Sound & the Fury, Vegas-Mar. 29-Apr. 2 Part II

One funny note I forgot to mention on my Part I report.

My friend Alan and his wife were having lunch with us at the Mirage Sunday Brunch when Alan's wife asked if we could take any cookies for a snack later on. I told her and Alan that in the many years that I've been coming to Vegas buffets, you are usually not allowed to take anything. But, every single time I have asked to take something, like a banana, or an orange juice, etc.... they have said I could, no big deal. So Alan decides to stuff two cookies from the dessert bar in his front shirt pocket. We got permission from our server. I told her: "You see. No big deal!" So my wife and I decide that they want some champagne(sparkling wine!) with them for our trip to Sam's Town. Our server comes over to the table with two large styro foam coffee cups with lids filled with at least a half a bottle of champagne each. We stop over to the restroom on the way out while we wait for Alan to use the restroom. I told our group that I was going to tell Alan that we had to go back to the buffet because he took two cookies without permission and that he was going to have to talk to "Buffet Security". I let Alan know once he finally came out of the restroom that he was busted and that we had to report back to the buffet for further interrogation. Alan was freaking out thinking briefly that his medical career was over until his wife started bursting out laughing just a few steps away from the buffet cashier. Gotta have some fun once in awhile with good friends just to let them know that we really do love them!

Monday, Mar. 31.

Another breezy, cool morning as we go to Planet Hollywood to use another LVA coupon. I have been to the Spice Market Buffet a few times in the past and since it was so close to Vdara I would be stupid not to get a lunch there. We payed a total of $15.11 per couple after using our $10 off coupon. This may be the best deal for a lunch buffet in Las Vegas. Less than $8 per! We thought the food every bit as good as the Mirage Sunday Brunch for much less. I would use that coupon everyday if I lived in Vegas and had that many coupons. You can't eat cheaper than that for the types of foods you get at home.

We leave the PH parking garage and go over to Orleans to use some coupons and play craps. I had read online that Orleans has $3 min crap games but I saw only two tables open with both having $5 minimums. I use my matchplay on the pass line with a $10 bet. I decided to go for it because the point was a 6. Would have done the same if the point was an 8. Any other number the odds increase in hitting that particular point since you only get even money with this coupon. On the very next roll a 6 was hit. Wow! I won a matchplay! Unbelievable! I nearly went broke on this trip hitting match-plays. That was as good as it got as all four of us lost about $100 apiece. I told them that you don't always win at craps. Minimize your losses and go do something else. My friends had to catch an earlier flight than expected so we dropped them off at the airport and headed back to Vdara to freshen up and have a snack before walking over to Vdara for "Love" show.

THE MYTH OF THE $5 BLACKJACK TABLE AT BELLAGIO

Before heading over to Mirage for "Love" I once again sauntered through the ocean of empty Bellagio blackjack tables looking either for a three-legged ballerina or a $5 blackjack game. I did find the three-legged ballerina. Not the $5 blackjack game. Oh, there are many $10, $15, $25, $50, and $100 blackjack tables with bored dealers with arms professionally folded waiting for somebody to take a seat. I looked on Sunday and Monday morning and this afternoon. I finally asked a floor person doing some paperwork behind his pulpit if they still offered $5 blackjack games. He said that it had gone away between 6-12 months ago. Since I didn't see a $5 table this time or my last visit in September I had to take his word for it. The only reason why I think they discontinued it is they may want to protect their image as a "high end" resort and keep flotsam and jetsam like me from crowding the games and them making more money during off-peak times. I can't justify this move any other way. Guess its cheaper to maintain the facade and have 30-50 tables open with nobody playing on them. Somebody please enlighten me on this issue!

We make the walk over for the 7 p.m. showing of "Love". If you like the Beatles then I think you will really enjoy this show. The thing I took away from this Cirque du Soleil production was the surround sound used. The Beatles never sounded so good! It sounded ten times better in that theater then it does on my cheap car radio. It was like hearing this great music for the first time from a different perspective for me. Wife enjoyed the numerous acrobats that accompanied the music. Bravo!

My wife wanted to play craps so once again we walked across the street to Casino Royale. And it was $5 minimum again. Never went during the morning or afternoon to see if it had $3 minimums or not. Once again the craps table was full while the rest of the table games were largely ignored. I think the bigwigs need to install another craps table, even though they are smarter than me. My wife decided to donate $20 to the Wheel of Fortune machine while I won a whopping 25 cents on nickel VP. We walked back to our room to give it another go tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 1. Day 4

Since I had not played poker on this trip due to my chauffeur's duties I planned to play in the 1 p.m. Excalibur poker tourney. We had a snack(oh those Nutri-Bullet drinks!) Once again it is a cold and windy day in Vegas. There were only ten people who signed up for this tourney. The tourney director said that if anybody wanted a refund we could get out. Nobody got out. I finished in 4th place(the bubble boy) despite not winning a single hand. The calling station to my left decided that his K-4 was "manna from Heaven" and beat my A-8. My wife lost $25 playing those thirsty Wheel of Fortune slot machines. So we left the dungeon and headed downtown.

In a classic Clark W. Griswold moment I decided that we would eat at Pasta Pirate this Tuesday as I had never had a meal there but had good things about this joint. Had my trusty LVA book with me loaded for bear. We drove over to Main Street Station to park. The gate guard said that since February it costs $3 to park there. You can get your $3 back by collecting 50 points at either Main Street Station or California, or by having a receipt from a meal at one of those 2 properties and showing it to the cashier. No problem, since we were going to eat at the Pasta Pirate anyway. I decided to park here because it was going to be our last stop from our downtown adventures. We walk over to the California, another joint I haven't been to since the 90's. Once inside I spot the Pasta Pirate. We walked in and I said; "wow, it's dead in here". It was dead because they are closed on Tuesdays! lol I felt like such a schnook! The bar next door said that The Redwood Grille was open. Nah, that's okay. We will eat at 777 Brewpub later on this evening. No big deal. We like it there anyway.

The first LVA coupon run we make is at The D. As some of you may remember, I tried to use this coupon in July of 2012 but was denied because the floor supervisor didn't know how to use the coupon. So I hesitate to try it again but we are here... The rules of use for this coupon has changed dramatically. I'm going to give it to you here, word for word what this coupon now says:

GET OUT OF YOUR
HAND FREE!

PUSH YOUR BET ON 22

This card may be kept until needed and used
one time when playing blackjack at the D Las Vegas.

Get Out of Hand Free coupon is valid for Club D members only. Membership is free. Limit one per
person per 24-hour period. Present this voucher to your blackjack dealer when you bust with a total of
exactly 22, and your bet is a push up to a maximum of $25 retained. Offer valid for blackjack only, not
valid on Super Fun 21. Bonus is not paid on double downs, or pair splits. Coupon may only be used
with first two cards dealt. A MINIMUM BUY-IN OF $100 IS REQUIRED. Offer may be modified or canceled at
any time without notice at our discretion. Official rules available at Club D. Must be 21 years or older.
Not responsible for loss of forgotten coupons. No cash value. All rights reserved.


When I used this coupon before it was "get out of hand" with ANY two cards. Not for a perfect 22. And you now have to buy-in for $100. You can blow through a hundo pretty quickly waiting to get max value for this coupon. My wife ask if I was still going to do this. I told her "Nope, lets go do something else." I still have these two coupons if somebody wants them. The reason I got the extra is because our friends don't think they will be coming back to Vegas this year so they left their LVA book with us. Having two of these books are certainly better than one! In fact, I'm going to have my wife order one so we can do more damage the next time we visit, which will probably be the second week of the NFL season this September.

We also go back to Binion's to get our free slot play coupons and wound up winning $11 or $12. We walked across the street to The Golden Nugget and watched the first half of the NIT basketball game between Clemson and SMU. The sports book there is now in a different location and much smaller than the one they had years ago. We go over to Main Street Station and eat at 777 Brew Pub. A regular stop for us when in town. We ordered a happy hour basket of fried mushrooms and sweet potato fries. Each basket is enough to feed 2 or 3 hungry people in itself. My wife had an amber micro brew while I had a pina colada that only cost $4.50 and was as good as any I've had at bars costing 3 times more. Also had the Korean short ribs and a California roll. All very good and worth the price. After the meal my wife asked me if I wanted to play craps while we are here. She asked 4 or 5 times so I finally got the hint that she wanted to pick up those dice and roll! Instead of her coming right out and saying things that she wants she "suggests" things to me. Does anybody else have a wife that does this?

There were only two players at the craps table when we arrived. One lady threw 4 consecutive craps to get us started! lol She established a point and quickly sevened out. The guy next to her got the roll, established a point and sevened out. I got the dice, established a roll, sevened out. My wife got the dice and held them for about the next 30 minutes, making numerous points and giving us a nice win in the process before sevening out. The other people that walked up and caught a part of the hot roll applauded her for making them some quick cash. Since our adrenaline was going pretty good and also our last nite in Vegas we decided to make a coupon run to Gold Coast for some more LVA slot coupon fun. Wound up making about $9 total between us playing nickel VP. I'm sure most of you do what we do on these free slot plays, which is cashing out every time we hit something. Take the printed out vouchers to the machine and cash them in. A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. We won $389 total today and decided to call it a night and ensure a win on this trip. Not much of a win, somewhere north of $50 but south of $100. Certainly beats getting crushed, which has happened to me in the past.

Wednesday, April 2 Day 5

Our SWA flight was scheduled for 7:40 a.m. Woke up at 5 a.m., left Vdara at 5:30 so we could get to Thrifty by 6 a.m. to turn in car. It is still dark outside and the guy checking us in, got out of the car and did a quick circle of the car and printed out a receipt to be done with it. I asked him about the gas receipt I got last night within 10 miles of the airport to ensure compliance with a rule I didn't wanted to get punished for. He said; "oh yeah, let me see it". I pulled out the receipt from my wallet in the dark thinking that it was the right one. He barely glanced at the piece of paper I had and said; "Okay". I was beginning to put the receipt back in my wallet when I realized that it was a Wells Fargo bank printout for the money I took out for our initial foray to Vegas! He could have cared less about a rule "Mr. Slick" was telling me at the counter 5 days previously! lol Whatever

On the flight back home we had a stopover in San Antonio where the same situation happened coming out to Vegas. We were told to stay in ours seats for the count before we could change seats or use the restroom. The told us the we could get up so I went to the restroom but was told passengers are now boarding so I had to go back to me seat! looololoololo. Okay, I will hold it for the 45 minute flight back to Dallas! So that ended our journey to Vegas!

A FEW OBSERVATIONS

1. This has to be a ticklish situation concerning the homeless and other types of folks that permeate the bridges and the Fremont Street area of this town. My wife asked me why I don't give any of these people money. I explained to her if I give it to one then I need to give something to them all. Well, how about those who perform, or do some sort of act to get money. I really and truly do sympathize with their situations but if I give them money then it will encourage them to hang around more often and not get the help they will eventually need. There are social services and for some, job openings that would put them in a better situation long term. Not any easy answer when it comes to the rights of those being questioned, or for those who want them off the streets.

2. The Vegas Strip, especially on the weekends looks like one giant Halloween party where it seems lots of people are living their alter-egos. I saw two women dressed in police outfits wearing glitter on their faces with heels on!. And the peddlers in their Sponge Bob suits, or Batman outfits seems to stretch on for an eternity. Only in Vegas!

3. Why do parents have their little kids with them on Fremont Street or The Strip at 2 a.m.? This town is really pounding the adult theme and it would seem to us that it could be unsafe to have toddlers out with all sorts of drunken unknown strangers doing whatever it is they do during the wee hours. We saw this constantly. Shame on them!

4. The bean counters are killing games that made Las Vegas a World wide destination for decades. You didn't need a blackjack newsletter to tell you where all the good games were. They had them everywhere! You may now get info saying that this little dumpy casino that has a gas station and only one table outside of Vegas is the go to place to count cards! This 6 to 5 blackjack garbage seems to have backfired on these greedy pigs wearing $2000 suits. Instead of breaking the typical player in 8 hours they want to manipulate the numbers to do it in 4. Vegas seems to be a town that tries to mimic any idea that can make more profits. They don't realize that they are killing their own product by being so greedy! That is why I don't enjoy coming to Vegas like I used to. I'm sure they said Vegas was better in the 60's and 70's before I arrived in the mid 80's and I believe them!

5. It is better to have a partner to get two LVA coupon books than it is one. The way we have it figured is that having two books easily covers the cost of getting a rental car! The rental car also allow those to go to locals casinos and get better odds, looser machines, friendler people, cheaper eats....etc... It also allows you to go to places you may not have seen or haven't been to in a long time. I never had been to the Orleans but I'm sure glad I did! It's nice to find banks of nickel slot machines, instead of a few hiding in a dark, spider webbed, cold smelly part of the Strip casinos. They actually appreciate your presence and will bring drinks that you ordered at regular intervals.! Your not treated like a cast extra on the set of "The Planet of the Apes" movie! We just felt more comfortable playing in casinos that wanted our business even though we don't look like the typical hipster that just left The Cosmopolitan and the rest of that douchery. You can hit different casinos for different reasons. If you want good and inexpensive food you can get off the Strip. If you want to cozy up in a nice sportsbook like Caesar's, you can take the parking garage on go there. Looser slots? Try a few locals casinos.

6. Las Vegas has some of the best restaurants in the world. It can be truly heaven trying great food on the cheap. The Flame at the El Cortez really stood out to us. You can eat really well with out spending your weekly paycheck. We have many more coupon values to try the next time we come back to Vegas. We want to try an Italian eatery called; "Off the Strip". That will be on my hit list the next time we come back.

Thanks for listening to this rant. If you have any questions, post them and I will try to defend positions that I have laid out. Thanks again for all of those who have posted information about Las Vegas and other gambling destinations. You do this board such great service!

Thanks for posting the conclusion to your report!

As for Craps, I don't know if there is much of any Cheap Craps around the Strip unless maybe it's at a place like Casino Royale or maybe Circus-Circus. Otherwise, I think that El Cortez has lower minimum Craps and if you really want low minimum Craps, you should go out to Joker's Wild Casino in Henderson where they have at least some of the time $1 Minimum Craps. I think that you may be able to use 25 Cent Chips and for example place $1.50 on the 6 and/or 8 instead of the more usual $6 on it. And maybe Ellis Island has some Cheaper Craps at least some of the time (I seem to remember seeing something about this a while ago -- I think some kind of "Happy Hour" special on Craps and maybe some of the other games as well).

Check out their website for more details. They are actually part of the Boyd Group.

As for why Bellagio doesn't have any more $5 Blackjack, I think that it's possible that the cost of having employees for that is more than what they'd get out of having $5 Minimum bets allowed.

As for "Love," I'm sure that part of it is the soundtrack for the show because I know that I saw a documentary (that is called "All You Need Is Love" which is available on DVD) that had George Martin and his son working on tweeking the songs for the show. So some of it is the Surroundsound, but some of it I think is what they did to the songs.

And there was (it was made in 2012) a new movie with Cirque called "Cirque Du Soleil: World's Away" so keep your eyes open for it on Cable. This included several of their LV shows with some decent "Love" stuff in it. It has aired on EPIX Movies Channel.

Thanks for the MSS parking cost change information!

As for the "Push On A 22" coupon at the D, I don't understand the rule saying that it's good for the first two cards dealt only. It doesn't make sense to me since you won't get 22 in your first two dealt cards, and if it means the first two dealt cards after your original first two cards, what does this mean if you end up getting several low cards and then hit but go beyond four cards total and then bust with exactly a 22 (such as getting 4-2-4-6 and then another 6 and end up with a 22)?

As for coupon books, I definitely agree that the more damage that you can do with them, the better off you'll be!

As for grinding and ending up with a small amount of profit for the trip, my attitude is that this is good since it is much better than having a loss for the trip!

As for your observations, as for what to do about the Homeless in Downtown LV if you want to give something for them, there are actually a couple of "Parking Meters" (painted Pink if I remember correctly) where change that you put into them will actually go for legitimate services for the Homeless. The two machines that I know about are at Fremont Street and Main (in front of Golden Gate Casino on the Main Street side) and at Las Vegas Blvd. and Fremont Street (across the street on Las Vegas Blvd. from the Heart Attack Grill).

As for your Number two observation, for me and all of the characters out there, I'm still thinking that I am better off being in Downtown since the Strip doesn't have much to offer me playing wise anyway! And with Number 3, I'm also in full agreement with that. That whole situation, is not good for kids to be around;

As for observation number four, I agree that the bean counters have ruined things with their attitudes, but I do also know that Las Vegas has supposedly (if my recollection is correct) gone more away from gambling and more towards the nightlife kinds of stuff.

As for what I'd consider to be a decent enough Blackjack game (at least for a non-Card Counter), I'd say that the casino advantage should not be any more than 0.42%. With any amount higher than that, it can make it a lot harder to end up winning -- unless maybe this was connected to decent enough comps.

And finally, I'd definitely say that using good coupons and playing at least more (if not completely) away from the Strip -- although there might be one or two exceptions which might end up making it easier for the Player to end up winning.

RecVPPlayer

Thanks so much for posting your trip report Horace. I really enjoyed reading it. We are 5 weeks and counting. Love the Flame too, a regular visit for us. This time we plan on trying the Pasta Pirate. We have eaten at the Redwood Grille and that was very good as well. They offer a steak dinner that is not on the menu reasonably priced. You have to ask for it. Orleans is our home Casino and agree with you on that topic. Been staying there for at least the past 10 years. Our first trip out to Vegas was on our 10th anniversary in 1987, so we have seen and been to so many different places in Vegas as we always rent a car. We joke with the kids that we know Vegas streets and highways better than Milwaukee back home. Sounds like you all had a great time and was nice to hear you didn't get crushed in losses. I will try to post a first time trip report on our return as I too look forward to reading everyone else's trip reports. I have learned a lot from them over the years. Thanks again.

Thank you for taking the time to post. I appreciate it We head to Vegas in a couple of weeks, and we stay at only locals casinos where our money lasts longer and we are treated like we are special!

So glad you came home with some cash, that's always a good thing.

"It was like hearing this great music for the first time from a different perspective for me."

I felt the exact same way.
Probably why I have seen LOVE 5 times.
Enjoyed the report!

Very entertaining report! Alan buying a bottle, taking a swig and then offering it to the panhandler...priceless. Alan has to be one real fun guy to be with, especially in Vegas (not going for the 'fungi' pun here).

I have to share our Mon Ami Gabi experience after reading yours: We love Mon Ami for breakfast, always a good experience, food and service, do it every trip. So we thought we would try Mon Ami for the dinner hour. Bad thought.
-The place (inside) was so noisy we had to shout to hear each other speaking, no chance for pleasant conversation, or any conversation for that matter.
-The place was so dark we could barely read the menu.
-The waiter (I won't dignify him with 'server') couldn't have been more snobby (he even spoke with a snobby accent, Francoise I suppose).
-When I asked Snobby if they had a good Riesling, he responded as if green slime had begun shooting out of my eyeballs. The NERVE, asking for a GERMAN wine at a Parisian joint! I hadn't really thought about that. I had learned to like good Riesling when served an outstanding one at Jasmine (Bellagio), which if memory serves is pretty much an Asian place. Anyway, Snobby offered to allow me to sample a wine of his recommendation. I sampled, made a face and said no thanks, I can buy better vinegar pretty much anywhere for less. Things didn't improve. I wish we had done that move you see in movies, where the suave guy gets up throws a few bucks on the table and walks out (for various reasons, but would have been appropriate in this situsion). But we stuck it out for pretty much mediocre food. at a high price. That's on us.

As for the short SWA stoppovers, no kidding! We recently experienced the same phenomenon during a San Antonio stoppover. I had spied the seats I wanted to move us to (front of the plane), and once permitted I made a mad dash dragging husband behind, barely scoring the coveted seats before the onboarders started streaming in. We are now forewarned, which they say is forearmed: stoppovers are more like popovers. What doesn't make sense to me is how long it seems when WE are waiting at the gate to board.

Anyway, enjoyed your report a lot.

Thanks to all for the responses. Didn't realize how long it would take this time to compose this trip report. Just wanted to be a little more thorough than I have been in the past. I'm using the example for more detailed trip reports because of those posting reports here are generous enough with their time to perhaps give valuable tips and advice to those who appreciate it.

Thanks RecVPPlayer for the responses and advice you gave me concerning my trip report.! Much appreciated!

1. Yes, THE D voucher is very confusing as you stated. I didn't bother trying to figure it out because it sounds like they can bend or change the rules concerning this voucher and I didn't want to have to pay for lessons to find out! If I would have experienced a more positive experience from them in the past, then I may have tried it. As far as I'm concerned, if you buy in for the $100, you really want to try to max out this proposition for the full $25 even though it will only be a total of 4 bets at $25 per. That's a very short stack when making those types of bets. If you do the $5 minimum bet, it doesn't justify to me waiting in line for 20 or so minutes to get the said voucher from the D Club. Like I mentioned to all readers, I still have these vouchers if anybody wants them.

2. As far as Binion's goes, I knew that it was sold off some time ago. But when the kids were fighting over that property and others, it was taking a quick slide to the bottom. Benny would have been ashamed of their behavior towards one another if he were still alive.

3. Also appreciate the info you gave on the "Love" as far as future program specials are concerned. I will be looking to dvr these programs.!

4. We really do agree with Blonde4ever's assessment of "Love". Glad I'm not the only that felt the same way!

5. Corporate greed has made The Strip more of a young, hipster, poser type place to see and be seen. I can understand why the bean counters attitudes toward poor games would be prevalent. It almost forces me to take my business off The Strip entirely except for several good shows, sportsbooks and dining options that still can be had. This will force us to get a rental car every time but with the LVA coupon books it will be more than worth it. The Strip to me now has that international flair and most of these casinos are not trying to cater to Americans anymore. It seems the Asian market,(others to a lesser extent) is where the REAL money is so we are pushed down to the bottom.

6. Wish I would have tried Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast as you have done O2bnVegas! It was noisy and crowded for us too. But what got me was the attitude of our server. The last time we were in Mon Ami Gabi, our server, Scott, enjoyed the wines we were opening(one being a 1989 Haut Brion!) so we let this young man have a taste, and for his manager too. The manager told him to waive our corking fees saving us $60 for doing so. So they can do anything they want! Anyway, this server said he didn't care to try anything and that his manager had already put the corking fees on our bill! lol. He hadn't even got served bread yet! I didn't realize it was against the rules for the %18 tip to be automatically be added to the bill. We usually give %20 for good service, and more for great service. He acted just like they do the many times I have been to Paris, France. At least the doucher got that part of the theme down. Not realizing he would get much more if hadn't been born a douchewad! lol I believe Mon Ami Gabi has only French wine on their menu. If you go to restaurants in France almost every single one sells only French wines! Even the wine stores sell almost nothing else!

7. Yes, Alan is a truckload of fun and knows how to have a good time.! I have more stories about my good buddy, and certainly will be more of them in the future! lol

8. The Flame restaurant had only a $10 corking fee and one of them was waived. I remember when this town had nobody charging corkage on wines. Times have changed. No fun in me turning into a curmudgeon.!

9. I could forgive SWA once on not being able to move around after waiting for more passengers to get on the plane, but when it happens again? Would rather fly SWA over American.

10. That is probably true RecVPPlayer concerning why Bellagio doesn't have $5 minimum blackjack games anymore concerning the cost of having dealers to man the games. But, shouldn't the Bellagio be able to afford to man ONE table during off-peak hours? Wouldn't it be a better proposition to have ONE table over a veritable ocean of empty tables staffed by bored dealers with their arms folded? If I was the "King of the Bellagio" for a week I would make damned sure that there was at least one of those $10 minimum signs switched over to $5 minimum. A little of something is better than a whole lot of nothing! It has to cost more to have a dealer at the table with no players for hours! lololol

Thanks again for reading and the responses!

Fred

You're very welcome, Fred! I'm happy to help and give you at least my take (and Two Cents) on it. Thank you for your reporting! For me, the more detailed it is, the better and you never know if you might find some kind of gem in someone's report (besides the fact that I love reading about adventures in LV).

Here are my comments on your comments:

As for Number 1, when I last used that coupon last year, I was mostly betting between $5 and $20 until I hit it. I had to put it on the table at the very beginning to make sure that the Dealer and the Pit knew that I would be using the coupon as soon as I ended up with exactly a 22. It did save me some money and I seem to remember making a little money on it;

As for Number 2, I figured that but you never know what someone may or may not know. But I very heartily agree that Benny Binion's kids helped run that place into the ground. They used to have some nice Video Poker (more recently) and long ago used to have some decent Blackjack;

With number 3, you're very welcome and please now check back to my previous responses since I have now updated the information as to the names of the Cirque movie ("Cirque Du Soleil: World's Away" -- which might be available for sale) as well as the documentary about the making of "Love" (which is now available on DVD) which is called "All Together Now."

Actually also, I remember PBS running some Cirque show that also showcased their different shows but I don't remember that name.

As for the Soundtrack to "Love" by The Beatles, it actually is available on CD at Amazon.com for all kinds of prices (as low as I think 32 Cents [for Used] or $4.04 for New up to higher amounts {such as more than $15 upward});

With number 4, maybe one day I'll go see "Love" -- I just haven't had enough interest although I do like The Beatles;

As for number 5, I definitely see the Strip properties shifting their focus more to entertainment and shows and less to decent gaming. I'm pretty sure that they figure that at least most people either don't know or don't care whether there is good gaming or not and the casinos may very well think that they might as well soak the people (which I don't think is a great idea). I think that people want to (even if they don't care if they win or lose) be able to play for a longer amount of time. And so I've basically given up on going to the Strip at all (at least for any meaningful kind of play and I'd only be there at all for some kind of decent enough promotion).

I'm there to play and to do what I can to either win or not lose much;

And as for number 10, I agree that it would be a good idea for them to have at least one $5 table with decent enough rules, but I don't think that they want to go that route.

And check above in my previous response because I have now remembered to list the Downtown LV locations of the two Pink Parking Meters for donations for the Homeless which are on Fremont Street.

RecVPPlayer

I've pretty much have done everything you did on this last trip (except the wine...have never been a wine drinker) and I concur with everything you've mentioned. The Flame is one of the best fine dining deals to be had anywhere in the city. Consider trying their babyback ribs--the best I've ever had.

I've written a lot about the costumed panhandlers and your assessment is right on. I'll never give them or the other bums a nickel...we call it enabling. They get to stand there taking advantage of the "Free Speech" laws. If I had a billion, I'd hire musclemen to stand next them with a sign reading, "Don't give this person any money" using their "Free Speech" rights. But that's another story.

LOVE is a great show and I'm anxious to see Michael Jackson's show next.

Why some motivated, news hungry, lawyer hasn't filed a class action on these hotels with their hidden Resort Fees under the Truth in Advertising laws completely fails me. When a billboard boasts "Rooms for $42" with no mention of a required resort fee that's mentioned anywhere on that billboard, that's deceptive advertising. C'mon lawyers...go get 'em!

Terrific report...thanks for taking the time and effort to share with us.

Thanks for the comprehensive and entertaining TR. We tried eating at Pasta Pirate last summer, too, only to be told at 5:00 the next available reservation wasn't until 9:00!

Good call on the coupon books. My husband and I each order are own MRB and ACG to maximize couponomy!