March Vegas Trip Report Last Week - Party Time!

Hi Everyone,

I would to recount the details of my Vegas trip last week. Hope you all enjoy.

Day 1

I flew in last week after a brutal month at work. Worked myself into the ground, worn out and beaten up. I had hopped and early flight landing in Vegas. This time I decided to pick up a car rental instead of doing the taxi thing. If you have ever been to Vegas before, it's definitely worth it. For me, I hate driving and I only had the car the first couple of days of my trip. In retrospect, I should have kept the car for the entire time. One thing I noticed about driving is that I'm better than most of the taxi's. I've had the experience of drivers taking me the long way, driving too slow, trying to sell me on exploitative services, etc.

My plan of attack was to get all my driving out of the way the first couple of days. Since I was staying at the Hard Rock off-the-strip, this made perfect sense. I would reserve the latter part of my trip on-strip at the Cosmo, so I thought a car really wasn't too necessary. After getting off the plane and picking up my luggage, I headed for the free shuttle that will take you to the car rental area. It's about a good 10 minute ride on that shuttle.

I booked my car via Avis through a Priceline name your price feature. I got a decent price of about $45 per day including all taxes and fees. I had bid $27 ($18 in fees, yikes). I got a beautiful 2014 Nissan Versa. The car drove really well, solid breaks and acceleration, good fuel economy. My only qualm is that the steering was a little loose and the ticketing agent did not offer me additional insurance or ala carte perks. Other ticket agents offered other people added features like GPS and insurance. I was like wham bam thank you mam. The process was relatively quick but I would have liked to see the options. Now as you know, if you pay by credit card, most credit cards have auto insurance included in the purchase, and if you drive, your car insurance policy generally covers you (so no imminent need to buy extra). I also brought my GPS which was a smart thing to do. By the way, choose the self fill option for gas. I drove about 100 miles for the duration of my trip. Don't waste money on prepaying for a full tank of gas at the rental. Do it yourself, you'll find plenty of gas stations in Vegas.

Next stop, the shooting range. I was way to early for checkin, but once I went down to the range on Dean Martin Drive, "The Garage", I had a blast. <Pun intended> I show a Smith and Wesson 357 revolver, a Berratta, and a glock 19. 97/100 shots at 40-50 ft. Not bad. Mind you, gun chicks are incredibly hot. How was I to know?! Sexy and lethal. I'm in love.

Off to check-in at the Hard Rock. For those that haven't stayed there, it's a relatively economical place to stay that is pretty modern with some exceptions. There is a resort fee, but the good news is that it includes use of the fitness facility and the WiFi, which is important. A lot of hotels charge for the internet ala carte. Hard Rock is located off the strip and it is pretty much a couple of blocks behind the Planet Hollywood. It's a long walk, but definitely do-able. I really like their sports book and they have an assortment of your standard table games and good ole bubble craps.

If you were wondering what the rooms look like, here is a standard doubles in the casino tower. It has a modern rocker type feel. Comfy.





One big issue, I have is with the bathroom. The bathroom is a bit small. The toilet is not separate from the tub. If I stand in the tub, I have about 12 inches to the ceiling before I hit my head. It's a bit dated. They really could have done a better job here. Also, the vanity had a tendency for the water to back up in the sink. Nasty. I didn't bother to complain since I wasn't planning on staying in the room too long anyway.



My next stop brought me off-strip again. I love French food, and what better way to kick off your Vegas trip than to do a 7 course tasting at Alize, a Michelin star rated restaurant at the Palms. Special thanks to Alize for taking care of me. The food was amazing. I highly recommend it. The view of the strip is beautiful. The food is so classical yet modern. It's well worth every penny. Sorry boys/girls, not going to post the pictures of these here out of respect for the chefs.

I hopped around the remainder of the night from the Palms to the Rio to the Westin, Silver 7s etc. I have to say that I was gambling light because I had just gotten in, was freaking tired and now suffering from food coma. Overall, I had won a few bucks primarily in Bubble craps. I also want to particularly note that the electronic Big Wheel at the Westin has one of the better payouts that go from 1:1 followed by 3:1 followed by 6:1 etc. Most places have 1:1 followed by 2:1. I thought this offered the best value for a wheel based game that I've ever seen. I threw a couple of bucks at it and was able to pay a tip to the valet. Oh by the way, all casinos have valet and it's free. Just tip the valet guy a buck or two and you'll be fine.

Day 2 - TBD

Been so busy at work, I barely had time to visit to finish my posting report. Will continue trickling this in.

Day 2 - We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Odds. Because because because becauseeee, the wonderful things he does......

Breakfast at the Hard Rock. Who doesn't love steak and eggs. With a glass of juice, and tax and tip, $20? Juices/coffee a bit more expensive than I would like, $4. Steak was good, service was a little slow because the place was packed.

I want to extend my gratitude to the Wizard for recommending that we meet at the Red Rock Hotel & Casino in Summerlin. This place is a lovely scenic drive from the Vegas strip. You have these beautiful mountain ranges in the background as you take the highway over. It's not a complicated drive at all. You're basically taking like Sahara down past the Palms and cutting over to the highway.

Red Rock is similar to one of those self-contained resorts off the strip. It also has the added benefit of being less smokey. Probably has better ventilation. I would definitely say it looks like a premium property in decor and pool size. You can tell that the property is torn between trying to cater to several types of people. For example, a family would definitely enjoy the arcade, theater (think this was an IMAX), bowling alley (very moderately priced and an approved PBA location), and general food court area. For someone gambling or willing to spend a ton of money, there are plenty of good restaurants, high limit gaming, and a very nice pool area to lounge in. I was going to do valet parking, but once I made the turn off the highway, the self parking clearly labeled and literally right in front of me that I decided to go for the garage.

Recharging with Starbucks, I met up with the Wizard. He gave me the grand tour. The Wizard is a trooper, 30 minutes of bike riding to get to the hotel. Impressive. I'd rather do the 15 - 20 minutes of driving from the strip. Too bad the Wizard couldn't stay longer, because I sat at a bubble craps machine (2 min / 500 max), that went on the most insane roll I have ever seen in my entire life in the history of craps. OMG!!!!!! The same shooter held the dice for an hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good thing I was betting for him. I, being a bit more conservative, chose not to press my bets sadly. In fact, I thought he was going to PSO like 50 minutes into his roll. But he didn't. So you can imagine turning a $50 buy-in into $500 on a $2 min starting bet. My strategy was simple, I had come bets on every number, with 2X max odds. I would try to limit my come bets by rotating between having 5+1 come/point bets to 2+1 come/point bets. Always nice to start out a trip ahead. Wish I pressed my starting bet more, but I guess that would be gambling. I think I progressed up to 3/9 on come with odds, before lady luck decided to get angry a couple of times (keep in mind this is not my general gambling strategy.). Stayed there for a couple of hours. Best time ever.

One guy on the machine was sooooo PISSED. So remember when you play any type of machine, if you win over 1000 on a single roll, you are immediately locked out. You forfeit any wins that occur after. Also, you have to wait for an attendant to give you a W2 and hand pay you a cash out. To put things into perspective, this guy bought in for 1000, and left with 6500. I have never seen someone so angry making money. Probably because he couldn't make as much as he should have. In fact, the 15 other rolls that occurred after he was locked out would have netted him over another 1000 easily. He was livid. After the hand pay, the cashed out and left all upset. I was kinda surprised. I already knew the rule, but I suppose if it happened to me I'd be a little annoyed. At the end, when you're up that kind of money, who cares? Maybe he was down and trying to break even. I don't know. All I know, is that he left 5500 richer and was grumpy leaving. So note to self, if you play a 30-1 bet, max bet can only be 33. I wish you the best of luck when you win, but don't complain when the casino has tapped you on the shoulder. In this case, he won too much and machine intentionally froze requiring "call attendant. max win XXXX". Good luck trying to argue this with the NGC.

After I left, I went over to the Wynn to pick up show tickets at Le Reve. More on the show later in the week. The gaming mins at the Wynn were very high. In fact, a general comment about March Madness. The mins across the strip were very very high. Almost every where I went, the standard min was $25. Yikes. I signed up for a Wynn card, and I received a $20 in promo. That was awesome. Played some video craps and made $40 bucks. Good times. Wynn is a beautiful casino. I've been there several times. You'll love walking in to see carousels and horses made out of flowers. It's a ULTRA premium lush resort. If you have never been, it's nice to see how the other half lives. You have the fancy high end stores liker Cartier and Rolex. You have 5 star restaurants. I would say the interior is probably worth over $1b in decorations between the marble, carpets, paintings, etc. They do a lot of work in distinguishing themselves as a higher end property. And if you think the economy is bad and people don't go out to have a good time, just check this place out and you would be amazed at how much money is flowing out there.

It's March Madness, and every place is filled with people. I'm exhausted from driving and walking. I'm feeling like I could use a quick nap and recharge. Off to the Hard Rock I go. Grabbing takeout for dinner. I'm always a sucker for takeout at least one night. Man I was tired. Going to be more tired when I head out clubbing.

Starting off my Vegas trip strong and thanks again to the Wizard for a great time.



Day 3 - TBD

Nice report Asswhooper, Your room looks like the high roller suite compared to where I stay (El cortezgio)
By the way maybe you should talk to SOOPOO, you look a little jaundice.

Hi Rainman, must be my banana boat sunscreen. What can I say, the weather is a gorgeous 80 degrees sunny. Perfect pool weather every day.

Day 3 - Light em up!

Checking out of the Hard Rock. Bon voyage. Finished packing and grabbed a quick bite downstairs. Last with the car, so time to make it count. Another benefit of staying at the Hard Rock btw is the fact that the CVS is right across the street, along with a sushi joint, and an italian takeout place. Restocking up on lip balm, water, and sunscreen. Also the main road behind the Hard Rock will lead you straight to a gas station if you need to fill up before returning it at the airport (drive toward the Wynn or away from the airport, and you'll see the gas station a block away from the Silver Sevens).

Got my gas and still had some time to spare. Hopped into the Silver Sevens, and I have to say that this place was a bit grimy. I saw some passed out on a machine. Security came over and tried to wake the guy, and then he started screaming. Looked like he was either homeless, lost a bit of money, or both. Certainly he was intoxicated. Not exactly, a good sign. I proceeded to play $5 blackjack and had an awesome streak of 10 consecutive losses. Down $50, I proceeded to go play some craps. There was only one other shooter at the table. He would bet on the Pass when he was shooting, and I would bet the Don'ts. When I started to shoot, I would bet on the Pass and he would bet on the Don'ts. We swapped bets for a couple of points until we both lost another $50. It was actually pretty amusing for a little bit.

Needed to stop by the Mandalay Bay next to try to pick up theater tickets to the Cirque Du Solei Michael Jackson Tribute One. By the time I get there, I ask the valet if tickets are still available. He tells me yes, but when I make my way to the box, they tell me the show is on vacation for the week. I'm a bit annoyed. This information could have been helpful sooner. Well, I'm already at the Mandalay so I minus well check out the tables. Signed up for a players card and purchased a promo. That's right purchased a promo. Buy $20 and get $40 in chips to be used on the table. Played some craps and broke even with a crappy table. Should have left when I was up. on a $10 table, I simply bet the Don'ts against everyone. I got my $40 up to $80. I started to shoot, and I wanted to cover more points. PSO'd so fast I didn't know what hit me. Left the crap pit with my original $20 buy-in. Saw the bubble craps machine, and thought I'd give it a try. Lady luck was not kind to me here. Took me for another $100. People would PSO after 4-5 rolls. Ouch. When I would switch to the Don'ts, they'd make one point and PSO on the next roll.

Time to drop off the rent a car. So I drove towards the airport to return my car. Do not be fooled. It's actually a pretty long drive to return the car. You drive towards the airport, follow the signs, and go past the airport to pretty much where you picked up the car. You drop it off at the same spot. I was a bit worried following all the signs. I'm sure there must be a quicker way that bypasses the airport. I suspect driving on Las Vegas Blvd directly would have been faster. The attendant scans your car, does a visual inspection, and you're off. From here, I call a cab to head back to the strip. Time to begin part 2 of my trip on the strip.

Cosmopolitan here I come. The Cosmopolitan is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at. I would rank it on par with any tier one luxury property like the Wynn, Encore, Bellagio, etc. It's sexy, modern, sleek. Its also ridiculously expensive! I'm treating myself on this one. I think I suffered enough at work to be special for a couple of nights. It has a wide of assortment of restaurants, club scenes, and 2 different pool areas for the East and West side towers.

Checking in, I was offered a room on the Eastside Tower. There's some pros and cons to this. One, it's closer to the strip, but further away from the hotel lobby. It is a long walk with your luggage to get all the way down to the Eastside tower. Two, the spa is located on the westside. Both sides have pools, but I would imagine you would lounge pretty much in the same area as where your room is.

You want to talk about a hot looking room? CHECK THIS OUT BABY!! WOOHOO!!!

So I have a living room, dining area, safe / closet area / bench area, bedroom with a full sized terrace, see through bathroom shower from the bedroom, I can jump into the tub from the bedroom, and a segregated bathroom. The pictures speak for themselves. This room is just simply HOT AND WILD. The bed was very comfortable. The terrace was a great place to chill for a little while to soak up the sun. I had a view of the pool below. Wish my wifi connection would stop going in and out. I could only get reception outside on the terrace.















My only qualm about the bathroom is that they spent so much money on the room, they could have bought a better toilet and toilet seat. I doubt the toilet is made from Kohler. Felt kinda out of place. Almost plastic-ish. I also did not like the fact that I have to pay for internet here even though I am a guest. I believe internet should be covered as part of the resort fees that's already being charged.

I'm starving now. And it's lunch time. Off to the buffet. Now I know everyone has to be interested in where to go to eat especially when it comes to enjoying themselves. I've been to about a dozen buffets in Vegas lifetime. I decided to try the Aria buffet, and I can confirm many of the reviews that are out there. Some people are overly harsh saying the Aria is too small. They are out of their freaking minds! Do you want quality or quantity? I'm going to tell you outright that I care about what I put in my body. And when I go to a buffet, I am picky.

The Aria buffet in my opinion is one of the best buffets in Vegas. Even though the physical size and layout might be smaller, the quality more than makes up for it. In some instances, I thought the quality was better than the recently top rated Cosmo and Bellagio. It was comparable to the Wynn. I went for lunch and feasted on the following: cajun cocktail shrimp, new zealand mussels, snow crab, clams in pasole, mussels in pasole, 8 different meats at the carving station, 6 different soups, a really good Chinese dim sum section, a decent Italian and Japanese section, a Mediterranean and latin section, gelato and sorbet, and a plethora or deserts. For $26 for a lunch, this place was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I've read some reviews that say, the Cosmo is the Aria all grown up, or that the Cosmo is what the Aria should have and could have been. CRAP! ABSOLUTEL NONSENSE. The Aria is a really good buffet! Pencils down. I'll tell you all about my other buffet adventures later ;-)

I was so stuffed. I am now in food coma. I've got so much food in me that I need a nap. So pathetic I know! I lie down for an hour just to get the wind back in me. Time to make some reservations again. Dinner time. So I call up the Eiffle Tower in the Paris and book a later meal. They are so accomodative. They gave me a table that directly faces the Bellagio and I get to see the watershow. When you get into the Paris hotel, you take the elevator straight up to the Eiffle Tower restaurant. There's a reception at both the elevator bank and the upstairs floor. Also, once you get off the elevator upstairs, you get a full preview on an open kitchen. This is really cool. The food quality is excellent here. I ordered the Leek Soup followed by the Spice Crusted Venison. YUM!!!!!! In fact, based on many of the reviews I had seen, this is definitely the way to go. I was able to get to the Paris a little early. Hung around the video poker machines for a little bit. Played 100 hands at a penny a hand. Was able to make a few bucks. All the other table games I observed had high minimums.

I am now in another state of food coma. I'll be hitting the clubs tonight, after a quick nap.

Day 4 - TBD

Great report so far, McD. Keep it coming. :)

Well done report. Thx

Quote: Asswhoopermcdaddy

I minus well

This was probably a weirdly-generated typo, but I like it! I think I will start using it!

"Should I have known I'd lose at Craps today? Well, I minus well, so .... "

Good stuff so far!

Some random thoughts though...

Where is Delaney University and why is the Wizard wearing a shirt from there?

Also why does the bubble craps machine lock up at $1000 and not $1200?

Tringlomane, bubble craps will lock up at any individual win over 1000.

I know its been awhile, but I have yet to finish my Vegas trip report. Work is utterly burying me faster than I can type.

Day 4 Coming right at you!

I'm taking it easy today, woke up earlier than I would have liked. Had at an appointment at the Spa at the Cosmopolitan. Now you might think that at a 5 star multi-diamond resort you would have a spa that completely knocks you out. Given the relative size of the overall hotel on the strip and relative to the mega resorts that are already established, the spa is "ok". My masseuse was very good and thus the services matter the most when paying an arm and a leg for a treatment/service. However, the setup is a bit different from other spa's on the strip that I have been to. In general, you walk through a long corridor to get to the Men's area (Male and Females are separated). When you check inside the men's area, a host will provide you with a locker, slippers, and robes. The waiting area had expensive herbal tea, lemon water, trail mix, and fresh fruit. I was surprised not to see canned juices or fresh coffee. There are two large flat panel screen tv's tuned into sports on both sides of the waiting area with the atypical male g-rated magazines. There is a mini-warm pool, steam room, and cool mist room. They have lounge chairs that face the mini-warm pool. My overall criticisms include not having canned juices, coffee, and a jacuzzi. The spa area is laid out to be compact and functional, but comfortable. I've been to some of the older spa's on the strip, and what I notice is that the square footage tends to be larger. The other odd thing I noticed is that to get to the treatment rooms, you have to walk up a flight of stairs within the spa area. My comment there is that what if you slip? We are in a spa area with water and it is such a long flight of stairs. What if we're hungover? There's something about that layout that although aesthetically lavish, it just doesn't seem to completely work for me. The good thing about booking a treatment is that you have access to the facility the entire day. For me, I'm already to start the rest of the day.

Next stop, the beautiful pool area. Cosmo has several pool areas, one for each side of the towers that you are staying at. So naturally, it's convenient. With the warm sunny 80 degree day, I found myself a nice chair and laid back to get a tan. I noticed a fair number of people ordering food by the pool. The menu was modern-bite-ish, but I wasn't interested quite yet. Gorgeous crowd everywhere. Some areas are restricted so you would have to rent an area. This is atypical of Vegas. Did about 2 hours in the sun to get myself nice and toasty.

So I'm thinking about doing a late lunch when I get this email telling me I'm being comped a free buffet at the Cosmo for 2. Nice! I feel like I need a snack so I head over to the local CVS and pickup an anti-pasto. Now I know you must think this is nuts, but all I need is for something to tie me over. Apparently, there is a gap time between lunch and dinner where the Buffet is closed. Or maybe they are only open for dinner the day I went. After munching on some cheese and salami, prosciutto, and soppresata, I'm ready to do a little more gambling before I head to dinner. I like early dinners mind you because I want to avoid a crowd if possible.

Went down to play some Keno. I have to say, that I'm starting to like slot Keno more. Before I hated it because it felt like a rapid version of the lottery. But for $20 bucks of action I put in, I left with $24 after an hour. Pleasantly surprised. I was trying to find patterns in the numbers that were coming up. Occasionally, I would pick 2 or 3 numbers correctly. Here's the key, you don't have to pick a lot of numbers to win. The odds at the Cosmo were not as good as Red Rock, I'll admit. However, for a quarter a turn, I found it very enjoyable. I had next ventured over to the Bubble Craps machine, but I saw that it was completely packed. Decided to take a casual stroll on the strip before I would head to the buffet.

So if you've been to the highly ranked Cosmo Buffet, you'll be happy to see that the layout is one big rectangle. Food on one side, and seating on the other. There are multiple stations, Deserts, chinese/korean section, italian, mediterranean, multi-meat carving section, cold seafood section etc. I stuffed myself with shrimp cocktail, snow crab legs, had a nice piece of carved prime rib. Delicious. I have to say that the Chinese section looked a bit mediocre and nothing in comparison to the Wynn, Bellagio, or Aria. The seafood was fresh and plentiful, but I would say the quality was slightly lower than the Aria. For a foodie like myself, it was notice-able. Now, I had gone exactly when the Buffet opened, and there was already a line forming to get in. Once I got in, you could tell this was a fancy looking buffet. The decor beats the Bellagio and Aria Buffets. We eat with our eyes just as much as we eat with our mouths, if not more. In all fairness, after all the food coma, I nibbled at everything I wanted. Had to pace myself.

After I was done with the buffet, I definitely needed a walk. And it was perfect timing too, since I had show tickets to Le Reve in the Wynn. Off I went to a really amazing show. I underestimated how long it would take to walk from the Cosmo to the Wynn. It's an incredibly LONGGGGGG walk. I had to actually start jogging so I would not be late. I hate being late at a show. I had great 2nd row seats in the splash zone. Trust me, there is rally any splash. More like mist. This show is water and acrobatic based. The stage is circular and a platform is raised and lowered from the center. The stage is filled with water. You have synchronized swimmers, hard bodied actors/actressed, a magic routine, performers dropping from the ceiling etc. The show is centered from the female perspective of a dream. She is questioning her love for a man who proposes to her. And let me disclose upfront, if this is the mind of a woman, "Men, we are SCREWED!" The dream goes through multiple scenes. There is a magic/comedy scene. There is a temptation scene of lust and competition. in one scene, the protatgonist female has to compete with other female dancers for her lover to the tune of latin music. In another fire hell-ish scene, there are chiseled men and a goat men that intimidates are draws in the female protagonist. Overall, I would highly rate this show. I absolutely enjoyed it and would rate it on par with "Ka" which is the other Cirque show I saw in Vegas awhile back. Also note that I saw Zarkana on the East Coast, and I would expect it to do well in a Vegas venue. Le Reve was absolutely worth it, and I thought the pricing was fair. I spoke to the Wizard on whether I could get half price ticketing at tickets4less. Highly doubtful was the recommendation, and I agree. Virtually every seat in the house was taken.

After the show, I saw virtually every table was packed. I ventured back into Video Poker at the Wynn, but to no avail. Broke even. I browsed the craps table, but there were so many gamblers that I could not find a comfortable spot. Just so you know, when you're on the gaming floor of the Wynn, it can be so disorienting. I tried to get out at least 3-4 times and I could not find the exist to the street. I felt very dizzy. Maybe the layout or the food coma. I finally managed to make my way to the street and hit up the Starbucks located near the Harrah's/old Imperial Palace intersection. I like Harrah's for their piano bar, but it is always packed. And there use to be a country music themed bar between Harrah's and Flamingo, but that night I was there it was some kind of punk rock. I played some virtual Baccarat for a $10 buy-in. I wound up having to put in another $10 to get leave with like $23. I still don't get the pleasure of Baccarat.

Next up, I bought in at a craps table at the Flamingo, but I was embarrassed to learn that the minimums were $25. Oops. Do not pass go. Cash out. You guys could do a better job at putting up a sign for $25 mins.

I was feeling a bit tired from the walk; by the time I made it back to the Cosmo, I needed another nap. Back to the craps tables. The women around were incredible, and so distracting. I had pass line bets with 1-2X odds, and continuous come bets with odds up 3-5 come bets with odds. In some instances, I would have the inside up as well. Every time I would establish an inside number with a come bet, I'd move the place bet to my odds. Whenever, I felt that too much was on the table, I would not press my bets further and let a number hit resolve a few bets and treat them as a take-down. Well, the strategy worked well at Red Rock, but got crushed at the Cosmo. Players could not shoot for their lives. One guy was purely playing the don'ts. 100 a shot on the Don't Pass or Don't Come. Sometimes, $25 with $50 odds on the Don'ts. While we all were losing, this guy made $2k easy. That was, until I started rolling. 3 7's and an 11 on a come out roll forced him into a corner. Lucky for him, he bet it all on me not making the 10. Go figure. Did not do well on the table that night, so when I hit my max, off to bed I went.

Day 5 coming at you.....

AWMcD,

Great report again, thanks! Harrah's has moved the country-western music upstairs - can't think of the male CW star's name off the top of my head, but they usually have live bands every night. From LVB, you go towards the back of the house, following the signs for the metro, up the 2nd escalator you come to (the first one goes to the Improv), and you're there. I love the piano bar, too, but they've also varied that; the constant dueling pianos with 3 people giving each other breaks was my favorite format. They still do that some nights, but not all any more.

Did I read correctly? The rental car clerk did NOT try to upsell you insurance and you were disappointed in this?

Quote: Johnzimbo

Did I read correctly? The rental car clerk did NOT try to upsell you insurance and you were disappointed in this?

First rime for everything...haha. Good stuff so far!

Quote: Johnzimbo

Did I read correctly? The rental car clerk did NOT try to upsell you insurance and you were disappointed in this?

While I am naturally turned off by the upsell, I noticed that everyone else was getting the full disclosure on fees, gas, insurance etc. I was however excluded from this fray. Did this make me special? Was I dressed not appropriately? Was it because I Pricelined my car and declined the complimentary upgrade to a gas guzzler? Did I not look the family type? If offered, I probably would have declined. I was just expecting to have to go through the motions.

Day 5 Coming at you.

Last day in Vegas and disappointed the Cosmo will not do a late check out. 100% occupancy. Desk clerk, said sorry. They offered me a bottle of water during my checkout. Thoughtful. I like it. Got a couple of hours to kill before my flight, and the place is still jamming. Time to game plan my departure.

Starting the day off with the buffet at the Bellagio. Mhhhh good. Gotta love their brunch. Poached eggs and hollandaise, carved meats, smoked salmon, cocktail shrimp and snow crab legs, feeling stuffed. Pace yourself Asswhooper. Pace yourself. Really good chinese shumai dumplings, and decent wonton soup. Mhhh fresh omelettes with crab, spinach, bacon, onions, and egg whites. Extra crab please! Mas cafe senorita! Keep it coming with the OJ. Buttery cod filet, fresh italian cold cuts, deserts galore (who doesn't love caramelized apples and cinnamon). Even more stuffed now. The food was very good for a brunch. I was pleased. Definitely had to pick and choose what I wanted so as to not get too full too soon. So the decor at the Bellagio Buffet is definitely dated. Reminds me of the 70s. I've seen this type of decor before at some older establishments. However, the food is Very good. Definitely worth it in my opinion. I got there early, and had to wait on line. It's a popular place, cranking it out.

On my way out, I noticed a bubble craps machine. You're gonna love this. Everyone was playing the Darkside. I was the only shooter playing for myself. Darksiders were doing well, until someone had a streak and it broke them. I made back half of what I lost on Day 4. My only regret, not taking down some heavy place bets across sooner. The machine timer does not give you enough time to regress your bets down. Suppose you have 64 across and want to drop to 32. It is not setup to allow you to do that automatically or let alone quickly. I think under the timer scenario, you must choose to just start to take down bets or be prepared to go off entirely. I felt sick watching my bets get wiped on a PSO. How many times have I felt the urge to start taking down and chose not too. Greed, fear, stupidity, stubborness.....<sigh>. At least I made back half of yesterday's bankroll. Why do I think I was doing better today. Must have been the fact that it was quiet in the morning and I could concentrate.

Time for my flight. Traffic is notorious on Las Vegas Blvd. Why was the cabbie taking me the long way? I drove to the airport before and it was much faster than this. Don't milk the clock buddy! I've already lost enough to the tables. Just get me to the airport on time. Had to run to the terminal to checkin, because I was worried about the slow times with TSA. Made the plane, 20 minutes before departure. I like to be early and not have to worry about being stuck in lines. Ticket agent told me not to worry. If you have flown Virgin America before, you'll find that they are very good about trying to leave on time and getting people in early. I like how that airline is managed. Comfortable and professional. I would definitely fly again.

Final thoughts about Vegas......thanks for a great time. Enjoyed the food, hotels, clubs, gaming, sunny weather, and of course meeting the Wizard. Bon voyage and see you soon.

~Asswhoopermcdaddy

Great report. Thanks

Nice report!

Reading this it just again goes to show you how hard pressd you have to be to find such great food, abundant gaming, hot women, great weather, superior clubbing and all other things that goes with Vegas.

It really is a fantastic town and I for one am glad to call it home!!!