June, 2022

In the spring of 2019, as we’d done many times down through the years, Brad and I flew from Vegas to Reno, where a limo took us to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.  Little did we know that this trip would be our last and that our lives would see such dramatic changes in the next three years.

Brad’s physical and mental decline led to the major decision to move to Georgia to be near my family. Then, the pandemic kept us housebound for many months, and I settled down to take care of Brad, putting casino visits out of my mind.

However, with the world getting back to the “new normal” and casinos “finding” my Georgia address (casinos do this better than the USPS!), the mail offers returned and I got a particularly good one from Harrah’s Tahoe, with airfare credit to help with the unbelievably high fares and a good amount of free play to nudge it toward positive territory. Angela and Steve knew I needed a break from caregiving duties and offered to keep Brad. I was a little anxious about this; he’s used to my always being around, but he did okay. Angela texted this picture to reassure me while I was gone, taken at a buffet he likes where he’s enjoying his favorite dessert, pecan pie.

It was with mixed emotions that I started this casino trip, my first without him since we met 39 years ago: a 70-minute shuttle ride from Columbus to the Atlanta airport, then a 4½-hour flight to Las Vegas where I met my long-time gambling friend Wilma, who had flown in from her home (independent living in a senior community just like me) in Texas. For years we’d lived in side-by-side condos in Vegas, so it was a wonderful reunion after being apart for two+ years.

We were also on the same connecting flight to Reno, where our limo awaited. This was the same eight-passenger limo that long ago had picked us up when we were two couples and even then, it had always seemed like we were rattling around a big empty room. Now with just two little old ladies, well, it seemed like overkill! Even the usual well-stocked bar was wasted on us; all we wanted were a couple bottles of water.

We didn’t hit the machines that night. It had been a long tiring travel day and we were suffering major jet lag. And with both of us at age 83, we don’t have the energy we used to. However, we did make a pass through the high-limit room to check out the video poker machine selection. Of course, we’d checked vpFREE2 early in the trip-planning stage to be sure there were good games, but in these days of constant casino downgrades, we VP players are a bit paranoid and fear last-minute surprises. However, we were happy to find some of our favorite games still there. We also checked at the kiosk and were excited to discover the details of a promotion we could do to possibly add value to our play. So now we could sink our tired bodies into our beds knowing that good fun playing conditions awaited us the next day.

When I pulled back the drapes the next morning, I was once again amazed at the picture-postcard view, just as I’d been on Brad’s and my first visit here over 30 years ago on a junket flight from Indianapolis, our small plane making a very bumpy landing at the small Tahoe airport (much scarier even than the usual tossing-around descent into Reno). The green forest surrounding the glistening blue lake this May morning had the additional artistic touch of snowcapped mountains in the distance.

The hotel itself hasn’t changed much in these last 30 years. Rooms are adequate, but more like an aging dowager who is stilling wearing her fancy fashions from decades ago. The post-pandemic changes influencing every part of our lives are very evident. Worker shortage means service is limited. No daily room cleaning, although during your stay you can request needed items. Limited hours for some restaurants and the VIP office. The indoor pool and spa are open.

There were plenty of dining options, since we could choose from those at Harrah’s and through the tunnel at Harvey’s, but some had limited hours and/or were closed some days, so we had to constantly check. Both have food courts, but you can’t use reward credits to pay there. Starbucks is popular; it opens early and closes late, so it’s sometimes the only place to pick up a snack at odd hours. We like the River Café, where you can order breakfast all day and lunch begins at 11 a.m.

We enjoyed one upscale choice, the Sage Room on the 19^th floor of Harvey’s, with a beautiful view at sunset. The food and service are top-notch. We liked the shared table-side spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. Wilma opted for a very tender steak and shared a small piece with me, since I made the large shrimp cocktail my protein and had the very filling table-side baked-potato bar.

As is all too common in casinos these days, the buffet has permanently closed. We always liked this one at Harrah’s Tahoe. It wasn’t fancy, but had a good variety of down-to-earth choices. Brad always said he didn’t like any “weird food that needed a label to tell you what it was.”

Another option I really missed, one that has disappeared, I think, at all CZR properties, is the Laurel Lounge (the new name of what used to be called the Diamond Lounge). We especially liked this one for the nightly light “supper,” salads and two choices of some of the best soups we’ve ever tasted. And when this food was taken away, Brad waited around until they brought out the yummy just-baked cookies. To try to take away the disappointment of not having the Lounge bar, players at the Diamond levels and above are issued daily coupons on the kiosk for drinks, one for up to $8 at Starbucks and 3 for drinks up to $12 at specified casino bars.

If you’re hungry and don’t want to leave your room, traditional room service is gone, but it has been replaced by – what else? – an app, Caesars Eats. Since we didn’t use this system, I can’t give you any helpful information, but perhaps some reader here can fill us in on some details in the Comment section. I believe this app is hooked up with “Ivy,” the Alexa for CZR-affiliated hotels. Texting with Ivy is the way to get all sorts of information about the hotel and various services. However, you don’t have to sign up for Ivy, although they encourage you to do so when you check in. Ivy likes to text you often with all sorts of offers and suggestions how you might want to spend your time – and money!

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“But what about video poker? You haven’t discussed what you played, any jackpots you hit, or how full or empty your purse was when you came home?”

Sorry, I’m out of room here, but I’ll give you all the good, the bad, and the ugly in my next post. Hang on for Part 2.