In December, my wife and I took our 2nd trip to Las Vegas. Pretty long and detailed, so I will split it up into 2 or 3 parts. Here's the first part covering the first 5 days, hopefully you find it insightful!
Friday, Dec 10
Left Houlton, Maine at 5 AM and headed down I-95 for Bangor. Our flight was scheduled for departure at 8:45 AM. Due to the extreme cold (it was up to 10 BELOW ZERO on the ride down), the plane had to be de-iced. This set us back a good 20 minutes or so as the plane was also so cold to begin with that one of the plane's computer screens wouldn't come on. We arrived late at Detroit for our connecting flight and had to literally run from one end of the airport to the other and made it onto our flight with about 3 minutes to spare. Arrived in Vegas around 1:30 PM. Nice sunny day, mid-60s, much better than the subzero temperatures we left back in Maine!
Checked into the Imperial Palace after a nice cab ride. Cab driver was white, mid 60s and very nice. Talked to us the whole way to the hotel (no long haul). I had booked a deluxe room online and the total for nine nights (including 2 Fri & Sat nights) was only $328. Asked what kind of view we had, got offered pool or mountain view. I asked for a strip view and got it after we were warned of the club with loud music directly out front. No problem. Room 1094, VERY conveniently located, 2nd room on the left off the elevators, very short trip to the strip. Very nice. First thing I did of course was check out the view from our balcony. Would have been nicer if we were a few floors higher up, but had a great view of the Mirage, Forum Shops at Ceasar's, Harrah's, and a decent view of Cosmopolitan and Monte Carlo.
We were going to Anthony Cools that evening, so we headed down the strip. Walked past Elmo, Sponge Bob and Sheriff Woody out front of the Paris and Planet Hollywood. Took a few pictures to show our kids. Decided to check out Fatburger. Huge burgers, decent, but way over priced. Set up like an old school burger joint. Cool to see once, but wouldn't go back. Went into Walgreens for a few things and then headed back to the Paris. We played some slots for awhile to kill some time and get some drinks. I played Texas Tea for quite awhile, had never seen that game before. Hit some decent bonuses and they were coming quite frequently. Then it was time for Anthony Cools with our MRB 2 for 1 coupon.
Very adult orientated show. Funny stuff. Gave it 4 out of 5 on yelp. The only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars was that there were 3 or 4 obviously faking their hypnosis and he kept them on stage for the show regardless. Sex with chairs? Orgasms with only a handshake? Yup, you'll see it ..
Saturday, Dec 11
Took the free shuttle from Bill's over to the Orleans for their seafood brunch. Used the 2 for 1 buffet coupon and I think it came to like 14 bucks. Not the greatest food, but decent. I had quite a few crawfish and crab legs. The deep fried scallops were really good, pleasantly surprised. Used the $10 slot play coupon and cashed that out for $13.50, basically covering the cost of the buffet. Was a decent little casino. Since I'm a Florida Gators fan, I thought the big gators out front in the lobby were pretty cool.
Wanted to check out Adult Superstores so we decided to walk down. Definitely a lot of crazy stuff there that you would never find anywhere in my conservative hometown. Against my wife's wishes, we walked back toward the strip. I originally wanted to stop and get a burger from both Jack In The Box and In N Out Burger, since we don't have either of them where we're from, but still too full from the buffet so we didn't.
Finally made it to Excalibur, I was almost divorced by now! Walked through Excalibur, Luxor and over to Mandalay Bay. Played slots for a few, no big wins. Went to the Minus 5 Ice Lounge at Mandalay Bay. Later on, we went to Criss Angel's 999th show and then Fantasy.
Here's the links to the reviews of all 3:
Minus 5 Review, Criss Angel Believe, Fantasy
Also went to House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. We had a $25 gift certificate from restaurant.com that cost us $2 thanks to an 80% off deal. It also happened to be happy hour so we were able to get Gator Pizza, Pan Seared Voodoo Shrimp (which was shrimp and corn bread with some kind of sauce), Buffalo Wings and Catfish Fingers as well as a half bucket of Corona Light and some kind of Pina Colada drink my wife ordered all for about $35. Food and atmosphere was really good, should have gone back again before the end of our trip.
Sunday, Dec 12
Started out the day by heading to the sports book at IP and booking a bet on the Patriots. They were laying 3 points on the road in Chicago. I knew the weather forecast was calling for snow, Tom Brady and the boys are unbeatable in the snow, so I happily laid the 3 points especially getting even money on it. More on this later, for now it was time to head to Bally's Steakhouse for the Sterling Brunch.
So we arrived at the Sterling Brunch right on time for our 9:30 AM reservations. We sat down at a table while we waited to be seated and were immediately served some of the unlimited Perrier Jouet Champagne. We were I think the 4th party seated. Everything was set up very fancy.
The broiled lobster tails were good and BIG, but I wish they were boiled or steamed as they are much better that way. Oh well, I had 5 of them regardless. I had 5 crab claws as well and they were big and full. Filet Mignon, Rack of Lamb, Prime Rib, Venison, Caviar, sushi, the list goes on and on. All really good. The deserts were ALL really good and if you go you MUST try the chocolate covered strawberries. They are HUGE and juicy and I ate about 8 of them! Best strawberries I've ever tasted!
Headed back to IP. I went back to the sports book to get my free drinks and watch the games. There's a sports bar in the rear/side of the sports book and as the Patriots game started there were quite a few people rooting VERY LOUDLY against them. This lasted about 5 or 10 minutes and by then the Pats were in command and the haters shut up. Met a guy from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He warned me before the game, "I'm afraid our boys are in trouble today." I laughed and told him no way in hell. Anyway, I couldn't stay for the whole game as we were going to Nathan Burton for our "free" show.
The show wasn't free because the balcony was filled up, but the guy at the box office talked us into going anyway for $10 a piece. Oh well, I figured that was still a cheap show. Went to the show and found out why it's so cheap. It sucked. Flat out. The only good part of the show was the juggling/balancing act of Michael Holley. Russ Merlin also made an appearance and sucked.
Decided to check out Casino Royale afterwards. Signed up for their players club as they advertise $50 free slot play. The woman at the players club booth was a real bitch. She obviously needed a smoke break or something. Luckily, when it was our turn, the other lady working there waited on us and was nice and seemed embarrassed by her coworker. My wife asked about a shot glass as she was building an awesome collection from all of the hotels. She said they didn't have any but gave us a couple of packs of casino used cards, so that was cool. The free play was just a gimmick really, you play it through designated machines only and the only way to cash out is if you hit $500 or $4000. A guy playing a regular machine told a few girls that he actually has seen people win. Well, we didn't. Couldn't get out of there fast enough, it was small, hotter than heck and the bitch at the player's club really turned me off to the casino from the beginning.
Went back to IP and I went to cash my Patriots ticket in. I didn't see any of the 2nd half but I was pretty sure it was a winner. Of course, it was. Easy $160 win.
Monday, Dec 13
Started out the day by heading to the Mirage. My wife spotted a roulette machine I had been looking for. My brother is always bragging about a system he has on these that he uses at Hollywood Slots in Bangor. I had to try it out. $100 in, $200 out in probably 15 minutes. Nice. My wife asked me to do the same for her. Told her I would try. $100 in, $150 out in maybe 7 or 8 minutes. So up $150 to start the day. Good right? We'll see ..
Went to Ceasar's Palace and Bellagio. Checked out the Christmas display at the Bellagio Conservatory. Pretty impressive. Took a bunch of pictures and some video which I posted on youtube.
Took the monorail up to the Sahara. Used the $50 chips for $40 coupon. Played it through on $5 roulette. Didn't hit much, had $25 after I had played through the promo chips. Went to check how my wife was making out on one of her Monopoly machines. She was up a bit after she said she hit quite a few bonuses. After I sat down she didn't hit anything, guess I'm bad luck. She wanted to keep playing so I went back to a different roulette table and played $1 instead of $5. After maybe another 10 spins or so I was broke after watching some woman hit a single number bet 3 different times, including 2 in a row .. lucky!
Took a cab up to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. They were filming for the show in the parking lot when we got there. Took some pictures outside and then headed in. No lines, no wait, so that was good. No stars inside, but Antwon the bodyguard was there and took a picture with my wife. Some cool stuff in there, including some of the Coke machines and gas pumps they've shown on the show. Took a few pictures and my wife bought a set of shot glasses with the 4 stars on them, a Chumlee shirt and an Old Man hat for her step-father. I guess it was kind of neat to see in person since I like the show quite a bit, but nothing overly special. Probably will never go back.
On the ride up, we went by the Little White Chapel, which was where we got married back in 07, so we decided to walk back to that. Of course during the cab right it seemed like it wasn't far away, but of course it was. Got there just as the sun was setting, took a few pictures. When we got married we took plenty of pictures from inside the Stretch Hummer in the drive-thru ceromony, but never thought to take pictures of the actual place (duh!).
No cabs in sight, so we (well more like I) decided to walk to the Stratosphere. Was getting dark and kind of sketchy. Walked by some black guy sitting on the sidewalk who said, "Hey brother, you aren't from around here, are ya?" Of course I wasn't about to say I was from Maine so I said, "Yeah, I'm from Vegas." Doubt he bought that, but he didn't bother us either way. Kept walking, went by some sketchy looking strip club. Two crack heads came up to us further up the street and asked if we were interested in some "Zany bars". Great, being offered drugs on the streets of Vegas. Needless to say we were "all set" and booked it up the street and finally made it to the Stratosphere.
Cancelled our original plans to go to the Top of the World. Instead bought our tickets for American Superstars and Bite. Had some time to kill so went and ate at Roxy's Diner as their buffet was closed. I got the Middle Melt burger and my wife ordered the Trio sampler, which was lobster bites, nachos and hot wings. We got onion straws for an appetizer. Food was decent, not great. The wait staff takes turns singing every once in awhile.
In between seeing American Superstars and Bite, we had more time to kill so we went up to the observation deck. Went there last time as well, but had a coupon for the ride up as well as the 2-1 show coupons, so did all three. Of course the view is pretty amazing, took lots of pictures and some more video. Did a bunch of souvenier coins and bought a few things in their gift shop.
Somewhere during the visit, I found another roulette machine and lost back the $100 I won at Mirage. Ugh.
My American Superstars review
My Bite review
Tuesday, Dec 14
Went to Planet Hollywood and purchased our All Stage passes. Walked over to Bally's and got our tickets to Price Is Right Live!. Having never eaten there before, we stopped at Nathan's for lunch. Was OK, again, nothing special.
Price Is Right Live! has changed a little since 07 when we had gone before. I'm not a huge fan, but my wife is so we went again. Fun show but we didn't get picked for anything again. While waiting for the line to start heading into the show we played a little Poppit slots and I won a little bit after clearing the bonus screens.
Ate at Flavors the Buffet for supper. Pretty decent italian and seafood selection. Nothing overly memorable though. Played Dam Lumberjack Beavers and hit a bonus of $43.78, which wasn't bad considering I was only playing 20 lines at 2 cents a line.
Headed over to Flamingo and got our tickets for Vinnie Favorito. We went to 12 shows total during our stay and this was easily my favorite. As long as you aren't easily insulted, you will probably love this show. Offensive and vulgar, but absolutely hilarious!
After Vinnie, we headed back to the box office and picked up tickets to X-Burlesque. Of the three topless shows we saw, this was easily my favorite. We were seated right in front row, directly in front of the stripper pole in the center of the room. Pretty sweet. Shakeera and Meeka, who I swore were twins, were my favorite dancers. I found out later they are actually sisters. My wife was handed a condom during a part of the show. Weird.
My reviews of both Vinnie & X-Burlesque
Friday, Dec 10
Left Houlton, Maine at 5 AM and headed down I-95 for Bangor. Our flight was scheduled for departure at 8:45 AM. Due to the extreme cold (it was up to 10 BELOW ZERO on the ride down), the plane had to be de-iced. This set us back a good 20 minutes or so as the plane was also so cold to begin with that one of the plane's computer screens wouldn't come on. We arrived late at Detroit for our connecting flight and had to literally run from one end of the airport to the other and made it onto our flight with about 3 minutes to spare. Arrived in Vegas around 1:30 PM. Nice sunny day, mid-60s, much better than the subzero temperatures we left back in Maine!
Checked into the Imperial Palace after a nice cab ride. Cab driver was white, mid 60s and very nice. Talked to us the whole way to the hotel (no long haul). I had booked a deluxe room online and the total for nine nights (including 2 Fri & Sat nights) was only $328. Asked what kind of view we had, got offered pool or mountain view. I asked for a strip view and got it after we were warned of the club with loud music directly out front. No problem. Room 1094, VERY conveniently located, 2nd room on the left off the elevators, very short trip to the strip. Very nice. First thing I did of course was check out the view from our balcony. Would have been nicer if we were a few floors higher up, but had a great view of the Mirage, Forum Shops at Ceasar's, Harrah's, and a decent view of Cosmopolitan and Monte Carlo.
We were going to Anthony Cools that evening, so we headed down the strip. Walked past Elmo, Sponge Bob and Sheriff Woody out front of the Paris and Planet Hollywood. Took a few pictures to show our kids. Decided to check out Fatburger. Huge burgers, decent, but way over priced. Set up like an old school burger joint. Cool to see once, but wouldn't go back. Went into Walgreens for a few things and then headed back to the Paris. We played some slots for awhile to kill some time and get some drinks. I played Texas Tea for quite awhile, had never seen that game before. Hit some decent bonuses and they were coming quite frequently. Then it was time for Anthony Cools with our MRB 2 for 1 coupon.
Very adult orientated show. Funny stuff. Gave it 4 out of 5 on yelp. The only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars was that there were 3 or 4 obviously faking their hypnosis and he kept them on stage for the show regardless. Sex with chairs? Orgasms with only a handshake? Yup, you'll see it ..
Saturday, Dec 11
Took the free shuttle from Bill's over to the Orleans for their seafood brunch. Used the 2 for 1 buffet coupon and I think it came to like 14 bucks. Not the greatest food, but decent. I had quite a few crawfish and crab legs. The deep fried scallops were really good, pleasantly surprised. Used the $10 slot play coupon and cashed that out for $13.50, basically covering the cost of the buffet. Was a decent little casino. Since I'm a Florida Gators fan, I thought the big gators out front in the lobby were pretty cool.
Wanted to check out Adult Superstores so we decided to walk down. Definitely a lot of crazy stuff there that you would never find anywhere in my conservative hometown. Against my wife's wishes, we walked back toward the strip. I originally wanted to stop and get a burger from both Jack In The Box and In N Out Burger, since we don't have either of them where we're from, but still too full from the buffet so we didn't.
Finally made it to Excalibur, I was almost divorced by now! Walked through Excalibur, Luxor and over to Mandalay Bay. Played slots for a few, no big wins. Went to the Minus 5 Ice Lounge at Mandalay Bay. Later on, we went to Criss Angel's 999th show and then Fantasy.
Here's the links to the reviews of all 3:
Minus 5 Review, Criss Angel Believe, Fantasy
Also went to House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. We had a $25 gift certificate from restaurant.com that cost us $2 thanks to an 80% off deal. It also happened to be happy hour so we were able to get Gator Pizza, Pan Seared Voodoo Shrimp (which was shrimp and corn bread with some kind of sauce), Buffalo Wings and Catfish Fingers as well as a half bucket of Corona Light and some kind of Pina Colada drink my wife ordered all for about $35. Food and atmosphere was really good, should have gone back again before the end of our trip.
Sunday, Dec 12
Started out the day by heading to the sports book at IP and booking a bet on the Patriots. They were laying 3 points on the road in Chicago. I knew the weather forecast was calling for snow, Tom Brady and the boys are unbeatable in the snow, so I happily laid the 3 points especially getting even money on it. More on this later, for now it was time to head to Bally's Steakhouse for the Sterling Brunch.
So we arrived at the Sterling Brunch right on time for our 9:30 AM reservations. We sat down at a table while we waited to be seated and were immediately served some of the unlimited Perrier Jouet Champagne. We were I think the 4th party seated. Everything was set up very fancy.
The broiled lobster tails were good and BIG, but I wish they were boiled or steamed as they are much better that way. Oh well, I had 5 of them regardless. I had 5 crab claws as well and they were big and full. Filet Mignon, Rack of Lamb, Prime Rib, Venison, Caviar, sushi, the list goes on and on. All really good. The deserts were ALL really good and if you go you MUST try the chocolate covered strawberries. They are HUGE and juicy and I ate about 8 of them! Best strawberries I've ever tasted!
Headed back to IP. I went back to the sports book to get my free drinks and watch the games. There's a sports bar in the rear/side of the sports book and as the Patriots game started there were quite a few people rooting VERY LOUDLY against them. This lasted about 5 or 10 minutes and by then the Pats were in command and the haters shut up. Met a guy from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He warned me before the game, "I'm afraid our boys are in trouble today." I laughed and told him no way in hell. Anyway, I couldn't stay for the whole game as we were going to Nathan Burton for our "free" show.
The show wasn't free because the balcony was filled up, but the guy at the box office talked us into going anyway for $10 a piece. Oh well, I figured that was still a cheap show. Went to the show and found out why it's so cheap. It sucked. Flat out. The only good part of the show was the juggling/balancing act of Michael Holley. Russ Merlin also made an appearance and sucked.
Decided to check out Casino Royale afterwards. Signed up for their players club as they advertise $50 free slot play. The woman at the players club booth was a real bitch. She obviously needed a smoke break or something. Luckily, when it was our turn, the other lady working there waited on us and was nice and seemed embarrassed by her coworker. My wife asked about a shot glass as she was building an awesome collection from all of the hotels. She said they didn't have any but gave us a couple of packs of casino used cards, so that was cool. The free play was just a gimmick really, you play it through designated machines only and the only way to cash out is if you hit $500 or $4000. A guy playing a regular machine told a few girls that he actually has seen people win. Well, we didn't. Couldn't get out of there fast enough, it was small, hotter than heck and the bitch at the player's club really turned me off to the casino from the beginning.
Went back to IP and I went to cash my Patriots ticket in. I didn't see any of the 2nd half but I was pretty sure it was a winner. Of course, it was. Easy $160 win.
Monday, Dec 13
Started out the day by heading to the Mirage. My wife spotted a roulette machine I had been looking for. My brother is always bragging about a system he has on these that he uses at Hollywood Slots in Bangor. I had to try it out. $100 in, $200 out in probably 15 minutes. Nice. My wife asked me to do the same for her. Told her I would try. $100 in, $150 out in maybe 7 or 8 minutes. So up $150 to start the day. Good right? We'll see ..
Went to Ceasar's Palace and Bellagio. Checked out the Christmas display at the Bellagio Conservatory. Pretty impressive. Took a bunch of pictures and some video which I posted on youtube.
Took the monorail up to the Sahara. Used the $50 chips for $40 coupon. Played it through on $5 roulette. Didn't hit much, had $25 after I had played through the promo chips. Went to check how my wife was making out on one of her Monopoly machines. She was up a bit after she said she hit quite a few bonuses. After I sat down she didn't hit anything, guess I'm bad luck. She wanted to keep playing so I went back to a different roulette table and played $1 instead of $5. After maybe another 10 spins or so I was broke after watching some woman hit a single number bet 3 different times, including 2 in a row .. lucky!
Took a cab up to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. They were filming for the show in the parking lot when we got there. Took some pictures outside and then headed in. No lines, no wait, so that was good. No stars inside, but Antwon the bodyguard was there and took a picture with my wife. Some cool stuff in there, including some of the Coke machines and gas pumps they've shown on the show. Took a few pictures and my wife bought a set of shot glasses with the 4 stars on them, a Chumlee shirt and an Old Man hat for her step-father. I guess it was kind of neat to see in person since I like the show quite a bit, but nothing overly special. Probably will never go back.
On the ride up, we went by the Little White Chapel, which was where we got married back in 07, so we decided to walk back to that. Of course during the cab right it seemed like it wasn't far away, but of course it was. Got there just as the sun was setting, took a few pictures. When we got married we took plenty of pictures from inside the Stretch Hummer in the drive-thru ceromony, but never thought to take pictures of the actual place (duh!).
No cabs in sight, so we (well more like I) decided to walk to the Stratosphere. Was getting dark and kind of sketchy. Walked by some black guy sitting on the sidewalk who said, "Hey brother, you aren't from around here, are ya?" Of course I wasn't about to say I was from Maine so I said, "Yeah, I'm from Vegas." Doubt he bought that, but he didn't bother us either way. Kept walking, went by some sketchy looking strip club. Two crack heads came up to us further up the street and asked if we were interested in some "Zany bars". Great, being offered drugs on the streets of Vegas. Needless to say we were "all set" and booked it up the street and finally made it to the Stratosphere.
Cancelled our original plans to go to the Top of the World. Instead bought our tickets for American Superstars and Bite. Had some time to kill so went and ate at Roxy's Diner as their buffet was closed. I got the Middle Melt burger and my wife ordered the Trio sampler, which was lobster bites, nachos and hot wings. We got onion straws for an appetizer. Food was decent, not great. The wait staff takes turns singing every once in awhile.
In between seeing American Superstars and Bite, we had more time to kill so we went up to the observation deck. Went there last time as well, but had a coupon for the ride up as well as the 2-1 show coupons, so did all three. Of course the view is pretty amazing, took lots of pictures and some more video. Did a bunch of souvenier coins and bought a few things in their gift shop.
Somewhere during the visit, I found another roulette machine and lost back the $100 I won at Mirage. Ugh.
My American Superstars review
My Bite review
Tuesday, Dec 14
Went to Planet Hollywood and purchased our All Stage passes. Walked over to Bally's and got our tickets to Price Is Right Live!. Having never eaten there before, we stopped at Nathan's for lunch. Was OK, again, nothing special.
Price Is Right Live! has changed a little since 07 when we had gone before. I'm not a huge fan, but my wife is so we went again. Fun show but we didn't get picked for anything again. While waiting for the line to start heading into the show we played a little Poppit slots and I won a little bit after clearing the bonus screens.
Ate at Flavors the Buffet for supper. Pretty decent italian and seafood selection. Nothing overly memorable though. Played Dam Lumberjack Beavers and hit a bonus of $43.78, which wasn't bad considering I was only playing 20 lines at 2 cents a line.
Headed over to Flamingo and got our tickets for Vinnie Favorito. We went to 12 shows total during our stay and this was easily my favorite. As long as you aren't easily insulted, you will probably love this show. Offensive and vulgar, but absolutely hilarious!
After Vinnie, we headed back to the box office and picked up tickets to X-Burlesque. Of the three topless shows we saw, this was easily my favorite. We were seated right in front row, directly in front of the stripper pole in the center of the room. Pretty sweet. Shakeera and Meeka, who I swore were twins, were my favorite dancers. I found out later they are actually sisters. My wife was handed a condom during a part of the show. Weird.
My reviews of both Vinnie & X-Burlesque
