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Full Trip Report March 1st-4th

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by IWannaBeInVegas, Mar 5, 2011.

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  1. IWannaBeInVegas

    IWannaBeInVegas VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    Trip report March 1st to March 4th
    Preface: I had planned this trip as a way to get away and distress. Work is not going to well with reduced hours and a transfer to another department due to an injury that prevents me from doing my normal job functions and I really just needed a get-a-way, my tax refund was larger than anticipated and I had not been to Vegas since 2005 so I booked a trip to Vegas.

    Flight: I flew out of Columbus on Southwest flight 430 non-stop to Vegas with an 8am departure. Made it through security with no virtual strip search or groping from the less than friendly TSA agents. Flight was on time and smooth. WAIT A MINUTE, wrong trip. The flight was delayed for over 5 hours due to mechanical issues. The first plane had been deiced wrong and water had gotten into some places and froze up so the pilot said that he could not chance that the ice may have broken something and so they called for a second plane. The second plane arrived and they had us line up to board when we were told that there was yet again a problem with this plane and they had to send for a part from Chicago to fix it. Part arrived, they boarded us up and we were off to Vegas about 115pm and arrived in Vegas around 245pm Vegas time.
    For my return I arrived at the airport pretty early and was subjected to the scanner but no groping from TSA. Return I flew flight 3255 non-stop from Vegas to Columbus and this flight was on time and arrived in Columbus 25 minutes early. For the most part it was a smooth flight but when we hit rough air, it was bad, the landing was a hard landing as well, my neck is still a bit sore from the jerking.

    Transportation: Took a cab from the airport to Flamingo. I had the driver take Paradise to Flamingo and the cost was $20 including tip. Going down to Freemont on Thursday I bought a 2 hour bus pass for $5 and used that to get there. From the Golden Nugget to the airport I told the cabbie to get me the cheapest way. He told me he did not know the cheapest way and I was clear to him that if he took the less than cheapest way his tip would suffer. I still think I was long hauled but not sure and my fare was $30 including tip.


    Hotel: I spend two nights at the Flamingo and one night at the Golden Nugget Rush tower. Room at the Flamingo was 25173 in the Habitat tower. I had booked a deluxe room for the rate of $36 a night and when I checked in I slipped a $20 between my credit card and driver’s license and asked if there were any upgrades to be had. When I went to my room I found that It was a petite go suite. It was rather large with a couch and coffee maker. The bed was comfortable and no bed bugs. The bathroom was an average size but they gave you some nice soaps and shampoos, I tipped the maid a buck to get some extras and brought them home. The TV in the room was a standard tube type, not the flat screen I would have expected in a remodeled room, but I just looked at it once and never again, I was not there to watch TV and only spend a grand total of 8 hours of 2 days in my room, 5 hours of sleep total and some time to shower, shave and relax for a few minutes before going back at it. I know people complain about the Flamingo, I seen nothing wrong with the place, it was clean and most of the staff was friendly and if I wanted to make a trip to the strip and the price was right I would stay there again, I do not need 5 star accommodations to have a good trip.
    Thursday I checked into the Rush tower at the Golden Nugget. One thing that some do not know about the Rush tower is that it has its own check in area and does not use the same check in as the rest of the hotel, which I was glad to see since check at the regular area was full and Rush check in had no wait. Upon check in I had asked if there were any upgrades available and she told me for an extra $50 bucks and I kindly declined and got a standard rush tower room, 7218. This I have to say is the nicest room I have ever stayed in, it was clean and comfortable with a large king bed, a sitting area, a standard bathtub that would fit two people easy. There is a 42in TV with DVD player; again, I did not turn on the TV. The bed I cannot say enough about it was by far the most comfortable bed I had ever slept on. Had a couple issues with the Nugget that I am sure are not common with them. I booked the room originally at $89 a night but was given a promotion from their facebook page for a cheaper room. I had called to get this room for the cheaper rate and they gave it to me. Upon check in I realized that they had not done it so I asked the desk and the girl had to call a few people to get the correct rate, which was $72 a night. The other issue is I decided to have a massage (from a real therapist not a hooker) and so I went to the spa and charged it to my room. When I went to settle up on it they said there were no charges to my room and that I was not authorized to charge to my room anyways. I went to the spa and it took them a few minutes to figure it all out but we settled up and off I went. Other than that It is a great place to stay.

    Pools: I did not use the pool at either hotel. The pool area at the Flamingo was closed totally, not even a Jacuzzi was open that I could find. I can say from what I could see the pool area is really nice there and I’d enjoy it if I could. The pool area at the Golden Nugget is called “The Tankâ€. The area has a couple waterfalls, some lounge chairs in the water plus on the deck. Over by the H2O bar they had daybeds and a nice lounging area as well. Above the tank there is a water slide, and even better, a small adult’s only pool. The adult’s only pool is small and open to anyone 16 and over, there are cabanas for rent but that is it. There is all a small hot tub on the main pool deck by the H2O bar plus an outdoor blackjack area. For those that like to sneak into pools, The Tank would be hit or miss. The first couple of times they did not ask for a room key but then there was a change in security guards and the next guy asked for the key even to just gamble outside.

    Food: I did not eat much in Vegas. On Tuesday I just had a couple pieces of pizza from the food court at the Flamingo. At $5 a slice it was bad pizza and I would not return. Wed I ended up meeting up with a member from the “Vegas message board†(my favorite board mind you) and we went to the Victorian room at Bills. I was not too hungry so I just got a side of ham and a drink. The side of ham was rather tasty and large, and all for under $10 bucks. For lunch we went to the Wicked Spoon Buffet at the Cosmo. It is by far the best food I have ever had and for only $19.99 for lunch is a great deal. I had Prime Rib, Turkey, pot roast and more and did not want to leave by my stomach just did not want to stay. Something to note about the Wicked Spoon for those that are unaware is that it is not like other buffets. They have servings portioned out in dishes and you just grab the dish and go, but don’t worry you can grab 10 dishes if you wish. On Thursday I had forgotten I had not eaten until about 715pm and so I went to the Chicago brewing company. I had always wanted a Chicago style deep dish pizza and if it is anything like what I was served I would not want another one, it was not very good. I did have a root beer. To be honest I do not like Root beer but wanted to give it a try since it is homemade. I loved it, awesome does not describe it. Friday I had a couple of donuts before going to the airport where I over paid for Burger King.

    Gaming: I did quite a bit of everything. I played craps, blackjack, slots, video poker, roulette and holdem in the poker room. Basically my luck was bad most of the trip which started at the airport on the delayed flight. I was up and down up and down but I ended up down. I did ok at craps at first but then lost most of it. Played at a $15 BJ table on Wed and bought in just for $40 to give it a shot (I am scared to bet more than $5) and ended up walking away with a black chip ($100). In Holdem at the Flamingo I bought in for $40 and walked away with $120. What was nice about it was that I got down to my last 3 chips and won $50, note: I was paying a 2/4 table. Slots I had two wins. Both were Blazing 7s. First one I was waiting to check out of the Flamingo when I stuck $6 into it (max bet) and hit for $80. I cant remember the casino but one down on Freemont I found the same machine and stuck $5 in it and one spin and it hit for $80 as well. Over all I lost my whole gaming budget including my wins, but I do not consider it losses, I consider it the cost of entertainment.

    Free play: I had some free play and match play from the American Casino Guide. I took those to most of the properties and used them. I walked from Flamingo north towards The STRAT and made it as far as Circus Circus. I ended up cashing out with my free play between $80-90 bucks, I did have to risk $10 of my own at Circus Circus, but that paid off to $60 bucks. Downtown I used the free plays but they were not too giving and I lost most of it. I walked to the Gold Spike and played one I had there and had to be hand paid, a whopping some of $10 bucks. I was going to go to the El Cortez but I did not really feel comfortable in that area and made my way back to Freemont. I just did not feel comfortable with the element of people around with no real means to defend myself if needed.

    Other: So outside of everything above this is where I report everything else. I will say that I am not too fond of the way the strip is now laid out. I like the ped bridges, they make things so much better, but I hate having to maneuver in and out and around things to walk the strip. I liked it better when it was a straight walk. I never made it past Cosmo on my walk south. I wanted to check out other places but my knee and ankle were not working for me, due to those issues I was in Rx drugs part of my trip which cut out drinking pretty much. I did have one drink and it was a strong drink, I was buzzed and felt drunk.
    I met up with a member from VMB and it was fun to have someone to hang out with, I enjoyed the company and really enjoyed watching him learn baccarat. I still enjoy traveling solo but I notice that very few people were solo and at times felt out of place. One thing I never will figure out is the number of people bringing kids to Vegas. I seen strollers, I seen ladies breastfeeding babies, I seen people sending their kids between ages of 3 and 12 up to dance with the go-go girls on Freemont. I am really shocked at the amount porn slapper are now out on the strip and then adding in the guys trying to give or sell (I did not stop to find out) passes for night clubs and strip clubs. I was also shocked at the number of homeless people sleeping right in front of the Flamingo; I remember when the strip had very few homeless. I enjoy playing spot the hooker and sometimes I even enjoy having a conversation with them, I won’t engage in any of their activities but that’s all good. I seen tons that I THOUGHT could be hookers but was unsure. Three very attractive ones at Caesars Palace but they must been “off†duty as they did not acknowledge anyone that tried to talk to them, and this was at 530am. Walking from Flamingo towards Bills I had a very good looking girl catch my eye, I took a second look and she asked me where I was staying and I told her the Flamingo, she then asked if I wanted some company. I told her I was always wanting company of a beautiful lady and she asked me how much I could spend which I threw out some really low number just for kicks and she told me for $200 she would join me, I declined and went our own ways after that. I did not make it 100 yards when two skanky looking girls to do the same thing, and then another 200 yards and the same. I’ve never been approached by so many before.
    Watch the Karaoke at the Piano bar Harrahs, it was entertaining but some of those people should just sit down and shut up, they could have made glass break if they were much worse.
    I enjoyed Freemont street. I did not have my expectations set to high as I know these are not the megaresorts. I may be converted to staying down there on future trips over the strip and just taking the bus to the strip properties. Walking was much easier and I enjoyed the evening life, it was more like being in a night club than being on a street. I made my gaming $$$ stretch more by playing the lower limit tables which was nice, but I still lost. I expected the homeless to be in this area, I had been there years ago and remember seeing them, but what really shocked me was the number children that seemed to be between ages of 12 and up that I am guessing were runaways that were down there. They did not bother anyone like some of the adult ones did, but it was very sad to see. I will say one of the homeless girls I seen, about 14 years old crushed my heart as she was just dazed and it was obvious bad things have happened to her recently. She was with a group of guys and none paid her any attention, I wanted nothing more to help her somehow but I had no clue what I could do. I loved the light show, it has changed since I was there in the 90’s and wished I had stayed up to see them all. With this being Nascar weekend, fans were starting to come in early and I contribute that to how many people were downtown. I enjoyed the entertainment and street performers, its some of the best free entertainment I had ever seen.
    I did a spa visit at the Golden Nugget Spa. Massage was $110 and I nearly fell asleep getting it, it was really good and the facilities were good, not Caesars quality but it was not Caesars prices either. Note: 500lb fat men naked in hot tubs is not something I want to see, but had to experience this time.

    Final thoughts: I miss Vegas already. It does not help I left warm and sunny 70 degree weather to come back to chilly and rain in Ohio, but my bank roll was depleted. I may be a Freemont Street convert, or I may do like this time and split my stay, but Freemont deserves my time and business as I enjoyed it a lot. This trip was not meant to be a gaming trip but a relaxing site seeing trip, it turned into a gaming trip, maybe next time. I am already trying to figure a way to get another trip in this year but more than likely it wont be until next year but I want to come back soon. I do have a $100 flight credit with Southwest that they sent to all of us on Tuesday due to the delay and I am going to send them an email about our issues. I am glad I was not there to see the guy take a header off the Cosmo, had it been a day earlier I would have seen it all. Over all this was a good trip and one I enjoyed a lot and I cant wait to do it again. I am sure I forgot some things, but I had a life trip report with some pics running here: https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63154
     
  2. KnowItAll

    KnowItAll VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Thanks for posting
     
  3. donigan

    donigan Tourist

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    Thanks for the report, very well written, loved the "other" section. Too bad you had negative gaming results, but you played the game right with coupons and matchplays. I haven't been to LV in five years and am staying DT 3/16-18 due to what you mentioned about the massive ammounts of walking and human life form between casinos. (But like you said the people watching can be cool)
     
  4. Alry45

    Alry45 Tourist

    Joined:
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    Thanks for the report!
     
  5. VegasDiva

    VegasDiva VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Great summary of your trip :) Nice you have a credit towards the next one on SWA
     
  6. Nancyb54

    Nancyb54 Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the report. No one likes to lose, but I agree with what you said that it's the cost of entertainment. :blah:
     
  7. LaRae

    LaRae Low-Roller

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    Nicely written report. Enjoyed it.
     
  8. IWannaBeInVegas

    IWannaBeInVegas VIP Whale

    Joined:
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