Live and Unexpectedly Solo at MGMs Grand and Park

Final stop, of course, was Rampart. I was pretty gassed by this point, and I wanted to get back to the Strip to bet the afternoon baseball games, so I spent very little time here. But it’s a very impressive property. All of these Summerlin places are enormous, and they have so many things going on: restaurants, movies, golf courses, etc. And they’re beautiful.



I played craps, and I lost about a hundo, again pretty quickly.

My wrap-up for the trip is this: I had fun, but not as much as I had on my last trip. Partly because I think the casinos in Henderson and Sunset generally have more personality and kitch, but also because some of the novelty of these things wears off with time. But I think it’d be a good time to just hit the three Summerlin properties and take your time.

And avoid Silver Nugget. (Shudder)

 

The drive back to NYNY was uneventful.

I got my bets down (Padres moneyline and under 11 in the Rockies game) in time.

I usually don’t post pictures of strangers, but I had to scope these clowns. This is at the NYNY Sportsbook. Not only is the kid sitting in a Sportsbook watching the Mets (of course), but none of them are wearing masks. Gross. You now live in VMB infamy.

 

You are killing this report! Well done. Awesome travels

 

Spent a lot of hours drinking at the Park MGM Sportsbook with the bartender Angela (who’s great) and playing VP. Up and down, but ended up ahead.

Added a small bet on Australia +15.5 against the US women. Padres look good.

Here’s pocket dump for the day. I haven’t eaten dinner, and I might not…it’s been a long day. Goodnight, sports fans!

 

Next time you're going to hit the Gamblers General Store, pay a visit to Spinettis right in the same area. I like it better than GGS. And the employees in there really know their Vegas history!

And yeah, Red Rock Resort is amazing!

 

Love it! When I’m home I always think about doing the off strip tour but never end up pulling the trigger when I’m there. Nice to do it vicariously. Thanks for all the pics.

 

I was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt and felt perfectly comfortable. Business casual would be great, too, but I doubt they’d turn anyone away unless they’re wearing like a bathing suit.

 

Yes, there’s a craps table in there, but I haven’t seen it open and there’s no table limits posted. (The limits are those little electronic tv screens, and they’re not on when the tables are closed.) I’ll keep an eye on it for you, though.

 

Thanks as well for giving a view on the more remote casinos in Vegas. I haven’t ventured out to them (other than Red Rock, but I’ve never been able to play as I am always stopping by for food after hiking in Red Rock Canyon). You’ve really got me interested in Summerlin.

 

Friends, I have a confession to make: I got pretty drunk last night. I don’t know how it happened. I was playing VP at the bar, drinking vodka on an empty stomach, and suddenly I’m drunk?! Weird. I go some good play, though, as seen below.



I played craps (one $15 table open, packed) for about an hour. It was up and down and I walked away even. The crew was good and the players, though largely beginners, were fun.

I was hungry, but my stomach can’t handle the Vegas abuse I’ve been giving it like it once could, so I wanted something light-ish. I settled on Eataly, because it was right there. That place is fine, but it’s nothing spectacular, imho. Most of the stalls were closed at 10:00, but I sat at the wine bar and had the ravioli. It was very good, though a little undercooked. (I’m Italian and I just finished living a stone’s throw from Italy for the past three years. I know al dente…this was undercooked.). Still, it was otherwise immaculate, and the wine and service were great, too.



I finished the day down a little, but still up overall for the trip. Three more days!!!

 

Great stuff so far!

And you picked a nice pool to finally try! MGM Grand pool is one of our favorites because it is one of the few that also has a lazy river. I wouldn't doubt it was busier in that area. Many other pool areas are afterthoughts, even on the strip, especially for the lower end properties.

 

Primrose looks nice, but it’ll have to wait for another morning. Today I’m headed to a Vegas standard. The Peppermill.

Lyft and Uber wanted $17 plus a 15 minute wait. Fuck outta here with that. I waited zero minutes for a taxi, got there super fast, and it was $20 including tip. At this point, I’m the asshole for even bothering to check ride-share.

My cab driver told me that the Peppermill has a line around the corner for breakfast on the weekends. Luckily it’s Wednesday, so no such problem for me today. I coulda had a table, but went with the counter.



Everything about this place is fun. The gaudy decorations, the throwback outfits on the waitresses, even the music is the right kind of classic rock. Just look at this napkin!



So many places in Vegas waste time trying to be fancy, but have no personality or vibe. The Peppermill isn’t real fancy—it’s really just a diner—but it’s all personality and vibe.

Here’s my breakfast. It went largely uneaten, because it’s just an obscene amount of food. The pancake itself is enough for two people. But we don’t come to Vegas for moderation, do we? Unfortunately, I left my Pepcid back at the hotel. Woof.

 

Right across the street to the newest joint in town.

 

The place is massive and I took a lot of photos, so I’ll do this in sections. The southernmost part of the property (closest to Encore) is like a shopping mall. Lots of stuff isn’t open yet, but it’s nice for a mall, I guess.

This thing is pretty cool.







As you likely already know from reading other trip reports, there are actually three hotels with three different lobbies. A little confusing. This is the concierge desk at one of them (Conrad, I think?)



And a lobby bar.



Liberace’s piano.



There’s a special “Sky Casino” on the 66th floor. I went up, but it was closed. I snuck in and snapped a few quick photos, but was scared that I’d get in trouble (because as Terry Benedict taught us, someone is ALWAYS watching in the casino) so I split. It looks really really really nice.

 

Next are the pools. This complex is the best I’ve seen in Vegas, maybe anywhere, and is probably the highlight of the resort. Lots of variety in pools, bars, vibes, etc. Everyone was really nice and greeted me. Top top class in every way. No room key required to access, either.





The cabanas look nice.





A lot has been made about “Vegas’ first infinity pool.” Lemme tell you, it’s by far the least impressive thing about this place. Yes, it looks out over a massive, ugly construction site, but even when they take care of that, it still won’t be a great view (and not just because you have to look at Trump.)

 

There are many, many food options here, and it looks like many still to come. Almost every one of them looks great, too.





The street eats food court thing is great. Lots of different stalls, each with just a few options. Prices seem quite reasonable. If I hadn’t just stuffed myself at Peppermill, I would’ve had a few moronic dumplings fo’ sho’.

 

The casino, like everything else here, is huge and beautiful.



The Crockfords’ high limit lounge is very big and open, and very fancy. I wish I had the money and the stones to play here, but alas I do not.



That’s a lot of buffaloes.



The Sportsbook is a sports bar, kind of like at Park. It’s very big, but I don’t love it. Can’t put my finger on why.



I played $15 craps for a bit. The crew was friendly enough. Treaded water and left down a few bucks, nothing dire.

 

Overall, I found the place exceptionally impressive. Being brand new helps, but I think it does everything that Wynn does, just a little differently. Obviously Wynn is world class, and it caters to certain tastes better, but I think this place is gonna do really well once it’s established itself. Skews slightly younger, too, without trying to be “hip,” which never works. (Looking at you, SLS.)

In closing, here is a picture of a weird statue.

 

Love me some Peppermill!

Fantastic trip report!!!! Thanks for sharing your journey.

 

The sports book looks like a Buffalo wild wings.