March 23 - 28 "In Progress"

[LV Dawn]

Got up at 6:30 am for an 11:10 am flight from Newark. I was so busy yesterday that I didn’t get a chance to pack so I had to get up early to get my stuff together. I used car service to get to the airport. My pick up was at 8:45 am and I made it to the airport in about 25 minutes. Since they were doing random car checks, I thought the airport would be really crowded but it wasn’t. It took me 10 minutes to get from the front door of the airport, check my bag and go through the metal detectors. I had to take off my shoes (the only thing they’ll let you wear through the metal detector now is sneakers) but I didn’t get “wanded†or anything. Since I was almost two hours early for my flight I went into the airline club lounge. It was really quiet there. Since it was a Sunday morning they weren’t allowed to serve alcohol so I just had a quick muffin and a soda and grabbed a newspaper and decided to wait at the gate. As I was sitting at the gate, I decided I should probably grab something to eat on the plane, just in case. I grabbed a salad and a bottle of water, I called a bunch of friends and relatives to kill time. The flight was long but uneventful. I took a pair of earphones and a few movies to get me in the Vegas mood (The Rat Pack and Ocean’s 11) but I had a window seat and the guy on the aisle slept most of the way and I didn’t want to disturb him so I wasn’t able to watch my movies. There were two pretty decent movies on the plane though so it made time pass a little easier. When we were about an hour outside of Vegas, the pilot came on and announced that one of his very good friends was on the plane and he got special permission to take a difference route so we were going to do a little sight seeing over the Grand Canyon. We flew really low and got a great view although he kept tipping the plane and my stomach started to do flips. We still got into Vegas on time. I stopped off at the rest room quickly and by the time I made it down to baggage claim my bag was there and I was able to catch a cab in no time. The cab driver was an older woman and she didn’t shut up the whole time. There is a difference between being nice and being phony just to try to get a big tip and I found it irritating. There were about five people ahead of me on line at Mandalay Bay and the line moved quickly. When I got up to the desk I politely asked for a room in the Fiji wing with a view and the desk clerk said that was an additional $25. I told her that I spoke to reservations and they said that I would have to pay the $25 if I wanted to guarantee that in my reservation but that I could ask for it at check in for free (which is what I was told when I inquired a few month’s ago). I told her that I would just take a regular room then and she then said that she would see what she could do and she gave me the upgrade anyway. I couldn’t have a King bed but two queens were fine with me. The room is on the 26th floor and at the end of the hall. I was tired of walking and when I finally reached the room I dropped off my stuff and pulled the curtains open to find the most spectacular view of the strip I have ever seen (Thanks for the advice Sonya and Jerry!) The floor to ceiling windows just enhance the amazing view. I wish I brought my camera with me! The room itself if nice and the bathroom is about the same size as the Venetian. I called housekeeping to ask them for a bathrobe and they asked if I wanted slippers so I said sure. I may be here for work but I may as well enjoy myself. After settling down, I went down to grab a bite to eat and got side tracked by the casino. I played for an hour or so and then went to Raffles Café. I was starving so I had a salad and a NY Steak with mashed potatoes. I felt kind of guilty eating like a pig. There were a bunch of other women (probably here for the same conference) and they were all eating salads and healthy food. The food was really good, especially the mashed potatoes. (I always admire good mashed potatoes because it’s one of the few things I cannot make. Either you can sip the ones I make though a straw or you can spackle (sp?) a wall with them) After dinner I went back to gambling. I played regular slots, video poker and hot properties monopoly. I managed to rack up about 450 points today. They gave me a coupon booklet for getting 200 points and told me I have about $10 in cash and $4 in comp points. I’m down about $400 for the day. I can’t seem to find any double down poker here. I may have to visit another casino tomorrow night. It’s still early here but I’m still on East Coast time. I have to be down at class at 7:00 am so I have a wake up call set for 6:15 am. I’ll try to write more tomorrow…

 

[Dean Martin]

Great to see a real time trip report! If you like VP, try the Gold Coast and Green River Ranch. Let us know how you do! Have you tried the new 4 line "multistrike" VP? I'd love to hear what you think of it if you do.. Good luck!

 

[HoyaHeel]

Green Valley Ranch, perhaps?

 

[Dean Martin]

LOL....yea, that's the one...I knew it was some kind of Green place! We plan on visiting that casino when we're there in May...supposedly they have a great selcetion of FP VP, which I guess is 9/6 these days...I haven't seen a 10/7 machine in about 4 yrs.

 

[HoyaHeel]

No more martinis for you, Dean!

Dawn--I think it's so funny you use mashed potatoes as your measurement for a good restaurant! I guess we all have something we use Hope you're enjoying your trip, not working too hard!

 

[LV Dawn]

Day 2

Woke up at 4:00 am. I guess I’m still on East Coast time. I had the curtains open and from bed I could see the lights on the strip (the light on the pyramid wasn’t on. I guess they shut during the night). I forgot to turn off my cell phone before going to bed and it started ringing at 4:30 am. I did a little work, showered and grabbed a muffin downstairs before heading over to the convention center for class. (The walk from the room to the convention center is painfully long, especially when going back and forth during breaks between classes) My morning sessions ended at 11:00. I decided to play a little before heading up to the room. I lost a little and decided that since my next class wasn’t until 3:00 that I would head down to check out the pool. It was really nice. The weather was great and the water was warm. I headed back up at 12:30 and got ready to grab a bite to eat. I decided to try the Bay Side Buffet. For some reason I just assumed that since this is such a nice hotel that the buffet would be good. I was a little disappointed with the limited selection and surprised/disappointed to find pizza and slice turkey cold cuts at the buffet. The only thing that I really enjoyed was this milk and white chocolate mousse cake. It was wonderful! After that I played a little (and lost). While I was playing a slot machine, I kept looking over at a roulette table. All the numbers I play kept coming out. I thought about going over but with the luck I’ve been having I assumed that the numbers wouldn’t come out if I played. Finally, I decided that I had to give it a shot. I’m not sure how many numbers appear on the board but at any given time between 6 and 9 of the numbers up there were numbers I played. I went over with $60. I lost the first spin but the second spin came up 22 and I had four chips on it. I continued to play for ½ hour and then I decided that I should stop because I was bound to give it all back. I cashed out for $200, which covered my losses for the day. I went to class and after class I decided that I wasn’t happy with the selection of poker machines and I wanted to go to Harrah’s. They have a large selection of poker machines and I wanted to pick up some tickets to the Improv anyway. My feet hurt really bad so I decided to take a taxi over. The taxi driver was nice but we had a communication problem. I said Harrah’s and he heard Paris. I didn’t realize it until he was pulling into Paris and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so I just let him drop me off. I figured it was close enough to walk. I dropped $40 on my way through the casino and walked over to Harrah’s. I managed to lose another $300 at Harrah’s but I accumulated 250 points, which is a $15 food comp + two free show tickets so I got my Improv tickets. I can’t say they were free because they cost me about $300 but the seats are good. I plan to go on Wednesday if I can stay up past 9:00. I took a cab back from there. The driver was a Russian woman and she didn’t say a word. I was checking voice mail and didn’t realize it until it was too late but she decided to take the highway back to Mandalay Bay. I’m sure that wasn’t necessary. The fare was $15 and I only tipped her $2 because I felt like she took advantage. (I didn’t care for the driver yesterday but she didn’t take the highway so I tipped her something like 35%) I am too tired to eat dinner in a restaurant so I decided to order room service. It should be here soon and then I’m going to sleep (right after I post this). More tomorrow…

 

[LV Dawn]

Dean - I haven't seen the four line multi strike. I'll keep my eyes out for it. Where is the Green Valley Ranch? I don't have a car but if it's not too far, I'll check it out.

Hoya - I also just a restaurant by what kinds of lettuce they have, how fresh it is and how strong their vinegar is. I'm a salad nut. I have 8 different kinds of vinegar and can name about 15 types of lettuce off the top of my head. I think I should stop drinking. It's warping my brain!!!

 

[Dean Martin]

Dawn....you'd need a car or cab ti get to Green Valley Ranch but You can also play Multi Strike Poker at Boulder Station
The Orleans ,MGM & Mirage that I know of. If you like VP you'll love this game! Just remember that the objective on the 1st and 2nd lines is to advance...versus win the largest hand. Hope you have a great trip! I've been there on business before too for a contracst training class and it was definately a different feel than being on vacation. But, you're still in Vegas! Enjoy!! PS~ I know what you mean about being on east coast time, I can never sleep past about 5:30 am when I'm out there. I always go to the coffee shop at the Mirage, get a double shot espresso Mocha and find a comfortable VP machine...lol It's actually very quiet that time of morning and you can hear the music well. Kinda gets me in the mood for the day

 

[LV Dawn]

Day 3

An uneventful day… Got up at 5:15 am, got ready for class and figured I’d grab some breakfast on the way but I got side tracked and played for ½ hour before grabbing breakfast and heading over to class. I wanted a quick bite but I’m not particularly fond of breakfast food so I was pleased to find that the Kona Café had turkey sandwiches for sale at 7:00 am. It came on sour dough and also came with a pickle. (I’m sure people thought I was weird eating turkey and pickles so early in the am but I didn’t care) I had a six hour break between classes today (they were trying to encourage everyone to visit the exhibit hall). It was a nice break but I really wanted to drink and have fun but since I had to go back to class I had to be good. I wanted to play double down poker and the only place that I knew had it was the Riviera. They only had four machines and I hadn’t been there in about a year or so, but I decided to check it out anyway. After the ridiculous cab fare from Harrah’s back to Mandalay Bay I decided to take the bus. It was empty and the ride wasn’t too bad. I played at the Riviera for a few hours. They still had the same four double down poker machines so I was happy but I just wasn’t having any luck. On my way out I had to hit the ATM. I left around 1:30 and took the bus back. It was really crowded and took about a ½ hour to get from the Riviera to Mandalay Bay. My next class was at 3:00 so I decided to grab a bite to eat. I wanted something quick. I was going to try the Border Grill but my stomach just wasn’t up for anything spicy. I decided to go back to Raffles. I had the baked potato soup and some salad. The soup was really good. After class, I decided to head back to the room. There are several conventions going on here and I had to wait quite a while for an elevator. I downloaded 80 work related e-mails but had no desire to address any of them. It’s hard to work and do the right thing when you’re surrounded by drinking, gambling and fun. I was too tired to venture out of the hotel and yet not over joyed with the machines here so I decided to play some nickels and have a few drinks. I wanted to have lots but I have to get up early so I am going to be good. I grabbed a bite to eat at the little take out place (can’t remember the name) by the Sports book and I’m calling it a night.

 

[Dean Martin]

Dawn....we play a lot of VP and most of the multi-game machines have an option to turn on or off the double down. Just ask a slot host or tech if they will open the machine and turn it on. Good luck~ Dean

 

[hard_eight 24]

If you can, go to the Palms!!! 10/7 VP Machines!!! When you walk through the front door, $1 machines are to the right across from the cashier counter. $.25 machines are to the left when you enter.

I just got back on Monday. We played all day Sunday at Palms.

Good Luck!!!

 

[LV Dawn]

Thanks for the advice guys!

Dean - I didn't realize you could actually turn that on and off. COOL!

Hard eight - I get out of class late today and then I have show tickets tonight but my class ends early tomorrow so maybe I'll check out the Palms then. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[milehiman]

I have to say that I love this on-going report. That being said - you're wasting time writing, take notes and write when you get back and make us all jealous by having a great time while you're there - just kidding it sounds like youre having fun!

[ March 26, 2003, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: milehiman ]

 

[LV Dawn]

Day 4

Slept until 5:30. I've been feeling lonely and when I am not in class or gambling I have been calling family and friends. I think I used about 350 - 400 cell minutes since Sunday. I grabbed a muffin and an iced tea at the take-out place near the elevators. As I was sitting there, I noticed something moving on the carpet. The first thing that popped into my head was a mouse but it turned out to be a sparrow. I tossed him a few crumbs from my muffin and we had breakfast together. This was a sign that it was going to be a good day. I went back to the room at lunch and decided to work. I ordered room service ($30 for a turkey club, a salad and a soda) Ouch. Glad my company is picking up the tab. Class was long and I was starting to suffer from information over load so I was really bad and I skipped my last class. I gambled a bit in the hotel and was basically able to keep my head above water. I had Improv tickets at Harrah’s. I also had a $15 food comp. I took the bus and grabbed a bite to eat at the buffet. I always liked their buffet and I was happy to find that the quality and variety of food was still good. (They have really good chocolate cream pie) I had about an hour to kill before going to the show. I wandered around and found some double down poker machines (they weren’t marked) so I was thrilled. I played a double bonus poker machine and got four of a kind for 250 quarters. I cashed out at 200 and put another $20 in and after about ½ hour I got four threes, which paid 400 quarters. I decided that I should quit while I was ahead so while I was waiting for the machine to dump I checked the clock on my cell phone (I forgot my watch) and realized I was late for the show. Since I was having some luck and the tickets were comped anyway, I decided to gamble some more instead. I moved over to a $1 poker machine. I put a $20 in and lost and then moved over to a double bonus poker $1 machine on the other side. I put another $20 in. I played for about 15 minutes and then I pulled four nines, which paid $250. I cashed out and played a little more. All in all, I have $260 more than what I had when I woke up this morning but I’m still down quite a bit for the trip. I really wanted to stay and play some more but I have to get up early for class again. I hope my luck continues tomorrow.

 

[LV Dawn]

Day 5 (Last full day)

I woke up and my legs and feet hurt so much I really wished I could have stayed in bed. I didn't do anything I had intended to do this trip. I didn't eat at any of the restaurants or see any of the shows. I am heading back in May and July for vacations so I will do those things when I have someone to do them with. Eating alone is a bit awkward so I spent a lot of time ordering room service. I didn't even get to drink as much as I wanted to. I gambled quite a bit though. I did about 70% of my gambling at Mandalay Bay. I was discouraged by their slot program at first because it seemed difficult to get comps. I mostly played nickels and quarters here and over the course of the last five days, I racked up over 1,800 points. They gave me $40 in cash and told me I had $95 in food/beverage comps that would remain in my account for 18 months so I could use them during my next trip. The lady at the slot club also gave me a business card for a host here. I really didn't think I gambled enough to get a host. I am a Harrah's Diamond player and they don't think I qualify. Anyway, she told me the next time I wanted to come out that I should call this person. I guess it's worth a shot. Worst that can happen is they can laugh and tell me no way. I lost again today but since my company paid for my airfare, my hotel room and all my meals, I really don't feel so bad. I have an 8:00 am flight tomorrow and I'm all gambled out so I'm going to sleep.

 

[Darci]

I have a question (since you seem to be waking up so early). I'm going to LV (1rst time) next month, and will also be on eastern time, therefore waking up @ 4am. What is there to do at 4am (on the strip)?

 

[jack_retired]

It is a great time to gamble.
Crowds are down. Table miniums are down.
Order juice, coffe, or virgin mary's from the free drink service while gambling.

The coffee shops should not be crowded.

Not much else at that time of day.

Look for me, I will probably be at B. or CP, at a blackjack table. I leave for Vegas on Sunday.

You will need a coat or sweater to walk outside.

 

[Bosco]

Let's see....4 a.m......same thing you can do at midnight or noon or 4 p.m....except maybe some of the places to eat and the rollercoasters!

 

[Dean Martin]

Darci.. I'm east coast too and wake up about 5am when I'm in Las Vegas. It's one of my favorite times of the day. I get cleaned up, go grab a double shot Mocha at the coffee place (I stay at the Mirage) and find a good VP machine. It's nice and quiet that time of morning and you can hear the music real well. They're usually playing good upbeat music that gets me going for a day at the pool Man.... just talking about it makes me want to be there now! You just gotta love a place like Las Vegas... 6 weeks and counting for 8 days of reality

 

[HoyaHeel]

We head to a slot machine or VP (craps if my husband is interested--great time for learning odds & such--the dealers are lonely and more helpful ) I start drinking--nothing like that breakfast beer

If we're up at 6, maybe eat at 7, most pools start opening around 8 or 9, so you can get a chair, or sit in the hot tub for a while. We're definitely early birds in Vegas--that East Coast time change is hard to get over. Some people go jogging along the Strip--the only time it's not too crowded, or, in the summer, not too hot.