PROLOGUE:
Madman Mike finally got the OK from the little woman for a Vegas trip..great. Mark jumped onboard, but as usual he only wanted to come out for only a couple of days. Another co-worker, Jason was going out the weekend before our trip for a friend's bachelor party; decided to extend his stay into our trip...great. His bachelor party apparently fell through...one of the party members had financial shortfalls so the organizer of the trip decided to delay the party until the end of May and changed the venue from Vegas to Orlando...WTF? Jason's plans now in ruin, had to bail out on us. Booked flights on Sun Country for $200 RT, full size rental car from Enterprise for $171 all in, 3 free nights at the Rio and one night at $40....game, set, match.
MONDAY 5/5-
Worked a 10 hour night shift, hurried home and packed my suitcase, cleaned the house & tried to take a short nap...not happening. Picked up Mike and Mark and headed to the Humphrey Terminal at MSP. Checkin was a breeze...bagged 1st class upgrades for the 3 of us. Security checkin went quickly and we waited for our flight at the bar. Double Hendricks gin and tonic..the bartender even hustled up some cucumber slices for my drink...sweet. I sat next to a rather large gentleman...we are talking Orson Wells "We will sell no wine before it's time...large. He consumed two screwdrivers before takeoff and a minimum of 8 more during the flight...guy could really pound down the booze. We had a nice inflight meal and an uneventful flight. The winds in Vegas were gusting in excess of 40 MPH so our pilot brought us in like a rocket sled on rails......used up all of the runway.
Picked up the car from enterprise (Dodge Charger) and took the back roads to the Rio after dropping Mark off at the Gold Coast. Use the Diamond/Platinum check-in...no line. I asked the clerk about an upgrade which she replied that they were 99% full this week. When she saw Mr Jackson winking at her from under my ID, her tone quickly changed..."Let me see what I can do". Bagged a strip view on the 19th floor of the Ipanema tower...larger than normal suite...very nice. Mike and I were running on fumes from lack of sleep, so a two hour nap put us back in the game.
It's been several weeks since my trip and a lot has happened since I returned; so I am going to do a summary of the rest of the trip instead of my usual day by day format.
ENTERTAINMENT
I couldn't get the guys to agree on a show, so we didn't see any. We did however, spend the 1st night in town at the Spearmint Rhino. Nothing like hot chicks hustling you out of your money, trying to get you back into the VIP room...sorry sweet thing...not happening. Mark and I called it a night at 02:00...Madman decided to stay....got back to the suite around 0700 looking like 40 miles of bad road.
MEALS
Big Al's oyster bar at the Orleans...great chowder. Dinner at Ping Pang Pong...very crowded, slow service, but delicious and plentiful food. Hash House at the Rio for breakfast..huge portions. Ate at the Earl of Sandwich for the 1st time...good food. Got a food comp for breakfast at Dupars from the pit boss at the Golden Gate...5 AM breakfast hit the spot after 8 hours of blackjack. Had the breakfast buffet at the Gold Coast the last morning...cheap ($5.99)..basic food, good value. Mike and I ate at Binion's Steakhouse one night....old school Vegas atmosphere with a great view of the city. Prime rib was good, lobster bisque was delicious. Used coupon to receive $27 off of the bill...sweet.
PLACES VISITED
Rio wine cellar---my favorite place in Vegas. They had a private party there the first night; took up 2/3 of the cellar, but managed to have a glass and talk to Jose. The other 2 nights were pretty quiet and I enjoyed my wine flights while talking to Mary Ann who suggested I try the walnut shrimp at PPP. Had an excellent Cab one night from Ryan vineyards...full bodied, not too dry.
Battleground Vegas--shooting range on Industrial, right behind Circus Circus. Opted for the Private Ryan package. Shot a
1903 sniper rifle with vintage scope. Range instructor put the target out about half way so I asked him if he could move it all the way back..he gave me a skeptical look, but complied. I put 5 shots within a 2 inch circle. " You've done this before" he replied. The package also included shooting a 1911 .45 cal ACP, 30 cal carbine, M1 Garand (always wanted to shoot one of these), a Thompson machine gun and a BAR. I can't believe how heavy the BAR(Browning automatic rifle) is...can't image carrying that around all day in combat...what a beast, but very fun to shoot...had a bruise on my shoulder the next day.
Hogs and Heifers---biker bar across from the Downtown Grand. I love this place. Sexy female bartenders and great happy hour prices in the afternoon. This place is fast becoming a Vegas stable for me.
Cromwell--Mike and I checked out the new casino, and all I can say is "Wow!" Place looks great. Every employee we encountered during our walk-thru greeted us with a smile and "Hello".
Linq- We took a brief tour looking at all the shops...most of them were devoid of customers. I walked in the hat shop to look at their Panama hats. The clerk really admired my Stetson fedora (Downs model) which I wear on all of my Vegas trips for the past couple of years. I had a Moscow Mule at the walk up counter at the Yard House...female bartender was very friendly and made a great drink...perfect for a warm afternoon.
Art of Shaving--Made an appointment with my usual barber, Jack at the MB shoppes one afternoon. Great shave and haircut. I treat myself here about every other trip.
GAMBLING
Mike and I lost our asses. I gave the Rio some slot and VP play to keep the free room offers flowing..no wins. I did plunk down $10 on black and $10 on a 4 corner bet (4 numbers)..1st spin was black...broke even. 2nd spin I change to odd and the same 4 corner bet. Hit 17 for a nice $90 profit...high point of my winnings. I did make $60 at MB off of a penny slot while waiting for my haircut appointment. Played mostly BJ and free bet BJ at the Golden Gate for the trip....could not get a streak going and steadily lost...even worse for Madman. We encountered several idiot players at the tables this trip...the worse was a guy who looked stoned/drunk. He got a soft 15, took a hit and got a 5 for a 20...then he insists on taking another card...busted. Mike and I moved to another table much to the dismay of the dealer who was getting regular tips from us. Mike made a $5 side bet for the dealer which resulted in a $100 win for her...she was very excited. Played craps at the Gate just me and the dealers....rolled 4 straight point and seven outs in a row...not my day...not my trip. When I inventoried my bankroll at home I came up $900 short...2nd losing trip in a row...ouch. Played some VP at the MSS and enjoyed several black chip porters. Played some BJ at the Vegas club one afternoon...sexy dancers and female dealers. Held my own, but bailed out because the surly pit boss kept hovering at my table..creepy.
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS
Tons of street performers, porn slappers, hustlers on the strip between Ballys and MGM---need to get rid of those people...pain in the ass.
Parking at the Pho really sucks....takes forever to get to the casino
They were working on the Zipline at the Rio...looks like they are getting close to opening
The D casino downtown was packed, day and night..hard to get a seat at the long bar.
The elevator that services Binions steakhouse is made of glass. Great view as you are going up to the restaurant...unless you are afraid of heights...which Mike is...really freaked him out.
Slotzilla was doing a land office business
Hogs and Heifers is now my favorite afternoon watering hole.
There were putting in new carpet in the Rio casino
Gold Coast buffet is a solid value
1923 Bourbon lounge at MB looks interesting..will have to check that out next trip
Nothing like flying 1st class to Vegas and back...thanks Sun Country Airlines.
Mark only stayed until Wednesday morning...can't figure this guy out why he won't stay for a whole trip.
EPILOGUE
Overall Mike and I enjoyed ourselves, even if we took a beating at the tables all week. I talked to one of the pit bosses at the Gate...he's from my hometown...small world...hell of a nice guy. I don't know what it is with Vegas, but it really puts a toll on my body. I started to get sick the day after the trip..spiked a 102.6 degree temp and felt like shit all weekend. Fever broke Monday morning so I went to work..left a couple of hours early because my leg/knee was hurting and I was running another temperature. Got home and changed clothes only to find one hell of a rash on my left calf. Time to hit the emergency room. Had 103 temp and was tachycardic...felt like I got hit by a truck...spent a week in the hospital on IV antibiotics for cellulitis and an abscess on my knee. Fortunately the abscess is between the lining of the knee joint and the skin and not in the joint itself...needle aspiration in the knee joint confirmed no infection...a really fun procedure I would wish upon my enemies (like the guy who hit on 20). I suffered thru a couple of rough days with high fevers, chills, nausea and generally feeling like crap. Vancomycin therapy is no picnic...really did a number on my veins. I'm finally back home and back to work. Taking two different oral antibiotics, compression wrap on my leg to keep the swelling in check & see the infectious disease doctors next Tuesday...hope they don't have to drain the abscess. Apparently because of my two previous leg episodes (broke it 10 years ago, had hardware put in to hold things together and then had the hardware removed 2 years ago because of infection...after a Vegas trip) my lymphatic system in my left leg is compromised and leaves me susceptible for infections in that leg....all it took was a small blister to allow the bacteria to get a leghold (pun intended).
I had planned on a July trip, but right now my heart is not in it...probably cancel. I am however, planning a 12 day trip in September if I can get a couple of days off from work. I would like to drive up to Reno/Tahoe for a couple of days in the middle of the trip. I have it worked out that I would only have to pay for two nights up at Tahoe and the rest of the hotel rooms would be comped. You can be sure that I will be getting new footwear and will keep a careful foot care regimen next trip. I was the butt of several jokes at work....I need to be more careful on my selection of Hookers..that sort of stuff. I should be able to "hit the ground running" in September. Thanks for reading....it's a wrap.
Madman Mike finally got the OK from the little woman for a Vegas trip..great. Mark jumped onboard, but as usual he only wanted to come out for only a couple of days. Another co-worker, Jason was going out the weekend before our trip for a friend's bachelor party; decided to extend his stay into our trip...great. His bachelor party apparently fell through...one of the party members had financial shortfalls so the organizer of the trip decided to delay the party until the end of May and changed the venue from Vegas to Orlando...WTF? Jason's plans now in ruin, had to bail out on us. Booked flights on Sun Country for $200 RT, full size rental car from Enterprise for $171 all in, 3 free nights at the Rio and one night at $40....game, set, match.
MONDAY 5/5-
Worked a 10 hour night shift, hurried home and packed my suitcase, cleaned the house & tried to take a short nap...not happening. Picked up Mike and Mark and headed to the Humphrey Terminal at MSP. Checkin was a breeze...bagged 1st class upgrades for the 3 of us. Security checkin went quickly and we waited for our flight at the bar. Double Hendricks gin and tonic..the bartender even hustled up some cucumber slices for my drink...sweet. I sat next to a rather large gentleman...we are talking Orson Wells "We will sell no wine before it's time...large. He consumed two screwdrivers before takeoff and a minimum of 8 more during the flight...guy could really pound down the booze. We had a nice inflight meal and an uneventful flight. The winds in Vegas were gusting in excess of 40 MPH so our pilot brought us in like a rocket sled on rails......used up all of the runway.
Picked up the car from enterprise (Dodge Charger) and took the back roads to the Rio after dropping Mark off at the Gold Coast. Use the Diamond/Platinum check-in...no line. I asked the clerk about an upgrade which she replied that they were 99% full this week. When she saw Mr Jackson winking at her from under my ID, her tone quickly changed..."Let me see what I can do". Bagged a strip view on the 19th floor of the Ipanema tower...larger than normal suite...very nice. Mike and I were running on fumes from lack of sleep, so a two hour nap put us back in the game.
It's been several weeks since my trip and a lot has happened since I returned; so I am going to do a summary of the rest of the trip instead of my usual day by day format.
ENTERTAINMENT
I couldn't get the guys to agree on a show, so we didn't see any. We did however, spend the 1st night in town at the Spearmint Rhino. Nothing like hot chicks hustling you out of your money, trying to get you back into the VIP room...sorry sweet thing...not happening. Mark and I called it a night at 02:00...Madman decided to stay....got back to the suite around 0700 looking like 40 miles of bad road.
MEALS
Big Al's oyster bar at the Orleans...great chowder. Dinner at Ping Pang Pong...very crowded, slow service, but delicious and plentiful food. Hash House at the Rio for breakfast..huge portions. Ate at the Earl of Sandwich for the 1st time...good food. Got a food comp for breakfast at Dupars from the pit boss at the Golden Gate...5 AM breakfast hit the spot after 8 hours of blackjack. Had the breakfast buffet at the Gold Coast the last morning...cheap ($5.99)..basic food, good value. Mike and I ate at Binion's Steakhouse one night....old school Vegas atmosphere with a great view of the city. Prime rib was good, lobster bisque was delicious. Used coupon to receive $27 off of the bill...sweet.
PLACES VISITED
Rio wine cellar---my favorite place in Vegas. They had a private party there the first night; took up 2/3 of the cellar, but managed to have a glass and talk to Jose. The other 2 nights were pretty quiet and I enjoyed my wine flights while talking to Mary Ann who suggested I try the walnut shrimp at PPP. Had an excellent Cab one night from Ryan vineyards...full bodied, not too dry.
Battleground Vegas--shooting range on Industrial, right behind Circus Circus. Opted for the Private Ryan package. Shot a
1903 sniper rifle with vintage scope. Range instructor put the target out about half way so I asked him if he could move it all the way back..he gave me a skeptical look, but complied. I put 5 shots within a 2 inch circle. " You've done this before" he replied. The package also included shooting a 1911 .45 cal ACP, 30 cal carbine, M1 Garand (always wanted to shoot one of these), a Thompson machine gun and a BAR. I can't believe how heavy the BAR(Browning automatic rifle) is...can't image carrying that around all day in combat...what a beast, but very fun to shoot...had a bruise on my shoulder the next day.
Hogs and Heifers---biker bar across from the Downtown Grand. I love this place. Sexy female bartenders and great happy hour prices in the afternoon. This place is fast becoming a Vegas stable for me.
Cromwell--Mike and I checked out the new casino, and all I can say is "Wow!" Place looks great. Every employee we encountered during our walk-thru greeted us with a smile and "Hello".
Linq- We took a brief tour looking at all the shops...most of them were devoid of customers. I walked in the hat shop to look at their Panama hats. The clerk really admired my Stetson fedora (Downs model) which I wear on all of my Vegas trips for the past couple of years. I had a Moscow Mule at the walk up counter at the Yard House...female bartender was very friendly and made a great drink...perfect for a warm afternoon.
Art of Shaving--Made an appointment with my usual barber, Jack at the MB shoppes one afternoon. Great shave and haircut. I treat myself here about every other trip.
GAMBLING
Mike and I lost our asses. I gave the Rio some slot and VP play to keep the free room offers flowing..no wins. I did plunk down $10 on black and $10 on a 4 corner bet (4 numbers)..1st spin was black...broke even. 2nd spin I change to odd and the same 4 corner bet. Hit 17 for a nice $90 profit...high point of my winnings. I did make $60 at MB off of a penny slot while waiting for my haircut appointment. Played mostly BJ and free bet BJ at the Golden Gate for the trip....could not get a streak going and steadily lost...even worse for Madman. We encountered several idiot players at the tables this trip...the worse was a guy who looked stoned/drunk. He got a soft 15, took a hit and got a 5 for a 20...then he insists on taking another card...busted. Mike and I moved to another table much to the dismay of the dealer who was getting regular tips from us. Mike made a $5 side bet for the dealer which resulted in a $100 win for her...she was very excited. Played craps at the Gate just me and the dealers....rolled 4 straight point and seven outs in a row...not my day...not my trip. When I inventoried my bankroll at home I came up $900 short...2nd losing trip in a row...ouch. Played some VP at the MSS and enjoyed several black chip porters. Played some BJ at the Vegas club one afternoon...sexy dancers and female dealers. Held my own, but bailed out because the surly pit boss kept hovering at my table..creepy.
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS
Tons of street performers, porn slappers, hustlers on the strip between Ballys and MGM---need to get rid of those people...pain in the ass.
Parking at the Pho really sucks....takes forever to get to the casino
They were working on the Zipline at the Rio...looks like they are getting close to opening
The D casino downtown was packed, day and night..hard to get a seat at the long bar.
The elevator that services Binions steakhouse is made of glass. Great view as you are going up to the restaurant...unless you are afraid of heights...which Mike is...really freaked him out.
Slotzilla was doing a land office business
Hogs and Heifers is now my favorite afternoon watering hole.
There were putting in new carpet in the Rio casino
Gold Coast buffet is a solid value
1923 Bourbon lounge at MB looks interesting..will have to check that out next trip
Nothing like flying 1st class to Vegas and back...thanks Sun Country Airlines.
Mark only stayed until Wednesday morning...can't figure this guy out why he won't stay for a whole trip.
EPILOGUE
Overall Mike and I enjoyed ourselves, even if we took a beating at the tables all week. I talked to one of the pit bosses at the Gate...he's from my hometown...small world...hell of a nice guy. I don't know what it is with Vegas, but it really puts a toll on my body. I started to get sick the day after the trip..spiked a 102.6 degree temp and felt like shit all weekend. Fever broke Monday morning so I went to work..left a couple of hours early because my leg/knee was hurting and I was running another temperature. Got home and changed clothes only to find one hell of a rash on my left calf. Time to hit the emergency room. Had 103 temp and was tachycardic...felt like I got hit by a truck...spent a week in the hospital on IV antibiotics for cellulitis and an abscess on my knee. Fortunately the abscess is between the lining of the knee joint and the skin and not in the joint itself...needle aspiration in the knee joint confirmed no infection...a really fun procedure I would wish upon my enemies (like the guy who hit on 20). I suffered thru a couple of rough days with high fevers, chills, nausea and generally feeling like crap. Vancomycin therapy is no picnic...really did a number on my veins. I'm finally back home and back to work. Taking two different oral antibiotics, compression wrap on my leg to keep the swelling in check & see the infectious disease doctors next Tuesday...hope they don't have to drain the abscess. Apparently because of my two previous leg episodes (broke it 10 years ago, had hardware put in to hold things together and then had the hardware removed 2 years ago because of infection...after a Vegas trip) my lymphatic system in my left leg is compromised and leaves me susceptible for infections in that leg....all it took was a small blister to allow the bacteria to get a leghold (pun intended).
I had planned on a July trip, but right now my heart is not in it...probably cancel. I am however, planning a 12 day trip in September if I can get a couple of days off from work. I would like to drive up to Reno/Tahoe for a couple of days in the middle of the trip. I have it worked out that I would only have to pay for two nights up at Tahoe and the rest of the hotel rooms would be comped. You can be sure that I will be getting new footwear and will keep a careful foot care regimen next trip. I was the butt of several jokes at work....I need to be more careful on my selection of Hookers..that sort of stuff. I should be able to "hit the ground running" in September. Thanks for reading....it's a wrap.
