Vegas with my sons

Probably a boring post for most of you, but thought I'd share a fun trip I had with two of my sons to Vegas recently. We have 4 kids and have taken them each to Vegas when they turn 21. I've been about 20 times and want them to share in the fun and excitement that we've experienced in Vegas. This is my first post so my apologies if I'm going into too much detail.

Two of my boys (aged 28 and 23) and I decided it was time to go to Vegas again, you know how you get that itch (and I don't mean a gambling itch....there's plenty of casinos around us to satisfy any gaming urges....I mean a Vegas itch). We're not huge gamblers (I bring $1,000 and they bring $500 each for the 4 days) but we gamble non stop and more love the whole aura of Vegas rather than the gambling just itself.

After staying at many places on the strip I've come to favour Fremont St. as my favourite place to stay, particularly at the Golden Nugget, which I love. The kids love Fremont St. too for the unique people watching, cheaper limits, faster booze at the tables and close proximity of all the casinos.

First day we got there at 9:30 a.m. Vegas time (from Toronto) which is so perfect as it gave us the whole day. Got our rental car fast and headed to the Nugget to check in. Was a time when I would have taken them to the Klondike first (so they could play 10 cent roulette) but alas that has been gone for awhile. So is the Westward Ho, where I would have taken them for a 99 cent 28 oz. Margarita and the ridiculously huge hot dogs for $1 at the back deli. This kind of makes me sound like a cheapskate but that's not it. I just think it was cool to show them these amazing deals in Vegas. Anyway, got checked in and they took advantage right away of the free drink coupons in the funbook we each received from the Nugget. (Big deal, free drinks, when you can get them anytime you're playing anyway...I don't get it, but they loved it....so what the heck). Played a little free slots (free slot play they got for signing up to the slot club) and some BJ. Then went to bring them to the Paradise Buffet at the Fremont (a favourite haunt of mine since my parents brought me there years ago...more nostolgic to me than anything) but it was closed for remodelling. Headed to the Main Street Station (first hotel I stayed in when I was brought down to Vegas by my dad for my 21st....35 years ago but was just newly opened and was a Holiday Inn I think and the casino was not yet open, just the hotel part) to check out the buffet there for the first time. Was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and got some coupons for discounts on the buffet. After eating I sat down to a 10 play video poker game, 25 cent denomination and hit 4 jacks within my first five plays....that was nice...got me up some money to start off the day. We gambled there for awhile and then at the Plaza (first casino I ever gambled in, again 35 years ago). As we were walking down Fremont, one of my sons said he wanted to check out the deep fried Oreos at Mermaids. So I went in with him and stood there with my hands in my pockets, determined not to waste a cent in this place. My other son stuck $20 bucks in a machine and says "C'mon let's play while we're waiting". I say "If I'm going to lose money, it's not going to be in friggin Mermaids (I'm not a slot player anyway...prefer live poker, craps and BJ). Anyway, he convinced me to stick $5 in a nickel machine. Ok, the rest of this little adventure is no word of a lie.......3 hours later we're still in Mermaids and RIPPED.....and I'm still on the same $5 I started with. I mean the waitress was coming around every 2 minutes....we'd have 3 drinks each still to drink and she'd still drop more. And the drinks were strong...I couldn't believe it. I was drinking Colorado Bulldogs and got wasted. And....I couldn't lose. In all the times I've been to Vegas I don't think I've ever gone to bed before 2 a.m. but this particular day, I got up from the m/c's with two buckets full of nickels, bounced off the sides of the machines as I was making my way down the aisle to the dumpy cashier cage at the back, nickels flying all over the place (so my sons tell me), stumbled across Fremont St. to the Nugget and was in bed by 9 p.m. Oh..and as a grand finale at Mermaids, I went in the woman's washroom by mistake. I'm looking around for the urinal just as a woman comes out of the stall and says in an angry (and I don't blame her) voice...."You're in the wrong washroom". I don't even drink a lot normally but man, did this place get me wasted. The boys, being young of course, stayed up and told me they went for the $4.99 steak at the Gold Spike and then played for hours at the Sigma Horse Derby at the D. If this has been of any interest to you, I'll continue with day 2-4 where we go to see the Tragically Hip at the Mandalay Bay, visit the Pawn Stars location and other assorted minutia.

Thanks for sharing! I keep meaning to write up a "trip report" for my last trip as well, but I keep putting it off since it will require a decent amount of typing, linking pictures, etc. I'm shocked you actually stayed at Mermaids that long too! I got the impression that place was for the fried oreos only. :) I also plan to try the MSS buffet when I go get to downtown again...I've heard good things about it.

I'm shocked we stayed at Mermaids that long too! Like I said, I don't really play slots so why would I want to gamble in there. But I can't tell you how fast the booze was coming. I'm not sure how many drinks we each had but like I said, we'd each have 3 in our hands or beside the m/c and the waitress would drop another round....was unreal...and crazy. We started off tipping her $5 for the first round but then only $1 each time after that and the drinks never stopped. It was one of those things that just kinda happened....and fast. And I think I won like $14 in nickels, not counting all the ones that flew out of my buckets...ahahahah. And yes, the buffet at MSS was really good.....really enjoyed it.

Gold spike is still open?

yes please do share the rest of your story. I know exactly how you feel about Vegas. We have casinos here but we still love going to Vegas because it is different. We haven't been there since 2010 and it was the best trip of our lives. We now have an 18 month old so times have changed. :-(

Quote: AxelWolf

Gold spike is still open?

I wondered the same thing.

Quote: JoeZ

I was drinking Colorado Bulldogs and got wasted.

Vodka, coffee liqueur, cola and light cream poured over crushed ice.

Quote: ten2win

Vodka, coffee liqueur, cola and light cream poured over crushed ice.

And you didnt spend the night worshiping the porcelain God?

Quote: AxelWolf

Gold spike is still open?

It closed in April of this year. I don't think the OP ever said when this trip occurred.

Dude you left out the most important part of the story....


How were the deep fried Oreos?

Quote: Perdition

Dude you left out the most important part of the story....


How were the deep fried Oreos?

I 2nd that. Gonna be downtown in 5 weeks. Never stepped in Mermaids but may consider it. Are the deep fried Oreos worth it?

I'm all about this.



The suspect in question. Hopefully we can get the heads up on how they were. For 1 dollar doesn't seem a bad buy either way.

And westward HO? still open? hmmm.....I thought that shut down prior to Klondike and fried Twinkies came after

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

It's just a restaurant and bar now.

When did westward ho close?

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

According to wikipedia, nov, 2005.

And when did the D became the D?

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Quote: AxelWolf

And westward HO? still open? hmmm.....I thought that shut down prior to Klondike and fried Twinkies came after

His reference to the Westward Ho was paraphrased with "I would have taken them there if I could have". I'm assuming the trip was sometime this year, I'd hope. :)

I haven't had the fried Oreos from Mermaids but have had them on the boardwalk in AC. On Sunday across from the Taj Mahal I saw a stand that was selling Oreo funnel cakes. I didn't check it out but I'm guessing they just crush up Oreos and mix it in the batter. I personally think the deep frying ruins the cookie - they become soft/mushy instead of crunchy like they usually are, and feel "stale." If you've had a funnel cake with chocolate sauce on it I would say it probably tastes similar.

Do not attempt to eat them on an empty stomach as they are loaded with oil/grease and will likely give you some massive stomach cramps. On the other hand, they are also very "heavy" on the stomach so don't eat a big meal then plan to have this for dessert.

I wouldn't recommend eating more than 1 - share with other people.

To answer a few questions from yesterday's post:

1) After fully expecting the deep fried oreos to be terrible, I was verrrry surprised when after biting into it, it was like "wow...that is fantastic". Think of the best donut you've ever had, then picture it warm and 100 times better. It was reallllllllly good and I'm not a real junk food person but this was realllllly good.
2) We went when the Gold Spike was still open and a casino. I understand that since it's closed and reopened and is now a bar and restaurant with no gaming at all.
3) My Klondike and Westward Ho references were just fond reminiscing of what once was and how I would have like to have taken the boys there if those places were still open. They'd have loved to sit and played 10 cent roulette at the Klondike and have a few drinks.