Wee are plat. card holders so easy checkin and got a great room facing out towards the Belliago fountain. Proceeded to gamble ( found decent VP over in the left hand corner of the frontby the bar) and usually stay at the Flamingo, but found Ballly’s just right as the suite was big and roomy. Friday night we went to see Spama lot ( 69 buck tickets) and laughed our butts off. Joined their club got the required 100 points for two free buffets
anytime we wanted( more later). Sat was family day, and dinner was at the Paris Mon Ami, which had excellant service and great food.

Sunday monring was check in to the Golden Nugget( downtown can you see the fact we where, local casino, strip and finally downtown) where the line  for check in was huge, so I went over to the South entrance and there was no line , easy check in. I must admit I would nopt stay again in the south end because:1- it’s a walk ( not as great as anyone
who does strip hotels can tell you…) and 2- the rooms are small( I wonder how they ever got a 4 star rating…). Dinner that night was at PF Chang’s ( my mom’s favorite, on Paradise) and everyone love the food and service. We proceeded back downtown where the C&W shows where going on from both stages…We usually gamble at Freemont( love the VP there) and moved back anf forth between both places. The Nugget’s new pool is awesome with a slide going through the shark tank, open til late at night and one could just hang out and relax there under the stars. The pool has chasie louges in the water which is very cool for those that want to sunbathe but we just avoid the sun as regulars do until later in the day. Monday was dinner at the Wynn and buffet lione moved quickly and in our eyes was one of the the top three to go to( Bellagio and Paris being the other two). Not being much for buffets, the food was ample and prepared right, along with many tasty desserts.

Tuesday got a father and son thing at the Stage for the lunch special ( 1/2 sand and soup…yummm) then  that nioght over to the El Cortez (my wife had never been there) for some gambling and drinking. On the way back over to the Martini bar in the Side Car( next to lady luck) rated the best in vegas and it was! Follwed by much gambling into Wed. morning. Check out and off to rental return but first mom wanted to have luch with us at Metro pizza on Decatuer and as usual, it was great( their lucheon speical of a salad and small pie is wonderful). A quick stop at the outlet malls on the south side ( near the return
rental area) and one qucik bite at the bootlegger bistro ( no ellis this time….sorry)then home on a nonstop.

In summary, I would do the trip exactly the same, exept I discovered the following: Bills place is a poor casino as a replacement for Barbary coast, one could see that Harrah’s is ready to blow it up. Hopefully I’ll post more on the next trip soon…..
Boondoggle 1,2,&3,LVCS 02,03,04
Seattle Crawl 1,2,&4,NCCC#8
SS 98-06,Boise  Herf on the Rapids 1&2
H.A.R.D. 1-8 Next year 9!
Nov 16-19th, 2007
“humm..lot’s of smoke, not much flavor….

More Las Vegas Trip Reports 

(Note: Also Posted on vpFREE Forum)

DAY THREE: SATURDAY
Day 3 of 8

MORNING COUPON RUN (ALMOST)

Began the day with another coupon run. This time to the New Frontier first. Played a $5.00 blackjack MP coupon and hit a blackjack for a $12.50 profit. I next drove across the boulevard to the Riviera parking garage.

I dropped the car keys between the driver’s seat and the console and heard them slip down to the floor under the driver’s seat. I couldn’t reach them, so I had to get out to open the back door and reach under the front seat to get them. I’m always having trouble figuring out power door locks, so before I got out of the car, I pushed the power door lock button thinking I had unlocked the back door. As I opened the front door I realized how windy it was outside in the upper floor of the parking garage. The garage was a not
fully enclosed (only half height walls) and I was parked in a corner spot, so the winds were ripping through this portion of the garage. I went to open the back door and it was still locked. So I went to go back into the open front door to attempt to unlock the back door from the power door lock switch and just then a heavy gust of wind shut the front door. It wasn’t shut tight and I was hoping the front door wasn’t set to lock or if so that it hadn’t latched. Well it was set in the lock position and it closed just enough to latch. It was locked (along with all the other doors) and the keys were under the driver’s seat. Shit!

After thinking what a jerk I was, I finally realized how lucky I was that I had my wallet and cell phone in my pants pocket and not in my coat pocket still on the passenger seat (which is sometimes the case). Otherwise, I would have been completely screwed with no money, no IDs, and no cell phone.

Next, I fantasized that I could just call Dollar and they would be able to open it remotely, just like you see/hear in the advertisements on TV and the radio. So I called, but no such service was available. I think they call it Onstar. She said Dollar could send someone to open it but it would take a couple of hours and they’d have to charge me about $50.

She suggested I call AAA, if I was a member, which I was, and they would do it at no charge. They came within 45 minutes with some burglary tools and opened it in about 30 seconds. My keys were right where I thought they would be on the floor under the front seat.

After all this bad luck, I decided I shouldn’t gamble at the Riviera or anywhere else for the time being. So I just drove to the Flamingo to pick up show tickets for Second City Comedy evening performance (used a Billhere 2-for-1 coupon). Then went back to the room at the Aladdin still thinking what a putz I was for allowing myself to be locked out of my car. I guess I could blame it on force majeure (the greater force or an act of God) that in a contract excuses a party from liability if some unforeseen event beyond the control of that party occurs). Still, I felt like a putz.

GOLD COAST BUFFET

Later, we went to the Gold Coast for a late lunch buffet. I had an ACG 2-for-1 coupon, so it only cost $8.00 for the two of us. Despite the $4.00 PP cost, it was still overpriced. The service and the food were horrible. We had to chase down a waitress and beg her in order to get drinks. The selection of food was slim. The turkey soup was cold. My wife said that
everything she ate”tasted funny”. The apple cobbler tasted “old”. The lamb looked good, but again was cold and dry. The potato pancakes were flavorless and mushy. The vegetables looked precooked and canned. The only item that was tasty was a banana bread pudding.

LAS VEGAS HILTON

We then went to the Hilton. Despite that it is an old facility, overall it looked good. I understand there have been many recent renovations and it showed. In fact there were still some areas under construction. I had two ACG Matchplays for $10 each. I won one and lost one for a $10 profit. More importantly, we went there to play video poker as the Hilton is one of the few places on or near the strip that has Pick’Em, a game my wife and I play locally at a casino in CT.

The nice thing for me is they have it at the $1.00 level. The game is not greater than 100% pay back, but it is 99.95% payback, essentially breakeven. My wife was not doing well at deuces wild and she knows  Pick’Em almost cold and enjoys it. So we played at the StarTrek bar side by side. I played the $1.00 machine and she played quarters. A strange thing was upon cashing out even at the dollar level they pay off in large metal tokens. In the end, the overall gambling trend continued, I won ($40) and she lost.

SECOND CITY

Later, we went to the 8:00 PM Second City Show at the Flamingo. It was funny, but not killer. Had I paid full price of nearly $50 a ticket, I don’t think I would have thought I got full value for my entertainment dollar, but if you can land a 50% off coupon (as I did) it would be worth it. I think my wife liked it more than I did.

BAHAMA BREEZE AND THE PALMS

After the show, my wife and I went to Bahama Breeze restaurant on Paradise a few blocks east of the strip. It was touted on one of the numerous Vegas TV shows. Service was fast and extremely attentive and friendly. The place was clean, bright, and nicely decorated. The mashed sweet potato accompaniment was extremely tasty. The prices were reasonable, as I recall in the very low teens per entree

After the late dinner, I dropped my wife off at the Aladdin and I headed to the Palms for some JW video poker. After about two hours being down at about 2:00 AM, I hit a big hand and came back to about even leaving with an overall $5.00 win.

DAY FOUR: SUNDAY
Day 4 of 8

After coffee and Danish, I dropped my wife off at the church across the street from the Stardust. I went to the New Frontier next door, where I played a $5 MP and lost and dropped another $7.00 playing FPDW video poker at a bank of slant-tops.

WYNN

Following church and souvenir shopping, we went to the Wynn, to check out the player’s club sign-up deal for two buffets. I signed up for the player’s card and asked the guy about the buffet deal. He said if you rack up 500 points you can get two free buffets. Each $3.00 at slots was worth 1 point, so if you pass through $1,500 in slots you’d  get two buffets worth as much as $30.00 per person plus tax — a $68 value for dinner. For video poker, however, you have to pass through $9.00 for each point or $4,500. I said to
him that I had heard you only needed 50 points to qualify. He then elaborated and disclosed that it’s 500 points on the weekend, but only 50 points on weekdays. This would mean you only need to pass through $150 in slots or $450 in video poker to qualify on the weekdays.

I asked if that meant that if I came back on Monday or Tuesday to play that I would only need 50 points? He said yes. I make it rule not to chase comps, but I figured even with horrendous luck, the most likely loss at video poker with a paytable of 99% or higher shouldn’t be much more than 20% of the $450 passthrough (although it is technically possible to lose all $450). And I also had an equal opportunity to win as much, but more likely expected to break even plus or minus $25 or $30. I made a note to come back.

AUTO EROTICA

While passing through Wynn my wife noticed the Ferrari-Maserati dealership. As we got closer, we noticed the $10 admission fee was in effect (perhaps because it was a weekend). We subsequently found a place called the Exotic Car store at Caesar’s Forum Shops, which has many Ferrari’s, Maseratis, Rolls Royces, and other exotic cars and motorcycles on display for free.

After looking at the more extensive free car exhibit at the Exotic Car store, we hit the Stage Deli at Caesars. The food was good, abundant, and reasonable (I had a corned beef sandwich). After lunch, my wife went shopping at the Desert Passage Mall and I went to Terrible’s to play a few MPs and to Ellis Island. I broke even on the MPs, but had fun and got a free tee-shirt at Terrible’s.

MAGGIANO’S

That night we ate at Maggiano’s at the Fashion Show Mall and the service and food was fantastic. I had the lasagna (that my fussy Italian wife even liked). She had a special pasta and sausage with shrimp dish. She loved it. Although relatively new to Vegas (about one year old), this place is already rated very highly at www.ratelasvegas.com and I can see why.

ZUMANITY

Since we have already seen Mystere and KA, we decide to try Zumanity at NYNY. Before the show we played some penny slots and won $3.00. The show was essentially a male and female R-rated strip club circus act and we had front row seats, so we were asked to participate in the show in a minor way. The show consisted of upper body nudity and lower body thongs, simulated sex acts with sex toys and dancing and gymnastics. It was a bit disjointed and each act was a bit longer than it needed to be, but overall it was entertaining, although surely not for everyone.

Steve T

(End of part 2 of 4 – to be cont’d with two more installments)

It was Filet Mignon & Shrimp Scampi Night again.  The first two hunks of filet mignon that I selected had been cooked medium to medium-rare, and a third was close to rare.  I suppose you could get a well-done on request.  The beef was good along with some sweet caramelized onions. The shrimp were large and tasty.  Cajun roast turkey may have had some spices rubbed on the outside, but otherwise it tasted like regular turkey, and was a little dry.  Carrots were okay, peas were again bland, and the large broccoli crowns were sufficiently cooked this time.  From the Chinese station, a small prepared bowl of chicken teriyaki over steamed rice, with a couple of small broccoli florets, was tangy and sweet and made a nice contrast to the rest of the meal.

For dessert, I tried a slice of devil’s food cake with white icing and coconut on top and some pinkish filling between layers.  Hard to tell what flavor the pink stuff was supposed to be, but the cake as a whole was just your average buffet cake.  They also had a pan of some dark chocolate cake topped with colored sprinkles.  It was made in-house and still warm.  It was good with a little hot whiskey sauce dripped over it.  A small brownie was also okay.  The servers here are generally quite attentive, quickly removing used dishes and offering drink refills.

I resisted the urge to play MultiStrike again and instead drove back to the Tuscany for more Deuces Wild.  The machines weren’t giving up much and I was soon down $50.  In another session later that night, I dropped $23 more before calling it quits.  By this time I had built up over 13,000 points at the Tuscany, so I went to the slot club desk and
redeemed 10K points for $10 cash back and left with a net loss of $61 on the day.  This turned out to be my final visit to the Tuscany on this trip.  I enjoyed playing vidpoker there.  The casino was never crowded, and in the evening they played some of my favorite classic rock tunes from the 60′s and 70′s over the P.A. system.

11/9 (Wednesday)  -  Lunch buffet at Green Valley Ranch.  Similar menu and quality as my previous visit.  After several meals here, I’ve noticed that the padding on the chairs seems to be failing.  I can feel the metal frame of the chair poking me when I sit down, and I’m not overweight.  GVR, it’s time to have the buffet seats refurbished.

Back on the Strip, I went to see magician Dixie Dooley in the Sahara’s Casbar Lounge.  Dooley has been a journeyman magician for over 30 years; in baseball parlance, he’s a utility player who never blossomed into a superstar.  He’s had many shows in Vegas, mostly in smaller casinos like the Plaza and Bourbon Street, and spent several years
traveling around the world to entertain U.S. troops.  In his 45-minute lounge show at the Sahara, he does a few of the standard sleight-of-hand tricks, making small stuff appear and disappear, and he puts his girlfriend/assistant Julie in the box that separates into
pieces.  Two other girls occasionally come out to dance a bit and serve as eye candy.  An audience-participation segment has a guy come up on stage to get a sword thrust through his neck and have his wristwatch turned into a handful of glitter.  It’s all standard stuff that we’ve seen many times before.

I sat through the 2pm  and 3pm shows.  They were identical in content, right down to the same jokes and wisecracking asides.  During the second show I had to chuckle when Dooley forgot the home state of the audience volunteer and mistakenly referred to the state of the guy from the earlier show.  I guess when you do the same routines over and over again they tend to blur into one.  Yet I found myself admiring the guy for the way he keeps on keeping on.  Despite decades of trying, he’s never quite managed to grab the brass ring of fame and fortune, yet he’s still at it, grinding out 3 shows a day in a Vegas lounge.

After sunset, I parked at the Stardust and walked around the North Strip taking pictures.  I went inside the now-shuttered Westward Ho for the first time.  I know some folks have a sentimental attachment to the Ho, but I couldn’t see the attraction.  The place seemed uncomfortable and claustrophobic.  Ditto for Slots-a-Fun.

Here’s a photo of the big ape in front of Circus-Circus…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/circus.jpg

The 2nd-floor carnival midway inside offers numerous opportunities to blow big bucks trying to win cheap stuffed animals by playing nearly-impossible-to-win games.  Here’s a group horse-race game where you advance your pony by rolling a ball into holes on a board.  Trouble with group games is, you need a group to make it a game, and clearly
there were no groups clamoring to play on this evening…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/circus2.jpg

A suspiciously similar game featuring camels wasn’t having any better luck attracting suckers, I mean players…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/circus3.jpg

Perhaps it’s because hordes of potential camel-jockeys were glued to their seats watching trapeze artists perform death-defying stunts several feet above a net…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/circus4.jpg

Returning to my car at the Stardust, I drove down to Treasure Island, parked in their garage and took the tram to the Mirage…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mirage2.jpg

Along the tram route there are lovely views of more parking garages. Inside the Mirage I had to choose where to eat dinner.  Was it to be the Cravings buffet ($22.50), which the Las Vegas Advisor recently added to its Top Ten Vegas values?  Or should I try the nearby Samba restaurant for around $12 more?  I had already consumed so much animal
flesh on this trip that Samba’s all-you-can-eat menu of 9 different meats didn’t seem very appealing.  And I didn’t think I could eat $35 worth of plantains.  So I went with Cravings.

Here’s a photo of the interior…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/cravings.jpg

For a supposedly premium buffet, I was a little taken aback by the furniture.  The tables are very plain and look more suitable for a college or corporate cafeteria.  The hard chairs appear designed to encourage you not to linger.  Fortunately I was seated at one of the
tables with upholstered bench seats on one side; you can see some of those in the background.  The rest of the room looks nice enough, with the chrome columns and the stylish lighting.  There are serving areas along three walls.  Food stations include Salad, Chinese, Noodles, Raw Bar, Barbecue, Latin, Rotisserie, Carving and Italian.  There’s also a full bar serving your favorite hooch.

As I said, I was tired of eating meat, so I started with some pork loin, smoked turkey and catfish.  Pork and turkey were okay, although the turkey was just lukewarm.  The catfish didn’t taste like much of anything.  “Seasoned” broccoli tasted like regular broccoli, and some cranberry sauce was nothing to get excited about.  Not “craving” any more of this stuff, I next tried some of the beef fajita filling.  This was better. with tender chunks of beef and sliced red & green peppers and onions.  The peeled shrimp were large and good with cocktail sauce.  Some cold-shrimp-and-crab salad was good enough to merit a second helping.  The large chunks of crab meat appeared to be from claws, but I didn’t know which species of crab this was.  When I asked a Hispanic staffer behind the counter, “What kind of crab is that?”, he got a quizzical look on his face and said something I couldn’t make out.  I thought he might have said “calamari,” but that couldn’t be right.  I
said, “Calamari?”  He said, “No calamari!”  I pointed at the salad bowl and said, “What kind of crab?”  He got that blank look again and said something I couldn’t understand.  Sensing a stalemate, I returned to my table and finished off my “no calamari.”

Desserts were over by the salad station.  There wasn’t a large selection, just a few types of cakes and pies and I believe a couple of cobbler and/or bread pudding trays.  I tried some hand-dipped gelato, which was good but too soft.  Then I took a slice of yellow layer cake with orange-flavored icing and slivers of roasted almonds coating the
outside.  This cake was at least twice the size of typical buffet cake, and could easily be shared by two people.  Here’s a photo; I stood up a packet of Equal to provide a sense of scale…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/cravings2.jpg

I have to say it looked better than it tasted.  The orange flavor seemed a little too intense and the cake was kind of dry after sitting on a refrigerated display shelf.  Keep the cake moist and replace the orange icing with chocolate and it would have been awesome.

Was this dinner buffet worth $24.24 plus tip?  Maybe, if you’re stuck mid-Strip and you don’t feel like walking to Wynn, Bellagio,  or Aladdin.  Otherwise I’d say go for one of those or, heaven forbid, a real restaurant.  And if you’ve hired your own set of wheels, well, you know what I’d do.  Have coupons, will travel.

After dinner, I walked over to the Venetian to give myself another opportunity to diss their gondola rides.  I know lots of folks enjoy getting paddled through a noisy shopping mall.  Some have even been inspired to propose marriage while gliding past such well-known Venice landmarks as the Taqueria Canonita Mexican restaurant or the Godiva
chocolate store.  If that’s what floats your boat, fine, it’s $12.50 per seat, or $50 to hog the whole gondola for you and your sweetie. But before you con yourself into thinking you’re having an authentic experience, please know that real gondolas in Venice don’t come equipped with seatbelts…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/venetian3.jpg

No doubt it’s a preemptive liability-avoidance tactic by the hotel, but there were signs posted that said use of the belts was mandatory, and I saw people who actually buckled up.  The canal is what, three or four feet in depth?  And the gondolas travel at what, three or four feet per hour?  What’s next?  Helmets and three-point harnesses for lazy-river inner tubes?

Oh well, back across the street to “TI” for the 10pm Sirens show. Everybody says this show is bad, and they’re right.  The original show years ago was a tightly-scripted 8-minute confrontation, pirates vs. British, in which the pirates were appropriately swaggering and swashbuckling, and the British were stoic even in defeat.  It was a
thrilling spectacle, like watching a movie performed live right in front of you.

So naturally TI got rid of that show and replaced it with one that has twice the length and none of the depth.  Instead of pirates vs. British, it’s whores vs. horny guys.  And if that sounds tantalizing, trust me, it’s not.  The dialogue is execrable, the songs are excruciating, and the whole thing is a colossal bore.  And when it’s over, it’ll take you another 15 minutes to escape the crowd if you were foolish enough to claim a prime viewing location.

11/10 (Thursday)  -  Lunch buffet at Green Valley Ranch, again with a half-off coupon from ACG.  I had another good meal, although this time the beef brisket was so fatty I didn’t touch it.  It was just a poor cut of meat that they probably shouldn’t have served.  While I was eating, a live pigeon appeared above the food stations.  I first noticed it sitting on the edge of a recessed-lighting area above the “Tuscan Trattoria” station.  The food below wasn’t in danger, since it was covered by counter-tops and sneeze guards.  But when the pigeon flew up and then landed again nearby, it raised a big cloud of dust
that was backlit by the lights and clearly visible.  I mentioned this to two buffet staffers who were watching the bird and they said they would get up there with a ladder and clean the area.  I hope they followed through.  Having dust and dirt flying around above a
food-serving area is obviously unacceptable, and probably a health department issue.  But I still like the GVR buffet and would not hesitate to return.

I stopped at the Hard Rock one last time to use the $1 ticket remaining from the $99 butt-kicking I took earlier in the trip.  I went back to the same machine, fed the ticket in, and played a single $1 hand.  And I hit a royal flush!  He-he, just kidding.  I got nothing on the first deal and nothing on the draw, which was probably what I deserved.

After a nap — we’re not getting any younger — I drove over to the Freakin’ Frog around 8pm, grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a freakin’ burger with freakin’ fries.  The Freakin’ Frog serves over 500 freakin’ kinds of beer so naturally I ordered a freakin’ lemonade.  The crowd appeared to be mainly college kids from nearby UNLV, plus a few
of us fuddy-duddies who look in the mirror and see experienced hipsters.  My burger was pretty good.  I had been watching it fry on the grill for at least 20 minutes so I knew it was well-done and free of deadly bacteria.  The seasoned fries were okay, too.

Around 8:30 or so, the Pickadillos began tuning up and I went over to introduce myself to banjo picker and AVLV’er Steve Harder-Kucera. Steve seems like a good guy, just as you’d expect from reading his postings here.  We chatted a bit, I returned to the bar, and the Pickadillos began their first set, which featured their mutant-bluegrassified renditions of Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses,” Smokey Robinson’s “I Second That Emotion,” John Fogerty’s “Down on the Corner,” Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright,”, Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” and that old Stealers Wheel chestnut, “Stuck in the Middle with You.”  They also performed a couple of medleys, “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” and their signature pairing of ” Foggy Mountain Breakdown/Turning Japanese.”  After a welcome absence of many years, “Turning Japanese” has now wormed its way back into my mental jukebox.  Thanks a lot, Steve.

Here’s a pic of the Pickadillos getting down at the Freakin’ Frog…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/pickadillos.jpg

They’re a talented group of musicians and well worth a look-see on your next Vegas trip.  Particular kudos to Steve and guitarist Raj Rathor, who ended the first set in dueling-banjos style, trading riffs at an increasingly furious pace and drawing whoops and hollers and ultimately an ovation from the crowd.

Midway through the set, I glanced toward the door and saw that AVLV’er Dr. Larry Kraus had arrived.  He introduced me to his buddy Don from back east and we all hung out for the balance of the set.  When it was over, Larry went up to meet Steve, then departed to rest up for his journey home the next day.  (At least that’s what he told me.)  I stayed for another set of tunes both familiar and unfamiliar to me, then bid Steve adieu and strode out into the night, that insidious Vapors song still tormenting my consciousness.

11/11  (Friday)  -  Lunch buffet at the Gold Coast with an ACG half-off coupon.  I forgot that today was Veteran’s Day and Coast Casinos were offering a free buffet to active and retired members of the military.  That meant long lines.  There were around 50 people waiting to get into the GC buffet, but I figured people with military experience knew how
to eat quickly, and indeed the line moved at a good pace.  The buffet itself was no great shakes.  The salmon, clam chowder, meat lasagna and veggie pizza were all just okay, nothing special.  Ditto for the brussels sprouts, sauteed carrots and garlic bread.  Broccoli was overcooked and mushy.  For dessert, the build-your-own strawberry shortcake was okay, although the whipped cream was a little tired and droopy.

The rest of the afternoon I spent relaxing and packing up my stuff for the trip home.  Around 6pm I drove over to the Orleans for the dinner buffet (ACG half-off, of course).  The parking lots and the garage were nearly full, and the Veteran’s Day freebie line at the buffet was twice as long as the GC’s.  Grilled tuna was okay if a bit dry.  Roast turkey
with gravy was all right, too.  Peel-and-eat shrimp were of average size and quality.  Mongolian beef over fried rice was a little chewy.  A “Caribbean Blend,” green beans and carrots with bits of red pepper and onion, was of only cafeteria quality.  A slice of pizza had soggy crust, while a piece of garlic bread was just mildly garlicky but okay.  The dessert staff had trouble keeping their counters from emptying.  Some dark chocolate cake with chocolate icing was particularly popular.  I managed to snag two slices as they were coming out of a storage cabinet.  One annoyance:  the red cloth napkins were nice, but they left red lint all over my lap.  If you have the ACG coupon for the Orleans buffet, try to use it on Wednesday’s Steak Night (assuming you like steak).  Monday is Seafood Night, but I haven’t tried that one.

After dinner, I drove downtown for some Veteran’s Day entertainment on Fremont Street.  When I arrived around 7:30pm, a country-rock band was entertaining the crowd with songs like “Sweet Home Alabama”.  They finished around 8pm, and then at 9pm the featured act of the evening took the stage, 60′s rock band The Rascals….

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/vet2.jpg

Actually it was Rascals founder Felix Cavaliere plus four other guys who don’t look old enough to be original band members.  Cavaliere, shown here in the red shirt…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/vet3.jpg

… is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and while he and his band played competently, I wasn’t really bowled over with nostalgia or anything.  I heard them perform such Rascals hits as “It’s a Beautiful Morning” and “Good Lovin’,” but after a half-hour or so I left.  In fairness, the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it more than I did.

Walking back to my car at Main Street Station, I entered an empty lot next to the Plaza, where a traveling exhibit featuring a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial had been erected…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/vet4.jpg

This version of the granite wall in Washington is made of steel, but was treated no less reverentially by those who came to see it.  Some visitors placed flowers, candles, even bottles of champagne at the base of the wall.  The memorial lists the names of all those Americans who were killed or missing in action while serving in Vietnam during the
1960′s and 70′s, including this Air Force Lt. Colonel…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/vet5.jpg

Out of curiosity, I did a search on Lt. Colonel Masterson, and his fate remains controversial.  You can read more about him by Googling for various links, including this one…

http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/M021.htm

11/12 (Saturday)  -  They say all good things must come to an end, and so it is for this trip.  To tell you the truth, after four weeks I’d pretty much had my fill of Vegas and didn’t mind packing up and flying home.

I saw five paid shows plus the boxing matches and the sprint car races, all for about $250.  Tom Jones was the splurge at $70.  I also enjoyed around 9 or 10 good free shows in various lounges, bars and restaurants.  I didn’t keep track of every meal expense, but if you’ve read this far you know I got by pretty cheap in that department.

Toting up the results of my video poker play, I was relieved to find I only lost about $30 (or $65 if I had paid out-of-pocket for the free play I got from Aladdin, Tuscany and Golden Nugget).  I also earned the two cell phone holsters and a bottle of wine from the Tuscany, with a total estimated value of $25.  Oh yeah, and free t-shirts from the
Rampart and Terrible’s, and six more free decks of cards.  So I guess you could say I more or less broke even.

I’m still of two minds when it comes to gambling.  It can be entertaining and even exciting, yet surely there are more productive ways to spend one’s limited time on this earth than by sitting in front of a big metal box pushing buttons for hours on end (and paying for the privilege).  I think of the Asian couple I saw at GVR who dropped a
quick $200 on vidpoker — they could’ve enjoyed a fantastic dinner on the Strip with that money.  Or the guy who shoveled $300 into a bank of machines — that would’ve paid for two or three of the top Vegas shows.  Maybe we’re victims of our own egos.  We all think we’re special and that we’ll succeed where others come away empty-handed.  But the laws
of probability will win every time, or at least often enough to keep the casinos ahead of the players.  I feel fortunate that I escaped with a negligible hit to my bankroll.  And I’ll probably try it again next time.

Vegas isn’t quite all about money, though.  If you don’t believe it, go to Las Vegas Blvd. and Flamingo and look at the big empty space in front of the Bellagio.  That’s 8 acres of prime Strip property.  Most corporate bean-counters would have sought to gain the maximum sales-per-square-foot from that expensive acreage.  But when Steve Wynn
built the Bellagio, he decided to put in a big lake with dancing fountains set to music.  Anyone can come and enjoy it for free, which means it generates zero revenue but tons of goodwill.  It’s the closest thing to a public park anywhere on the Strip, and it was a stroke of imagination and generosity not likely to be seen again in the future.  Steve Wynn, this one’s for you…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/blfountain.jpg

Thanks for reading.  Enjoy your next trip, and be sure to tell us about
it.

— Walt

Oh, I just found one more pic that fell through the cracks…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/pan.jpg

The food selection is not extensive, and it’s mainly your basic American meat-and-potatoes stuff. The glazed ham was okay, as were the stuffing and the mashed potatoes with skins mixed in. Yellow corn was rather bland, while the cole slaw was acceptable. Cabbage rolls were good, while the manicotti was a little dry on the edges but otherwise okay. I didn’t care for the beef enchilada. “Mongolian Beef” was kind
of chewy, but the sweet peppers and onions in it were good over shrimp-fried rice. I went back for seconds on the beef, cabbage rolls and cole slaw. For dessert, a small square of German chocolate cake was good. A serving of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream was way too green in color, and the mint flavor was overly intense. It tasted a little too much like toothpaste, although it did leave my mouth feeling minty fresh. With a half-off ACG coupon, the buffet was a good value at $3.22 plus tip.

After lunch, I drove downtown to Main Street Station and sat down forsome 25-cent 9/7 JoB at the casino bar. I immediately hit four 7′s on the first hand, then played a little more and cashed out with a $10 profit. Over near the valet parking entrance I found some regular MultiStrike machines. Playing max nickels, I gave back most of my JoB gains and high-tailed it out of there.

Crossing over to the California, I found some allegedly full-pay JoB machines (9-6-4-3-2-1) near the 2nd-floor restrooms. They should’ve been inside the restrooms, since they were crap to me. Playing max credits ($1.25/hand), I couldn’t do anything and dropped $40 in a half-hour.

On to the Golden Nugget. I signed up for their slot club and received $10 in free play. I tried one of the “Double Royal Mania” machines near the snack bar and poker room. Not a bad JoB game, with a 9-7-5-3-1-1 pay table. Using just my free play, I played 40 hands at 25-cents each, got lucky and cashed out with $24 clear profit.

Over at the Four Queens they have a bank of eight 9/6 JoB full-pay nickel machines near the front of the casino. I played max credits (25 cents/hand) on one machine, then another, but couldn’t get any satisfaction at all and lost $20 in less than a half-hour. Maybe it was just my luck, but these machines seemed very tight for video poker.

Another Wednesday evening meant another Steak Night buffet at the Orleans. The New York steaks they serve are large, boneless and of decent quality, with little waste to cut off. Mushrooms and onions are available as accompaniments. After three Steak Nights on this trip and six steaks, I finally hit a bad one that was too tough and chewy to finish. No matter — you can always get another. I declined in favor of extra dessert. “Riviera Blend” vegetables (green and yellow beans plus carrots) were lightly cooked and tasty. Cole slaw was okay, while the meat lasagna was undistinguished. For dessert, the soft-serve vanilla was fairly creamy, though not the best I’ve found. Regarding the build-your-own strawberry shortcake, the cake itself was just so-so, the strawberries were okay, and the whipped cream was on the light and airy side, which I like. The German chocolate cake would have been better had the coconut been more finely grated.

I finished the evening at the Tuscany, which was offering 5x points on slot play every Wednesday. I made a bee line for the full-pay Deuces Wild machines that have been so good to me. Not tonight. The mojo never showed up and I lost $40 way too quickly. Is it my imagination or do the machines tighten up on bonus-point days?

Bonus pics: Here’s Caesars Palace offering a glimpse of a future Las Vegas running out of water…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/caesars.jpg

Here’s Pete Rose in the Forum Shops offering a glimpse of a former baseball superstar running out of fans…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/peterose.jpg

The other people in the photo are not customers or admirers; they just work for the store. I assume the girls are there to attract passersby, since Pete is clearly struggling in that regard. In the 10 minutes I observed this scene, I saw one person buy a piece of memorabilia for Pete to sign. It’s a living, I guess.

11/3 (Thursday) – Lunch buffet at Arizona Charlie’s on Boulder Highway. I can’t find any notes but I seem to recall it was inferior to AZ Charlie’s buffet on Decatur.

At Terrible’s I tried more nickel 9/6 JoB at max credits (25-cents/hand). I put in $20 and hit a quick 4-of-a-kind, but not much afterward. After gaining $7, I gradually declined and cashed out with an $11 loss.

Around 7pm I drove to the Rio to check out the renovations at the Voodoo Lounge. I had a free pass from their website but the gatekeeper at the elevator entrance said it wasn’t necessary at the time I arrived. I went up the glass elevator to the 51st floor and discovered some dramatic alterations to the outdoor deck since I visited last May.
The lounge deck is now connected to a cafe deck one floor below by a dramatic curved stairway. There are also a couple of mini-decks with sofas which offer a bit of privacy. The view of the Strip was outstanding as always.

Here’s a pic looking down on the Rio property, with the Gold Coast and the west side of Las Vegas beyond…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/riogc.jpg

Leaving the Rio, I drove down Flamingo, crossed the Strip and continued over to Ellis Island for dinner. On the way to the restaurant from the casino’s garage entrance, I stopped to play some 9/6 JoB on a 25-cent slant-top machine, but my mojo apparently took the night off. No joy for me, and when I switched to playing max credits, I just lost faster.

For dinner I ordered the steak special which came to $5.32 plus tip. I also had an ACG coupon for 2-for-1 menu items, which I used to get a free dessert. Salad for starters was okay. My steak was a nice, boneless medallion of meat over an inch thick.. Fries were also large and thick, not overdone, soft on the inside and easy to chew. Green
beans were just so-so. I was quite full after dinner but couldn’t pass up a “free” dessert. I chose a brownie in a large dessert cup, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. The ice cream was somewhat icy rather than creamy, but the rest of the ingredients were good. My young server seemed a little spacy, at one point coming back to ask me what I ordered a few minutes earlier. That delayed the arrival of my salad. Two other servers brought my entree and dessert in more timely fashion. Overall, I was pleased with the meal and consider it a fine deal, even more so with the coupon.

The next day, I realized that I had completely forgotten that the Pickadillos were playing this night. Oh well, I had one more chance to see them next Thursday.

11/4 (Friday) – For lunch, I drove out to Wildfire Casino, northwest of the Strip on Rancho Drive. This was my 2nd time there this trip, so the first must have been during the “lost weekend” I referred to in an earlier installment. On the first visit I used an ACG coupon to get a free burger and fries with purchase of a beverage. The Wildfire cafe
serves an excellent 1/2-lb. burger on what may be the best toasted bun I’ve ever had. You also get lettuce, tomato, onions and pickle on the side. The fries were not as good, being thin and having a rough texture which is a little hard on the inside of your mouth. My lemonade was okay, and the coupon makes this a great deal even if you don’t eat the fries.

On this 2nd visit to Wildfire, I wanted to use a different ACG coupon which gives you 2 menu items for the price of one like the coupon for Ellis Island. Again I figured I would pay for an entree and get a free dessert. But the waitress, an Asian woman perhaps around 40 or so, claimed the coupon was only for two people, even though it made no
mention of that. I tried to explain that in a polite way, but she wouldn’t budge, and she wasn’t very friendly about it either. Her attitude suggested to me that she was involved in management in some way, rather than being just a server following orders. So I asked for another burger & fries, paid full price and left her a smaller tip.

From the Wildfire, I drove across Craig Road to the Cannery. Playing JoB at 25-cents per hand, I was getting nowhere fast so I left after losing $5.

After that it was back down to the Strip to see Big Elvis at the Barbary Coast. I got there shortly before 3pm to make sure I didn’t miss him. A first-set highlight was Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” which I’m pretty sure was not in the real Elvis’ repertoire. But the Big E made us believe it could have been. The second set featured Elvis-ized versions of the Ray Charles classic “What’d I Say” and Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.” At one point, Big Elvis switched gears and gave a convincing aural impersonation of Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World.” There was much love in the house
between Big Elvis and his fans, who approached him even while he was performing to shake his hand, give him a hug or pose for pictures. Switching from Satchmo back to Elvis, he invited four gals up from the audience to shake maracas while he sang “Burning Love.” Halfway through the song, a guy came up to give him a hug and Big Elvis stopped
singing to return the favor, while the recorded music kept playing. Hearing Big Elvis fall silent, the guy in the back room playing the music tracks peeked out to see if anything was wrong. I guess he thought the Big E might have keeled over or something.

Here’s a shot of Big Elvis performing in front of his fans, as he might have appeared in an early Impressionist painting…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/bigelvis.jpg

For dinner, I drove out to Arizona Charlie’s on Decatur for their buffet ($4.30 plus tip using an ACG coupon). I started with some New England clam chowder, which was thick and hearty with a nice balance of clams and potatoes. It was a tad salty but still good. Beef lo mein was small pieces of thin-sliced beef and thin noodles mixed with peas, onions, julienned carrots and bits of bamboo shoot. I had mine over some shrimp-fried rice. The beef was a little chewy but the rest of it was good with a spicy edge to it. As a went up for a second plate, they brought out a new tray of manicotti. I ate some but it was only lukewarm (an error not unique to this particular buffet; why go to the trouble of preparing hot food if you’re not prepared to keep it hot?) Some cole slaw was okay, while the yellow corn was bland. A large stick of garlic bread was warm and chewy with good flavor. For dessert, a small square of German chocolate cake was okay. Some hand-dipped vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup was smooth and creamy and made a nice ending to the meal.

I’ve been to this buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner now, and I’d have to say it’s one of the more underrated buffets in town. No, the food selection is not large, and there’s nothing on the menu that even remotely qualifies as gourmet or exotic, but for basic sustenance in a quiet, relaxed environment at a rock-bottom price, the buffet delivers
value for money, particularly for dinner.

After the meal, I hung around to catch the Checkmates again in AZ Charlie’s saloon/lounge. Sonny Charles and Sweet Louie came out wearing matching reddish-orange shirts and pants that looked a little like kids’ pajamas. They sang many of the same songs they perform at the Sahara’s Casbar Lounge. The room here is larger and the sound is not as clear, but I enjoyed the set anyway. Sonny introduced some
minor celebrities in the audience, including a couple of Hall of Fame bull riders in town for the PBR Finals, and actor-singer Gianni Russo, who made his film debut playing Don Corleone’s turncoat son-in-law in “The Godfather.” When Russo stood up and turned to give a quick wave and acknowledge the audience’s polite applause, I had to smile because
it was like one of those classic old-Vegas moments.

Around 10:45pm, I pulled out of Arizona Charlie’s parking lot, sped east on route 95 and south on I-15 to Flamingo, then down the Strip to the Monte Carlo’s parking garage. I walked thru the casino, out onto the Strip and into the Boardwalk just after 11pm, in time to hear the opening strains of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” as rendered by the terrific impersonator/tribute band Purple Reign. They do the Prince of the 80′s with impressive fidelity to the original. The guy performing as Prince not only has the look but also the voice and the moves, and the band is loud and tight. The first set included favorites like
“Little Red Corvette,” U Got the Look,” “Raspberry Beret” and “1999.” There’s no Wendy & Lisa, but a cute long-haired brunette dances provocatively and flirts with “Prince” during some of the songs. Midway through the set, another guy came out to perform as Morris Day, complete with a “Jerome” to carry his primping mirror. Their rendition of “Jungle Love” was great fun. The Boardwalk closes in January. If you’re going to Vegas before then, be sure to catch Purple Reign in the lounge. There’s a one-drink minimum per set (around $7.50), or you can sit at the nearby bar or just loiter in the casino outside. I also hear that Purple Reign is now performing on Wednesday nights in the Monte Carlo’s brewpub.

After the band’s first set I went outside and walked around mid-Strip a while. I noticed that Presto Pizza is now closed…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/presto.jpg

That’s a shame, because they served good thin-crust New York-style pizza that I tried for the first time just last May. The mini-mart next door is also dark. I guess the helicopter tours will be gone soon, too, as development proceeds for the massive City Center project on this site.

Bonus pics: here’s a quick shot of the Peppermill at night…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/peppermill.jpg

and a couple of night shots of the double-decker buses on the Strip…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/deuce2.jpg

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/duece3.jpg

That’s all for now. See you in part seven.

— Walt

10/31 (Monday) – Back to Green Valley Ranch for their lunch buffet. This time there was a line of maybe 20 people outside. An older guy waiting with his wife kept complaining that he shouldn’t have to wait when there were so many empty tables. When he reached the hostess, he told her he had a bad back and it was painful for him to stand around. The hostess said they were short of help that day, hence the delay despite all the empty tables within. Well, the man said, he was “going to complain to the Maloof brothers,” to which the hostess replied, “There you go!” No doubt the Maloofs would lend a sympathetic ear, but since they own the Palms and not Green Valley Ranch, there’s little
they could do other than refer him to the Fertitta brothers who actually run GVR.

Once inside, I tried some barbecued brisket which was good. The barbecued pork from the Chinese station was too fatty, however. The penne pasta with meat sauce was good, as were the carrots. Green beans were lightly cooked and stuffing was okay, but both would have been better if served hotter. This seems to be a common problem in buffets where the air-conditioning is too strong — the food cools off before you can get it back to your table and eat it. Heated plates help to a certain extent, but I wouldn’t mind boosting the ambient temperature a few degrees to keep my food warmer. At least turn up the dials on those steam trays.

For dessert I tried two scoops of the hand-dipped “strawberry shortcake” ice cream, which tasted pretty much like vanilla, especially after I topped it with chocolate syrup and chopped nuts. It was good, though, so I went back for two more scoops.

To the right of the buffet entrance is a bank of eight MultiStrike poker machines. In MultiStrike, you can bet on 4 successive hands at once, but only if you make a winning hand do you get to play the next hand. In return for this added risk, winning hands pay off at 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x, respectively. Occasionally you will get a “Free Ride” to the next level even if you don’t make a hand. It’s an entertaining variation on standard video poker. Here’s a link to an online version:

http://www.multistrikepoker.com

Anyway, after the lunch buffet I played one of these machines, betting a nickel per hand, or 20 cents per four-hand sequence. After about 20 minutes I cashed out with a $2 profit, good enough to cover my lunch tip.

Heading back toward the Strip, I stopped at Terrible’s for some regular video poker. This would prove to be the beginning of an exciting run of good luck. After signing up for a slot card, I found the bank of four multigame, upright machines close to the casino’s south entrance. I slipped $5 in one of them and started playing full-pay 9/6 JoB at 25 cents a hand. To my delight, about 20-30 minutes later I cashed out with $22.

Next, I drove down the street to the Tuscany, a small but friendly casino with a slightly upscale air about it. I signed up for their slot club and received $5 in free play along with a funbook with rewards for accumulating certain levels of slot points. There’s a bank of eight full-pay, Deuces Wild machines not far from the main cashier. I sat down at one of those and began my free play, occasionally referring to a strategy sheet I found at wizardofodds.com. Playing nickels at max credits (50 cents per hand), I soon ran my free $5 up to $30 and cashed out, feeling giddy at my good fortune. This is easy!

In the evening I returned to the Tuscany and went back to the same DW machines. Betting nickels at max credits again, I started with $5 and quickly lost it. I inserted $10 more and lost that, too. Then I slipped in a $20 bill and lost $3 or $4 of that. I was down nearly $20 and getting a little discouraged, but I told myself that since I had gained $30 from the previous session after starting with only the free play, I was still actually playing with house money. At this point my luck turned and I scored my first big hit: 4 deuces for a 2000-credit payoff ($100). A little while later, I hit 4 deuces again for another $100. I was now up over $200, and it all started with that $5 free play. Jacks or Better was okay, but it was looking like Deuces Wild was my game and the Tuscany was my personal ATM.

Meanwhile, I’m racking up slot points, too, and I found that I had enough to redeem a funbook coupon for a free gift. The Tuscany was also running a special promotion for accumulating 1000 slot points in one day, which gave you a free bottle of wine while letting you keep the points. I was already over halfway there, so I decided to go for the wine. I kept playing and dropped from over $200 to around $160 before cashing out with enough points. I had spent $40 to get a $4 bottle of wine, but what the heck, I was playing with house money! I went to the slot club and picked up a bottle of white zinfandel. For my other free gift, I chose a pair of leather cellphone holsters that slip on your belt. I had been looking to buy one anyway, but I didn’t need it urgently enough to pay $10 in a store for one of those little things. And now the Tuscany was handing me two of them for free. The Tuscany, my new home-away-from-home.

11/1 (Tuesday) – Drove down to Sam’s Town for their lunch buffet, but they refused to accept the POV 2-for-1 coupon at half-off for one person. So I went up the road to Boulder Station’s buffet, which accepted an ACG 2-for-1 with no problem. Already one of the cheapest buffets in Vegas, it was cheaper still at half-off, just $3.23 plus tip. Alas, I can barely recommend it even at that price, mainly due to the small selection. The barbecued chicken and the cole slaw were okay, the mashed potatoes and the broccoli were adequate. Apart from those few items, however, I could find nothing that appealed to me. The dessert selection was just as meager and somewhat sloppy in presentation, with slices of pie sprawled on their plates, their fillings in disarray. The soft-serve vanilla ice cream here was not as creamy as some others I’ve tried. The German chocolate cake, however, was as good as the slice I had at sister property Green Valley Ranch on an earlier visit, so they probably get it from the same baker. Overall, though, I would return here during a Vegas visit only if all other options were exhausted. If you have the ACG coupon that’s good at all Station buffets, go directly to GVR.

Leaving the buffet, I came across a five-play MultiStrike machine near the restrooms to the right of Boulder Station’s cinemas. It’s a slant-top, multi-game model offering 5, 10, and 25-cent betting levels. Five-play is similar to the regular MultiStrike game I described
earlier, except that you can bet on up to five hands per level instead of just one. Play the online version here…

http://www.5pms.com

I put in $20 and began playing the full screen (5×4) at the 10-cent level, or $2.00 total per round. After a while I doubled up to $40, then fell back to around $30 and cashed out with a $10 profit.

From there I moved to an “Optimum Play” five-cent Deuces Wild upright machine between the gift shop and the Subway franchise. Playing max credits (50 cents per hand) I held my own at first, neither gaining nor losing more than a few dollars. Then, about 15 minutes into the session… shazzam! Four deuces for 2000 credits or $100. I continued
playing for another 45 minutes or so and cashed out with a $91 profit. The mojo is working.

Wandering through the casino, I spotted 3 more five-play MultiStrikesnear the Railhead showroom, and 2 slant-top five-plays out in the middle between the Burger King and the Guadalajara Grill. I put $20 in one of the slant-tops and again began playing the full screen at $2.00 per round. I fell to about $3-4 before hitting four-of-a-kind at the
4x level for a $14 gain. That would be my only big hit of the session, and I lost ground slowly after that. With my $20 almost gone, I slipped in another dollar so I could play one more round at full strength. No luck — I cashed out with 30 cents. Still, I left Boulder Station with an $80 profit, so I was feeling good.

From Boulder Station I drove back up East Flamingo to the Tuscany for more Deuces Wild. I put $20 in and played max credits (50 cents/hand). After about 200 hands I was down a couple dollars, whereupon I hit four deuces again for 2000 credits/$100. I retreated somewhat after that and cashed out with a $60 profit.

This trip was my first serious foray into video poker, so hitting four deuces for $100 was a thrill for me. Hitting them four times was camera-worthy; here’s a composite photo of all four from Tuscany and Boulder Station…

http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/fourd.jpg

Feeling like I was on a roll, I went back to Terrible’s for more 9/6 JoB, but the mojo wasn’t working there. The best hand I could draw was a full house, and after an hour or maybe 90 minutes, I left with a $20 loss.

Somehow it was getting near midnight and I hadn’t eaten since the lunch buffet, so I went to the Hard Rock for their $7.77 steak & shrimp special. The price was now $8.95, but no matter. It’s still an okay meal, with a decent-sized piece of meat and three grilled shrimp, plus mashed potatoes and a salad of mostly lettuce. There may have been
some green beans, too, but I can’t remember. Plus, I used an ACG coupon to get a funbook from the slot club which contained a coupon for free dessert with purchase of an entree, a nice freebie since desserts go for around $4 or more. I chose an ice cream sundae which was big and tasty and capped off the meal nicely.

I was getting sleepy and should’ve called it a night, but the VP machines were beckoning. I found one of the 9/6 slant-top JoB machines in the pit near VIP Services. I looked in my wallet for a $20 bill, but the only bill I had larger than $5 was a hundred. So I put it in
the machine and told myself I’d only risk twenty. Yeah, right. Playing at max credits ($1.25 per hand) I couldn’t get anything going, and when I got down to $80 I told myself, well, your luck should be turning soon, so keep playing. But I kept losing, and after the first hour or so my $100 had dwindled to under $20. I’m getting sleepier, but now I’m thinking, Hey, you’ve lost $80 already, so what’s another $20? And besides, you can feel a big score coming on, like a royal! This is gonna be the night. So I carried on, hunched over the machine,oblivious to the crowd of young hipsters behind me and the rock music
blaring over the sound system. And I started coming back. Without a single large hit, my credits rose to $30, then to $40, to $60, to $80. I kept playing and finally got back to break-even at $100. I’m getting really sleepy, I’ve got one elbow on the machine, my head is in my hand, I’m struggling to stay awake. It was time for a rational person to cut and run, but I was beyond rational at that point. I was determined to hit a royal at the Hard Rock or die trying. I rarely drink, and never in casinos, so I had been waving off the cocktail waitress all night. My credits kept rising. I was up to $115, and then, like a plane that flies too high, my mojo engine sputtered and stalled, and I went into a dive. Back to $100, then to $80, to $60, to $40. All the while I’m telling myself to hang in there, the big score is coming. Hanging over the slant-top for over two hours, I must’ve looked a little spaced-out or something, and I heard a cocktail waitress ask if I was all right. Without looking up from the screen, I mumbled yes and kept playing hand after hand. Now I was down to $20, then $10. Eventually I had a single dollar left in the machine when it finally hit me, after three-plus hours hunched over that damn machine, that maybe I should hang it up and walk out before giving the Hard Rock the satisfaction of seeing me bust out. So I punched the Cash button, grabbed my $1 ticket and my slot card, and floated in a daze through the late-night crowd and out the door. A disquieting end to an otherwise successful day.

That’s all for now. See you in part six.

— Walt

10/20 (Thursday)  -  This morning we had breakfast at the Blueberry Hill diner on East Flamingo, one of my favorite meal stops in Vegas.  I ordered the same thing I always get:  the blueberry pancakes.  They have blueberries mixed into the batter and are served with more hot blueberries poured over them, plus some canned whipped cream sprayed on for good measure.  Delicious.

After breakfast I drove to the Orleans to buy myself a ticket for the boxing matches on the evening of 10/28, the day M&D would be returning home.  Walking into the casino, I passed a balding old guy escorting a 30-ish blonde in a low-cut, tight-fitting dress.  His niece, no doubt. From the Orleans I went to Tix4Tonight on the Strip between MGM and
Aladdin to buy 3 half-price vouchers for the “Society of Seven” show this afternoon at Bally’s.   And from there I took the vouchers directly to Bally’s box office and exchanged them for the actual reserved-seat tickets.   I was surprised at the excellent seats we received, at a table front-and-center, about 15 feet from the stage. Cost at Tix4Tonight was $26 per person including tax & service, using this coupon:

http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/tix-4-tonight-coupon.htm

We arrived at Bally’s Jubilee Theater about 20 minutes before showtime. There was a lengthy line of folks waiting to get in, but when the doors opened it didn’t take long to get to our seats.  The Society of Seven is a group of guys from Hawaii who have been performing since the 1960′s, although only one or two of the original members are still with the act.  They sing, play instruments and do comic impressions of entertainers like the Rat Pack, Kenny G and Cher (yes, they are not averse to dressing in drag to get laughs).  The comedy is broad, with lots of goofy costumes and horsing around.  Their big finish is a spoof of “The Lion King,” followed by a patriotic finale (something which,
whether sincere or not, always strikes me as a cheap manipulation of the audience).

I would probably give Society of Seven only a so-so recommendation, were it not for the presence of their girl singer Lani Misalucha, a Filipino entertainer who shines in this show like a ballplayer who’s come down from a higher league.  She sings pop songs, show tunes and operatic arias with equal ease, and could easily fill in at Caesars for Celine Dion, whom she deftly skewers with a comedic impression.  Her take as Beyonce doing “Crazy in Love” is electric.  Whether singing solo or joining in the guys’ cornball skits, she commands the audience’s attention whenever she’s on stage.  And she clearly loves to
entertain, even when the house is less than half-full as it was this afternoon.  So, with Lani Misalucha in the cast, I give Society of Seven two thumbs-up and hope that Lani will someday get her own Vegas show.

Speaking of Bally’s, here’s a photo of the Strip entrance…

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Later on we had the Seafood Night dinner at the Gold Coast buffet, using ACG 2-for-1 coupons.  I didn’t make any notes about it and I don’t recall anything exceptional.  After the meal, I put $5 in a 5-cent JoB machine and started playing single-credit hands.  I was
gaining a little, so, feeling lucky, I bumped it up to max credits (25 cents) and soon ran the five bucks up to $34.  Instead of doing the rational thing and cashing out with a nearly six-fold profit, I heard a little voice in my head say, “Hey, why not keep going?  You’re playing with house money, after all.  Go for the big score, the royal flush!” So I kept playing, and a while later I cashed out with $10 and no royal, and I felt like I lost $24 instead of gaining five.

10/21 (Friday)  -  Late breakfast/lunch at the Paris buffet.  For once we pay full-price, about $14 per person plus tip — woo-woo!  This buffet runs continuously during the day, so if you arrive at the right time you can get in, say, for the breakfast price and sample both breakfast and lunch.  I have no notes about this meal, but I recall some good crepes, a nice made-to-order omelet, and some large pre-peeled shrimp.  Also saw some meat entrees in various Frenchified sauces, and if I recall correctly, I had some good New England clam chowder (sacre bleu!)  Couldn’t find any French fries or French’s mustard.

We didn’t do much the rest of this day.  Went downtown again later in the afternoon.  M&D played more slots in Vegas Club, a sports-themed casino where, ironically, the sportsbook remains closed for renovations.  Around dinner time, M&D weren’t hungry yet, so I went alone to the California for another prime rib special.  After that I walked up Main St. to the Plaza’s front driveway, where they were celebrating Oktoberfest with an oompah band called the Dummkopfs and a stand selling beer and brats…

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When I hooked up with M&D later in the evening, they said they ate dinner at the McDonald’s in the Plaza.

10/22 (Saturday)  -  We tried the brunch buffet at Main Street Station using the 2-for-1 POV coupon.  Although I generally avoid breakfast food, it was pretty good.  The happy omelet guy was there doing his thing, so I had one of his creations, plus a few lunch-type items that apparently were not all that memorable.  I do recall that some big, warm cinnamon rolls caught my fancy; I had a couple of those and would go back just for them.

After brunch M&D played some slots and I went out on Fremont to look at some “vintage” Mustang cars on display.  With Fremont Street turned into a pedestrian mall, shows like this are the only way you’ll get to see cars parked in front of the casinos under the canopy.  It sort of harkens back to the old days…

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After looking at the Mustangs I went back to Vegas Club where M&D were playing.  To kill time I found a 10/7 JoB machine and won a quick $10 by hitting 4 kings.

For this evening I had ordered up something different — tickets to the sprint car races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  First I took M&D to 4pm Mass at Guardian Angel Cathedral across from the Stardust.   While they were in church I walked over to the Stardust, got a replacement slot card and found I still had 64 points from a visit 5 or 6 years ago.  I
played a little VP to pass the time and broke even.  Then I walked to the north end of the Stardust property and crossed the Strip to see where the Tix4Tonight outlet was.  By that time Mass was about over, so I returned to the church to get M&D.

For dinner we drove to Arizona Charlie’s on Decatur, but M&D said they weren’t hungry yet and would eat at the races.  While they played some slots, I went to the coffee shop and had the $2.99 steak & eggs with hash browns and toast.  Nothing to complain about, quality-wise, and the price can’t be beat.

We drove north out I-15 to the speedway exit, parked the car and found our seats in the grandstand of the sprint car track.  We could hear off in the distance the drag races which were being held at the same time.  This was our first time at any live car race.  I remember going to a demolition derby once when I was a kid, and the crowd here looked similar.  You won’t see too many of these folks in the audience at “La Reve.”  Lots of baseball caps with automotive logos.  Lots of tattoos, sideburns, facial hair.  And that’s just the women.  Hey, thank you!

The action started at 7pm with practice laps and qualifying heats.  This was the end-of-season championship for the “World of Outlaws,” as the sprint car people like to call themselves, although I witnessed no crimes being committed other than auditory assault-and-battery on my eardrums.  Sprint cars are small but LOUD, like a dozen power mowers circling your living room while you’re trying to watch the politically-correct news on PBS.  I noticed a few spectators discreetly wearing ear plugs, and I quickly wadded up some tissue to stuff in my ears and reduce the higher-frequency noise to a tolerable level.  I offered some to Dad, but he declined.  Mom merely removed her hearing aids.

I was surprised at how fast these sprint cars are.  They were turning laps at over 120 miles per hour on a half-mile dirt track.  As a result you get a lot of dust and bits of dirt flying up into the seats and on your clothing and in your hair.  That part was fun.  Here’s the only photo I was able to get in the available light where the cars weren’t too blurry.  They were under a yellow caution flag at the time:

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The night ended around 11pm with the final 30-lap race for the championship.  I don’t recall who won.  The important thing is that there were no fires or crashes, with cars flipping end-over-end like you see on TV sometimes, and for that I left the track feeling like the entire evening had been a waste of money.

M&D never did bother to eat at the races, so when we drove back to town we stopped at the Gold Coast coffee shop for the $2 late-night breakfast.

10/23 (Sunday)  -  Last year we used a POV coupon to get two free brunches at the Gold Strike’s steakhouse in Jean.  This year we tried the same deal at Nevada Landing.  The coupon in effect gave us 3-for-1 brunch in the Jade Room there.  It’s not a big room, nor a big buffet, just some pastries, rolls, bagels, fresh fruit, a couple of cold salads, etc.  You also get to choose a hot entree from among several choices.  We all went with the crab cakes.  They were more like flattened crab patties with too much filler, and while they didn’t taste too bad, I think I would order something else next time.  The bagels were good, though; I ate two of them.  Our server was a young guy who didn’t see much of a future for himself in rural Iowa, so he moved to Nevada several years ago and bypassed Vegas to go directly to Primm and then Jean for work.  He lives in Sandy Valley, a small,
isolated community west of Jean near the California border.  He also bought some property there and hopes it will continue to appreciate in value as the area develops.  After our meal Mom played some slots, Dad tried some video poker, and I lost $5 on VP and watched some football on TV.

Don’t recall where we had dinner this day, but for the evening, we had half-price seats for comedian David Brenner at the Hilton.  Seating is unreserved and by hostesses.  No need to tip big to sit close; it’s not a large room and you can hear the jokes fine from anywhere.  Brenner has been around a long time and often filled in for Johnny Carson on
the Tonight Show.  He comments on current events and jumps back and forth between the news and personal stories in a sort of stream-of-consciousness way.  Unlike some other comics, he mostly avoids working “blue”, but in this show he threw in a few unnecessary f-bombs.  Despite that, I thought he was pretty entertaining, although
I’m the type who doesn’t laugh out loud so much as just sit there and think, “that’s funny,” and occasionally emit a quiet chuckle.  An audience full of Walts would make a grown comedian cry.  Fortunately the rest of the crowd was more vocal and laughed and applauded at appropriate times.  Brenner performed for about 75 minutes and then
closed the show rather abruptly.  He didn’t have a big finish or an extra-funny bit that would suggest a climax; he just came to the end of a story and then unexpectedly said goodnight, thanks for coming.  A little more warning would have been nice.

Following the Brenner show, we drove over to the Sahara to catch the Checkmates’ 11pm set in the Casbar lounge.  It was pretty much the same show I saw last May — same songs, same jokes, and still entertaining, especially for a free show.  If you’re in Vegas, don’t pass up a chance to see the Checkmates.  They generally alternate between the Sahara and Arizona Charlie’s on Decatur.

Bonus pics:  the Mirage at night…

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… and one of the double-decker “Deuce” buses that run up and down the Strip and to downtown.  Five dollars gets you a 24-hour pass…

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That’s all for now.  See you in part three.

— Walt