Happy Anniversary.... at MSS 8/17-23

This year's trip was a surprise 6th anniversary gift for my wife (and me). We usually plan on a Vegas trip every 2 years and having gone last year, this would have been our off year. However, when I'd asked her early in the summer what she wanted for our anniversary she answered "one way tickets to Vegas". She wants us to move there.

I thought the next best thing would be round trippers, so, without her knowledge, I went ahead and booked flights with Southwest and 6 days at MSS. We've never stayed DT, but I thought it would be a nice change.

I was a little nervous when I broke the surprise to her as I thought she might be a little pissed, doing this without her input. And she was pissed for about 10 seconds. She warmed up to the idea rather quickly!

Patty has never been really keen on DT, but last year we played a little at MSS and she (and I) really liked the place. It turned out to be a great choice as this was the most relaxing vacation we've ever had.

Our trip started on Friday when we left for Pittsburgh. We had tickets to Friday's Pirate/Diamondback baseball game at PNC Park and were staying at a Quality Inn close to the airport. On Saturday we took a shuttle to the airport for our 2:00 PM flight. We had Early Bird check in and were in Group A for boarding which was nice. Easy flight with no problems and arrived in Vegas at 3:30.

Took Showtime shuttle to MSS and checked in (no line) and up to the room. We had a room on the 6th floor looking toward the Plaza and Freemont Street Canopy. RR tracks were on the right and I was hoping this would not be an issue at night. Those fears proved to be unfounded as there were no problems with noise during our stay.

We were meeting some friends who live in Vegas for dinner and they showed up at 6:00. We tried 777 Brew Pub and were not disappointed. Food and service were very good, as was the microbrew. After dinner we walked down to Freemont for Third Eye Blind concert. Watched a little bit of that and headed back to MSS. Lots of people on Freemont, but no problems at all.

It had been a looooong day and fatigue was starting to set in. Made plans to meet later in the week and off to bed. As we hadn't done any gambling yet I tried $20 in a slot machine on the way to the room, and as usual, got smoked. Slot machines have never liked me, but, honestly was too tired to care. Made it to the 6th floor and dreamland. Looking forward to Sunday!

 

So far, so good....nice start to your report....except for 20 bucks at the end.

 

Sunday

I'm up first, as is our Vegas routine, and get ready for the day. I head downstairs and get my morning coffee fix at Lapperts. Wander around the Cal for a bit and back to MSS for some morning slots. Pretty quiet at 7:00. Not very successful at the machines and lose $30. Still, what a great way to start the day! This is going to be a great week.

Gather up Patty and go to the buffet for breakfast. Use LVA BOGO coupon for the champagne brunch. Ate way too much! Patty wants to get her nails done so we hoof it to the spa at the GN. She gets right in and I walk to 4Q for some BJ. Play for an hour or so and am down $15. Good table with nice people and fun dealer. Wish I could stay - but back to GN to rendezvous with Patty. Nails look good and she's happy and ready for some BlackJack.

Back to MSS and played for 4 hours. Had a great time with dealers, Pamela and Wendy. I lost $100 and Patty down only $10 for the session. Took a break and thought we'd try DuPars for shrimp cocktail but it was raining like crazy. First time that's ever happened to us in Vegas. Instead, went to Market St. Café at the Cal. After words, back to the room for a nap. Either getting old or the time change is getting to us. Maybe both!

Back down to the tables and played for hours. Had a great table. A couple from Vegas, Stacey and Eric, and David from Hawaii, were a blast! We all were playing the side bet (for pairs) and whenever anybody got a pair, all at the table broke into the "chicken dance". It was a riot. Probably looked like fools, but who cares. We had a ball! I lost $160 but Patty was up $85. Not a good day money wise for me, but it sure was fun. Nothing beats a good lively BJ table!

 

As a downtown lover, loving your report. There is nothing funner than a great group of folks at a blackjack table. Even if I lose and had a great time, my small losses are worth the entertainment factor. Pamela is one of our favorite dealers at MSS...it is obvious she is one of those dealers that really enjoys her job. looking forward to your next installment.

 

Also a lover of Downtown and MSS. Waiting for the next installment. Reading reports to try and get me through the next two weeks. Thanks for helping time move forward a bit.

 

You're giving me the Vegas Itch. Keep 'em coming!

 

Monday

Monday began as usual - Lappert's coffee and slot machines. The only difference was today I actually finished ahead $35. Shocking!
Had breakfast at the buffet. When booking the trip, I opted for a package that included 2 buffets (breakfast or lunch) Monday through Thursday. Good breakfast and enjoyed Manny's antics at the omelet station.

Patty wanted to play BJ Switch today, so we walked down to 4Q and played for a couple hours. Had a good time and I finished up $35, while Patty lost $50. We had a $10 free play coupon from LVA so took advantage of that and also got $10 free play for showing my B Connected card. Played quite a while but no winnings.

Stopped at DuPar's for shrimp cocktail on the way back to MSS - very good. Had a good afternoon session at MSS with dealers Carol and Wendy. Lots of fun and we both ended up + $55. Took a late afternoon break and walked to Mermaids for a frozen chocolate covered banana. Hard to believe, but the guy in front of me got the last 2 bananas! We settled for a couple of hot dogs, instead. Hold the chocolate, please.

With our newly acquired beads from Mermaids, we walked back to MSS for some Black Jack. Lee and Wendy were our dealers, and it was a good night. I was up $150 and Patty up $10 when all was said and done. We are having so much fun at this place! At 8:00, Patty walked back to the room and I went to Lappert's to get us some ice cream. Hard to beat ice cream for supper! We had visions of returning to the casino, but sleepiness took over and we called it a day. Really loving everything about DT!

 

If you love DT Vegas, you really oughta try Ascuaga's Nugget in Reno...its just like DT, excepts way better comps.

 

Tuesday - No wins on A.M. slots, but the coffee was good. Plan on visiting Sam's Town today. Reserved a car for Wed at Advantage. Catching the ST shuttle at 11:00.
We've always enjoyed ST, but we were kind of disappointed this trip. Maybe we've been spoiled by dealers at MSS - but the dealers we had at ST were just no fun. Not much personality and try as we might, they just would not smile. Bad timing I guess. I lost $100 and Patty down $40. Didn't stay long but hung out in the atrium before catching the shuttle, really nice and relaxing - could have fallen asleep listening to the water.
Took shuttle back to the Freemont. Stopped at Mermaids for the long awaited chocolate covered banana and back to MSS. Made up for the losses at ST, Mike up $200 and Patty up $40. Had dinner at Market St. Café at the Cal. Prime Rib special was very good! Broke even on last BJ session. Again, very nice and fun dealers.


Wednesday - Rented a car from Advantage and first stop was Bellagio. A must see for us is the Conservatory. Beautiful as usual and took lots of pictures. Thanks to the Board for pointing out that valet is free. Much better than self parking and walking forever. Took some pics of work going on at "Bills". We certainly had some memorable time there!
Went to Boulder Highway and stopped at the Longhorn. The crazy couple we had played BJ with on Sunday had recommended we stop there. Very small, but had a some fun and didn't lost much. We can cross the Longhorn off our bucket list.
Next stop was Boulder Station. We really like BS and try to make a stop there each trip. Played BJ for 3 hours and we both broke even. Patty wanted to try the Willy Wonka machine. Didn't win anything , but she seemed to enjoy it. Had BOGO coupon for the buffet, so ate there then back to MSS. Tough night at the tables, Patty lost $200, Mike down $50. Had some new dealers tonight, Vy (Cambodia) and Sue from Korea. Lots of fun again. Got to bed at 1:00 AM. One full day left. Just wish time would slow down!