In Vegas for a non-event 10/12-10/15

This was my first trip to Las Vegas in more than a year for family reasons. Last year, I had to cancel a trip to The Summit, which turned out to be the final year of the former VIMFP podcasting weekend. This year, several of the regulars loosely organized a non-event over the same weekend.

Flights: Took Spirit from Chicago. Got a little cheeky and brought a couple airplane bottles, mixing them in the airport bathroom. Still bought another drink on the plane, but had a nice beverage during the flight. Spirit is like a bus in the sky, but both flights were on time and arrived early. Seats were cramped, but I knew what to expect.


This was a budget trip, so it was the Centennial Express from Terminal 3 to downtown. Took about 35 minutes in a largely empty bus. Bought the $5 24 hour pass.

Checked into the D with a Corner King. Good value room with plenty of space and a comfortable bed. Also has a pull out sofa. View was east down Fremont St.

Friday night was a meet and greet at Golden Gate. Played a little and lost. Had a mediocre Gyro at American Coney.

Saturday started with a mediocre buffet at Fremont. I'm on a low carb diet, so it was mostly a big plate of meat and eggs to power the day. A bunch of the nerds got together at Donut Bar, where the donuts are essentially the size of a spare tire. I deferred, but got a good cup of coffee. At 1pm was a group bingo session at Plaza. Most everyone got the electronic bingo where all you have to do is wait for fireworks on your screen and call Bingo. The one person in our group won playing with paper and one pack of cards. He won $240.00

Later, about 12 people did the High Roller Happy Hour. Because there was a lot of good conversation, we had about 4 drinks per person. It was a nice mellow way to spend a half hour.

I spent most of the rest of Saturday wandering the strip, doing some hit and run gambling and just exploring. Headed back downtown on the Deuce, which was crowded and slow as usual. Finished up with a nice drink at Oak and Ivy at the Downtown Container park.

Sunday started with a mediocre buffet at Main Street Station. For such a big room, the selection is pretty limited. At least they had "champagne" with the buffet. Got two plastic cups of the stuff.

Explored Fremont East all the way to Maryland Parkway. There is a lot of work going on, with a recently completed apartment complex and renovations at some of the old motels, one saying it will be a 36,000 sq ft tavern property. Not too many years ago, going as far as the Western meant taking your life in your hands.


Later, I headed down to the strip to explore new things. Got off on Channel 8 Drive and walked around Resorts World and through Circus Circus. It was nice to see the work on Resorts World. Did a lot of walking. Noticed the demolition outside Harrah's and ended up exploring the ongoing mess that is Park MGM. There is nice stuff, but they are still finishing the entrance from the tram station after, what? 3 years?

The top of the west wing of the property is still under construction, as is the whole front of the property. Whoever did the project management of this renovation should have long ago been fired. It's still ongoing for at least a couple more months, probably until New Years. The property is very boring, more so than when it was Monte Carlo. It is neither extremely elegant or a party place. I just don't know what they were going for. Yeah, they have some nice bars and restaurants, but it doesn't have the style and vibe of Aria or Cosmopolitan, the old-world elegance of Bellagio or the party feel of Planet Hollywood. It feels like a Hampton Inn in Dubuque, Iowa. The carpet is the dullest casino carpet ever.

Sunday night was a bit of random gambling, with wins I had some issues remembering, though I did have a picture of a double 4 of a kind and a memory of a Jamaican waitress at Harrah's. Finished the night with a good slice at Pizza Rock. Not low carb, but damn tasty.

Monday, I woke up with a sense of dread. I had a hazy recollection of the previous night's gambling, but when I consulted the camera and my wallet I found I had twice the money I had started the day with. First win. It was getaway day and I had to check out quickly and get to MGM Grand for an 11 am date at Top Golf. Got an omelet at the MGM food court. Nathan's looked like the least bad option, but the omelet shared some rubbery characteristics with the golf balls at Top Golf.

Had fun at Top Golf with some good conversation. It's fun for any level of golf experience. By the third game, I had developed a strategy and got decent points. It's not cheap, but not overwhelmingly expensive. Food and drinks are good.

Couple hours of wandering the strip later, it was time to go home.

Despite too much drinking, I still came home a pound lighter, so a diet win as well.

 

Drinking, walking, socializing, losing a pound and winning. Sounds like a good trip to me!

 

Wow saying Park MGM is more boring than what the Monte Carlo was says a lot.

Love the pics thanks for sharing, especially the pics of East Fremont, very cool.

 

It's pretty bad. That carpet pictured made my gf come up with the nickname "Vintage, Froo-Froo, Throw-Up" casino.

Nice report @Hyperfocal! But next time try to find 6/5 Bonus STP instead of 6/5 JoB STP. You would have got an extra 75 nickels each on those quad 2s!

 

That's usually my game. Not sure why I was playing JoB.

There are certain things that were a bit hazy, but I came home with money, credit cards and my driver's license.

 

You got some pretty cool pics through your trip. Anyone know if the Venetian lights were always that color or if that's just because of the bus windows?

 

Nice report! Where is the Golden Goose located these days?

 

@bshowell, I read that the Venetian/Palazzo/Sands Expo properties changed their marquees to purple on October 12th,
for Domestic Violence Awareness.
On October 19th, they'll change to pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Thanks for all the neat pictures with your trip report, @Hyperfocal. Glad you had a good time.

 

Thanks for the report, enjoyed reading it. Sounds like a great trip. My husband and I are also on a low carb diet and are going to try and stay on it for the most part when we go in December. Two exceptions being High Tea and the buffet at the Bellagio. I'm sure there will be more, but we'll TRY...

 

The Golden Goose was in one of the former Fremont East motel parking lots on the north side of the street. Not too hard to spot.

cvkelz, I've always found buffets are pretty good for low carb as long as you are good with giving up things that looks tasty. I'm lucky because I really enjoy having a lot of meat and vegetables for my meals. Some things like the really nice sushi at Bellagio buffet are a challenge. Part of it for me is that sugars are really bad for me and I get into high and low blood sugar issues. When I'm low carb, things feel right. No matter what happens at dinner, there's no reason to feel bad if you had some tasty deserts, pasta, etc. Tomorrow is always another day. IMHO, the worst part of modern western ideas of dieting is the idea that going off the diet is some sort of moral failing. I had far too much beer on my trip and I'm still adjusting.

 

Thanks for the pictures of Fremont East, and some of the construction on the Strip!

 

Hey Now!
Great TR, thanks!