Trip Report for September 21st-26th
This was my first trip since last October and I took my mother with me because she wanted to go to a show.
Flight: Southwest Airlines from Kansas City. The flight was five minutes early so I had plenty of time to get my car and head over to Silverton to place some NFL bets.
Car Rental:
For the third consecutive trip, Thrifty came in lowest. There was only one person in line and I was on my way to pick up a Ford Focus. I don’t like American cars but Thrifty had only two compacts and they were both Fords so I had no choice. My car had 45,000 miles on it. I drove over to Silverton and placed five NFL bets. Then we decided to check out the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio and see how crowded it was. Amazingly, there were only four people in line at about 9:30am, so we used the LVA 2 for 1.
After our breakfast, I headed back to the parking garage and tried to start the car. Nothing. Tried again and nothing. Tried about twenty times and silence each time. I knew the battery wasn’t dead because the wipers, headlights and radio worked. It was something in the anti-theft system that wasn’t letting the key work. I got on the phone with Thrifty and talked to someone who asked where I was and said she would have someone call back within five minutes. After twenty minutes I called the national office. I again explained I couldn’t get the car started and that the engine wouldn’t crank so it was an electrical system problem. She asked me to try all the other things I had already checked. I told her I wanted someone out there with a new car immediately. She put me on hold to get ahold of the local office. While I was on hold I tried to start the car again and this time the engine turned over and it started. I shut it off and started it again to make absolutely sure and it started right up again. So I turned off the ignition and went back inside the Rio to get my mother who was sitting in the air conditioning and told her we were good to go but I was taking the car back anyway. We get back to the car and naturally nothing happens when I turn the key. I’m still on hold with the Thrifty representative all this time. Now I am fuming mad. I waited another ten minutes on hold then told my mother to go back inside and to watch for me out the window in case I got it started again. I finally got the car started 15 minutes later, still on hold with Thrifty. I cut off the call and went down to pick up my mother. I called her cell and told her to come out and meet me as I wasn’t going to shut off the engine again. I picked her up and headed back to the airport. She asked what I would do if the engine died on the highway and I said it would be Thrifty’s problem.
I got back to the car rental return and a man came up and entered the information and asked why I was returning the car. I told him the story and he sent me back to the booth in the garage to get another one. When I got there, there were two other people there. Amazingly, both of them were returning cars that had problems. The first guy was absolutely going off on the agent. He didn’t want the car and he didn’t want a replacement, but they were going to charge him for the two days he had it anyway. They wouldn’t budge and I told him to dispute it on his credit card and he finally left. I got up to the counter and told the clerk: (A) I wanted another car; (B) I didn’t want another horseshit American car; and (C) That I wasn’t paying extra if they didn’t have any compacts. He said they had several and to pick one out. I went to the compact row and all they had were the same effing Fords. I told the attendant I wanted a Toyota or Nissan. He said they didn’t have any available. I told him I wasn’t renting another American piece of shit and to upgrade me. Before he could answer, a subcompact Toyota Yaris was placed back in line for service. I said I’ll take that one. He said ok but it's not as big. I said I didn’t care as long as it worked.
This car had 13,000 miles and was a base model with crank windows and no power door locks. Even better as you don’t have to be an astronaut to figure out all the electronic crap on the dash. I had absolutely no problems with this car. When I returned the vehicle, there was a woman behind me returning another Ford because it had a problem. Thrifty needs to get its effing act together. Not returning my calls and putting me on hold forever is inexcusable. I was absolutely livid that I’d spent two plus hours of my vacation dealing with these bastards, but relieved to be heading to our hotel.
Hotel:
Golden Nugget. I had to pay to stay there even though I had free nights at Main Street, D, Sam’s Town and Gold Coast. My mother will only stay at the Golden Nugget and wanted me in a connecting room so that’s where we stayed. We were in the Carson Tower which is in need of an upgrade. Ours faced East right across the street from the new outdoor concert venue that Derek Stevens the owner of the D is building. The noise from a concert will make those rooms uninhabitable when they’re in use for some weekend concert. I asked an employee at the Nugget when the Carson rooms will get an upgrade and he said they’re going to be completely remodeled next year.
Dining:
As usual on my reports I list all the places I eat and give each place a letter grade based on quality and value.
Rio Carnival World Buffet: This buffet has lots of things I like but isn’t of great quality. I would not eat there without a coupon, but my mother likes it. Grade: B-.
Aloha Specialties: I always get the Loco Moco. Great quality, huge portions and low price. This is located in the California Hotel on the bridge to MSS. Grade A.
Lappert’s Ice Cream: Right across from Aloha Specialties. ENORMOUS scoops of ice cream at a reasonable price. Grade A-.
Boulder Station Breakfast Buffet: I get these comped, but the food is good and is a tremendous value even if you pay for it yourself. Grade A-.
Boulder Station Lunch Buffet: Limited selection, but again a great value. Grade B.
Claim Jumper: This is the new Golden Nugget coffee shop. I stopped in for a piece of carrot cake they make each day. The piece of cake was huge and tasted good but I still think it’s overpriced. Grade B-.
Main Street Station Breakfast buffet: Another place I always eat free. Basic breakfast foods and I like the omelet station. Grade B-.
Fatburger: I ate at the one at Red Rock food court. They make good burgers here but they’re a bit on the high side. Grade A-.
Redwood Bar and Grill: The California Hotel’s steakhouse. I got the 18oz porterhouse special. It’s not on the menu and comes with potato, vegetables, salad, bread and apple dumpling for $24.00. This place has great service and good food. I will return. Grade A-.
Main Street Station Lunch buffet: Nothing great here but nothing bad either. Grade: B-.
Cal Club: I got a hotdog at this little snack bar and was surprised at the quality. Grade A.
Mirage Cravings Buffet: This is my favorite place to dine in Las Vegas. It has medium-rare prime rib and prepeeled shrimp. It also has fantastic desserts. They no longer have drink service. You must go to the fountain yourself which I prefer. I get two drinks and bring them both back to the table. There is also free wine which doesn’t interest me and free Budweiser beer products which does. Just go to the bar and ask for the free stuff. Great with the LVA 2 for 1 coupon. Grade A.
Binion’s Coffee shop: I ate breakfast there one morning. I got some special where you got two eggs, two pieces of bacon and either toast or pancakes. I ordered toast, but they brought me pancakes too. The food is ok but is overpriced. Grade C.
777 Brewpub: I got a half pound hotdog and fries and neither were very good. I have yet to have a good meal at this place. Grade C-.
Market Street Café: I ate breakfast there one morning and it was ok. The pancakes were a little tough. Grade B-.
Gambling:
My last trip was one to remember as I won nearly six thousand dollars. This trip I lost over $500.00. I played video poker at MSS, Boulder Station, Red Rock, The D and Sam’s Town. These are my core casinos. I played a lot at the D on this trip on the second floor 10/7 DB games. Of course I had to deal with cashing out 1200 quarters but the coin droppers are where the full pay games are there.
I played 10/7DB and full pay deuces for the most part. Interestingly, I lost $500.00 in one day but broke even the other days. Usually when I play the volatile games, it’s either a big win or big loss each day. On the worst day, I lost over a hundred dollars in less than twenty minutes twice. I couldn’t even get a full house or flush. When that happens in DB, you’re going to get killed. I played an hour of 50 cent 9/6 Jacks at Sam’s Town and lost $150.00. My mom likes to play these games too. She lost a couple of hundred the first day at MSS and told me she was done for the day. She got up to go back to the Nugget and I told her not to play any short-pay machines on her way back. I knew she would do it anyway. When I got back to the hotel she said she had won some at the Cal. She told me where she had played and I said those were short pay. She said she didn’t have her card in and stopped at a progressive bank and ordered a diet Pepsi. She put in ten dollars and got dealt a Royal on the third hand good for a little over $1100.00. I told her not to play that machine again because it was short play and she didn’t know the strategy. I knew this advice was futile and she wound up giving up over half of her winnings back playing that progressive the rest of the week. On the last day she switched back to full pay 10/7 DB where she has a Bob Dancer strategy card. She hit 15 four of a kinds in three hours. Four of them were Aces which pay $200.00. So she made another $1600.00 profit without benefit of hitting a Royal. I went three days without hitting a single four of a kind and was fortunate to not be down a thousand. This was because I hit more than my share of full houses, straights and flushes.
So my final tally for five days of gambling was a $532.00 loss. This followed my all time best trip where I took home nearly six thousand. This was my 33rd trip and I’m ahead in the gambling department by about two thousand.
Entertainment:
I usually go to Las Vegas to gamble. On this trip my mother wanted to see a show. We went to the discount ticket place at the Four Queens and she decided she wanted to see Jersey Boys. We went to the early show Wednesday. I haven’t seen any type of show before because I know I won’t like them. Musicals drive me nuts, but mom wanted to go so we went. I thought this would involve lots of singing but it’s more of a Frankie Valli life story. I was bored out of my mind. My mother liked it but would have liked to have more singing of entire songs, not just thirty second bits of them. I’ll stick to the headliner comedians if I decide to be entertained. Those are the only types of acts I like.
I also went to a place I’ve always wanted to go: One of those gun stores. I went to a place directly behind Circus-Circus called Battlefield Vegas. The owner and most of the employees are ex army or marines. This place is unbelievable. You can shoot weapons from WW I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam all the way up to the present. They also have a place outside of town where you can shoot machine guns and mortars. I tried calling my brother who’s an active duty soldier at Ft. Bragg, to see what I should shoot. He’s been in the 82nd Airborne, Rangers, and Pathfinders and he’s shot about every weapon on the planet in his 20 plus years in the Army. I couldn’t reach him so I picked a package where I shot an Uzi, M4, MP5 and AK-47. Twenty five shots with each gun. They have you sign a couple of waivers and then take you to the range. The guy who helped me spent five years in the Army and is working at this shop full time now. He fit me with goggles, ear protection and went over the rules with me before I went in the indoor shooting range with him. He asked what kind of target I wanted. I didn’t want to pay extra, but you can buy targets of Osama Bin Laden, Tojo and Hitler to shoot. I was tempted to buy the Bin Laden one and pretend I was shooting at one of those ISIS pricks. But this package cost me $159.00 and I didn’t want to spend any more money. We got on the range and a group was leaving at the same time. There was another group behind me but they weren’t ready so I had the entire place to myself. They do not let the doors open when someone is shooting. I started with the Israeli Uzi. My guide asked me if I wanted to shoot one at a time or go fully automatic. I said one at a time. He asked if I’d ever shot a gun before and I said yes I’d shot rifles and shotguns but not anything like this. So he shows me how to work the gun then loads it and hands it to me. I squeeze off five rounds and hit the bullseye three of the five. Then I just blast away for the next twenty. Next I shoot the M4 which is something my brother said he carried in Afghanistan last year when I got ahold of him later in the day. After that is the MP-5 which is a gun with a laser that is carried by SEALS and Delta Force members. My guide called it the "Bin Laden Killer". These are very accurate, but Jesus Christ are they LOUD. Of course the Special Forces guys have muzzle silencers on their guns. Then my guide gave me a Serbian-made AK-47. He said “This is the weapon of choice for terrorists.” This thing kicked like a mule. For my last 15 shots I put it on full automatic and blasted away like some war movie. There is no way a person can hold that with one hand like you see in the movies, but I knew that before I started. After that, on the way out, I said, “Can someone shoot that?” My guide said yes, but it costs a lot more. I think like $400.00 bucks. The gun was one of those with a revolving barrel, like the one Jesse Ventura shot in the movie “Predator”. This place was great and I’m going there again on my next trip.
Random Thoughts:
Thrifty Car Rental needs to get its act together.
Eff you to Ford and the shitty cars they make.
All the casinos I visited were busy except SLS and the Downtown Grand.
I rode the High Roller. There were all of two others on board with me.
If you want a view: (1) Stratosphere (2) Eiffel Tower (3) High Roller
High Roller is overpriced. Cut it to ten bucks and there will be more riders.
The ride is 30 minutes and you don’t get high enough to see the whole city to the west until the 15 minute mark.
SLS needs to cut prices. Same Strip ripoff.
Riviera needs remodeling badly.
Cromwell takes ripoff to an entirely new level even for a Strip hotel.
I wasn’t impressed by the Linq. A bunch of overpriced retail and dining places typical of the Strip.
The spaghetti bowl is horrible during the late afternoon.
The construction on Main Street causes major headaches during morning and afternoon rush.
Most people avoid the Golden Nugget Rush Tower valet because of street repairs. This causes huge bottlenecks at the Casino Center valet, especially in the afternoon.
I wasn’t impressed with Jersey Boys; from now on I’ll stick with gambling.
The Ling and High Roller are the latest CET flops.
I love the Mirage buffet
Eff you to the drunk who blamed me when the Royals lost ( I had on a KC Royals shirt and he had bet on them).
I-15 is still under perpetual construction
I know lots of people rave about the 777 Brewpub, but I don’t like the place.
The Cal has lots of good quality eating places that are of great value.
I wish I could string together two consecutive winning trips.
Temps were in the mid and upper 90’s each day; Could have used a cooler week.
Eff you to Strip casinos and their ripoff gaming, food and drinks.
What is it with people who always walk three, four or five across in the casinos and streets?
Why do people make cell phone calls at the bottom of escalators or when ordering food?
Southwest is a great on time airline.
The crackdown on drunks and panhandlers seems to be working on Fremont Street.
Eff you to the old man who farted on the High Roller multiple times.
I may not rent a car on my next trip. I only used it to go to the Rio, Red Rock and Boulder Station.
I highly recommend Battlefield Vegas.
Thanks for reading the report.
Next trip: Either November 2014 or March 2015.
This was my first trip since last October and I took my mother with me because she wanted to go to a show.
Flight: Southwest Airlines from Kansas City. The flight was five minutes early so I had plenty of time to get my car and head over to Silverton to place some NFL bets.
Car Rental:
For the third consecutive trip, Thrifty came in lowest. There was only one person in line and I was on my way to pick up a Ford Focus. I don’t like American cars but Thrifty had only two compacts and they were both Fords so I had no choice. My car had 45,000 miles on it. I drove over to Silverton and placed five NFL bets. Then we decided to check out the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio and see how crowded it was. Amazingly, there were only four people in line at about 9:30am, so we used the LVA 2 for 1.
After our breakfast, I headed back to the parking garage and tried to start the car. Nothing. Tried again and nothing. Tried about twenty times and silence each time. I knew the battery wasn’t dead because the wipers, headlights and radio worked. It was something in the anti-theft system that wasn’t letting the key work. I got on the phone with Thrifty and talked to someone who asked where I was and said she would have someone call back within five minutes. After twenty minutes I called the national office. I again explained I couldn’t get the car started and that the engine wouldn’t crank so it was an electrical system problem. She asked me to try all the other things I had already checked. I told her I wanted someone out there with a new car immediately. She put me on hold to get ahold of the local office. While I was on hold I tried to start the car again and this time the engine turned over and it started. I shut it off and started it again to make absolutely sure and it started right up again. So I turned off the ignition and went back inside the Rio to get my mother who was sitting in the air conditioning and told her we were good to go but I was taking the car back anyway. We get back to the car and naturally nothing happens when I turn the key. I’m still on hold with the Thrifty representative all this time. Now I am fuming mad. I waited another ten minutes on hold then told my mother to go back inside and to watch for me out the window in case I got it started again. I finally got the car started 15 minutes later, still on hold with Thrifty. I cut off the call and went down to pick up my mother. I called her cell and told her to come out and meet me as I wasn’t going to shut off the engine again. I picked her up and headed back to the airport. She asked what I would do if the engine died on the highway and I said it would be Thrifty’s problem.
I got back to the car rental return and a man came up and entered the information and asked why I was returning the car. I told him the story and he sent me back to the booth in the garage to get another one. When I got there, there were two other people there. Amazingly, both of them were returning cars that had problems. The first guy was absolutely going off on the agent. He didn’t want the car and he didn’t want a replacement, but they were going to charge him for the two days he had it anyway. They wouldn’t budge and I told him to dispute it on his credit card and he finally left. I got up to the counter and told the clerk: (A) I wanted another car; (B) I didn’t want another horseshit American car; and (C) That I wasn’t paying extra if they didn’t have any compacts. He said they had several and to pick one out. I went to the compact row and all they had were the same effing Fords. I told the attendant I wanted a Toyota or Nissan. He said they didn’t have any available. I told him I wasn’t renting another American piece of shit and to upgrade me. Before he could answer, a subcompact Toyota Yaris was placed back in line for service. I said I’ll take that one. He said ok but it's not as big. I said I didn’t care as long as it worked.
This car had 13,000 miles and was a base model with crank windows and no power door locks. Even better as you don’t have to be an astronaut to figure out all the electronic crap on the dash. I had absolutely no problems with this car. When I returned the vehicle, there was a woman behind me returning another Ford because it had a problem. Thrifty needs to get its effing act together. Not returning my calls and putting me on hold forever is inexcusable. I was absolutely livid that I’d spent two plus hours of my vacation dealing with these bastards, but relieved to be heading to our hotel.
Hotel:
Golden Nugget. I had to pay to stay there even though I had free nights at Main Street, D, Sam’s Town and Gold Coast. My mother will only stay at the Golden Nugget and wanted me in a connecting room so that’s where we stayed. We were in the Carson Tower which is in need of an upgrade. Ours faced East right across the street from the new outdoor concert venue that Derek Stevens the owner of the D is building. The noise from a concert will make those rooms uninhabitable when they’re in use for some weekend concert. I asked an employee at the Nugget when the Carson rooms will get an upgrade and he said they’re going to be completely remodeled next year.
Dining:
As usual on my reports I list all the places I eat and give each place a letter grade based on quality and value.
Rio Carnival World Buffet: This buffet has lots of things I like but isn’t of great quality. I would not eat there without a coupon, but my mother likes it. Grade: B-.
Aloha Specialties: I always get the Loco Moco. Great quality, huge portions and low price. This is located in the California Hotel on the bridge to MSS. Grade A.
Lappert’s Ice Cream: Right across from Aloha Specialties. ENORMOUS scoops of ice cream at a reasonable price. Grade A-.
Boulder Station Breakfast Buffet: I get these comped, but the food is good and is a tremendous value even if you pay for it yourself. Grade A-.
Boulder Station Lunch Buffet: Limited selection, but again a great value. Grade B.
Claim Jumper: This is the new Golden Nugget coffee shop. I stopped in for a piece of carrot cake they make each day. The piece of cake was huge and tasted good but I still think it’s overpriced. Grade B-.
Main Street Station Breakfast buffet: Another place I always eat free. Basic breakfast foods and I like the omelet station. Grade B-.
Fatburger: I ate at the one at Red Rock food court. They make good burgers here but they’re a bit on the high side. Grade A-.
Redwood Bar and Grill: The California Hotel’s steakhouse. I got the 18oz porterhouse special. It’s not on the menu and comes with potato, vegetables, salad, bread and apple dumpling for $24.00. This place has great service and good food. I will return. Grade A-.
Main Street Station Lunch buffet: Nothing great here but nothing bad either. Grade: B-.
Cal Club: I got a hotdog at this little snack bar and was surprised at the quality. Grade A.
Mirage Cravings Buffet: This is my favorite place to dine in Las Vegas. It has medium-rare prime rib and prepeeled shrimp. It also has fantastic desserts. They no longer have drink service. You must go to the fountain yourself which I prefer. I get two drinks and bring them both back to the table. There is also free wine which doesn’t interest me and free Budweiser beer products which does. Just go to the bar and ask for the free stuff. Great with the LVA 2 for 1 coupon. Grade A.
Binion’s Coffee shop: I ate breakfast there one morning. I got some special where you got two eggs, two pieces of bacon and either toast or pancakes. I ordered toast, but they brought me pancakes too. The food is ok but is overpriced. Grade C.
777 Brewpub: I got a half pound hotdog and fries and neither were very good. I have yet to have a good meal at this place. Grade C-.
Market Street Café: I ate breakfast there one morning and it was ok. The pancakes were a little tough. Grade B-.
Gambling:
My last trip was one to remember as I won nearly six thousand dollars. This trip I lost over $500.00. I played video poker at MSS, Boulder Station, Red Rock, The D and Sam’s Town. These are my core casinos. I played a lot at the D on this trip on the second floor 10/7 DB games. Of course I had to deal with cashing out 1200 quarters but the coin droppers are where the full pay games are there.
I played 10/7DB and full pay deuces for the most part. Interestingly, I lost $500.00 in one day but broke even the other days. Usually when I play the volatile games, it’s either a big win or big loss each day. On the worst day, I lost over a hundred dollars in less than twenty minutes twice. I couldn’t even get a full house or flush. When that happens in DB, you’re going to get killed. I played an hour of 50 cent 9/6 Jacks at Sam’s Town and lost $150.00. My mom likes to play these games too. She lost a couple of hundred the first day at MSS and told me she was done for the day. She got up to go back to the Nugget and I told her not to play any short-pay machines on her way back. I knew she would do it anyway. When I got back to the hotel she said she had won some at the Cal. She told me where she had played and I said those were short pay. She said she didn’t have her card in and stopped at a progressive bank and ordered a diet Pepsi. She put in ten dollars and got dealt a Royal on the third hand good for a little over $1100.00. I told her not to play that machine again because it was short play and she didn’t know the strategy. I knew this advice was futile and she wound up giving up over half of her winnings back playing that progressive the rest of the week. On the last day she switched back to full pay 10/7 DB where she has a Bob Dancer strategy card. She hit 15 four of a kinds in three hours. Four of them were Aces which pay $200.00. So she made another $1600.00 profit without benefit of hitting a Royal. I went three days without hitting a single four of a kind and was fortunate to not be down a thousand. This was because I hit more than my share of full houses, straights and flushes.
So my final tally for five days of gambling was a $532.00 loss. This followed my all time best trip where I took home nearly six thousand. This was my 33rd trip and I’m ahead in the gambling department by about two thousand.
Entertainment:
I usually go to Las Vegas to gamble. On this trip my mother wanted to see a show. We went to the discount ticket place at the Four Queens and she decided she wanted to see Jersey Boys. We went to the early show Wednesday. I haven’t seen any type of show before because I know I won’t like them. Musicals drive me nuts, but mom wanted to go so we went. I thought this would involve lots of singing but it’s more of a Frankie Valli life story. I was bored out of my mind. My mother liked it but would have liked to have more singing of entire songs, not just thirty second bits of them. I’ll stick to the headliner comedians if I decide to be entertained. Those are the only types of acts I like.
I also went to a place I’ve always wanted to go: One of those gun stores. I went to a place directly behind Circus-Circus called Battlefield Vegas. The owner and most of the employees are ex army or marines. This place is unbelievable. You can shoot weapons from WW I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam all the way up to the present. They also have a place outside of town where you can shoot machine guns and mortars. I tried calling my brother who’s an active duty soldier at Ft. Bragg, to see what I should shoot. He’s been in the 82nd Airborne, Rangers, and Pathfinders and he’s shot about every weapon on the planet in his 20 plus years in the Army. I couldn’t reach him so I picked a package where I shot an Uzi, M4, MP5 and AK-47. Twenty five shots with each gun. They have you sign a couple of waivers and then take you to the range. The guy who helped me spent five years in the Army and is working at this shop full time now. He fit me with goggles, ear protection and went over the rules with me before I went in the indoor shooting range with him. He asked what kind of target I wanted. I didn’t want to pay extra, but you can buy targets of Osama Bin Laden, Tojo and Hitler to shoot. I was tempted to buy the Bin Laden one and pretend I was shooting at one of those ISIS pricks. But this package cost me $159.00 and I didn’t want to spend any more money. We got on the range and a group was leaving at the same time. There was another group behind me but they weren’t ready so I had the entire place to myself. They do not let the doors open when someone is shooting. I started with the Israeli Uzi. My guide asked me if I wanted to shoot one at a time or go fully automatic. I said one at a time. He asked if I’d ever shot a gun before and I said yes I’d shot rifles and shotguns but not anything like this. So he shows me how to work the gun then loads it and hands it to me. I squeeze off five rounds and hit the bullseye three of the five. Then I just blast away for the next twenty. Next I shoot the M4 which is something my brother said he carried in Afghanistan last year when I got ahold of him later in the day. After that is the MP-5 which is a gun with a laser that is carried by SEALS and Delta Force members. My guide called it the "Bin Laden Killer". These are very accurate, but Jesus Christ are they LOUD. Of course the Special Forces guys have muzzle silencers on their guns. Then my guide gave me a Serbian-made AK-47. He said “This is the weapon of choice for terrorists.” This thing kicked like a mule. For my last 15 shots I put it on full automatic and blasted away like some war movie. There is no way a person can hold that with one hand like you see in the movies, but I knew that before I started. After that, on the way out, I said, “Can someone shoot that?” My guide said yes, but it costs a lot more. I think like $400.00 bucks. The gun was one of those with a revolving barrel, like the one Jesse Ventura shot in the movie “Predator”. This place was great and I’m going there again on my next trip.
Random Thoughts:
Thrifty Car Rental needs to get its act together.
Eff you to Ford and the shitty cars they make.
All the casinos I visited were busy except SLS and the Downtown Grand.
I rode the High Roller. There were all of two others on board with me.
If you want a view: (1) Stratosphere (2) Eiffel Tower (3) High Roller
High Roller is overpriced. Cut it to ten bucks and there will be more riders.
The ride is 30 minutes and you don’t get high enough to see the whole city to the west until the 15 minute mark.
SLS needs to cut prices. Same Strip ripoff.
Riviera needs remodeling badly.
Cromwell takes ripoff to an entirely new level even for a Strip hotel.
I wasn’t impressed by the Linq. A bunch of overpriced retail and dining places typical of the Strip.
The spaghetti bowl is horrible during the late afternoon.
The construction on Main Street causes major headaches during morning and afternoon rush.
Most people avoid the Golden Nugget Rush Tower valet because of street repairs. This causes huge bottlenecks at the Casino Center valet, especially in the afternoon.
I wasn’t impressed with Jersey Boys; from now on I’ll stick with gambling.
The Ling and High Roller are the latest CET flops.
I love the Mirage buffet
Eff you to the drunk who blamed me when the Royals lost ( I had on a KC Royals shirt and he had bet on them).
I-15 is still under perpetual construction
I know lots of people rave about the 777 Brewpub, but I don’t like the place.
The Cal has lots of good quality eating places that are of great value.
I wish I could string together two consecutive winning trips.
Temps were in the mid and upper 90’s each day; Could have used a cooler week.
Eff you to Strip casinos and their ripoff gaming, food and drinks.
What is it with people who always walk three, four or five across in the casinos and streets?
Why do people make cell phone calls at the bottom of escalators or when ordering food?
Southwest is a great on time airline.
The crackdown on drunks and panhandlers seems to be working on Fremont Street.
Eff you to the old man who farted on the High Roller multiple times.
I may not rent a car on my next trip. I only used it to go to the Rio, Red Rock and Boulder Station.
I highly recommend Battlefield Vegas.
Thanks for reading the report.
Next trip: Either November 2014 or March 2015.
