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NYNY, if you can't make it there.....

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Steelerfan43, Feb 4, 2017.

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  1. Steelerfan43

    Steelerfan43 Low-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    Trip report from a very tired traveller......wife agreed to go just to get away for a few days, as long as there is a hot tub for her to relax in I'm while I'm in the casino at night. Done deal. But when we booked the room, they reservationist stated we could have a Spa Suite as long as there was one available. There better be one, or it's going to be a quiet ride home.

    Flight went smooth, Wednesday is a good day to fly apparently.....no issue with connecting flights through Atlanta.....arrived in LAS on time....airport was DEAD......for the first time ever, our luggage was on the conveyor belt before we got to the claim area......no line at the taxi stand.....at the New York New York in minutes.

    Check in just as smooth, my concern about a Spa suite being available ill founded......room was available at 1:00, and it was a good one. Nice view, lots of windows, lots of space. Had to leave bread crumbs so we could find our way back to the elevator, but well worth the walk. I love the New York, feel at home there, but she is starting to show her age.

    First stop, Burger Bar, Mandalay Bay. Mid afternoon late lunch/ early dinner. Always our first stop in Vegas, always good. Place was as empty as the airport. Off to Lush for some stinky stuff....and to look at Pete Rose sitting at a table in the sports memorabilia store. The man that tortured my beloved Pirates reduced to this....

    Light wandering and gambling Wednesday night, things were very quiet......but......

    It has been two years since we have been to Las Vegas, we have been there about 10 times in twenty years. It is my happy place, I love it there. But it is changing. For lack of a better word, it seems.....grittier? So many homeless sleeping on the strip. So many begging. So many untalented street performers. (If you are going to bang on a five gallon bucket to music, have the ability to keep the beat. If you are going to sing, be able to sound like something other than 2 cats mating. If you are going to dance, stop doing the robot, it's run its course.). And now the people selling stuff are EVERYWHERE. And they are aggressive, they follow you after you say no thank you, it's downright harassment. I started off trying to be nice, by day four I wanted to start giving them paper cuts with whatever they were trying to shove in my hand.
    The bridges around the New York were crowded with beggars. A man screaming about racism. A woman playing the harp in the elevator going up to the bridge by the MGM. A young girl standing by the Brooklyn Bridge preaching how my soul could be saved. The characters you saw and heard were part of the charm of Las Vegas. Now, there is a feeling of being.....unsafe. Too many seedy characters wandering the streets. And I hate that feeling.

    And speaking of unsafe, went to Fremont Street on Saturday afternoon. It was like Sodom and Gomorrah. I used to love Fremont Street. Low limits, loose slots, fun people. Now, it's simply insane. A girl in panties with duct tape over her nipples dancing with a sword. A cowboy wearing a banana hammock dancing. A woman who looked well over 60 with huge silicon breasts exposed posing for pictures. Claustrophobic casinos packed and filled with cigarette smoke you could cut into cubes. People begging on the sidewalk using their children and pets as props. The only good thing was the wife, who doesn't gamble, hit a slot machine progressive for $180. Other than that, not a good time. Too many extremely drunk people. I mean , there is drunk, then there is walking into people and slot machines drunk. The place felt.....dirty, sleazy. And I felt the need to be looking over my shoulder constantly, especially in the parking garage. I don't think I will be back. I am not a party animal, I don't like going to places that make me wonder about the future of mankind.

    Casino etiquette has fallen by the wayside. People not playing craps crowding the table to watch so people that want to play can't get close to it. Pulling chairs away from slot machines to sit beside somebody. Not tipping cocktail waitresses and dealers. Come on, young people. Be aware. And if your going to stand beside the table to explain the game of craps to somebody while a game is going on, please stop saying "seven."

    Quick rundown of dining.......
    Burger Bar.....excellent, as always.
    Spago's.......excellent food, terrible service. Our waiter was enamored with the two girls at an adjacent table and acted like he was doing us a favor by waiting on us. Had to wait 15 minutes to get our check.
    Tom's Urban.....holy hell, it was good. Lobster and shrimp mac and cheese to die for. A slice of Americana with extra carbs...
    In and Out.....these people have it down to a science. Best bargain meal in Las Vegas.
    Chin Chin.....good quality, but you can get this quality in a lot of places elsewhere. Still good, just not life changing.
    Mon Ami Gabi.....a Fantasy comes true eating there. This was life changing. Always walked past and said "I'm going to eat there someday." And it was awesome. Patio seat, front row show for the fountains, impeccable service and food. With the blaring sounds of rap music from three different street performers. Still a wonderful meal.
    Il Fornaio coffee shop. Best granola in the world, chocolate croissants are my go to breakfast..
    Sirrico's Pizza.....pizza they way I like it-greasy and homemade.

    Entertainment rundown......
    Valley of Fire State Park....Well worth renting a car and the one hour drive. Phenomenal landscape. Beats Red Rock big time.
    "O" .....FINALLY got to see it. The only Cirque show that beats it is "LOVE." There are those that believe the Cirque shows have run their course. What could they replace them with?
    Brad Garrett's Comedy Club.....went there to see Brad, but Jay Leno walks out on stage to start the show to bring Brad out. What a surprise, cell phones everywhere to take pictures. Excellent show.
    Fremont Street.....if you like the smell of urine an vomit, it's heaven on Earth. Walked into a casino bathroom, after an extremely drunk woman wanted me to high five her before I went in, somebody decided the floor was as good as a urinal. I think I'll just throw these shoes away.....
    North outlet mall.......found some bargains, thank God for weight limits on baggage or the trip would have been very expensive.

    Gambling rundown......
    I know everybody laughs when people say they "have a system." But I have had a system that always worked for me until this trip. Double my buy in, I am walking, lose half my buy in, I am walking. Not this trip. I had to chase my money constantly. I am not going to say the slots were tight at the New York, because I saw other people hitting them, but it was not for me this trip. Couldn't hit anything consistently. I play craps because it's a fun, social game, and usually I walk away with more than I bought in for, but it was extremely choppy this trip. I had to fight for every dollar, very few long throws. On my last session, I finally hit four numbers during my roll which is the norm for me every time, but I crapped out early this trip more than any other as the shooter. Thank God other people helped me make up my losses. I definitely kissed my sister this time.

    As the shooter at the NYNY, I'm to the left of the stickman. The point was 5. Just as I'm winding up to throw, A guy comes up to the table, throws $400 on the table and says "$400 on the field." There are times I love the field, there are times I hate the field. Pit boss confirms the bet. The field can be Viagra and Salt Peter in the matter of seconds. I hold my breath and throw..... a six. A moan some from the table. Then he throws out $500 and says "$500 on the field." I look at him and say "don't do this to me." Pit boss firmly says 'throw the dice, sir." Eight. A groan emits from the table. I feel like crap as I watch nine one hundred dollar bills go into the box. I have to work damn hard in my line of work for $900 and it's gone in the blink of an eye. The guy stomps off, I look at the stickman, who shakes his head and says, "don't feel bad, that's nothing."

    Love $5 at Excalibur. Always fun, even when you don't win. But those waitresses......yikes.....

    Could only get close to a craps table at the Golden Gate on Fremont. All other casinos were insanely crowded.

    Shopping.....

    The Forum shops have sort of lost their pizazz for me. Just a "been there, done that" feel to it anymore. I used to love going in there, but now, we walked around, did not go in one store, ate lunch, and caught a cab.

    The people that work at M&M world are the happiest people I've met in Las Vegas. Happy, happy, happy. Like Disney happy. And to see how many M&Ms are wasted because people don't put a leash on their kids and these employees just smile.....

    Love the Miracle Mile. Very interesting stores that I can actually go into.

    For some reason, I love the Venetian shopping area...the Palazzo.....too snooty...



    Taxi drivers in Las Vegas are the most fascinating people around....I love talking to them and hearing their stories, one was more interesting than the next. Their take on Las Vegas has one common thread......"Things have changed a lot over the years."

    I am getting old. We started going to Las Vegas when I was in my mid thirties. I am now in my mid fifties. Perhaps it is my age, but I feel there is a youth movement going on that I don't know is for the better. Maybe it was the boxing match at the MGM that all these people came to see. Guys in their twenties hunting in packs, waiting for their prey to tire and weaken. Entitlement abounds, a lack of respect for the people that work hard for them to have an enjoyable time is pervayent. I marvel at these cities within a city and how much goes into making them work to feed and entertain and service thousands of people a day. I don't think it is appreciated by the younger generation that gets so drunk they puke in the elevators while trying to remember their room number. I own my own business and work hard for my money, I wonder how these people can afford this place, cause it ain't cheap. I don't want to think I am outgrowing Las Vegas, but I look around and wonder what's it all about.

    My hours and hours at the craps tables got me an M Life reward of.......$14. That'll buy customer allegiance on every level, MGM.

    Going through security on the way home, line grinds to a halt. A guys carry on bag gets pulled out after repeated runtroughs in the X-ray machine. As I am helping my wife get dressed, I see the agent pull out a bottle of designer vodka ,and then a bottle of cranberry juice. They agent stares at him as the man says, "I thought I would give it a shot., we wanted to mix our own drinks on the plane......".
    *sigh*

    So that's about it in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong, we had a good time, but you had to stay in a controlled environment to do it. Out on the strip sidewalks, all bets are off. I felt the need to keep my wallet in my jacket pocket instead of my pants. But I still love the place, even if it didn't love me back this time. I was due for a rough trip at the tables.

    So I'm sitting on our flight home feeling like 10 pounds of poop in a five pound bag because the guy in front of me had to lean back, getting ready to get back to reality where hundred dollar bills aren't leaves on trees and bottle of water aren't $4.50. I am always ready to come home after 4 days of Las Vegas, but I am always a little sad. Life is but a crap check, you hedge your bet to protect your investment, and once the dice leave a hand there is nothing you can do but watch and realize you have little control on what happens next. Watch your hands, please, the dice are out.....
     
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  2. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    I don't read too many trip reports but happened to click on this one. Maybe the title.

    Anyways, I loved reading it. Great flow. Reality mixed in with crazy side of Vegas. We re not going for 7 weeks. I can not stand the wait.
     
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  3. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    So I assume you didn't take any CDs....:)

    A fellow tried to shove one in my hand on a footbridge a few trips ago and I said, "No thanks."
    "Why, is it because I'm black?" He asked as he walked alongside.
    I said, "No, it's because I don't listen to CDs."
    "F_ck you, Man! Rot in hell!" he yelled. Then he leaned over and spit in my ear before turning to walk back the other way.
    He was a real class act!

    RICHARD
     
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  4. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Yeah I've got that before too. Race doesn't matter, I'm not interested in a random person's music. I'm interested in drinking, gambling, and not wasting my time.

    And with the legalization of marijuana I don't expect the young party attitude to go away anytime soon. Probably can get a contact high walking the strip after midnight. Lol
     
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  5. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    I like your writing style, Steelerfan43, and can relate 100% as to what you experienced and felt on your trip. It's a love/hate relationship, especially when you can see things changing that really doesn't seem for the better.

    It used to be a great experience walking the Strip. Nowadays, not so much. It's too bad, and sad. There is a dire need to address these people who are begging, selling, and performing with no marketable skills, just lazy people who want money the easy way, hiding behind what we call the freedom of speech and expression.

    Anyway, I enjoyed your report, and you did mention you had a great time despite the annoyances, which is what really matters.

    Thanks for sharing!
     
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  6. oldcrabtom

    oldcrabtom High-Roller

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    I really appreciate your write up and share your thoughts. What has happened to OUR Las Vegas ?. We will be out there in a month so we shall see...........:yawn:
     
  7. adbynot01

    adbynot01 Tourist

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    I actually was hit up to buy a CD while shopping at the Outlet Mall probably 5yrs ago andI bought it for $5. It turned out to be a good choice as I still listen to their music today.
     
  8. BlueBellThunder

    BlueBellThunder VIP Whale

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    I would've pimp slapped that dude. Sometimes a pimp slap is just what the doctor ordered.
     
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  9. martinr

    martinr Rock Chalk Jayhawk

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    Uber has caused me to avoid the "street life" by probably 50% versus only two years ago. I had seen the increase in individual "cause seekers" as well as the sense of less personal safety on the Strip. The news has reflected this with the incidents of violence that we have heard about and seen within the past few years. It seems like as soon as the porn slappers seemed to dwindle down to a minimum, here comes the street trash that we see in public areas in most larger cities. International visitors must be freaked out by the CD "salesmen", etc. as they get more aggressive and tend to be out of control in areas where Vegas used to feel like an oasis rather than a seedy society of desperation. I hate to insulate myself and live in a bubble while I'm in Vegas by not walking the Strip like we all have done for years. But, I go there for the illusion and fantasy and to escape reality, not to have my senses bombarded with these distractions. But, returning to Vegas is not within my control. She just keeps that magnetic pull going strong and we find ourselves back in the desert.
     
    First Time Staying on the South End. Will I Hear Southern Accents?
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  10. Jejas

    Jejas VIP Whale

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    The real Vegas I imagine is the place where you can see street performers, hookers, drunkards, porn slappers, hustlers, drug dealers, panhandlers everywhere,
    street fighting a common scene, occasionally a gun fight or two. That's why it is called "Sin City".
     
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  11. rob889

    rob889 High-Roller

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    Seven seven seven seven seven! Sorry, I had to. Craps is my favorite game but the "don't say seven" superstition always makes me laugh. If that worked everyone would be chanting 6, 8, or whatever the point is.

    That said, I loved your report and the flow of it all and I agree with you on just about every other observation. Those street hustlers need to really up their originality because it's all getting old fast
     
  12. Dentastic

    Dentastic Stripburger!

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    I really enjoyed your report as well. I like your style of writing. I laughed about the "seven" thing as well. I would never say it at a table myself, but it doesn't bother me at all if I hear someone else say it.
     
  13. Jejas

    Jejas VIP Whale

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    if you say "seven" and seven really comes, you can win a huge amount of money, billions.
     
  14. emmas

    emmas VIP Whale

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    Enjoyed reading the report and your observations.
     
    I need all the luck I can get!
  15. pultzar

    pultzar Low-Roller

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    Honestly it sounds like you need to move off the strip and away from downtown. I was waiting for the "I am getting old" comment and glad you put it in there. My entire work world is dealing with millennials and you have to have the thickest of skin as well as someone to confide in and talk smack about how dumb they are so you can just ignore it. If you had "pimp slapped" cd man there prob would have been a march on the strip or something. I find "you are an effin ahole" to be the universal multi racial way of saying I hate and want to punch you so that is my go to. It just feels good to say it sometimes. I, however, am ok with out of control drunk people because it makes my barely able to walk drunkeness look like sobriety and they tip over easily.
     
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  16. martinr

    martinr Rock Chalk Jayhawk

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    Seems like there could be a solution to this problem. Vegas, the gambling world, is truly not related to the club scene and therefore somewhere around 25% full of non-gamblers. These Millennials/Slackers/Club Kids or whatever they need to be categorized as, do not contribute to the economy of Vegas as it exists for the majority of visitors as well as investors in the ventures that bring in the dollars to the local economy. By having these "youngsters" and "thugs" mixing together with others on the Strip, it draws the element who are the CD sellers, etc. If there was a district where the clubs and other magnets for the "youngsters" existed that was several miles from the Strip, I bet you would see the "blight" almost disappear from the street corners and sidewalks. Vegas has enough of an issue with addressing crime in general due to it's proximity to SoCal and the influx of "youngsters" who have easy access for 24 hours or so and they're gone. It must be much more of a challenge to address crime on the Strip with those folks than if they were not integrated along with the "gambling" public. Vegas re-invents itself in many respects in cycles. This cycle that we're in is not healthy. New development in Vegas, in a shaky national economy, mixed with the rocks being turned over and what's been living under them is rearing it's ugly head, are not mixing well together. Something's got to give!

    I'm no prude. I always enjoy the drunken groups of bachelor party guys. That, for me, is the flavor of Vegas. I even enjoy the actual street performers. But, when the "street" element starts interacting with visitors in a manner where they are belligerent and aggressive, it isn't part of the flavor of Vegas any longer and becomes counter-productive to the efforts of the core group of businesses trying to survive there. The porn slappers were somehow allowed to exist and rarely did more than annoy visitors. This new breed of "street" element probably isn't 'grand fathered" into society to where they can legally camp out on the bridges and in elevators to impede visitors and intimidate them to the point of altering one's enjoyment of the city. In other words, a nuisance.
     
    First Time Staying on the South End. Will I Hear Southern Accents?
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  17. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    @Steelerfan43 I'm obviously late getting around to reading your trip report. Great perspective and thoughts about Las Vegas.

    I agree that the seediness of Vegas has taken on a new life. The entitlement and disrespect are sad not only in Sin City, but in the USA in general. I still enjoy Vegas, but find myself avoiding situations that seem unsafe or confrontational...double duty when my kids are with me.

    Glad you enjoyed parts of your trip. Hope there are some changes for the better the next time you're able to return.

    Vegasworm
     
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  18. Drewm1972

    Drewm1972 VIP Whale

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    Great TR thanks for sharing..... totally agree with you on downtown/Fremont street there are just too many crazies/people selling all kinds stupid shit...I haven't gone downtown area for past several years because of those reasons.
     
  19. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    You are making it sound like fun, especially Fremont street. I dont mind any of that stuff, street performers, lousy singers, people selling stuff, beggars. ah, now I am getting homesick!! Going to laughlin next week. I love it there but they dont have any of those things there. I wish they did to some extent.
     
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  20. lp670lambo

    lp670lambo Low-Roller

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    This was one of the best trip reports that I've ever read. The trip report was very personal and introspective, but I feel that the views that you have are shared by anyone who has been going for some time.

    Vegas has become more commercialized. With that commercialization, comes with it everyone who wishes to capitalize on every passing tourist. It's just not the same place it was.

    Vegas makes 52 percent of their income off of none gaming revenue. So they are switching the focus towards what a younger audience wants because all those different things are bringing them most of their money.

    I think that Vegas is starting to lose its identity. I think it's getting away from the philosophy that has made it such a great town. I think that's what you felt in the back of your mind, but you really didn't want to think about it.
     
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