Quote: Jmarch79Is this real life?
Yes, sadly, this is real life. I don't understand why they don't allow bags after checking to make sure that the bags aren't carrying weapons or explosives or anything dangerous or hazardous.
Quote: NathanI had someone take my tote bag that was filled with candy I really wanted to eat when I left it outside. Drats.
How much candy could you possibly need in one sitting? If I had just a pocket full of candy I'd be sick to my stomach before I could finish eating it.
Quote:I should have known better than to just leave it under an outside bench and hope no one would take it. I now hide my tote bag in the bushes which is where the tote bag should have been hidden in the first place.
How 'bout you hide it in your car? Or at home?
Good VP
Decent promos
Food options are top notch
Sportsbook is open 24 hours
Only bad thing is that it's so far away
Quote: TigerWuHow much candy could you possibly need in one sitting? If I had just a pocket full of candy I'd be sick to my stomach before I could finish eating it.
How 'bout you hide it in your car? Or at home?
Because I don't have a car. I eat my candy on the road often. :)
Quote: MaxPenThat place with bushes full of hobo bags sounds like it might be a favorite spot for many people. They should make a house slot with a 3 hobo bag scatter bonus.
LMAO! :D
Quote: DJTeddyBearSo what's your favorite casino, and what makes it so special?
Great question. I want to address the 2nd half of your question before answering the first part.
After pondering a bit and discussing with my wife, I realized that for me the first question is not what it has but what it doesn't have: all the little things that annoy me (of which there are many). For example, I don't mind that much paying $5 or $10 for parking but I really hate spending 5 or 10 minutes hunting for a parking spot. I could use Valet parking but then I have to wait 5 or 10 minutes for them to fetch my car when I'm ready to go. Either way I waste time which is something that annoys me. The parking situation is why I don't like the Boardwalk casinos and prefer playing in one of the Marina District properties.
Another gripe is not having a quiet and comfortable place to sit and relax when I'm taking a break from the Craps table. This is my main problem with Borgata. Their "Front Room" (I think that's what it's called) is quiet and comfortable but only available to hotel guests. We live less than 2 hours from AC so are strictly day players and therefore out of luck. The Food Court is incredibly noisy. On the weekends, especially during football season, the bars are crowded and noisy. About the only option is sitting at an empty slot which isn't anywhere close to my idea of comfortable relaxation.
Other annoyances include smoke-filled casinos too cheap to invest in a decent HVAC system, rooms that haven't been completely cleaned since the previous guest checked out (e.g., trash left in wastebaskets), high noise levels in the gaming areas due to live music from adjacent club/bar areas (that's just bad architecture), and so-called "fine dining" restaurants that serve food that is only slightly better than Olive Garden or P.F. Chang's. These last two items are what dropped the Mohegan to 2nd place on my list.
On the plus side is friendly staff (both gaming and hotel), a great view from the room, and at least one true "fine dining" restaurant (even if, as is typical in a casino, it is over-priced by about 30-50%).
So based on all of the above, our favorite casino is Turning Stone. It's just under a 5 hour drive so there are plenty of places closer but in the fall, the drive up the Thruway and along the Mohawk is spectacular. Once there, we have never been disappointed. They just completed a major renovation and made it even better.


Bottom line is that I have yet to encounter there any of the pesky annoyances I mentioned above. It's the only casino that I would make a special trip to get to.
As to DJTeddyBear's fav, the Mohegan, I agree its a pretty good place and currently #2 on my list. Everyone is very friendly and I agree with DJTB on the architecture and general look of the place. It loses points on two counts:
(a) the Wolf Den: smack in the middle of the Casino of the Earth, when they have a band on there is no way I can enjoy the craps action and have to go to one of the other casinos and hope there is room at a table.
(b) fine dining: have not yet tried Michael Jordan's but was not impressed by Tuscany (an over-priced Olive Garden but with a better wine list) and Bar American (not bad but the Bobby Flay operation at Borgota is much better).
So that's my answer to DJTB's question YMMV.