Well folks, last night I arrived back home from a nice 2-day spin through the City of Sin: Las Vegas. As part of my vacation, I decided to actually get out of the city for a short trip, and having never been to Vegas I decided that was the place for me. If you haven't been before, you should definately go. Just in case folks are interested, this is what went down. Included are several tips which hopefully will make your trip a little smoother.
First of all, there are a couple of places to stay in Vegas. The older part is downtown, which runs from Main St to the Strip along Fremont Street. Fremont Street is closed down to all automobile traffic, and has the giant light canopy stretching over the street. I didn't make it down there this time, but plan on it for the next trip. The other area is the Vegas Strip. The Strip, also known as Las Vegas Blvd, is where all the massive hotel & casino resorts that you see in the movies are located. We're talking everything from the Mandalay Bay & the Luxor (the giant pyramid) to the Stardust (home of Wayne Newton) and the Stratosphere (the giant tower), and everything in between. For my hotel choice, I decided to stay in the Hotel San Remo on the south side of the strip, in a smaller hotel right behind the Tropicana. This is a smaller hotel & casino, but is closer to the MGM Grand than the Grand's own parking lot. The nearby casinos included the New York New York, the MGM Grand, the Tropicana and the Excalibur. It was less expensive than any of those larger places, but the location was great. The hotel was about the same quality as a Holiday Inn, with a king-sized bed, standard shower/bath, a small loveseat and a great view overlooking the NYNY. This place was also home to an all-day steak & eggs special ($5.95) that was well worth the cost.
Once you get to Vegas, you will be overwhelmed by the sounds of slot machines. They're throughout the airport, in laundromats, in 7-11, everywhere! But you want to resist the urge to put money into one of these machines at the airport, as the payback percentages are reported to be in the low 70s (a good machine pays back at least 92%). Once you retrieve your baggage, there are a few ways to get to the hotel. If you have the need to show some flash, limo rental is fairly inexpensive. Taxis are lined up along the airport, but if you get in one make sure to tell them not to take the tunnel (it'll add up about $5 extra on your fair). If you're flying solo, as I was in this situation, the shuttle might be your best bet. It's about $5 each way to the hotel of your choice (more for downtown & off-strip hotels like the Hard Rock), and if you're worried about losing your shirt during this trip you can prepay the return trip.
I hit the San Remo at about 11:00, a full 5 hours before the posted check-in time. However, the folks there were very nice, and put me up in my room early with no charge. After freshening up a bit, I hit the Strip. One thing there is to know about all these hotels is that they each have a player's club, which they use to monitor your play and gauge what comps you get. Most of them also have freebies for the taking when you sign up, so look into that. I hit the free pull slot machine in front of the Tropicana (won a free deck of cards), and started heading north. My journey took me through the MGM Grand, across to NYNY (where I had a tasty lunch at the Irish Bar), up the strip all the way to Harrah's. At Harrah's, I signed up for the player's club, which netted me free tickets to see Mac King. A hilarious magician/comedian, King made for the first of three shows I caught. I headed back down towards the MGM Grand, into the Showcase mall in front. There is a store in the front of the mall, behind the giant Coke bottle, which sells show tickets for that days' shows at half-price. It was here I picked up a ticket to the Second City Improv troupe, located in the Flamingo. On the way back to the hotel, I hit the craps tables. I was feeling it there during this trip. If you don't know how to play, may I suggest learning. If you're playing with odds bets and some of the other bets, this game has some of the best odds of winning money. Which I did.
After changing for the show that night, I headed down to the Stage Deli at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops. This was a NY style deli which was recommended to me by a friend from work. The New Yorker pastrami & corned beef sandwich was outstanding, served alongside a bucket of very garlicky kosher dill pickels. After a small mishap with the cash register, I was across the street to see the Second City troupe. This group bears no resemblance to the folks from Canada, and are just Second City in name only. I'm glad I got the ticket for half-price. The night was young, and after a margarita-by-the-yard (which is available to drink on the freakin sidewalk!), I was heading back towards the Monte Carlo. I caught the folks coming out of Lance Burton's show, and asked them how it was. A couple told me that he was better than Copperfield, who was across the street in the Grand for another night. I remembered tickets for Lance Burton costing about $50 at the half-price place, so I was determined to win some of that money. I hit the poker room, where I won about $20 in Texas Hold'em. A disappointing trip into the Excalibur/Luxor/Mandalay Bay complex led me back to the Tropicana, which was consistantly good to me. There, I taught two young teachers from Oregon the proper way to play craps, and we all made about $100 apiece before the table went cold and we walked. They were both grateful for the lesson, and we all hit the strip for a bit more sightseeing. We went our separate ways, where I headed back to my hotel for a couple hours sleep.
The next day was going to be very eventful. I started by heading off to an early-morning trip to the Liberace museum. This place was freaking bright, with everything very sparkly & shiny. I decided to go there after finding a coupon for free admission and free shuttle online, and was glad to have a chance to see something that garish. After the trip back, it was off to the discount ticket place again. I lucked up and got the Lance Burton ticket, as well as a little bit of Christmas shopping for my brother-in-law in M&M World (which is right next door). Back up the strip I headed, as I took the trolly all the way to the Las Vegas Hilton. There I signed up for the slot club, where I asked the promo guy about tickets for the Star Trek Experience (normally $36). The guy sighed and said that yes, he had free tickets for new members. Ha, research on the Internet paid off! Inside Quark's Bar I was able to experience a Warp Core Breach (4 kinds of rum, Razzamatazz, sobe power drink & dry ice in a fishbowl). Things kind of blurred for a bit, as I headed back down to the Bellagio. Since I had made more money than I thought I would, I decided to upgrade lunch by hitting Todd English's "Olives". There I tried something I never thought I'd have: Beef Carpaccio. Basically it's a raw, really high quality beef served with a balsamic vinegar glaze and other assorted bits. Very tasty. The duck was also delicious, as it was served with a foie gras couscous. This was not a cheap lunch, but I was on vacation and determined to live it up.
After the Bellagio (which was very high class), I headed across the street to the Aladdin. There, I entered their club, as well as the slot tourney. Now, I'm not a big fan of slot tourneys, but I look at what was available for the $20 entry fee. I got a $10 meal credit towards the buffet (which I had planned on having for dinner), 2 t-shirts, a hat, a mug and $10 in free slot play. After not winning in the tourney, I took the $10 in free slot play, lucked up and turned it into $20, cashed out and left $5 ahead after you count the meal credit. Good deal. I hit a few more of the sights, just looking at the various and sundry free things that there are to look at in Vegas. I also hit my hotel for a little refresher nap and shower. Back out to the Aladdin I went, as I hit what has been rated by many as the best buffet on the Strip. Let me tell you, the reviews were spot-on. This buffet featured Mediterranian food, Italian, Asian, a very unique salad bar, American standards and a dessert bar not to be missed. While eating, a lovely young lady caught my eye from across the way. I invited her over to eat, as we were both eating alone. Her name was Kristin, and we talked a bit, and had a very pleasant dinner. Turns out she was in the health insurance industry from Missouri. It was just nice.
From there, we went our separate ways, as it was showtime for me back at the Monte Carlo, and she was heading up to see the free show at Treasure Island. Lance Burton was everything people said and more. This was a great show. Absolutely fantastic. After the show, and a brief confrontation with a 'whale' at the Monte Carlo craps tables where I cheered up a host who was being abused, I headed back up to the Treasure Island on the chance of meeting Kristin up there. Well luck was my lady that night, as I caught her coming away from the show. It turns out they cancelled two shows in a row due to high winds, and she just caught what turned out to be the only show of the night. Happy to have a sightseeing partner, we headed up to the Mirage, where we waited for the volcano eruption. Down to the Bellagio, where the fountain & music show was a spectacle to see. The water, at times, shot so high as to obscure the facade of the hotel. Very nice, and classy as well. Across the street, we joined the crowds for a bit of people watching, as it was opening night for "We Will Rock You", the musical based on the music of Queen. The Paris hotel & casino was abuzz with the the people and the press. Unfortunately, I didn't get a glimpse of Robert DeNiro, who was there as one of the producers of the show, but did get to see Brian May. Very cool. Kristin and I turned downstrip to the NYNY and the dueling piano bar. This place was jumping, as two pianists were entertaining more than their fair share of the crowd. Sadly, it was getting late for Kristin, and she decided to head back to her hotel. But it was great having a traveling companion, if only for a few hours.
Remembering my success the previous night at the Tropicana, I went back over to the craps tables there. There, I turned $40 into $100, and had a few laughs while doing it. The boxman, Phil, was very old-Vegas, as he would tell us all stories about working in the old casinos. I made sure to take care of those guys with tips, as dealers don't make much money on their own. One great way to tip that I found out about is by betting "for the boys". Every now and again I'd play the pass line or bet the hardways for the boys. If it wins, they got the original bet & the winnings. If not, they were still grateful for the opportunity. Plus I'd chuck a few bucks after I'm done as a flat tip to end the night. Taking care of people is the way to get noticed (ie: more frequent free drinks, tickets to a show for the next day, which I wound up giving to a couple at the table as the show was at a time which would have made me miss my flight home). Very good stuff.
That night I slept like a baby, and woke up with a pain in my foot. Looking down there, I saw a quarter-sized blister between my big toe and 2nd toe. Well, everyone has their own price to pay in Vegas. I hit the $6 breakfast deal at the San Remo, and was off to the airport. The flight was delayed about an hour and a half because of rain. I wondered since when did it rain in the desert? Anyway, after a pleasant flight, I arrived back home. I counted the money in my pocket, and came back with about $250. I went with $450, so all that entertainment was $200 after the cost of the flight & hotel. A great deal.
I'm tired, somewhat dragging, but refreshed. It was a great time, and I look forward to going back to sample what downtown has to offer me. I highly recommend it for single and married people without children, but I really don't think it's a place to take a kid. It truly is Sin City, but isn't that what confessional for?
