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66 year-old Virgin & his Daughter - a Trip Report

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by BrokenAlice, Sep 3, 2008.

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  1. BrokenAlice

    BrokenAlice Tourist

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    Location:
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    My Trip Report

    A little back-story here - I've been wanting to treat my Dad to a vacation for a long time. My mom is disabled and Dad has basically been her at-home nurse for the last 5 years of her immobility on top of working a full time job. He retired this past April and has still been working his tail off at home. He needed a break. So I invited him to join me in LV. I'll never forget that when I asked him he squealed like a little girl. Mom was actually quite glad for him to take some time off and we arranged with a family friend to look in on her once a day. We also talked to her every night and she was enjoying her time alone.

    We decided to go in August because I wanted him to see the Star Trek Experience before it was demolished. Dad would also be celebrating his 66th birthday on August 28th while we were in town. I paid for his hotel rooms and his airfare. He paid for our meals and entertainment. We both had our own gambling money and were ready to hit the town.

    It goes without saying that my father and I had a wonderful time. It was filled with lots of laughs and some memories that will last a lifetime. We're already planning to go back again next March or April. He's a late-blooming as Vegas addict in the making.

    Report will be broken up into days below...
     
  2. BrokenAlice

    BrokenAlice Tourist

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    We flew out of Seattle at 5:30pm and landed in LV around 7pm. The sun had mostly set by that time and Dad got to see the Strip lit up as our flight made its descent to land. We made the (wrong) choice to take a shuttle to the hotel. I thought this would be a good alternative to a cab because I wanted Dad to see some of the Strip with all the pretty lights but without the price of a cab driving up LV Blvd. We mostly took back roads and got to see a lot of road and building construction. Oh well.

    Our first two nights were spent at the Imperial Palace. I've stayed at this property before and find it perfectly acceptable for my simple needs. I had a comp for my room and only paid $40/night for Dad's room. We arrived at almost 8pm on Tuesday night so I knew we weren't going to get the best picks of the hotel. I only had two requests – I wanted both the rooms to be on the same floor and I didn't want either of us to be anywhere near the Carnival Court noise. We were given rooms on the 12th floor. Dad's room was conveniently right outside of the elevators and had a view of the IP pool. My room was down the north hallway and had a view of Harrah's pool. Unfortunately my room was quite near Carnival Court and I could hear the music until 3AM or later each night. I had earplugs so that wasn't a big deal. This property also allowed us to get around easily because of it's central-Strip location and the convenient monorail stop.

    After dropping our bags in the room we left IP immediately and walked over to Bellagio, but not before getting Dad a nice stack of p0rn slapper cards. We had a nice laugh at those and continued on our way over the maze of escalators and walk-ways and finally in front of the fountains. We only had to wait about 10 minutes before a show started. It was This Kiss by Faith Hill. I took a video of it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo4Ap-gTbXE

    Dad loved the fountain show but was eager to start gambling so we made our way back to IP. We did stop to get some gellato from Bellagio which made the walk back much tastier.

    The last time Dad played a slot machine was back in the 80's when we went to Reno during a business conference. He didn't fully understand all of the buttons and crazy stuff on these new slot machines at first. But by the end of the trip he was a pro. And he knew how to pick em! He had a magic touch and it seemed every machine he picked gladly spit out money for him. I did not have such luck.

    I had been up since 4AM (because of work) so I was pretty pooped by the time Midnight rolled around. I called it a night and Dad kept playing until around 2AM. The addiction has begun...
     
  3. BrokenAlice

    BrokenAlice Tourist

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    Day 2 – Wednesday August 27th

    I woke up around 8AM. I got myself ready for the day and went down to Dad's room. I knocked but there was no answer. I figured he was downstairs playing already so I went to look for him there. I didn't see him anywhere so I just played around a little bit and had some Irish crème and coffee. After losing more than I wanted to I went back up to Dad's room around 9AM. This time he was there and only opened the door a crack to say "I'm still changing. You can go sit on the bed and wait." He went into the bathroom to change and gave me the OK to come in. After a couple minutes he emerged from the bathroom saying he was ready to go down to the pool. THIS is what I see before me:

    [​IMG]

    I am NOT kidding when I say he had on a full bikini. Top and bottoms. It was hilarious and terrifying all at the same time. After I stopped laughing at the urge to throw up had settled down, I snapped a (modest) picture to preserve the horrifically crazy moment forever.

    That's my Dad. Gotta love him.

    He changed into some normal clothing and then proceeded to start our day. He didn't really want to go to the pool so we went to breakfast at Harrah's buffet because we had a coupon. It was OK – not the best – but it did the trick.

    After breakfast we jumped on the Monorail and headed down to MGM. Played around a while there with no luck. Went over to the Coke Bottle to get ½ price tickets to Folies Bergere which we would go see later that night. After running around on the South Strip for a while Dad was getting a little tired. We went back to IP. I played in the casino for a while and Dad relaxed in his room. Less than 1 hour later he was downstairs with me and ready to rock and roll. Time for Big Elvis!

    Over at Bill's we got some great seats for Big Elvis. Big E was awesome and I was really impressed with how much weight he has lost. He also stood and danced almost the entire show, only sitting down for a couple of songs. And his singing was fantastic as always. Here are a couple of videos I captured – Unchained Melody and Love Me:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W7lLJs2Y-k

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxX61okjtLk

    I also convinced my Dad to volunteer when Big E asked for a guy to come on stage. He had no idea what he was getting into. He was dressed up as "Little Elvis" and got to play an inflatable guitar and dance with the "Elvettes" for Viva Las Vegas. Here's the clip:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwkY-6XVDKI

    By the way, my dad's name is not "Mark". It's Mike. The video is a little dark but it gets good near the end when Dad is really hamming it up and being a rock star.

    After the show we got to take pics with Big E. Big E thanked Dad for volunteering and being a good sport and Dad said "Nice working with you, Elvis." We're going to have to get Dad an agent because he's clearly going to Hollywood after such a great performance.

    [​IMG]


    Later that night we headed to the Hilton. Dad decided he didn't want to do the full Star Trek Experience but we did want to hit Quark's. He loved it there because he's a big nerd. I'm a daughter of a big nerd so I love it too. We ate dinner at the bar and each had a yummy chicken sandwich and shared a mini-Warp Core.

    [​IMG]

    Dad is not a drinker so he was looped after about 4 sips. I did my best to try and finish the drink but I couldn't. It was kicking my ass. We took a few more pictures around the place and went through the sad, mostly empty gift shop. It was a sad goodbye for me. I love that stupid little bar and all the characters that work there. I'm going to miss it.

    After dinner it was time to head to Tropicana for the "tits and feather's" show, Foiles Berger. We did opt for the 10PM topless show instead of the earlier covered show. Dad likes boobs and they don't bother me at all so that's what we went for. I know some daughters would be uncomfortable seeing a topless show with their dad but it's no big deal to me. I've seen R rated movies with my Dad before so I wasn't going to die of embarassment because of some knockers. Oh the horror!

    We both thought the show was good. I could have done without the announcer guy and the singing woman who didn't show her boobs. Dad really liked the comedian guy. The costumes and the dancing was great. Boobs of all shapes and sizes. Mostly natural but there were a couple gals with obvious enhancements. After the show Dad and I compared notes about which boos were the best and we both agreed that the small natural ones were good but he didn't like the dancers who were so thin you could see their ribs. Some of the girls looked more healthy but still slender, of course. I think Dad wuld have liked to see some ba-donka-donk booties, but it wasn't that kind of show. Dirty old man.

    When the show was over we went back to IP for the night. We both played some Rapid Roulette for a while with the Dealertainers. Marilyn Monroe was working the table and so was Blues Brother Belushi. Stevie Wonder, Alice Cooper and Janet Jackson performed songs and we had a really good time. I don't remember what time it was when I went to bed but I do remember that Dad stayed up later than me again. He's hard core.
     
  4. BrokenAlice

    BrokenAlice Tourist

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    Day 3 – Thursday August 28th

    This was Dad's 66th birthday. It was very cool being able to wake up and celebrate it in Vegas together. We met up around 9AM and had a light breakfast in the IP Teahouse. Played a little more and cashed in all our winnings from the previous two days. Dad mad a killing walking out of there with more money than he spent. The IP was very good to him.

    Now it was time to hit Downtown. We got a cab with a very nice driver and hit the road. We were having a great time talking to the driver and an enjoyable ride until the guy said "I have never dropped anyone off at 4 Queens before. How do I get to the entrance?" Part of our conversation with the guy was him telling us how he's been a cabbie there for over 2 years so I'm a little surprised that he didn't know where the frack he was going Downtown. He took 3 wrong turns despite me telling him exactly where to go. That ate up his entire tip. Oh well.

    We arrived before 11AM but the lovely lady at the desk was still able to give us rooms right away. We were given two adjoining rooms in the South tower on the 14th floor. The rooms were very nice with comfortable beds, flat-screen TVs, coffee pots and views of the Fremont canopy. As I suspected he would, Dad fell in love with 4Q right away. He loved the room, he loved the casino, he loved Fremont Street.

    We did a bunch of souvenir shopping on Fremont Street thanks to all of those cheap stores. Found a Vegas T-shirt for Mom and some refrigerator magnets. We stopped at Golden Gate for 99 cent shrimp cocktail to hold us over from breakfast to dinner later that night.

    Dad wanted to play some coin slots so I new exactly where we needed to go – LA BAYOU! We got some beads and tickets to the drawing. I ran straight to the back and got myself a White Russian slushie. My favorite! Grabbed a seat at two 5cent slots and started to play. Dad put in $5 and I put in $3 because that's just what I had easily available in my pocket. He kept getting the "Extra Money" bonuses on his machine which would randomly pay anywhere from 20-400 credits. He was up over $40 and decided he wanted to cash out. I knew what would happen so I grabbed a plastic bucket. CHING CHING CHING all the $41 in nickels came pouring out making one heck of a noise. He was laughing and actually looked a touch embarrassed because of all the noise. The lady who works there came over to us and congratulated us. She gave us more tickets to the drawing and more beads. I told her it was Dad's birthday and she sang to him over the microphone and was rubbing his shoulders. It was hilarious. After all the nickels were scooped out he cashed it at the coin booth but wanted to keep playing.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    I was still playing my $3 and it turned into over $20. I cashed out and CHING CHING CHING come all the loud nickels again. Well my payout got about $3 from being done and the machine locks up!! A nice manager lady came over with the security dude and refilled the machine so it could keep dispensing.


    OH and I almost forgot!! I won a drawing! I wasn't even paying attention and the showgirl lady with the ruffled outfit and the microphone came by and looked at my tickets and said "I just called that number! Go get your prize!" I took my ticket to the coin booth and the gal there had me go push a button on a special slot machine. It looked like I got nothing at all, but she announced that I won $2! LOL! She said I could trade in the $2 and get a fancy set of plastic beads but I declined and took the $2. I put it back into the machines that Dad and I were winning at and we played a little longer. Eventually the machines cooled off and we called it quits. Said "Thank you" and "Goodbye" to the nice people working there and went on our way.

    Where to go next? MERMAIDS of course! Got more beads and tickets but no ticket winners this time. Only stayed long enough for the first drawing announcement. But during that time I managed to turn $5 into $40 on a quarter Jackpot Party machine. I was considering getting a second slushie while we were there but I was getting drunk enough. You can tell in this very unattractive picture - lol:

    [​IMG]

    Later that night we went to Main Street Station for dinner at the buffet. I had Dad sign up for a slot card so he could use the 1/2 off Fremont coupon. Before hitting the buffet I had him go into the Men's room and take pictures of the Berlin wall for me. They look pretty gross:

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    Dinner at the buffet was nice. I had only had breakfast there before and was quite pleased with their selection. It was Steak and Scampi night so they would cook you a steak to order and they had these big dishes of shrimp scampi they'd dish out for you. I just had some shrimp and a few of the other seafood selections. Dad loaded up on ribs and corn on the cob. It was a great meal and very cheap thanks to to coupon.

    After dinner we just payed around at 4Q and went out for a few of the canopy shows that night. Dad was impressed with the shows and the canopy sure put his big screen TV to shame.

    There was a lovely little showgirl outside of Golden Gate who has a nice racket going. She'll let you take her picture for a "tip". We gave her a $5 and Dad got a nice pic.

    [​IMG]

    He turned in around Midnight but the next morning he told me that he woke up around 2AM and went downstairs to play until 4AM before going back to bed. He's definitely an addict now.

    Final Day coming up.
     
  5. BrokenAlice

    BrokenAlice Tourist

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    Day 4 - Friday August 29th.

    Time to go home - sadly. We had arranged for a 1PM checkout so we had a good portion of the morning all to ourselves and could still use the rooms before leaving. We packed up our luggage early so we could get that over with.

    One final stroll down Fremont to pick up any last minute souvenirs. Dad signed up for a fee more slot cards so he could get free decks of card and whatever kitsch they were handing out for free. Stopped at LaBayou again but no luck this time with the nickle machines.


    Dad did continue to have good luck at 4Q and played and won quite a lot on the Star Wars progressive machines. I continued to have poor luck with the slots but squeeked out a few wins to keep my pockets from being empty.

    Eventually we cashed in our winnings at 4Q and called it good. Time to go home was upon us so we sadly went to the airport.


    FINAL THOUGHTS:

    This was a fantastic vacation. I was dreading it a little bit because of the August heat but Dad did just fine. I made sure he was hydrated and sunscreened and all that good stuff. He was a great travel companion and is so easy to get a long with that there were no bumps or problems at all during the trip. He's a champ.

    We've already discussed going back again soon. Probably some time this next March or April when it's not so hot. He'll probably try to pack himself in my suitcase when I go in December. Now that he knows how awesome it is he understands why I go so often and it jealous that I go as often as I do.

    Next time we will skip the Strip completely and stick to Downtown. The atmosphere is more his key and next time we can take the shuttle out to Sam's or rent a car if we want to go elsewhere.

    Here are some more pics of the rooms and such:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/brokenalice/sets/72157607025100464/detail/

    Thanks for reading!
     
  6. DonD

    DonD VIP Whale

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    Well done Alice! I really enjoyed your report and pictures. :nworthy:
     
  7. sunni

    sunni VIP Whale

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    good times

    Sounds like you & your Dad had a blast ! Thanks for the report. :thumbsup:
     
  8. Jimbucc

    Jimbucc VIP Whale

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    Great report and pics. Looks like Big Elvis has lost a lot of weight since I last saw him. Glad to see the nice payout tickets. These beat the $40 scrape the coins into the cup. Thanks for the Star Trek pics. The Hilton has to move forward. I'm glad you got to spend quality time with your father.
     
  9. timmysmom

    timmysmom Low-Roller

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    BrokenAlice -- your Dad has a wonderful daughter.
     
  10. adakal

    adakal Tourist

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    Great report and photoes.Your dad sounds like a real fun guy.
     
  11. shobi

    shobi Low-Roller

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    Sounds like you both had a blast - we took my dad to Vegas for his 65th (never again lol!)
    Thanks for sharing the pics, I think I'm some kind of Vegas Voyeur... love seeing other peoples pics :evillaugh
     
  12. Souette

    Souette Tourist

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    I'm all emotional!!

    You made me cry. I miss my dad.
    I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of your mom being left behind. As a married woman of 30 years...I look forward to my husband's trips out of town. Soooo peaceful! I bet your mom was loving the freedom. At least for a little while.

    I laughed out loud at Dad in the Bikini top. I know the full-body shot must be priceless. It tickled me thinking how long he waited for you just so he could pull that trick off.

    You are for sure blessed to have this trip in your memory box. Good for you!
    Great report, photos and links.
     
  13. Tammy58

    Tammy58 Frugal Slot Jockey

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    Great report...loved the pics, checked out all 3 pages of them. Hope he gets to go back with you next spring!
     
  14. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    What a wonderful trip. Makes me miss my dad ever so much. Cant wait to get home and look at all the picture and video links.
     
  15. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    Alice - very nice Trip Report. Thanks for posting. Glad you and your dad had such a great time together.

    later, GVJ
     
  16. flamingogal

    flamingogal Low-Roller

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    Great report. I wish I had gone sooner so I could have taken my mom when she was younger (she is 75) and her knees were in better shape.
     
  17. keno

    keno obsessed with countdown timers

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    Great trip report, loved that you peppered it with pictures!

    Note to all future Trip Report makers.. add pictures! It's more fun! :)


    Glad that you had such a good time with you Pop! You should bring him out for MMVI, if he's going to wear a bikini, he'll fit right in this this group! ;)
     
  18. michigander

    michigander Tourist

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    First, Good for you for taking your dad on a long overdue vacation, Especially to Vegas:beer:

    I've gone several times with my dad who's 89 now, and can hardly walk. He talks about going back at least 3 times a week, I'm just working the logistics out, renting a scooter, someone with him at all times, handicap access etc. Not going to be like the days when he would slide a note under my door at 6 am telling me he's in the casino.

    Secondly, where did all those big wins come from?? You told us about the nickel wins, but I see your dad with 2 tickets worth a grand. Also, you've got a nice win there yourself. Tell us where the EZ money is.

    Your pictures and video were great, and I'm surprised at the quality of your IP room. Put my dad up there once in the early 90's and was a little embarrassed about how spartan the room was. Big Difference.

    Finally. I've seen your dad before on the internet, only he was wearing a PINK b​
    ikini top and a thong.......just kidding..maybe
     
  19. Reston

    Reston VIP Whale

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    Alice, Your Dad seems very cool -- and so do you.
     
  20. Jacko

    Jacko Tourist

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    Great Report, Thanks for sharing.
     
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