Mss 5/24-28

Flying SWA. We didn’t know what to expect crowd-wise at the airport, so we got there 2.5 hours early because it was a holiday weekend. We normally always fly non-stop but on Friday our only two choices were 7 AM or 3:30 PM. We are not morning people, so I booked a 11:50 AM flight with a connection in Phoenix. It only added another 1:10 to travel time vs. non-stop. Well crap. First our flight out of Milwaukee gets delayed 15 minutes, then 30, then 50 minutes. Finally get boarded and the flight deck blames it on a holdup with the air traffic controllers, whatever the hell that means.

Since we only had a 40 minute layover in Phoenix for our flight, I assumed we’ll miss it and have to catch a later flight.

This is one of those good news/bad news stories. The FA announces we need to hustle to gate X but our flight to Vegas is waiting. Great! We had boarding positions A 34 & 35 for the connection. We didn’t miss the plane, but it is totally boarded and our only seat choices are middle seats and three rows apart from each other in the back of the plane. My seatmates each must have weighed 250# and I’m no slouch at 210#. A very tight flight! Now I need a drink! Almost on cue…”there will be no drink service on this flight, but we can bring everybody water”.

While I’m the airline topic, we flew a 737-800 plane to Phoenix and a standard 737 to Vegas. I didn’t find any difference in seat size, leg room etc, although I know I have read some complaints about the 800 series. I also read here on VMB that the 800 had drink carts, but they still did it the normal way on our 3 hr flight.

Get to baggage claim and it is always just so nice to see the casino limo driver standing there holding that sign with our name on it. For us at MSS, not really the casino limo from the hotel, they just contract it out to Bell, but the feeling is still the same. Some of the drivers have now gone high-tech and they hold up tablets with the name on it. Ours was still cardboard. Anyway, still a thrill for us.

After last month’s gambling beating, I was hoping for a new start. Friday and Saturday, just brutal again! Friday, 1 4oak & Saturday, 3, 4oak. But Sunday was a new day! I play dollar DDB most of the time. Sunday I hit quad 3s with a kicker for $800 and about 3 hours later, I hit the aces with a kicker, for $2,000. I held two on both hands. I’ll gladly receive that W2G! Permit me a small whine. That is my seventh quad aces w/kicker, but I have not had a Royal since March 2010.

My wife once again had three straight flushes, the same as last month and a ton of 4oak. In the end we can home about even. That’s winning!

For the fourth trip in a row, we said we were going to get to Mon Ami Gabi, at Paris. Things just came up and we didn’t. OK, so this trip we actually made concrete plans. We caught the WAX bus Monday morning across from Binions. $1 each way for us being over age 60, otherwise $2. I still don’t know the answer to this. We show our WI driver license and insert the buck, but others have said you need an official RTC ID?

This is the 7th time I’ve done this using the WAX and the driver has never said anything. Not that another buck would kill me.

We got off the WAX at Tropicana and began to walk to Paris. For all of those complaining about downtown and walking on Fremont, jezz have you walked the Strip recently? What a clusterf*uck. Porn slappers, panhandlers, beggars, costume characters by the dozens, timeshare assholes, etc. Give me Fremont St anytime. End of rant.

On to Paris. They don’t take reservations for the outdoor seating and we knew that. Anyway, so it was 10:30 and we thought we would go at 11 AM when they start serving lunch. Go up to this mechanical sounding host and ask if we can get an outdoor table at 11 AM. No, come back later and put your name on the list. You can’t put our name on the list now? NO! I’m already not enjoying this experience. So we gamble for about 20 minutes and go back at 10:50 AM. Now there is a 45 minute wait. My thought is F*ck you. We left.

We thought maybe we could try one of the outdoor places as we walked back to Tropicana to catch the WAX, but for a variety of reasons, nothing enticed us. Loud music at one place, $15 hamburgers at another. We walk over to NY NY and catch the WAX to go back downtown. We really don’t enjoy the Strip. We are downtown people and this just reinforced that opinion.

Getting really hungry now and still have the urge to eat outside. I’ve read many good things on VMB, so we head over Triple George Grill. OK, not outdoor dining on the Strip, but still outside. None of the entrees struck our fancy, so we ordered the crabcake appetizer ($13) and a side of mac & cheese ($7). Both were very good and it just felt good to sit outside and relax in the sun. My wife had 2 tap beers, $5 each. I ordered two house, cabernet. Shocked when the bill came to find out the wine was $12 EACH! I double checked with our waitress, saying I ordered “house” wine. Yes, that is their price. RFB at Boyd maybe distorts my perception, but that still seems outrageous to me. We’ve been to Seattle, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa etc and have never paid that much for a house wine.

The view of the Grand from Triple George. Our server claims they have moved up opening to Sept, from Oct.





After lunch we were going to try Hogs & Heffers for a drink, but if you thought the D music was loud, this place makes it sound like a church.

We were there at the same time as the Punk Rock Bowling festival. I have never seen so many people with so many tattoos in my life. No problems, everyone we ran into seemed well behaved, I just wonder what these people are going to do when they need to go out and apply for a job in the real world with all those tattoos. Maybe it’s just me, but all those tattoos are a turnoff to me.









When we were in Vegas last month they were pouring the concrete foundations for the new zipline on Fremont. Holy crap, this thing must be five stories tall and no elevator!




I’m not a scientist, but I just don’t see how gravity will carry someone all the way to the Golden Gate landing area.





Rest of the food consisted of Chicago Brewing Sunday for pizza. Good as always. I had the prime rib special at Redwood on Saturday 24oz for $30. It was done a perfect med-rare. My wife had the 8oz lobster and 8 oz filet ($52). I got a taste of the filet and it was melt in the mouth tender. All the rest of the meals/appetizers ended up in the 777 brewpub and one breakfast buffet at MSS.

Our plan was to go the 777 at 5 AM on the day we left for breakfast before heading to the airport. Gawd, I hate getting up at 4:15 AM in Vegas! Anyway, we get down there and the 777 is closed for cleaning, so we ended up across the street at the Cal in the Market Street Café. Amazing the number of people eating oxtail soup at 5 AM!

No more Vegas until our anniversary (32) in October. July is Seattle, Sept is Maine & November is San Fran. I'm not burned out, but I think a 5 month break will feel good. Or, maybe after my 3rd trip in 3 months, maybe I am a little burned out and I'm sure my liver would appreciate a break.

Turtleman you hear that. No Vegas for 5 months!

Hope I didn't bore you. I know a couple of 4oak pictures would make it better, but I don't carry a phone, let alone a camera. My wife takes all the pictures.

 

Thanks for the TR Joe, very enjoyable, even without the quad pics!

What kind of bankroll do you recommend or have you found comfortable for playing $1 DDB? I usually play Boner Deluxe but with a longer upcoming trip and the places we are playing, I'll probably mix in considerable DDB again. All at the dollar level.

I'm wondering what daily bankroll you think is reasonable and how many hours per day you usually play?

My guess is its a pretty bad day to lose $2,000 in 4 hours of $1 DDB, but I may be way underestimating. Half a royal seems like a decent guess. I know Macker doesn't often lose over $500 playing his 25 cent DDB.

 

Joe... always a awesome TR... Thanks for the photos and great comments...

Cheers

 

Good to see you off the schneid, Joe.

Thanks for the report and the pics...not to mention the chuckles at your "you kids get off my lawn" old-timer moments!

 

Great report!

Thanks!

 

I have a line of credit at MSS. I'll usually bring $2,000 with me and hope I don't have to hit the LOC.

We play marathon sessions almost every day. Not unusual for us to be sitting at the bartops for 10-14 hrs some days if you add all the time up. Our normal trip duration is 4 nights and I have never gone over a $6,000 loss, even playing DDB.

Friday I dumped $800 from 4 PM until midnight and only had one 4oak. Saturday, it was $1,200 between 9 AM and 10 PM with three 4oak. There was a break for lunch and dinner.

Even on the coldest DDB machine, you are not going to lose $2,000 in 4 hours, playing dollars. At least I sure hope not.
The problem is that when DDB is cold, it can be very cold and can suck the money right out of the wallet.

 

Hey Joe ... Nice report, and congrats on the wins.

Not sure why, but in reading your report, the right hand margin was cut off so much (including your upper right-hand profile corner) that I could not fully read the sentences. Yet ... all the responder posts were normal. Weird !!

I was really surprised at the treatment you got at Mon Ami , and amused at your shock at the other Strip prices. I guess we are spoiled, being loyal downtown people. And, you still had good dining (and comps) at MSS and the Cal ... except for being surprised by the cleaning closure at the 777.

Guess we'll miss you again this Fall, as we have our LV trips in Sept. & Nov., and yours is in October.

"Buddha"

 

How was the prime rib flavor wise at redwood joe? Always considered it there but never tried it.

 

They are building Slotzilla a lot faster than they are building that LINQ ferris wheel. I am surprised how much has been done since the end of April.

Thanks for the report!

 

Nice reading Joe; Tattoo's don't bother me much but I do want the market on Tattoo removal in about 20 years, FWIW.


May run into you at Boars head in October; help ya lose some coin w/ Jose and crew there.

:evillaugh

 

Thanks Joe. When you show your driver's license on the WAX, does it prove you are over 60 or over 65? Plenty of postings in the buses now say they will take a Medicare card, but it is hard to nail down what exactly is the proof needed for senior reduced fares for folks under 65.
I'm also wondering if the same proof can be used when using a 15 or 30 day pass as when saving a buck on a residential one way.
I always show my RTC card if asked. I should have tried showing just my driver's license and tested out the need for the other photo ID. The RTC pass expires next April. If I don't need to I won't bother getting another.

Thanks for the report.
I walked the other side of the street from Flamingo to Tropicana very early one morning and what amazed me was all the little bridges and winding pathways it took. I have not walked in it a number of years. I should have been on the East side as I think that is still just old fashioned sidewalk.

 

Great report Joe, Thanks!

I was one of those tattooed fellas on Fremont this weekend, so thanks for the photos to take me back to the weekend (For the record, this tatted up fella has a professional job. Places are getting more liberal these days )

Also noticed your comment about the zip line getting all the way to the GG, and I was wondering the same thing until I read their little sign that said the the new zip line will be the first one that 'launches you up to 35mph out of the gate. I'm all for a nice leisurely zipline, but not sure how I feel about being 'blasted' across fremont!

 

So true... so true! Great report, glad is was a good visit.

 

The east side of the strip between MGM and PHo is truly no-mans land. MGM is the only casino I like south of PHo/Cosmo. The rest of the strip is no picnic, but if you stay on the west side between the Cosmo and Mirage, it's decent (Harrah's - Bally's is another construction zone cluster).

I ate at Redwood for the first time last trip and really liked it. Planning on a return trip this August (though I stay at The Cal). I also found I appreciated Vegas more with a longer span between trips.

Glad you broke even and had a great trip.

 

Thanks for the trip report, Joe. I enjoyed your adventures, especially when you ventured out to the Strip, lol!

I liked the pictures you took. I really don't care for the zipline that's being built under the Canopy but it is what it is. Excessive tattoos on people is not as appealing as strategically placed tattoos, IMO. If done correctly, tattoos can look cool and sexy, especially on women.

Glad that this trip was better as far as gambling. Hope your next trip is even better, and have fun on your other non-vegas trips too!

 

Joe - you beat me to a report. I was there over the period, as part of an 11 day trip.
Like you, I survived PUnk Rock Bowling. It was insane. I stayed at the Plaza, and upon checkin - my host apologized for the conditions. Lol. The participants were good people - but like you, I wonder about employment opportunities. Besides the tattoos, the hair was also shocking!!! Very interesting crew that loves PBR beer. I kept wondering if PBR and PRB had something to do with each other on a level I don't understand.
I have some MSS DDB pics to post in my report ). I wish I would have known you were there - could have had our own meet and greet!!!

 

Nice report, Joe...

It's a shame you won't be out there in July, as I'll be at MSS July 6-9. But I'll probably catch you in October, depending on your dates.

Dave

 

Excellent. It had a nice seasoned crust of fat on the outside and the meat tasted delicious.

 

We are both 60. Honestly, I don't think the driver even looks. Unless they have eyes like a hawk, there is just no way they could read a birth date from that far away.

Jeez, I just thought about this...I hope that doesn't mean we already look over 65.

 

Nice report, Joe, enjoyed the pics!