VP Mark
Guest
We just returned from heaven. Here is our rather long report. Please enjoy.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Our flight out on Alaska Air from Seattle was uneventful, but running a little late b/c of the fires in Los Angles. One interesting note; the traditional bag of peanuts was replaced by a small bag of apple slices and a small container of caramel for dipping. This was actually a very nice snack. Refreshing.
Our arrival at NYNY was exciting, we have been away too long. We checked in as “Invited Guests†so there was no line. Our slot host arranged for a slight upgrade in rooms in the Chrysler Tower. We were given adjoining rooms with my brother and sister-in-law. This was convenient. The room is on the 28th floor with a view to the west towards The Orleans. This room is not as large and plush as our “corner†room the last two years, but it is still nice.
After settling in we head over to the Rain Forest Café for a light dinner. The menu has changed since our last visit a couple years ago. They no longer serve the one appetizer that always brought us here to eat, the coconut chicken. Still the food is good and the atmosphere is fun. Without the appetizer though, this is a bit pricey for a light meal.
After eating and some cocktails we head back to NYNY to start our gaming. The slots and VP aren’t ready to give up any winnings to T. and I tonight. We have small wins to keep us playing, but not enough to keep anything in our pockets. If you look hard enough you can still find a few full-pay jacks or better in the corner behind the high roller area on the multigame/multidenominational machines. We called it a night “early†by Vegas standards (midnight). It is the first night after all and with the change in daylight savings time, we were ready for bed.
Monday October 27, 2003.
We got a fairly early start today. Since it is T’s birthday I have arranged a special day at the NYNY Salon. She doesn’t know about it, so I have to “push†her to make an appointment. With the help of Sister-in-law (who is “in the knowâ€) we get T. to set the appointment. Until then, we head over to the Boardwalk for some low limit BJ. We have a ball, as usual, and walk away a few dollars ahead. We stop at Monte Carlo and T. decides she is going to win a BMW. Needless to say, $20 later we decide a plane really is a better way to get home anyway. This is not the last time she tries this and becomes somewhat of a mission this trip.
T. enjoyed her facial and manicure, although it took a bit longer than we all planned. After she finished we took what was left of the afternoon to head over to the Aladdin to shop around the Desert Passage mall and then into the casino. The mall is turning more like “your average mall†these days with often seen mall merchants like Victoria Secret and Discovery Channel Store. I suppose with the mall struggling you aren’t likely to see “unique†stores, but only those that can “make rent.†Anyway, it is less interesting these days.
We like the Aladdin casino. It is struggling, but I’m not sure we know why except that it is much less “fancy†than all the other new places. We again try our hand at winning a BMW, but alas it is not meant to be. The Radio Music Awards are at the Aladdin tonight. There are crowds waiting to get into the show, but we didn’t glimpse any celebs. The media coverage did bring out throngs of union protesters outside. How nice.
Walking home we stop to watch the Bellagio fountains. Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo†was the show this stop. The fountains always entertain me. What a great idea Mr. Wynn. I must say, after the show we all felt like a nice juicy steak. (Beef. It’s what’s for dinner)
Tonight we went to the Tropicana “Comedy Stopâ€. We had 2-for-1 coupons and got in for $20 a couple, including one drink each. The show room is very plain. Just some chairs and tables crammed into a small room. I didn’t have high expectations given the room and the cheap price. But what the heck, none of us have ever gone to a comedy club. We were all very pleasantly surprised. We had a ball and the three performers all cracked us up. If you have the time and are looking for a cheap fun evening you have to do this. Mondays are 2-for-1 night with use of a coupon from any of the local magazines.
After the show we ate at the MGM buffet. We really like this buffet, except this year we all found at least on “nit†to pick. For me, I go for the crab and this year is just wasn’t as flavorful (I think it may have been snow crab instead of king which could be the reason). We finished the evening gaming at NYNY and still no wins to report.
We did find a new slot machine that gave us hours of enjoyment this trip. It is a “Family Feud†machine. The “bonus†round allows the player to select “survey†answers for bonus points. I’m sure this is all controlled by a random number generator like all slots (I would love to hear from somebody that knows something about how these slots work) but they give the illusion that the quality of the answer you select controls the amount of bonus you are awarded. We never won any BIG jackpots on these machines, but they were a load of fun to play and we were able to stretch $20 dollars pretty far each time we played and that is the most important thing for us when we play.
Tues. October 28, 2003
This morning we head down to the Sahara to play low limit black jack and craps. I was wiped out quickly at craps. I could not catch a roll and I was soon cleaned out of the craps budget I set for myself. Oh well, maybe next year. T. and I did a bit better at BJ here, but still nothing big. We all played to win a VIPER here on nickel slots. Hey, you must try for a Viper for a nickel a pull, right? But, no car still. Steve did hit a “big†nickel jackpot, which is a first for him and made his day.
Off to the Hilton to eat and go to the Star Trek Experience. We ate at the 24 hour café. It was fine, but nothing great. The Star Trek Experience was a blast again, but there were nearly no crowds. To address this situation they are bringing a new show. The Borg will be invading next year, and it is advertised as 4D. I guess that is on our list for next year. We couldn’t leave here without stopping in at Quark’s for the “Warp Core Breachâ€, or as we like to call it, “the big bowl of rum.†Needless to say the rest of the afternoon is a bit of a giddy fog.
Tonight we go to the Blue Man Group. This is our second time seeing this show and it was GREAT again. Even though we knew the show, it was so much fun. This year I had VIP services at the NYNY order my tickets. (we paid, but they got the seats) There was a small snafu (the tickets were ordered for Sept 28 instead of Oct 28) but the ticket agents scrambled and got our seats. We were 10th row center! Great job VIP services. We will definitely do that again. Tonight I hit a jackpot playing dollar slots, not huge and not enough to cover all our loses, but it felt good to win a bigger pot.
Wed. October 29, 2003
We woke this morning to a view of smoke and haze. The winds have shifted and the smoke from the California wildfires is here. This is serious. The haze is so thick you can’t see the mountains from our hotel room. You can’t see down the strip from one end to the next. The air smells and tastes like smoke. It is not comfortable to be out in the air for your eyes and throat. News reports are advising people to stay in if they can. This is definitely something new.
We started the day at the Bellagio for pictures. The conservatory has a new display this year. They have a mill and water wheel and water “fountains†forming an archway you walk under. Hard to describe, but very pretty. From here we headed to Caesars and the Forum shops. The Caesars’ remodeling continues. The new food court is nice with a good variety, but a strange payment system. You are issued a card (like a hotel room key) that the vendors swipe as you make your purchase. You pay at the end when you leave the food court.
Wife and family hadn’t ever been in Imperial Palace or really anywhere on that side of the strip. We did that today and I think we realized why we don’t go there much. We did gamble here and there along the way. We saw “Big Elvis†at the Barbary Coast. What a wonderful voice, so much like Elvis, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for this guy. He is huge. Our eyes our burning from being out so much, the air is nasty so we move on.
Before we make it home we stop again at the Aladdin to try and bring home a car. Sorry, still taking the plane, but I did get photographic evidence that we tried. From the Aladdin we went across the street to catch another fountain show. Tonight it was Celine Dion singing the theme from Titanic. I don’t care much for Celine, and this is a tired song, but it was beautiful in this setting and the water was choreographed wonderfully.
Dinner tonight at Gallagher’s at NYNY. This is a great place. The food was VERY good (the aged NY Sirloin is fantastic, as is the Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert) and the service is just right. The place is pricey, but so much fun as a treat on vacation.
We finished the evening gaming. VP went well in terms of longevity tonight, but no big wins. Several 4-of-a-kind to keep me playing and at least 4 times I was given 4 to a Royal, but alas, I did not get my first Royal this trip. We stopped into the new pub “Nine Fine Irishmen†and thought this place could be a great deal of fun. It is not large, but it wasn’t crowded Wed. night. The band playing was so much fun, and there was a lass with the band dancing. What a blast. I want to return here next trip and down a pint of Guinness and take in the entertainers. This is a great addition to the property.
Thursday, October 30, 2003.
Get away day. We slept in a bit longer then planned and needed to scramble a bit to get packed in time to put a few more points on our slot cards before check out. VP was still going well, but no big wins. I did realize that I need to be a bit more careful when I sit down at these “multi-denomination†machines. It wasn’t until I was “finished†that I realized I had been playing at $.50 instead of $.25 the whole morning. I guess the money would have lasted a bit longer if I had noticed sooner.
As has become tradition we finished our play at the Boardwalk bj tables. This was a lot of fun and again sent us away on an up note. Both T. and I finished ahead a few dollars (at $3 minimum bets “a few dollars†is all you will ever be ahead). This trip we got a bonus. While we were sitting at the tables the pit boss distributed “raffle tickets†to all the players. Just as we left the tables they called the raffle numbers. We hurried back to the table in time to grab our tickets. T. was a winner and took home an extra $50.
We got to the airport as usual 2 hours early only to find our flight is delayed 1 hour, apparently because of high winds in the area. Many flights are delayed and the terminal is crowded. Nothing like sitting in an airport several hours when you could be sitting at a blackjack table or have some other type of fun only 20 minutes away. Oh well.
So that’s it, another great trip to Wonderland. No new car to bring home, no bags full of money, just fond memories of another terrific stay in our most favorite city. So it's back to the real world and T-360 days until the next trip. ~ Viva Las Vegas~
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Our flight out on Alaska Air from Seattle was uneventful, but running a little late b/c of the fires in Los Angles. One interesting note; the traditional bag of peanuts was replaced by a small bag of apple slices and a small container of caramel for dipping. This was actually a very nice snack. Refreshing.
Our arrival at NYNY was exciting, we have been away too long. We checked in as “Invited Guests†so there was no line. Our slot host arranged for a slight upgrade in rooms in the Chrysler Tower. We were given adjoining rooms with my brother and sister-in-law. This was convenient. The room is on the 28th floor with a view to the west towards The Orleans. This room is not as large and plush as our “corner†room the last two years, but it is still nice.
After settling in we head over to the Rain Forest Café for a light dinner. The menu has changed since our last visit a couple years ago. They no longer serve the one appetizer that always brought us here to eat, the coconut chicken. Still the food is good and the atmosphere is fun. Without the appetizer though, this is a bit pricey for a light meal.
After eating and some cocktails we head back to NYNY to start our gaming. The slots and VP aren’t ready to give up any winnings to T. and I tonight. We have small wins to keep us playing, but not enough to keep anything in our pockets. If you look hard enough you can still find a few full-pay jacks or better in the corner behind the high roller area on the multigame/multidenominational machines. We called it a night “early†by Vegas standards (midnight). It is the first night after all and with the change in daylight savings time, we were ready for bed.
Monday October 27, 2003.
We got a fairly early start today. Since it is T’s birthday I have arranged a special day at the NYNY Salon. She doesn’t know about it, so I have to “push†her to make an appointment. With the help of Sister-in-law (who is “in the knowâ€) we get T. to set the appointment. Until then, we head over to the Boardwalk for some low limit BJ. We have a ball, as usual, and walk away a few dollars ahead. We stop at Monte Carlo and T. decides she is going to win a BMW. Needless to say, $20 later we decide a plane really is a better way to get home anyway. This is not the last time she tries this and becomes somewhat of a mission this trip.
T. enjoyed her facial and manicure, although it took a bit longer than we all planned. After she finished we took what was left of the afternoon to head over to the Aladdin to shop around the Desert Passage mall and then into the casino. The mall is turning more like “your average mall†these days with often seen mall merchants like Victoria Secret and Discovery Channel Store. I suppose with the mall struggling you aren’t likely to see “unique†stores, but only those that can “make rent.†Anyway, it is less interesting these days.
We like the Aladdin casino. It is struggling, but I’m not sure we know why except that it is much less “fancy†than all the other new places. We again try our hand at winning a BMW, but alas it is not meant to be. The Radio Music Awards are at the Aladdin tonight. There are crowds waiting to get into the show, but we didn’t glimpse any celebs. The media coverage did bring out throngs of union protesters outside. How nice.
Walking home we stop to watch the Bellagio fountains. Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo†was the show this stop. The fountains always entertain me. What a great idea Mr. Wynn. I must say, after the show we all felt like a nice juicy steak. (Beef. It’s what’s for dinner)
Tonight we went to the Tropicana “Comedy Stopâ€. We had 2-for-1 coupons and got in for $20 a couple, including one drink each. The show room is very plain. Just some chairs and tables crammed into a small room. I didn’t have high expectations given the room and the cheap price. But what the heck, none of us have ever gone to a comedy club. We were all very pleasantly surprised. We had a ball and the three performers all cracked us up. If you have the time and are looking for a cheap fun evening you have to do this. Mondays are 2-for-1 night with use of a coupon from any of the local magazines.
After the show we ate at the MGM buffet. We really like this buffet, except this year we all found at least on “nit†to pick. For me, I go for the crab and this year is just wasn’t as flavorful (I think it may have been snow crab instead of king which could be the reason). We finished the evening gaming at NYNY and still no wins to report.
We did find a new slot machine that gave us hours of enjoyment this trip. It is a “Family Feud†machine. The “bonus†round allows the player to select “survey†answers for bonus points. I’m sure this is all controlled by a random number generator like all slots (I would love to hear from somebody that knows something about how these slots work) but they give the illusion that the quality of the answer you select controls the amount of bonus you are awarded. We never won any BIG jackpots on these machines, but they were a load of fun to play and we were able to stretch $20 dollars pretty far each time we played and that is the most important thing for us when we play.
Tues. October 28, 2003
This morning we head down to the Sahara to play low limit black jack and craps. I was wiped out quickly at craps. I could not catch a roll and I was soon cleaned out of the craps budget I set for myself. Oh well, maybe next year. T. and I did a bit better at BJ here, but still nothing big. We all played to win a VIPER here on nickel slots. Hey, you must try for a Viper for a nickel a pull, right? But, no car still. Steve did hit a “big†nickel jackpot, which is a first for him and made his day.
Off to the Hilton to eat and go to the Star Trek Experience. We ate at the 24 hour café. It was fine, but nothing great. The Star Trek Experience was a blast again, but there were nearly no crowds. To address this situation they are bringing a new show. The Borg will be invading next year, and it is advertised as 4D. I guess that is on our list for next year. We couldn’t leave here without stopping in at Quark’s for the “Warp Core Breachâ€, or as we like to call it, “the big bowl of rum.†Needless to say the rest of the afternoon is a bit of a giddy fog.
Tonight we go to the Blue Man Group. This is our second time seeing this show and it was GREAT again. Even though we knew the show, it was so much fun. This year I had VIP services at the NYNY order my tickets. (we paid, but they got the seats) There was a small snafu (the tickets were ordered for Sept 28 instead of Oct 28) but the ticket agents scrambled and got our seats. We were 10th row center! Great job VIP services. We will definitely do that again. Tonight I hit a jackpot playing dollar slots, not huge and not enough to cover all our loses, but it felt good to win a bigger pot.
Wed. October 29, 2003
We woke this morning to a view of smoke and haze. The winds have shifted and the smoke from the California wildfires is here. This is serious. The haze is so thick you can’t see the mountains from our hotel room. You can’t see down the strip from one end to the next. The air smells and tastes like smoke. It is not comfortable to be out in the air for your eyes and throat. News reports are advising people to stay in if they can. This is definitely something new.
We started the day at the Bellagio for pictures. The conservatory has a new display this year. They have a mill and water wheel and water “fountains†forming an archway you walk under. Hard to describe, but very pretty. From here we headed to Caesars and the Forum shops. The Caesars’ remodeling continues. The new food court is nice with a good variety, but a strange payment system. You are issued a card (like a hotel room key) that the vendors swipe as you make your purchase. You pay at the end when you leave the food court.
Wife and family hadn’t ever been in Imperial Palace or really anywhere on that side of the strip. We did that today and I think we realized why we don’t go there much. We did gamble here and there along the way. We saw “Big Elvis†at the Barbary Coast. What a wonderful voice, so much like Elvis, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for this guy. He is huge. Our eyes our burning from being out so much, the air is nasty so we move on.
Before we make it home we stop again at the Aladdin to try and bring home a car. Sorry, still taking the plane, but I did get photographic evidence that we tried. From the Aladdin we went across the street to catch another fountain show. Tonight it was Celine Dion singing the theme from Titanic. I don’t care much for Celine, and this is a tired song, but it was beautiful in this setting and the water was choreographed wonderfully.
Dinner tonight at Gallagher’s at NYNY. This is a great place. The food was VERY good (the aged NY Sirloin is fantastic, as is the Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert) and the service is just right. The place is pricey, but so much fun as a treat on vacation.
We finished the evening gaming. VP went well in terms of longevity tonight, but no big wins. Several 4-of-a-kind to keep me playing and at least 4 times I was given 4 to a Royal, but alas, I did not get my first Royal this trip. We stopped into the new pub “Nine Fine Irishmen†and thought this place could be a great deal of fun. It is not large, but it wasn’t crowded Wed. night. The band playing was so much fun, and there was a lass with the band dancing. What a blast. I want to return here next trip and down a pint of Guinness and take in the entertainers. This is a great addition to the property.
Thursday, October 30, 2003.
Get away day. We slept in a bit longer then planned and needed to scramble a bit to get packed in time to put a few more points on our slot cards before check out. VP was still going well, but no big wins. I did realize that I need to be a bit more careful when I sit down at these “multi-denomination†machines. It wasn’t until I was “finished†that I realized I had been playing at $.50 instead of $.25 the whole morning. I guess the money would have lasted a bit longer if I had noticed sooner.
As has become tradition we finished our play at the Boardwalk bj tables. This was a lot of fun and again sent us away on an up note. Both T. and I finished ahead a few dollars (at $3 minimum bets “a few dollars†is all you will ever be ahead). This trip we got a bonus. While we were sitting at the tables the pit boss distributed “raffle tickets†to all the players. Just as we left the tables they called the raffle numbers. We hurried back to the table in time to grab our tickets. T. was a winner and took home an extra $50.
We got to the airport as usual 2 hours early only to find our flight is delayed 1 hour, apparently because of high winds in the area. Many flights are delayed and the terminal is crowded. Nothing like sitting in an airport several hours when you could be sitting at a blackjack table or have some other type of fun only 20 minutes away. Oh well.
So that’s it, another great trip to Wonderland. No new car to bring home, no bags full of money, just fond memories of another terrific stay in our most favorite city. So it's back to the real world and T-360 days until the next trip. ~ Viva Las Vegas~
