Sept 12-18 ....A "Bad Moon Rising" Vegas Trip.

PROLOGUE:
Well it's September and time for another extended Vegas trip to celebrate my birthday. This was another solo trip for me, as so many Vegas excursions have been. I used flyer miles to book a first class round trip fare on Sun Country airlines; the Rio gave me four free nights, with me paying a reduced rate for Friday and Saturday nights. The car rental rates were really outrageous this time around; most that I have paid for a Vegas rental. I finally was able to book an intermediate sized vehicle for $314...ouch! I still had my diamond $100 food voucher to use, and I made reservations at BLT steak at Bally's to make good use of it. I called the box office at the Venetian and booked my ticket to see John Fogerty of CCR fame...one of my favorite bands of the 60's and early 70's during my college days. I also bought a ticket to see Human Nature for later in the week. I had seen this group several years ago, but I had heard that their act had changed quite a bit since they had moved over to the Venetian...had to check it out. Some pool time, prolonged black jack and video poker sessions and some bar time at Hogs and Heifer's were on tap to fill in the "gaps".

MONDAY 9/12:
I finished up my 10 hour night shift, bid my co-worker and Vegas buddy MadMan Mike goodbye...much to his dismay that I was going to Vegas without him. I had packed the night before so all I had to do was gas up the car and catch a few hours of sleep before heading to the airport. Traffic was light, check-in at the Sun Country desk was brief and the TSA pre-chek line was empty. I found a comfortable bar stool and ordered my usual pre-
Vegas double Hendricks gin and tonic. Betty, my bartender went out of her way to find me some cucumber slices for my drink...much appreciated. The first drink went down smoothly, so I ordered another double....what the hell, I'm not driving.

The flight left on time, dinner consisted of a southwestern style chicken breast and some Spanish rice..not bad...a couple of gin and tonics put me to sleep for the rest of the flight. No turbulence over the Rockies and the landing was as smooth as silk coming into McCarren. There was no line at the Enterprise desk and I was quickly on my way to pick up my vehicle. They didn't have any intermediate cars available so the boothling tried to give me a Buick Enclave for my ride. This SUV is huge; no way I was going to drive the "Titanic" around Vegas. We haggled for awhile, me pushing for a MKZ, him for another SUV. I finally gave in and picked out another, smaller sized SUV which turned out to be a comfortable ride...good A/C and sound system. I took Warm Springs over the interstate and hooked up onto Dean Martin Dr and headed north towards the Rio. I was cruising along...no traffic , when I spied a motorcycle cop in a parking lot with a handheld radar gun...yikes. The speed limit was 35 MPH and I was going about 43. I looked into the mirror only to see him pull out and the flashers came on....shit....but wait, he pulled the car behind me over....dodged that bullet....would have really sucked by starting out the trip with a speeding ticket.

The lady at the diamond check-in gave me a nice room on the 17th floor of the Ipanema tower and gave me a chocolate cupcake in celebration of my upcoming birthday. She asked me if I was doing anything special this trip and I told her that I was going to see John Fogerty in concert...blank stare...I rattled off a couple of his hits.....crickets.....guess I am getting old. The room was all that I needed in a Vegas hotel room....quiet, clean, comfortable bed, refrigerator and a coffee maker...sweet. Unfortunately, they had slapped the wrong directions on the in room safe, so that I could not lock the sucker. I called the front desk and waited 30 minutes for the maintenance guy to show up. It took him 5 seconds to figure out what was wrong and showed me the correct series of steps needed to lock and unlock the safe...felt like a dope.

I took the shuttle over to Harrah's and walked over to the Mirage to pick up my new Pearl status players card. I obtained the MGM credit card a couple of months ago in order to avoid paying the stupid parking fees at the MGM properties. I then hiked back and ended at the Tag bar at the Linq casino. The bartenders recognized me from previous visits and soon I was plugging away and drinking some tasty porters. Three porters, no quads and five twenties later I decided to call it quits. I returned to the Rio via the shuttle and called it a night; I needed the sleep.

TUESDAY 9/13:
I woke up around 0730 and drove over to the Black Bear diner on the corner of Jones and Tropicana for breakfast. I have heard good things about this place, so I decided to check it out so that I could compare it to the Peppermill. I was seated right away and my perky waitress, Cindi, took my order and delivered it 5 minutes later. The atmosphere was your typical family type restaurant with lots of locals enjoying the food. Eggs, link sausage, delicious hashbrowns, toast and coffee....all for $12.50...not bad. Portions were not as huge as the Peppermill, but I was full when I pulled myself away from the table....mark this down as a place that I will return to.

I drove over to the MGM and self parked. I walked to the casino only to realize that I had left the parking ticket in the car....hike back to the car and then return to the casino...pain in the ass. My mission this morning was to fulfill my Vegas friend, Julie's, request to see the Ka backstage tour which happens at 11 and 11:30 A.M. on Tuesdays. I had tried to see this tour back in May, but the show was dark that week. I had trudged over to the MGM, hangover and all, only to be told that there wasn't a tour that week. Well, my luck was running the same because the show was dark this week also and there would be no tour...shut out for the 2nd time. Julie......if you want to know what the Ka tour is like; you will just have to get your butt over to the MGM and see it for yourself..... The casino was really dead (noon time) with only a couple of BJ tables open and no one playing craps...it was like a ghost town in there....there wasn't even anyone playing the Sigma Derby...a first.

Dejected, headed back to the garage, waited to use the kiosk to run my ticket thru the machine along with my players card.....no charge...what a hassle. I drove back to the Rio, changed clothes and spent the next few hours at the pool. I found an empty lounge chair after a brief search, got a Coors light ($7) at the bar and settled into my chair with my book; I am halfway through reading "Wuthering Heights....Heathcliff is one nasty SOB. It was fairly windy, but the southern Nevada sunshine soon had me headed to the pool to cool off. No one was in the water....odd.... I stuck my foot into the water....no wonder...the water was about a few degrees warmer than Lake Superior. Undeterred, I took the plunge, swam a few laps and floated on my back for awhile. Refreshed, I returned to my chair, read a couple more chapters and finished my 7 dollar beer. After cleaning up in the room I decided to head downtown and see what kind of trouble awaits.

I drove down Twain only to see the same motorcycle cop writing out a ticket to some unhappy motorist. I looked in my rearview mirror while I was waiting for the light to change only to see the cop pull over another car. Man that guy is one go getter. There is some construction going on on Industrial and they still are working on parts of Main street between Charleston and the FSE. I used the Golden Gate valet and walked into the casino only to be greeted by Valeria, a very nice bartender at the Gate. I played some VP, drank a Heineken and talked with her for a while and then headed out onto the FSE. My session at the Vue bar was a bust....no quads, down 40 bucks. I walked into the upstairs men's room at the D only to see some guy with his shirt off, taking "selfies" of himself in the full length mirror...WTF? I did an immediate about face.....I don't even want to know what that was all about......Vegas!

I walked over to Hogs and Heifers, ordered up a Bud light draft and a shot of Jameson Black and chatted up Nissa and Lee...two very good looking and friendly bartenders. After one of their sessions of dancing on the bar, we all did a shot of "Red Snappers" before I left for a VP session at the 4 Queens...down another $40. I drove back to Harrahs and dropped into the diamond lounge for a snack and a cocktail. Orhan fixed up a nice side car or two for me and we had a nice chat about his recent trip back to "The Old Country". He said that with all the turmoil going on in Europe and Turkey that he was glad to be back in the "States". I played some more VP at the Tag bar, hit only one quad and left $120 lighter. I had consumed quite a few cocktails during the afternoon, so I opted to take the bus back downtown in order to play some blackjack at the Gate.

I awoke on the Deuce after the bus driver yelled at me "Hey, buddy, this is your stop!". I looked around to an empty bus and sheepishly thanked the driver and staggered out onto the FSE.....Vegas! I played one on one with my favorite dealer at the Gate, Tanya and did fairly well; leaving up $75...finally a win!. I walked over to the California only to find out that the cafe was closed for cleaning, but the guy said that I could go up to the ballroom upstairs and that they were serving food there. I was seated at a large round table with six other people; four of whom were from New Zealand and of Maori decent. One of them, a rather large individual had forearms that were as big as tree trunks and heavily tattooed. They turned out to be really nice folks. I enjoyed a big bowl of oxtail soup, which set me right...feeling much better, thank you. I caught the Deuce back to Harrah's, retrieved my car and drove, soberly, back to the Rio. I lost another $40 at the shutters bar and then called it a night at 0200.

Going to take a break and finish up tomorrow.....will the losing streak continue? Will Bill Walton enjoy the Fogerty concert? Stayed tuned, folks......

WEDNESDAY 9/14:
I awoke at 0630 and couldn't get back to sleep. I made some coffee and watched ESPN for a little bit before cleaning up and heading out for the day. The Rio buffet is again open for breakfast; since June according to my waiter. It was not very busy and I stocked up on my usual breakfast fare of eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and grits. I finished things off with some fresh fruit. I walked over to the Gold Coast to use my free play and match play coupons. I bet on black at the roulette wheel and walked away a winner. I played 9/6 JOB at the bar, put a lot of points on my card, but ended up losing another $120...no quads. I wandered around the casino trying to get "a vibe" from one of the slot machines and finally settled for a double diamond machine. I was halfway through the free play when I hit DD-DD-7...I cashed out for $250 smackers. That's what free play is all about! I walked back to the Rio, using the new traffic light in order to cross Valley View. The light turned red, two cars in two of the lanes stopped for the light and just as I was about to cross the street, another car in the third lane blew through the light without even slowing down...got to be on your toes with these Vegas drivers!

I took my usual route to downtown, watching out for the motorcycle cop on Twain. I used the valet at the Gate again and then walked over to the DT Grand to check that place out....things were pretty quiet. I ordered up a Heineken at the bar and played some bonus poker...again no quads and lost another $20. They had two $5 blackjack tables open, with one having one player who looked rather disgusted, so I decided to sit at the other table and go one on one with a very nice female dealer. I bought in for $200 and flat bet $10 a hand. It was a shoe game, with 3:2 BJ payouts, double on any card and they had surrender. Well, I went on a heater and after two shoes I was up $260 and that was even after I had a couple of idiots sit down with the second shoe and really made some terrible plays. Fortunately these were the type of players that buy in with $20, bet 5 dollars a hand, hit the felt, buy in for another 20 and soon felt again, stiff the CW and the dealer and leave in a huff....you have seen these guys I am sure. The dealer even rolled her eyes and shook her head when they left.....clueless. I should have pressed my bets, in hindsight, because I could have made a nice profit, but I was so surprised at my luck, that I stayed with the $10 bets. I split my 3's four times against the dealers 6, doubled down on one of them but ended up with no higher than 15 on any one of the four. The suit walked over to watch as the dealer flipped over a jack and then a 10 to bust....YES!!!! I gave the dealer a nice tip when I colored and walked out with a big smile on my face. I made a brief appearance at Hogs and Heifers across the street, lost another $60 playing VP at the 4 Q's and then drove back to the Rio to change and get ready for this evening's entertainment.

I took the shuttle over to Harrahs and stopped in at the diamond lounge to have Orhan fix me another one of those tasty side car cocktails. I then walked over to the Venetian and had dinner at the Yard Bird. They specialize in Southern style comfort food and I had read on various Vegas forums that their fried chicken is very good. First off, my waiter was fantastic, but the food was a little disappointing. He suggested that I try their Manhattan cocktail, which has a tennis sized ball of ice in the glass to keep the drink chilled....pretty good stuff. I ordered the fried chicken, cheese grits and green beans for my dinner. The chicken is by itself, everything is ala carte. The chicken was indeed good, but the crust was a little on the heavy side for my taste. I would rate this as the 3rd best fried chicken that I have ever had....1st place: Zehnders restaurant in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 2nd place: My great aunt Geri's fried chicken....the highlight of my family reunions when I was a kid. Anyhow, the grits were delicious as was the green beans. The meal was good, but $26 for four pieces of chicken? ...a little steep for this boy. I think the bill exceeded $85.... this is a "one and done" restaurant for me.

Sheldon really must have tightened up the slots because I lost $40 in a blink of an eye. I swear I ran $20 through one machine, playing 75 cents a pull and didn't win anything. Forget about cocktail service.....non-existent. I walked over to the Venetian theater and the ticket-taker told me the wrong theater door for my seat. It took a couple of the ushers to take me on the scenic route, but I finally was seated. There was a really tall, lean guy sitting 3 rows in front of me and fortunately off to my right; otherwise I would have been staring at the back of his head for the whole concert. The guy sitting next to me, nudged my arm, points to the guy and says, "Hey, that's Bill Walton from the NBA!" By golly the dude was right; he looked a little thinner that I remember him from his playing days. He stood up during the concert a couple of times and raised his arms over his head to clap to the music...he has the longest set of arms that I have every seen! He was wearing a tie-dye shirt and looked like he was really enjoying the tunes.

Fogerty has still got it...what a great concert. His back up band is first rate, and his son played along side him for several of his songs....and he played all his old hits. Most of he people in the audience were my age, children of the 60's, some older hippies...I thought that I could smell the faint aroma of Ben Gay, instead of "weed". He played a couple of encores...I think the crowd, myself included, could have listened to him all night....great show.

I took the shuttle back to the Rio and spent a couple of hours playing some triple play VP, again losing $200. I did hit a couple of quads, but no Aces. I finally called it lights out at 0100.

THURSDAY 9/15:
I slept in this morning to the tune of 0830 and again availed myself to the Rio breakfast buffet. I then drove down and parked at the Luxor(remembered to take the parking ticket with me) and checked out the baseball lines for today's games. I decided to place a bet on the Minnesota Twins to WIN......no, I'm not crazy, but I looked at the pitching for today's game and knew this was going to be a lock for the Twins. I hurried up to the desk and just got my bet in literally two seconds before the start of the game...whew. I watched the first couple of innings and then headed over to the Art of Shaving for my appointment.

I make an appointment at the Art of Shaving about every 3rd Vegas trip for a haircut and a Royal straight razor shave. Some Vegas goers treat themselves to a day of shopping(you know who you are) while in Vegas; others spend a Spa day pampering themselves. My time at the Art of Shaving is my version of treating myself to something special...just for me. Jack, my barber is a great guy and a talented barber. He used to work in the film industry, keeping the "stars" looking sharp. The haircut and shave sessions usually last at least an hour and a half and my face feels like a million bucks afterwards. Time well spent. I had a black and tan at the Ri Ra pub after my appointment then decided to cash in a couple of rewards from MyVegas.

I walked all the way over to the Monte Carlo and waited in line for at least 15 minutes at the MLife desk. I redeemed some points for a free pint of beer at the Monte Carlo Pub, since they are closing in a couple of weeks and for a whiskey tasting at the Hit Lounge at the Monte Carlo. I saw down at the Pub's bar...place was empty... told the bartender about my free pint and asked for a porter....sorry, no porters....okay, how about a Blue Moon with an orange slice...sorry, we are out of Blue Moon....WTF?.....okay, give me a Heineken....can do. I talked to the bartender about them closing up shop soon...he seemed pretty dejected about the situation...seems that he was being transferred over to the Mexican restaurant that is out front of the casino. Then he mentions that they plan on giving that place the "axe" sometime next year as part of their "renewal" plans for the casino/hotel. Uncertain future for the employees it seems. He leaves to wait on another customer and I quietly sip my beer...then it hits me.....I walk all the way over from Mandalay Bay, which included walking through Ex Cal, which I detest...wait in line to get my reward loaded onto my players car, walk to the back of the property to the Pub only to be told that they don't have the beer I want and I am sitting there drinking a Heineken....a beer I can get anywhere in Vegas at any blackjack table....for free....what the hell was I thinking...time to go.

I walked back to the Luxor to retrieve my car and then it's back to the Rio for more pool time...and another $7 Coors Light. I spent a pleasant couple of hours poolside, reading and studying the female anatomy that surrounded me. I then cleaned up and hit the Rio diamond lounge and filled up on a salad and a couple of plates of chicken wings. Then it was time for the Rio Wine cellar for a glass of Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc and a nice chat with Lita and Jose. Lita is looking pretty good and very talkative today, so I had a good time enjoying my wine and conversation...really like this place.

I drove downtown, used the Gate valet and played blackjack for the next four hours leaving up $200. It would have been more except for the knucklehead sitting at 3rd base. I was playing alone initially, then four 20 something aged guys joined me. They were a fun group, although only one of them had any grasp of basic strategy....and it wasn't the guy at 3rd base. We all had a good time with our lovely female dealer, I was steadily increasing my chip stack...slow, but steady. Fortunately, the guys would ask my advice if they were not certain about whether to hit or stay and the guy at first base kept them from making too many miscues. All except for the last hand. I decided to color up, but they pointed out that the shoe was almost done, and why don't I stay until the end of the shoe? Sounds like a reasonable request. So the last hand of the shoe I split my 2's 3 times and double down twice against the dealers five. The guy at 3rd base has 13 showing and motions to take a card. The whole table erupts in Noooooo, don't take a card...stay!. He has been taking our advice all game, but now he says, " I have a feeling" and insists on taking a hit. Naturally the moron gets a face card to bust. The dealer flips over a jack for 15 and then deals herself a six for a 21. I had a 19 and two 20's and lost....sheesh...some people's kids. Well, I did more than double my $200 buy in, and that is after all the dealer and dancer tips that I gave away during the evening, plus the $2 tips to the CW...she really liked my $2 bills. It was back to the Rio and one more $20 Heineken at the Shutters bar....no quads!

FRIDAY 9/16:
It was another gorgeous morning in Vegas and breakfast was going to be at Mon Ami Gabi today. I was told that it would be at least a 30 minute wait for a patio table...fine by me, I'm on vacation. They gave me a disk that would activate when my table was ready. I started to play a buffalo slot when about 10 minutes later the disk starts to buzz...time for breakfast. I was seated at a table next to the patio rail with a terrific view of the Bellagio and it's fountains across the street. My waitress, Sandi, quickly brought me some orange juice and coffee. I decided on the eggs Benedict and grilled trout for breakfast. I relaxed, sipped my coffee and let the sunshine warm my face...ahhhhh!. I then became aware of some dude setting up his equipment out on the sidewalk, directly in front of my table, 20 feet away...nooooo!. He had a guitar, microphone and a substantial looking speaker. He started off babbling incoherently into the mic, then played a recording of some classical music pieces....the Minute Walz....WTF?

My food arrives and I dive into a deliciously tasting breakfast...the trout was excellent. A guy walks up to my street "performer", there is a brief conversation, some money is exchanged and the guy hands him a small baggie. Did I just see a drug deal go down? Sure looks like it. Mr Music pops some pills from the bag and mellows out after a few minutes and starts playing some soft jazz on his guitar....hey, he is not too bad. I listened to the music and finished up with my meal. Great way to start out my day...got to do this every trip.

I then hit the triple play video poker machines over by the Champagne slot area for the next couple of hours. I did hit a couple of quads, but eventually lost another $300...ouch. Did put a bunch of points on my card however. I took a tour of the Grand Bazaar shops out front of Bally's...what a waste of space..a lot of vacant shops and no one in the shops that are open. Finally, I decided that today was the day that I would scratch another item off of my Vegas bucket list....I'm going to visit the Stage Door!

The place was not busy, plenty of seats at the bars. I settled onto a stool and a very nice young female bartender served up a shot of Crown and a bottle of PBR...now that's livin! I paid for the drinks and tipped her $3. I then slipped in $20 into a VP machine and started to play some 6/5 bonus poker...what the hell. I'm halfway thru my beer and the bartender brings me another shot and another beer..."It's on me, sweetie," she says....great. I tip her $2. Five minutes later she brings me another PBR...no charge....she really must like me......WAIT a minute, stupid... You are playing max bet VP, tipping her $2 for a beer that they only charge a dollar for, cash money.....course the beers are free.....duh. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I tense up as I turn around. I am greeted by a short, wiry bloke with curly blond hair, nose ring and missing a few of his front teeth....hey, welcome to Vegas. The guy is talking with a very thick British accent and I can only understand about every other word that he is saying. I finally realize that he really likes my Stetson fedora and wants to know where I bought it. I let him that I bought it a few years ago in Vegas. He seems satisfied with my answer, slaps me on the back and goes back to his table with his drinking buddies....Oy! My $20 runs out on my machine and I chug down the last of my PBR and out the door I go. Interesting place....and characters....and cheap booze....I'll be back.

I walked back to the Bellagio to check out the conservatory display only to find that it is in transition; they are a day or two away from completing the new fall display. I made a quick sports bet at Bally's (against the Twins) and then headed downtown on the Deuce. I played VP at the Boars Head bar, and enjoyed a tasty black chip porter, hitting two quads...$2 scratch offs...and cashed out even...I'll consider that a win this trip. I tried my luck at the blackjack table at the DT Grand, but I quickly lost $50 and left because of the buttheads that were playing at the table...who raises these idiots? I lost another $40 at the Vue bar and made $100 at a brief session of blackjack at the Gate.

I had dinner at the BBQ joint at Binions, losing another $20 playing VP while waiting for my food...decent grub. I then hitched a ride on the Deuce back to the Strip, picked up the car and heading for home...losing another $40 at the shutters bar. Finish up with the conclusion tomorrow....thanks for hanging in there.

Looking forward to the conclusion. Thanks for bringing us along with you.

SATURDAY 9/17:
I'm awake at 0730, drink some coffee, watch some ESPN before heading out for breakfast. Decisions, decisions....where to eat? I decide to avoid the confusion on the Strip and head back to the Black Bear diner. I had a different waitress this time, she was a little on the slow side; had to wait a while before she took my order and then wait some more for my food. The food was good and filling like my previous visit and it was under $15, so all is good. I've been going full throttle since I arrived here in Vegas and I was dragging a little bit this morning...going to take it easy today.

I drove down to the Bass Pro Shops next to the Silverton to do a little "window shopping". I am planning a 12 day canoe trip up in the Northwest Territories of Canada next July...fly 200 miles NE of Fort Smith, paddle 12 days and then get picked up and fly back to civilization. I wanted to check out what the shops had in the way of durable lightweight clothing for the trip, plus look for a packable fishing rod. I spent the next couple of hours looking around the store, tried on a couple of pairs of boots....need something that is comfortable, good ankle support and waterproof (will be in ankle deep water getting in and out of the canoe). I found a pair of Danner boots that should do the job...a little expensive, but should last me until I am too old and feeble to take on these types of expeditions. My oldest son called to wish me a Happy Birthday...it was raining hard in Minnesota. I also got a text message from my friend Timberwolf, advising me that Valeria would be tending bar out front of the Gate today and that I should get her a chocolate doughnut from Dupars.

Having made a thorough tour of the Bass Pro shops, I headed for downtown. After leaving the SUV at the Gate valet I purchased a chocolate doughnut, had the clerk package it up for me and then presented it to Valeria. I think I just made a friend for life. Thanks for the tip Timberwolf. Since it was my birthday I decided to take advantage for the birthday promotion over at the Plaza.

The lady at the players club said that their promo of giving double your age in free play after earning 500 points expired at the beginning of the month...figures. The LVA promo was still good, however. I found a 9/6 JOB machine over by the sports book and started plugging away at the dollar level. First hundred, netted me almost 400 points (got a quad), next hundred 300 more points...I'm on a mission now....another hundred....$40 and I hit 1000 points on the display. I cash out, and give my LVA coupon, ID and players card to the boothling at the players club desk....sir, you only have 999 points...."The display on the machine said 1000 points". Sorry sir, you need one more point....great. I walked over to the nearest slot machine, put in $5, made a few spins, put two points on my card...just to be sure and cashed out with a $3 profit. I got in line again only to realize that I didn't have my LVA coupon in my shirt pocket. I searched all of my pockets, looking twice through my LVA coupon book and then retraced my steps around the casino in search of that damned coupon...nope. I went back to the players club desk in desperation, and low and behold I had left the coupon lying on the desk....just not going to be my day. After all the drama, I finally received my free play and went back to my 9/6 JOB machine, used $100 of my FP and cashed out $150. Well at least I got some of my money back...don't know if putting over 1000 points on my card in one day will do anything for me offer wise.

I tucked my tail between my legs and headed back to the Rio, changed clothes and then drove over to Bally's for my birthday dinner at BLT steak. I was seated way in the back of the restaurant..it was early (5 pm) and the place only had a couple of other diners. My waiter was great and the meal was delicious. I started out with a glass of a New Zealand savignon blanc to go with my Caesar salad and the complementary appetizers of some cured meats and a tasty duck pate. I had a very tender filet mignon with asparagus on the side for the main course. I paired this with an Oregon pinot noir (Van Duzer) to round things out. Dessert was an ample helping of mango sorbet and complementary portions of a brownie. The waiter kept things at a leisurely pace and I was stuffed at the end of the meal. This was my 3rd time dining here at BLT; can't beat the great steaks, atmosphere and wonderful service. I'm looking forward to my next visit already.

I waddled over to the Venetian to see Human Nature....the ticket did not say which theater, so I got in line at the Venetian theater, the usher scanned my ticket, was shown my seat....wait a minute.....it says John Fogerty on the stage. I walked back out of the theater and asked them about this....oh, you have to go over to the Sands theater that is between the Venetian and the Palazzo. I literally ran through the Venetian casino and made it just in time for the opening song. My seat was 3rd row dead center...couldn't ask for a better seat. These guys are very talented and really put on a good show. Their band was also very solid. Go see Human Nature if you haven't already.

I sat down at a 3 card poker table at Harrahs that had a middle aged couple playing. I was soon joined by a lady who sat on my left and played two hands at a time. The pit boss took our players cards and came back a minute later and wished me a Happy Birthday and then wished the lady on my left a Happy Birthday also....what are the odds? This is one of the worst sessions of 3 card poker that I have ever encountered....could not get any cards. I played for almost two hours, lost $300 and only got one flush and two straights...pairs were few and far between. The birthday girl did really well for the first 30 minutes, but then started losing right along with the rest of the table. The couple on my right left shortly after I sat down and was replaced with three middle aged gentlemen. The one guy works at a Nuke plant somewhere. After a while Mr Nuke turns to me and asks me if I am gay. WTF? I was took a little aback with his question, but replied, "No, I am not....you looking for a date?" Apparently he wanted to tell a gay joke but did not want to offend anyone at the table.....the joke was ill timed, ill placed and ....well, stupid. After kissing my third hundy goodbye I tipped the dealer and left for the Rio.

I decided to have one last Heineken for the night and to try one last time to hit some quads at the shutters bar. The bar had plenty of seats, but of course I get lucky and have some young kid sit down next to me and light up a cheap cigar...cough. I guess I'll finish my beer in my room.

SUNDAY 9/18:

It's my last day in Vegas and I am pretty run down...exhausted...I'm ready to go home. I checked out using my reward points to pay for the rest of my room expenses, tossed my bags in the SUV and drove over to the Gold Coast. I dropped another $100 playing bonus poker at the center bar and then remembered that they have one of their ballrooms set up for the NFL games. The place was nearly empty, so I grabbed a seat at a table and spent the afternoon, eating $1.50 hot dogs, $1.00 bags of popcorn and quenching a couple of $3.00 Bud Lights. They have one large screen for their featured game and several smaller screens with many of the other games going on. A very mellow place to kick back, have a few brews and watch football. The bonus was that no one was smoking...score.

I finally had to return the rental car, but I did some calculating about my mileage vs how much gas that I used. I put about 110 miles on the vehicle, and used a little over 10 gallons of gas. Okay that works out to be about 10 miles per gallon....nitwits did not give me a full tank of gas when I rented the car. I had a nice chat with the rental car attendant, pointing out the before and after mileage and showed him my gas receipt....he started to give me a song and dance routine, but I wasn't having any of it. He finally agreed to knock off $15 dollars off the rental....which I thought was fair.

The TSA pre-chek line at the airport was empty and I was through security in two minutes....best $85 that I have ever spent. I sat at the bar at the California Pizza Kitchen and ordered a double Hendricks and tonic. The lady next to me turned and said, "Oh, you like Hendrick's too?". We were fast friends....unfortunately, her husband was sitting next to her....nice couple. After they left, two women sat down and asked the bartender if they were going to have the Packer game on the TV? I turned to them and said, "It's not the Packer game, ladies, it's the VIKING's game." I don't think I won them over.

My flight left on time; flew back in first class again...can't beat it. The sandwich they served during the flight was nothing to write home about...so I won't mention it again...blah. I napped off and on getting jarred awake with some turbulence as we were landing at MSP. It seemed like a long ride back to Rochester, arriving home around 01:30. I quickly unpacked, spent a few minutes bonding with my 18 year old cat, Nick and then hit the sheets. I woke up at 0700 and was at work at 0800 for a ten hour work day....back to reality. The week in Vegas was sunny every day, not a cloud in the sky and in the low 90's. I've been home for a week and it has been cloudy and overcast almost every day....and rain and more rain.

EPILOGUE:
Although I came back exhausted, which is usual post Vegas trips, I felt a little empty this time....and I don't mean just in my wallet. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I might have lost that "Vegas feeling". It was enjoyable, but not at the level of excitement that I've had on my many previous trips. It's not the losing...I've had many losing Vegas trips...maybe I need a break...we will see. I did enjoy seeing the shows, had some memorable meals and relaxed poolside which is always a treat to just sit, read, sip a brew and just plain relax. My bankroll took a dent, but the winning blackjack sessions did help to temper the losses....CET should be very happy.

Anyway, I will be back in town the first week in December for a pharmacy conference at Mandalay Bay. MadMan will be with me so things should be interesting. We are flying in a couple of days before the meetings and staying a day afterwards. I'm usually pretty busy during this conference...attending a breakfast meeting at 0630, continuing education lectures all day and a dinner lecture to round things out. So I am on the go all day until around 19:00 hrs (7PM). I've got a comped room at Bally's for two nights before the conference and two comped nights at the Rio at the end of the week. During the conference we have a room at the Luxor. Not thrilled at staying at the Luxor, but it's close to the meetings. I hope Julie and Timberwolf will be in town that week....I always have a lot of fun gambling and hanging out with them....good people. Freddy Five Fingers is getting married next June......can't believe it. MadMan and I are planning a Vegas bachelor party...going to see if we can get the old group of guys to come out with us ...would be epic.

This monologue kind of got away from me this time....sorry for it being rather lengthy. Hope you enjoyed it. See you in December......

Thanks for bringing us along for your trip. May the next one be a winning one.

Great report, always love them. Thanks so much. FREDFRED

Isn't Fogerty fantastic?!!

Maybe you need to cut back on your trips to once or twice a year?

Glad you got to celebrate your 66th in your favorite city! MANY MORE happy birthdays to you...

Have booked 5 nights in end of Jan but may cancel that trip. Other trip will be in April for Freddie's bachelor party that's a stone cold lock. My 10 day trip to the Florida Keyes in March and the 12 day canoe trip in Northern Canada in July will probably cut down on the Vegas trips....at least for next year

Thanks for your usual great report, Our last 3 trips have been losers on gambling, so we are changing what we play, more craps & roulette less video poker & slots. Also moved back downtown & the comps are a lot better and the food is less expensive, we love Dupars. Understand your feelings but we still love Vegas.

Thanks for the report Larry and sorry to read about your mostly losing gaming-wise.

What it could be for you (since you say that something is missing) is that it could be a combination of no others to hang around with for a break and nice chats as well as that you were mostly losing on this trip.

As for construction on Main Street between the FSE and Charleston, that's been going on for at least about 2 years now. I had hoped that that would have been done by now.

And I'm happy that you got to hear John Fogerty again. I do like some of his songs so that should have been a decent concert anyway!