Summer 2012 – Day 9
As I haven’t written a report since last Sunday, I’ll just say that the drive back to Pine Valley went well. Being home for the four days was a good opportunity for me to get new tires on the car and make my dental appointment as well as take care of a few chores. The drive back to Laughlin was anything but routine. It was nice not to have to drive alone this time, as I brought along a friend that I’ve known since high school, Cindy. This morning, the entire southern Nevada and California region is plagued by thunderstorms—not really unusual for this time of year. It rained pretty steadily the entire route from San Bernadino to Laughlin. When we were on the I-40 (that dreadful 130 miles of nothing but a straight line), I encountered quite a few thunderstorms making the Interstate almost like a small lake. At this point, I was very happy to have the new tires.
My room comp this trip was not for a tournament but for a concert offer of two tickets to see Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis and the News. I had taken advantage of concerts here in Laughlin having seen Bill Cosby and a year or so later Chech and Chong. Though I’m really not much of a concert enthusiast, I do like Huey Lewis and am curious to see if Joe Cocker can still wail it (isn’t he like 110?). We arrived in Laughlin at 9:00 AM, and as is my usual being too early to check in, it was to the Riverside theaters to watch a movie. I told Cindy to pick any movie she wanted and, of course, picked MAGIC MIKE. There’s nothing like watching six to ten extremely buffed oiled up dudes gyrating and thrusting their pelvises at 9 AM to get the day going. I thought the movie was a little better than I anticipated—Cindy loved it. (me 2 claps; Cindy 4 claps and two thumbs up)
We went down to the casino and I gave her a fast lesson on how Quick Quads work. She’s not a gambler and was soon on the phone talking to her daughter, Danielle, and her boyfriend (Robert) who were on their way here as well. As a birthday present for her daughter who, like Cindy, has never been to Laughlin, we got her and Robert a room at the Aquarius for two nights. This works out well as I will be moving on to Las Vegas on Sunday, and they can take Cindy back to San Diego with them. I managed to cash out even on Quick Quads and showed her the rest of the casino, stopping into the Watchman and the Sunglass shop along the way. It was 12:30 by now and we still hadn’t had anything eat other than the Kid’s pack of popcorn at the movie. We stopped in at the In-and-Out Burger for lunch. Now a lot of people LOVE these burgers, and I like them as well, but I’m not so sure they’re the BEST burgers. The place was jammed, but the system they have here is fast and efficient considering every order is made fresh.
We next drove over to the Aquarius to check in. This was once the old Flamingo Hotel, however, since the new owner took over, they completely remodeled both the casino and the rooms. This place is what you’d expect of a good hotel and casino in Vegas. The rooms have been remodeled much like the ones at the M and the casino has all the latest machines and is kept clean and fresh. I think this is the best place (by far) to stay in Laughlin. I registered the room and went for a panoramic upgrade for only $20 more that turned out to be a smart move as the room was very nice with a terrific view. The kids will be pleased.
View from the room at the Aquarius
We then drove up to Harrahs where check-in went well and were placed in the Central Tower, this time on the 12th floor. The room is standard Harrahs. At least this time, I have a river view instead of a roof or a view of the parking lot. I proceeded to give a tour of the casino to Cindy ending up in the Diamond Lounge. We enjoyed drinks while sitting on the patio. One of the pluses of it being stormy is that though it’s still a toasty 90+ degrees, it’s not stifling.
Harrahs room
View from the room. Looks like the pier got a new awning...purdy.
On the Diamond Lounge patio...irony at it's best
I played some and lost—the first nine days of the trip have not gone well gambling-wise, and I’m in need of good session or two to bring me back to even. Lately, Harrahs Laughlin has actually been updating some machines, something they have not been keen on doing as most of their clientele aren’t very responsive to change. Many of their newer games are by Williams Corp, which believes that bonuses are to be fought for and to get one you have to play a long time. Some of these new titles are Kronos, Little Red Riding Hood, Vampires, Spartacus, and the like. All are fun games, but are too stingy on bonuses. However, when you do catch one, they can be very good. So, the school is still out for me on this new generation of machines. Harrahs Laughlin is well known for their tight machines, so I shouldn’t judge based on what I play here.
The kids pool at Harrahs is never in need of kids
Cindy, enjoying her first time in Laughlin
I got a call from my dad saying that he and Mom arrived safely and are checked in at the Riverside. I told them we’d see them tomorrow at 5:00 in the Prime Rib room for dinner. It was time to head back to the Aquarius to meet Danielle and Robert who should arrive around 8 PM. While waiting, I played a Caesars’ Hot Spin machine and won $15. When the kids arrived, we took them up to their room and they were stoked. We then headed down to the buffet for dinner. Something to remember when going to any restaurant is to inquire as to the price before going in. This little lesson was forgotten as when we told the cashier there’d be four for dinner, the tab came to $115! Fortunately, Cindy had signed up for a slot card and was given a 25% off coupon good for up to four people. However, $85 for a buffet in Laughlin is pretty steep. Granted, it was seafood night and included many excellent seafood choices: crab (chilled or heated up for you), oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, large shrimp, sea bass, scallops with artichoke hearts, and many other good seafood dishes. Also, there’s a bar that has wines, beers, and margaritas. Aside from the seafood dishes, there was also prime rib and roast beef along with the usual choices of vegetables, potatoes, and rice. I thought the salad station was pretty basic with only one choice of lettuce and few pasta salads. Another area I thought they were weak was the dessert station. It was a usual array of pies and cakes, but nothing there that was out of the ordinary. Okay, now that I’ve listed through all the items, I suppose it wasn’t that much after all—but still, whatever happened to the prices from the very first buffet at the old El Rancho? All you can eat 24 hours a day for $1!
El Rancho Hotel back in the day with their $1 buffet..burned down to the ground years later.
More tomorrow.
As I haven’t written a report since last Sunday, I’ll just say that the drive back to Pine Valley went well. Being home for the four days was a good opportunity for me to get new tires on the car and make my dental appointment as well as take care of a few chores. The drive back to Laughlin was anything but routine. It was nice not to have to drive alone this time, as I brought along a friend that I’ve known since high school, Cindy. This morning, the entire southern Nevada and California region is plagued by thunderstorms—not really unusual for this time of year. It rained pretty steadily the entire route from San Bernadino to Laughlin. When we were on the I-40 (that dreadful 130 miles of nothing but a straight line), I encountered quite a few thunderstorms making the Interstate almost like a small lake. At this point, I was very happy to have the new tires.
My room comp this trip was not for a tournament but for a concert offer of two tickets to see Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis and the News. I had taken advantage of concerts here in Laughlin having seen Bill Cosby and a year or so later Chech and Chong. Though I’m really not much of a concert enthusiast, I do like Huey Lewis and am curious to see if Joe Cocker can still wail it (isn’t he like 110?). We arrived in Laughlin at 9:00 AM, and as is my usual being too early to check in, it was to the Riverside theaters to watch a movie. I told Cindy to pick any movie she wanted and, of course, picked MAGIC MIKE. There’s nothing like watching six to ten extremely buffed oiled up dudes gyrating and thrusting their pelvises at 9 AM to get the day going. I thought the movie was a little better than I anticipated—Cindy loved it. (me 2 claps; Cindy 4 claps and two thumbs up)
We went down to the casino and I gave her a fast lesson on how Quick Quads work. She’s not a gambler and was soon on the phone talking to her daughter, Danielle, and her boyfriend (Robert) who were on their way here as well. As a birthday present for her daughter who, like Cindy, has never been to Laughlin, we got her and Robert a room at the Aquarius for two nights. This works out well as I will be moving on to Las Vegas on Sunday, and they can take Cindy back to San Diego with them. I managed to cash out even on Quick Quads and showed her the rest of the casino, stopping into the Watchman and the Sunglass shop along the way. It was 12:30 by now and we still hadn’t had anything eat other than the Kid’s pack of popcorn at the movie. We stopped in at the In-and-Out Burger for lunch. Now a lot of people LOVE these burgers, and I like them as well, but I’m not so sure they’re the BEST burgers. The place was jammed, but the system they have here is fast and efficient considering every order is made fresh.
We next drove over to the Aquarius to check in. This was once the old Flamingo Hotel, however, since the new owner took over, they completely remodeled both the casino and the rooms. This place is what you’d expect of a good hotel and casino in Vegas. The rooms have been remodeled much like the ones at the M and the casino has all the latest machines and is kept clean and fresh. I think this is the best place (by far) to stay in Laughlin. I registered the room and went for a panoramic upgrade for only $20 more that turned out to be a smart move as the room was very nice with a terrific view. The kids will be pleased.
View from the room at the Aquarius
We then drove up to Harrahs where check-in went well and were placed in the Central Tower, this time on the 12th floor. The room is standard Harrahs. At least this time, I have a river view instead of a roof or a view of the parking lot. I proceeded to give a tour of the casino to Cindy ending up in the Diamond Lounge. We enjoyed drinks while sitting on the patio. One of the pluses of it being stormy is that though it’s still a toasty 90+ degrees, it’s not stifling.
Harrahs room
View from the room. Looks like the pier got a new awning...purdy.
On the Diamond Lounge patio...irony at it's best
I played some and lost—the first nine days of the trip have not gone well gambling-wise, and I’m in need of good session or two to bring me back to even. Lately, Harrahs Laughlin has actually been updating some machines, something they have not been keen on doing as most of their clientele aren’t very responsive to change. Many of their newer games are by Williams Corp, which believes that bonuses are to be fought for and to get one you have to play a long time. Some of these new titles are Kronos, Little Red Riding Hood, Vampires, Spartacus, and the like. All are fun games, but are too stingy on bonuses. However, when you do catch one, they can be very good. So, the school is still out for me on this new generation of machines. Harrahs Laughlin is well known for their tight machines, so I shouldn’t judge based on what I play here.
The kids pool at Harrahs is never in need of kids
Cindy, enjoying her first time in Laughlin
I got a call from my dad saying that he and Mom arrived safely and are checked in at the Riverside. I told them we’d see them tomorrow at 5:00 in the Prime Rib room for dinner. It was time to head back to the Aquarius to meet Danielle and Robert who should arrive around 8 PM. While waiting, I played a Caesars’ Hot Spin machine and won $15. When the kids arrived, we took them up to their room and they were stoked. We then headed down to the buffet for dinner. Something to remember when going to any restaurant is to inquire as to the price before going in. This little lesson was forgotten as when we told the cashier there’d be four for dinner, the tab came to $115! Fortunately, Cindy had signed up for a slot card and was given a 25% off coupon good for up to four people. However, $85 for a buffet in Laughlin is pretty steep. Granted, it was seafood night and included many excellent seafood choices: crab (chilled or heated up for you), oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, large shrimp, sea bass, scallops with artichoke hearts, and many other good seafood dishes. Also, there’s a bar that has wines, beers, and margaritas. Aside from the seafood dishes, there was also prime rib and roast beef along with the usual choices of vegetables, potatoes, and rice. I thought the salad station was pretty basic with only one choice of lettuce and few pasta salads. Another area I thought they were weak was the dessert station. It was a usual array of pies and cakes, but nothing there that was out of the ordinary. Okay, now that I’ve listed through all the items, I suppose it wasn’t that much after all—but still, whatever happened to the prices from the very first buffet at the old El Rancho? All you can eat 24 hours a day for $1!
El Rancho Hotel back in the day with their $1 buffet..burned down to the ground years later.
More tomorrow.
