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Monte Carlo, August 18-22

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by HoyaHeel, Aug 25, 2002.

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  1. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2002
    Messages:
    26,507
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16

    My Trip Report

    Las Vegas, August 18-22, 2002

    I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but it's pretty long as is. Sorry.

    Summary:
    We’re going to Vegas with our friends, Brian & Heidi. This is the third attempt at a vacation in Vegas with them—we’re determined to go and have a great time, after trying for 2 years!

    Hotel: We stayed at Monte Carlo, loved it. King bed, non-smoking. No view, but that’s ok. No room safe, but free safety deposit box at front desk. Free fridge (if available) from housekeeping. Great housekeeping service. Decent food options available in the hotel. Fantastic tram to Bellagio and easy to travel to most other casinos. Toilet was loud, but we made the most of it. Just yell “Fire in the hole†before flushing :D .

    Food: Enjoyed the shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate. Fantastic food at the snack bar at Binions. Liked the Bellagio buffet, but wouldn’t wait in line for it. Not sure if I’d pay full price for it. Victorian Room at Barbary Coast was nice for breakfast, but the Peppermill remains our favorite “must-doâ€! Sushi King served up fantastic sushi.

    Entertainment: We didn’t do many shows—just Crazy Girls. Unfortunately, the cocktail waitresses at Orleans were more alluring than the Crazy Girls, but the comedian during the middle of the show was great. I just need to stick to the comedy shows when I’m in Vegas (though I did really enjoy Midnight Fantasies when we saw that last year)

    Gambling: We did not have our friend Brian’s luck on the slots, but Dane did better at craps than Brian. I had terrible luck at video poker (guess I haven’t learned to love the “long term†benefits yet) and playing nickel slots is just fun! I tried craps for the first time, and it confuses the hell out of me but I want to play again!

    The long version:

    Saturday, 8/17:
    It’s the day before we leave. We haven’t packed yet. Our friends Brian & Heidi are taking off today for Vegas because they’re flying stand-by (he’s a commercial pilot, they fly free) and my husband Dane says we have to get the inside of the house we’re building primed. We’ve got 25 gallons of primer, an airless sprayer, an extension pole and 12†roller, safety glasses and masks. We’re ready to go! Start priming at 9:00 am with the motto “Get it done and GO TO VEGAS!!†So we did. 25 gallons in 5 hours; at 2:30 the sprayer was cleaned, we were both covered in a fine white mist and had run out of paint. Got most of the house done. Just the foyer, garage & walls of the office left. Got home, cleaned up, and packed for Vegas. Set the alarm for 3:30 am, and the coffeepot for 3:00 am (Dane misunderstood the time the alarm was set).

    Sunday, August 18:
    At 2:30 I woke up to go to the bathroom and couldn’t fall back asleep. At 2:55 the coffee starts brewing. Dane wakes up too, I told him the alarm was set for 3:30, but we decided we’d get up anyway. Just like the little kids in the Disney World commercial, we’re too excited to sleep!!! Got up, got ready, made coffee and bagels to go, and packed the truck. Discovered the dash lights weren’t working (this is a new truck!) It’s not the bulbs, it’s not a fuse….It’s getting later, so we drive it anyway, periodically turning on the cargo light to check the speed. Parked in our normal spot at the airport. Check-in was a little slow, considering we were in the first class line at 6:00 am, but not too bad (not as bad as last week’s trip to Utah when we were in coach). No line at security. Had an hour before they boarded us, then we had to wait a little longer before take-off because of fog at our destination (Cincinnati). Quick transfer in Cincinnati, just a few gates away. Terrible service on this flight. Only got 2 drinks!! Watched a movie. Finally, we’re in Vegas!!! We waited at the wrong baggage carousel (the flight attendant gave us the wrong number on the plane, and we didn’t check when we got there) Eventually realized our mistake and picked up our bags almost instantly from the proper spot. Dane got the shuttle tickets (Gray Line) and called our friends, who had checked in already after spending the night at a flea bag by the airport. They said they’d meet us in the lobby at Monte Carlo. Long wait for the shuttle (they have the shuttles separated by hotels, we were shuttle 2, and we must have just missed one) and DAMN is it hot in Vegas!!! Got to the hotel, checked-in, but our room wasn’t ready, so we put our bags in Brian & Heidi’s room, just next door. They gave us our keys and said to call back between 3-5 to see if the room was ready. We’re on the 4th floor, rooms 4-120 and 4-118. Facing the pool, but we can’t really see much because of the roof a couple floors down. We had a king bed, non-smoking, and a fridge, as requested, so we were happy. No room safe, but we got a safety deposit box in the lobby. Hungry, we got lunch in the Monte Carlo brew pub (we got 2 for 1 beer coupons at check-in, as part of the summer rendezvous package). I had the Hefeweizen, Dane & Heidi had the High Roller Red, and Brian had the stout. BIG glasses, of course. I had a bratwurst, Heidi had the MC Wrap, Dane had fish & chips, I can’t remember what Brian got but it was good and had the same spicy honey Dijon sauce I had on my brat. We decided to make an off-Strip beer run, found an Albertsons (grocery store) at Flamingo and Maryland Pkwy, so we took the tram from Monte Carlo to Bellagio, walked across to Bally’s and waited for the Eastbound Flamingo bus. A guy we were sitting next to told us about a great store at that intersection, the 99cent store, for snacks. This was unlike ANY Dollar store I’ve ever seen—they had fresh produce!!!! I could have gotten lots there, but we had to carry everything back, and beer was the priority. Picked up a few snacks, then froggered across the street to the grocery store and stocked up on beer, diet coke & coke as mixers. This intersection also has a Target and a TJ Maxx—I could have been in discount shopper heaven, but I wasn’t allowed….Maryland Parkway is where UNLV is, so we got to see part of the campus. Grabbed the bus back and unfortunately got off a stop early (the last stop before Las Vegas Blvd is before Bourbon Street, but there’s another one JUST after the Strip, by the Caesars/Bellagio walkway) Darn!!!! Way too much walking in this heat, I’m just not used to it. I felt nauseated and faint by the time we got back to Monte Carlo. Had lots of water and relaxed a little in Brian & Heidi’s room—our room still isn’t ready. At 3:30 Dane and I walked back to Barbary Coast (via the tram & Bellagio) to see Big Elvis. Brian & Heidi went to check out a favorite slot machine at Mirage. Elvis was GREAT, as was the other performer (Michael Cagel?) It was packed, but into the second set we were able to get seats. Well drinks and draft beers were all $1, and the cocktail service was pretty good, so we had a few different things. At 6:00 Brian and Heidi picked us up and we decided to go to Bally’s Sidewalk Café for the prime rib/crab leg special. 3 of us had the special—for $12.50, a nice slice of prime rib and a few crab legs, split open for our eating pleasure. Very good!!! Had a bottle of wine with it, Painted Hills merlot for $8. I think Heidi had chicken salad…That was sort of a theme for her :D Mine and Dane’s prime rib was rare, Brian ordered medium and he had an end piece that was a little more done towards one side than he would have liked, but it was a thicker slice and the rest of it was ok. We were early for dinner, so we got in right away, and even as it filled up, service was quick. After dinner, we walked back past the Bellagio fountains and saw a show, then stopped in to gamble at the Boardwalk. As usual, the drink service here is the quickest of any casino I’ve been at. Maybe it’s the small size of the casino, but MAN are they quick!! I love it! Had a frozen margarita to start off, but somehow my tongue had gotten burned and the bitter/frozen combo hurt my mouth, so I switched to Corona. I played Yahtzee nickel slots, and the machine was good to me, even though it had moved since my last visit….Everyone else played craps but weren’t happy with the dealers, so we left and gambled at Monte Carlo. I cashed out $10 ahead. I played a little at Monte Carlo, but soon went to bed. Dane didn’t last much longer; I think he came in about 11:30….Brian and Heidi went over to Mandalay Bay to gamble more, but the next day confirmed our first impression of the drink service there—nonexistent!!!

    Monday, August 19:
    I was up early—5:00 am. Managed to stay in bed a little, then took a long bath and read a book so Dane could sleep in a little more. After he woke up and showered we went to the casino and played slots a little, had some coffee. This is the day for our favorite Peppermill breakfast. We hopped the bus across the street from Monte Carlo and got seated right away. I had a yummy egg special, San Francisco something or other—eggs, sausage, cheese, peppers, etc. Brian & Heidi wisely split their omelet, and Dane had a Lorraine omelet. Brian asked how many eggs the omelets have—8-10, she replied—just depends on the size of the scoop they make with the ladle. That’s a lot of eggs for $8!!!! You also get hash browns and a bread (toast, English muffin, bagel) and a little fruit on the side. We peeked in to see the fire pit in the lounge—I still haven’t had a drink in there, because after breakfast I’m too stuffed for anything at all!!! After drooling over the Fantasy cars for rent outside the Silver City casino, we went to Riviera to buy tickets for Crazy Girls on Tuesday night—I had a two-for-one from the Las Vegas Advisor, and some $3 off coupons Brian & Heidi used. Dane was playing for the Mini Cooper and the rest of us went to do the free spin on the big slot machine. I won a 2 for 1 for any of the shows! Darn!!! Of course, they wouldn’t give us a refund for the tickets we had JUST BOUGHT, argh it was so frustrating to win that! (Never thought you’d hear anyone bemoan winning anything in Vegas) Guess we’ll use it for the comedy show on our next trip. Brian won a t-shirt on the big slot machine, we all got cards (I have so many packs of cards from Riviera I think I could start my own poker room!!) Dane won $100 (2nd top jackpot under the mini Cooper—but not the keys to the car, alas!) They gave him a t-shirt when he won, because he asked so nicely. We hopped on the bus to head down to the Attic and the Gamblers’ General Store. We got on the 301 at the Riviera and got transfers, got off just north of the Stratosphere and crossed the street to Main St. to pick up the other bus, waited a little and watched a crazy maintenance guy getting ready to rappel down the hotel to change light bulbs in the Stratosphere sign. I know you couldn’t pay me enough to do that!!!! The Attic is at 1018 or so S. Main St, so I got off before everyone else. Very fun store. Funky furniture, vintage clothes. Très Vegas!!! After that, I walked a couple blocks to catch up with everyone else at the Gamblers General Store. Today I was smart—I brought a water bottle with me!! Browsed for a while, Dane & I didn’t have anything in particular we were shopping for. He got a money clip you can put a chip in. I got some earrings and a post card.

    Afterwards, we walked downtown. We made a quick stop at Golden Gate—a little craps for the boys, shrimp cocktail & video poker for me. The deli line was long to get the shrimp cocktail, but it was good and certainly hit the spot! I was doing ok at video poker for a while; I think I cashed out a little ahead when everyone else wanted to leave. Next stop was Binions! We signed up for slot cards and got tickets for the car drawing Tuesday night. Brian won $250 playing quarter red white and blue—top jackpot on that machine. This was the trip Brian had great luck on the slots and could NOT win at the craps table! Everyone else was getting hungry, so we had lunch at the snack bar by the poker room. I had ice cream, and a bite of Dane’s meal. We decided to take the bus back, so we walked over to the bus terminal and got on the Express bus (302). I guess the driver has had his share of tourists on board, because he wouldn’t let us on until we told him where we were going. Bellagio, I replied—don’t worry, I read the sign and we realize this is an express bus. Even without traffic, the Strip is slow. But it gave us a chance to check out all the hotels & casinos and construction. When we got back to Monte Carlo, we grabbed some beers and put them in our cooler, then hit the pool and the lazy river. The lazy river was crowded and crazy like the Strip on a Saturday night, so we got out and went to the hot tub. It was too hot for me so I just had my feet in (it was in the shade though! I’m spoiled—we keep our hot tub at home at about 98 in the summer so we can stay in and watch tv for a long time—anything above 100 I can’t get in!) We stayed down at the pool for a while (no seats near any of the pools, though I think there were some out by the concrete beach/tennis courts.) There is cocktail service at the pools, though since we had our own beers we weren’t using it. When you enter the pool area, they scan your key—each person has to have one—then you sign up for towels—you can get as many as you want (well, they may have some sort of limit, but you can get 2 or 3 a person so you can cover all your lounge chair) After the pool, we showered and rested a little. Around 6, we headed over to Bellagio for the dinner buffet. I had 2 free dinners from Wagerworks (the only reason we were going) so we stopped to get slot club cards and pick up the dinner comp. We split the cost with Brian &Heidi so we ate for half-price. We ate lots. Thank god for getting to use the invited guests line—we were having coffee and dessert when the people who would have been just in front of us in the regular line got in the door—that means the wait was about an hour and a half!! I really enjoyed the food, but if it hadn’t been for the Wagerworks I doubt we would have gone. Not for the price, so much, but because of the line! I ate mainly seafood—smoked salmon, smoked sturgeon, goat cheese (ok, not seafood, but on a roll with the lox, delicious!!!), shrimp, steamed clams. Sushi (they had California rolls, vegetable rolls & salmon rolls—all were very fresh and had good flavor!) Dane had some buffalo (after he could drag himself away from the sushi ;) ), Brian tried the duck, buffalo & venison. I had some of the breads (little ciabatta bread rolls were delicious!!!) I tried a few other things, then at dessert time we brought a few back to the table and shared. Yum!!! The crème caramel was yummy, but needed more of a sugar crust. The flan was likewise good. The best was this chocolate thing that had a crispy crust, looked like it would be really really heavy but wasn’t—it was light like a mousse. Had some chocolate dipped strawberries and these blueberries & blackberries that had been “dropped†onto a circle of white chocolate. Seeing what the wine had done to us the night before, we didn’t order any at Bellagio—tried the coffee instead. We left around 9:00 I guess. We went gambling at Monte Carlo and I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I went to bed. Definitely a nap tomorrow!!!!! Everyone else decided to keep gambling and prove they weren’t wusses…..

    Tuesday, August 20:
    Up early yet again (I think I managed to stay in bed until 6:00 today, then took a book and a diet coke out to the comfy chair by the elevators to read until Dane woke up. Fortuitously, I finished my book at exactly the same time he was waking up. We went over to the Victorian Room at Barbary Coast for breakfast—using the 2 for 1 coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor, POV. We each got the John Wayne special—2 eggs, toast, hash browns, bacon or sausage, and a drink for $5.95 I think. Very good! I got the sourdough toast, and it was really yummy sourdough! The hash browns were better than the Peppermill, though I don’t normally like home-fry style hash browns as well as the shredded kind. We had a very funny waitress who said she was going to come home with us so Dane could teach her how to use power tools—she had just bought her first, a drill. That’s a special moment in a woman’s life, you know. I still remember buying my first drill….And it was cordless!
    After breakfast, we got our stuff and headed down to the pool (which opened at 8 am). We got seats, it was about 8:45 or 9:00 I think. We were over by the normal pool, and the hot tub, sitting in the shade. We only stayed out about an hour, then Brian called on the cell phone and said they were going out to breakfast and where should we meet. We said we’d head over towards Caesar’s Palace and meet them in about an hour. We got ready and walked over, and found them in a deli at Caesars. Since it was 11, they were having more lunch food than breakfast food (in addition to sleeping in later than we had been, they’re not big breakfast eaters, where it’s the most important meal of the day for my husband—I don’t really care so much WHAT I eat, just that I have to eat or I get cranky. And we know I left the cranky pants at home!!!) We saw the Atlantis show, browsed in the shops a little, then walked over to Imperial Palace. After we got our slot club cards (we’ve just been collecting them—not using all of them) Brian and Heidi headed back—they were meeting Heidi’s aunt & uncle at Aladdin at 3:00 to have dinner with them. We grabbed a burger at IP (not very good at all—bad fast food—should have chosen another restaurant there, I suppose) Really wanted to gamble there—low table limits as well as a bunch of slots I like—but I knew I needed to get back and take a nap! Leaving, I stopped at Tequila Joe’s to get a frozen drink. I bought a 12 oz mudslide for $6.95. Ridiculously overpriced, but pretty good. I finished that by the time we got to the tram at Bellagio, and by the time we got back to Monte Carlo, I was ready for that nap and slept 2 hours. We were meeting Brian & Heidi at 7:30 to see Crazy Girls at 8:00, so we decided we’d have our sushi dinner at Sushi King (at Stardust) that night. It was convenient (across the street from the Riviera), Brian & Heidi don’t eat sushi, and we LOVE this place! They don’t open until 6 pm (but they’re open until 2 am if you have a late night sushi craving!!) and we got there early, so we played a little at Stardust. For dinner, we had the sushi/sashimi sampler and I ordered ikura (salmon roe—my favorite!!!). It was delicious!!! The albacore just melted in your mouth—nothing was bad!! We love to sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs work—the chefs at Sushi King are usually very good, and funny. The bar was pretty full, considering the hour. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner!! With the 20% off discount coupon (most magazines have them) our meal came out to about $38 or so, including the large Sapporo we split. After dinner we crossed the street to Riviera and gambled a little because we were early. I played some video poker and went through $20 pretty quickly, then we found Brian & Heidi and they told us all about the Aladdin—they had the buffet for dinner, signed up for the slot card & did one of the promotions they had for it. They LOVED the Aladdin buffet—said it was delicious and worth the price. We still haven’t made it there…..We got our drinks and got in line for Crazy Girls (I should have bought my margarita in the downstairs bar—they used to be 99cents at the NickelTown bar, don’t know if they still are, but it was $4 upstairs outside the showroom….Oh well. The show was ok, not great, and I totally understand why so many of the reviews call it “plastic†or “woodenâ€â€”there’s not a lot of real emotion going on. Or rhythm either!!! Only one woman could really dance well. A couple of the others were remarkably flexible and strong, though. The guys liked the boobies. I didn’t think the breasts were that impressive—one pair was frighteningly silicone (you could have bounced quarters off of them, and that does NOT turn me on at all!!) A couple were larger naturally, and the rest were smaller (which would make sense if they were “real†dancers—breasts do get in the way) The lip-syncing was badly obvious. As usual, I preferred the comedian in the middle of the show. He did some fantastic impersonations—his Michael Jackson was great, he did Village People, Phantom of the Opera—he did quick-change impersonations, where he kept going through his trunk of props and different outfits. I think the guys liked the dancer in the green lighted ring the best (she was one of the flexible ones ;) ) I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for the show, and it was probably cheaper than a strip club, so it was ok.

    After Crazy Girls, we hopped on the bus to go gambling downtown. We headed straight for Binions, because Brian wanted to play poker there in the famous poker room. Dane played craps & I watched. It was a little too busy for me to play—and there was already another virgin at the table. A guy was celebrating his 21st birthday, and his grandparents took him to play craps at Binions. What a family!!! They looked like they were having a great time—every so often he’d leave to play another game (he wasn’t doing very well) but his grandparents were there for the long haul. The grandfather was chain-smoking—poor Dane second-hand smoked a pack and a half. Brian in the poker room only inhaled a pack :rolleyes: He said he did ok for a while, and he really enjoyed playing there. Heidi and I took off down the street a little—saw a couple Fremont St. light shows, went to La Bayou for frozen drinks—I had a yard mudslide for $7 (a half-yard is $6—I’m so frugal, I had to buy the whole yard ;) Heidi had a really small one for $1. I tried the Wicked Watermelon but it was a little too sweet for me. The 2 mudslides I had, from Tequila Joe’s and La Bayou, were very different. Not sure if I had a preference, though the price at La Bayou was infinitely better!! Also, more alcohol at La Bayou! I was knocked on my butt a little later (though not “Kelly drunkâ€, much to Dane’s relief! I managed to get on the bus under my own steam, and didn’t pass out on the way back to the hotel) We stopped in to LV Club for slot cards, beads at Mermaids and La Bayou, then back to find the guys at Binions, play some video poker & slots. We had a snack at Binions snack bar again (I really wanted to go back to Golden Gate for another shrimp cocktail, but Heidi wanted to eat at the snack bar again, so I was going to get shrimp cocktail afterwards. But I had the ham & lima beans and it was SOOOOO good!!! I was full again and didn’t have room to go back for shrimp) I kept saying I wanted to gamble until I got hungry again so I could go for the shrimp, but the alcohol and the hour caught up with me and I started to fade, so we grabbed the bus back home. We did a little more gambling at Monte Carlo, then Dane and I went to bed around 2:30. I think Brian & Heidi stayed out a little later.

    Wednesday, August 21:
    For a change, I didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn. Drinking & staying out until 2:30 had the desired effect and I managed to sleep until 7 am today. We got a Nathan’s Express 2 for 1 breakfast in our Monte Carlo coupon book, so we tried it. For about $5, it was surprisingly good! You got hash browns & bacon, and a choice of scrambled eggs, Belgian waffle, pancakes, or cheese omelet, and a drink. Dane and I needed to buy some trinkets and beads, and Brian & Heidi were still sleeping, so we headed out to look at some shops. We went towards MGM, Brian called and said they needed to get into the safety deposit box, so we went back to the hotel. They wanted to go north, to look at Venetian and other hotels in that direction, and Dane needed chips from the southern end casinos, so we split up again. We picked up a chip at NYNY, Excalibur, Tropicana & MGM, playing a few slots along the way. After MGM, we hopped on a 301 bus to the Sahara to look at the big cheesy souvenir shop across the street. On the bus, Brian called to tell us he had just won $800 on a $1 slot at Bellagio. They were just walking through the casino and he decided to try one…..Of course, he’s kicking himself for not playing max coins ($2 or $3—would have been a $2500 payout, instead of $800—but you don’t complain!) So Brian & Heidi decided to stay another night—since they were flying stand-by they didn’t have to worry about changing tickets, and Monte Carlo let them keep the room another night at the same rate. At the souvenir store, they didn’t have the license plate that Dane wanted, but they did have the topless playing cards that Brian & Heidi had been looking for, so we bought them a couple of packs (we couldn’t decide which one we like better, so we got two different packs) I was starting to get hungry, so we went to Boardwalk for the popcorn shrimp. We should have just ordered one and split it!!! I did manage to get Dane a couple of Christmas presents at those souvenir stores (shhhhh, don’t tell him [​IMG] ) Yahtzee was again kind to me, as video poker was not. It was easier for me to get the bonus Yahtzee round and roll a full house and four of a kind than it was to get any good hands playing video poker!!! I still like playing video poker, but I’m slightly disillusioned. Part of it is the move to quarter video poker from nickel slots, I guess…..I can’t give up that much shoe money easily, I guess [​IMG] . After about 5 Coronas (did I mention that I LOVE the cocktail service at Boardwalk???!!!) I went back to Monte Carlo and found Dane playing for the Z3, and we went to take a nap.

    Wednesday night was dinner & gambling at Orleans. We took a cab over ($8, not including tip, from Monte Carlo) and got in line for the buffet. Well, there wasn’t a line. There was hardly anyone in the casino. Considering how packed it had been the past couple times we were there, we decided Wednesday in August was very much the slow time!! We used our LVA two for one coupons, and opted not to get a bottle of wine (they had a complimentary glass of wine with the buffet) My stomach was a little queasy from my afternoon drinking binge, so I limited my intake to the Mongolian bbq and a couple other items. I LOVE the Mongolian bbq!!!! I had chicken (for anyone who doesn’t know, in Mongolian bbq you pick out veggies you want, then give them to the chef who cooks them on a really cool looking flat grill with the meat and sauce.) It was steak night, so there were a few meat options—NY strip, roast beef, beef ribs. Dessert was good, there were lots of options, I just had some frozen yogurt, a baby éclair, and some of a coconut cake/tart thing. After dinner we signed up for the slot club (got little battery powered fans we assaulted each other with, Mardi gras beads, and auto sun shields—fun to carry around all evening, believe me!) I decided I was ready to play craps—there was a $2 table and very few people playing, so the dealers could help me, as did Brian. I didn’t do very well…..But at least it took me a while to lose my money. I learned to keep your hands away from the table—an exuberant roller hit my knuckle with the dice, man did that hurt!!! I threw the dice over the table a couple times, but not too badly. I did have a couple of good rolls, but they didn’t seem to last long. Managed not to fall out of my dress leaning over. I think I’ve got the pass line down (except always having to ask the dealer if this is an even bet, or $5) but I didn’t venture toward the come bets yet. Made a couple hardways bets, since my husband rolls them left and right. Never when I bet on him, of course!! When I ran through my chips, I switched to slots & video poker. I tried the new Beach Party Bingo or whatever that Frankie & Annette slot is. It kept giving me bonus money! It’s not designed well, so I hit “cash†when I meant to hit “bet 1 per lineâ€â€”I did that on the Clue slot too. It’s very annoying!! Those two buttons should be far apart! I was playing near the lounge and they had a band in sparkly short skirts & midriff baring tops doing covers of Miami Sound Machine. It was interesting. Cocktail service was pretty good, and of course, those cocktail waitresses are hot…..At least, the uniforms are! We had planned to go over to Rio and see the Parade in the Sky, but we missed the last show (it’s hourly, and the last show is 10—at least it was this night) So we went back to Monte Carlo and drank in our rooms for awhile. Brian and Heidi were gearing up to go to Studio 54 and I was still battling my upset stomach, so I was thinking more “bed†than “barâ€. I think we finally went to bed around 1 and they headed out to go dancing (70s music, I think) We haven’t heard how that was yet….

    Thursday, August 22:
    Got up at 6 am, had to pack. Yuck! Leaving Las Vegas sucks [​IMG] . We went over to the Boardwalk and had the deli egg, bacon & cheese muffin for breakfast. Wanted to try my Yahtzee machine again. Wasn’t so good to me today (but I got 2 frozen margaritas while I figured that out) Tried video poker again, bad idea. Tried the American Bandstand slot. Didn’t like it. Then I found Tic Tac Disco, and I was in heaven!! I played for 45 minutes, came out $10 ahead ($5 in, cashed out at $15) I got to drink Corona at 7:30 in the morning and boogie to a little disco groove. What fun! We had called the shuttle the night before, for 9:00, but we were ready early so we caught the first shuttle that showed up. Got to the airport pretty early, checked our bags & got our boarding passes. Security lines were long, and Dane had to get his bag searched, but we had plenty of time. Finally got on our flight and left, no problems en route. So sad to leave Vegas, especially since we don’t have another trip planned. We still have so much to do in Vegas!! We haven’t seen Rio or the Parade in the Sky, I haven’t really played craps (I’ve played, but I want to play more!!! And on a busy night at a fun table!!) I want to gamble more downtown. That’s the great thing about Vegas—there’s always more to do on the next trip!!!

    [ August 25, 2002, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: HoyaHeel ]
     
  2. Jer

    Jer “The Walrus has spoken”

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2002
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    8,852
    Location:
    Southern California
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    999
    Oh Hoya, Bravo...

    And don't worry about learning craps right away, it takes awhile to get it all figured out...

    GREAT JOB!! Glad you had a great time! And you are right, leaving Las Vegas sucks...
     
  3. bigdogmom

    bigdogmom VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2002
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    Location:
    Prescott Valley, AZ
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    33
    Hoyaheel, enjoyed getting a nice Vegas "fix" from your trip report! My, you guys covered a lot of territory!

    I know how you feel about VP, but hang in there... I hit 4 deuces for $250 this past trip, still haven't hit a royal flush (not even on WinPoker at home!) but I still love to play it. I figure my time will come - and yours, too!

    :cool:
    BDM
     
  4. HurricaneMikey

    HurricaneMikey A-List Buffoon

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2002
    Messages:
    5,865
    Location:
    Southeast of Sin City
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    Hey Hoya...

    Great Report!! I especially liked that you spent some time downtown hitting the Golden Gate and Binions.

    (Oh, and props for the nice use of "fortuitously" ;) )

    By the way...if your dash lights aren't working, that means your taillights are out too. They're on the same circuit (I found this out the hard way on New Years Eve once...)

    So, when ya going back???

    Mikey
     
  5. JasmineJo

    JasmineJo Tourist

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2002
    Messages:
    43
    Location:
    Washington state
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    26
    Great report Hoya! We were there same time as you. Boy, was it hot! Sun.-Tuesday must have been 110 degrees, but by Wed it had cooled down to a mild 97!! Still writing my report, but enjoyed yours!
     
  6. judy

    judy High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2002
    Messages:
    661
    Location:
    sunny florida
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    33
    We were also at the Monte Carlo August 21-24 and probably crossed paths with you, Hoya.
    I am glad you had a good trip.
    It is good to hear about the details and learn from the pro's!

    [ August 26, 2002, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: judy ]
     
    2024’s Second Trip
  7. Smarra17

    Smarra17 Poker Queen

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2002
    Messages:
    1,810
    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7
    Hoya, Great report. Seven days to go for me and I can not wait. Thanks for the fix.
     
  8. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2002
    Messages:
    26,507
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    I'm glad you all enjoyed the report. It's funny, writing it, I didn't think we actually did that much--I kept saying "is that all we did that morning?" as I was typing. But I did write a lot, and I'm happy some of you managed to make it through--even Dane stopped reading after the first paragraph ;) Of course, he was there.....I don't know when we'll go back, but we're already thinking about where we want to stay. Dane's parents have been contemplating a trip with a sister & brother-in-law, don't know when, but if they go, we may tag along.....I don't want to wait another 10 months (that was the wait from the last time to this trip) But it's been a busy year for us, so we take what we can get--and that's usually meant getting our fixes from everyone else's wonderful trip reports!
     
  9. LV Terry

    LV Terry Captain Flop'N Fold

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2001
    Messages:
    3,957
    Location:
    Santa Barbara, CA, USA
    Great trip report! Thanks for taking the time to write it all out...the really well written reports (like yours) can really let you picture what happened.

    Couple of quick notes....

    Standing in line for the Bellagio buffet... we always go early to avoid the line...it Can get rediculously long.

    I can't believe you guys took the bus everywhere! I guess living in CA, I've become so used to driving everywhere that I just don't have the patients to do the public trans thing... especially when it's hot!

    I'm with you on the shows....I always enjoy myself more just seeing standup comedy, although BMG would be the one exception. We hit up the Improv every time we go.

    I can't believe you got up that early every day.... it's just wrong.

    Mikey and I tried to get your info so we could send something to your room for you and Hoyahub to enjoy, but were unsuccessful. Thought it would be cool for a basket of something to show up unnanounced. One of the drawbacks of semi annonymous communication I guess. :rolleyes:

    Glad you had a great time. Hopefully you can keep your crankypants in the closet for a while now that you've had a fix. [​IMG]
     
  10. brooklyngirl

    brooklyngirl Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2002
    Messages:
    230
    Location:
    New York
    Nice report Hoya. I finished reading all 9 pages on my way home last night (that's a lot of typing). I'm glad you had a nice trip.

    And I'm here planning to do it all in 1 week! ;)
     
  11. JUDY OF NC

    JUDY OF NC Tourist

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2002
    Messages:
    41
    Hoya..
    Enjoyed your report very much. I think we may have been tripping over each other during this time. I also was at the "Big Elvis" show on Sunday and gambled at Orleans on Wed.(oh yes, I was also one of those walking around with the auto sun shield-lots of fun later trying to cram it in suitcase) Missed you at BC Victorian room (I was there Mon. am).
    Just can't get enough! Already trying to plan another trip for next April.
     
  12. LV Terry

    LV Terry Captain Flop'N Fold

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2001
    Messages:
    3,957
    Location:
    Santa Barbara, CA, USA
    How funny! Out of all the possible combinations of things to do and places to go in LV, you two had amazingly similar trips!
     
  13. Michele

    Michele Tourist

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2002
    Messages:
    163
    Hoya,
    I really enjoyed reading your report on LV. Also, it seems that you are much more knowledgeable in playing craps than I am. I only played once and I don't know what the heck I was doing. Oh, I know that those La Bayou drinks are very powerful because I bought a banana daquiri for a $1.00 and I was a little woozy from it.Anyhow, it's great to hear that you all had a wonderful time. Take care, Michele
     
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