Summer of Cal/Nev – Day 41
This report might be late simply because the Las Vegas Advisor was attacked by a Java malware worm and they are down. So, I will have to wait until they can fix this problem.
The day got off to a late start because of some insomnia last night and we didn’t get out until about 11:30.
Today is what I will call Cindy’s Day as we’re going to meet a couple of her old friends that happen to live here in Las Vegas and then whatever else she’d like to see as everyone is going to leave tomorrow—them back home to San Diego, and me back to Laughlin. Before I go any further, I might answer a couple of questions that have been posed from your replies to previous posts:
I had talked about the Aloha Café in the California Hotel and was supposed to have posted a picture of their special that day, and I had left the picture out, so here it is…
The specials at the Aloha Cafe in the California Hotel
PartyBoy41 posted: …love your reports and especially your pictures. However, I haven’t seen any with you in them. Is that on purpose?
Partyboy: you found me out. You’re correct. I’ve uploaded more than 200 pictures so far on these reports, and the one thing every one of them have in common is that I am not in any of them. This is by design. I don’t like my picture taken—sounds odd coming from me who takes everyone else’s picture. So, my sister did take one at the TGIF dinner that I am in, so here it is:
[img width=800 height=596]https://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii249/sionow/Cal%20Nev_Run_Around/dinner2.jpg[/img]
At TGIF with the family in the Orleans Hotel
AJaneG wonders what it is with signs and billboards that I find and post.
Jane: I am fascinated with marketing and how supposed professionals get paid enormous sums for ads that I find stupid. Of course this isn’t limited to the pros. Small business owners like to think they’re clever by having signs made with the use of small print to completely nullify the big print. The sign at a shoe store in the retail area at Ballys is a good example: ALL SHOES $5.99 and then in small print…and up. Here’s another one I’ve just found on Fremont Street along Motel Strip.
Right..."sorry, YOU'RE case doesn't fit the $50 criteria..."
I’ll answer more questions and comments soon—back to today’s report. We walked down to the lobby of Bally’s to meet Cindy’s friend from work many years ago, Joann. She and Cindy met in a law office and both admit they were so glad to have gotten out of working for lawyers. Cindy still hadn’t seen the Paris, so I recommended that we have brunch at their buffet. We used the Diamond entrance, therefore bypassing the Disneyland like line to get in (one of the best perks of Diamond) and I was surprised not only that the buffet was $23.99 each, but that there was no Diamond discount using points. It wasn’t a big deal because I used my comps to pay for all of it, but there’s a bit of a principal here.
Going into the Paris
Paris Buffet decor
The girls had crepes and I had some California rolls and chicken.
Cindy and Joann showing their crepes
The food was good, and the selections were varied and many of them different from your usual buffet fair. However, I don’t believe this buffet is worth $24—a better play would be to go next door and get a steak for $12.95 at the café. We spent more than an hour as the girls were able to catch up on things. Joann, a math teacher, is in a battle over certification with the State of Nevada she’s trying to remedy and we wished her luck with that as we said our goodbyes.
I asked Cindy what she’d like to see on her last day in Las Vegas, and she said she’d like to see Mandalay Bay and the Luxor, so we were on our way there. I parked in my usual spot on the third level of self parking and we walked in to that familiar scent they pump in over the air system. I think it’s a minty fragrance, but Cindy is convinced it’s more like coconut. I took her over to the pool area to show her the wave pool. Mandalay Bay has arguably the best pool complex in the city.
The Wave Beach at the pool complex in Mandalay Bay
We then walked on to Border Grill. I always make of point of coming here when I’m at Mandalay Bay to take a picture of it and send it to my daughter because she was part of the crew that opened the place. It’s been through a few remodels since then and since the owners won the Top Chef Masters competition, there’s always a long line to get in. As most of you know, Mandalay Bay’s casino area is really just one very big box, so there wasn’t much to see here. We walked on to the Luxor passing by the many shops and restaurants where there once was just a long narrow hall. All the places seem to be doing very well and the gourmet burger place was packed, as usual.
We walked into the Luxor and Cindy was amazed by the inside looking up the pyramid. The walk empties out in the second floor entertainment area and though most of these shows here like Carrot Top and the Titanic Exposition are certainly in the “B” category of Las Vegas Entertainment, there were plenty people in line to reserve tickets.
Entrance of the Luxor
Tired of walking we sat down at the old penny Alien machine and played while sipping on a beer and margarita. We lost there and tried the new Candy game—and did better—but end up losing there as well. It was already 3:30 and we were to meet another of Cindy’s friends (who now live in Las Vegas) in an hour, so we headed back to Ballys.
After relaxing in the room for a bit, we met Stephanie and her husband Jim in the lobby at Ballys. I tried to see if there was any way of getting both in the Diamond Lounge with us, but the host said no—they’re getting really good at that. So, we walked to the back of Ballys where there is a small Mexican restaurant. I’ve never eaten here, which is a little odd considering I’ve stayed at Ballys countless times. It turns out the food was very good and they make a Cadillac margarita that kills. The place is a little pricey and the menu not real extensive, but considering it’s in a Strip property, expected. But I can certainly recommend this place.
Stephanie and Cindy grew up together in San Diego and Stephanie moved to Las Vegas in 2004. They haven’t seen each other in years so they had a lot of catching up to do. Jim and I got along great as we shared Star Trek series favorites and work stories.
Stephanie, Cindy, and Jim
Cindy and I decided at the last minute to go see Jubilee here at Ballys. Diamond members get two free show tickets (to their “B” shows) every month, and I hadn’t used my July tickets, so it was a “use ‘em or lose ‘em” situation. It was close to show time, so we said our goodbyes to Stephanie and Jim and made it over to the theater.
Jubilee is an old time Las Vegas Extravaganza show with bare-breasted, tall, beautiful women in amazing costumes and huge feathered head-wear prancing about the stage with their arms outstretched as the male dances lead them and the main singer bellows out old Gershwin tunes. Imagine watching a 30s AMC movie in vibrant colors. The sets were gigantic and the costumes were stunning—but it is what it is. The songs are dated and most the cast, which is huge, smiled but it was certainly obvious they were phoning it in (two times a day, five or six days a week—who could blame them). In a nice surprise, we were given the very best booth in the place down center. I personally find the show a bit dull (I’ve seen it a few times long ago), but it really is nice that there’s at least one show left that people can see Old Vegas with showgirls doing what made them famous.
I did play a little video poker today, but things were not going well, and I can tell when it’s going to be a bad day, so I stopped the hemorrhaging and called it a day.
More tomorrow .
This report might be late simply because the Las Vegas Advisor was attacked by a Java malware worm and they are down. So, I will have to wait until they can fix this problem.
The day got off to a late start because of some insomnia last night and we didn’t get out until about 11:30.
Today is what I will call Cindy’s Day as we’re going to meet a couple of her old friends that happen to live here in Las Vegas and then whatever else she’d like to see as everyone is going to leave tomorrow—them back home to San Diego, and me back to Laughlin. Before I go any further, I might answer a couple of questions that have been posed from your replies to previous posts:
I had talked about the Aloha Café in the California Hotel and was supposed to have posted a picture of their special that day, and I had left the picture out, so here it is…
The specials at the Aloha Cafe in the California Hotel
PartyBoy41 posted: …love your reports and especially your pictures. However, I haven’t seen any with you in them. Is that on purpose?
Partyboy: you found me out. You’re correct. I’ve uploaded more than 200 pictures so far on these reports, and the one thing every one of them have in common is that I am not in any of them. This is by design. I don’t like my picture taken—sounds odd coming from me who takes everyone else’s picture. So, my sister did take one at the TGIF dinner that I am in, so here it is:
[img width=800 height=596]https://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii249/sionow/Cal%20Nev_Run_Around/dinner2.jpg[/img]
At TGIF with the family in the Orleans Hotel
AJaneG wonders what it is with signs and billboards that I find and post.
Jane: I am fascinated with marketing and how supposed professionals get paid enormous sums for ads that I find stupid. Of course this isn’t limited to the pros. Small business owners like to think they’re clever by having signs made with the use of small print to completely nullify the big print. The sign at a shoe store in the retail area at Ballys is a good example: ALL SHOES $5.99 and then in small print…and up. Here’s another one I’ve just found on Fremont Street along Motel Strip.
Right..."sorry, YOU'RE case doesn't fit the $50 criteria..."
I’ll answer more questions and comments soon—back to today’s report. We walked down to the lobby of Bally’s to meet Cindy’s friend from work many years ago, Joann. She and Cindy met in a law office and both admit they were so glad to have gotten out of working for lawyers. Cindy still hadn’t seen the Paris, so I recommended that we have brunch at their buffet. We used the Diamond entrance, therefore bypassing the Disneyland like line to get in (one of the best perks of Diamond) and I was surprised not only that the buffet was $23.99 each, but that there was no Diamond discount using points. It wasn’t a big deal because I used my comps to pay for all of it, but there’s a bit of a principal here.
Going into the Paris
Paris Buffet decor
The girls had crepes and I had some California rolls and chicken.
Cindy and Joann showing their crepes
The food was good, and the selections were varied and many of them different from your usual buffet fair. However, I don’t believe this buffet is worth $24—a better play would be to go next door and get a steak for $12.95 at the café. We spent more than an hour as the girls were able to catch up on things. Joann, a math teacher, is in a battle over certification with the State of Nevada she’s trying to remedy and we wished her luck with that as we said our goodbyes.
I asked Cindy what she’d like to see on her last day in Las Vegas, and she said she’d like to see Mandalay Bay and the Luxor, so we were on our way there. I parked in my usual spot on the third level of self parking and we walked in to that familiar scent they pump in over the air system. I think it’s a minty fragrance, but Cindy is convinced it’s more like coconut. I took her over to the pool area to show her the wave pool. Mandalay Bay has arguably the best pool complex in the city.
The Wave Beach at the pool complex in Mandalay Bay
We then walked on to Border Grill. I always make of point of coming here when I’m at Mandalay Bay to take a picture of it and send it to my daughter because she was part of the crew that opened the place. It’s been through a few remodels since then and since the owners won the Top Chef Masters competition, there’s always a long line to get in. As most of you know, Mandalay Bay’s casino area is really just one very big box, so there wasn’t much to see here. We walked on to the Luxor passing by the many shops and restaurants where there once was just a long narrow hall. All the places seem to be doing very well and the gourmet burger place was packed, as usual.
We walked into the Luxor and Cindy was amazed by the inside looking up the pyramid. The walk empties out in the second floor entertainment area and though most of these shows here like Carrot Top and the Titanic Exposition are certainly in the “B” category of Las Vegas Entertainment, there were plenty people in line to reserve tickets.
Entrance of the Luxor
Tired of walking we sat down at the old penny Alien machine and played while sipping on a beer and margarita. We lost there and tried the new Candy game—and did better—but end up losing there as well. It was already 3:30 and we were to meet another of Cindy’s friends (who now live in Las Vegas) in an hour, so we headed back to Ballys.
After relaxing in the room for a bit, we met Stephanie and her husband Jim in the lobby at Ballys. I tried to see if there was any way of getting both in the Diamond Lounge with us, but the host said no—they’re getting really good at that. So, we walked to the back of Ballys where there is a small Mexican restaurant. I’ve never eaten here, which is a little odd considering I’ve stayed at Ballys countless times. It turns out the food was very good and they make a Cadillac margarita that kills. The place is a little pricey and the menu not real extensive, but considering it’s in a Strip property, expected. But I can certainly recommend this place.
Stephanie and Cindy grew up together in San Diego and Stephanie moved to Las Vegas in 2004. They haven’t seen each other in years so they had a lot of catching up to do. Jim and I got along great as we shared Star Trek series favorites and work stories.
Stephanie, Cindy, and Jim
Cindy and I decided at the last minute to go see Jubilee here at Ballys. Diamond members get two free show tickets (to their “B” shows) every month, and I hadn’t used my July tickets, so it was a “use ‘em or lose ‘em” situation. It was close to show time, so we said our goodbyes to Stephanie and Jim and made it over to the theater.
Jubilee is an old time Las Vegas Extravaganza show with bare-breasted, tall, beautiful women in amazing costumes and huge feathered head-wear prancing about the stage with their arms outstretched as the male dances lead them and the main singer bellows out old Gershwin tunes. Imagine watching a 30s AMC movie in vibrant colors. The sets were gigantic and the costumes were stunning—but it is what it is. The songs are dated and most the cast, which is huge, smiled but it was certainly obvious they were phoning it in (two times a day, five or six days a week—who could blame them). In a nice surprise, we were given the very best booth in the place down center. I personally find the show a bit dull (I’ve seen it a few times long ago), but it really is nice that there’s at least one show left that people can see Old Vegas with showgirls doing what made them famous.
I did play a little video poker today, but things were not going well, and I can tell when it’s going to be a bad day, so I stopped the hemorrhaging and called it a day.
More tomorrow .
