Vegas Trip Report--dining at "e" --- If You Have to Ask for the Price--You Can't afford it... 11/29-12/4

PROLOGUE:
Well, this was my 6th Vegas trip this year and it was one of the more enjoyable of the 40 plus trips to this town that I have taken over the years. I started planning back in August; talking with my daughter who lives in Northern California to join me for all/part on the trip since I have only seen her once going on two years. We both enjoy seeing shows and dining at upscale restaurants while in Vegas, so we e-mailed back and forth throughout the fall, discussing all of the possibilities. Since part of the trip would be in November and part in December, I could take advantage of my diamond status at CET to get two sets of show tickets for the both of us. She had not seen Michael Jackson One at Mandalay Bay, so that was an easy choice. I had seen the show several years ago, but was eager to see it again...a no brainer. We left the dining options open and would decide while in Vegas where to eat.

Sun Country came through again, and I booked a RT fare for $246. I also got a great rate on a premium grade car thru Enterprise, after checking their website several times....one night they posted a rate of $205(including all taxes & fees) for the length of our trip, which was less that what I would pay for a full sized car. The next day and thereafter the rates were much higher. The boothling at the Enterprise counter raised his eyebrows and gave out a low whistle when he saw my rate pop on his computer screen. The CET people were nice enough to give me 5 comped nights at the Rio and since I am diamond; no resorts fees....SWEET.

We discussed other various activities and put the Pinball Hall of Fame, a tour of the Neon Museum, the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor, perhaps a day hike out at Valley of Fire and of course some time at the Rio wine cellar on the menu. My daughter was able to fly out of Oakland and land in Vegas 3 hours after my flight landed, which was enough time for me to pick up the car, check-in to the Rio and play some VP while quenching my thirst with a Heineken before having to pick her up at the airport.

SUNDAY 11/29:
I tried the day before to pick up a first class upgrade for my flight, but being that this was the weekend after Thanksgiving, all of the 1st class seats had been taken...drat. I did bump myself up to a seat towards the front of the plane. I didn't have to work a night shift the day before, so it was nice to have a leisurely morning getting ready and driving up to the Cities. I took the shuttle from the EZ Airpark people and was dropped off at the smaller Humphrey terminal at MSP. It took me a whole two minutes to check in and head for security. One of the TSA agents was a real DICK; treating me like I was some kind of idiot. He must have asked me 5 times if I had anything left in my pockets...5 times I told him NO. I placed my backpack to go thru the x-ray machine, placed my shoes, belt and jacket in one of their plastic bins and then put my $150 Stetson fedora in a separate bin. The TSA agent walked back over and took my hat out of the bin and placed it atop my other clothing. I looked at him and said, "What, you rationing the use of the plastic bins?" and put the hat back in the other container. I then told him that my hat would get stuck in their machine if I left it where he put it, and then they would have to stop their "production line" in order to fish it out (which has happened a couple of times before). We glared at each other for a few moments and then he walked away. I went thru the scanner and then another TSA agent patted me down, but only on my left side. This is the 2nd time that I have been given a pat down, and both times only on my left side. I guess if I want to hide some contraband, I should stick it in my right pants pocket. What a pain in the ass. Oh well, time to hit the airport bar for my Hendrick's gin and tonic.

I settled into my seat at the bar, the Vikings game was on the TV, so this should be a nice place to pass the time before my flight..wrong. Lucky me, I get another DICK for a bartender. I normally order a double Hendrick's and tonic at the bar and they bring it to me in a tall glass. This guy brings me my double in a smaller glass and I ask him if that is a "double"? He gives me a pained looked and tells me "Yes it is" and walks away. I take one sip and it tastes like pure gin and no tonic....cough. I pull out my cucumber slices out of my backpack and the lovely young lady sipping wine next to me lets out a laugh and says that I came prepared. Well, I sipped my drink, watched the game and chatted with my blonde seatmate. When I finished my drink I waved over the other bartender and told him that I wanted a single this time, which he complied. I ordered up my 3rd drink (a single) and continued to watch the game sans blonde seatmate. When it was time to go I asked for my bill and the 2nd bartender walked over to the DICK and he ran up by bill....he charged me for three doubles. I called over the other guy and asked him if the two drinks that he served me were singles or doubles...he says "Singles" to which I hand the bill back to the DICK and ask him politely to adjust the charges. I paid the bill and left him $1 tip; would have been a fiver if not for his poor attitude. This trip is not starting out on a happy note.

Things picked up when I realized that there was not going to be anyone sitting in the middle seat(I had the aisle). I had a couple of rowdy guys sitting in the seats across the aisle and behind me. One of them stopped the flight attendant and asked her what did they have to do in order to get a drink before takeoff. The FA could see that these guys had "trouble" written all over themselves, I replied, "Buy a first class ticket, dude." The guy looked at me funny, then we all laughed.....they behaved during the flight, but knocked down quite a few beers. Once in the air I ordered a gin and tonic, read a couple of articles in one of my pharmacy journals and drifted off to sleep.

I picked up my suitcase at baggage claim and hopped on the shuttle to the car rental center. A couple of ladies were sitting next to me and asked me if this bus was going to the Fox rental center. I told them that they would have to board another shuttle at the main rental center in order to get to FOX. One of the ladies was quite upset and chewed out the other one, "No wonder they were so cheap!" There was no line at the Enterprise counter and I was in and out in two minutes. The lot attendant showed me a Chrysler 300, but I opted for the Buick LaCrosse. I pulled out my high intensity flashlight and gave the car a quick once over. The attendant commented about the flashlight and I told him that the car pick up area is always dimly lit, but the drop off area is lit up like Times Square....why do you supposed that is? The car was in exceptional condition with only 3,000 miles on it. The LaCrosse performed great and gave us a smooth and comfortable ride during our trip.

I pulled out onto Warm Springs Rd, crossed LV Blvd and headed north on Dean Martin Dr. Took a left onto Rio Dr and soon was standing at the counter at the Diamond check-in area. They gave me a room on the 17th floor of the Ipanema tower. I quickly unpacked, and hurried down to the Shutters bar to play some VP and have my usual Heineken. My 1st $20 went quickly and so did the 2nd, but I played quite a while on the 3rd one before busting out. I walked over and stuck in a hundy in a $1 slot machine and quickly doubled my money. I played it down and cashed out with a $60 profit....I'm even for the day. Time to pick up the daughter.

The airport was pretty quiet at 10 PM and I had no problem meeting Jen at the baggage claim. After I got her settled in at the hotel, we drove over and self parked at Harrah's and gambled a bit at the Tag bar at the Linq, took a tour of the Linq promenade (pretty empty) and then had burgers and shakes at Johnny Rockets before calling it a night.

MONDAY 11/30:
My daughter was up early and decided to go out for a short "run". "Want to join me, Dad?" she asked spritely. I opened my eyes and gave her a hardy harrumph and told her to have fun. She started to take up running earlier this year and ran a half marathon this summer which included running across the Golden Gate bridge. She has a marathon planned in Hawaii this coming Spring. I broke my leg in a canoeing accident 12 years ago and although I had all of the "hardware" removed a couple of years ago, running even for a short distance on a hard surface is painful and causes my foot to swell up....no thanks. I was showered and dressed when she got back, so after she cleaned up and changed we set out for breakfast....the Peppermill, yes!

We were seated right away and didn't have to wait too long for our food, which was delicious. I knew that my daughter would love the Fireside Lounge and she was really "wowed" by it. She had to sit in the fire pit area for a few minutes to take it all in. We drove down to Harrah's and pick up a couple of free tickets to see the Million Dollar Quartet later that evening and then drove down to the Luxor to take in the bodies exhibit. Having taken anatomy classes in college, I am used to seeing human body parts. The human vascular system is truly amazing. This is the 2nd time that I have seen the exhibit and the last display of the human skin always creeps me out for some reason. Jen is a licensed massage therapist and was quite interested in seeing all of the muscle groups and connecting tissue in the various displays. Afterwards we bellied up to the bar at Ri Ra in the MB shoppes and slaked our thirst with tall glasses of Black and Tan. Then it was back to the car and onward to the Pinball Hall of Fame on Tropicana.

I had been there several years ago, but this was the first time that I have been to their new location, what a difference. The place is much larger and they have added a lot of newer games. We each got $10 worth of quarters and then proceeded to wander the aisles looking at all of the various games. I found my old friend, a pinball machine called "Fireball" and settled in. I used to play this game with my roommate when I was in college. My roommate, Ned, got really good at this game and the free games always piled up. After getting a big dose of nostalgia, I moved on and my daughter spied the old Mario Bros Duck Hunt game. You used to be pretty good at that game, Dad. Well, I still got it...I racked up the 5th highest score on my first try. We played for almost two hours before our $10 was exhausted. We then drove down and self parked at Bally's and then had a couple of cocktails at the Paris Diamond lounge....this was her first time in a Diamond lounge....she was impressed.

Earlier in the day, we had passed Bastista's Hole in the Wall restaurant and Jen asked me about it. I told her about it's long Vegas history and how it's become sort of a Vegas icon of sorts. The food is average, wine is served with every meal and Gordon the accordion player has been an institution at the restaurant for years....she was hooked...I booked a reservation with my smart phone via "Open Table". After our cocktails we drove back to the Rio to change clothes and relax. Then it was time for dinner. I decided to take the Rio shuttle to Bally's since I knew that I would be having several adult beverages that evening. We didn't have to wait long and shortly we were back on the Strip. We were greeted warmly at Bastista's, but I was crestfallen when I learned the Gordon was not playing tonight. We were seated in a small cozy room and our waiter soon brought us a carafe of red wine and some bread. We ordered and then chatted with a nice couple at the next table until our food arrived. Honestly, the food was just average, but still very good, as was our waiter. We dined leisurely, put a pretty good "dent" into our carafe and realized we were too full for dessert. Every dinner at Bastista's ends with them bringing you a cup of cappuccino. Our satisfying meal was a real bargain considering Vegas Strip restaurant prices. I'll be visiting this place again sometime soon, hopefully to hear Gordon play at our table.

We walked over to Harrah's and were seated in the 4th row center for our show. We both enjoyed the performance, these guys really know how to belt out the tunes. The actor that plays Jerry Lee Lewis is outstanding, he can really play the the "eighty-eights". We wandered around Harrah's then Linq then the Flamingo before landing at the Cromwell. We saw an episode right out of the show "Cops" being played out in between the Flamingo and the Cromwell. Metro had a car pulled over and was in the process of pulling the driver out of his car...he was obviously very, very, very, intoxicated...even by Vegas standards. No field sobriety tests for this dude....planted him on the hood of the squad car and cuffed him....Vegas Baby!!!

My daughter immediately commented on the smell upon entering the Cromwell...."Smells like some kind of male cologne that southern California douchebags wear." She sat down at a penny slot machine to play and I walked up to the bar, but when I saw the unplayable VP pay tables I found a $1 VP machine on the casino floor, not too far from Jen. We played for about 30 minutes and neither one of us saw a cocktail waitress, and it was pretty dead in the casino. My daughter finally walked up to the bar and order a drink...was charged $15...ouch. I finally had enough, so we headed for the taxi stand to go back to the Rio. When we walked out the doors there were 4 employees standing there talking. We walked over to the cab stand and no one was around, the guys by the door ignored us, so I walked up to the first cab in line and told him to take us home. Not impressed with the Cromwell's service.

We ran $20 thru the VP machines at the Shutters Bar and then packed it in. The last couple of trips I have noticed the total absence of working girls hanging around the Shutters bar area....not like the "old" days.

I'll make another installment of our trip very soon.....thanks for coming along.

TUESDAY 12/1:
Today was our designated Downtown Day. My daughter was up early and out the door for her morning run. I showered and went downstairs and placed a bet on the Thursday night NFL game; Lions with the ML. I then played some VP at the bar until my daughter returned and was ready to go. I used the valet at the Golden Gate as I usually do when I am downtown. We took a casual stroll down the FSE just taking in the sights. We stopped in at the El Cortez to take a look around and I talked to the bartender at the Parlour lounge. The 2 for 1 special for their premium martinis during happy hour is back in place; the drinks cost $10 now instead of $8 formerly...still a good deal. We walked across the street and had lunch at Le Thai restaurant. The place is small, but the food is good and reasonable prices. Their "spice" scale runs from 1 to 5. My daughter decided on a "4", on the advice from the waiter that told her that a "5" is like nuclear hell. I wimped out and ordered a "2" which had plenty of "kick" for this guy. I really liked their cucumber salad, which we shared. Afterwards, we wandered over to the D casino and played the Sigma Derby game for almost 2 hours...my daughter loves that machine. We both hit some 20+ to 1 shots to keep us going until we finally ran out of quarters.

We continued our downtown adventure over at the 4 Q's and played the Silver Strike slots for a while, with Jen getting two coins to my one. I told her about my favorite afternoon downtown watering hole, Hogs and Heifers and she said she was up to the task. The place was pretty subdued when we sat at the bar. I ordered a Bud Light draft and to my surprise my daughter ordered up a draft and a shot of Makers....atta girl. Not to be out done by my youngster, I told the female bartender to give me a shot of Jameson Black. I bought our bartender a shot and the three of us slammed them down. I've encountered one of the bartenders on previous visits and we bantered back and forth & another round of shots was in order, but I refrained from partaking because of my driving duties. I told them that I would be back the end of next month, and the bartender said, "Good, then we can get totally 'fucked up' together." I believe that she was sincere in her remark...I'll see next month.

Twilight was upon us and it was time to head over for our tour of the Neon Museum. The place was easy to find from the FSE with a parking lot just across the street from the reception center. I had bought our tickets on line a week earlier which was a good thing because our tour group was full. There were quite a few people in the lobby buying tickets for later tours. Our tour guide said that she was from Michigan and I asked her if she was a "Yooper", nope she was from the lower peninsula..Bay City..incredible, she was from my home town. Taking the tour at night (5:30) was pretty neat as some of the signs were lit up. Our tour guide gave us a constant flow of information on the history of each sign and sideline info about the owners and performers of each place. My expectations were far exceeded and I would highly recommend to anyone not to miss seeing the Neon boneyard. I talked briefly with the tour guide afterwards about our home town, gave her a nice tip and wished her well.

We drove back to the Rio and decided to partake of their buffet. They have a promotion going in that if you earn 50 tier points you can get a voucher for a free buffet at the TR desk. I used the voucher and a $5 off coupon so the meal was quite affordable. The food was good, but I really have become disappointed with their dessert selections which has steadily declined for the past several years. Only two selections of pies (apple and cherry) and no carrot cake. Still a solid buffet option in my opinion, especially with being able to use vouchers/coupons.

After dinner we changed clothes and headed to Mandalay Bay to see MJ One. We had great seats, maybe a little too close, but dead center with the stage, 8th row I believe. I saw the show 4 or 5 years ago on my birthday and they have made some changes to the show for the better. They have upgraded the lighting using newer technology among other things. My daughter graduated with a BFA in theater and was totally blown away with the technical aspects of the stage management of the show. We left the show with a little "Moon Walk" in our steps.

We played some slots in the casino for a bit, I lost, Jen walked out with a $70 profit. She was tired when we returned to the Rio and left me sitting at the Shutters bar with my VP and Heineken and called it a night. I donated some more money to CET's coffers before hanging it up....a long and enjoyable day.

WEDNESDAY 12/2:

Jen was up early as usual and took an Uber ride over to the Canyon Spa at the Venetian where she spent the morning. I slept in and then we met up at Harrah's and then walked over to the Cromwell to have lunch at Giada. The restaurant is very nice and we opted to sit in a booth rather than sit in the direct sunlight by the window. Jen had the Contadina breakfast and I had the Muffuletta sandwich with arugula salad. Service was a little on the slow side and the waiter brought our food, plunked it down on the table and briskly started to walk away. I had to call him back because I was staring a a plate of lasagna instead of my expected sandwich. My daughter had to ask for some pepper for her eggs as well as some jam for her toast. Considering what I paid for this lunch and poor service I can write this place off of my Vegas bucket list...don't think they have left enough of an impression for me to return.

While we were eating Jen got an e-mail from the Jaleo restaurant over at the Cosmo. She had tried to make a reservation over 2 months ago to eat at their special room "e" for dinner. "e" is a special room off of the main dining area and is limited to 8 patrons. They serve you a 21 course dinner with optional wine pairings that can run you up to $500 for just the pairings. Initially she was told that they were booked for the evening, but would put us on a waiting list. During lunch she was notified that they had a cancellation and would we still be interested in dinner....Hell Yes!! She replied to the e-mail and shortly afterwards we were confirmed for their 5:30 seating. We walked around the Strip for a bit and then went back to the room to change for dinner; then we had to have a glass of wine at the Rio wine cellar.

Lita was there to greet us, Joel would be in later, Jose had the day off and unfortunately Mary Ann has had more health problems and has been off of work for more than a month. Jen had a glass of champagne and I had a pinor noir from Oregon. We enjoyed our wine while chatting with Lita until it was time for dinner. We drove over and parked at the Cosmo; their parking system with the red and green lights makes it a lot easier to find an available space. We were the first of our group to arrive and the hostess sat us at a table in the front of the restaurant and brought us a carafe of sparkling water. Another couple, from Pittsburgh, showed up soon after and seemed to be as excited about dinner as we were. Ten minutes later we were all ushered into a side room and seated at a curved table. The chefs would be preparing the courses in front of us, explaining what went into each preparation. My daughter had dined here with a friend a couple of years ago and she commented that the courses were a lot more imaginative and adventurous than before. I have never been so pampered during a meal than this one. After each course, my plate & place setting was whisked away and immediately replaced. The portions were small, but after 21 courses we were full. I choose one of their wine pairing options, which consisted of several different Spanish wines and sherries. Two and a half hours later we were finished..what a meal, what a dining experience. I set a new personal record in paying for a dinner for two...by far. I consider this a once in a lifetime experience, well worth the cost..something that I'll remember and relate to my friends for years to come. Maybe, with the right person, I'll pony up and do this again. Wow, just Wow.....that's all I have to say about it.

We ended up sitting at the 2nd floor bar as I wanted my daughter to experience a Verbena cocktail which is not available at any of the other Cosmo bars and is not on any of their bar menus. There was a couple of good looking college aged girls sitting a couple of seats down the bar from us and a middle aged gentleman sitting farther down from them. This guy's buddy showed up a few minutes after we sat down and stared at the two girls as he walked by and sat next to his friend. This guy absolutely leered at the two women....lusted a more apt term....it was creepy. A few minutes later the girls left and Mr Slime ball turns his gaze to my daughter. "If he comes over here to talk to you, I'm going to punch him." I whispered to Jen. "Not before I do." she replied. We finished our drinks and then it was time for our 3rd show of the trip....Jubilee.

My daughter and I had seen Jubilee several years ago, but still enjoyed the performance thoroughly. We had seats in Kings row, which was a booth. The costumes are really way over the top, the headdresses are enormous...I'm amazed that the dancers can do their routines with such grace. Another winner of a show. Jen retired early and I played at my usual place, the Shutters bar, losing more of my bankroll....quads have been very few so far this trip.

Thanks Larry for this so far! Sorry about your slow bleed gaming wise so far! Hopefully some day, I'll make it over to both the PBHOF as well as the Neon Museum!

It sounds like another nice father-daughter trip and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more on your adventures!

RecVPPlayer

THURSDAY: DEC 3:
Started out the day with the usual routine; Jen up early and out the door for her morning run and me catching a few extra zzzzzzzz's. I headed down to Mandalay Bay shoppes after arising at the crack of 09:00 for my appointment with Jack at the Art of Shaving. My daughter was back from her run and rode down with me and decided to do some casino hopping on the south Strip during by appointment. Some people like to have a day at a Spa while in Vegas; well a haircut and royal shave at the Art of Shaving is my version of a Spa day. I treat myself to this luxury about every 3rd trip. I always make arrangements to have the same barber, Jack, as he really is meticulous in his work; a real artist with a pair of scissors and a razor. The appointment lasts about an hour and a half and my face feels rejuvenated afterwards. I called Jen after I was finished and we meet up at NYNY where I grabbed a couple of Nathan's hotdogs for lunch. While I was scarfing down my dogs, Jen went down to the casino and won another $90. We took the tram back to the Luxor, picked up the car and drove and self parked at Bally's.

We walked over to the Bellagio to see the Christmas display at their conservatory, but they were still in the process of tearing down the fall display and just starting with the new one. Jen wanted to get something quick to eat before heading to the airport so we walked over to the food court at Bally's. I dropped by daughter off at her terminal, lots of hugs and goodbyes. I wish she would be able to come home for Christmas this year, but the Holiday season is very busy at the spa/resort that she works at during that period. We have talked about me coming out to California to visit this Spring. Already looking at a combination Vegas/Napa trip in April...Whoo...Hoo.

During the afternoon my two Vegas buddies, Timberwolf and Julie had been sending me updates on their progress in coming into town. I was to meet them at the Bound bar at the Cromwell. The traffic coming back from the airport was unbelievable...totally bumper to bumper on Koval from Harmon all the way to Flamingo...we just crawled along. Things were starting to pick up with the Rodeo in town. I valet parked at the Flamingo and hoofed over to the Bound bar and met up with David(Timberwolf) and Julie. Julie was downing a couple of very spicy tasting cocktails and I had a couple of glasses of wine. Some other people that I had met previously in the Harrah's diamond lounge were also sitting at the bar, so we had a great time talking and drinking. Things got pretty hazy after that. We walked over to the diamond lounge at Caesars to watch the Thursday night NFL game and continue cocktailing. When Aaron Rogers threw that Hail Mary pass I couldn't believe my eyes. The diamond employees turned the TV off immediately after the catch, so I didn't even get to see the replay....only my Lions could totally blow a game like that....it's the Bobby Layne curse, I swear. I do remember playing craps with Julie at Harrah's for a while and losing my ass in the process; nobody was hitting any points. We ended the night by playing some VP at the Tag bar at the Linq. The porters that they serve at the bar went down very smoothly. I did hit a few quads, but not enough to keep me from a losing session. Finally around 03:00 we called things off and I headed for home. No way was I in shape to drive so I left the car at the Flamingo valet and would pick it up in the morning.

Take a cab? Nah, I'll walk, it's just a short stretch of the legs to the Rio, right? So off I trode, at 3 o'clock in the morning, wearing a short sleeve shirt and no jacket. An ordinary mortal would have been cold with the nighttime winter temperatures, but fueled with alcohol and a life time of surviving the upper midwest winters this was just a casual stroll for me.....hah. I didn't encounter anyone during my travel and soon was sitting at the Shutters bar refreshed and sober enough to realize that I would need pharmaceuticals to endure the fast coming morning. I played some VP and drank several glasses of ginger ale before retiring......downed some pedialyte and crashed.

FRIDAY: 12/4

Last day in Vegas....woke up at 08:30 after getting about 3 1/2 hours of sleep....anyone get the license number of the truck that hit me last night? I started to feel a little better after a loooooong hot shower and several cups of coffee. I packed up my belongings, left them at the Bell desk and checked out. I took the Rio shuttle over to Bally's and then retrieved my car at the Flamingo valet and then back to the Rio. I went up to the diamond lounge with the plan of printing out my boarding pass. One of the terminals was out of order and someone was using the other one, so I sat down and drank a couple of ginger ales and watched some golf on TV. The guy was still playing around on the computer so I gave up on the boarding pass idea. I remembered then that I thought that I had checked in and upgraded to 1st class for my return flight....checked my I-phone....yup, I did.....how the hell did I manage to do that last night? Wonder of wonders.

Timberwolf and Julie texted me and we made arrangements for me to drive over and pick them up at Bally's. I made a quick coupon run over at Gold Coast and lost both of my matchplays. I picked them up at Bally's and then I drove downtown to the Gate and we had lunch at Dupar's using out $15 food vouchers. I won about $40 with my free play at the Gate and we bounced around downtown at the various casinos before finally landing at the Boar's Head bar at MSS. We started playing VP in earnest, each putting a buck into a pool to see who would get the 1st quad. Julie cleaned up....I ran out of $1 bills. Shortly before we quit, I hit 4 Ace's for a nice win and a little profit. We had dinner over at the Binion's cafe. Half of a ham sandwich, which was piled with tasty ham, and a big bowl of bean soup hit the spot. We then headed over to Harrah's Diamond lounge for parting cocktails before I had to head for the car rental center.

I said my goodbyes to David and Julie; gee, I really like hanging out with these guys, they are a lot of fun. I can't wait until my March trip to play craps with Julie and MadMan Mike at the Gate....we had a blast last year. I dropped the car off without incident, checked in for my flight, TSA line was very short and moved quickly...this trip is a done deal. There was a group of Asian tourists going thru security just ahead of me and they were clueless. The one old guy set off the scanners....they took him aside and proceeded to start pulling all kinds of items out of his various pockets...it looked like a scene out of a Marx Brothers movie with Harpo.

I had a gin and tonic before we pulled away from the gate and another one in flight before drifting off to sleep in my comfortable first class seat. Temperatures were in the upper 30's when we landed at MSP....hey, we're having a heat wave!. The parking shuttle was there to pick me up and soon I was heading for home. The road had some slick spots in a couple of places....a pickup hauling a big trailer was in the median and a car was in the ditch about 100 yards down from him. The highway was ablaze with flashing lights from about half a dozen squad cars....didn't look like anyone was hurt, fortunately.

Nick, my cat was at the door and really chewed me out with his meowing...."Where the hell have you been?" I unpacked and then slept on the couch until noon....what a trip.

Looking back, my daughter and I really packed in a lot of activities during our stay and didn't do a whole lot of gambling...at least by my usual standards. I did have another losing trip...that makes for the last 5 out of 6 trips. I understand that the show Jubilee is closing in February, so I am glad we got to see it one last time. I might see it again in late January, to say my goodbyes to this Vegas icon. I can't say how much I enjoy being with David and Julie while I am in Vegas...they make things so much fun...I laugh all the time when I am with them. Great seeing you guys again.

I pounced on another great airfare from Spirit, $85 RT for the end of January. I have 3 comped nights at Bally's and only $46 for the last night, which is a Friday....not bad. This will be a solo trip; plan on playing a little less VP and more table games this time around. I want to give the Luxor some play for the next couple of trips in order to generate some free room offers from them. I plan on attending a national pharmacy convention at MB next December, so staying at the Pyramid would be convenient. MadMan Mike has been given the OK for our March trip for St Pat's Day, Jersey Mark, Freddie Five Fingers are also on board. Now if I can talk my Vegas "lawyer" Brock to come along......Hey, we're getting the band back together....we're on a mission from God!

If you have hung in there and are still reading this long winded report.....don't you have anything better to do?? No, seriously...thanks for reading. Hope your next Vegas trip is as much fun as mine was.

Great report, no sir it was not long winded, Martie & I enjoy taking our adult children on Vegas trips, it's wonderful seeing the looks in their eyes. Keep your reports coming, we will file a trip report on our Jan 4-8 trip to Laughlin, thanks again. Bobby

Great report! I loved the info on "e" and have added that 21-course meal to my bucket list. I just need a jackpot or a sugar daddy! I don't know if you play online slots (free) with myVegas, but you can get free rooms at the Luxor and even Mandalay during the week with not too many rewards points. I almost chose Luxor for my freebie on my trip next week, but decided on Monte Carlo so I will be close to Cosmo vis the tram--don't want to drive back to my hotel after visiting the Chandelier Bar! I was glad to hear some things about Rio, as my first two nights are comped there. I really like the property but have only one big there once. Have a good Christmas. I am anxious to read any upcoming reports!

Great seeing you again Big Lar! - cool that several of our trips have coincided this past year.

So impressed by all the shows, activities, and fine dining you did. Thursday night was a bit of a blur, I mainly remember you losing that Lion's MoneyLine bet and me winning my Packers bet on the Hail Mary, lucky Packers. You did great Friday after losing your first couple matchplays at DTG and The D - when we got back to GG you won MP & FP and made a profit at MSS. Sweet way to end your trip.

Looking forward to seeing you in 2016. Julie says you might want to wear hockey pads as she plans on hip checking the heck out of you and Mike during your March Madness craps extravaganza.

Thanks, Larry for such a great report! That's also great that you got to spend some time with your Vegas pals as I enjoyed the time that we previously hung around downtown.

And sorry that the gaming portion of your trip did not end positively! It's just bad when things just basically go downhill all or most all of a trip.

RecVPPlayer