Saying Goodbye to the Riv...A Trip where Time Stood Still..4/27-5/1

PROLOGUE:
I had already booked and was eagerly anticipating my March Madness trip when I heard the news about the Riviera being sold and soon to be demolished. I knew the Riv had been struggling for the past several years, but this news was a shocker. I have always regretted not spending more time in the "classic" casinos, especially the Stardust, before they passed on into history. I decided that this was my last chance to say my proper goodbyes to the "Old Girl". I thought that I should go out in style by booking one of their suites, but the rates on their website seemed a little too high. I checked out Hotels.com and booked a one bedroom suite for only $79 a night for 2 nights, about half the rate listed on the Riviera website. The Golden Gate gave me two comped nights to finish out my trip. Sun Country Airline came through with a decent fare of $246 RT from MSP. Since I have been using Sun Country for most of my Vegas travel, I decided to apply for one of their Visa credit cards. No more fees for my checked baggage and I earned 40,000 traveler miles on their frequent flier program. Transportation would be in the form of a 3 day bus pass which I acquired on-line before the trip. I also was able to get a discounted ticket to see Crazy Girls, a show that has been on my Vegas "bucket list" for some time now.

The March trip with MadMan Mike and Jersey Mark turned out to be a "Balls to the Wall" kind of trip. Lots of drinking, gambling, skipped meals and minimal sleep....you know, a classic Guys Vegas trip. When I arrived home I was exhausted; slept for 18 hours straight. Wow, now I had to look forward to another Vegas trip in a little over a month; would my body/liver fully recover in time?

Monday 4/27:
I arrive home at 07:30 after working my 10 hour night shift and packed. I set three different alarm clocks for noon (overslept last trip) and tried to get some zzzzzz's. I rolled out of bed a few hours later when the alarms jarred me awake....okay, okay I'm up already! The drive to 'the Cities' was uneventful; unlike my April trip two years ago when I got caught in a Spring Blizzard...you gotta love Minnesota weather...if you are not freezing your ass off, you are swatting mosquitoes. I had upgraded to first class the night before, went through TSA without a hitch (absolutely no line) except when I got through the scanner the TSA guy had to pat me down...what the hell is that about? Anyhow, I soon found my favorite bar stool and ordered up my usual pre-trip double Hendricks gin and tonic. I told the bartender to make that NFL. "What?" he said. "No frick'in lime". He laughed and said that he didn't have any cucumber slices to put in my drink. "That's OK, I have my own", as I pulled out a plastic baggie from my backpack. "Not my first rodeo". He was impressed and we had a good laugh as I took a long pull from my drink.



Before the trip I had been texting back and forth with Timberwolf from the LVA forums. We had hung out together on a previous trip. He was going to be in town, so we decided to make plans to get together sometime during my stay. I sent him a photo my gin and tonic to let him know that my Vegas trip was officially underway. Our flight left on time and there were only 5 people in first class so I had no one sitting next to me during the flight. Dinner was some type of pasta entree that was not very good, but the salad and warm chocolate cookie sustained me, as did several gin and tonics. I dozed off for a while and awoke shortly before landing. I looked at my watch...hey we are 20 minutes early, great! I reset my watch to Vegas time and was the first one off of the plane. We again landed at one of the D gates and I had to take the tram over to Terminal 3 in order to retrieve my suitcase. I looked at my watch and it was still the same time as I had set it to when we landed. It had suddenly stopped working. This turned out to be more than a minor irritation for the remainder of the trip.



I was first in line at the cab stand and was soon heading towards the Riv. "No tunnel, take Swenson all the way to Desert Inn". We had to slow down by the college as there was a two car accident with automobile debris all over the road. Didn't look like anyone was seriously hurt and the cops were on the scene. The cabbie didn't say much, but he was pleasant enough...fare came to $24 so I gave him $30...got a big smile in return. I used the $20 sandwich at checkin which again was received with a big smile from the desk clerk. She excused herself and talked to a supervisor and returned to tell me that she could put me in one of the premium suites for $40 more a night. What the hell, I already had locked in to a great rate and even at $40 more I was way ahead of what the regular suite was going for. My one bedroom suite was on the 27th floor of the Monte Carlo tower looking south and overlooking the pool area.

There was marble flooring in the entry and in the bathrooms (yeah, two of them). The living room was huge, with a full sized couch, two big easy chairs, coffee table, flat screen TV, a round table with 4 chairs with a small chandelier overhead and a wet bar. The bedroom was equally large with a small desk, flat screen TV, large easy chair, small table and a king sized bed which was very comfortable. The main bathroom had a large tub and a separate shower stall. The large balcony had a nice view of the Strip and pool area below. The furniture was a little outdated as was the carpet, but all in all I was quite satisfied with my room. I unpacked, poured out an ample helping of Basil Hayden bourbon over ice with a splash of water and sat out on the balcony to watch the Strip come alive in Neon with the setting sun. I sipped my drink and let my mind wander thinking about the long history of the Riv and all the famous show people that played here; after my second drink I almost thought I could hear Liberace playing in the background as I started to doze off. Whoa, time to get moving and see my show, Crazy Girls.

















I slipped the usher a Ten Spot and he took me up front and seated me at a table in the front row just left of center. My knees were practically touching the stage. The show was entertaining, and pretty sexy. The girls were knockouts. The MC for the show was also a magician and performed a few tricks during "halftime". He wasn't half bad and was pretty funny, but I didn't come to see magic tricks; I can get that with Mac King. Bring on the ladies! I understand that the show will continue with a new venue at the Planet Ho. Good for them. After the show it was time to do some gambling.

I took a tour of the casino they had several blackjack tables near the front entrance, but they were all 6/5 payouts. There were two $10 tables on the other side of the pit area and I checked with the dealer that it was a 3:2 table before I sat down. I bought in for $200 and played for a couple of hours. I lost my $10 match play and finally cashed out losing $50. I then sat at the bar and played some bonus poker and drank several Heinekens with Crown chasers and walked (staggered) away even. There was an opening at the stick left position, so I bought in for $200 and played craps until a little after midnight. The dealers were great and really appreciated when I made some $5 field bets for them. I played for a couple of hours and only one other player made a bet for the "crew" I was down early, but a guy on the end of the table wearing a hat with a Navy insignia hit a few points, a couple of hardways and put me back to even. "Go Navy!" I would yell when he hit a place bet; parlayed by 8 up to $30. I started to run on fumes, so I decided to call it a day. I left a healthy tip for the crew (big smiles) and headed for the room. The dealers were all very friendly and chatted with the players; they had a good attitude considering their job situation. I must say that the pit bosses were as a group, pretty old school. They looked like they had been around for a long time. Finished by last Heineken on my balcony and then cashed in at 01:30.



TUESDAY: 4/28
I woke up at 0700 and couldn't get back to sleep. Breakfast was at the Peppermill next door to the Riviera. I sat at the counter and ordered a tall glass of juice and some coffee and scanned their vast menu; decided on the eggs Bennie. The food was plentiful and delicious, but the waitress plunked down my plate of food without a word and then ignored me until I motioned for the check. Usually the waitstaff are really on the ball here. I walked back to the Riv and spent a little time walking around the casino and hotel area taking pictures and checked out the pool area. When their promotions desk opened at 11:00 I walked over and picked up my 60th anniversary Riviera T-shirt...cool. I played a little blackjack one on one with a very nice young female dealer for about an hour and left down another $50...lost another match play.

I went up to my room, changed and then spent the next couple of hours lounging poolside. The pool area was not crowded and pretty quiet. I swam some laps..pretty neat that they actually have a deep end of the pool..had to have been at least nine feet deep. I spent my time alternating sitting in a lounge chair in the sun and cooling off in the pool. Should have know better because I bought myself a good case of sunburn on my chest and shoulders. Oh well, the sunshine felt awfully good after the long Minnesota winter.

I showered, dressed and then headed to the Celebrity barber shop at the Riv for a shave and a haircut. Neil Scartozzi has been cutting hair at the Riv along with his assistant, Sylvia, for almost 30 years. I called him a week before my trip and made an appointment, anticipating some great Vegas tales while he cut my hair. When I arrived at the shop, it was closed..what the hell? A minute later a lady walked up and asked me if I wanted a haircut. I told her that I had a 3 PM appointment with Neil. She said that Neil wasn't in today...WHAT?? He came down with a case of pneumonia over the weekend; he MIGHT be back on Thursday or Friday. Turns out the lady is Sylvia, so what the hell, "You got time to give me a shave and haircut?" We had a long conversation about Neil and the barbershop, the famous people whose hair they have cut over the years. She said that she was going to retire, but Neil was going to keep working...somewhere. She gave me a great shave and haircut; best haircut I have ever had in fact. She said that she was glad to be retiring, but I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes as she said that. I slipped her a Benny, gave her a little hug and told her to enjoy the next chapter in her life. Sweet lady.













I caught the Deuce in front of the casino and rode it to downtown to see if I could meet up with Timberwolf at the Four Queens. I made a couple of circuits around the casino, but sure enough he was pounding away at a Video poker machine near the casino cage. He said that I had just missed a "Celebrity" sighting. He had run into Blonde4ever, whose blog and trip reports we all so much enjoy. We walked over to the Chicago Brew Pub for a beer and to play at the bartops. He introduced me to Tiffany, one of the bartenders..Hubba, Hubba. Being on a first name basis with the bartenders has it's advantages...never had an empty glass in front of me. Timberwolf had picked up some tickets to see Penn & Teller compliments of his Diamond status at Harrah's so we each cashed out with a tidy profit and went to pick up his car.

We slipped into the Rio diamond lounge just before closing and grabbed a brew to chug down as we walked over to the show. This is probably the 6th or 7th time I have seen their show and I still think they are very entertaining. The show consisted of some of their old material, but most of the illusions were new to me. The big guy, Penn has lost a lot of weight since I have seen him last...looking good, man. Timberwolf drove me back to the Riv..actually I had him drop me off at the Peppermill parking lot...easier for him to get back on LV Blvd and head back downtown. Thanks again, Timberwolf, for a great afternoon and for the show; I really appreciate your generosity. Hope to see you and Julie on a future trip.

A woman stopped me as I was walking across the parking lot on my way back to the Riviera. She had a couple of small children in tow. She gave me this sob story about how she was treating the kids to an evening at Circus Circus until someone stole her wallet. Right, what the hell are you doing out with your young children at midnight, lady? She wanted me to give her a ride home...What?? I don't have a car I told her......here it comes.. well can you give me some money for cab fare? What a scam...I turned and walked away. The food court was shut down; I was banking on grabbing something to eat since I hadn't had anything since breakfast. I played some more VP at the bar, several more Heinekens and then grabbed some snacks at the ABC store off of the casino floor and retired to the room. Lights out at 02:00. Woke up at 04:00 and took a dose of Pedialyte.

WEDNESDAY 4/29:
I'm wide awake again at 0700...I always have a tough time sleeping in Vegas. I watched some ESPN and then headed down for breakfast. I had a coupon for the Wicked Pub at the Riv, but there was a long line waiting to be seated....screw that. I had another satisfying breakfast at the Peppermill and my waitress was very attentive this morning. Three cups of coffee helped to clear the cobwebs from my head, and I was ready for the day. I took some more pictures over at the Riv again this morning and then went up to the room to pack. I'm really going to miss this suite. I used the TV checkout as the line at the registration desk was overwhelming. I made one last circuit around the casino, paused at the door, and then with a sigh, caught the Deuce for downtown. Adieu, Old Girl.

It was around 11:00 when I strolled into the Golden Gate; they didn't have any rooms ready. I always ask for a room toward the rear of the hotel, facing Main St. I checked by small suitcase and backpack with the desk and then headed out onto FSE, but not before having a beer at the bar and saying hello to Steven, one of the pit bosses that works in the morning/afternoon at the craps table. I ended up playing VP at the Vue bar at the D casino to kill some time and then used my $10 food comp at their cafe for a burger and fries for lunch. The burger was pretty good, juicy with lots of flavor..a winner. I then played some 9/6 JOB at the 4 Q's and had quite a run of quads..too bad I wasn't playing bonus of double bonus poker.. I would have cleaned up. When 3 PM rolled around I cashed out $100 ahead and then went back to the Gate to check in. They gave me room 405, a room facing Main St...just what the man ordered. I unpacked and took a 30 minute nap and then headed down to the casino and played blackjack for several hours and ended down $75. The casino was pretty quiet and I played mostly one on one with the lovely female dealers. Tina, my favorite, was dealing UTH tonight, so I didn't get a chance to chat with her. I walked over to the Cal and sat at the counter at their cafe and ordered the Oxtail soup for my late night dinner....very good. I was pretty tired at that point so I went back to the Gate and hit the sheets at midnight.

It's late....I'll wrap this up tomorrow......thanks for reading.

Thanks, Larry for posting Part 1 of your report!

I did like Riviera and stayed there a couple of times years ago. They used to have some very good VP and I would stop there for a bit each trip for many years until they removed it. I'm sorry to see the place go.

I do wonder whether the Convention Center will end up doing good with it extending its property going all the way out to the Strip now with their purchase of Riviera.

As for sleeping in LV, unless I'm completely worn down while there, I tend to be up and down a lot because I think -- I'm in LV and I should be having a good time playing, walking around and/or seeing people.

It's also great that you were able to hang out with another fellow LVAer to do the same kinds of things!

As for your watch, could it have already stopped 20 minutes before you landed and then you changed your watch to reflect LV time or did it stop working maybe when you changed the time?

And I'm now looking forward to reading more of your adventures, especially from my favorite locale, Fremont Street!

RecVPPlayer

THURSDAY: 4/30
I'm up early again, around 06:30, watch a little ESPN, check my e-mails on my I-Phone and then get ready for the day. I'm getting pretty good at adjusting the shower's water temperature here at the Gate...tricky. I stopped at the player's club desk and picked up my monthly food comp and headed for Dupars for breakfast. There were a couple of open spots at the counter so I bypassed the line of people and grabbed a seat. I had a large glass of their fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee and a short stack of the French toast. The orange juice doesn't get much fresher than at Dupar's. You can sit at the counter and watch them slice the oranges in half and then put them one at a time in their hand juicer. The short stack was more than enough to fill me up. No one was sitting next to me, so I had a quiet breakfast to myself. I guess I need MadMan with me for a lively breakfast conversation. Every time we have breakfast at the counter at Dupar's he has the dubious honor of having a "whack job" sit next to him and tell him his life story. When I gave the cashier my voucher, she mentioned that it was for $25...usually they are for $15. She fetched three huge doughnuts from their display case and put them in a box for me so that I could have a snack for later. I had some free play, so I sat down at a slot machine that I always play at the Gate and turned my $10 into $100, nice way to start the day. I dropped the doughnuts in the room and then decided to spend the morning on a downtown coupon/matchplay run.






First stop was the El Cortez. I played a penny Buffalo machine at 80 cents a spin and cashed out at $60; I'm on a roll. My free play and match play at the D was a bust, as was my free play at Binions. While I was waiting in line at the 4 Queens to get my free play loaded, a guy behind me comment on my Fedora. He seemed to know a lot about hats and talked about how you can shape them and care for them; picked up some helpful tips. I made a $20 profit with my free play, stopped at the Fremont to buy a $2 Heineken at the bar. As I was waiting for the bartender, a guy walked up behind me and as the bartender approached he reached over my shoulder and ordered a couple of drinks. The bartender completely ignored me, took his money and came back with his cocktails. He then asked the girl next to me, who had just walked up what she wanted...what am I, invisible? I finally got my beer but he didn't get a tip. I rarely stiff servers in Vegas, but this SOB kind of pissed me off. I walked down towards the Plaza...geesh, these street "performers" are getting out of hand. They give the term "bad taste" a bum rap. I was able to combine my free play from the Plaza and the Vegas club using both my LVA and coupon from the ACG onto my players card. You can't use your free play at any of the video poker machines, however...at least I didn't see any, and I checked several machines before giving up on the idea. As usual with my free play at the Plaza, I came up empty. I did win with my $10 matchplay, betting on black at the roulette table....thanks, Helen. I walked back to the 4 Q's and sat at the JOB machine that was so good to me yesterday. I didn't hit any Quads today, but consistently hit some straights, flushes and a couple of full boats to give me a $60 profit. By now it was early afternoon...time to quench my thirst at my favorite watering hole...Hogs and Heifers.

I ordered a Bud Light draft and a shot of Jameson from one of the three female bartenders. One of them came over from the other end of the bar to say hello; she recognized my fedora from my previous visits. Shortly after my first round, the girls were up dancing and stomping on top of the bar. A couple of more rounds of drafts and shots later, I bought a round of red snappers for the bartenders and myself to finish out my stay. I weaved my way over to the DTG to use my free play, but I couldn't get the machines to accept it. I really am trying to get to like the DTG, but every time I go in there they piss me off...doesn't help that I was feeling the full effects from Hogs and Heifers.

I caught the Deuce and headed for the Strip. I was able to sit in the first row on the upper deck..sweet. The problem, however was the lady sitting across the aisle. She was loudly talking to someone on her cell phone. I had the privilege of finding all about her private life....problems with her landlord, ex-boyfriend, her lawyer...blah, blah, blah. Finally a young guy grabbed the seat next to me and started to talk the girl after she finally ended her phone call. He told her that he made his living as a street performer on the Strip, that he had the gift of being able to see into the future and tell people's fortunes. Okay, bright boy, who is going to win the Derby on Saturday? He was telling me that " I know a guy" and he is going to get him a ticket to see the big fight at the MGM on Saturday night....for free...this guy has connections. I have no ability to see into the future, but I was willing to bet $100 against that coming to fruition.

I got off in front of the Mirage, crossed the street and walked through Harrah's to catch the shuttle to the Rio. I had to listen to a couple of idiots argue about the NFL draft while I was waiting...real important stuff. I have an NFL app on my I-phone, so I pulled it up and settled their squabble to both of their satisfactions. My journey to the Rio was for the sole purpose of visiting one of my favorite Vegas places, the Rio Wine Cellar. Mary Ann and Jose gave me a warm welcome. Jose poured out a flight consisting of a French sauvignon blanc, a nice California chardonnay (oaked), a California pinot noir and a sample of the Silver oak Cabernet. The Cab was great, but the subtle nuances of the pinot won me over. Jose gave me a generous pour of a pinot from Oregon for comparison, which was very good also. Finally, he finished me off with a glass of 30 year old tawny port. I am not a big port drinker, but this was very tasty. We talked for quite a while about my daughter in California (she lives in upper Napa Valley) among other topics until I finally had to be on my way. Another pleasant stay at the wine cellar....see you guys in the fall.

Things are a little hazy at this point.....don't recall clearly getting back to Harrahs, do remember talking to some girls before boarding the Deuce in front of Harrahs and then waking up from the commotion of all of the people getting off of the bus at the FSE. I stumbled back to my room at the Gate and decided to take a little nap to sleep off some of the effects of all of the alcohol that I had been consuming. I woke up around midnight to drink some Pedialyte and then slept fitfully until morning......wasted an evening of Vegas gambling.....oh the horror.

FRIDAY: 5/1
I awoke still tired, but feeling in pretty good shape considering the quantity of alcohol that I had drank the day before. I picked up another food comp at the players desk and again sat at the counter at Dupars for breakfast. A man in a shirt and tie came over while I was eating and introduced himself as one of the corporate owners of Dupar's. I gave him a glowing account of how much I liked eating here..great tasting food, friendly service, etc. which made his day, hopefully. I packed up and checked out, leaving my bags with the desk clerk, to collect them when I took the WAX to the airport. I saw down at a blackjack table and played one on one with Carl one of the dealers that I had met on my last trip. He is fairly new, deals a little slow, but that is just fine for me. I went on a pretty nice run and was up a couple of hundred and then the wheels came off when he went on break and a little weasel of a dealer replaced him. I immediately started to lose about every 3 out of 4 hands..double down on my 11 and draw a 3, hit my twelve and get a face card, all the while watching him deal himself 20 and 21's. He dealt out 3 blackjacks in a row to himself, which I have had happen before, unfortunately, but he pissed me off when he gave me a little smirk after the third one...weasel!. By the time Carl came back from his break I was down almost $300...almost a $500 turnaround in 30 minutes. I was able to pull out of my tailspin, but left the table with a $200 loss...ouch. Not the way that I wanted to end the trip....but that's why they call it gambling.




I picked up my bags and caught the WAX for the airport. When we passed the MGM I couldn't help but notice all of the police cars parked around the entrance...looked like a police convention. I upgraded to first class again, went through TSA without any problems but as I was sitting on a bench putting my shoes back on, a TSA agent came over with a boarding pass in her hand and said, "Young man, is this yours?" I told her no, and then thanked her for referring me as a 'young man'...made my day. I found a bar and ordered up my Hendricks and watched the NFL draft on the TV before heading for my gate to depart for home.....I'm tired. Again, there was only a few people in first class, so the flight attendant was like my own personal butler. The entree was a nice chicken breast with roasted red baby potatoes. I woke up shortly before landing feeling a little better.

The ride home was uneventful except for a semi who decided to suddenly change lanes while I was next to him...had to hit the brakes hard in order to keep from getting sideswiped....that'll wake you up in a hurry! I pulled into the driveway shortly before 0200, fed my cat, Nick, unpacked, read my mail and then crashed on the couch, only to wake up 18 hours later and go back to work. Back to reality; I've worked sixteen days in a row since my trip...I need another vacation.

EPILOGUE:
I can't believe how much of a pain in the ass it was to have my watch quit on me at the start of the trip. I kept looking at my empty wrist for the time. I would pull my I-phone out of my pocket to check, but that got old real fast as the dealers would admonish me for looking at my phone while I was at the table. I took it into a jewelers here in town, but they couldn't fix it. Mailed it into the Seiko service center and still waiting to see what they can do. Should have bought a cheap watch at one of the Walgreens or CVS's that have proliferated all over the Strip.

Misc Vegas ramblings:

It was good to see and hang out with Timberwolf again; thanks buddy....he's good people.
Liked my stay at the Riviera, glad that I decided to see the Old Girl off.
Other than catching the shuttle at Harrahs, I didn't spend any time on the main Strip...didn't miss it.
I hope my play at the 4 Queens will generate into some offers...I think I am morphing into a downtown
kind of guy.
I'm trying to like the Downtown Grand, but there is just something about the place that puts me off.
They got to do something about those street performers on the FSE......seriously, they are out of control.
The dealers and bartenders at the Riv were great...hope they all find new employment somewhere.
I hit more quads playing VP this trip than I think I have hit in all of my previous trips..nice
Still came back with a $200 gambling loss...not bad for the amount of time I spent playing.

My next trip in the fall is already in the planning stages. This will be an 11 day trip...woot. Flights are already booked on Sun Country, car rental is taken care of, will keep checking the rates to see if I can get a better deal. Booked most of the stay at the Flamingo, nine days; five days are comped. Waiting for my fall offers to arrive so that I can book the rest of the trip. I may take a mid Vegas break and fly up to San Francisco for the Labor Day weekend. The Sonoma wine festival will be going on then. My daughter can pick me up at the airport and we can spend a pleasant weekend eating some gourmet food and drinking some great wines...sounds like a winner. Jose and Mary Ann will be jealous. Till next time..................








The last photo is of my son being "arrested" by the security guard on top of the Effiel Tower (a posed picture that we sent his brother on our trip last Sept.)

Very nice report, BIGLAR. I like your style - plenty of details but not so much as to make it tedious. You crammed a lot of action (and libations) into a fairly short trip. Thanks for taking the time to post. Best of luck on your future trips.

Very nice, Larry! Thanks for the rest of your report!

As for Dupars, I have known that it is a Southern California institution and so I'm not surprised with your positive comments about the place.

With Freeplay at Plaza, try to look for Video Blackjack to play it on. At least in the past, I was able to use my Freeplay on it (unless things have changed around there).

As for DG, I still haven't made it over there. I haven't been there since it was Lady Luck.

As for your play at Four Queens, hopefully that should generate at least some kind of offer. I find it to be a decent enough place.

As for Fremont, that's terrible that the Bartender would treat you that way!

As for your lost night of play due to your having a good time, that doesn't surprise me with LV.

But I hate when I waste a night in LV. That happened to me once (not from imbibing though). I usually take a nap before late night play and one night I lay down at 9PM expecting to get up at about 12:30AM or so, but when I woke up, it was about 5:45AM, so that scrapped that night, but I did need the sleep.

As for Blackjack, my playing session Win Goal (which is not necessarily my Win Limit) is about $50 or so, and so being up a couple of hundred would have made me leave immediately.

As for your watch going out at the beginning of the trip, I'm sure that that was a pain. Maybe the Walgreen's on Fremont Street might have had a inexpensive replacement watch for you.

As for the FSE "Street Performers," I can't stand that much either!

And I agree that a $200 gaming loss for all of that time there is not bad at all!

As for your upcoming 11 day trip, all I can say is Wow! About 5 days is my limit before I really want to get out of there. I've many times been there for 4 nights and that's been about enough for me.

But this sounded like a good solo trip as well as your being able to get to meet up (and hang around) with Timberwolf!

RecVPPlayer

BIGLAR - always enjoy your TR.
Thanks for reporting your impressions of the Riviera's last days. Whenever I stayed on the Strip I would always stop in the Riv and run a couple of $20 thru their machines. The closing of the Stardust,the Ho along with Echelon Place and F'Bleu never opening really killed the whole N. Strip.

To me D. G. has the feel of a place still wanting to be on the strip and can't come to grips they can't get the strip crowd. Hell they aren't even on Fremont St. IMO they need to market their Casino with good VP in lower denoms and low limit table games.

$200 loss not bad for the amount of play you had. Next time leave Carl's table when he takes a break and they bring the cooler in.

Couldn't agree more about the FSE beggars. They are almost enough to cause me to stop staying Downtown.

I was one of the people who at first didn't like the changeover of the GG coffee shop to Dupars. I have to admit I was wrong on that one. Food and service has always been good.

Hey Larry,

I'm now seeing that (if this is what you mean) this "street performers" issue that you mention here gets at least somewhat addressed in Today's (5/19/15) LVA QOD, so check that out!

RecVPPlayer

And now, there is a new LVA Poll that was just put up (beginning Weds. 5/20/15) that asks people for their opinions on all of these "costumed characters" and whatnot, so people can check that out as well.

RecVPPlayer

Okay guys, my son helped me with downloading some photos of the trip from my I-phone....enjoy

Hey Big Lar - great TR and pics.

Still can't believe we never ended up playing blackjack at GG - next time.

I was showing Julie the pics you texted me when I got home, she got a kick out of our conversations - in particular when I asked you if you were going to play big at Riviera to generate future offers and also when we were discussing you going to see Crazy Girls and I told you I had seen them in the 90s and you said you hope it isn't the original cast.