PROLOGUE:
My good friend Gail and I decided to take a fall Vegas vacation; paired with celebrating my 61st birthday. The planning stage started in May with being able to bag direct RT airfare from Sun Country, MSP to LAS for $219(included all taxes & fees). This was the lowest fare that I've had since Allegiant abandoned my local airport in Rochester. By using both of our TR numbers the Rio offered us 4 comped nights and $175 for the other 4 nights, which included the weekend- once we unpack, we are there for the duration or so I thought(more on that later). I watched the car rental rates and grabbed an intermediate sized car from Enterprise for $165/wk(included all taxes and fees). I expected to get a lower rate sometime during the course of the summer only to see rates gradually climb and peaking out at $325/wk for the same car..glad I booked when I did. In August I received a letter from a law firm(Dewey, Cheatum & Howe) informing me that the car that I had co-signed for my son was a vehicle that was involved in a class action lawsuit against Enterprise and contained a $100 voucher good toward a future rental....sweet. I haven't seen my daughter since last Christmas, so I arranged a free premium room at the Gold Coast for the weekend for her and her friend, Ana. Airfare, room and transportation plans were completed by mid-June ...now we had plenty of time to discuss dining and entertainment options for the trip, which led to many a conversation with Gail over the summer months. And so it begins..............
TUESDAY 9/13
I'm up at 05:30, can't sleep, too much Vegas induced adrenalin. Pack the car and make the 90 minute drive over to Gail's and spend the next two hours watching her scurry around the house packing her suitcases...leave the gun, take the cannoli. I almost gave myself a hernia when I picked up one of her suitcases. We are on the road by noon and at the airport at 13:30. a full 2 1/2 hrs early...not too eager? We scored a couple of first class upgrades for $100 each and getting the checked baggage fees waived.
We grabbed a sandwich after going thru security only to run into one of Gail's former co-workers. They chatted for quite awhile...meantime I devoured my chips and sandwich; doing my best not to scarf down Gail's half. We had a beer at the airport bar, then it was time to board the plane. We were one of the first people on the plane and within minutes of being seated I was enjoying a Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back. While I am taking a big swig of beer I look up to see one of my work supervisors staring at me in amazement as her and her husband are boarding....just living the dream, Jenna. The flight was right on time with no problems. Our meal consisted of a cheese and cracker plate followed with a nice chicken breast, couscous, baby carrots and salad...and a couple of glasses of chardonnay. I read my Wine Spectator magazine while Gail listened to some tunes on her MP3 player and next thing we know we are landing in Vegas.
The airport is really dead...where are all the hot young women with legs that just won't quit that I usually see at the airport to greet me? After grabbing our suitcases, including Gail's; which I nicknamed "The Beast", it was off to the car rental center. Check-in at the rental desk was quick and we were off to the lot in no time. The lot clerk promptly greeted us and took us out to pick out our rental. I passed a Mercedes and jokingly asked the attendant if I could have this one. He looked at me and said, "Oh, I can give you an upgrade to a premium for just $10/day more"...done... 5 minutes later we are driving out in new Lincoln MKZ....sweet ride.
Traffic was light until we got by the Rio...what a mess....they are hosting the San Gennaro festival for the week...with parking lots awash with cars...solution--valet. Slip the valet attendant a fin, which gets me a big smile and reply that my car will be given priority when I come back to retrieve it, plus he will be sure that it is parked in a shady spot. After slipping the check-in person a $20 sandwich and requesting a nice room for my birthday, he gives us a strip view room on the 27th floor of the Masquerade Tower. We are almost all unpacked when Gail points out that the room safe is locked....no problem, I'll call security to come unlock it for us...wrong! After being transferred about 4 times I am informed that they can't unlock the safe because they don't have the device which allows them to unlock it....what? Won't have it until a couple of days. Okay, we'll use a safety deposit box down at the cashiers....wrong! I am informed that they no longer have those boxes at the Rio...just use the room safe. After I explained the situation, she curtly informs me to change rooms....right...the desk clerk starts out by telling me about the Ipanema Tower....stop right there dude, you want me to re-pack all of our stuff and drag everything back across the casino (including "The Beast") into the other tower?...wrong! He assures me that we can get another room on the same floor if we wait until morning...geesh. Enough drama...we are wasting valuable Vegas time. Deal with it in the morning.
The Harrah's shuttle deposits us to the strip and me make our way over to T.I. for a successful BJ session until 01:30 when we pull up stakes and head to the LaScena lounge at the Venetian for a glass of wine. They still have a band playing, and they are pretty good..$14 for a glass of wine...ouch! A very attractive lady in a white dress, which looks like she was poured into...skin tight... walked past our table....tried not to violate the '3 second rule' for starring, but failed. She was sitting with some guy who was more interested in playing with his I-phone than her....moron. Gail and I couldn't decide if she was his wife/GF or his "date" for the evening. After drinks I wanted to hit my favorite Star Trek machine in order to boost my medal count. The machine kept malfunctioning; I couldn't get into the game level that I wanted to play...kept exiting me back to the main menu. Meanwhile, Gail sat down and slipped a twenty into an Elivs slot machine and hit a thousand coin bonus on about the 3rd spin for an unexpected $250 win. Next, we strolled down to Harrah's and played some VP at the bar and had a couple of Heinekens; and then a late meal at the Victorian Room at Bill's...place was empty. Cabbed it back to the Rio and it was lights out at 04:30...not bad for our first night in Sin City.
WEDNESDAY:
I'm up at 08:30 and make a pot of coffee(we bring our own Mr Coffee machine) ahhhhh. I went down to the desk and the clerk said we could have a new room just down the hall, but we had to move NOW. It's now past 9 and I have to be down to Mandalay Bay at 10:30, Gail is still in bed...time to haul ass. Surprisingly, we are moved into our new suite without any complications and my cash and her jewelery go into the safe...one less thing to worry about. Give Gail a quick hug and kiss and then I'm off to MB for my appointment at the Art of Shaving. I wait a total of about 3 minutes to get my car from valet. As busy as they were at the Valet for the entire week; we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for my car...great job, guys. I was right on time for my appointment, Jack, the barber took good care of me. He gave me what I consider the best haircut that I have ever had, but the highlight was the Royal Shave. I have never had a straight razor shave before, so this was my Vegas treat to myself for my birthday. What an experience...this goes on my list of things to do while in Vegas, every trip. Who's that good looking guy starring back at me in the mirror! Took 90 minutes, cost $85 for the haircut and shave...but worth every penny to me. Feel ready to take on the day.
Walk over to the MGM to pick up my reserved tickets for Crazy Horse Paris, clerk finally finds my reservation, but can't seem to be able to print out my tickets...excuses himself to go find a supervisor and then 15 minutes later appears with my tickets...whatever. Next on the agenda is to find the hat store at the south outlet mall and see if I can find a fedora. Clerk is real helpful, and I now own a genuine Stetson fedora, Downs model....now I am in complete Vegas mode....wanted to buy a fedora for the past two years...finally found one.
It's back to the Rio to pick up Gail..she likes my hat, then another BJ session at T.I. for the afternoon. She won, I tread water, ending dead even. Dinner is at Buzio's seafood restaurant at the Rio. We had never dined there before, and I wasn't expecting much....wrong. Everything was delicious, especially the fish entrees. We shared a delightful bottle of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. The waiter did forget my salad, but more that made up for it by bringing us a huge slice of cheesecake at no charge. We were stuffed at that point and took our prize back to the room for later. I woke up the next morning only to find Gail sitting on the couch sipping coffee and enjoying our cheesecake...hey, save some for me!
After dinner we drove down to the MGM, I played my Lions Share progressive slot...no dice...I'll hit the big one next time for sure. Crazy Horse Paris was a very enjoyable show....erotic in a tasteful way....amazing lighting effects...great show. We had a couple of young french speaking guys sit at our table...they talked constantly before the show...not a peep out of these guys during the performance. Afterward it was back to the Rio, played a few slots, then bedtime.
Big day tomorrow......horseback riding up at Mt Charleston....this should be interesting...only contact with horses that I have had in the last 45 years....is betting on them at the track.....YeeHaw!
To be continued...........
My good friend Gail and I decided to take a fall Vegas vacation; paired with celebrating my 61st birthday. The planning stage started in May with being able to bag direct RT airfare from Sun Country, MSP to LAS for $219(included all taxes & fees). This was the lowest fare that I've had since Allegiant abandoned my local airport in Rochester. By using both of our TR numbers the Rio offered us 4 comped nights and $175 for the other 4 nights, which included the weekend- once we unpack, we are there for the duration or so I thought(more on that later). I watched the car rental rates and grabbed an intermediate sized car from Enterprise for $165/wk(included all taxes and fees). I expected to get a lower rate sometime during the course of the summer only to see rates gradually climb and peaking out at $325/wk for the same car..glad I booked when I did. In August I received a letter from a law firm(Dewey, Cheatum & Howe) informing me that the car that I had co-signed for my son was a vehicle that was involved in a class action lawsuit against Enterprise and contained a $100 voucher good toward a future rental....sweet. I haven't seen my daughter since last Christmas, so I arranged a free premium room at the Gold Coast for the weekend for her and her friend, Ana. Airfare, room and transportation plans were completed by mid-June ...now we had plenty of time to discuss dining and entertainment options for the trip, which led to many a conversation with Gail over the summer months. And so it begins..............
TUESDAY 9/13
I'm up at 05:30, can't sleep, too much Vegas induced adrenalin. Pack the car and make the 90 minute drive over to Gail's and spend the next two hours watching her scurry around the house packing her suitcases...leave the gun, take the cannoli. I almost gave myself a hernia when I picked up one of her suitcases. We are on the road by noon and at the airport at 13:30. a full 2 1/2 hrs early...not too eager? We scored a couple of first class upgrades for $100 each and getting the checked baggage fees waived.
We grabbed a sandwich after going thru security only to run into one of Gail's former co-workers. They chatted for quite awhile...meantime I devoured my chips and sandwich; doing my best not to scarf down Gail's half. We had a beer at the airport bar, then it was time to board the plane. We were one of the first people on the plane and within minutes of being seated I was enjoying a Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back. While I am taking a big swig of beer I look up to see one of my work supervisors staring at me in amazement as her and her husband are boarding....just living the dream, Jenna. The flight was right on time with no problems. Our meal consisted of a cheese and cracker plate followed with a nice chicken breast, couscous, baby carrots and salad...and a couple of glasses of chardonnay. I read my Wine Spectator magazine while Gail listened to some tunes on her MP3 player and next thing we know we are landing in Vegas.
The airport is really dead...where are all the hot young women with legs that just won't quit that I usually see at the airport to greet me? After grabbing our suitcases, including Gail's; which I nicknamed "The Beast", it was off to the car rental center. Check-in at the rental desk was quick and we were off to the lot in no time. The lot clerk promptly greeted us and took us out to pick out our rental. I passed a Mercedes and jokingly asked the attendant if I could have this one. He looked at me and said, "Oh, I can give you an upgrade to a premium for just $10/day more"...done... 5 minutes later we are driving out in new Lincoln MKZ....sweet ride.
Traffic was light until we got by the Rio...what a mess....they are hosting the San Gennaro festival for the week...with parking lots awash with cars...solution--valet. Slip the valet attendant a fin, which gets me a big smile and reply that my car will be given priority when I come back to retrieve it, plus he will be sure that it is parked in a shady spot. After slipping the check-in person a $20 sandwich and requesting a nice room for my birthday, he gives us a strip view room on the 27th floor of the Masquerade Tower. We are almost all unpacked when Gail points out that the room safe is locked....no problem, I'll call security to come unlock it for us...wrong! After being transferred about 4 times I am informed that they can't unlock the safe because they don't have the device which allows them to unlock it....what? Won't have it until a couple of days. Okay, we'll use a safety deposit box down at the cashiers....wrong! I am informed that they no longer have those boxes at the Rio...just use the room safe. After I explained the situation, she curtly informs me to change rooms....right...the desk clerk starts out by telling me about the Ipanema Tower....stop right there dude, you want me to re-pack all of our stuff and drag everything back across the casino (including "The Beast") into the other tower?...wrong! He assures me that we can get another room on the same floor if we wait until morning...geesh. Enough drama...we are wasting valuable Vegas time. Deal with it in the morning.
The Harrah's shuttle deposits us to the strip and me make our way over to T.I. for a successful BJ session until 01:30 when we pull up stakes and head to the LaScena lounge at the Venetian for a glass of wine. They still have a band playing, and they are pretty good..$14 for a glass of wine...ouch! A very attractive lady in a white dress, which looks like she was poured into...skin tight... walked past our table....tried not to violate the '3 second rule' for starring, but failed. She was sitting with some guy who was more interested in playing with his I-phone than her....moron. Gail and I couldn't decide if she was his wife/GF or his "date" for the evening. After drinks I wanted to hit my favorite Star Trek machine in order to boost my medal count. The machine kept malfunctioning; I couldn't get into the game level that I wanted to play...kept exiting me back to the main menu. Meanwhile, Gail sat down and slipped a twenty into an Elivs slot machine and hit a thousand coin bonus on about the 3rd spin for an unexpected $250 win. Next, we strolled down to Harrah's and played some VP at the bar and had a couple of Heinekens; and then a late meal at the Victorian Room at Bill's...place was empty. Cabbed it back to the Rio and it was lights out at 04:30...not bad for our first night in Sin City.
WEDNESDAY:
I'm up at 08:30 and make a pot of coffee(we bring our own Mr Coffee machine) ahhhhh. I went down to the desk and the clerk said we could have a new room just down the hall, but we had to move NOW. It's now past 9 and I have to be down to Mandalay Bay at 10:30, Gail is still in bed...time to haul ass. Surprisingly, we are moved into our new suite without any complications and my cash and her jewelery go into the safe...one less thing to worry about. Give Gail a quick hug and kiss and then I'm off to MB for my appointment at the Art of Shaving. I wait a total of about 3 minutes to get my car from valet. As busy as they were at the Valet for the entire week; we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for my car...great job, guys. I was right on time for my appointment, Jack, the barber took good care of me. He gave me what I consider the best haircut that I have ever had, but the highlight was the Royal Shave. I have never had a straight razor shave before, so this was my Vegas treat to myself for my birthday. What an experience...this goes on my list of things to do while in Vegas, every trip. Who's that good looking guy starring back at me in the mirror! Took 90 minutes, cost $85 for the haircut and shave...but worth every penny to me. Feel ready to take on the day.
Walk over to the MGM to pick up my reserved tickets for Crazy Horse Paris, clerk finally finds my reservation, but can't seem to be able to print out my tickets...excuses himself to go find a supervisor and then 15 minutes later appears with my tickets...whatever. Next on the agenda is to find the hat store at the south outlet mall and see if I can find a fedora. Clerk is real helpful, and I now own a genuine Stetson fedora, Downs model....now I am in complete Vegas mode....wanted to buy a fedora for the past two years...finally found one.
It's back to the Rio to pick up Gail..she likes my hat, then another BJ session at T.I. for the afternoon. She won, I tread water, ending dead even. Dinner is at Buzio's seafood restaurant at the Rio. We had never dined there before, and I wasn't expecting much....wrong. Everything was delicious, especially the fish entrees. We shared a delightful bottle of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. The waiter did forget my salad, but more that made up for it by bringing us a huge slice of cheesecake at no charge. We were stuffed at that point and took our prize back to the room for later. I woke up the next morning only to find Gail sitting on the couch sipping coffee and enjoying our cheesecake...hey, save some for me!
After dinner we drove down to the MGM, I played my Lions Share progressive slot...no dice...I'll hit the big one next time for sure. Crazy Horse Paris was a very enjoyable show....erotic in a tasteful way....amazing lighting effects...great show. We had a couple of young french speaking guys sit at our table...they talked constantly before the show...not a peep out of these guys during the performance. Afterward it was back to the Rio, played a few slots, then bedtime.
Big day tomorrow......horseback riding up at Mt Charleston....this should be interesting...only contact with horses that I have had in the last 45 years....is betting on them at the track.....YeeHaw!
To be continued...........
