Summer of Cal/Nev – Day 40
After spending almost all of yesterday walking, sleep was fast and easy. The morning routines taken care of, today was going to be my gambling day, so it shows on the books that I did give them some play for the free room. The goal was to play $10K (1000 tier points), which I’m sure you know by now earns me another 1000 bonus tier points. Cindy was going to spend the early afternoon with her daughter and boyfriend at Serendipity across the street at Caesars.
As I was waiting for the elevator to take me to the casino, I saw that I had a fairly good view of the upcoming Ferris Wheel being constructing behind the Quad (formerly Imperial Palace) in an area that goes from the back of the hotel all of the way to Koval Street. Along with the huge wheel there will be shops and other facilities to separate you from your money. That’s one thing Las Vegas could really use—more stores.
Ferris Wheel progress behind the Quad
I also noticed that behind our old friend The Barbary Coast (Bill’s Gambling Hall) in what used to be an employees’ parking lot they are digging a large hole. It’s not big enough to be a parking area, so I’ll be curious to follow this for the next many months to see just what they’re doing. It’s not the best picture, I wanted to go out on the balcony but the door was bolted shut.
Mysterious hole being dug where what used to be Employees Parking lot of Bill's Gambling Hall
Dive bar across from Ballys--it's nice to see that construction workes finally have a place they are welcome
I first walked over to the Flamingo to pick up my tickets for tonight’s Donny and Marie show. It’s a bad system that you have to pick up your tickets before a show and it has to be at the hotel where the show is taking place. It seems to me that it wouldn’t be that difficult with the company to fix it so that you could pick up tickets at any of the property’s box office. The line was long (no Diamond line, only 7 Stars) and there was only one clerk (insane). I finally got to the front and picked up the tickets, which I charged to my room and will pay with comp points when I check out ($132 each). I then made my way back to Ballys following pedestrian signs through construction tunnels avoiding all the work being done on the corner. A sure sign the economy has been picking up is there are construction projects going on all over the city right now.
The latest construction progress on Barbary Coast/Bill's Gambling Hall
I went to the bank of machines that sit next to their cocktail lounge that overlooks the entry way to the Paris. That bank has 3/5 play machines with 7/5 Bonus Poker (the best game available at Ballys) and started right in with 5-play. I was soon dealt a full house, and then a couple of hands later holding two Aces—I caught the quad on the third game so I was now already over $200. I kept plugging away simply hoping my initial $100 buy-in would hold up for as many points as possible. I was down to $65 when I made a Louise (VP term I made up) after holding onto a lone queen of diamonds and (imagine my surprise) when the other four cards popped up giving me a Royal on the first line, and my first quarter royal of the trip.
It's taken TOO long for me to be able to post a winning picture
Now that I have some ammunition and the knowledge I’m not going to get hurt too badly today, I switched to the 50-cent level ($12.50 per deal)hoping to reach my 1000 tier point level sooner. Normally, I would have stayed at the quarter level and switched to 10-play, but Ballys doesn’t offer Bonus Poker on 10-play. I made the mental note that if I lost a hundred at this level, I’d switch back to 5-play, and after lasting a good while, I had to scale back. There were a few more quads here and there that kept me in good position, and when I reached the 1000 tier point mark, I cashed out $1100…a nice day’s work. I would love to say that this got me even for the trip, but it hasn’t—however, it certainly has helped and given me some breathing room considering I still have a couple more weeks to go.
I called Cindy to tell her I was done and it was now after 2PM, so we should check her daughter into their next hotel, Sam’s Town (I used my July two free nights offer). They had never been to Sam’s Town before and like most, loved the atrium. I gave them a brief tour of the place, and then we all got back into the car because we’re going to visit the Minus 5 Ice Bar at the Monte Carlo. I parked in New York, New York and we walked over threading through all the construction going on as they’re in the midst of building the huge Hershey’s Chocolate complex (not so coincidentally right across the street from the M&M store).
The Minus 5 Ice Bar’s shtick is that the entire bar is made of ice…the bar, the chairs, the walls, the glasses they serve the drinks in—everything. It’s expensive. At $17 per person to simply get into the place and then $10 per drink once inside before tip; you’re looking at a piece of change just for the experience. Danielle, Cindy’s daughter, had bought two coupons from Couponory (sp?) which were 2 for 1s so that the four of us could go in at half price.
The Minus 5 Ice Bar at Monte Carlo (there's another at Mandalay Bay)
The first thing they do is have you put all electronics (phones, cameras, ect) into a locker which they give you the key. That sucks because you can’t take any pictures inside…but not to worry, they’ll be happy to take a picture for you for only $20 each. You are then given a parka and gloves and told you must hold your drinks with two hands as being that the glasses are made of ice as well (yes, you can eat them if you have strong teeth). For those wearing open toe shoes, they give you fur boots and fur hats if you’d like. Once you’re all decked out, you go inside the ice bar. I would love to have shared a pic with you inside (see above) but I will tell you that though it’s small and expensive, the drinks are great, the ice chairs and booths are covered with animal skins so you can sit comfortably, and you can stay as long as you like; I think this is something that is worth the experience once. When the bartender (a small girl covered in a parka and a woolen scarf over her mouth) made our drinks, I asked her if she rotated with the cashiers outside every hour or so, she said no and that her shift inside the ice bar is eight hours at a time. Damn! It’s not really five degrees below inside, but it is certainly in the low teens, which keeps the ice from melting—unless it really is that cold but I couldn’t tell. She certainly deserved the tip I left after buying us all one round. We had a good time (only stayed about 20 minutes) and were glad we did it.
It was already 5PM and we wanted to have a quick dinner, so we walked back to NY/NY and into the food court area which is mocked up to look like an old-school NY neighborhood shops. We chose the Broadway Burger Bar and Grill. Cindy had the Salmon Burger, the kids had some gourmet hamburgers, and I had the Ahi salad. The wait time was a little long for our food, but the wait was worth it as the burgers were great and all said the French fries had a wonderful spice that made them extra delicious. You don’t eat here on the cheap ($75 for the four of us), but really super good food.
Food Court at New York New York
Burgers have come a long way, baby
We now needed to rush back to Ballys and leave the car as Cindy and I were scheduled to see the Donny and Marie show at 7:30. We said goodbye the kids and went up to the room to change and then walked over to the Flamingo. We made it with 30 minutes to spare. I was disappointed with our seats at first because as many of you know, this old Flamingo theater is still set up like the old days with tables and chairs in long rows and unfortunately, our seats were such that we would have two couple directly in front of us. This turned out to be okay as no one showed up and we had the table all to ourselves.
When the show started Marie told the audience that Donny was not there (I had already known this) because he had pulled some muscle in his butt (insert Marie joke) and was going to miss about four weeks after surgery to correct it. She was going to do the show herself along with different guests coming in to fill in every couple of nights. Tonight, we were going to see John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard; Smallville), who did have a few hits of his own back in the day. He and Marie had been friends for many years and began the Children’s Network together. I had seen the Donny and Marie show a couple of years ago and was really surprised at how much I liked it. This show was completely different. Marie, for those of you who don’t know, is a seriously versatile performer doing rock, country, theater, and most amazingly opera (it brought the house down when she sang that part of the show). The band and dancers were terrific, Marie was very honest and down-to-earth and oh so, so talented. John Schneider held up his part and did some good songs along with a few of his hits and sang with Marie on a few duets. The entire show was wonderful.
Taken of Caesars Palace while walking out of the Flamingo
It turned out to be a very full day with a nice Royal surprise.
More tomorrow.
After spending almost all of yesterday walking, sleep was fast and easy. The morning routines taken care of, today was going to be my gambling day, so it shows on the books that I did give them some play for the free room. The goal was to play $10K (1000 tier points), which I’m sure you know by now earns me another 1000 bonus tier points. Cindy was going to spend the early afternoon with her daughter and boyfriend at Serendipity across the street at Caesars.
As I was waiting for the elevator to take me to the casino, I saw that I had a fairly good view of the upcoming Ferris Wheel being constructing behind the Quad (formerly Imperial Palace) in an area that goes from the back of the hotel all of the way to Koval Street. Along with the huge wheel there will be shops and other facilities to separate you from your money. That’s one thing Las Vegas could really use—more stores.
Ferris Wheel progress behind the Quad
I also noticed that behind our old friend The Barbary Coast (Bill’s Gambling Hall) in what used to be an employees’ parking lot they are digging a large hole. It’s not big enough to be a parking area, so I’ll be curious to follow this for the next many months to see just what they’re doing. It’s not the best picture, I wanted to go out on the balcony but the door was bolted shut.
Mysterious hole being dug where what used to be Employees Parking lot of Bill's Gambling Hall
Dive bar across from Ballys--it's nice to see that construction workes finally have a place they are welcome
I first walked over to the Flamingo to pick up my tickets for tonight’s Donny and Marie show. It’s a bad system that you have to pick up your tickets before a show and it has to be at the hotel where the show is taking place. It seems to me that it wouldn’t be that difficult with the company to fix it so that you could pick up tickets at any of the property’s box office. The line was long (no Diamond line, only 7 Stars) and there was only one clerk (insane). I finally got to the front and picked up the tickets, which I charged to my room and will pay with comp points when I check out ($132 each). I then made my way back to Ballys following pedestrian signs through construction tunnels avoiding all the work being done on the corner. A sure sign the economy has been picking up is there are construction projects going on all over the city right now.
The latest construction progress on Barbary Coast/Bill's Gambling Hall
I went to the bank of machines that sit next to their cocktail lounge that overlooks the entry way to the Paris. That bank has 3/5 play machines with 7/5 Bonus Poker (the best game available at Ballys) and started right in with 5-play. I was soon dealt a full house, and then a couple of hands later holding two Aces—I caught the quad on the third game so I was now already over $200. I kept plugging away simply hoping my initial $100 buy-in would hold up for as many points as possible. I was down to $65 when I made a Louise (VP term I made up) after holding onto a lone queen of diamonds and (imagine my surprise) when the other four cards popped up giving me a Royal on the first line, and my first quarter royal of the trip.
It's taken TOO long for me to be able to post a winning picture
Now that I have some ammunition and the knowledge I’m not going to get hurt too badly today, I switched to the 50-cent level ($12.50 per deal)hoping to reach my 1000 tier point level sooner. Normally, I would have stayed at the quarter level and switched to 10-play, but Ballys doesn’t offer Bonus Poker on 10-play. I made the mental note that if I lost a hundred at this level, I’d switch back to 5-play, and after lasting a good while, I had to scale back. There were a few more quads here and there that kept me in good position, and when I reached the 1000 tier point mark, I cashed out $1100…a nice day’s work. I would love to say that this got me even for the trip, but it hasn’t—however, it certainly has helped and given me some breathing room considering I still have a couple more weeks to go.
I called Cindy to tell her I was done and it was now after 2PM, so we should check her daughter into their next hotel, Sam’s Town (I used my July two free nights offer). They had never been to Sam’s Town before and like most, loved the atrium. I gave them a brief tour of the place, and then we all got back into the car because we’re going to visit the Minus 5 Ice Bar at the Monte Carlo. I parked in New York, New York and we walked over threading through all the construction going on as they’re in the midst of building the huge Hershey’s Chocolate complex (not so coincidentally right across the street from the M&M store).
The Minus 5 Ice Bar’s shtick is that the entire bar is made of ice…the bar, the chairs, the walls, the glasses they serve the drinks in—everything. It’s expensive. At $17 per person to simply get into the place and then $10 per drink once inside before tip; you’re looking at a piece of change just for the experience. Danielle, Cindy’s daughter, had bought two coupons from Couponory (sp?) which were 2 for 1s so that the four of us could go in at half price.
The Minus 5 Ice Bar at Monte Carlo (there's another at Mandalay Bay)
The first thing they do is have you put all electronics (phones, cameras, ect) into a locker which they give you the key. That sucks because you can’t take any pictures inside…but not to worry, they’ll be happy to take a picture for you for only $20 each. You are then given a parka and gloves and told you must hold your drinks with two hands as being that the glasses are made of ice as well (yes, you can eat them if you have strong teeth). For those wearing open toe shoes, they give you fur boots and fur hats if you’d like. Once you’re all decked out, you go inside the ice bar. I would love to have shared a pic with you inside (see above) but I will tell you that though it’s small and expensive, the drinks are great, the ice chairs and booths are covered with animal skins so you can sit comfortably, and you can stay as long as you like; I think this is something that is worth the experience once. When the bartender (a small girl covered in a parka and a woolen scarf over her mouth) made our drinks, I asked her if she rotated with the cashiers outside every hour or so, she said no and that her shift inside the ice bar is eight hours at a time. Damn! It’s not really five degrees below inside, but it is certainly in the low teens, which keeps the ice from melting—unless it really is that cold but I couldn’t tell. She certainly deserved the tip I left after buying us all one round. We had a good time (only stayed about 20 minutes) and were glad we did it.
It was already 5PM and we wanted to have a quick dinner, so we walked back to NY/NY and into the food court area which is mocked up to look like an old-school NY neighborhood shops. We chose the Broadway Burger Bar and Grill. Cindy had the Salmon Burger, the kids had some gourmet hamburgers, and I had the Ahi salad. The wait time was a little long for our food, but the wait was worth it as the burgers were great and all said the French fries had a wonderful spice that made them extra delicious. You don’t eat here on the cheap ($75 for the four of us), but really super good food.
Food Court at New York New York
Burgers have come a long way, baby
We now needed to rush back to Ballys and leave the car as Cindy and I were scheduled to see the Donny and Marie show at 7:30. We said goodbye the kids and went up to the room to change and then walked over to the Flamingo. We made it with 30 minutes to spare. I was disappointed with our seats at first because as many of you know, this old Flamingo theater is still set up like the old days with tables and chairs in long rows and unfortunately, our seats were such that we would have two couple directly in front of us. This turned out to be okay as no one showed up and we had the table all to ourselves.
When the show started Marie told the audience that Donny was not there (I had already known this) because he had pulled some muscle in his butt (insert Marie joke) and was going to miss about four weeks after surgery to correct it. She was going to do the show herself along with different guests coming in to fill in every couple of nights. Tonight, we were going to see John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard; Smallville), who did have a few hits of his own back in the day. He and Marie had been friends for many years and began the Children’s Network together. I had seen the Donny and Marie show a couple of years ago and was really surprised at how much I liked it. This show was completely different. Marie, for those of you who don’t know, is a seriously versatile performer doing rock, country, theater, and most amazingly opera (it brought the house down when she sang that part of the show). The band and dancers were terrific, Marie was very honest and down-to-earth and oh so, so talented. John Schneider held up his part and did some good songs along with a few of his hits and sang with Marie on a few duets. The entire show was wonderful.
Taken of Caesars Palace while walking out of the Flamingo
It turned out to be a very full day with a nice Royal surprise.
More tomorrow.
