Summer 2012 – Day 11
Moving day today (I’ll be using that phrase a lot this summer) and got all the packing finished before going down to breakfast. We used the two buffet coupons for the Sunday Brunch (I’m still trying to figure out just what the difference is between a “brunch” and the usual daily breakfast. The food choices are the same—perhaps just an excuse to raise the prices?). We both had omelets and agreed that Weight Watchers will need to be initiated as soon as possible. The Harrahs buffet is a good one though I don’t see the point of putting out all the pizzas and Asian cuisine and roast beef and steamed vegetables at 9 AM. The breakfast choices are many and good. (3 forks)
My stay here was actually until Monday, but because of the days of the poker tournament (Tuesday and Wednesday) back at Laughlin, I booked the Silverton in Vegas for the two days (two day booking is required when using comps), I checked out of Harrahs a day early. We met Danielle and Robert in the parking lot of the outlet center. They’re going to take her with them back to San Diego. At our recommendation, the two had dinner last night in the Prime Rib room at the Riverside and enjoyed the Prime Rib. She remarked it was a wonderful birthday and thanked everyone. We said our goodbyes, and I headed on to Las Vegas.
My drive on the long, straight 95 through Searchlight was interrupted with a couple of short rain bursts. One of the readers suggested that I take State 164 out of Searchlight to Interstate 15 for a change of scenery, and I had planned on doing just that; however, on last night’s newscast, they had a report and video that the 164 was washed out from thunderstorms yesterday. I suppose I was lucky I just happened to catch that story. I will take that route someday after the thunderstorm season passes. I promised to stop along the route to take a picture of the solar plant I talked about in TR Day 4, so I pulled over on the road that goes there. Unfortunately, the road goes down into a valley where the solar farms are and there was no way to get a picture that was high enough to see all of the different areas. So, I parked at the highest point I could, and tried to capture all six areas. Two of them are built (the mirror squares you see in the picture), and the three or four black areas are where construction is going on making the next groups of panels. I’d be very interested in learning more about this area. How much it costs, how much electricity it is producing, and so forth. I did a preliminary Internet search and couldn’t find anything.
Sorry for distance of the picture, but it was the best available
I hadn’t sent in my trip report from yesterday and the plan was to stop at the Starbucks in Henderson once again to send it in. I had also mentioned a bread store that I had bought a sandwich on my trip to Laughlin and that I’d take of picture of it this time around. It’s called the Great Harvest Bread Co. Interestingly, they were closed this afternoon with a sign on the door that simply said, Sold Out of Bread Today.
Just a small place in a strip mall, but fantastic bread and sandwiches
I drove on to the Silverton. It was already 2:00 PM (the days just seem to speed by) and check in went without a problem. I was given a room on the third floor with a wonderful view of a wall (they can’t all be good). The room is fairly basic, but they do a great job of making such a small space seem opulent. The bed has a wonderful pillow comforter and is one of the better beds I’ll have during this trip. I imagine these comforters being white poses all sorts of problems for the cleaning staff. As I’ve reported earlier, the one thing that you have to deal with in the “regular” rooms at the Silverton are the miniscule bathrooms. The Silverton was originally built in the 70s and was then called Boomtown. Bathrooms during that time were all but an afterthought, and even though they did a wonderful job remodeling the rooms, there really isn’t much that can be down with the size of the bathroom. A couple LVA members have been very nice and showing me their suites here, and they resemble nothing like the regular rooms. Overall, I’m very happy with the room. (3 sheets)
My room at the Silverton
Some changes have taken place since I stayed here last. Gone are the loaded, overpriced snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. They’ve taken those out and now it’s just an empty refrigerator that you’re welcome to use. Funny thing is you still have to have a key (given to you at check-in) to open it. I suppose they finally figured out the profits were simply not worth the hassle. Also, they no longer require you to pay for Internet service. They’ve set up a wireless network called Silverton Free Wi-Fi. I imagine that considering this hotel is one that charges a “resort fee” that too many customers complained they still had to also pay for Wi-Fi. This works out great for me. As a comped guess, I don’t have to pay for the room or the resort fee. Also, they’ve finally added a gift shop. For years, if you needed any toiletries or a newspaper, you had to go to the front desk. Like most gift shops, this one has exaggerated prices, but at least it’s there if you really need something.
After unpacking I took a stroll through the casino. I’ve stayed here many times over the years and I’m always impressed that this “locals” place continues to stay looking new and fresh. They keep up with all the latest machines, keeps the floor looking modern and new and it’s very easy to navigate. I still find the Mermaid Bar one of the nicest anywhere in Vegas. It sits next to the large aquarium. The place isn’t very busy right now (Sunday afternoon), but I’ve seen some weekends here when it’s packed.
Not very busy, but the Silverton Casino floor is a nice one.
The Mermaid Lounge. Those are live jelly fish above the bar
I began my play at the Quick Quads/Four-of-a-Kind Wheel. This is the only place I’ve seen this particular game. You do have to spend an extra five credits for the Quick Quads and another five credits for the four-of-a-Kind wheel, but if you’re lucky, you can make some nice payoffs. I only caught one quick quad and my hundred was getting eaten up very fast, so I cashed out went after the nickel Ugly Deuces Spin Poker machine, where I’ve had some good hits in the past. This time, I was getting clobbered again. I was quickly down almost $200. I had quit Spin Poker with about $33 left on the ticket and put it in a Lady Bug machine. That went on a nice little run—though like all Williams Corp machines, the bonuses were all scarce—and hit a few nice hands. Then I switched over to some machine (I’ve forgotten the name) and on a 40-cent bet, hit five something-or-others for $108.00. I eventually cashed out for $200 (I never did hit a bonus) and was happy to get out of there with my money back.
With only five hours of sleep last night after the concert, I knew I needed to get some rest tonight, so I picked up a patty melt from the Jonny Rocket’s outlet here in the casino (good but overpriced food) and went back to the room for a little TV and some much needed sleep.
More tomorrow.
Moving day today (I’ll be using that phrase a lot this summer) and got all the packing finished before going down to breakfast. We used the two buffet coupons for the Sunday Brunch (I’m still trying to figure out just what the difference is between a “brunch” and the usual daily breakfast. The food choices are the same—perhaps just an excuse to raise the prices?). We both had omelets and agreed that Weight Watchers will need to be initiated as soon as possible. The Harrahs buffet is a good one though I don’t see the point of putting out all the pizzas and Asian cuisine and roast beef and steamed vegetables at 9 AM. The breakfast choices are many and good. (3 forks)
My stay here was actually until Monday, but because of the days of the poker tournament (Tuesday and Wednesday) back at Laughlin, I booked the Silverton in Vegas for the two days (two day booking is required when using comps), I checked out of Harrahs a day early. We met Danielle and Robert in the parking lot of the outlet center. They’re going to take her with them back to San Diego. At our recommendation, the two had dinner last night in the Prime Rib room at the Riverside and enjoyed the Prime Rib. She remarked it was a wonderful birthday and thanked everyone. We said our goodbyes, and I headed on to Las Vegas.
My drive on the long, straight 95 through Searchlight was interrupted with a couple of short rain bursts. One of the readers suggested that I take State 164 out of Searchlight to Interstate 15 for a change of scenery, and I had planned on doing just that; however, on last night’s newscast, they had a report and video that the 164 was washed out from thunderstorms yesterday. I suppose I was lucky I just happened to catch that story. I will take that route someday after the thunderstorm season passes. I promised to stop along the route to take a picture of the solar plant I talked about in TR Day 4, so I pulled over on the road that goes there. Unfortunately, the road goes down into a valley where the solar farms are and there was no way to get a picture that was high enough to see all of the different areas. So, I parked at the highest point I could, and tried to capture all six areas. Two of them are built (the mirror squares you see in the picture), and the three or four black areas are where construction is going on making the next groups of panels. I’d be very interested in learning more about this area. How much it costs, how much electricity it is producing, and so forth. I did a preliminary Internet search and couldn’t find anything.
Sorry for distance of the picture, but it was the best available
I hadn’t sent in my trip report from yesterday and the plan was to stop at the Starbucks in Henderson once again to send it in. I had also mentioned a bread store that I had bought a sandwich on my trip to Laughlin and that I’d take of picture of it this time around. It’s called the Great Harvest Bread Co. Interestingly, they were closed this afternoon with a sign on the door that simply said, Sold Out of Bread Today.
Just a small place in a strip mall, but fantastic bread and sandwiches
I drove on to the Silverton. It was already 2:00 PM (the days just seem to speed by) and check in went without a problem. I was given a room on the third floor with a wonderful view of a wall (they can’t all be good). The room is fairly basic, but they do a great job of making such a small space seem opulent. The bed has a wonderful pillow comforter and is one of the better beds I’ll have during this trip. I imagine these comforters being white poses all sorts of problems for the cleaning staff. As I’ve reported earlier, the one thing that you have to deal with in the “regular” rooms at the Silverton are the miniscule bathrooms. The Silverton was originally built in the 70s and was then called Boomtown. Bathrooms during that time were all but an afterthought, and even though they did a wonderful job remodeling the rooms, there really isn’t much that can be down with the size of the bathroom. A couple LVA members have been very nice and showing me their suites here, and they resemble nothing like the regular rooms. Overall, I’m very happy with the room. (3 sheets)
My room at the Silverton
Some changes have taken place since I stayed here last. Gone are the loaded, overpriced snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. They’ve taken those out and now it’s just an empty refrigerator that you’re welcome to use. Funny thing is you still have to have a key (given to you at check-in) to open it. I suppose they finally figured out the profits were simply not worth the hassle. Also, they no longer require you to pay for Internet service. They’ve set up a wireless network called Silverton Free Wi-Fi. I imagine that considering this hotel is one that charges a “resort fee” that too many customers complained they still had to also pay for Wi-Fi. This works out great for me. As a comped guess, I don’t have to pay for the room or the resort fee. Also, they’ve finally added a gift shop. For years, if you needed any toiletries or a newspaper, you had to go to the front desk. Like most gift shops, this one has exaggerated prices, but at least it’s there if you really need something.
After unpacking I took a stroll through the casino. I’ve stayed here many times over the years and I’m always impressed that this “locals” place continues to stay looking new and fresh. They keep up with all the latest machines, keeps the floor looking modern and new and it’s very easy to navigate. I still find the Mermaid Bar one of the nicest anywhere in Vegas. It sits next to the large aquarium. The place isn’t very busy right now (Sunday afternoon), but I’ve seen some weekends here when it’s packed.
Not very busy, but the Silverton Casino floor is a nice one.
The Mermaid Lounge. Those are live jelly fish above the bar
I began my play at the Quick Quads/Four-of-a-Kind Wheel. This is the only place I’ve seen this particular game. You do have to spend an extra five credits for the Quick Quads and another five credits for the four-of-a-Kind wheel, but if you’re lucky, you can make some nice payoffs. I only caught one quick quad and my hundred was getting eaten up very fast, so I cashed out went after the nickel Ugly Deuces Spin Poker machine, where I’ve had some good hits in the past. This time, I was getting clobbered again. I was quickly down almost $200. I had quit Spin Poker with about $33 left on the ticket and put it in a Lady Bug machine. That went on a nice little run—though like all Williams Corp machines, the bonuses were all scarce—and hit a few nice hands. Then I switched over to some machine (I’ve forgotten the name) and on a 40-cent bet, hit five something-or-others for $108.00. I eventually cashed out for $200 (I never did hit a bonus) and was happy to get out of there with my money back.
With only five hours of sleep last night after the concert, I knew I needed to get some rest tonight, so I picked up a patty melt from the Jonny Rocket’s outlet here in the casino (good but overpriced food) and went back to the room for a little TV and some much needed sleep.
More tomorrow.
