The teechr gets schooled 4/3 - 4/7

April 4 – 7. Couldn’t get around to writing my TR. Tax time’s a bitch!

Flew AW from MSP, arrived on time to a cold and rainy LV. Caught a shuttle to Harrah’s and by the time we stepped on the the strip it was sunny and things began to heat up. All except the craps tables which pretty much remained cold and rainy (maybe those were my tears?) for the entire stay. The few warm and sunny moments were quickly wiped out by thunderstorms of sevens.

We hit the strip and headed down to Paris. Had a nice lunch at Mon Ami Gabi, too windy for the patio though. French onion soup, salad and a few glasses of wine; a great start.

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, Monday night karaoke at Barbary Coast has got to be the worst ever, and I HAVE been to Tequila Joe’s.

Here’s the run down:

Hotel.
Harrah’s Mardi Gras tower, room 316. Can’t beat the convenience of 2 floors up and 1st room off elevator lobby. Pretty basic, nothing special but clean and fresh. Small window overlooking a bunch of pipes and compressors. By straining a little we could see the top of the Mirage sign. Weirdest hotel room view ever. Forgot the digi bought took a snap with a disposable. I’ll have to post it when I get the photo.

Harrah’s pool is small for sure. It would only take two or three large families and it would be filled. I only looked it over quickly but it’s hard to imagine it gets a lot of sun with the tall buildings surrounding it.

The dueling piano guys must work 8 hour shifts, They were always playing!

Gambling and Drinking.
Stupid craps. Stupid blackjack. Stupid sports bets. Actually my three days were; Day 1: poor (one step forward, two steps back), Day 2: good (a few decent runs with the dice, card gods begin to take a little pity on me), Day 3: ugly, (typical roll craps, point set, seven, repeat). Video poker was a bright spot. No big payoffs but consistently left ahead. It was fun to watch the gf play. She attacks the machine like she’s typing 80 wpm! I had to constantly remind her that the real purpose here was to consume as many free drinks as possible. Speaking of free drinks, we had no hassle at all. Usually bought in with a 10 or 20, played one, two or three credits at a time, and the cocktails flowed freely. And I mean freely! The bartenders at the Venetian VP bar are the nicest, friendliest, most helpful group I have ever come across anywhere. This was completely unexpected. Playing VP and drinking for free sometimes they can make you feel like a mooch ( e.g Bally’s grrrrrr). Not with these guys, we were so welcomed and attended to it was awesome. They offered new drinks (tried the Bellini – a good breakfast drink, not much kick), and others. It was hard to leave them.

Shows.
Havana Nights: Great show, very entertaining. This show goes 100mph from flag to flag – super high energy. I was exhausted and all I did was watch! Picked it out of the list at 1/2 Price Shows thanks to the attendant’s recommendation. I downloaded a coupon for $1 dollar off ( big deal!) but it also included a line pass. This was a good deal because the people working there mingled around before tickets went on sale and answered a lot of questions about what was available. This was helpful.

Mystere’: Wonderful show. Had 1st row seats and almost ruined my neck looking up at the aerial acts. Midway back would be better. I just read that they re-upped for five more years.

Big Elvis: Who doesn’t love him? The Big Man’s the best.

Eating.
The highlight: Ordered my double cheeseburger “animal†style and fries well-done as I learned on this board – Heaven!

Been back a little over a week and I am ready to return. If I can get the RHCP/Weezer tickets, who knows??

 

Hmmm...well, if you had wandered down to Tequila Joe's your last night you might have changed your mind about that. I think I might have performed some of the worst drunken karaoke ever. Did you ever spend any time at the Carnival Court? I like that place more every time I come to Vegas. Anyway, sounds like you had a good time (minus the losing anyway.)

 

Okay where did you order your double cheeseburger???

 

I think I had that same view when I stayed at Harrah's 2 years ago.

I was just looking at that $1 off coupon and thought the same thing (big deal) but I am doing it for the line pass. Not sure what we are seeing. What kind of shows were available? Did you see tickets for Marriage Can Be Murder?

Sounds like a good time. Thanks for sharing.

 

J.R., As you know, Tequila Joe's pipes the Karaoke out to the street. I must have walked past it 10 times Wednesday night. I'll bet I heard you sing! With Harrah's as home, Carnaval Court was a frequent stop but we never seemed to hang out very long. That's the way the whole trip was, we always seemed to be moving.

Sorry LVL, the double cheeseburger was from In n Out Burger.

VT, I can't remember specifically if Marriage Can Be Murder was on their board but they sure did have quite the selection. I will use them again for sure. I'll book a bigger show (i.e. Cirque') way ahead of time and grab one from 1/2 price when I'm in town. I never would have gone to the Havana show unless I did the 1/2 price thing.