26 Oct till 2nd Nov

Sunday 26th October

My trip started at Manchester Airport, I was flying direct again this time and again with Thomas Cook, I checked in and made my way through security and into the waiting area. After something to eat I went down to the gate and after a few minutes I was boarding, well not straight away as I had been selected for an additional security check, aren’t I lucky and my prize was to have my bag checked again and my tablet and phone checked and to get frisked by a male officer unfortunately.
Anyway after that excitement I was allowed to board and took my extra legroom seat at the front of economy, before take off though the cabin crew offered anyone a chance to upgrade to premium economy for a fee, I decided to take them up on their offer although all you get is a bigger seat but it is worth it for what will be a 10 hour plus flight.
The flight was fairly uneventful apart from a couple next to me who seemed to be having a hush hush domestic for part of the flight although they seemed to have made up by the time we landed, I think a few doubles were consumed during the flight and may have had something to do with it, I had my headphones on and they didn’t really bother me too much
.
I was one of the first few off the plane and by the time I had reached immigration I was first at the desk, and after a few questions and my prints and pic taken I was on my way to the baggage area and as usual my bag was in one of the last lot to be on the belt. I collected my bag and made my way to arrivals hall and out to catch a taxi, there was a bit of a queue but it wasn’t too long before I was in the cab and setting off to Treasure Island. As we set off the driver starts up with a conversation and seems friendly enough, he asks if this is my first time in Vegas and I tell him it’s trip number 7 for me, as soon as I say that his next question is do I mind if he takes the tunnel, I say it’s ok and just wonder if I had said it was my first trip would he of asked the same question.

I arrive at TI and check in is quick and easy and not long before I’m in my room it’s on the 23rd floor and I have a view of Trump Tower and The STRAT , I unpack and have a shower and get ready to go out and have a wander about. I go out and I have a walk about but don’t get too far before deciding to head back to TI, the long flight maybe getting the better of me now and my legs don’t really want to go far and I decide to stay closer to home.
I hit the bar and get my gambling going, and before long it’s not a good start and nothing is going right, after I while I quit and head to the café for something to eat, I get a giant filled baked potato which hits the spot and I go back up to my room for a rest, I nodded off at about 5pm and when I wake up it’s about 10.30 pm.

The question is do I roll over and sleep till the morning or get up and go for a drink, only one answer really and I take the drink option, I get up and freshen up before heading down to the casino, I head to Gilleys bar where the bikini bull riding competition is on and I get a beer while I take a glancing interest, ok my eyes are glued to the screen. After round 1 they have a break and the bar clears a little and I can now take a seat at the bar.
As I’m sat there I notice a guy come and stand by the pillar next to me, he looks like security but not dressed in the usual security red shirt but he has an ear piece and radio, for anyone who’s seen Roadhouse I think this guy is Dalton, he is watching somebody in a crowd to my left and there is another security guy stood close by. After a couple of minutes Dalton decided to go for it and heads into the crowd and I await maybe some sort of ruckus but there isn’t and Dalton removes an Asian guy who I think has had a drink too many.

I carry on watching the bikini fun until it finishes and then I head to the casino bar, I hit the VP and get a drink and after a while 3 people come and sit near me, there are two girls who sound English and a guy who is an American and the girls are certainly younger then the guy, after a while the guy and one of the girls disappear and the one that’s left is sat right next to me, I just know what’s going to happen next and soon it does as she asks me a question about comp drinks, I answer her question and she spots I’m English, so a conversation starts although I’m a bit wary of what she’s after. Turns out her and her friend are out here for three months and she’s gives me a shortened version of her troubles. After a few minutes she asks if I like to have fun when I’m in Vegas, here we go I knew this was coming, I tell her I just liked to drink and gamble and that kills the conversation somewhat, I’m getting a bit tired now so I cash out not much money and say goodnight to the girl and I head to bed.

 

Great read so far. Looking forward to the rest of your adventures. Keep em coming

 

Good start!

 

Looking forward to more.

 

Tagging along.

 

Great start, love hearing what fellow Brits are up to in Vegas

 

Same, keep it coming!

 

Monday 27th October



I was awake and up by 10am and made my way out onto the Strip, I made my way down the Strip and went through Flamingo on my way to Tuscany, I stayed there last year and always enjoy a return visit, when I get there I make my way to the café and order breakfast, I have a nice Eggs Benedict washed down with coffee and orange juice. After that I head over to the bar and hit the VP, I play for about half an hour and I’m about $10 down when I cash out. I make my way back onto the strip and carry on going south via Aria and NYNY and I eventually land in Mandalay Bay and I find Ri Ra to watch the Monday football (soccer) game, it is busy in the shopping area at Mandalay as it is lunch time and there seems to be some convention in town.

I get into Ri Ra and it is pretty busy but I manage to find a seat at the bar and I can see one of the tv’s behind the bar is showing the game, I order a beer and watch the first half, after a while an Irish guy sits next to me and we start chatting and it turns out he’s been out there nearly three months and is due to go home soon, we carry on chatting as we watch the football and after he leaves I hang on for a couple more beers before leaving myself and heading back up the Strip and ending up in Mirage and it’s quite busy at the sports bar but I find a seat and get myself a large beer and after knocking that back I make my way towards TI, unfortunately I have to walk as the tram is closed for maintenance, once back at TI I have a beer and play some VP before heading to the café to get something to eat.

After I have filled up and go back to my room and have a shower and get ready to go Downtown, I go and get a cab and my first call is El Cortez, I stayed here a couple a years ago and I always drop in there for a beer, I put $20 in and play VP and get a beer and by the time I finish I’m $20 up, not a great profit but better than I have been doing so I take it as a start. I walk out on to Fremont and head towards Golden Gate as I walk through the crowds there doesn’t seem as many panhandlers knocking about as I have seen in the past, I end up in Golden Gate and say hello to a couple of the bar staff that I know there and I settle down for a few drinks and watch the nice view.

After saying goodbye to the staff I head off to grab a cab from outside the Plaza and after hearing a story or two from the driver he drops me at the Linq and I go for a wander and eventually end up in O’Shea’s. It is busy and lively as I get to the bar and get a beer and enjoy the music and atmosphere, in fact I enjoy it so much I get myself another beer and another before heading off through the Quad Linq whatever it’s called, and I make my way back to TI and a late couple of drinks in Gilleys bar which was followed by even later drinks at the casino bar and some VP and the usual hooker watch by which time it’s time for some sleep.

 

Tuesday 28th October



I was up and out for 11am and made my way down for breakfast and after that I made my way into the Forum shops to have a look round the memorabilia stores as I do collect some memorabilia and I’m looking to buy something this trip, a couple things catch my eye but I have plenty of time to find something and there are a couple more shops I want to have a look round.
After making my way through Caesars I got back on the Strip and made my way through the diversion that is City Centre which of course means you have to go through Crystals, which is like having to go through the duty free shop at an airport to get to your gate. Once I’m clear of there I decide to stop by Monte Carlo as not been in here for a while, I found myself in the Pub (nothing new there then), I watch the second half of a football game there showing while having a couple of beers, after the game finishes I go back on the Strip and through Aria and I cross over and end up in Twin Peaks for a nice ice cold beer and a look….. around.

So after having a beer and a perv I make my way back to TI and take a seat at the bar for a beer and some VP I chat briefly to an American guy who has family in the UK and after he leaves I get talking to a family from Manchester which of course if just a few mile from where I live, we chat for a while mostly about football, I decide I’m getting hungry so I say my goodbyes and head to the café for something to eat.
After filling up I head back to the room for a shower and I’m soon back out and a drink in the casino before heading out, my first stop is Harrahs and I have a drink in the piano bar before moving on making my way down the Strip till I got to Paris and I stop in there for a couple of beers at Gustevs bar, then it’s a walk across to the Cromwell for a beer then another in Flaming before I get to the Linq.

I go into the Tilted Kilt for a couple of beers, not been in here before and I like it, another one to go on the list, after there I go into O’Shea’s for a beer or two and I get talking to a woman in there and as always when talking to strange women in Vegas I get asked the question do I want fun, I decline her offer and move on back to TI where I have a couple of beers in Gilleys before back on the VP at the casino bar before heading to bed.

 

Keep it coming.

Out of interest where are the memorabilia stores? I only spotted the one in the forum shoppes. A few things caught my eye but didn't have anywhere to put the stuff I wanted to bring home. Wouldn't mind checking out what other stores have to offer.

 

There is one in Mirage and also one in The Rio, there are two in Miracle Mile, and Mandalay Bay (one sports and one film music etc in each), there is also a sports one in Venetian

 

Never played any bartops at TI at night, sounds like the ladies of the night flock there a bit...lol

 

Yeah there's a few about lol

 

Wednesday 29th October


I was up at about 11am and went down for something to eat from the café before heading out I wandered down the Strip till I got to Monte Carlo and decided to have a few drinks in the pub again as I knew there was another football game. I took a seat at the bar and got talking to one of the bar staff who was Irish and a Liverpool supporter so we spent a lot of time talking about football.
After the game had finished I had a couple more beers and then it was back onto the Strip for a walk about, I went into Mirage as I know they had a memorabilia shop in there so I went to have a look around and see what had, again a couple of things caught my eye, I then made my way across to TI to get something to eat before catching the World Series final game.
After getting something to eat I took a seat at the casino bar and I got a beer as the game started not long into the game I had a Giants fan sit next to me and he was full of up and down emotion as the game went on. After the game I congratulated him then went up to my room for shower and change

I came back down and went back to the bar and hit the VP and hoping for some better fortune, well I get a little as I hit four aces so it’s a start anyway and I rumble along and eventually end up $60 up when I leave. I head out to the Strip and have a walk across to Venetian and down that side of the Strip till I got down to PH and I go in there and I have a beer in the Heart Bar, as I’m sat there at the bar I notice the guy next to me playing VP, he is playing $5 credit with max credits and he is playing quite fast, it’s not long after he hits something and gets a $1250 hand pay. I get another beer as this is going on and the guy signs for his money then sticks another $200 in and carries on playing, after a few minutes of playing he gives a shout out that I heard over the loud music.

“I’ve got it”

I look over and he has got the royal and a nice $20,000 to go with it I congratulated him before finishing my beer and heading off for somewhere else and that somewhere is Paris where I grab a couple of beers while playing VP but there’s no royal for me. My next call is Bugsy’s bar at Flamingo and then onto Tilted Kilt for a couple before ending up in O’Shea’s again for a beer or two or three.
After there it’s back to TI and a few at the bar while watching the ladies of the night and some VP, then its time for bed.

 

Thursday 30th October



I was up for about 12 and the late nights kind of catching up with me now, I go down and get something to eat to start me off before I head out to get a cab over to the Rio, once I’m there I have a look round as I have not been in here since 2008. The reason I’m here is because my son wants a Counts Kustoms jacket and rather than go over to Counts to get one my plan is to get one from his Tattoo shop that is in the Rio, I find the Tattoo shop eventually and have a look round the merchandise and they do have the jacket he wants and I will come back and get it when I’m ready to leave.

I have a further wander around and I find a memorabilia shop that I didn’t know was in here, I go in and have a look round and find something that catches my eye, I have been looking to find some memorabilia that has all five James Bond actors signatures and they have one and it’s a bit different as it’s a white dinner jacket signed by the actors. With it all framed up it does look very good, an assistant sees me looking at it and she tells me a little bit about it and even gives me a price that includes shipping back to the UK.
I leave the shop and go for a couple of beers while I ponder the possibility of buying the Bond memorabilia, I decide to leave it for now and go and get my son’s jacket and I get a cab back to TI, I go up to my room to dump off the jacket, when I look at it I think it might look a bit big for my son and I try it on and it fits me. I will go back tomorrow and change it and it gives me a chance to go to the memorabilia shop again.
I get changed and go back down and get something to eat before I hit the bar for a beer and some VP, I play for about an hour before getting a cab Downtown, I get dropped at El Cortez and I get a drink at the bar while playing VP an after not having much luck I decide to head off somewhere else.

I walk down Fremont and eventually end up in Binions for a drink before I walk over to Golden Gate and have a seat at the bar and have a few drinks while chatting to the bar staff, I’m getting close to finishing my last beer in there when the girl next to me tries to strike up a conversation, the word fun is used by her and we know what that means, I finish my beer and say bye.
I get a cab from outside the Plaza and decide to drop in the Stratosphere on my way back to the Strip, I go in there and sit at the bar and order a beer and the barman serves me two, I thought it was happy hour, but it wasn’t and he had misheard me somehow. I decide to have them both anyway and the barman says I will have no trouble drinking them both, not sure what he meant by that. After my two beers I go out to get a cab and find that they have moved them now and you have to go to the rear entrance where Starbucks is to get one, I find it and get a cab that drops near the Linq.
I go into Tilted Kilt first for a couple of beers before going into O’Sheas for some more then onto Harrahs piano bar where they were just finishing, I head back to TI for some late night VP at the bar before bed.

 

Holy Crap. I don't think I've even seen anyone play $5 VP at the bar yet!

 

Friday 31st October

I’m up for about 12 and go down to get something to eat before I head out to get a cab to go out to the Rio, once I get there I have a look in the memorabilia shop again at the framed Bond piece that I looked at yesterday and I’m still undecided. Anyway I have a couple beers at the bar and I go and get a Count’s jacket for my son after deciding that the one I bought yesterday I’m keeping for myself, I also get a t shirt for myself as well.
I get a cab back to TI and I dump my stuff off in my room and go back down for some VP at the bar and a drink or two, after an hour or so I’m ready for something to eat so I go to the café to fill up. Once I’m done I go up to my room for a shower and a freshen up then back down to the bar for some VP and beer before getting a cab Downtown.

As you can imagine it’s pretty busy traffic wise and we cut through the traffic and I get dropped at El Cortez, Its busy in there and not much chance of getting to the bar so I go out onto the street to see what’s going on and it is as expected very crowded with some fire breathing metal contraption.
I take a walk through the crowd and make my way along Fremont admiring some of the great costumes that people have on, I stop at the stages to listen to some of the music before eventually getting to the Golden Gate, although it’s busy I’m able to get a seat at the bar and I get a beer or four while I'm there.

After I leave Golden Gate I eventually find a cab and go back onto the Strip, I have a good conversation with the driver as he is a follower of soccer, he drops me at Caesars and I have a walk across the Strip and I make my way down towards PH and I go and have a beer in the Heart Bar before moving onto Paris for a beer then onto Bugsy’s Bar before ending up at the Linq and I go for a drink in the Tilted Kilt.
After that it’s across to O’Shea’s for a few before heading back to TI for some late night VP and a night cap before bed.

 

Wow, you really get around! There has to be a hooker story in there somewhere...

 

Tilted Kilt, Tilted Kilt and then some more Tilted Kilt. Sounds like I have to check this place out on my next visit.

 

Nice Report. At least the Irish guy on day two didn't ask if you wanted to "have some Vegas fun"