This counts as work?!

Not your normal Vegas trip…….no drinking, staying up too late, or seeing naked girls….Man, almost makes you wonder why I went, doesn’t it? Hahahaha

Hit the road before dawn Tuesday morning, and rolled into town around 11:30…..too early to check in, so I turned Right on Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd, and went directly to the Callaway Center to hit some golf balls. This is the best driving range I’ve ever been to, and I try to get there every time I’m in Vegas. They put grass in where the giant lake used to be, but it’s still great. Hit balls, chipped, and putted until around 2:00, then headed off to the Flamingo to check in.

I must say up front that my expectation level for the Flamingo was not high. This estimation was completely based on gut feel based on the appearance from the Strip, and a couple of very short forays into the casino. I drove past the entrance on the first pass….very poorly signed in my opinion…..circled around and made my way to the Valet, which was somewhat surly and disorganized…. Hmmmm this is shaping up pretty much the way I envisioned it. Grabbed my stuff and headed for the check-in desk. Once inside, I must admit that it was nicer than anticipated….lots of marble and gold….reminded me a lot of the Golden Nugget. I was first in line, which was great, especially since for the rest of the trip I swear that line was Never less than twenty people deep….talk about good timing! I asked the girl at the counter if there was any chance of a “Birthday upgrade†to the room….we laughed, and she asked for my ID, and we laughed some more. At the end of the process she told me she upgraded me to a Strip View room….pretty much all I had expected, so that was great. I got to the room, and once again, was pleasantly surprised. Definitely better than anticipated. I was only eight floors up, but my room looked directly at Ceaser’s, and diagonally to the left was Bellagio, and an unobstructed view of the fountains. Nice.

I got my stuff organized and headed out to the Las Vegas Athletic Club just up from the corner of Sahara and Maryland Parkway. There are several LVACs, but this is the Big one, and it’s great. Worked out with no time restraints (what a luxury!), then hit the Huge steam room, and then the jacuzzi…nice. On the way out I was looking at the prices in the window of the Massage place that is one of the businesses in the large entry foyer to the club. One of the therapists brought a copy out for me, and started explaining reflexology to me as she massaged my hand……hell yeah, let’s go! An hour later, I am completely content. I get in the car and head back to the hotel….after a few minutes I look around and blurt out “where the f…. am I??†hahahahahaaa I was such a noodle that I missed the turn onto LVB, and just kept driving! Hahahahaa I was sitting in the car laughing out loud. I saw a sign for the 15, and was good to go.

Got back to the hotel, changed clothes, called home, and was ready for some fun. My plan was to walk across the street to the Mirage and play some poker, but much to my surprise, on the way out I saw that the Flamingo had a poker room! Not as nice as the Mirage’s, and not non-smoking, but still! There’s something to be said for walking from the tables to the elevator. Another check mark in the good column for the Flamingo. I played for about four hours, and ended the night down about $25…..pretty cheap entertainment. Met some nice people, as you usually do playing poker.

So day one pretty much went like this…..took a long drive, played some golf, worked out, got a massage, played poker…..aaawwww yeah.

The next morning I slept in three hours longer than my normal weekday wake-up time, and then headed out to learn, learn, learn. Spent the morning learning, then it was lunch time…. Hmmmm…..eat, or gamble?…. I can eat any day, time for some Pai Gow Poker!! Played for about 45 minutes, and came back down $5, much to the amusement of the table of non-gambling women next to me. Learned for a few more hours, and then I was free again! I had planned to go back to the Callaway Center and hit some more balls, but it is COLD today….I mean legitimately cold. Off to the gym!! Another luxurious no time limit workout, steam room, and jacuzzi. Didn’t get the massage this time, so I was able to navigate the trip back to the hotel without incident... heeheehee Fresh clothes, call the family, and it's off to dinner. There is a restaurant that was right next to the elevators….Lindey’s….looked at the menu on display…. $11 for a salad….hmmmm….the buffet is right there….gotta go! Once again, pleasantly surprised. The selection was not overly amazing, but everything I had was very good. Now it’s off to play cards! Once again intending to go to the Mirage, but I see some people from the night before, and decide to at least start here, and see how it goes. Of course I never left. Played for about four hours, ended the night down about $30. Off to the room. The Bellagio fountain show is awesome from my window. I call my wife to let her know (again).

Sleep in again, then off to spend the day learning. At lunch I decide to check out the pools and gardens of the Flamingo, since I’ve heard they’re great. They are! This place was the Mirage before the Mirage! “Old school Mirageâ€. Nice. I would definitely stay here again, especially in the summer. It is cold and windy, so I head back inside to get in a half hour of Pai Gow Poker before getting back to class. Of course the women next to me want to know the damage, and I proudly proclaim, “up $7! Who’s the Man NOW??†hahahahahaa A few more hours of learning, and I’m done. I try to get the ladies to stay another night so we can get a limo, see the sights, and have some fun…they want to, but can’t. It’s my birthday, and I don’t feel like working out. I Need to play cards at the Mirage! Do the change clothes/call home thing, and head out…..it’s COLD outside!! I’m standing at the crosswalk to the Mirage, shivering….there are three women next to me…..I cozy up to one and jokingly ask if I can just stand next to her sweater… we all laugh, and they give me a hard time for not having a jacket. Turns out they are on a girl’s trip from New Jersey. They are all very nice, and when we get to the other side, they ask me if I want to join them, as they are going to Ceasar’s for drinks….I hear a very loud voice in my head that sounds an awful lot like Clint Eastwood, saying “A Man’s got to know his limitationsâ€â€¦..I regretfully decline, saying I have to meet some people for dinner….damn….. I get on the walkway and head into the Mirage. Finally…. Man, I love this poker room. I get a seat at a table with a couple of very nice guys….one to my left from Texas, who went to A&M, as did my brother, and another guy from Connecticut at the end of the table. One of the things I love about Vegas is meeting people from all over… very cool. I’m hanging in there for a few hours, having a great time…feeling like a Big Dog, playing poker at the Mirage. Then it happens…. I fill a flush in six cards, but it looks like a straight on the table…I raise max….two people stay in. Last card…. I bet max again, one guy folds, but the woman at the end raises me… uh-oh….I’m in this far, so I have to pay….she has an ace high flush, three diamonds in the hole… ouch. I win the next hand with a pair of sevens….great…you can imagine the disparity in pot size. Next hand….I have an eights over sevens full house in six cards…time to get it back….bet max… again, two people stay in….seventh card….bet max… again one guy drops and it’s just me and the same woman….she raises me Again! We both look like flushes on the table….I re-raise, she calls, and we turn our cards over….I’m feeling good as turn my boat… then I see her THREE KINGS IN THE HOLE…..no way! Kings over two’s. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the groin. At this point I have two options….take a knee, or walk it off. I decide there is more dignity in walking, so I say goodbye to the Mirage poker room, down $100. Ouch. Go get some dinner at the Mirage buffet. After dinner I decide to visit some other casinos. I walk through the Mall at Ceasar’s, and on to the Casino….it looks like they are going to re-do the Casino! Great! Now if they will just encourage their dealers to be happy, that place will be Great! On to the Bellagio….watch a fountain show from just inside the entrance, then over to Bally’s and Paris, then down to Harrah’s outdoor party area to listen to the band playing 70’s and 80’s music for a while…quite entertaining. It is seriously cold, so it’s back to the Flamingo for a couple hours of Pai Gow Poker before calling it a night…up $2…great.

Sleep in ‘till 8:00 the next morning…..I could get used to this! Check out on the tv, and notice they charged me for a bottled water I didn’t drink….call down and get it fixed….strange….speaking of strange, what is the deal with gouging on phone calls? $30 and $40 phone calls?! What the hell is that?! That’s just not right.

Get the car and hit the road…..the drive back through the Mojave is very pleasant… most of the traffic all day is heading towards Vegas, which is nice. Make it home in five hours. Kind of odd to be home from a three night Vegas trip and not be tired, but it’s kind of nice….it’s also nice that all four days counted as work days! Hahahahaha That’s the kind of work I could get used to!

Bottom line: Had a really good trip, even though I was by myself. I would definitely stay at the Flamingo again. There was one other bonus: Now my wife is fired up to go, and we’ll probably make a trip in late March…… lovin’ it.

T.

 

Hey Terry--

Great Report! I really dig those "flyin' solo" trips. Man, didn't they have a bad beat pot for losin' on your full boat? Yeah, that is a kick in the groin. One time I chased a pot all the way up with my king high flush, and of course the other guy had the Ace...lesson learned.

Good Stuff. Hey, Lindy's ain't that bad a place. They make a great Rueben, and I recall, they actually serve rootbeer. (Yeah, I like rootbeer with lunch...)

Mikey

 

Hey Terry

Great report. I'm glad to see you had a good time going by yourself. I've always wandered how it would feel in Vegas all alone. Brandy and I just returned and I am working on an April trip with the guys. Probally stay downtown.

 

Sounds promising. We've debated staying at Flamingo, but we always decide not too. Good to know it's a nice place. But, did they really charge that much for a phone call??? or was is that much for your entire stay?

 

Gee,I wish I could go to Vegas for "work".
Thanks,Great Report!

Booger

 

no, it was per call....insane. I've run across that before in hotels...I just didn't think about it this time...Boss is gonna Love seeing that on the expense report!

I would definitely stay at the Flamingo again, especially in summer when you can take advantage of the pool area. Don't get me wrong, it will still have to be a good deal, but it has been added to my list of properties to check.

T.

 

Ever been with just the fella's? It is a BLAST!! A completely different trip than going with your wife (not that That isn't fun...it's just different). Talk about an opportunity for Male Bonding!

My last three trips have been a golf trip with one buddy in July, the all guys trip in October, and this last one by myself....I am definitely ready to go again with my wife and do that trip...eat good food at regular intervals, see a show, and hang out with her at black jack tables.... sounds great. I think we're going to go next month...in fact, I think I'll go look for some room deals right now.

 

LV Terry....

Your the king of Even.....

In my world...days and nights in Vegas don't finish up $7, down $30, down $25.. Well done!!

Great report....Maybe it's a poker thing??

 

Forget Mirage, Bellagio has best poker room in Vegas. Lots of tables, no smoking, and nice waitresses. Also, if you need a break you can walk next door to the sportsbook and sit down in their leather sofa chairs.

 

Great trip report. I don't know if I would handle a trip by myself for that long, although there are tons of stuff to do in Vegas...

I can't imagine getting excited about those poker hands and then having the rug pulled out from under you like that... Talk about heartbreak. Sound like you had a great time though.