Ah Vegas, we meet again. For those of you not familiar, I’ll quickly introduce myself. I’m Paige Turner from Wisconsin, and have been married to Mr. Turner (aka Big T, Mr. T, or just plain old Tony) for sixteen years. We have three daughters who love to visit Grandma and/or Auntie in Colorado when we make our annual sojourn to Vegas.
Day one began at 3:00am Milwaukee time. I’m up, showered, packed, coffee’s on; wake the kids and hubby, and we’re out the door by 4am. Our flight from MKE to Denver departs on-time at 6:20 am. Grandma meets us at the Denver airport that morning. We take her out for breakfast, have a nice three hour visit, then it’s back to the airport we go for our connecting flight to Vegas. We’re thrilled, they’re thrilled and I’m hoping they’ll behave themselves and play nice!
By the way, we’re flying Southwest for the first time. They have good rates (I got DEN to LAS round trip for $120 per person) but man it was a VERY bumpy ride into the desert. Guy I sat next to (who lives in Vegas) said he’s flown 30 times already this year and this was by far the worst he’s had it flying into Vegas. If I’m going to barf in Vegas I want it to be from a hard night of drinking, not plane turbulence!
Anyway, we’ve landed, it’s about 3:30 pm local time and I start to feel a wee bit better when the blast of desert heat welcomes me as we step out the sliding, glass airport doors. Next stop: car rental. Here’s where I highly UN recommend Budget. Awful. Waited in line for an HOUR. Highly inefficient management or something going on there. A whole ten minutes would pass at a time where nobody was getting a car…and they had FIVE people (at any given time) working. I’d seen 8-10 different employees during my tenure in line, but they kept leaving their computers and going in back – likely to hide. After a ONE HOUR wait in line, we finally got the keys to our shitbox car. When I booked (and prepaid) online we were promised a cute little Chevy Cobalt, but ended up with some shitbox Hyundai. Awful. No energy or time to complain as I couldn’t wait to get out of that place. Found the car, started the engine, whipped on the AC…let’s get out of here…but wait, there’s yet another line– five cars deep – waiting to clear the gate guy who’s clearly in no particular hurry, so after another 20 minute wait, we’re finally released. Budget Sucks ASS.
Alright. We have our car…still only 5:00…hit the I-15 for downtown. Big mistake: 8 car pile-up and we’re once again…stuck. I don’t even know what time we finally made it to Main Street Station, but I guess it was around 6 or 6:30. It our first time staying Downtown, and I love the fact there’s absolutely no wait to check in, all goes smoothly and before you know it, we’re in our room on the 17th floor. Room 1702 to be exact. I forgot to ask for an odd-numbered room, but it’s better than expected so we’re pleased.
Mr. T and I are starving by now…nearly 8:00…as we haven’t eaten since the IHop in Denver w/Grandma and the kids about 10 hours earlier. We decided to try the 777 Brew Pub we’d heard so much about from who else? LVAers! After looking over the menu I decided on the grilled orange roughy. Big T ordered their beer sampler and hot wings as an appetizer…couldn’t decide on his meal quite yet…so we waited to order our main entrees. The beer samples arrived, I tried a sip of his red, loved it, ordered a 16oz for myself. By the time all the beer was drunk and wings eaten, we were no longer hungry…so we never did get around to ordering our main entrees. It’s all good though, as I’ve got my 2nd wind – yippee- and am ready to party! After 15 hours of travel, I feel like my vacation has FINALLY begun.
We leave MSS and mosey downtown. To our surprise it’s Rock of Ages week or something like that. We encounter several highly talented 80’s cover bands! I could not have been more pleased. We’re guzzling beer, darting into casinos with coupons, enjoying a set or two here and there. Lather, rinse, repeat until about midnight when we head back to our room and DROP. Man, I love downtown more and more each time I visit! It’s definitely my (middle-aged) speed.
[URL=https://s699.photobucket.com/user/pergandeh/media/IMG_0382.jpg.html]
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Only in Vegas 10 mins and already Big T gets "photobombed"!
[URL=https://s699.photobucket.com/user/pergandeh/media/IMG_0387.jpg.html]
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Now here’s the Day 1 summary of our gambling. First stop – Binions. Not only did we each redeem LVA $10 free SP, but you put 5 points on your card, then swipe at their Kiosk for another prize. I put my five points on, swiped, and won another $10 free SP (success), while Mr. T got a buy one – get one meal coupon (FAIL). After all monies were played through (plus a little extra) we left Binions with a combined net gain of $15. No free beer though which I also keep track of. Again, for those of you familiar w/my habits, I love Michelob Ultras, so much so, that this is the 2nd year in a row I’ve named my TR after them!
Next stop: The El Cortez. Not only did we need to redeem $20 LVA free play coupons, we also wanted to take advantage of the ATM rebate offer. I’d heard about this promotion courtesy LVAers months ago and knew I’d be pulling out a good quantity of cash once we arrived downtown. Because of this, we only had $60 cash on us to start our trip (and I’d used $25 of it already on beer and wings at 777).
So, up we go to the El Co ATM. ‘How much money would you like to withdraw?’ the machine asks. Why $1000 of course! Nope – exceeds maximum limit. Ok, try $800. Denied. Finally had to whittle our request down to $400 before the machine would approve the transaction. Lame. I believe this has something to do w/each individual’s bank policy, because I know someone else who was able to pull out $800 in one shot. The fee for this service was $3.50 per transaction. We tried another $400, but it was too soon between withdrawals and were once again denied.
No matter, we bring the ATM receipt to the Cashier who verifies and matches the numbers on the receipt to your ATM card. She then gave Mr. T a certificate he brought to the Players Club where they loaded another $20 (in addition to his LVA $10 coupon) onto his account. After running all our free play through on some multi-play VP, we left El Co with a tidy net profit (after ATM fee) of $35. But still no beer.
I’m dreadfully thirsty by the time we reach LVC, so I break down and use a 2-4-1 beer (ACG) coupon. Two Coors light drafts later ($1 plus $1 tip) and I’m ready to face the dreaded matchplay coupon. If you recall from last summer, I had TERRIBLE luck w/the matchplays…betting religiously on red every time…and losing all but I think ONE (out of about 20 attempts). Well this year WILL be different. I will not lose. How can I? I’m betting on BLACK this summer.
I belly up to the dingy roulette table with my half-drunk tap beer, and throw down, issuing my challenge. My eyes narrow as I stare down the dealer, passing him the coupon and a sawbuck. He smirks - he must know me…the ball drops, then spins. It’s all in slow-mo. My palms sweat. I guzzle my final sip of swill, the pit boss has now joined us and he’s watching too. I close then open my eyes. They come into focus just as the ball lands on Red 36. Muther Effer – here we go again! I tell them both, “This is no way to start my vacation,” Pit boss grins and says, “You should try again!” They are taunting me. I leave.
Ok, so the Las Vegas Club is a bust, but onward ho. We reach the Plaza – nice casino, good vibe. We head to the booth for slot play redemption and I decide I’m not giving up on MP’s. I’ll not be defeated this trip. I let Mr. T play his first and he promptly loses. I bet on BLACK again and to my surprise, it’s a win! Love the Plaza even more now. We sat at the bar using more 2-4-1 coupons (2 bottles of beer for $3 – great deal) relaxing, talking, watching some hockey finals, and people watching. When all was said and done, we left the Plaza in the “black” $10. A final, quick stop at the Four Queens yields us another $10 profit and four beers. Overall, a good start so far in Vegas - Day 1!
Day one began at 3:00am Milwaukee time. I’m up, showered, packed, coffee’s on; wake the kids and hubby, and we’re out the door by 4am. Our flight from MKE to Denver departs on-time at 6:20 am. Grandma meets us at the Denver airport that morning. We take her out for breakfast, have a nice three hour visit, then it’s back to the airport we go for our connecting flight to Vegas. We’re thrilled, they’re thrilled and I’m hoping they’ll behave themselves and play nice!
By the way, we’re flying Southwest for the first time. They have good rates (I got DEN to LAS round trip for $120 per person) but man it was a VERY bumpy ride into the desert. Guy I sat next to (who lives in Vegas) said he’s flown 30 times already this year and this was by far the worst he’s had it flying into Vegas. If I’m going to barf in Vegas I want it to be from a hard night of drinking, not plane turbulence!
Anyway, we’ve landed, it’s about 3:30 pm local time and I start to feel a wee bit better when the blast of desert heat welcomes me as we step out the sliding, glass airport doors. Next stop: car rental. Here’s where I highly UN recommend Budget. Awful. Waited in line for an HOUR. Highly inefficient management or something going on there. A whole ten minutes would pass at a time where nobody was getting a car…and they had FIVE people (at any given time) working. I’d seen 8-10 different employees during my tenure in line, but they kept leaving their computers and going in back – likely to hide. After a ONE HOUR wait in line, we finally got the keys to our shitbox car. When I booked (and prepaid) online we were promised a cute little Chevy Cobalt, but ended up with some shitbox Hyundai. Awful. No energy or time to complain as I couldn’t wait to get out of that place. Found the car, started the engine, whipped on the AC…let’s get out of here…but wait, there’s yet another line– five cars deep – waiting to clear the gate guy who’s clearly in no particular hurry, so after another 20 minute wait, we’re finally released. Budget Sucks ASS.
Alright. We have our car…still only 5:00…hit the I-15 for downtown. Big mistake: 8 car pile-up and we’re once again…stuck. I don’t even know what time we finally made it to Main Street Station, but I guess it was around 6 or 6:30. It our first time staying Downtown, and I love the fact there’s absolutely no wait to check in, all goes smoothly and before you know it, we’re in our room on the 17th floor. Room 1702 to be exact. I forgot to ask for an odd-numbered room, but it’s better than expected so we’re pleased.
Mr. T and I are starving by now…nearly 8:00…as we haven’t eaten since the IHop in Denver w/Grandma and the kids about 10 hours earlier. We decided to try the 777 Brew Pub we’d heard so much about from who else? LVAers! After looking over the menu I decided on the grilled orange roughy. Big T ordered their beer sampler and hot wings as an appetizer…couldn’t decide on his meal quite yet…so we waited to order our main entrees. The beer samples arrived, I tried a sip of his red, loved it, ordered a 16oz for myself. By the time all the beer was drunk and wings eaten, we were no longer hungry…so we never did get around to ordering our main entrees. It’s all good though, as I’ve got my 2nd wind – yippee- and am ready to party! After 15 hours of travel, I feel like my vacation has FINALLY begun.
We leave MSS and mosey downtown. To our surprise it’s Rock of Ages week or something like that. We encounter several highly talented 80’s cover bands! I could not have been more pleased. We’re guzzling beer, darting into casinos with coupons, enjoying a set or two here and there. Lather, rinse, repeat until about midnight when we head back to our room and DROP. Man, I love downtown more and more each time I visit! It’s definitely my (middle-aged) speed.
[URL=https://s699.photobucket.com/user/pergandeh/media/IMG_0382.jpg.html]
[/URL]Only in Vegas 10 mins and already Big T gets "photobombed"!
[URL=https://s699.photobucket.com/user/pergandeh/media/IMG_0387.jpg.html]
[/URL]Now here’s the Day 1 summary of our gambling. First stop – Binions. Not only did we each redeem LVA $10 free SP, but you put 5 points on your card, then swipe at their Kiosk for another prize. I put my five points on, swiped, and won another $10 free SP (success), while Mr. T got a buy one – get one meal coupon (FAIL). After all monies were played through (plus a little extra) we left Binions with a combined net gain of $15. No free beer though which I also keep track of. Again, for those of you familiar w/my habits, I love Michelob Ultras, so much so, that this is the 2nd year in a row I’ve named my TR after them!
Next stop: The El Cortez. Not only did we need to redeem $20 LVA free play coupons, we also wanted to take advantage of the ATM rebate offer. I’d heard about this promotion courtesy LVAers months ago and knew I’d be pulling out a good quantity of cash once we arrived downtown. Because of this, we only had $60 cash on us to start our trip (and I’d used $25 of it already on beer and wings at 777).
So, up we go to the El Co ATM. ‘How much money would you like to withdraw?’ the machine asks. Why $1000 of course! Nope – exceeds maximum limit. Ok, try $800. Denied. Finally had to whittle our request down to $400 before the machine would approve the transaction. Lame. I believe this has something to do w/each individual’s bank policy, because I know someone else who was able to pull out $800 in one shot. The fee for this service was $3.50 per transaction. We tried another $400, but it was too soon between withdrawals and were once again denied.
No matter, we bring the ATM receipt to the Cashier who verifies and matches the numbers on the receipt to your ATM card. She then gave Mr. T a certificate he brought to the Players Club where they loaded another $20 (in addition to his LVA $10 coupon) onto his account. After running all our free play through on some multi-play VP, we left El Co with a tidy net profit (after ATM fee) of $35. But still no beer.
I’m dreadfully thirsty by the time we reach LVC, so I break down and use a 2-4-1 beer (ACG) coupon. Two Coors light drafts later ($1 plus $1 tip) and I’m ready to face the dreaded matchplay coupon. If you recall from last summer, I had TERRIBLE luck w/the matchplays…betting religiously on red every time…and losing all but I think ONE (out of about 20 attempts). Well this year WILL be different. I will not lose. How can I? I’m betting on BLACK this summer.
I belly up to the dingy roulette table with my half-drunk tap beer, and throw down, issuing my challenge. My eyes narrow as I stare down the dealer, passing him the coupon and a sawbuck. He smirks - he must know me…the ball drops, then spins. It’s all in slow-mo. My palms sweat. I guzzle my final sip of swill, the pit boss has now joined us and he’s watching too. I close then open my eyes. They come into focus just as the ball lands on Red 36. Muther Effer – here we go again! I tell them both, “This is no way to start my vacation,” Pit boss grins and says, “You should try again!” They are taunting me. I leave.
Ok, so the Las Vegas Club is a bust, but onward ho. We reach the Plaza – nice casino, good vibe. We head to the booth for slot play redemption and I decide I’m not giving up on MP’s. I’ll not be defeated this trip. I let Mr. T play his first and he promptly loses. I bet on BLACK again and to my surprise, it’s a win! Love the Plaza even more now. We sat at the bar using more 2-4-1 coupons (2 bottles of beer for $3 – great deal) relaxing, talking, watching some hockey finals, and people watching. When all was said and done, we left the Plaza in the “black” $10. A final, quick stop at the Four Queens yields us another $10 profit and four beers. Overall, a good start so far in Vegas - Day 1!
