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NFC caved but didn’t cave… Jul 22 - Aug 3 @ Aria, Downtown/Sapphire, Laughlin, Plaza

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by notfromconcentrate, Jul 21, 2019.

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  1. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    My Trip Report

    Ok, ok, I know what you all are thinking, since I said I wouldn’t be do any more live trip reports. You’re probably thinking something to the effect of “Lol NFC said he wouldn’t be doing any more live trip reports but we all knew he’d do it again”.

    Kind of. Not really, but kind of. There’s a slight twist.

    I flip-flopped back and forth on the subject of whether or not I’ll go back on my word and do a live trip report. Yes, there was a pro/con analysis. Also yes, I’m pretty sure I’m related to Rory Gilmore who loved to do pro/con lists for her decisions (high five for the handful of people at most who will understand that reference… one of the best TV shows of all time).

    On the “pro” side of doing a live trip report…
    • Feeling slightly less lonely in my solo adventures
    • Having an in-the-moment journal of a trip I’ve worked very hard to plan, which I can reflect on months or years later to re-live my journey
    • Contributing to the ecosystem of VMB trip reports which I so love to follow when I need my Vegas fix (good karma)
    • Ego boosts from the kind words I get from followers
    On the “con” side of doing a live report…
    • It can be a serious buzzkill to take several minutes to write up “live” updates at times
    • It’s an anxiety generator to have to recap a whole day of activities later on, especially if I’m drunk or tired. Doubly so if my hotel’s wifi sucks, which makes uploading 30+ recap photos difficult.
    • Some updates are duplicate work if I’m updating my personal Instagram as well as my VMB trip report
    In summary, the pro side says “It’s fun, it’s good karma, and you’ll appreciate it later”, and the con side says “It interrupts shit, takes too much time, and you’re doing the same work twice”. Valid arguments on both sides. But as I thought about it more… the “con” arguments unravelled pretty quickly on two accounts…
    • I’m using Instagram less and less these days. I’ve posted tons of Vegas footage on there on past trips, and at this point it has about 80% of my followers thinking I have a gambling problem and/or I secretly own a brothel somewhere near Vegas and I’m constantly going back to tend to it. The latter is actually serious. A close group of my friends firmly believes this to be the case, and the fact that I work in cryptocurrencies doesn’t make that theory any less believable. Anyway, my Instagram followers, who are mostly non Vegas-ers have most likely seen enough of my Vegas posts… whereas I know you guys will have a greater enjoyment of the nitty-gritty details of the trip. So instead of actively posting on Instagram, I’ll actively post here. I’ve also shared this link with my Instagram followers, so those who wish to follow along may do so. Plus, I’ll have the still images on my phone that I’ll have taken for this trip report, so if I do want to post an album with those photos to Instagram, I can add that later on.
    • More importantly, my hesitation with respect to interruptions and time consumption is only based on my traditional reporting style. That is - images, commentary, replies, stories, side notes, etc… whereas if I simplify things to just photos and limited explanations at most, really all I have to do is open the Tapatalk app, upload one or two photos, hit post, and be on my merry way. If I cut writing stories/comments/remarks out of the equation, that simplifies things considerably.
    So I’ve just gone and taken 611 words to write up “This is why NFC is actually writing a live trip report even though he said he wouldn’t”. I’ll once again speculate as to what you all must be thinking…

    [​IMG]

    So, now, the twist...

    - I’ll provide the preamble of what I have planned as usual (below)
    - I’ll provide updates as things happen. But I’ll be aiming to add NO captions at all. Just photos.
    - This is both for simplicity for my sake, and for a potentially fun aura of mystery for you guys :)
    - I may add some captions if they’re absolutely necessary (e.g. “Biter was in town and this report is on hold until further notice because our honeymoon starts tomorrow”).
    - But in all honesty it is very possible I may post more photos than words. Slight exaggeration, but not really.

    Don't worry about not having context, most of the photos I post will make sense from the rundown listed below. Other photos may appear to be random and not make much sense, but that’s part of the fun. I may clarify the significance of a given thing on request.

    Also, the @ffejry may be able to fill some of you in on what's going on, as he and I will probably be texting back and forth all day just as we were when he was in Vegas last month. So if anyone will know stuff about my trip, it will be him.

    Aaand here’s the rundown, broken down by hotel…

    Aria Sky Suites (four nights)
    • We’ll start off with a photo of my “goofy” outfit for the trip down. It involves a sea animal. And a blazer. And a rather unique pocket square. And a pun. I’ve never been prouder of a goofy outfit than this one
    • “Airport porn”. Like, as in pictures of the gate screen that says “Las Vegas”, a selfie inside the plane, and arrival at LAS. Airport porn apparently is an actual thing though. Seriously. I looked it up on PornHub, it returned 372 results, and the first dozen or so thumbnails looked rather interesting, including some airport bathroom stall action. For those of you who don’t have the balls to look it up yourselves (stammering "I... I... I don't want that on my search history!"), here’s a screenshot which I hope I cropped enough for it to be board appropriate. Don’t want to catch a ban just as my report is getting started…
    [​IMG]
    • Aria house limo
    • The actual suite, there will definitely be detailed photos of that
    • Sky Suites pool and obligatory “beer by the pool” photo
    • Albertson’s or Smith’s, both to pick up some groceries/supplies, and to spend about an hour playing one-credit video poker in the casino area just to observe what goes on in such places. @NittyOne will be paying attention here :)
    • Side note: some of the supplies I’m picking up include mint, limes, and rum for mojitos that I’ll be having in my suite’s jetted tub before bed each night. I’ll have packed with me a knife and cutting board for the mint/limes, and a meat tenderizer and pillowcase to crush the ice with (I prefer crushed ice over cubed ice in cocktails). They’ll all be packed in the same compartment of my suitcase, and I’m fully prepared to be pulled aside for questioning because of how shady that combination of items looks :)
    • Dinner at Martorano tomorrow night (I keep watching videos of this guy and cannot get enough of him)
    • Jewel nightclub (yes, I actually conceded and decided to pack pants for this trip, if you were following that discussion thread from earlier)
    • Red velvet pancakes again on room service
    • Spa all day… will probably go down to the casino floor in my robe and flip flops to get a beer at least once. Yes, I actually called them to confirm this was okay.
    • Zumanity show at NYNY
    • Palace Station to hit Oyster bar for breakfast (yes, seriously… gotta work around those dinner crowds) and bingo after
    • Double Down saloon
    • More spa
    • Shuttle out to Boulder Strip to do match plays at Sam’s Town, and probably hitting Longhorn for a couple of hours too
    • Breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi
    • More spa
    • Akhob exhibit at Louis Vuitton store (no pictures inside, sadly)
    • My buddy who we’ll call “Temple” arrives Thursday night. Relative virgin to Vegas, much harder partier than I am. This will be quite a weekend ahead.

    Main Street Station (this Fri/Sat/Sun is a lather/rinse/repeat of Sapphire Pool all day, and debauchery at night… If you follow the club’s resident DJs @hardnox on Instagram, you’ll likely see lots of footage of Temple and I with them in their story, which they update very frequently on pool days)

    For those of you who don’t know Sapphire Pool and/or didn’t read my mega trip report from last summer, Sapphire Pool is a topless dayclub/pool club at the Sapphire gentlemen’s club. It’s essentially an all-afternoon blitz of dancing, drinking, playing pool volleyball, and mingling with partiers and strippers alike. The one afternoon I spent there last summer was easily the most decadently enjoyable experience I have ever had… and I’ve built my whole trip around spending the weekend here.
    • On our way out of Aria, we’re doing their brunch buffet, benefitting from the Sky Suites priority line
    • Getting set up at MSS, first time staying there
    • Sapphire all day
    • Walking up the strip to show Temple around
    • Dinner reservations at Hell’s Kitchen
    • Drai’s nightclub to see Migos
    • MSS champagne buffet
    • More Sapphire
    • More strip exploration
    • Blue Man Group (we’ve got front and centre seats in the “poncho zone”, which is exactly what it sounds like)
    • Possibly Foundation Room
    • I have to do laundry at the MSS RV park. Boring, but I’ll probably include photos anyway. Since I’m fairly certain their detergent dispenser is still broken, I brought my own detergent. Except, I couldn’t find a travel-size one, so I just poured a cupful of the detergent I use at home into a water bottle. There will be a photo of that too for ridiculousness.
    • Acoustic brunch at Pizza Rock. I’ve never had a pizza brunch before, so I’m excited for this.
    • Sapphire one more time
    • Mild debauchery downtown, as I have to get up at 5:00 am the next morning to catch my Greyhound to Laughlin
    (Side note, Temple isn’t a gambler… as in he plans to gamble exactly $0. However, since my Sunday night at MSS is a comp, he can’t exactly pay me “his half” of the room rate for that night since it’s free, but with a gaming obligation. So I’m going to tell him to take $60, and he MUST gamble with it on my card. If he loses, it’s kind of like paying for the room but with free drinks. If he wins, he benefits from a small sample size of play which will credibly make him a lifetime winner in Vegas.)

    Harrahs Laughlin
    • Up at 5:00 am. Breakfast at 777. With a beer of course.
    • Greyhound down to Bullhead, water taxi down the river to Harrah’s
    • Hanging out on the beach, or in the water on my inflatable lounger. I’ll be doing one of these two things for most of this trip. No jet skis, naturally.
    • Guy Fieri’s for dinner
    • Also having some drinks at Bikini Bay Bar and Nightclub. This looks trashy as all hell and right out of a Bar Rescue episode and I love it.
    • More beach
    • Heading up to Riverside to play bingo, do the USS Riverside boat cruise, check out some of their vintage slot machines, and doing dinner at Prime Rib Room
    • Then back down close to Harrahs. Will be visiting the Old Town Saloon which looks similarly trashy, as well as the Harrah’s Shell Station (yes… a Harrah’s Shell Station) just for the novelty of it
    • More beach
    • Dinner at Range steakhouse, timed to catch the sunset
    • Might catch a movie at the Riverside movie theatre as well, if the beach gets boring
    Plaza (one of the new Luxe rooms, as part of the offer from Fe’Adolphus here on the board… I’m quite pleased to be among the first guests to be trying this room out)
    • Arriving Thursday night from Laughlin
    • Probably going to do a run of downtown match plays that night. Might go up to Chicas Bonitas if the mood strikes
    • Spending all day Friday at the Plaza pool with a daybed reserved. Basically just relaxing, drinking beer, swimming, and heading downstairs every two hours to play in the 777 slot tournaments
    • Meeting @PlazaPoker at noon, there will probably be a selfie
    • Dinner probably at Aloha Specialties or Redwood
    • Then up to Poker Palace for my “Friday and/or Saturday night downtown” pilgrimage up there
    • Saturday, I’ve got a red-eye flight leaving at 10:55 pm. I’m considering heading to Sam’s Town for the morning/early afternoon.
    • Also planning on hitting some “south of Fremont” attractions, such as some of the “real” pawn shops on LVB, as well as Spinetti’s, and getting a cocktail at Classic Jewel (which, no exaggeration, I’ve put off for about eight trips now)
    • Then I have dinner reservations at Top of Binion’s, also timed to catch the sunset
    • Between being done at Top of Binion’s, and catching the 9:00 pm Plaza airport shuttle (which they just started offering and I think is an amazing amenity), I’ll have about 30 minutes in which I can attempt a Hail Mary to come home with a pocket full of cash again. Turned $20 into $510 last summer doing exactly this, and $10 into $175 in March as well. Let’s see what happens this time. Hopefully I'll have to fill out a CTR form and end up late for my flight ;)
    Lotsa words, I know. This is word 2,287, just in case you were curious. Don’t get used to it. It will be almost all photos from here on in.

    Also, taking requests as always. So if you have even a seemingly goofy request for a photo (e.g. "Selfie with the beer in the bathrobe on Aria's casino floor!*"), please feel free to ask and I will do my very best to accommodate.

    * This would be a very silly thing to request. Y'all already knew I was going to take such a photo and post it even with zero prompting :D
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
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  2. Astribling

    Astribling Alice In Casinoland

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    Love your reports in any form you might want to provide!

    That being said, I think your text in your pre trip is longer than all of my week-long TR text! Nice job!

    Have a great trip and good luck!
     
  3. Dr Nostron

    Dr Nostron VIP Whale

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    Well it goes without saying any pictures from Sapphire would be greatly appreciated......

    Hope you have a blast
     
    • Agree Agree x 5
  4. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    Looking forward to your TR as always.

    And congrats on buying a stake in a brothel!! ;)
     
    Annual me and Pete
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  5. pressitagain

    pressitagain VIP Whale

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    The only thing you didn’t plan out are the bathroom breaks.....LOL.

    Can’t wait for the updates...
     
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  6. carolineno

    carolineno VIP Whale

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    Have a great time. Interested in your review of the drais/Migos experience. Ive always wanted to wander up there but I can’t stand the lines at the clubs.
     
    Ladies getaway, somewhere on the strip with a pool :)
  7. Colesc15

    Colesc15 VIP Whale

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    Following along! Can't wait!
     
  8. justchuck

    justchuck Low-Roller

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    You always have such great adventures and reports, I’ll take whatever you care to share!
     
  9. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    I wouldn’t wait in such lines personally. For me it’s guestlist or nothing :)
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  10. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Wow your planning is amazing.
     
  11. pebbles

    pebbles Micro Roller.

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    I’m knackered just reading the plan.
    I will be following your trip by reclining on my chaise lounge and conserving my energy as much as I can.
     
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  12. 93 Octane

    93 Octane Chief Bottle Washer

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    How about a shot of tequila and a coors light:popcorn:
     
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  13. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    You didn't list what drinks you will be indulging in while doing all of these activities. If you're drunk, I want to know what got you to that great state.
     
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  14. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    :eek: I will no longer request, "No tunnel." :wink2:

    Have a great trip, @notfromconcentrate! :D

    RICHARD
     
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  15. GamblingGolfer

    GamblingGolfer VIP Whale

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    Go get 'em and have fun!

    GG
     
  16. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Absent of a meat tenderizer, a heavy tablespoon or serving spoon will do the job. Ice in palm of hand, whack it with the back a spoon. Repeat. Don’t forget some simple syrup for the mojitos.
     
  17. kleland

    kleland Low-Roller

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    I do enjoy your reports and I don't mind pics with no words, sometimes those are the best and I agree they can to the allure LOL. You always find very interesting things to do. Have a blast. I look forward to your report!
     
  18. Guy_

    Guy_ VIP Whale

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    Following along
     
  19. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    Wouldn’t you know I cannot locate the tenderizer I was planning on using? Off to the grocery store to get one.

    Haven’t got any “heavy duty” spoons like what you’re describing. So I’m taking a safe bet buying this for $6.99.

    Simple syrup, not a fan. Good thing I’m not, because that would be yet another ingredient to make this cocktail endeavour complicated.

    [​IMG]
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  20. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    I’ll make sure my drink photos are extra detailed :)

    Starting with the Crown Royal or Ukrainian vodka I’ll be using to knock myself out tonight. It’s 10:20 pm and I still haven’t put even one item into my suitcase.

    Packing footage to follow.
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
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