Last Vegas Vacation: trip report
Thread Rating:
December 24th, 2010 at 11:00:14 AM
permalink
My wife took me on a wonderful birthday trip to Vegas last week. Because we will soon be parents, we probably won’t be back for at least a few years. Here’s what happened:
Weather:
Ouch. I don’t actually “feel” like I have had a Vegas vacation. We leave Oregon to escape the rain and wind, but it followed us there. I hate that.
The Mirage:
First, the front desk service at the Mirage was pretty weak. Basically, everything with the reservation was screwed up. It took 3 calls and 45 minutes of wasted time during the trip to have it all worked out by the time we checked out. They did upgrade us to a strip-view room for our trouble, though. The clientele was much more California-frat boy than I expected. It could get pretty noisy in the halls at night. I wouldn’t recommend staying there.
As luck would have it, my birthday is on the slowest week of the year. We usually play at flea joints downtown, but the Mirage had $5 blackjack and $10 pai-gow before 5pm. The dealers had a lot more personality and good humor than what we were used to. A particularly fun one was a “founding employee” with 21 years at the tables!
Entertainment:
I’m glad we made it to the Neon Museum. It’s a lot of fun and gave me a new appreciation for some of the signs on the strip. There’s a lot of interesting artwork in there. They said they should be officially opening in October, but I also liked the “underground” feel of the e-mail reserved tour.
We saw Boyz II Men at the Flamingo. If you like their music even a little bit, I would recommend seeing them this month. Their classic Motown set was great but I wish they had done more Christmas songs. It’s funny seeing they’re not too old to bust out their boy band choreography. I have a lot of respect for groups that have been around long enough to perfect their show.
The Hoover Dam Bridge was awesome. Please see the Wizard’s review.
When we saw singer Lorena Peril is now headlining Luxor's Fantasy, I knew I had to go. We had seen several of the boobie shows on the Strip over the last few years. I always thought Fantasy was the sexiest, but Sin City Bad Girls (starring Peril) was the most entertaining. She is an AMAZING singer. She’s so good, you wonder why she’s doing these topless shows. But in addition to her voice, she’s also a great cabaret entertainer. She excels at interacting with the crowd and dancing with the showgirls. Lorena and funnyman Sean Cooper did a duet to “Hips Don’t Lie,” and it was sexy, impressive and thoroughly memorable. It didn’t hurt that Lorena’s a far better singer than Shakira.
There was also a guest appearance by Sisqo of “The Thong Song” fame. He did his one hit, and another OK song. Overall, I remember the girls being hotter 5 years ago, but I loved Fantasy’s new musical emphasis.
Gambling:
This was a great trip for gambling. We took advantage of the year-end deals from the Las Vegas Advisor, and got 2 copies of the LVA and ACG coupon books for $50. We used every match-play in Downtown and the Strip. This had a lot to do with our profitability. We won about half of the table game match coupons. The slot coupons were good for long sessions of enjoyable Star Trek and Monopoly slots. We even came out ahead on a few of those.
Table games were very good. We doubled our money at the El Cortez craps table, and most blackjack sessions. We were ahead in Pai Gow everywhere we played, which never seems to happen. I won a bet on the Colts. We were even up 70 bucks at the airport VP machine 5 minutes before boarding the plane. I don’t specifically keep track of my winnings, but 5 days of gambling, 2 shows, and 2-3 nice meals a day put us down $750.
The 50-play penny 9/6 JoB machine at the Palms has got to be the most fun VP in the world!
Lame casinos:
Is Hard Rock the worst casino in the world, or did we just find them on a bad day? We had some matchplay coupons and had never been. They have some good VP machines and we planned on spending some time there. We went to sign up for the player’s club, there was only one employee and the line was 30 minutes. They had a weird system for getting the slot play involving a kiosk that didn’t work. We thought everything was straightened out but my PIN didn’t work. I didn’t feel like waiting another 30 minutes to get it fixed, so I skipped it. Did I mention it was about 85 degrees in there? We sat down to use our match play on blackjack and were chided by the other players for messing up their luck with the coupons (?) The players told the dealer to not cash us in until the next shoe, and she obeyed. After playing those two hands, we walked away sweaty and aggravated.
People here complain about the clientele at El Cortez, but what about the Palms? It’s such a bizarre mix of annoying Hefner/bunny wannabes and surly gambling addicts. At no other place did we feel quite as scared of getting cut by the “grim-faced locals.”
Cool casinos:
I liked the Cosmopolitan a lot more than I expected. Although out of my price range, it was fun to walk through and play some crappy quarter VP. I appreciate what they are trying to do with the upstairs lounging area, although I don’t expect the free pool to last long. I tipped a cocktail waitress a 2-dollar-bill and she said that your first $2 is lucky, and she would hang on to it!
How come nobody ever told me how cool the California was? That place was hoppin’ with Hawaiians when everywhere else was dead. The hand-dealt blackjack was a blast and they have non-smoking tables.
In all, this was a great “last trip” to our favorite city to visit. I hope it won’t be too many years before we return.
Weather:
Ouch. I don’t actually “feel” like I have had a Vegas vacation. We leave Oregon to escape the rain and wind, but it followed us there. I hate that.
The Mirage:
First, the front desk service at the Mirage was pretty weak. Basically, everything with the reservation was screwed up. It took 3 calls and 45 minutes of wasted time during the trip to have it all worked out by the time we checked out. They did upgrade us to a strip-view room for our trouble, though. The clientele was much more California-frat boy than I expected. It could get pretty noisy in the halls at night. I wouldn’t recommend staying there.
As luck would have it, my birthday is on the slowest week of the year. We usually play at flea joints downtown, but the Mirage had $5 blackjack and $10 pai-gow before 5pm. The dealers had a lot more personality and good humor than what we were used to. A particularly fun one was a “founding employee” with 21 years at the tables!
Entertainment:
I’m glad we made it to the Neon Museum. It’s a lot of fun and gave me a new appreciation for some of the signs on the strip. There’s a lot of interesting artwork in there. They said they should be officially opening in October, but I also liked the “underground” feel of the e-mail reserved tour.
We saw Boyz II Men at the Flamingo. If you like their music even a little bit, I would recommend seeing them this month. Their classic Motown set was great but I wish they had done more Christmas songs. It’s funny seeing they’re not too old to bust out their boy band choreography. I have a lot of respect for groups that have been around long enough to perfect their show.
The Hoover Dam Bridge was awesome. Please see the Wizard’s review.
When we saw singer Lorena Peril is now headlining Luxor's Fantasy, I knew I had to go. We had seen several of the boobie shows on the Strip over the last few years. I always thought Fantasy was the sexiest, but Sin City Bad Girls (starring Peril) was the most entertaining. She is an AMAZING singer. She’s so good, you wonder why she’s doing these topless shows. But in addition to her voice, she’s also a great cabaret entertainer. She excels at interacting with the crowd and dancing with the showgirls. Lorena and funnyman Sean Cooper did a duet to “Hips Don’t Lie,” and it was sexy, impressive and thoroughly memorable. It didn’t hurt that Lorena’s a far better singer than Shakira.
There was also a guest appearance by Sisqo of “The Thong Song” fame. He did his one hit, and another OK song. Overall, I remember the girls being hotter 5 years ago, but I loved Fantasy’s new musical emphasis.
Gambling:
This was a great trip for gambling. We took advantage of the year-end deals from the Las Vegas Advisor, and got 2 copies of the LVA and ACG coupon books for $50. We used every match-play in Downtown and the Strip. This had a lot to do with our profitability. We won about half of the table game match coupons. The slot coupons were good for long sessions of enjoyable Star Trek and Monopoly slots. We even came out ahead on a few of those.
Table games were very good. We doubled our money at the El Cortez craps table, and most blackjack sessions. We were ahead in Pai Gow everywhere we played, which never seems to happen. I won a bet on the Colts. We were even up 70 bucks at the airport VP machine 5 minutes before boarding the plane. I don’t specifically keep track of my winnings, but 5 days of gambling, 2 shows, and 2-3 nice meals a day put us down $750.
The 50-play penny 9/6 JoB machine at the Palms has got to be the most fun VP in the world!
Lame casinos:
Is Hard Rock the worst casino in the world, or did we just find them on a bad day? We had some matchplay coupons and had never been. They have some good VP machines and we planned on spending some time there. We went to sign up for the player’s club, there was only one employee and the line was 30 minutes. They had a weird system for getting the slot play involving a kiosk that didn’t work. We thought everything was straightened out but my PIN didn’t work. I didn’t feel like waiting another 30 minutes to get it fixed, so I skipped it. Did I mention it was about 85 degrees in there? We sat down to use our match play on blackjack and were chided by the other players for messing up their luck with the coupons (?) The players told the dealer to not cash us in until the next shoe, and she obeyed. After playing those two hands, we walked away sweaty and aggravated.
People here complain about the clientele at El Cortez, but what about the Palms? It’s such a bizarre mix of annoying Hefner/bunny wannabes and surly gambling addicts. At no other place did we feel quite as scared of getting cut by the “grim-faced locals.”
Cool casinos:
I liked the Cosmopolitan a lot more than I expected. Although out of my price range, it was fun to walk through and play some crappy quarter VP. I appreciate what they are trying to do with the upstairs lounging area, although I don’t expect the free pool to last long. I tipped a cocktail waitress a 2-dollar-bill and she said that your first $2 is lucky, and she would hang on to it!
How come nobody ever told me how cool the California was? That place was hoppin’ with Hawaiians when everywhere else was dead. The hand-dealt blackjack was a blast and they have non-smoking tables.
In all, this was a great “last trip” to our favorite city to visit. I hope it won’t be too many years before we return.
December 24th, 2010 at 11:14:16 AM
permalink
Quote: dudestupidLorena and funnyman Sean Cooper did a duet to “Hips Don’t Lie,” and it was sexy, impressive and thoroughly memorable. It didn’t hurt that Lorena’s a far better singer than Shakira.
And you base that view on what?
IF YOU PLAY "PLAY TO WIN"
December 24th, 2010 at 11:29:23 AM
permalink
Quote: only1choiceAnd you base that view on what?
Duh ! It's his opinion.
There's emptiness behind their eyes
There's dust in all their hearts
They just want to steal us all and take us all apart
December 24th, 2010 at 11:34:27 AM
permalink
I am dumbfounded by some of the snide remarks made on this website. I am not picking a fight with that gentleman. I happen to diagree with him and I would like him to elaborate his observations. Thanks for your two cents.
IF YOU PLAY "PLAY TO WIN"
December 24th, 2010 at 12:15:42 PM
permalink
Great trip - I'm glad you enjoyed the California Hotel - did you see the Golden Arm Plaques by the craps table and the huge number of Golden Arms upstairs on the cross walk to Main Street Station? Nearly everyone on the plaques has a Hawaiin name.
December 24th, 2010 at 2:36:25 PM
permalink
Quote: only1choiceAnd you base that view on what?
Yes, my opinion. I find Lorena Peril to be a powerful singer with a moving tuneful voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm309bN0rLY
I think Shakira has an annoyingly nasal voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT5rEU6pqM
(EDITED to fix Shakira link)
December 24th, 2010 at 2:48:51 PM
permalink
I'd never really heard either before (your 2nd link is the same as the 1st), but I'd tend to agree. Peril uses better vocal techniques, in my opinion. On the other hand, many pop albums are Auto-tuned (for pitch correction, not the whole Cher thing), and compared to unprocessed audio such pitch correction makes everything sound as if it's coming through a kazoo.
"In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice."
-- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
