Thekiller & Princess Di Vegas Tour

July 10-15
To save time and space this is a very condensed trip report

Sunday. First stop The Orleans. Hit the box office for comped Little River Band tickets, then super fast check in. Nice strip view on the "13th" floor. Before the show, we had dinner at San Miguels with a couple of free margaritas. My wife, Diana, tried to pass me one of her flautas and it wound up in my lap. Obviously a result of a good strong margarita. Awesome, awesome Little River Band concert.

Monday morning Princess Di goes for an Orleans spa double header - Swedish massage and chocolate wrap. I went out by the pool for a while and then just walked around to see what was new. Diana smelled like a big chocolate cake when she got finished with her spa visit. Hit the lunch buffet, nothing spectacular but good selection and quality. Made a quick trip to the outlet mall where Diana just happened to find another pair of shoes to buy.
Had WWRY tickets for tonight so headed over to Paris early to look around before the show. Stopped in at Napoleons happy hour for a drink and a couple of free sandwiches served with the strongest horseradish I've ever had. Diana picks up a few souvenirs at the Queen shop. We Will Rock You show was funny, entertaining and had some great sets. Walked across to Belagio for our first ever fountain show and toured the conservatory inside. Pretty cool stuff. They still had the Independence Day theme set up. Back to The Orleans for a good $1.95 graveyard special in the cafe.

Tuesday had coffee and muffins out by the pool. Since the building was blocking the sun till about 10am it’s was just perfect out there. Packed up and headed out for the southern Vegas tour. First stop the Silverton. Nice clean little place next to Bass Pro and across the interstate from the outlet mall.
Next stop was Green Valley Ranch. It’s a real classy looking place with a lot of shops in the area. It was lunchtime and we were trying to find a place to eat when we came across a restaurant, Grand Cafe, that was roped off but people were being served and eating. The hostess said they were closed and just serving employees. This was just play day and they open next week. I told her we were lost and just looking for someplace to eat. To our surprise she invites us in for a free lunch. All we had to do was critique the food and service. I guess we do look like well fed food critics. We had Spinach - Artichoke cheese dip for the appetizer, a giant club sandwich with a fresh green salad and spaghetti with two tennis ball sized meatballs. The lady that made the menu up came by and chatted with us for a while. Made us feel like VIPs. Everything was excellent and since it was free we left the friendly young waitress a hefty tip.
Almost miserably full we continue on to Monte Lago out by Lake Las Vegas. Just a beautiful place out there but it was so hot we couldn't really enjoy the walk around all the little shops in the villa. Would be a nice place to go some evening to have dinner. Stop at Albertsons for water and wine.
We make it to the Golden Nugget about 6:30 to check in and are faced with a dilemma. We were offered free tickets to the last Gordie Brown show of the week and it started in one hour. The T2V meet at the Plaza was at 8. Sorry everyone, you got stood up for Downtown Gordie Brown. The show was hilarious and fast paced. Highly recommended for a good laugh. After the show we went by the Plaza but I guess everyone had moved on, it was too quiet for a T2V meet. We went over to the Keno bar to meet DonD's friend Tim the bartender. He's just an interesting fellow to talk to and we really enjoyed visiting with him. Stopped by the Golden Gate for a shrimp cocktail. Really tasty but the last bite was a little fishy tasting. Back at the Nugget we stopped at the lounge show and enjoyed The SteppenStonz R&B band.

Wednesday woke up late. Had coffee from Starbucks then headed west on Sahara to Rosemarys. Did the $20 choice of three items lunch. The waitress said that we could pick off of the regular menu as well as the lunch specials. Just a great meal but now Princess Di is pissed if someone doesn't put her napkin in her lap or refolds it when she leaves the table. She said, "I guess you know the bar has been raised". I thought, yeah that's what I was afraid of. Since we were only 15 minutes from Red Rock Canyon and too full to do anything else, we decided to take a drive out there. I know it’s just a bunch of rocks but they are colored and stacked real pretty. Besides what better place to enjoy the hottest day of the year, 116 degrees, than in the middle of the desert.

 

Diana takes a dip in the pool when we return to the Nugget but I just try to find some shade to sit under. I had iced down a bottle of Cavit pinot grigio that morning, so after the swim we enjoyed it while taking in the view from our room of the El Cid. No shows or driving tonight, this is drinking day. The bottle of wine ran dry so we went down to play some slots for a while. It wasn't very crowded at that time of day and we were sitting close to the bar, a good combination for fast cocktail service. The jack and coke came in a steady stream. We weren't very hungry but decided we better go find a snack while we could still walk. Walked down to Main Street Station and shared a tasty New York strip steak.
This is where we start a modified "Jenaphir's casino crawl game". Our rules were to play $10 until it is gone or cash out if you double it. So with a fist full of ten-dollar bills we start at the MSS, then down to the California, Las Vegas Club and then Golden Gate. Get our free beads at Le Bayou and head inside for a tall cold drink. We get in line at the bar and watch a young girl preparing to take a shot of tequila as her parents proudly looked on. They proclaimed she was 24 years old and a Vegas virgin. We gave her a round of applause as she threw the shot down like a pro. Diana didn't want a whole yard by herself so we decided to share a "Sex on the Bayou", a high octane peachy drink. She didn't know I ordered the extra shot and her reaction after her first sip was "Damn!!†Yeah, pretty damn good, huh? I slugged it down a little to fast and got a brain freeze that left me blind in the right eye momentarily. When I thawed out we continued our casino crawl here at Le Bayou, then on to Four Queens. We stopped and watched the Afro haired band WonderBoogie play some disco. Everyone was grooving and dancing until they started playing some bad Ozzie and Van Halen. Did a tour through the Fitz and as we came out I was trying to get the last drop out of the yard drink. After a few lewd remarks on what we could do with the empty container we decided just to throw it away. I looked way down the street to the El Cortez and it looked like a dim lighthouse through the grain-induced fog, so we turned back into the Freemont and then Binions. When we came to Mermaids I took a cash drawing ticket from the young lady out front that had a two-foot tall, pink and yellow feathery head dress on. I guess she didn't like it when I said she looked like a big chicken or maybe it was the clucking sound I made because she began to hit me about the head and face with her feathers. I retreated inside to the safety of the casino and Diana comes in laughing, then hands me two tickets. I ask her why I only got one and the chicken girl gave her two. Still laughing she points at me and says, "Because I'm with you". OK Big Chicken 1, Thekiller 0. I ask the wife if she is ready for another yard drink and the reply was "No, I have a headache". Well it looks like the grain train has affected my mojo with the women, so I head for the bar to get something to take that chicken feather taste out of my mouth. Tried to get a Jack and coke but that wasn't available at this establishment. Did get a big tall mix of coke and some kind of strong bad whiskey. Diana wanted something to eat so I get her an "American" hot dog smothered in nacho cheese. I took one small bite and since there wasn't a trash can close by I went ahead and swallowed it. Diana must have been in bad shape because she finished the rest of it. As a public service I would like to warn everyone not to go in the restrooms at Mermaids, I won't go into details, just trust me on this one. It was uncomfortably hot in Mermaids but we went ahead and continued the $10 bet. I couldn't lose mine fast enough. Back out on the street we pass by the working ladies in front of Glitter Gulch. They looked pretty tough, so after getting beat up by a chicken tonight I try not to make eye contact with them and keep my mouth shut. I take Diana back to the room and then go over to Binions to shot some dice for a while. Pretty cool playing on the table by the door and watching all the people go by.

Thursday we have breakfast at Carsons Cafe there in the Golden Nugget. Good food and great service. It's moving day again so we pack up and head south. Stop by the Fashion Show Mall to get Princess Di some Godiva chocolates. Next to her at the checkout counter is a dead ringer for Sandra Bullock and she proclaims she needs a chocolate fix. I can see why because on Saturday we find out she married bad boy Jesse James. We go to tix4tonight and get vouchers for the Rat Pack show tonight. Go all the way down to Tropicana, to one of Diana's favorite shops only to find out it has closed. We pass by an In and Out burger over by the college and decide to give it a try. I thought it was good but Diana said she would rather have mustard on hers. Is that animal style? It's about 3 o’clock so we go by the Greek Isle just to make sure we can find it and exchange our vouchers for tickets.
We then head to the Venetian and have a fast check in. We get a room on the 19th floor overlooking the pool and the Wynn. We go down to the pool and Diana has a dip while I get behind a small evergreen shrub to hide from the sun. Showered up and went down for a Gondola ride. When we went under the bridge and the boat driver, Stephano, started singing, Diana went romantic on me. She sang him a few bars of "Oklahoma" under the next bridge. We get over to the Greek Isle for the show about an hour early so have a drink at the bar. I order a Cosmopolitan and a Jack and coke. He brings the drinks over and places the Cosmo in front of me, then says, "Oh, I'm sorry you're probably having the Jack and coke sir". Maybe I have finally broken the melontini stigma. The Rat Pack show was cool, great atmosphere and performances. Get back to the Venetian and walk around taking a few pics. Go to the Grand Lux for a midnight snack. Great food and plenty of it. Friday, after 4 hours sleep it's an early get up for 10am flight out. Hit a slot for $225 while waiting for departure. Cash out and go home. It was all good.

I can't believe I didn't play one hand of blackjack. Diana just plays slots so to be together I just played along with her. That's ok with me, it was fun and after a few drinks she is easy.

Wish we had more time at the Venetian, it looked like good strip snob material.

We lost track of the casino crawl results. The drinks at Le Bayou might have had something to do with that but I think I had more money than when I started.

Five nights seems like a long stay in Vegas but with all the sightseeing and shows the time just flew by. Thanks everyone on the board for all the great tips and suggestions. We saw and tried a lot of new things. It was one of the best Vegas trips ever.

 

Ah, ain't marriage grand!! So is she a downtown convert now? Or at least amenable to try it again?? Sounds like you definitely followed the advice to get her liquored up :evillaugh Sounds like fun!!

 

Tim the bartender

Nice report Killer. Tim called me and said that you had stopped by to see him and that you seemed to be a very nice guy just like all the T2V’ers he has met.

Tim also wanted me to tell all his new friends that he hit a royal the other day for a grand and then bet the ponies for about another grand. He was so excited he called me after 10:00 PM and I am in bed and I don’t think that he gave a sh*t.

He said to say “Hi†to all and stop by and see him anytime.

 

Another satisfied passenger of the Grain Train! Sounds like you and the missus had a grand time, Killer. Vacations like that are priceless.

 

Great TR Killer...you got some funny shiat in there..nice !.

 

"coffee and muffins out by the pool." ???....... Oh yeah, that's code.

 

Beautiful. And I had nothing to do with it.

Sounds like it was a great trip.

 

It's all fun and games till somebody loses an eye......

That was a good read killer. Glad you had a fun time. We do learn a lot of stuff about Las Vegas here, thanks to all who post their tips and experiences.

That was a cool picture and caption you posted of the Mrs. by the postcard rack. She didn’t look too wrecked though?? Did you find her a conductor's hat to wear while she was on the train?? The bad Ozzy you heard - was it a rendition of Crazy Train? if so, Coincidence??

What room did you like the most if comparing the GN and Orleans? I would assume the Venetian was the best of the bunch though?

Well Done

RW

P.S. Did you have any W.M’s? They make you blind in both eyes They also give your memory a little vacation for an hour or so…:evillaugh not that there is anything wrong with that......

 

Hoya, The wife said she had a good time downtown and really liked the Golden Nugget but said a one night stay might be enough. For some reason she liked the pool at GN better than the V. We stayed in the GN south tower and the long walk everyone talks about was the same length as walking down the long hall to our room at the Venetian.

Ross, all the rooms we had were great but I think the the Venetian impressed us the most. It was nice having a tub and a separate shower, although the shower had all glass walls and the wife took the opportunity to make a few rude comments. Even after a shower I felt dirty and cheap.

Yeah, Rambill, the train ride was fun. Good thing I shared with the wife, part of one yard got me in enough trouble.

I'm always looking over my shoulder Al.

I'm still working on the report for the shows we went to, should be finished soon.
Thanks everyone

 

So did ya eat her up ..

For some reason I just want to do this just so I can smell like cake all day! Yummy! You say she smells like cake - But my Honey says kinda the same thing but he refers it to warm apple pie!

I better stop while I am ahead of myself - I am going to get kicked off the boards!

 

Killer!

You shoulda called me man! We coulda had some rootbeer...

Mikey

 

Landa you're making me blush

Mikey, since you're going to school and working I figured you needed a break from your one man Las Vegas welcoming committee. It sounds like the carousing with all the nubile young women has gotten your white count down. Get some rest and take plenty of vitamins, maybe next time we can go have that rootbeer. Do they offer the extra shot in your rootbeer at Ellis Island, like they do at Le Bayou?

 

Great report Killer! I love those spa treatments, it puts me in a great mood all day. I guess maybe the 1/2 yard thing was a good idea, but you do know that next time those T2V'ers are going to "force ya" to finish it all alone...Right Doc?