This trip was an oddity for me on two fronts: I went with a friend instead of my husband and I actually WON!
We arrived bright and early Sunday morning, grabbed a taxi from the airport, and headed to Bally's. Our cab driver was insulted when I said no tunnel and no strip. He asked me if I told the cashier at a grocery store how to give me change and I said yes if I needed certain bills. How rude! We got there quickly and the fare was under $17.
Needless to say, our room was not yet ready, so we took a (long) walk to the pool and sat in the sun for awhile. This was quite a treat for us since we departed gloomy, rainy Chicago weather. We walked back to the casino, dropped a quick $20 each into some slot machine, and got the call that our room was ready (10:15 am). So we picked up the keys and headed to room 1943 in the Indigo Tower. It was clean, spacious, and met our needs for a good night's sleep. I missed the walk in shower in the Jubilee Tower, though. We had reservations at 12:30 for the Sterling Brunch, so we had some time to kill. We walked around the casino a bit, and decided to try the Ellen machine.
Best decision of the trip! We each put up a whopping $10 each, and proceeded to play .75 per spin. As the balance plummeted to $3, we got a bonus and it climbed back up to $25. Since we weren't hitting much, we decided to play it down to our original buy in of $20. And then--bonus time! We got the "Wheel of Riches" bonus, which was either $40 or $500. Holy miracle, we got the $500 x3 for a profit of $750 each. The attendant came promptly, took all the information, and paid us on the spot. We gave her a $20 tip and cashed out. This was the highlight of the trip!
We also played at PH, Flamingo, the Linq, and Paris throughout the trip, going up and down (mostly down) each day.
On Monday, we watched the Stanley Cup game in the Paris Diamond Lounge for the next big highlight of the trip. The Blackhawks were able to finally clinch a Stanley Cup at home in the United Center. Woohoo!
Dining:
Sterling Brunch at Bally's. This was my friend's first time at the brunch and it did not disappoint. We had a great table near the buffet and a great server (who kept our glasses of Perrier Jouet filled). I have to be picky at buffets since I just can't pack it in as much as I used to. Changes were made since my last visit in November 2014. Lobster bisque is now back out on the buffet instead of being served from the kitchen. We each took a small ladle and it was rich and creamy. The poached shrimp were delicious as well, but I was stunned that the king crab legs were no longer split. Plus, they were cut in about 3-4 inch pieces which made it impossible to get the meat out. We ordered Lobster Eggs Benedict from the kitchen--awesome. I had one lobster tail and a slice of prime rib and that was it for me. My friend had a lamb chop, which was also good. We ended the meal with coffee, their vanilla ice cream (you have to ask for it) and a dish of mixed berries. Worth every penny for a special occasion splurge!
We also had a faulous mac and cheese burger at Guy Fieri's at the Linq. We waited about 15 minutes for our table. I love the fries there, also. The only negative was the young couple and their "bouncing" boy in the next booth. That kid never sat down--not even to eat.
Tuesday took us to Earl of Sandwich for a light lunch. Good food at a reasonable price.
That evening we went to Buddy V's at the Venetian to take advantage of Restaurant Week. We were seated promptly and our server was from a suburb of Chicago. We each had Grandma's meatballs for an appetizer. The portion contained four meatballs in a marinara sauce--tender and flavorful. I had the Bucatini Carbonara which was super rich and creamy. My friend had the pasta Bolognese which she enjoyed. For dessert, she had the cannoli and cookies, while I had the "deconstructed" tiramisu. It was served in a mason jar with the lady fingers on the side. Interesting and good, but I think I prefer a traditional dessert.
Wednesday we did the breakfast/lunch "crossover" at Le Village Buffet. Everything was good and the prime rib really stood out. I really hate the tiny peel and eat shrimp, though. Never take 'em anymore.
Final impressions
The slots seemed a tiny bit looser and we were often able to play for a long time on most machines. We both had some profitable runs mixed in with the usual donations.
We both enjoyed playing the Willie Wonka machines at Bally's, Paris, and PH.
We checked out around four o'clock (I had the room until the next day) and the clerk was nice enough not to charge the resort fee for the fourth day. Sweet.
Joy
We arrived bright and early Sunday morning, grabbed a taxi from the airport, and headed to Bally's. Our cab driver was insulted when I said no tunnel and no strip. He asked me if I told the cashier at a grocery store how to give me change and I said yes if I needed certain bills. How rude! We got there quickly and the fare was under $17.
Needless to say, our room was not yet ready, so we took a (long) walk to the pool and sat in the sun for awhile. This was quite a treat for us since we departed gloomy, rainy Chicago weather. We walked back to the casino, dropped a quick $20 each into some slot machine, and got the call that our room was ready (10:15 am). So we picked up the keys and headed to room 1943 in the Indigo Tower. It was clean, spacious, and met our needs for a good night's sleep. I missed the walk in shower in the Jubilee Tower, though. We had reservations at 12:30 for the Sterling Brunch, so we had some time to kill. We walked around the casino a bit, and decided to try the Ellen machine.
Best decision of the trip! We each put up a whopping $10 each, and proceeded to play .75 per spin. As the balance plummeted to $3, we got a bonus and it climbed back up to $25. Since we weren't hitting much, we decided to play it down to our original buy in of $20. And then--bonus time! We got the "Wheel of Riches" bonus, which was either $40 or $500. Holy miracle, we got the $500 x3 for a profit of $750 each. The attendant came promptly, took all the information, and paid us on the spot. We gave her a $20 tip and cashed out. This was the highlight of the trip!
We also played at PH, Flamingo, the Linq, and Paris throughout the trip, going up and down (mostly down) each day.
On Monday, we watched the Stanley Cup game in the Paris Diamond Lounge for the next big highlight of the trip. The Blackhawks were able to finally clinch a Stanley Cup at home in the United Center. Woohoo!
Dining:
Sterling Brunch at Bally's. This was my friend's first time at the brunch and it did not disappoint. We had a great table near the buffet and a great server (who kept our glasses of Perrier Jouet filled). I have to be picky at buffets since I just can't pack it in as much as I used to. Changes were made since my last visit in November 2014. Lobster bisque is now back out on the buffet instead of being served from the kitchen. We each took a small ladle and it was rich and creamy. The poached shrimp were delicious as well, but I was stunned that the king crab legs were no longer split. Plus, they were cut in about 3-4 inch pieces which made it impossible to get the meat out. We ordered Lobster Eggs Benedict from the kitchen--awesome. I had one lobster tail and a slice of prime rib and that was it for me. My friend had a lamb chop, which was also good. We ended the meal with coffee, their vanilla ice cream (you have to ask for it) and a dish of mixed berries. Worth every penny for a special occasion splurge!
We also had a faulous mac and cheese burger at Guy Fieri's at the Linq. We waited about 15 minutes for our table. I love the fries there, also. The only negative was the young couple and their "bouncing" boy in the next booth. That kid never sat down--not even to eat.
Tuesday took us to Earl of Sandwich for a light lunch. Good food at a reasonable price.
That evening we went to Buddy V's at the Venetian to take advantage of Restaurant Week. We were seated promptly and our server was from a suburb of Chicago. We each had Grandma's meatballs for an appetizer. The portion contained four meatballs in a marinara sauce--tender and flavorful. I had the Bucatini Carbonara which was super rich and creamy. My friend had the pasta Bolognese which she enjoyed. For dessert, she had the cannoli and cookies, while I had the "deconstructed" tiramisu. It was served in a mason jar with the lady fingers on the side. Interesting and good, but I think I prefer a traditional dessert.
Wednesday we did the breakfast/lunch "crossover" at Le Village Buffet. Everything was good and the prime rib really stood out. I really hate the tiny peel and eat shrimp, though. Never take 'em anymore.
Final impressions
The slots seemed a tiny bit looser and we were often able to play for a long time on most machines. We both had some profitable runs mixed in with the usual donations.
We both enjoyed playing the Willie Wonka machines at Bally's, Paris, and PH.
We checked out around four o'clock (I had the room until the next day) and the clerk was nice enough not to charge the resort fee for the fourth day. Sweet.
Joy
