I'm not too good at these trip reports but I'll do what I can.
We have a Thanksgiving tradition of going to Vegas And this year was one of the biggest and best yet. A week of fun with family and everyone got along great and had a blast.
For me it started the Friday before T-giving. 4 long legs of airtravel ferrying family from Texas to Vegas. I violated FAA maximum sticktime regulations by 32 minutes due to weather re-routing. A few more family and friends arrived on Saturday.
We all stayed at the Golden Nugget downtown, my favorite place. While we are not big enough gamblers to get big comps my wife's play on our last trip did get some really good cooperation from the host' on this trips accommodations. We got a "Parlor Suite" that is, a two bedroom suite with a parlor between the bedrooms. It looks as if they took three oversized rooms and made them into the suite. The middle room has the bathroom remodeled into a bar area. There are a couple of couches and a overstuffed chair and a huge flatscreen that is really a little too big for the room. We have paid for ourselves and stayed in these suites before so that was not the surprising part of the host' help. They also made sure that the additional three rooms we needed were right there next to and across from the suite. We had the entire end of the hall. It was very convenient.
Everyone mostly split up and did their own thing as far as gambling went. My wife and I got all but one night to ourselves as we had plenty of babysitters to rotate through. We mostly play Let it ride, Black Jack and Pai Gow. PG was mostly a bust. Between us we lost $60. Black jack was great. My wife lost a little but I won over $300. I lost all of it back to LIR. My wife got two 4 of a kinds for an overall LIR profit of $230.
I finally got my wife to toss the dice at craps for me. We played at Main street Station and she made 11 passes before sevening out! Unfortunately I lost all that money back too.
We also played our other favorites. 50 cent roulette at El Cortez, Sigma Derby upstairs at the D and Star Wars penny slots at Binion's.
We also walked through the new Downtown Grand (old Lady Luck). Its still a small casino but very nice. It has an open ceiling for that industrial "loft" look that it pulls off well. When you walk through the two sets of doors (whatever that little wind break area is called) you are hit with a strong smell of leather. I'm sure its artificial but it makes you think the place is really new. Which it is.
I played poker almost every night from 10 or 11 till daylight. On Saturday night I tried to meet up with Joep from the forum at Binion's poker room but we missed each other. The game there broke early so I ended up playing at the Golden Nugget each night. I averaged about $200 a night for the week. I really like playing there. The dealers are all very professional and friendly. The games are always fun and just right with a good mix of tight locals and loose tourist'. The comps however are not very forthcoming. 8 to 10 hours will get you a $10 coffee shop comp. And the Coffee shop was closed for remodeling! Its good at the grille next to the sports book too.
We didn't see any shows this trip but we sent my brother in law and his life partner to "Veronic Voices" and to "Love". Thanks to one of my wife's clients they had the best seats in the house for Love. Although from my experience I don't think there are any bad seats for that show. They said both shows were great.
Daytime activities are always one of my favorite times. We spent a very long time at the Natural history museum. The big draw there is the moving life-size dinosaurs and hands on activities in the children's "lab". I was also very impressed with the questions from my almost 5 year old about the fauna and flora of the Las Vegas area and how it compares to our own area.
We spent a day sledding at the Mt. Charleston snow play area. They had gotten around 12 or so inches of snow that weekend so there was plenty of coverage for the sledding hill and plenty of powder for making snowmen and snowball fights.
Of course we hit the Pinball Museum. We can spend several hours there for $10 dollars in quarters.
The children's museum is pretty much like all children's museums but the little one is just glad to go.
One day we went to "Sky Zone" an indoor trampoline and foam pit play area. They even have slanted trampolines on the walls. It was a lot of fun but you really have to watch and protect the little ones from bigger kids who are having a lot of fun but don't realize how dangerous their play can be.
I spent one afternoon with a couple of twenty something nephews at the Gold Spike. That is a really cool bar, one of the nicest I have ever been in. We played giant beer pong out back using big plastic garbage cans and basketballs. They also have bean bag toss games and lots of open well decorated sitting and mingling areas. I can't get over what a great place it is. Much, much different from the Gold Spike I remember from years past.
We also went to the new "container" park. A small downtown shopping area made of old shipping containers. They were having their grand "soft" opening so there were lots of entertainment and food trucks and stuff. It's a pretty neat place. a "should see" if not quite a "must see".
As far as eating, I feel cheated. Other than Thanksgiving we stayed pretty low key and didn't hit the fancy places that I really like to do in Vegas. Breakfast' were split between Hash House a go-go and Dupar's but I miss these as I am usually sleeping off the poker game. Lunch for me is usually a shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate. We did eat at Binion's steak house and at the show/grill table at Lillie's Asian restaurant at the Golden Nugget. They were both good but not sure how many Westie style steak knives or chopsticks to rate them. About average I guess.
Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic! We ate at Aureole at the Mandalay Bay. It was not very traditional but it was very good. Truffled fois gras (which we cant get in California anymore), roasted ravioli and chicken oyster (much better than it sounds), a perfectly prepared fillet of striped bass, Chestnut encrusted venison loin all paired with wines selected by the sommelier. The wife says it was a good deal too. I refused to look at the bill.
There was much more and everyone had a great time. So great that my wife has promised that next year she will rent one of the big lofts at the MGM so that everyone can stay in the same "room". I have a feeling that she will change her mind when she sees the price difference between the big multi room loft and the smaller two bedroom loft we have stayed in before.
Sorry I can't write a little better. We had a better time than I can relate here.
We have a Thanksgiving tradition of going to Vegas And this year was one of the biggest and best yet. A week of fun with family and everyone got along great and had a blast.
For me it started the Friday before T-giving. 4 long legs of airtravel ferrying family from Texas to Vegas. I violated FAA maximum sticktime regulations by 32 minutes due to weather re-routing. A few more family and friends arrived on Saturday.
We all stayed at the Golden Nugget downtown, my favorite place. While we are not big enough gamblers to get big comps my wife's play on our last trip did get some really good cooperation from the host' on this trips accommodations. We got a "Parlor Suite" that is, a two bedroom suite with a parlor between the bedrooms. It looks as if they took three oversized rooms and made them into the suite. The middle room has the bathroom remodeled into a bar area. There are a couple of couches and a overstuffed chair and a huge flatscreen that is really a little too big for the room. We have paid for ourselves and stayed in these suites before so that was not the surprising part of the host' help. They also made sure that the additional three rooms we needed were right there next to and across from the suite. We had the entire end of the hall. It was very convenient.
Everyone mostly split up and did their own thing as far as gambling went. My wife and I got all but one night to ourselves as we had plenty of babysitters to rotate through. We mostly play Let it ride, Black Jack and Pai Gow. PG was mostly a bust. Between us we lost $60. Black jack was great. My wife lost a little but I won over $300. I lost all of it back to LIR. My wife got two 4 of a kinds for an overall LIR profit of $230.
I finally got my wife to toss the dice at craps for me. We played at Main street Station and she made 11 passes before sevening out! Unfortunately I lost all that money back too.
We also played our other favorites. 50 cent roulette at El Cortez, Sigma Derby upstairs at the D and Star Wars penny slots at Binion's.
We also walked through the new Downtown Grand (old Lady Luck). Its still a small casino but very nice. It has an open ceiling for that industrial "loft" look that it pulls off well. When you walk through the two sets of doors (whatever that little wind break area is called) you are hit with a strong smell of leather. I'm sure its artificial but it makes you think the place is really new. Which it is.
I played poker almost every night from 10 or 11 till daylight. On Saturday night I tried to meet up with Joep from the forum at Binion's poker room but we missed each other. The game there broke early so I ended up playing at the Golden Nugget each night. I averaged about $200 a night for the week. I really like playing there. The dealers are all very professional and friendly. The games are always fun and just right with a good mix of tight locals and loose tourist'. The comps however are not very forthcoming. 8 to 10 hours will get you a $10 coffee shop comp. And the Coffee shop was closed for remodeling! Its good at the grille next to the sports book too.
We didn't see any shows this trip but we sent my brother in law and his life partner to "Veronic Voices" and to "Love". Thanks to one of my wife's clients they had the best seats in the house for Love. Although from my experience I don't think there are any bad seats for that show. They said both shows were great.
Daytime activities are always one of my favorite times. We spent a very long time at the Natural history museum. The big draw there is the moving life-size dinosaurs and hands on activities in the children's "lab". I was also very impressed with the questions from my almost 5 year old about the fauna and flora of the Las Vegas area and how it compares to our own area.
We spent a day sledding at the Mt. Charleston snow play area. They had gotten around 12 or so inches of snow that weekend so there was plenty of coverage for the sledding hill and plenty of powder for making snowmen and snowball fights.
Of course we hit the Pinball Museum. We can spend several hours there for $10 dollars in quarters.
The children's museum is pretty much like all children's museums but the little one is just glad to go.
One day we went to "Sky Zone" an indoor trampoline and foam pit play area. They even have slanted trampolines on the walls. It was a lot of fun but you really have to watch and protect the little ones from bigger kids who are having a lot of fun but don't realize how dangerous their play can be.
I spent one afternoon with a couple of twenty something nephews at the Gold Spike. That is a really cool bar, one of the nicest I have ever been in. We played giant beer pong out back using big plastic garbage cans and basketballs. They also have bean bag toss games and lots of open well decorated sitting and mingling areas. I can't get over what a great place it is. Much, much different from the Gold Spike I remember from years past.
We also went to the new "container" park. A small downtown shopping area made of old shipping containers. They were having their grand "soft" opening so there were lots of entertainment and food trucks and stuff. It's a pretty neat place. a "should see" if not quite a "must see".
As far as eating, I feel cheated. Other than Thanksgiving we stayed pretty low key and didn't hit the fancy places that I really like to do in Vegas. Breakfast' were split between Hash House a go-go and Dupar's but I miss these as I am usually sleeping off the poker game. Lunch for me is usually a shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate. We did eat at Binion's steak house and at the show/grill table at Lillie's Asian restaurant at the Golden Nugget. They were both good but not sure how many Westie style steak knives or chopsticks to rate them. About average I guess.
Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic! We ate at Aureole at the Mandalay Bay. It was not very traditional but it was very good. Truffled fois gras (which we cant get in California anymore), roasted ravioli and chicken oyster (much better than it sounds), a perfectly prepared fillet of striped bass, Chestnut encrusted venison loin all paired with wines selected by the sommelier. The wife says it was a good deal too. I refused to look at the bill.
There was much more and everyone had a great time. So great that my wife has promised that next year she will rent one of the big lofts at the MGM so that everyone can stay in the same "room". I have a feeling that she will change her mind when she sees the price difference between the big multi room loft and the smaller two bedroom loft we have stayed in before.
Sorry I can't write a little better. We had a better time than I can relate here.
