This was our slightly belated anniversary trip. We take turns planning our trips and this was my turn.
To start out with, this trip would be without our child, which is unusual for us. So my part started 3 days earlier with a trip to Texas to drop our little one off for a week in the country with Grams and Papa.
Now it's time for Vegas. We took some good friends with us. They are somewhat younger than us but we get along well and share a love of food and wine and over the last few years we have become like family. Our plan was that we would share some breakfasts and dinners then split up as they went and explored the club scene and my wife and I did our usual laid back people watching and low roller gambling.
So, the ladies finished up work on Friday, arrived at the airport around 1 and we were off for Vegas!
As I said, it was my turn to plan. My wife sighed and said "O.K. its just a weekend, I can take it".
I booked two rooms at the Golden Gate, downtown. I had received the free room promotions in the mail. I got the two rooms by using both mine and my wife's promotion offer. I then upgraded the rooms to the new suites for $75 each. That's right, GG suites for $75 a night on the weekend!
I have stayed in the new GG suites once before. I think they're great. My wife however is a boutique hotel aficionado and can be quite particular. She was skeptical about what she would find.
Her comments......"Really nice room. While not a 'real' suite it is very big. Feels more roomy than the Golden Nugget Rush tower jr. suites. It's clean, classy and well appointed. Probably Cowboy's best booking yet."
She is now a fan and wants to stay there again.
We spent late Friday afternoon walking around Fremont street and looking into the different casinos with our friends. It was overcast and didn't seem overly hot. But hot it was, about 98 or 99. Not bad if you duck into the casinos about the time you really start to feel it. We had a good time but I had a slip of the mind and forgot to go upstairs at the D to play the horse racing machine. Other than that we went in just about every casino and had one drink each while playing $5 BJ or penny slots. Time gets away from you when you are doing a casino crawl and before we knew it, it was pretty late (9:30) and we had missed dinner. So we got a couple of shrimp cocktails a piece at Dupar's.
The "kids" split off to go to the club at the Wynn. My wife had a few e-mails to answer for work, which usually equates to an hour or more. So, I headed to the Golden Nugget for some poker. After 5 1/2 hours of $1-$2 no-limit poker I cashed in, tipped the floor $5 and left dead even.
Saturday morning...well, closer to noon really, we all went to Binion's for a comped breakfast. Seems the wife played slots there quite a bit last trip.
We then strolled down Fremont and over to the Gold Spike. Since our friends like cool, hip clubs I wanted to show them the Gold Spike. They LOVED it. We hung out there most of the afternoon.
For those who don't know, the Gold Spike is a remodeled saloon/casino just off of Fremont downtown. Many purport it to be the coolest bar anywhere. It is large, roomy and well lit. Though I haven't been there at peak times I have been told it is quite crowded on weekend nights.
There are many seating areas of different kinds. A large couch that looks more like a big bed, comfy chairs, even bean bags. There's a couple of small bar style pool tables and dart boards.
They have games you can check out to play, from twister to backgammon. We chose backgammon.
There's a 3D peepshow style art room, not sure what goes on in there at peak times.
Now, if that's not enough for you there's a back yard. More comfy seating areas on astro turf. A 30ft. airstream trailer to complete the look. Fire pits and some quirky art pieces. They have giant bean bag toss and giant beer pong using 50 gallon trashcans and beach balls.
In the winter they have an ice skating rink. In the very near future they are going to add giant Jenga using big vinyl covered foam blocks as well as two bigger than life sized" Oporation" games. You remember, the game with tweezers to remove bones......Can't wait to see how that works.
While we were chatting with the management at the Gold Spike they offered to give us a little tour of the "Oasis" at Gold Spike motel and the refurbishment going on.
They are embracing the mid century modern look of the motel with upgraded amenities like flat screens and such in the rooms. Most of the rooms open out onto the pool courtyard. The pool itself is under refurbishment but will retain a large wading depth area perfect for casual afternoon parties. They are hoping that it will catch on with the young hip crowd.
Saturday evening was the time to belatedly celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were married on Bastile day so we traditionally eat at a French restaurant. This year I wanted to do something different than the standard biggies of Las Vegas. So, no LeCirque, no L'Atelier or Twist.
What I found through the recommendation of a friend was La Pamplemousse on Sahara 4 or 5 blocks off the strip.
We have had a regular driver in Vegas for many years but he has moved on so in my cheapness I decided we would take cabs this trip. We got the first cab in line outside the Golden Gate lobby not because we paid the doorman, but because there was no line. After getting in, the cab driver told us he was shocked. He never expected to pick up two classy couples at that "dump" and certainly not to take them to La Pamplemousse. He knew right where it was. (Hey ya'll, I'm classy!!)
We had a very nice dinner at La Pamplemousse. The restaurant is in a converted older home so it is small and quaint. it has a nice intimate ambiance without being overly romantic or gaudy. The waiters are tuxedo clad with a towel on the arm. Oh how French.
The food was very good and the wine list perfectly adequate. The dishes that left lasting memories were a seafood Bouchee, escargot Bourguignone, Duck confit, and a braised swordfish. There was more but we also started with apartifs and three bottles of wine with dinner including a Chateau Margaux. and of course port with our cheese. So, I do not remember all of the details but that we did enjoy it very much. We will return.
In the "Westie" style I give it 4 guillotines. (you know, Bastille day... French restaurant...Oh, never mind)
After dinner we returned downtown and all 4 of us ended up playing Let it ride at GG for several hours. That's right, for several hours. On one buy in of $200 each. Oh, I'm surprised too. My wife got three of a kind in her hand three times! This is a LIR game that also has the three card poker option as well. Two games in one so you can lose your money twice as fast. Unless you get crazy lucky like we did. So, that 3 of a kind paid $200 each time. I had one full house which paid over $200 and all of us had lots of winning hands. My wife finished up over $400. I finished up a little over $100 and our friends were up about $100 between them.
The weekends have the "entertainer" dealers at the GG. Somewhat young, tattooed, bikini-top clad dancers that also deal cards. While we were playing, one particular dealer mentioned several times that our friend looked familiar to her. His wife was jokingly asking "So, where does she know you from??" My friend finally admitted that he used to be in the band "Real Big Fish" (yeah, I never heard of them either). This girl went nuts! Apparently they had quite a cult following and this girl was the cultiest (my new word). She was going to call all her friends and tell them. She was going to call her sister and tell her. Could she get a picture with him?? Could she post it to facebook?
Wow. My friend is famous. Who knew?
We finished the evening around midnight. Yeah, I know, big partiers here. And I went over to the Golden Nugget for my usual graveyard shift poker session. Much better this night, no bad beats and won $450.
Sunday morning we were up early. 9:00am. Had breakfast across the street at Hash house a go go. Still good. Still huge portions. It's Monday afternoon and I think I'm still full from the chicken and waffles.
The rest of the day was BJ, craps and LIR. We mostly stayed at the GG. the waitress' were attentive and we were having a good time so why bother walking around?
I believe I have mentioned before that I'm not a big limit player but I do play green chips if I have been winning, just one green chip. I have never received more than the usual promotional flyers from the casinos. never free room offers other than the GG. And I have never had a host.
Well, while playing BJ a nice gentlemen came up and offered to host me. He took us to the lobby and even though we had already checked out he had our suite upgrades comped and the card charges refunded. He also invited us back in two weeks for their "Vintage Las Vegas" weekend Where he will be singing out on the stage on Fremont street. Turns out he was a Vegas lounge singer for 20 years. They will have reserved seating in front of the stage to resemble an old school lounge and a Sunday Champagne brunch. He encouraged me to dress "vintage". My wife quipped "like he dresses now?" Thanks honey.
So...Wow! I'm a whale!!!.......At the Golden Gate. Oh, and classy too.
To start out with, this trip would be without our child, which is unusual for us. So my part started 3 days earlier with a trip to Texas to drop our little one off for a week in the country with Grams and Papa.
Now it's time for Vegas. We took some good friends with us. They are somewhat younger than us but we get along well and share a love of food and wine and over the last few years we have become like family. Our plan was that we would share some breakfasts and dinners then split up as they went and explored the club scene and my wife and I did our usual laid back people watching and low roller gambling.
So, the ladies finished up work on Friday, arrived at the airport around 1 and we were off for Vegas!
As I said, it was my turn to plan. My wife sighed and said "O.K. its just a weekend, I can take it".
I booked two rooms at the Golden Gate, downtown. I had received the free room promotions in the mail. I got the two rooms by using both mine and my wife's promotion offer. I then upgraded the rooms to the new suites for $75 each. That's right, GG suites for $75 a night on the weekend!
I have stayed in the new GG suites once before. I think they're great. My wife however is a boutique hotel aficionado and can be quite particular. She was skeptical about what she would find.
Her comments......"Really nice room. While not a 'real' suite it is very big. Feels more roomy than the Golden Nugget Rush tower jr. suites. It's clean, classy and well appointed. Probably Cowboy's best booking yet."
She is now a fan and wants to stay there again.
We spent late Friday afternoon walking around Fremont street and looking into the different casinos with our friends. It was overcast and didn't seem overly hot. But hot it was, about 98 or 99. Not bad if you duck into the casinos about the time you really start to feel it. We had a good time but I had a slip of the mind and forgot to go upstairs at the D to play the horse racing machine. Other than that we went in just about every casino and had one drink each while playing $5 BJ or penny slots. Time gets away from you when you are doing a casino crawl and before we knew it, it was pretty late (9:30) and we had missed dinner. So we got a couple of shrimp cocktails a piece at Dupar's.
The "kids" split off to go to the club at the Wynn. My wife had a few e-mails to answer for work, which usually equates to an hour or more. So, I headed to the Golden Nugget for some poker. After 5 1/2 hours of $1-$2 no-limit poker I cashed in, tipped the floor $5 and left dead even.
Saturday morning...well, closer to noon really, we all went to Binion's for a comped breakfast. Seems the wife played slots there quite a bit last trip.
We then strolled down Fremont and over to the Gold Spike. Since our friends like cool, hip clubs I wanted to show them the Gold Spike. They LOVED it. We hung out there most of the afternoon.
For those who don't know, the Gold Spike is a remodeled saloon/casino just off of Fremont downtown. Many purport it to be the coolest bar anywhere. It is large, roomy and well lit. Though I haven't been there at peak times I have been told it is quite crowded on weekend nights.
There are many seating areas of different kinds. A large couch that looks more like a big bed, comfy chairs, even bean bags. There's a couple of small bar style pool tables and dart boards.
They have games you can check out to play, from twister to backgammon. We chose backgammon.
There's a 3D peepshow style art room, not sure what goes on in there at peak times.
Now, if that's not enough for you there's a back yard. More comfy seating areas on astro turf. A 30ft. airstream trailer to complete the look. Fire pits and some quirky art pieces. They have giant bean bag toss and giant beer pong using 50 gallon trashcans and beach balls.
In the winter they have an ice skating rink. In the very near future they are going to add giant Jenga using big vinyl covered foam blocks as well as two bigger than life sized" Oporation" games. You remember, the game with tweezers to remove bones......Can't wait to see how that works.
While we were chatting with the management at the Gold Spike they offered to give us a little tour of the "Oasis" at Gold Spike motel and the refurbishment going on.
They are embracing the mid century modern look of the motel with upgraded amenities like flat screens and such in the rooms. Most of the rooms open out onto the pool courtyard. The pool itself is under refurbishment but will retain a large wading depth area perfect for casual afternoon parties. They are hoping that it will catch on with the young hip crowd.
Saturday evening was the time to belatedly celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were married on Bastile day so we traditionally eat at a French restaurant. This year I wanted to do something different than the standard biggies of Las Vegas. So, no LeCirque, no L'Atelier or Twist.
What I found through the recommendation of a friend was La Pamplemousse on Sahara 4 or 5 blocks off the strip.
We have had a regular driver in Vegas for many years but he has moved on so in my cheapness I decided we would take cabs this trip. We got the first cab in line outside the Golden Gate lobby not because we paid the doorman, but because there was no line. After getting in, the cab driver told us he was shocked. He never expected to pick up two classy couples at that "dump" and certainly not to take them to La Pamplemousse. He knew right where it was. (Hey ya'll, I'm classy!!)
We had a very nice dinner at La Pamplemousse. The restaurant is in a converted older home so it is small and quaint. it has a nice intimate ambiance without being overly romantic or gaudy. The waiters are tuxedo clad with a towel on the arm. Oh how French.
The food was very good and the wine list perfectly adequate. The dishes that left lasting memories were a seafood Bouchee, escargot Bourguignone, Duck confit, and a braised swordfish. There was more but we also started with apartifs and three bottles of wine with dinner including a Chateau Margaux. and of course port with our cheese. So, I do not remember all of the details but that we did enjoy it very much. We will return.
In the "Westie" style I give it 4 guillotines. (you know, Bastille day... French restaurant...Oh, never mind)
After dinner we returned downtown and all 4 of us ended up playing Let it ride at GG for several hours. That's right, for several hours. On one buy in of $200 each. Oh, I'm surprised too. My wife got three of a kind in her hand three times! This is a LIR game that also has the three card poker option as well. Two games in one so you can lose your money twice as fast. Unless you get crazy lucky like we did. So, that 3 of a kind paid $200 each time. I had one full house which paid over $200 and all of us had lots of winning hands. My wife finished up over $400. I finished up a little over $100 and our friends were up about $100 between them.
The weekends have the "entertainer" dealers at the GG. Somewhat young, tattooed, bikini-top clad dancers that also deal cards. While we were playing, one particular dealer mentioned several times that our friend looked familiar to her. His wife was jokingly asking "So, where does she know you from??" My friend finally admitted that he used to be in the band "Real Big Fish" (yeah, I never heard of them either). This girl went nuts! Apparently they had quite a cult following and this girl was the cultiest (my new word). She was going to call all her friends and tell them. She was going to call her sister and tell her. Could she get a picture with him?? Could she post it to facebook?
Wow. My friend is famous. Who knew?
We finished the evening around midnight. Yeah, I know, big partiers here. And I went over to the Golden Nugget for my usual graveyard shift poker session. Much better this night, no bad beats and won $450.
Sunday morning we were up early. 9:00am. Had breakfast across the street at Hash house a go go. Still good. Still huge portions. It's Monday afternoon and I think I'm still full from the chicken and waffles.
The rest of the day was BJ, craps and LIR. We mostly stayed at the GG. the waitress' were attentive and we were having a good time so why bother walking around?
I believe I have mentioned before that I'm not a big limit player but I do play green chips if I have been winning, just one green chip. I have never received more than the usual promotional flyers from the casinos. never free room offers other than the GG. And I have never had a host.
Well, while playing BJ a nice gentlemen came up and offered to host me. He took us to the lobby and even though we had already checked out he had our suite upgrades comped and the card charges refunded. He also invited us back in two weeks for their "Vintage Las Vegas" weekend Where he will be singing out on the stage on Fremont street. Turns out he was a Vegas lounge singer for 20 years. They will have reserved seating in front of the stage to resemble an old school lounge and a Sunday Champagne brunch. He encouraged me to dress "vintage". My wife quipped "like he dresses now?" Thanks honey.
So...Wow! I'm a whale!!!.......At the Golden Gate. Oh, and classy too.
