1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Annual Punk Rock Bowling Downtown - The D / The Plaza

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Blatz, Jun 7, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Blatz

    Blatz Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2012
    Messages:
    103
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    37

    My Trip Report

    I’ll admit I feel a little guilty for not doing a trip report on my last two outings to Las Vegas, but to be honest, the solo trips have become a little boring for others. My idea of a great trip these days is playing a little low stakes video poker, craps and blackjack and watching TV in the hotel room with my work cell turned off. But as I head off for my annual Punk Rock Bowling weekend(almost week) in Las Vegas, I’ve decided to mix it up a bit. There were lots of new things I did on this trip, and oddly enough, not a whole lot of the punk rock bowling aspect. I’ll break up my report in sections so you can skip to what interests you most. I have a feeling that this might be a little long, I tend to get long winded on these things. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll be happy to help.


    Overview:


    6 nights and 7 days in Fabulous Las Vegas, with an afternoon flight out on WN and a late night flight on the return, also with WN. Both flights on time and uneventful as they always are with Southwest. The plan this trip was to see a couple bands, visit the new bridge at Hoover Dam, play lots of video poker, maybe drink a little and just relax from an amazingly stressful past 6 months at work. Total in the group this year was 8 spread across 4 hotels - The D, The Plaza, Downtown Grand, El Cortez Villas.


    Quick observations:


    -Rented a car for the first day through Budget. Rented at LAS, dropped off at 4 queens, total cost 38 bucks. Decided to hit Hoover Dam to see the new bridge, and it was worth the drive out. Great view of the Dam from the bridge. Also stopped at Railroad Pass on the way back for a beer and some VP. Nice way to spend the morning.


    -Wild in the streets! Lots of violence downtown this trip. We witnessed two decent fights, there were 4 people shot at the Grand, and the 4 lobby doors at the El Cortez were bashed in. There must have been something in the air



    Hotels:


    Stayed the first night on a comp at Plaza to try and give them another chance. I took two of my 3 nights on my comp and passed the room off to a couple in my party for the 2nd night. Check in was quick, stayed on the 18th floor, south tower. Lots of sewage smells all over the property, most notable on the 3rd floor and 5th floor. Staff was friendly, ice machine was broken on our floor, said they would send someone up and they didn’t make it up for the two days we were there. Worst maid service I have ever encountered, only made the beds, didn’t change the towels or empty the trash. Room was okay I guess, had a nice view over the workers on the tennis court. I always enjoy time spent at the sportsbook bar, bartenders are great, but don’t care much for the video poker selection at the bar. Overall staff was friendly and seemed happy to be there. Drink service on the floor was poor. Not many waitresses. They are still using plastic at the bars. I still feel out of place there though. I’d stay again on a comp. Went up to the pool and although it’s not done it looks pretty good. Large shade canopy, a full stage, water in the pool and they had two bars open with reasonably priced drinks. I’d like to see some smaller shade areas scattered around, but they’re heading in the right direction.

    [​IMG]


    The rest of the trip was spent at The D. They did a great job on the elevators, no issues the entire weekend. The new bathroom with the walk in shower was fantastic with rainshower head, nice hot water and good pressure. Room isn’t anything fancy, but I like it, and I’m used to it. Always clean, good maid service. Good view facing east, could see the zip liners coming down. Asked for low floor, non-smoking, and got floor 5, it was perfect. Entire staff is welcoming and they still have a serviceable selection of VP upstairs. Drink service was great for players upstairs, especially at the Sigma Derby. If they would just demolish the dance party downstairs, it would be my perfect property. One thing of note - during my early morning time spent at the VP machines on the 2nd floor of The D I was approached several times each day by people begging for cash. It happened all 3 mornings that I spent on the 2nd Floor. There must be something good going down at The D in the morning, because that’s the only place I encountered change hustlers in a property the entire trip.

    [​IMG]


    Shows:


    The main Punk Rock Bowling Shows are in a parking lot behind the El Co, and this year I decided to skip them all together. Too much standing in the sun. I was happy with my decision.


    I go for Punk Rock Bowling every year, and every year I seem to rock less. This year, took in Ministry at the Fremont Country Club for the first show, and ended up leaving about half way through from sheer exhaustion. Not my favorite music venue on the strip, but it’s not horrible. Sound was okay, and drink lines weren’t bad.


    Saw PEARS at Beauty Bar for an afternoon show. Lots of fun. Show was outside, in back and the sound was as expected for a small outside show. Cheap drinks, good times. Bands at noon are right up my alley!


    Los Skarnales and Green Machine at the Plaza Pool. Fun to see bands at the pool, but the shade was pretty much taken up. It gets pretty spicy up there if you aren’t under cover.

    [​IMG]


    Chuck Ragan for a night show at the Beauty Bar. Sound was fantastic for this show, and crowd was good and mellow, just like I like it. Have I mentioned that I wish these shows would go on earlier? 1am is just too late for me these days for a headliner.



    Restaurants:

    Pop Up Pizza- Had a quick slice here. I thought it was pretty decent for a cheap cut of pie. The cook thought he over did it in the oven, I thought it was perfect. He thought it warranted a free slice, and I wasn’t going to complain.


    Hash House at The Plaza - I don’t know why I keep coming back here. The service and quality seems to go downhill every visit. We ordered two salads and both were overdressed to the point where we couldn’t eat them. Service was really slow, even though there were just a handful of tables.


    Breakfast Buffet at Green Valley Ranch - Stopped here to see the property for the first time in over 10 years. Food was fresh and cheap, I think it was 8 bucks for breakfast. Decent selection for the price, I think I had some prunes and yogurt. Maybe something with noodles. Gotta keep the pipes clean during vacation!


    The D Grill - Always make a few stops here since The D hooks it up with some FB credits. Had a burger, corned beef hash and fish and chips this trip. All were pretty decent. Prices were reasonable and service was good.


    Le Thai - I do really enjoy this place. Had the lunch special, I think red curry with chicken, with spice level 5. I really don’t think they do their food thai spicy, but it’s fresh and a good value at 10 bucks for the lunch special. Sat outside on the patio and we could hear the bands playing over at the Beauty Bar.


    Bocho Sushi - New sushi restaurant around the corner from Le Thai, same owners as Le Thai as well. This meal was absolutely fantastic. I believe there were 6 of us eating, we had a great server, all of the dishes and sushi were fresh and fantastic. The signature drinks were great as well. They have a beautiful, casual space, and we took a large table upstairs. Prices were reasonable for sushi, I had a seaweed salad, two oyster shooters, a plate of seared tuna, a spicy tuna roll and two cocktails, and my total was around 65 bucks. I will definitely go back for another visit. Not only was the food good, but we all had a blast.


    Park on Fremont - Had fish and chips, and it was pretty good. Menu was limited, and there was some things on the menu that looked like absolute shit. A couple guys in my party got pretty rocked on the mule drinks there, and I had a pretty good bloody mary. I’d probably be back.


    On a side note, after dinner we went to gamble at the El Cortez(more on that later) and on the way back our waiter from Park was beating a man out front with his shoe. I guess this dude with face tattoos was running down the street knocking down everyones sandwich boards, and Park wasn’t having it. We saw a patron punch the guy up pretty good, then the waiter beating him down with his shoe. I love a good shoe beating.


    Sterling Brunch at Bally’s - This is one of those things that I’ve wanted to try for a while, so we decided to book a 10:30 reservation and check it out. Service was great, and so was the food. Had a couple lobster tails, a filet, some caviar, crab legs, lobster ravioli and lobster bisque. All of the food was at the correct tempature. Lobster Tails and Filet were standouts. They were fast and furious with the perrier jouet pours, and it was a really nice relaxing brunch. Also, the bread they bring out to the table is pretty amazing. I pretty much stuffed anything from the brunch into that bread. I would do this again.


    Therapy - I understand why they call this restaurant Therapy. I felt like I needed Therapy after dinner. Our waitress was so coked up she couldn’t handle life. Table of 8 and it was a total shit show. She screwed up the bills so bad, we all ended up just giving up and paying on the checks. At one point, she brought us credit cards from another table.


    That being said, the food was great. It’s a small plate tapas style joint. Had the steak tartare, the charcuterie platter, oxtail empanadas, and a few other things. Nice space, good food and drink, but that waitress wasn’t ready for the big leagues.


    Pizza Rock - Love it! Happy Hour. If you’re downtown and you don’t do it, you should. Food is great sober, and out of control if you’ve had a few drinks. I love the gorgonzola fries.



    The Gamble:


    Yes. I finally had a good gambling trip! Mostly played quarter and .50 video poker, and various slots when gambling with friends on trips. Most of my gambling was done in the early mornings, at The D and El Cortez.


    I just need to throw this in now, because it’s been such a long time:

    [​IMG]



    It was after dinner at the El Cortez and we were sitting in the lounge bar. Although I was just passing the time during a drink, I was playing 50 cent since that’s the lowest denom on the bar tops. 3rd hand in, I get the 4 to a royal. Unphased, since this has already happened a handful of times this trip, I pop the button and the machine locks up. FINALLY! They came over and did my paperwork and paid up. They were also having a promotion where you get a 10 dollar gift card or a chance at up to 1000 in free play on all jackpots over 200. I opted for the freeplay and got 20. Turned it into 40 on the old cleopatra machine, and that was the turnaround for the trip.


    I went on to hit many 4OAK. My goal was to take a photo of all of them, but my phone took a shit for the first part of my trip, and it was 2 days before I was able to get a ride to Ghetto T-Mobile on Charleston and get a new phone. I will include my VP porn on a post below. I actually was going to post all of the 4OAK photos, but I got super lazy, it was getting tedius, but you get the picture. I was invincible on this trip. When we first got to town, we sat at the main bar at Plaza and I proceeded to hit 2 4OAK out of 5 hands on Bonus Poker Deluxe on quarters, and I ended the trip at the airport with a 4OAK on quarters at a bonus poker deluxe machine. Look for the photo with the really shitty pay tables. That’s the airport machine. Other takes outside of VP included a 400 hit on the new TED machine and a 300 hit on a Willy Wonka reel machine. Gambling is always so much more fun when you’re winning, and I padded my bankroll with 2,500 after paying all expenses for the trip, and I was blowing money like there was no tomorrow. That’s a good chunk for a low roller like myself!

    I also really wanted to do some BINGO this trip! We played 4 sessions at the BINGO room at The Plaza. Getting to BINGO through construction was a royal pain in the ass, and it also smelled like a real shit factory getting there. I played about $100 each session, and I hit BINGO 4 times to the tune of $850. The local folk didn't take kindly to a bunch of under 50 hooligans coming on their turf and calling bingo. Lots of groans. Free drinks in the bingo room though, so check it out. We had a blast!

    Overall, this was a fantastic trip, and I can’t wait to get back. Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll be happy to help. I’m sure I left a ton of shit out, but work is crazy and I wanted to crank this out. Good luck everyone!!!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
  2. Miller12pack

    Miller12pack High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2013
    Messages:
    699
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    Great trip report. I haven't been to railroad pass in years. They used to have the best strawberry shortcake. It's always fun to watch a street brawl as long as you don't get to close. Congrats on all the wins. It's nice to have a winning trip once in awhile.
     
  3. Hogman

    Hogman VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Messages:
    2,862
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    70
    We were at GN Saturday and Sunday
     
  4. fruitfizz

    fruitfizz Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2004
    Messages:
    77
    Location:
    ontario, canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    12
    Great report, nice wins!
     
  5. weluvvegas

    weluvvegas Casino Countess

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2003
    Messages:
    3,024
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    24
    Your lucky pics make me want to play more VP and at the 50cent level. Good wins!
     
  6. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2013
    Messages:
    2,934
    Location:
    brooklyn, ny
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    90
    Fantastic and well written report!!! Great wins!!
     
  7. Ty

    Ty ?

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Messages:
    8,796
    Location:
    Mid Ga
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    22
    Enjoyed to TR and your format. We were at MSS that weekend, but not there for the PRB. Just by chance we happened to go in the Plaza one day.
     
  8. Vegas Tim

    Vegas Tim Tourist

    Joined:
    May 31, 2016
    Messages:
    18
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    41
    Great trip report, love the pic,s of the wins, I don,t seem to get any wins any more.

    Thanks for posting.

    Tim
     
  9. Blatz

    Blatz Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2012
    Messages:
    103
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    37
    I'm pretty sure that this trip converted me from a quarter player to the 50 cent level for my regular play. I think I did a pretty good job keeping content with quarters for all these years, it's a well deserved jump!
     
  10. Blatz

    Blatz Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2012
    Messages:
    103
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    37
    Well if anything, the people watching was good, right? :) I did have one meal at 777 over at MSS during the trip, I always enjoy stopping over there.
     
  11. Blatz

    Blatz Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2012
    Messages:
    103
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    37
    Hang in there Tim! This is the first trip in over 8 years where I brought back a decent(for me) chunk of change to supplement my next trip bankroll. I figure that I have a blast during my losing trips, so the wins are just a bonus!
     
  12. Edserv

    Edserv Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    265
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Great report- thank you for posting! I've never seen someone get beat with a shoe.
    Oh- and nice wins.. congrats!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.