Live, spotaneous 48-hour dilapidation

my husband and I have been pouring over this TR before work this AM. serious vegas goals!

 

Just a great TR, one of the best. Your ability to describe the flavors in the alcohol was amazing. Looking forward to the next TR in two weeks...

Quick question: What floor was your room in Cosmo? The view was perfect.

 

Without a doubt, the best trip report that I have read on this board or any other board for that matter!! Really looking forward to another amazing read in two weeks. But admit it, you do have a soft spot for the Bellagio fountains. You keep taking pictures of them.

 

@zigzagging I'm curious how much of the cannabis you were able to actually get through in such a short time. Also wondering how long those disposable vape pens last and if it's better going with those or just buying some flowers & using a regular vape.

 

Thanks for the tip, sorry I didn't get around to playing it this trip. I asked a slot attendant where Ninja Warrior was and he looked at me like I was crazy. I also had a casino manager tell me there was only one Diamond Queen in the high-limit slot room, just to find a couple of the "Multi-Game" units also had Diamond Queen. This is the only complaint I have about Cosmo. The employees in the high-limit room should be able to tell customers what games are available or at the least be able and willing to look it up for you. The games do not change that often and there aren't that many of them in the high-limit room. In two weeks I will throw some money at Ming Warrior.

The bartender at Dino's recommended I take a more direct and perhaps safer route to Fremont Street, but I wanted to explore the area southeast of the Fremont Street Experience. I passed maybe 10 people after about an hour of walking before I got to Container Park. Eight of ten looked like employees walking home from one of the casinos on Fremont, one was a lady of the night who whistled at me a couple times before going about her way, and another was what appeared to be a homeless crack-cocaine addict who was walking so slowly that he couldn't have hurt me without a gun or some throwing knives or ninja stars. I did not personally feel unsafe or uncomfortable with my surroundings once, but shit does happen in desolate and dark places and it would be prudent to not walk alone in an area you aren't comfortable in (especially if you have a lot of cash on your person). Below is a map of the path I walked, most of which was in the roadway because there were very few cars on the road.

Great question; complicated answer. I rarely ask for what I would really prefer, which is a vessel made from crystal that was thoroughly rinsed with cold water and no soap and then allowed to drip dry. Hot water will be better at solubilizing unwanted materials in the glass, but hot water typically involves an activated charcoal filter upstream of the tap and tiny particulates of charcoal can make it into your glass. This can actually help clean the glassware, and if using soap, hot water is better at removing the soapy residue. Even with thorough rinsing you will rarely get all of the soap out of a glass, so if you are going to be a purist when it comes to serving spirits then you should always ask for a glass that was process sterilized/steam cleaned with a high-temperature dishwasher (low-temperature dishwashers use chemicals, high-temperature dishwashers solely use steam up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit). This followed by a thorough rinse with cold water and allowed to drip dry and you are ready to enjoy the spirit as it actually tastes in the bottle.

Not too fast, however. Measuring the spirit is also part of the deal, and with high-end/limited-production spirits, the beverage managers would prefer their bartenders pour exactly the volume the customer ordered. For most spirits under $250 a shot, this typically means two fluid ounces if served neat and sometimes an ounce and a half if served on the rocks. This can vary widely depending on the establishments policy. When you get into the very rare and expensive spirits, the standard pour almost always drops down to one or even one half an ounce. For instance, with Remy Martin's Louis XIII cognac, many places will offer you pours of half an ounce, one ounce, or one and a half ounces. The reason for this is that the spirit must be exorbitantly priced because of how much it cost the bar to purchase, and most people wouldn't attempt to order it if they have to spend $300. So properties will advertise half an ounce pours for a proportionally-lower price so that more people are likely to splurge. Remember, the resort is making money regardless of how much they pour you. Another thing to consider is that some spirits are so rare that there may only be a handful of bottles left in the world. This doesn't necessarily mean the bar should charge even more for the spirit, but it does mean that for the sake of variety they should only offer the spirit in small pours. Of course, you can always order another shot, but in these high-limit rooms people have money to waste (especially after a hot streak), and it would be a shame for someone who doesn't take the time to respect the spirit and actually enjoy it for it's history and profile and not because it cost them an arm and a leg.

As far as actually measuring out tiny volumes of alcohol, a jigger (typically a stainless steel measuring vessel) is almost always used. Even at most of the best spirit bars in the world this is the case. This doesn't work for me, and I request they pour it by feel/eye. Why? Because I don't want any of the antifreeze (Fireball) that was last measured in the jigger to contaminate my experience. Sure you can ask for a clean jigger, but then we are back to where we started with praying the jigger didn't retain any chemicals/soap.

For anyone wanting to try some of these precious liquids but not wanting to break the bank, you can always ask the manager if they will allow you to get a half or quarter pour for a lower price. You may not be able to enjoy the experience quite as much, but at least you will have tried it. You can also do what I did and ask for a half pour of multiple spirits at a price point somewhere in the middle of the group. As with anything at these properties, it rarely hurts to ask. They want you to be happy and part ways with your money in any and every way possible.

I just looked back at the laminated vehicle-menu they presented me at the rental counter, and they have a ton of interesting cars in the "Dream" and "Adrenaline" collections. I will probably make a reservation for one of these before my next trip. Next time I am going to really try and get out to Red Rocks National Conservation Area, but once again I will only have 48 hours in town. I drove a total of 15 miles this trip, which to go to Double Down Saloon, Office Bar/Liquor Store, and The Apothecary Shoppe only, made the rental totally unnecessary. We will see what happens in two weeks.

I fully respect the fountains and hope they aren't removed in my lifetime. I agree the last thing we need is another store front/shopping center on the strip. After spending about 5 hours on my balcony this trip, the water jets themselves never got old, but on the 39th floor the music does become a little annoying to me personally.

Well I lost nine of the first ten pre-rolled joints I purchased and three of the four vape pens to the high winds. I ate all 12 of the cake pops on Monday night after dinner. For my second purchase I enjoyed all but two of the pre-rolled joints and while I took a drag from each of the vape pens, I only finished off two of the five I had. Each of the pens will get you about 50 hits depending on the manufacturer.

 

Yeah at least 2 of the machines highlighted below should be either multi-game and/or have Diamond Queen. And there's probably 6 more machines in that bank, arranged in a diamond pattern. This is looking in from the side entrance of the HL room.

 

Vape pens last a long time. They told me 100 hits, I wasn't counting but it seemed longer than that.

 

This explains so much.......

 

Wow, what a great TR. Kinda like Plee, Natedogg, Super Pocky, and Pay Triple all in one. Throw in some Gaggles here and there, maybe a few Beeejay drunken posts and this would be thew best TR ever. This will be something for you to work on next trip.
Thank you for sharing your antics with us low rollers here.

 

That wind is really unfortunate. Any chance the maid came in, pocketed almost everything, and knocked all the furniture over so you'd blame the wind?

Don't know how strong those cake pops are but I probably would have melted into the floor at that point...with barely enough energy to reach for the room service menu to order enough food for a small army. You're some sort of superhero. Thanks for sharing your journey it was a blast to read.

 

The three machines on the left side of the white box were the only three machines I could play in that diamond-patterned bank. The far left machine in the box had Diamond Queen in the "Multi-Game" menu and the two machines to the right have the Chinese version of the game (same payable, just different theme/symbols). Even after the couple turned in early for the night, the machines were locked.

Each "Top Hat" bag contained two 10-mg THC cake pops. They even sold honey infused with THC. Good luck dosing with that...

 

As someone else said, it's the Citizen Kane of TRs. Awesome that you got an Aria room just for #2 business. My friend never once went in a public john in 35 years, and at home he would always take a shower after a deuce. No matter what.

That walk you talk north of The STRAT was really ballsy though. That's a tough stretch of drug dealers - I can't imagine doing that at noon, never mind 4am. Certainly saw another side of the city.

 

Just read it all in one sitting and I'm exhausted. Thanks so much for sharing! Very well done.

 

I'm kind of sad it's over. This kept me entertained at work. Great TR.

 

You should write a screenplay and sell it to Hollywood!

 

Just don't leave the screenplay out on your balcony.

 

Shared this with a buddy who said ZZ has a writing style like an old gumshoe detective. I think that comes out when ZZ is way inebriated.

 

Yes amazing TR..Also curious how the wind picked up the bag and lifted it over the balcony? If it had any weight to it should have just blown off the table to the floor?

 

I’ve got to imagine when the bartender retrieves the glass and no one is looking they rub their finger around the inside and suck their finger
Hell if I was there on a barstool I might just do that myself

 

The bag was left on the chair at the far west side of my balcony when winds roared through and the bag itself was still on the balcony, albeit on the ground around the corner and all the way to the wall with nothing left in it but the thin cardboard bottom that was glued in. The wind came out of the north as the cold front approached, with my balcony having a north- and east-facing segment. I guess a micro wind tunnel formed, sending my bag and it's contents down the balcony and around the corner. Along the way the contents likely fell out and started rolling and flying around high as a kite. That was an exaggeration. On my balcony there was a tiny gap of 2-4 cm between the ground and the metal railing. This is plenty of space for a pre-rolled joint and a vape pen to fit. Trust me, I tested it the day after. The gap narrows at points, so I was surprise one of the joints didn't get wedged in there. Thinking about the wind direction now it would seem everything would have traveled south toward Harmon and Las Vegas Boulevard/The Shops at Crystals.



Just look at that drop in pressure and temperature with a dramatic response in wind speeds. 25-35 mph sustained winds with gusts to 54 mph. Remember, those are winds measured at the surface and the bag was on a balcony about 500 feet above the surface. Up there the winds are often much higher because less friction from the warmer air below has slowed the cold airs plunge to the surface.