I had some late night greezy pizza at the Flamingo food court before hanging it up around 04:00. I slept fitfully and finally crawled out of bed around 07:00...going to be a long day.
WEDNESDAY 1/27
I watched a little ESPN and then tried to fall back to sleep to no avail...a shower and two cups of in room coffee got the juices flowing and I headed out for the day. I spent a long time taking photos of the conservatory display at the Bellagio, year of the monkey, another great floral treat. The Bellagio cafe was close by and did not look too busy so I decided to have lunch at their counter. My waitress was pleasant and the club sandwich and fries hit the spot. The lady at the Mlife desk was great and hooked me up with my Art gallery voucher...I think she was flirting with me a little...nah, probably just wishful thinking on my part.
I did some reading up on Picasso so that I wouldn't be totally clueless about his works. The art display was not what I expected...it was so much better. This guy lead a very interesting life and the audio that explained what I was looking at added so much to understand what Picasso was saying on canvas. I think it would have been truly interesting to sit down and talk with him for an hour...fascinating guy. This was my third trip to the Bellagio gallery; a real hidden gem. I trudged back to my Bally's room after wandering around the ghost town that they call the Grand Bazaar shops and did get a few hours of sleep.
I partook of the buffet at the Harrahs diamond lounge again, washing my food down with a couple of tasty gin and tonics at the bar. I talked with a couple of guys sitting next to me who were wringing their hands as their college basketball team was going down in flames and they were losing a sizable sports bet. I wished them luck and then walked over to the Wynn to see my show. I was early so I played some $1 JOB to kill some time and cashed out dead even.
I had a 4th row seat in the center section and sat next to an elderly lady who was very talkative and smelled of vodka and too much perfume. The show started and ended with "There's No Business Like Show Business" with many great numbers in between. I especially liked the "Cell Block Tango" and "Razzle Dazzle" from the show Chicago. I thought Razzle Dazzle would make a great theme song for the Donald Trump campaign. I took dance lessons for 5 years and found myself concentrating on the performer's foot and hand movements...great choreography. The live band belted out the songs and I had a good time tapping my feet to the music...good show, go see it.
Afterwards, it was back downtown for another losing session at the Gate. One anecdote I will relate while sitting at the blackjack table. There was a goofy looking guy standing by my table watching the game, all the while munching popcorn from a huge bag. After 20 minutes he sat down at 1st base and bought in for $100. The guy was pretty clueless about basic strategy and quickly he felted. He bought in again with another hundy and what happened next left me rather stunned. This idiot played two hands that I still scratch my head over. 1st hand: He has a 12 vs the dealers 7...he doubles down, even after the lovely young female dealer asked him if he was sure....naturally he loses after she flips over a jack to bust him. Three hands later he does this: He is dealt two tens vs the dealers 9....he splits his TENS. He ends up with a 17 on one hand and an 18 on the other. The dealer flips over a king for 19...he loses both hands again. He then looks and the dealer and loudly calls her a "BITCH". She of course is stunned; I told her that she doesn't have to put up with that kind of abuse. She then called over the pitboss and repeated what the guy had called her and I backed up her claim....two security guards were quickly on the scene and this guy was told to "hit the bricks". What the hell was this guy thinking?
I played some more VP at the 4 Q's and at the Vue bar without any wins, so I gave up and took the Deuce back to Harrah's. But first I had to treat myself with a bowl of oxtail soup at the California cafe...yum. I ended up at the Tag bar at the Linq and played some more bonus poker. The Tag bar has a great craft beer collection, which includes some decent porters. "Hollywood" one the bartenders poured out my porter in a glass and wished me luck. I never can remember his name, so I just call him Hollywood, from his nametag, but I am sure he is not originally from there...great guy. A couple of porters and quads later I hold the ace and queen of clubs and the rest of the Royal fills in on the draw. My 3rd ever Royal and first in two years...this trip just took a turn for the better! Hollywood poured me out a healthy shot of Jameson and I tipped him $20. I cashed out and called it a night....take the money and RUN.
THURSDAY 1/28
I was up early again and ate at the Paris buffet. I filled out my omelet card and handed it to my server and then stocked up on the usual breakfast stables. Shortly after returning to my seat, my made to order omelet was delivered. Thoroughly stuffed, I waddled out to the bus stop and headed for downtown to spend the day. I cashed in my son's sportsbet at the El Cortez. He bet the Vikings would make the NFL playoffs back in September. The ticket was so faded that the guy behind the counter had a hard time reading it. My $10 in free play netted me $30. I stopped briefly to the Burlesque Hall of Fame located across the street from the TEZ. Interesting little place with lots of photos of the old burlesque Queens, Lil Egypt, Tempest Storm, Blaze Star, many others and of course Gypsy Rose Lee. I talked with the young lady behind the counter for a while; she looked more like she belonged in a library than a stripper museum....Vegas.
My free play at Binions turned into $10 and $20 at the 4 Q's. I lost $100 at the Boars Head bar at MSS, $60 at the Vue bar at the D and made $30 from my free play at the DT Grand. I was pretty thirsty after all that gambling so I headed over to recharge at Hogs and Heifers biker bar. Several shots and beers later I made it out alive only to lose another $100 playing blackjack at the Gate. I took the SDX back to the Strip and then took the Harrahs shuttle to the Rio to check into their wine cellar. I had a flight of a nice Twomey merlot....Yes I like drinking frickin merlot...and two very nice Silver Oak Cabs...one from Napa and one from Alexander valley. By the time I had finished my flight the place was filling up with people...nice to see the place busy.
I changed my smoky clothes back at Bally's and then lost $100 on some slots before seeing Jubliee. I like this show, even though it gets a little 'cheesy' in places, but the grand nature of the costumes and dancers more than makes up for it. Another Vegas icon fades from the stage...sad. Is this the demise of the Vegas showgirl...I hope not. I ordered up a Heineken and plunged a couple of twenties into the bartop at the bar towards the Jubilee tower. Two Heinekens later I hold the 10, jack and queen of diamonds at the rest fills in on the draw for my 2nd Royal Flush of the trip...YESSSSSS! I cashed out, bought some snacks at the gift shop and called it a night. Wow, two Royals in two days...sweet.
FRIDAY 1/29
A couple cups of coffee and a big glass of pedialyte backed up with some pharmaceuticals and I was ready for my last day in Vegas. I had a big breakfast at the Grand Lux cafe at the Venetian, my attentive waitress kept calling me 'sweetie'. I placed a couple of bets at the sportsbook at Harrah's...took the Broncos and the points for the Super Bowl and made a futures bet on the Kentucky Derby. I then played some 3 card poker at Bally's for several hours. I was steadily losing and to make matters worse I missed a chance for a $5000 payout. I never play the $5 bonus bet, which I consider a sucker bet....well wouldn't you know it...I am dealt the 10, ace, jack of clubs for a nice flush....the dealer turns over the king and queen of clubs...a 5 card Royal which pays 1000 to one. The lady at 1st base freaked out, but I didn't flinch.....I never play the bonus....just one of those things...I quickly shook it off....did take a long pull from my bottle of Heineken. Thirty minutes later I was dealt a 3 card straight flush for a nice payout, putting me up for the session.
I went back to the room, packed, checked out and then headed to the airport for my red eye flight. There was absolutely no line at the TSA checkin. I had a very interesting conversation with a young lady from Guatemala and her American husband at the airport bar..talk about a couple of free spirits. The flight home was on time and uneventful. I pulled up in my driveway by 8 AM. My cat, Nick, followed me around all morning, chewing me out with his meowing. Another trip in the books.
EPILOGUE:
A very profitable and enjoyable trip to start out 2016. I now have a hefty bankroll for my upcoming March Madness trip with MadMan Mike. We are staying at the Flamingo and then the TEZ later in the week. Freddy Five Fingers and the rest of the crew bailed out...pussies. I bought a groupon for BLT steak for $115. Two appies or salads, two steaks up to $58 each (which includes their NY strip and filet) a side and dessert to share, and two cocktails or glasses of wine.....pretty good deal. I also have my $100 diamond food voucher to use...we are eating high on the hog this trip. I really enjoyed both shows; really wished my daughter could have seen Showstoppers last time. After I recover from the March trip I can start planing my trip in early May....I'm becoming a Vegas glutton. I purchased a RT ticket on Sun Country for $186...nice. I'll give a shout out to Timberwolf and his girlfriend Julie.....looking forward to seeing you guys next month and see what kind of mayhem we can get into at the Gate's craps table. Thanks for reading. Hope all of you can get out to Vegas soon.
