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Bill's 6/5 - 6-11

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by jmp6477, Jun 15, 2010.

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  1. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    My Trip Report

    Returned on Saturday after a wonderful trip. My first TR, hope it's not too boring! It will be in installments as I'm still working on the last few days.

    Some background - This was our fifth trip to Vegas as a couple. Patty had been there lots of times, but I never thought I would make it. We met in 2004 and made our first trip in June of 2005. Been back 4 times since. We were married there on 7-7-07. Now, that was a trip! She created a monster as I am pretty much obsessed with the place. I never realized how many people feel the same way as I do until I started reading this board. I'm glad to be among the sickos!

    Saturday 6-5

    Left home at 12:00 midnight for Pittsburgh. Our flight leaves at 6:00 a.m. so wanted to get there in plenty of time. No rain until we were halfway there and then it rained like crazy until we got to the airport. Arrived at 3:30. Shuttle picked us up in no time and off to check in. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people there already. Had to wait for the self service Kiosks to open at 4:15. Pretty easy check in, checked bags and off to the gate.

    We had a connecting flight in DC, but that didn't leave until 8:30, so we thought we had plenty of time. Boarded plane at 5:30 and sat, and sat, and sat. They announced that the airport was closed due to lightning, but the cell should pass shortly. More sitting and more lightning. More storm cells. At 7:10 they asked that the passengers for Vegas deplane as there would not be another connecting flight out of DC. Off we went to UsAir Special Services to get our options. Just as we got there, the airport reopened and back onto the plane. Thank you Mother Nature!

    Plane took off at 7:25 and landed in DC at 8:05. Still plenty of time. (It was pretty cool landing in DC and seeing all the landmarks from the sky. Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Capitol,ect.) They then announced that there was another plane still at our gate and we would have to wait. Oh Boy. Flight to Vegas was scheduled for 8:35. Finally made it to the gate at 8:25. They announced that passengers that had connecting flights to please be allowed off the plane first. Everyone complied but there was a lady going to Vegas that was very impatient and yelled at a couple in front of her that she should get off first. The guy was very diplomatic and told her that his plane was leaving right now. She still gave him an earful. I wanted to tell her to shut the hell up, but it wouldn't have helped anything. The guy was great and told her that she wasn't very nice. If she is reading this, you were out of line lady! Not to be nasty, but I wouldn't feel bad if they lost her luggage. Probably shouldn't say such things, but she really was a giant pain in the ass.

    Anyway.... after getting off the plane, we had to take a shuttle to our gate. Got there just as the plane was getting ready to leave. Got our seats and off to Vegas! Wondered how in the world our luggage could have made the plane with the tight timing. No biggie. We were on our way. Flight was easy and it sure felt good to see Vegas from the air and felt better when we landed at 10:20. Off to baggage claim and yes, the luggage was there! Kudos to UsAir. The whole situation was handled very well. Not much they could do about the weather. Everything they could control was handled in a very professional manner. UsAir, you have two very happy customers!

    Took Gray Line Shuttle to Bill's. Driver was Jerry who had a lot of good info regarding cabs, places to go, and places not to go. Check-in at Bill's was a breeze. No line at all. The lady at the desk was great. After offering a room with a view of the fountains for an extra $20, she ended up giving us the room at no extra charge. She said we looked like such a nice couple that it was "on the house". The room did have a great view. Room was big, clean, and the bed was very comfortable. (Thanks for all the input from fellow members regarding Bill's, you were right on the mark!).

    Tried to take a nap as it had been a really long day. I couldn't sleep but Patty had a good nap. Took a shower and headed down to check out the casino. Played a Wheel Of Fortune machine and lost $50. Played some single deck BJ and lost $10. We play BJ as much as possible when in Vegas. Don't play slots much, just in the morning while I'm waiting for Patty to get ready. I should rethink that as the slot machines really kick my ass. Next trip I think it will be only BJ.

    Gathered up Patty and went to dinner at the Victorian Room. Food was good with good service. We then walked to Walgreens to get Patty some mousse for her hair as the bottle she brought with her exploded in flight. It was very, very hot, 110 they said. We chose early June thinking that it would be a little cooler, but we hit the hottest week of the year so far. Well. it sure beats the hell out of Pennsylvania weather. A little heat is not too hard to take. Got the mousse and headed back to Bill's. Stopped at the Hawaiian Village and got some water and sat in front of a misting machine to cool off. Back to Bill's and played some BJ. I broke even and Patty down $50. We crashed early, back to the room around 7:30 and sleep. Long, long day.

    Day one observations - Bills is great. We made a very good choice. Good job USAir! What could have been a real mess turned out just fine. It is great to finally be in Vegas. Now if we could just make time stand still for a while. We never did see the crazy lady from the plane again. I still hope she lost her luggage.
     
  2. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

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    It's amazing how you can just make your connecting flight and your baggage makes it without any problems. We enjoy gambling at Bill's. Because it's small it has that intimate feel to it and you never have to wait long for a drink.
     
  3. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    We met lots of people who were staying elsewhere but loved to gamble at Bills. They just really liked the atmosphere. Fun, friendly place.
     
  4. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    Can't wait to hear the rest. The new Walgreens north at V/P may even be a closer walk. That's the one where I picked up my replacement cell charger when I accidentally grabbed my mom's spare one instead of mine!

    Glad we didn't steer you wrong with Bill's!
     
    Easter again..:
  5. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Sunday 6-6

    Forgot to mention that when we arrived at the room at Bills, I surprised Patty with an early anniversary present. I got her/us tickets to the Blue Man Group for Monday night in the poncho section. Blue Man was the first show we saw in Vegas together. They were at the Luxor back then. Since that first show we have seen them in Toronto and State College. Hope this one is just as good.

    I was up very early on Sunday. The body is still on Eastern time. Took a shower and headed down to the casino. It was about 6:00 AM. There were all kinds of people in the casino that had been spending the night at Drais. What a sight that was. The way the women were dressed and the way they were acting was a little strange for a small town guy from Pennsylvania. Takes all kinds I guess. Lost the usual $50 at the Wheel of Fortune. Luck at the BJ table was a little better. Played quite a while at Sandy's table. She was very nice and liked to play "name that tune" while she was dealing. They have great music playing at Bills all the time.

    I kept thinking I should head up to the room to see if Patty was ready but I was winning so I kept putting it off. Finally around 8:00 I asked Sandy to color me up as I had to go check on my wife and she looked at me kind of funny and looked over my right shoulder. I checked and there stood Patty. She had been watching me play for about 20 minutes. Sandy thought it was funny that I was going to check on my wife when this lady had been standing there next to me for a while. Patty sat down then and played for a couple more hours. She loves to play BJ and we have a ball playing together. What a great way to start the day! I broke even in the morning session and Patty down $19.

    We took a break and walked to the Tropical Breeze at the Flamingo for an early lunch. We had coupon for $5 off that we got at checkin at Bills. We have always like the TB and the Flamingo. After lunch, Patty got hooked up with a guy selling anti wrinkle cream. He was quite a salesman, but she was finally able to break free. While she was talking to this guy, I went outside and took some pictures of the flamingos.

    We walked across the street to the Bellagio to check out the conservatory. That is always a must see for us. It is always beautiful and never fails to impress. This year was no exception. Huge flowers, butterflies, flower pots, a huge shovel, lady bugs, frogs, sculptures of ants. All the color was amazing. Took lots of pictures, but pictures really don't do it justice. It's a hard place to leave. You just want to stare and take it all in. Anyone coming to Vegas (especially first timers) should check this out. And once you've seen it, you will want to see it on every visit.

    After Bellagio, we walked up to the Casino Royale for some BJ Switch. On our last visit we played there a lot and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Played for quite a while. Patty lost $100 and I was down $40. Patty is having a run of bad cards. She is the queen of 13's. Pretty hard to win when the 13's keep coming up. Had an interesting dealer from China, Monique. She had this unique laugh that was funny at first, but after a while it was a little annoying. Say this for her, she was very happy and really wanted the players to win. She had also come back from a serious traffic accident and had a great attitude toward life in general. You always meet interesting people at the BJ table.

    Took a break and had a couple hot dogs from the food court. New food court is nice at CR, a big improvement over the old setup. Walked up to the Wax Museum at the Venetian. Had a coupon from LVA for buy 1 get 1. We have always liked the wax museum. It was good again. Patty is a big fan of Johnny Depp and had her picture taken with him. Took lots of pictures. Headed back to Bills for more BJ. On the way back we watched the volcano show at the Mirage. Didn't have a very good angle but did see some of the fireworks. Funny, that was the first time I had ever seen the volcano show. Played for a couple more hours again and both of us were just about even. Getting up early is finally catching up to me. Couldn't concentrate any more and it was time to call it a day.

    Day 2 observations - Is it just me, or are there more porn slappers than ever before? Great music at Bills! You find yourself singing while playing BJ. I'm sure that other players appreciate my lovely voice, LOL.
     
  6. Bosco

    Bosco VIP Whale

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    I used to love sitting at the Black Jack table right across from the entrance to Drai's early in the A.M. Never knew what was going to come out of there! The Skank Parade! I don't think that table is there anymore.
     
  7. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I'm enjoying your TR and looking forward to the rest!:eek:
     
  8. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Bosco, the Skank Parade line was great. I found myself laughing at work every time I would think about it.

    Monday 6-7

    Started the day with the Steak and Eggs special at the Victorian Room. Well, that was after the obligatory loss of $50 at the Wheel of Fortune machine. I'm not liking slot machines very much at the moment. Breakfast was very good and service good again. Off to the tables and met 2 great dealers, Carol and Genet. They were both a lot of fun. Great personalities and kept things lively at the tables. They worked from 4:00 AM to Noon, so we always looked for them in the morning and made sure we played at their table if there were any empty seats. I was even this morning, Patty down again. Oh well, it's only a game!

    Took a walk over to Ceasars and Forum Shops. We always enjoy the walk through Ceasars. Stopped at a place selling IPods and all sorts of technological devices. Absolutely amazing. The place was packed and you could actually use all of the items. I wish our parents were here to see all this stuff.

    Headed up the strip to the Venetian to pick up Blue Man tickets for tonight. Took a pit stop on the way at the Casino Royale for some BJ. Patty started to rally and was up for the session. I broke even again with no big losses. Off to the Venetian for tickets. Stopped at Food Court for some pizza and then walked to St. Marks Square to watch the living statues. This is a favorite stop of ours since we started coming to Vegas. It's fun to watch the people watching the statues, especially the young kids. Took some pictures and went to the Box Office to pick up tickets. We each had a gelato and went back to CR.

    We played there until it was time for the BM show. Made our way to the theater and place was packed. Our seats were 5 rows back, dead center, in the poncho section. We sat next to a nice couple from Texas. This was their first trip to Vegas and they were having a ball. They really like the show. It's not for everybody, but we loved it for the fourth time. While walking out after the show, there was a young girl, 20ish, who had a huge wad of paper that comes down at the end of the show and she wanted to take it home with her. One of the attendants told here she couldn't have it because they recycle it after every show. She started to run with the big ball with the guy after her. She eventually dropped it and kept on running. I guess you had to be there, but it was funny at the time.

    We had someone take our picture with one of the Blue Men after the show in the lobby. Also took some pics of the band. Another great show. Stopped for a big soft pretzel after the show and made our way "home" to Bills. Very tired and didn't even stop for BJ. Off to bed. Going downtown tomorrow.

    Day 3 observations - The moving walkways going up to the Venetian are great. Great job again Blue Man Group! It's fun to talk to Vegas first timers and listen to the excitement in their voices. You just know they will be coming back for more.
     
  9. hammer88814

    hammer88814 Tourist

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    Very entertaining TR! Waiting for more!
     
  10. jj_sparty

    jj_sparty High-Roller

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    Was the gorgeous Russian/Eastern European pit boss working during your time at the tables?
     
  11. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Don't remember a gorgeous pit boss. A real sharp looking blond dealer did take $100 from me one night in about 10 minutes. I never won a hand.
     
  12. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Hi all. I need some help. I'd like to post some pictures but not sure how to do it. Any Advice? Thanks.
     
  13. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    Upload to a free sharing site such as shutterfly. Once you have them in your account, view the pic you want to post. Right click on it & select 'properties'. There should be a field in the pop-up box that says Address (URL). Highlight this field, right click & copy it. (You may need to drag the highlighting a bit - normally the entire address will not display & you kind of need to click & drag to get all of it.

    Click on the Insert Image icon when you are posting. It's the one that looks like a postcard of mountains with a stamp in the upper right hand corner. In the pop-up box, remove the http: & right click & insert the Address/URL that you copied from the photo hosting site. Hit ok. It should now display that URL in your post & you can continue with whatever you want to post. Once you submit the post, you can then go back & see the photo. When you are creating the post/reply it shows only the URL.

    If you are in a site such as shutterfly, you want to be copying the URL from the image after you have double clicked it & made it a bit bigger. Otherwise the folder view size is about stamp size & won't display well.
     
    Easter again..:
  14. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    some pics from the trip



    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  15. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Tuesday 6-8 Downtown today

    Thanks jgates for the picture help!

    The day started off with a bang as the fire alarm went off at 4:00 AM. Lasted for about 10 minutes. Nothing serious evidently, and back to sleep. I headed down to the casino and morning coffee at Seattle's Best around 7:30 and realized there really was a God. The bank of Wheel of Fortune machines was roped off and they were being cleaned/serviced. They would not be taking my money today. Yes!! I did, however, find another machine that gladly took my $50, but at least it let me play for half an hour. A little entertainment in the morning is a good thing.

    The plan was to head downtown today. After a little BJ, we walked to Imperial Palace for brunch buffet (LVA coupon) and stopped at Harrah's to get tickets for Legends in Concert for Thursday night (another LVA coupon). Brunch wasn't bad and Patty discovered a neat little shop in Harrah's that sold clocks and crystal and other cool stuff. A return trip was in order as we didn't want to haul around a bunch of bags all day. We caught the Deuce in front of the Venetian and off to downtown. We passed Mon Bel Ami Chapel where we were married in '07 on the way.

    First stop was El Cortez. We had never been there and wanted to check out some different places this trip. Played for about an hour with a little success and then walked back up the Four Queens. On the way, Patty had a guy make her a ring with our wedding date on it, 7-7-07. It turned out really good. She's happy. Had a pretty good run of luck at Four Queens playing BJ Switch. Had a dealer named Jimmie that was just great. Lots of fun and the whole table was winning like crazy. That didn't last long as the dealers changed and we got a guy with a funny accent and everything went to hell at the table. We still both made a few bucks.

    Next stop was Mermaids for a chocolate covered banana. Really good. We didn't see anyone order the deep friend twinkies and I was too chicken to try them. Next was Golden Gate and the $1.99 shrimp cocktail. This was dessert after the banana. Shrimp was really good and all the food they were serving here looked good. Walked to the Plaza and played some, just to say we played there I guess. Place was very slow and kind of sleepy. Binion's was next. We walked into Binion's on the side where the dealers were rather scantily dressed and Patty said we weren't playing any blackjack here. We kept walking and made it to the area with regular dealer attire. Now we could play.

    While playing there a lady sat down with her two sons. She only wanted to play so she could get a drink. She announced to the table what she was going to order to drink. Like we cared. Then, when they started to play, she won her first hand. She was banging on the table like she won the Mega Millions lottery. This was a $5 table. She won her second hand. More banging on the table. She won her third hand. You would have thought she won the Powerball lottery. Mercifully, she lost the next hand, and colored up her chips. When she left, the guy next to me, he was from Louisiana, let out a big "Thank you Jesus!". It was hilarious. Played a little more and it was time to head back down the strip. Took Deuce home to Bill's. Really tired. Ordered a pizza from room service which was pretty darn good and fell asleep. Day four in the books.
     
  16. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    No problem - glad I explained them well enough that it worked!!! I have a tendency to overstate things LOL.

    The twinkies didn't excite me either at all. Course I ate it when my blood sugar was bottoming out so my taste buds get a bit screwed up.
     
    Easter again..:
  17. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Wednesday 6-9

    Trying some new places today.

    No Wheel of Fortune this morning. I'm getting smarter. While Patty was getting ready, I found Carol and played some BJ. This would be the last day playing with Carol as she would be off on Thursday and Friday. Did Ok, then went to breakfast at Victorian Room with Patty. Food and service good again. Found Carol again and played for a while and broke even. First funny thing of the day - while we were playing, this guy in a suit and tie sits down but doesn't play. He then starts to tell us all how to play and how to tip. He has obviously had a few too many. Carol tells him that we are taking good care of her. He gets up to go to the bar and he has this giant split in his pants. His shirt is hanging out and he doesn't have a clue. He comes back and again tells us how to tip. The Pit Boss comes over and politely tells him it's time to go to bed. The guys uses some good judgment and leaves. Another "Thank you Jesus!" moment.

    We walked down to Harrah's to that shop Patty had liked earlier in the week. She bought a crystal spinner for her and 3 more for gifts. Met a great lady working at the store. Simona had an interesting accent and I asked her where she was from. Turned out she was from Israel. We had a great discussion about politics, various wars, and her family (she has 7 children). Talked about the threat from Iran and how her house had been bombed during the various wars. She had lived right next to the border with Lebanon. Very interesting and strong woman. Glad we met her.

    We took the bags back to Bill's and caught the Coast Casino Shuttle that stops at Bills and headed for Gold Coast (first time here). Nice casino and very bright. We started playing Super Fun 21 and had a run of good luck. Patty did leave the table as a lady sat down next to her and was making these really annoying noises with her chips. Hard to explain, but it was annoying. I was winning so just tuned out the chip noise. Played for quite a while and came out $75 ahead. Found Patty and she was doing well also. We cashed in and walked over to the Palms.

    Our first time at the Palms and it was pretty impressive. Surprised at the number of $5 tables. Played some Switch and did OK. Our dealer, Annie, had dealt for quite a few famous people. Most of them sports stars who she didn't know were famous people. She did have a good story about dealing for Leo DeCaprio, and said he was very nice. Had lunch at 24/7 Cafe (LVA coupon) that was very good. After late lunch we walked back to Gold Coast to catch shuttle for Orleans.

    The Orleans was very big! Lots of $5 tables. Played at a table with an older guy that was very, very intense. He wasn't doing very well. He was shaking he was so mad. He kept losing and then mumbled he was going to blow his brains out. Dealer told him he should go watch a movie and chill a bit. Pit boss kept a close eye on him and he seemed to realize this and calmed down. The people you meet in Vegas....... Played until probably 8:00, broke even, and took shuttle back to Bill's.

    Bill's was really hopping. Most tables were full. I sat down at a Switch table and proceeded to lose $100. Never won a hand. Patty was at a regular table and did Ok. She's rallying from her initial losses. I found another Switch table and won back $50. Then the dealer that I had lost to earlier rotated to my table. I started losing again and had to leave. There was a seat at Patty's table so I finished the night there. Fun table with two sisters from Cleveland. Great day. This vacation is going way too fast!! Final full day tomorrow.

    Forgot to mention - While playing BJ at Bill's in the morning, Patty asked the Pit Boss how we could get Bill's t-shirts. He checked our players cards and we didn't have enough points but said he would check with his boss, Maria. He came back with 2 shirts even though we didn't qualify. Thanks Maria!
     
  18. hilarios

    hilarios Tourist

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    Great report! I hope you plan on finishing it up. We love to play at Bills, especially BJ Switch. The Big Elvis music and the other music afterwards creates a great atmosphere. :thumbsup:
     
  19. jmp6477

    jmp6477 Tourist

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    Thanks hilarios! Glad you like the report. It will be finished up this week at some point. Work has been relentless since returning from our trip. Should find some time this week, though.
     
  20. hilarios

    hilarios Tourist

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    i look forward to reading it. I hate coming back from vacation to the plethora of work... once it is all taken care of, I feel like I need another vacay.
     
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