Summer of Cal/Nev – Day 4
Sleeping in different beds every couple of days can run its course, especially when you’re also dealing with the different sounds that come from outside your room. Last night there was an odd squeak that just didn’t make any sense to me. I’m far enough from the elevators and I’m nowhere close to the ice machine. Eventually, I was able to fall asleep.
I have two sets of clothes and bathroom accessories. One is in an overnight carryon bag and the other is my large Samsonite suitcase. If I’m only staying for one or two nights, I bring up the bag (an old leather utility bag I used to use for racquetball—I can very sentimental about some of my stuff). On longer occasions, I roll up the Samsonite, which has most of my shirts and other clothes. It’s also where I carry my coffee maker. Even though I’m only staying the two nights here, I felt like good coffee and so I brought it. This morning it was so nice to have a few cups of Starbucks Italian Roast instead of the instant swill that comes with most rooms. Everything just seems brighter with a cup of good coffee…hmm.
The entrance to the Stratosphere
Looking up at the Tower
I finally got out of the room and walked down the hall to the buffet, which is located at the very northern end of the casino. When I stayed here a few years ago, they had just opened the buffet and it was seriously bad. However, word was that it was remodeled and improved, so I thought I’d give it shot. I wasn’t happy with the $14.50 price (after all, this isn’t the Bellagio) and started out a bit skeptical. Well, kudos to the Stratosphere here. The buffet is very good. I especially appreciated the omelet station,
which had the usual veggies and breakfast meats, but also included bay shrimp and crap…nice! Breakfast was excellent.
The new buffet at the Stratosphere
I got my car from the valet and headed for the Palms where I wanted to see THE MAN OF STEEL. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this picture since I saw a teaser trailer last year. I first stopped at the slot club to get a voucher for the movie and told the boothling that I was going to the 3D IMAX showing. She looked it up and said it was $8. I told to look again as I was sure it was more than that. She said it was the matinee price and printed me out the voucher. I’m using my “old points” for this purchase. When the Palms changed over its slot club, they decided to allow everyone that had points on the old system to keep them without fear of them expiring. I still have over $70 in old points to use, so my movies in Las Vegas this summer will all be free.
This is the new center bar in the Palms, much more open and brighter than the old one
I had an hour and a half before the movie began so I decided to sit down at the 9/6 50 plays that have always been at the front door. I’m so glad they’ve kept these machines here. I play at the two-cent level (ten cents a hand times fifty hands is $5.00 per deal). I played for a good long time when I was finally dealt four-to-the-royal. I only caught one royal ($80) but I was making a lot of other good hands and eventually cashed out with $125 profit, my first real profit of the trip. When I got to the box office, the man took my $8 voucher and then said it would be another $9. Damn it! I knew she was wrong. That’s okay; I paid it and got my usual kids’ pack at the concession stand. The movie did not disappoint. My only critique is that the action scenes were just a little to drawn out, but it was simply an amazing cinematic experience.
After the movie was over, I went over to a penny machine to put a point on Martin’s Palms card (he won’t be in Vegas for the foreseeable future) and then switched to mine and I end up winning another five bucks. It was time to head back to the Strat and being that it was rush hour traffic, I took the back streets to Charleston and then into the valet. I took a walk up to the Top-of-Tower to take a couple of pics and though it’s better at night, I didn’t see myself coming back later.
View of the Strip from atop the Tower
View of the downtown area atop the Tower
I went back down to the retail floor and picked up a turkey wrap to take back to the room for dinner and baseball on ESPN. So, it wasn’t much of an interesting day for the trip report, but then some of them will be just like this…got through another day.
More tomorrow
Sleeping in different beds every couple of days can run its course, especially when you’re also dealing with the different sounds that come from outside your room. Last night there was an odd squeak that just didn’t make any sense to me. I’m far enough from the elevators and I’m nowhere close to the ice machine. Eventually, I was able to fall asleep.
I have two sets of clothes and bathroom accessories. One is in an overnight carryon bag and the other is my large Samsonite suitcase. If I’m only staying for one or two nights, I bring up the bag (an old leather utility bag I used to use for racquetball—I can very sentimental about some of my stuff). On longer occasions, I roll up the Samsonite, which has most of my shirts and other clothes. It’s also where I carry my coffee maker. Even though I’m only staying the two nights here, I felt like good coffee and so I brought it. This morning it was so nice to have a few cups of Starbucks Italian Roast instead of the instant swill that comes with most rooms. Everything just seems brighter with a cup of good coffee…hmm.
The entrance to the Stratosphere
Looking up at the Tower
I finally got out of the room and walked down the hall to the buffet, which is located at the very northern end of the casino. When I stayed here a few years ago, they had just opened the buffet and it was seriously bad. However, word was that it was remodeled and improved, so I thought I’d give it shot. I wasn’t happy with the $14.50 price (after all, this isn’t the Bellagio) and started out a bit skeptical. Well, kudos to the Stratosphere here. The buffet is very good. I especially appreciated the omelet station,
which had the usual veggies and breakfast meats, but also included bay shrimp and crap…nice! Breakfast was excellent.
The new buffet at the Stratosphere
I got my car from the valet and headed for the Palms where I wanted to see THE MAN OF STEEL. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this picture since I saw a teaser trailer last year. I first stopped at the slot club to get a voucher for the movie and told the boothling that I was going to the 3D IMAX showing. She looked it up and said it was $8. I told to look again as I was sure it was more than that. She said it was the matinee price and printed me out the voucher. I’m using my “old points” for this purchase. When the Palms changed over its slot club, they decided to allow everyone that had points on the old system to keep them without fear of them expiring. I still have over $70 in old points to use, so my movies in Las Vegas this summer will all be free.
This is the new center bar in the Palms, much more open and brighter than the old one
I had an hour and a half before the movie began so I decided to sit down at the 9/6 50 plays that have always been at the front door. I’m so glad they’ve kept these machines here. I play at the two-cent level (ten cents a hand times fifty hands is $5.00 per deal). I played for a good long time when I was finally dealt four-to-the-royal. I only caught one royal ($80) but I was making a lot of other good hands and eventually cashed out with $125 profit, my first real profit of the trip. When I got to the box office, the man took my $8 voucher and then said it would be another $9. Damn it! I knew she was wrong. That’s okay; I paid it and got my usual kids’ pack at the concession stand. The movie did not disappoint. My only critique is that the action scenes were just a little to drawn out, but it was simply an amazing cinematic experience.
After the movie was over, I went over to a penny machine to put a point on Martin’s Palms card (he won’t be in Vegas for the foreseeable future) and then switched to mine and I end up winning another five bucks. It was time to head back to the Strat and being that it was rush hour traffic, I took the back streets to Charleston and then into the valet. I took a walk up to the Top-of-Tower to take a couple of pics and though it’s better at night, I didn’t see myself coming back later.
View of the Strip from atop the Tower
View of the downtown area atop the Tower
I went back down to the retail floor and picked up a turkey wrap to take back to the room for dinner and baseball on ESPN. So, it wasn’t much of an interesting day for the trip report, but then some of them will be just like this…got through another day.
More tomorrow
