My stay at the Park MGM 9/26-9/29

I spent a few days at the Park MGM. Here's how it went;

Got picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel. The check in was easy at the VIP (while others were complaining about the do-it-yourself kiosks). We had a Nighthawk suite. It was nice, two TV's and decent stuff. After that it was all downhill.

The actual casino area was very small vs. some of the nearby properties. As usual, the floor was dominated by slots and the pits weren't as large as they were in the days of old. There was nary a poker machine to be found (an exaggeration, Ii did find them, but you really had to look). The craps tables maxed out at a minimum $15 bet and the field 12 payed triple. Roulette was 00 and the entire BJ was 6/5 except for one table that you couldn't play at because there was always a crowd waiting to pounce on the first empty seat ($25 minimum).

We ate at their Italian market/resteraunt called the Eataly. It was overpriced and very disappointing. On our first try my pinnini (spelling?) was a lot of mayo with a little chicken thrown in as an afterthought. The second time we had pizza that was soggy and fell apart whenever I tried to lift it up.

On the next day we went to the Luxor (good exercise to burn off the Eataly) to see Bodies. It's an excellent exhibit and I recommend that you see it. It's also next door to another exihibit. This one is for the Titanic but we'd seen it before. Everyone always complains that the Luxor is a dump. This was my first time inside and it didn't look so bad. I preferred the layout and games to what was back at the Park. Lunch was just a Nathan's hot dog from the food court. I can't speak to the quality of the rooms but the place didn't seem as horrible as the reviews.

Oh,, I almost forgot. Aerosmith was in town at their theatre. When I got there I went to the host office and introduced myself. He wasn't my host (more about that later) and I asked him about it. He told me that for reasons unknown the show that evening had been cancelled. I asked him if he could possible see if there were any tickets for tomorrow and reserve them for me. Remember, I said reserve, not comp! He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind just for even asking him to look. He gruffly said no and then I saw another guy behind me sitting in a chair. He looked like Paulie from Goodfellas and sat with his arms crossed as if he had a gun tucked against his body. Sheesh. As it turned out it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the show was cancelled the next day too.

As for my host, he didn't meet me there or try to help. In fact, he was off the whole time and, get this, texted me hello 6 hours before we were supposed to leave!

In the end we said screw it, hopped on the Deuce, and spent the last night at th GN. Then we checked out via the TV (luckily the resort fees had been waved) and took an Uber to the airport.

Ugggh...never again. It's back to my haunt at the GN or maybe I'd consider the Luxor to see if it's as bad as people say, or if the reputation is or isn't deserved.

I had nothing but losses but that didn't change any of the things that happened.

I did learn something about Roulette. I don't play but stopped to watch a few people to kill a little time. Next to the wheel was a small dial. It was a compass. It was pointing in a fixed direction and, according to the dealer, it was there to detect if a player had a magnet. At first I couldn't figure out what the problem with a magnet would be since the whole game is made of plastic and wood. Apparently someone came up with the idea of working in cahoots with a croupier, doing a quick switcheroo during a payout, and sneaking a metal ball painted white into the game and getting the real ball out. When it spins and lands the wrong way you hit the magnet, make the ball bounce, and give yourself a second chance at winning. It seemed creative but I don't know if it's 100% true. Still, it had to be there to stop some kind of cheating.

I'm sure my next trip will be better

My friend gambles at the NOMAD casino, which is part of MGM Park. He likes it. We've eaten at Bavette's which I believe is part of the regular MGM Park, and it is great.

I think there is a big difference between MGM Park and NOMAD.