1st TR - Paris, 4/3-7 (very long)

Heya VMB, like the thread title says, this is my first trip report (but 9th visit). All I have are foggy memories, so hopefully I can relay a somewhat coherent report. Please enjoy!

Day 1 - Check into Paris a little before noon. My wife and I are Platinum players so we're able to check-in smoothly and quickly. We had 4 nights comped in a Luxury room so when I told the clerk "any ol' Red Room would do," all I got in return was an offer to upgrade for $40 a night.

Our room number was 1656 and was somewhat disappointing. We've never stayed at the Paris before, usually opting for the comped offers at Harrah's, Bally's, and the Flamingo. So after constantly hearing how great the Paris was, we jumped at the offer to stay there for free. The room felt cramped, mostly due to the enormous entertainment center/double chifferobe which made walking from the bathroom to the beds a problem for two people. The furnishings seemed somewhat dated and there were holes in the wall. Don't get me wrong - the room wasn't terrible, but fell short of my high expectations. I will say the bathroom was probably the nicest one we've seen (except for maybe the Augustus tower bathrooms at Caesar's).

Lunch was at the Earl of Sandwich at PH and was the perfect light bite to start the trip. I can whole-heartedly recommend the Full Montagu. We were with another couple on this trip and everyone enjoyed their subs. After doing the tourist thing and checking out the Worlds of Coke, M&M's, and Hard Rock Cafe, we hit the MGM Grand and the Monte Carlo. The Grand was just as we remembered it: enormous, high limits, and didn't look at you unless you were throwing green chips on the table. MC still has $5 Carib Stud (horrible odds, but we enjoy it) so we played there awhile, and then onto the Cosmo for the first time. My first impression of the place was hip, trendy, and a total lack of identity...which is ironic considering the name of their player's club. Speaking of which, we were thoroughly pleased with the Identity program when they matched our Platinum Total Rewards status with their 2nd tier level (Gold). I'll be curious to see what kind of offers they send. Their Terrace rooms look sweet, so we're hoping for something decent! We were all beat after the Cosmo, so we had overpriced, overcooked burgers at the Burger Brasserie and called it a night.

Day 2 - The first order of business was to grab an early lunch at Big Al's Oyster Bar at the Orleans. While the rest of my party hit the breakfast buffet, I was ready when Big Al's opened at 11 and opted against my usual Jambalaya Pasta for a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Corona. Freakin awesome! We gave the Orleans a little play, including a free $25 bet that I promptly lost after betting on red, before returning back to the Strip. I haven't mentioned much gambling on this trip because we were all getting beat up at this point. My wife's a reel junkie and was getting toasted on all her faves: Goldfish, Super Respin, the Penguin game, etc. while I was being slowly drained by blackjack, VP, and craps. Anyway, that night we ended up eating at the IP at Hash House a Go-Go. This was the second time my wife and I ate here so we should've known better....but we ended up ordering individual plates rather than sharing and none of us finished our meals. I had tried the Sage Chicken and Waffles back in November and didn't care for it, but the stuffed burger with mushrooms and swiss were top notch. We had seen Vinnie Favorito twice already but really wanted the couple we were with to see him as well, so we got Vinnie tickets and laughed our asses off for an hour as he insulted the crowd (myself included). If anyone reading this hasn't seen Vinnie and doesn't mind extreme vulgarity and the possibility of being severely ridiculed in front of a couple hundred strangers, go see him. He's hilarious!

Day 3 - Our friends wanted to try an expensive Vegas buffet so we hit the Bellagio for lunch and were pretty satisfied. It's not my favorite buffet in Vegas, but definitely top 5. It gives me a chance to try things like couscous plus I think they have the best desserts out of the Vegas buffets. We hit Caesars for a little bit and then rested up for our downtown excursion.

Downtown was lively as usual and a lot of fun. Every time I visit DT, I always ask myself why in the hell don't I stay here. We got huge fruity drinks from La Bayou and got pretty hammered over the course of the night. The wife and I searched all over for Monopoly Jackpot Station and finally found three at the Golden Nugget. I lost my ass but she won over $800 thanks to an amazing run of Bonus rolls! We had a late dinner at the Triple 7 Brewpub at MSS. Unfortunately, I was still full from the buffet and couldn't stomach my usual Steak Sandwich (they have the BEST Filet Mignon sandwich), so I settled for a basket of average hot wings. We got back to Paris around 2 where I played drunk craps for a couple hours and somehow came up to the room with chips in my pocket.

Day 4 - I can't come to Vegas without having lunch on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, so this being our last day, we ate there. After sharing a delicious onion soup, wifey got a Croque Madame (fried egg, country ham, on ciabatta toast) which was very tasty and I got the Au Poivre Burger (wow, I'm starting to realize I ate a lot of burgers on this trip!) The burger was well done despite being ordered medium-rare and the Au Poivre was too peppery even for someone like me that uses pepper on everything. We went back to the Cosmo to cash in a ticket that magically appeared in a pocket and while we were there, I got on a hot craps table (except when I rolled...the whole trip I might've made 2 points!) I had heard about a certain Mac'n'Cheese bar on the Wicked Spoon buffet, so with little deliberation, we had dinner there and were very pleased. At $29 for dinner, it's on the steep side, but it may have vaulted over the Spice Market and the Carnival Buffets as my new favorite. They had several carving meats, a large Asian station, the aforementioned Mac'n'Cheese bar which prepared your dish in the same fashion that an omelet station would, and they had many killer dishes served in individual bowls that you placed on your plate (sort of tapas style). My lone complaint was a very poor dessert bar, where the Chocolate Lava cakes were the only thing I enjoyed.

While the other three went to bed early (and stuffed), I decided to spend my final night in Vegas in the casino, early flight be damned! Big mistake! My earlier run at the Cosmo had brought me close to even for the trip, but my luck turned sour at the Paris. I had the Midas touch in reverse as everything I touched turned to shit. Craps killed me, BJ was brutal...plus there was this sour puss dealer named Bob that had zero personality and berated the players constantly. At first, I thought his ribbing was good fun, but the dude never cracked a smile! After playing with Mr. Personality, I tried my hand at 3 Card, which of course was a losing proposition and then back to craps. About 4 in the morning I finally admitted defeat and got a few miserable hours of sleep before having to check out.

The Good - Earl of Sandwich, Wicked Spoon buffet, Vinnie Favorito, the Croque Madame at Mon Ami Gabi, plump oysters from Big Al's, Monopoly Jackpot Station at the Golden Nugget, and big ass fruity drinks from La Bayou.

The Bad - The luxury rooms at Paris, Hot wings at the Triple 7, the Burger Brasserie, and the Au Poivre burger at Mon Ami Gabi.

The Ugly - Getting drilled the final night in Vegas while being shit on by Bob the Dealer.

Hope you enjoyed! Now time for me to start planning my next trip (maybe we'll stay downtown...)

 

Thanks for posting.

I hate getting drilled on last night, but it just gives you incentive for a near future trip cause your due for it to turn around

 

Cool report. I was wondering how the rooms were holding up at Paris.

 

Thanx for the TR and the tip about the players card at the Cosmo. I'm at Paris in a couple weeks, 4 nights comped and hoping the $20 trick gets me a Red Room up-grade.

 

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it. You may have eaten alot of burgers, but the one at HHAGG piqued my interest. We'll have to try it on our next visit.

 

Enjoyed your trip report. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks for the report.
I just have to get to the Wicked Spoon next trip!

 

Good report, thanks alot for posting!

I stayed at Paris last week for 2 nights, was also comped in a regular room. I, too, wanted a Red room. I held a $20 in my hand and asked if a Red Room was available. The clerk eyed the $20 and said "A red room will certainly not be a problem!". I indicated the view didn't matter, as long as it was a Red Room to provide a little flexability. I ended up with a Red Room with a nice strip view. I was there mid-week and they weren't busy, I think that does make a difference.

I gave the clerk the tip once she gave me the keys and she was very appreciative. I don't look at it as a bribe, I look at it as paying $20 for 2 nights in a room I probably can't affort otherwise.

Glad you had a great time!
diane

 

Thanks everyone for the nice comments!

I swung and missed on my first $20 sandwich a few years ago and never tried again. I actually tried to gauge the desk clerk on whether or not she would go for it, but I didn't get that "I could be bribed" feeling from her.

Den - My buddy got the Stuffed Burger with Mashed Potatoes and Bacon and couldn't stop raving about it. It looked tasty and was HUGE!

 

Oh man, I wonder if I'm thinking of the same Bob. I was there a few months ago, and that guy was definitely not a happy camper.

 

I didn't think your trip report was long. It seemed about right. My trip reports make yours look like a children's book. I think you had the right mix of detail in your report. Well done.

 

I'd say he was in his late 50s, wore glasses, and had a gray mustache.

 

Bingo, I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same guy! I had the unpleasant experience of having him as a dealer for a few sessions ... not once did he lighten up. At times I felt both of us were there just grinding away at each other.

 

Great report.

Yes, I agree you should stay downtown sometime. You will probably love it.

 

TR

Great trip report. I stay during the summer at the Paris and never have I had trouble upgrading... Crossing my fingers this trip...