Day #5
Nice early start today. Breakfast at the buffet includes all the usual fare (fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, juice) and even a bowl of oatmeal so I can pretend I’m eating healthy . <LOL> In any event, for $5.95 (x2) it’s pretty hard to complain if it’s not “gourmet quality”. I suppose the words “gourmet” and “buffet” should never be used in the same sentence as that would definitely be an oxymoron. Well OK, they might work together at the Wynn (or possibly the Bellagio) but beyond that….not so much.
Morning VP session is pretty damn good… C’s up $573 from last night. I end up even.
Time to check out the (new & improved ?) Outlet Mall (south). Jump on the bus and in 15 minutes we arrive. Of course, it’s now designated as the “Premium” Outlet Mall. “Premium” my ass! It’s the same old outlet mall save for a little bit of carpet near the food court and the addition of a few new stores with outside entrances on the west side. I guess the definition of “Premium” means… “fewer good deals than before”. I still miss the Greg Norman store…now those were some great deals. Oh well, the upside…even wifey doesn’t buy anything… I’m shocked but nonetheless elated !! While waiting for the bus we notice it’s getting’ warm out it. Back at the hotel, I need a cold beer (and some water). Guess we better mosey on over to the bar and play some VP.
Late afternoon we took in a movie at the cineplex at South Point. After some discussion, we decide to opt for something “light & funny” and choose “Your Highness”. It is sort of a low-brow “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”. There are a ‘few’ funny moments.
Now…though I realize a cleverly placed “fuck” can be funny, listening to 273 derivatives of the word (every 30 seconds) is not really my idea of comedy. RATING: a D- at best.
Time for some drinks and VP before we head up to the room to shower and change for a magnificent dinner at “Michaels”.
For those that haven’t eaten at Michaels….here’s the scoop. In October, for our anniversary, we tried Michaels for the first time. Dinner consisted of breads and an antipasto tray that included such items as quail eggs, etc, etc. (Wonderful). Next up was an order of Coquille St. Jacques and Caesar Salad (that we split). (Fabulous). Then the lemon ice & champagne to cleanse our palates. (Wow…nice touch). Entrees consisted of the ‘special’ ( encrusted Sea Bass with veggies) for my wife and the petite Filet Mignon and baked potato for me. (Absolutely superb). We couldn’t even begin to finish them we were so stuffed. When offered dessert …we had to pass. Then the complimentary chocolate covered fruit tray appeared. (Yummy…but certainly not needed). All through the meal the service was unbelievable and then some. The bill was close to $300 (no drinks!) and the food and experience was worth every dime !!! RATING: 6 forks (out of 5) !!
Now for tonight’s encore. Reservation was for the 8:30 seating. We now know not to order too much. Once seated, the antipasto tray and breads show up. All wonderful (including the quail eggs !). <LOL> We order the Caesar Salad which is split. (it’s huge and fantastic as before). Lemon ice and champagne to cleanse the palate. Entrée time. The ‘special’ is a haddock in some unique sauce which wifey orders and I enquire about the “market price” for the maine lobster. It’s a mere $105. (They must have flown the little prick in “First Class” !) <LOL>. I opt, once again, for the cheapest thing on the menu, the $68 petite (8 oz.) Filet Mignon. Food is fabulous and again we cannot finish the meal. For dessert we contemplate the crème brulee ($25) but decide to pass. Again the chocolate covered fruit tray appears and we lightly dabble. Meal is great. However, the service (though adequate) is not anywhere near last time. The head waiter / maître ‘d is too busy schmoozing apparent regulars and we feel somewhat neglected. He did briefly stop by to talk and while discussing golf mentioned he thought Bridgestone golf balls were expensive. (??) Apparently a $3.00 golf ball is expensive but a $105 lobster is not. Go figure ? Anyway… still worth the experience at least once. Just make sure to tell them when you make your reservation that you’re celebrating some special occasion and apparently the service will be dramatically better. Bill for tonight $180. Charged to room.
RATING (tonight): 4.5 forks
Time to adjourn to the Island bar for some crème de menthe to alleviate the ‘full’ feeling. Naturally, VP & drinks are forthcoming.
RUNNING VP TOTALS (for the trip)
C + $250
G - $400
DAY #6
Slow start to the day…beginning with VP & coffee at the bar(s). No breakfast needed this morning.
Lunch is the obligatory buffet ($14.95 x 2) Huh ? Oh yeah…it’s Sunday Brunch!
After lunch we decide to partake of the 90 degree (woohoo) sun at the pool. OK…20 minutes is about all we can take on our white little bodies. Wow….that sun is INTENSE ! Guess we better go ‘hydrate’ at the bar and play some VP for the afternoon.
Dinner tonight is at 6 PM at the Silverado Steakhouse as we have tickets for DIVAS Las Vegas at the IP for the 10 pm show. Our host has arranged limo to & from the show for us and we are leaving at 8 PM ‘cause C wants to go back to the Forum Shops to buy a necklace & earrings she saw the other day. (p.s. The necklace & earrings mysteriously found a matching bracelet to go with them !)
Anyway, dinner at the Silverado. Usually, wifey orders fish and I get meat. NOT tonight ! She wants steak and orders the petite Filet Mignon. I’ll show her…I’ll order seafood. And I do! I order the Maine Lobster tail ( just one) @ $50….that’s better !
Meal comes with salad and (baked) potato. For dessert we split a coconut sorbet. Everything is quite good / service is OK.
Bill comes in at $135. Charge to room.
Rating: 3.75 Forks
Into the limo and off to the IP. Driver drops us off right at the front door. This is a nice change from having to take the bus or taxi to/from the strip. A quick trip over to the Forum Shops to pick up the previously mentioned jewellery. God, the strip is packed with people for Sunday night… oh right … “spring break” ! Oh well. Back to the IP. What a dump ! Dark, grubby and all cut up. The line-up at check-in is huge. Can’t imagine staying here when there are so many better (and cheap) rooms to be found these days.
Anyway…off to “DIVAS”.
REVIEW: The female impersonators are amazing “look-a likes” for the most part. Of course, the whole show except for Frank Marino as Joan Rivers is “lip-synched”. Of course you get hit after hit for each of the celebrity impersonators so the music is enthusiastically received by the audience. The show was non-stop for 90 minutes. I would have to say that for “half-price” ($48) the show is worth it. Full price would be a bit of a stretch though. Keep in mind what you’re really getting are drag queens with spectacular makeup and costumes who mimic very well. All in all worth seeing. We saw Beyonce, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Liza Minelli, Cher, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Diana Ross and Bette Midler. Once cool thing is…this is the only show in Vegas where you are allowed to take pictures. We took a bunch and will try to post them (along with some fun pics of various VP 4OAK) as soon as we figure out how to do it.
SHOW RATING: B-
After the show we waited at the valet for our limo pick-up (as instructed) and watched (& listened to) all the drunk college morons on spring break. Whew ! As the man said….”you can’t fix stupid !!”.
Returned to SP for a few drinks & a little VP.
RUNNING VP TOTALS (for the trip)
C - $120
G - $650
DAY #7 (last day)
Well the last day consisted of packing up and chasing the elusive “big win” at VP. (to no avail). All in all, we spent about $1250 in cash. (“Charged” the shows, some clothes & take home ‘duty free’ booze).
Returned home only to find F%#@ing SNOW !!
Here’s what I estimate we got for our $$$’s (minimum)
Room for 7 days /6 nights (@ $50 per ?) = $300
Tips: limos, drinks (200 ?), meals, etc. = $400
Meals (all) = $500
Misc. = $ 50
TOTAL $ 1250
Hours and hours of fun gambling, entertainment, drinking, great weather, etc.
ALL comped…so it was a wash. Break even, if you will.
Where the hell can you stay and do everything we did for a week for $1250 ???
Only one place….VEGAS ! Gotta love it ! (And just think…what if we had actually won !)
In any event, hope you enjoyed the read…will be back in the fall @ South Point ! “Thank you”.
Nice early start today. Breakfast at the buffet includes all the usual fare (fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, juice) and even a bowl of oatmeal so I can pretend I’m eating healthy . <LOL> In any event, for $5.95 (x2) it’s pretty hard to complain if it’s not “gourmet quality”. I suppose the words “gourmet” and “buffet” should never be used in the same sentence as that would definitely be an oxymoron. Well OK, they might work together at the Wynn (or possibly the Bellagio) but beyond that….not so much.
Morning VP session is pretty damn good… C’s up $573 from last night. I end up even.
Time to check out the (new & improved ?) Outlet Mall (south). Jump on the bus and in 15 minutes we arrive. Of course, it’s now designated as the “Premium” Outlet Mall. “Premium” my ass! It’s the same old outlet mall save for a little bit of carpet near the food court and the addition of a few new stores with outside entrances on the west side. I guess the definition of “Premium” means… “fewer good deals than before”. I still miss the Greg Norman store…now those were some great deals. Oh well, the upside…even wifey doesn’t buy anything… I’m shocked but nonetheless elated !! While waiting for the bus we notice it’s getting’ warm out it. Back at the hotel, I need a cold beer (and some water). Guess we better mosey on over to the bar and play some VP.
Late afternoon we took in a movie at the cineplex at South Point. After some discussion, we decide to opt for something “light & funny” and choose “Your Highness”. It is sort of a low-brow “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”. There are a ‘few’ funny moments.
Now…though I realize a cleverly placed “fuck” can be funny, listening to 273 derivatives of the word (every 30 seconds) is not really my idea of comedy. RATING: a D- at best.
Time for some drinks and VP before we head up to the room to shower and change for a magnificent dinner at “Michaels”.
For those that haven’t eaten at Michaels….here’s the scoop. In October, for our anniversary, we tried Michaels for the first time. Dinner consisted of breads and an antipasto tray that included such items as quail eggs, etc, etc. (Wonderful). Next up was an order of Coquille St. Jacques and Caesar Salad (that we split). (Fabulous). Then the lemon ice & champagne to cleanse our palates. (Wow…nice touch). Entrees consisted of the ‘special’ ( encrusted Sea Bass with veggies) for my wife and the petite Filet Mignon and baked potato for me. (Absolutely superb). We couldn’t even begin to finish them we were so stuffed. When offered dessert …we had to pass. Then the complimentary chocolate covered fruit tray appeared. (Yummy…but certainly not needed). All through the meal the service was unbelievable and then some. The bill was close to $300 (no drinks!) and the food and experience was worth every dime !!! RATING: 6 forks (out of 5) !!
Now for tonight’s encore. Reservation was for the 8:30 seating. We now know not to order too much. Once seated, the antipasto tray and breads show up. All wonderful (including the quail eggs !). <LOL> We order the Caesar Salad which is split. (it’s huge and fantastic as before). Lemon ice and champagne to cleanse the palate. Entrée time. The ‘special’ is a haddock in some unique sauce which wifey orders and I enquire about the “market price” for the maine lobster. It’s a mere $105. (They must have flown the little prick in “First Class” !) <LOL>. I opt, once again, for the cheapest thing on the menu, the $68 petite (8 oz.) Filet Mignon. Food is fabulous and again we cannot finish the meal. For dessert we contemplate the crème brulee ($25) but decide to pass. Again the chocolate covered fruit tray appears and we lightly dabble. Meal is great. However, the service (though adequate) is not anywhere near last time. The head waiter / maître ‘d is too busy schmoozing apparent regulars and we feel somewhat neglected. He did briefly stop by to talk and while discussing golf mentioned he thought Bridgestone golf balls were expensive. (??) Apparently a $3.00 golf ball is expensive but a $105 lobster is not. Go figure ? Anyway… still worth the experience at least once. Just make sure to tell them when you make your reservation that you’re celebrating some special occasion and apparently the service will be dramatically better. Bill for tonight $180. Charged to room.
RATING (tonight): 4.5 forks
Time to adjourn to the Island bar for some crème de menthe to alleviate the ‘full’ feeling. Naturally, VP & drinks are forthcoming.
RUNNING VP TOTALS (for the trip)
C + $250
G - $400
DAY #6
Slow start to the day…beginning with VP & coffee at the bar(s). No breakfast needed this morning.
Lunch is the obligatory buffet ($14.95 x 2) Huh ? Oh yeah…it’s Sunday Brunch!
After lunch we decide to partake of the 90 degree (woohoo) sun at the pool. OK…20 minutes is about all we can take on our white little bodies. Wow….that sun is INTENSE ! Guess we better go ‘hydrate’ at the bar and play some VP for the afternoon.
Dinner tonight is at 6 PM at the Silverado Steakhouse as we have tickets for DIVAS Las Vegas at the IP for the 10 pm show. Our host has arranged limo to & from the show for us and we are leaving at 8 PM ‘cause C wants to go back to the Forum Shops to buy a necklace & earrings she saw the other day. (p.s. The necklace & earrings mysteriously found a matching bracelet to go with them !)
Anyway, dinner at the Silverado. Usually, wifey orders fish and I get meat. NOT tonight ! She wants steak and orders the petite Filet Mignon. I’ll show her…I’ll order seafood. And I do! I order the Maine Lobster tail ( just one) @ $50….that’s better !
Meal comes with salad and (baked) potato. For dessert we split a coconut sorbet. Everything is quite good / service is OK.
Bill comes in at $135. Charge to room.
Rating: 3.75 Forks
Into the limo and off to the IP. Driver drops us off right at the front door. This is a nice change from having to take the bus or taxi to/from the strip. A quick trip over to the Forum Shops to pick up the previously mentioned jewellery. God, the strip is packed with people for Sunday night… oh right … “spring break” ! Oh well. Back to the IP. What a dump ! Dark, grubby and all cut up. The line-up at check-in is huge. Can’t imagine staying here when there are so many better (and cheap) rooms to be found these days.
Anyway…off to “DIVAS”.
REVIEW: The female impersonators are amazing “look-a likes” for the most part. Of course, the whole show except for Frank Marino as Joan Rivers is “lip-synched”. Of course you get hit after hit for each of the celebrity impersonators so the music is enthusiastically received by the audience. The show was non-stop for 90 minutes. I would have to say that for “half-price” ($48) the show is worth it. Full price would be a bit of a stretch though. Keep in mind what you’re really getting are drag queens with spectacular makeup and costumes who mimic very well. All in all worth seeing. We saw Beyonce, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Liza Minelli, Cher, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Diana Ross and Bette Midler. Once cool thing is…this is the only show in Vegas where you are allowed to take pictures. We took a bunch and will try to post them (along with some fun pics of various VP 4OAK) as soon as we figure out how to do it.
SHOW RATING: B-
After the show we waited at the valet for our limo pick-up (as instructed) and watched (& listened to) all the drunk college morons on spring break. Whew ! As the man said….”you can’t fix stupid !!”.
Returned to SP for a few drinks & a little VP.
RUNNING VP TOTALS (for the trip)
C - $120
G - $650
DAY #7 (last day)
Well the last day consisted of packing up and chasing the elusive “big win” at VP. (to no avail). All in all, we spent about $1250 in cash. (“Charged” the shows, some clothes & take home ‘duty free’ booze).
Returned home only to find F%#@ing SNOW !!
Here’s what I estimate we got for our $$$’s (minimum)
Room for 7 days /6 nights (@ $50 per ?) = $300
Tips: limos, drinks (200 ?), meals, etc. = $400
Meals (all) = $500
Misc. = $ 50
TOTAL $ 1250
Hours and hours of fun gambling, entertainment, drinking, great weather, etc.
ALL comped…so it was a wash. Break even, if you will.
Where the hell can you stay and do everything we did for a week for $1250 ???
Only one place….VEGAS ! Gotta love it ! (And just think…what if we had actually won !)
In any event, hope you enjoyed the read…will be back in the fall @ South Point ! “Thank you”.
