How does Las Vegas continue to be exciting, time, after time, after time that you visit? Don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ll ever learn the answer to the question, but it does speak volumes, doesn%26#39;t it?
Day One: 9/9/08
Up early this morning after a nearly sleepless night. How the %26amp;*@#*%26amp;%$@#* do you sleep the night before you go to Vegas? I got maybe 2 hours of sleep total. Without an alarm clock, I bounced out of bed at 4 am like I%26#39;d been sleeping for 15 hours, and my after burners were just coming into play. A nice hot bath, some powdering up, and dressing, and I was on my way by 5 AM... two hour drive to the airport, but I stopped at a Denny%26#39;s in KC for a Grand Slam breakfast to launch me with enough food to last me till I was ready to partake of some ';Vegas gastronomic endeavors';.
Southwest flight and service was great... left on time... 11:20 am, arrived 20 minutes early, at 12:05 pm, nonstop flight. Had to wait just a few minutes to get an open gate, because we were early. Took about 30 minutes to get me wheelchair delivered to Grayline shuttle service bay. Waited about 10 minutes for shuttle to arrive... and after a pretty fast 30 minute drive to downtown through heavy traffic (this would have surely been the same for a taxi) and only one drop at the Stratosphere, before I was let out at Fitzgeralds.
Checkin went very smooth... A very nice young man named Chris took care of me... and the reservation agent right next to us, called out a big hello, Ann remembered me from June, and told Chris to take good care of me. My room wasn%26#39;t ready, So... he found another, on the 32nd floor for me. Close to the elevator, since I wasn%26#39;t going to rent a scooter this trip. I didn%26#39;t plan to do a lot of gadding around. With all the details taken care of... a quick elevator trip upstairs... I unload my things, shake out my clothes, put some things in the safe.. credit cards, and money... and I check the time. 2:16 pm. I smile the smile of a happy woman, grab my room key and my cane, and I%26#39;m off to the races.
Right around the corner from the elevator, is the 50c Haywire machine that was nice to me last trip, so I drop a quick $5 there, and decide... maybe not yet. So I buzz over to the Hot Hot Penny Slots, Double Easy Money... which was also nice to me in June, but it isn%26#39;t talkin%26#39; today. So..... I%26#39;m thinkin%26#39;. Must be Bingo time, but I can%26#39;t make it there for the 3 pm session, so I decide.. I%26#39;ll catch the Lunch Buffet at the Fremont. Good choice. $8.07 for my choice of their fineries... but I%26#39;m limited on time, as they are setting up for the Tuesday night Seafood Buffet. This isn%26#39;t a problem for me... I just get all I want the first time around, except for dessert bar, and it is close to where I%26#39;m seated, so I grab 2 pieces of sugar free custard pie. (Hey.. its my favorite!.. well, one of %26#39;em)
Even though they are scurrying around, I take my time eating my lunch, and I read my book.
And then, I play my way through Binions, Golden Nugget, and the Golden Gate. I hit $27.00 on a Hot Hot Penny Slot at Golden Gate... so I%26#39;m happy! I%26#39;m back to even money. Oh.. it was a Golden Chariots machine. And so, I head for the Plaza, and Bingo.
I played the 5 o%26#39;clock, 7 o%26#39;clock, and 9 o%26#39;clock sessions... No wins, and hit the canopy just in time to see one of their two new Canopy shows. Something about Dorothy being blown away in a tornado, hanging on for dear life, and then somehow, here she is in Las Vegas. They%26#39;re playing my theme song. I was born and raised in Kansas and I feel like I%26#39;ve been carried here on that Kansas Magic Carpet!
I play my way through Golden Nugget.. their Hot Hot Penny Slots were real nice to me last trip, but not to be for this trip. And then the 4 Queens... Hey, whazzup? Nada here either, so... I head for the Fitz and my room. I count my moola, and I%26#39;m $79 down, (from the time I left home, which included two meals also) and its 11:15 pm. I%26#39;m not going to bed, I%26#39;m in Vegas, and I%26#39;ve only got TWO nights here. So.. I shower, wash my face, and change my clothes. Something about that really refreshes me, and I%26#39;m off. I mosey downstairs, and.. walk around a bit.
Now here%26#39;s where I need to explain,... Oxy, and VV.. and all you Blackjack Players. Fitz has different rules at every table... so you kinda got to shop around. I found a nice double deck hand dealt table, 3-2 blackjack, you can split any cards you want, (I didn%26#39;t realize this was a factor, until the next night) and you could double down on a split.. (also new info to me that sometimes you could not)
I used to play lots and lots of blackjack, back in the day, always night sessions at the Fitz, but then sometimes, a return the next day for some more as soon as I caught some sleep. The standard low table was $2 in the day then, and jumped to $5 at night. And they had at least one $1 table, and also a Handicapped table, which was only for disabled folks, but... thats gone by the wayside now. I played some blackjack back in June at the 4 Queens, and they relieved me of $100 pretty darn quick. And then they closed the table down when they had cleaned out the others at the table. I didn%26#39;t like that, and I didn%26#39;t like the bright lights in the area.
Back to the Fitz... I got one of those good tables, you know the ones. Where everybody is having a good time.. friendly banter, lots of laughter, dealer joining in... $5 to either $300 or $500 max, I don%26#39;t remember. Anyway.. a nice older gentleman from Glendale, California... Ronnie, who manufactures stabilizer for ice cream, and travels all over the US selling it. He told me he drove $80,000 miles a year, and flew at least that many, doing this. He had driven up from Glendale, and when he was done playing blackjack, he would drive back. If he got tired, he%26#39;d pull over and rest at a rest stop. There was a fellow from Daytona Florida.. I never did get his name, but he was really nice, and he just sat down at the same time I did.. and bought in with $300, I was the anchor, at 3rd base... and bought in for $40. I%26#39;m a conservative player, but love to split cards when appropriate, and double down at every opportunity. Though I went down to $10 pretty fast... that $5 bet was an opportunity to Double down, which I took. I%26#39;m immediately half way back to my start. Meanwhile, another lady comes up to join out table, sits down with chips in her hand, but when she goes digging in her purse, can%26#39;t find her billfold. She really searches through a purse large enough to be a carry on bag, and cannot find it, so ... she is distraught, and leaves the table. I don%26#39;t blame her. I woulda been also. (But she%26#39;s back in 10-15 minutes... and has found her billfold where she left it, in her room)
The four of us play, and various singles join and leave the table over the course of the next couple hours. I%26#39;m up to over $100 by then, when the lady cashes out, and leaves. Then there are three...
And we play for another 2 1/2 hours... and really had a ball... Ronnie went up and down... ';Daytona'; couldn%26#39;t catch a break.. oh, he%26#39;d go up, a bit, once in a while, but it was mostly down. He bought in numerous times for an additional $2 or $300.. I wasn%26#39;t keeping track. I went up to a high of $185 on my buy-in of $40, but... just shy of 4:30 am, they bring in a gunslinger. I mean, she is dead on. I play about 6 or 7 hands, and she%26#39;s 20 or 21, and 2 blackjacks in that time. Its 4:30 am.
I hate to do it... but, I finally say.. hey guys, I gotta go. I%26#39;m not gonna sit here and lose my winnings, so... I start to leave, and so does Ronnie. His two hundred dollar stacks have dwindled down to maybe $25-$30-$35. I%26#39;m not sure though, because I saw him pull chips out of his pocket a time or two. Daytona says... lets see if we can find another table... so the three of us, venture to the other side, and sit down to play.
We play for another 5 or 10 minutes... and here comes Deadeye Dickine again (did I mention this was a lady gunslinger?) I say... ';I%26#39;m sitting out for a couple hands...'; and I watch. In just a few hands, Daytona says... I hate to leave good company, but thats enough for me, and he ambles off. Ronnie looks at me and said... He lost 2 grand. I said, Really? He said .. Yep.
Daytona told us a story a the table that day... He had been here for several days, and was up nicely. Didn%26#39;t say how much, but... after he had lost at least half of that two grand, he commented... this is nothing... I was way up when I left for the airport earlier today. So we listened, as he told us of his dilemna there. He got to the airport over two hours before his flight left... went all the way through security checks and everything, but when he got to his gate, there was no one there. And he waited, and waited, and waited... Finally.. 45 minutes before his plane left... he walked over to another gate and told them there wasn%26#39;t anybody at his gate... and they called management... 15-20-25
minutes later management informs them that the gate does have personnel there. He goes back, and there are two... a young man and a woman. They claim to have been there the whole time... He says to us.. this was a young, good looking pair, and he figures they took some time off for bad behavior.. but anyway, enough time was lost, there wasn%26#39;t time for him to get checked in on this flight, so he%26#39;s been delayed. It costs him $270 per person to rebook the flight, and there are three of them (His wife, and a 2 1/2 year old, who they are watching for a relative, due to some family disasters. He%26#39;s not real happy about having to bring this child to Vegas, but they had no choice) He says... he knows he%26#39;ll get the next flight comped.. he%26#39;s not worried about that. He also says... All the way to the airport, he was telling his wife... I wish we didn%26#39;t have to go... so see... be careful for what you ask for.
I arrive back at my room shortly after 5 am. I%26#39;m tired, but I lay there playing the night back through my head for a bit.... can%26#39;t exactly call it daydreaming... this was real life at its best.
More to come, day two!
sheila
Jazzin' It Up In Las Vegas... MY TR From 9/9/08 - 9/11/088
I love downtown, and I%26#39;m loving your trip report. The way you write it makes me feel like I%26#39;m there...almost. Can%26#39;t wait to read more! Thanks for all the detail, and taking the time to write it!
Jazzin' It Up In Las Vegas... MY TR From 9/9/08 - 9/11/088
SS, you%26#39;re back.
I agree with shadow...I hang on every word. I can see December is going to be soooo great!
I want to do a couple all-nighters gambling. You are so much fun.
Benny
supershe: ';Up early this morning after a nearly sleepless night. How the %26amp;*@#*%26amp;%$@#* do you sleep the night before you go to Vegas?';
I certainly wouldnt know how sleep is managed the night before! Count my sleep = a grand total of 0!
I am LOVING your TR, and the humor along with it!
I imagine if things are dull at the tables or the slots, You know how to get the Party rollin%26#39;. Way to go Girl, keep it up, and keep that smile on that happy girl face!
Looking forward to more! :)
Some photos... One of my room (3226) at the Fitz...
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One of the view facing toward the Plaza, with mountains in the background.
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A couple of extra tidbits I forgot to mention....
It was 98 degrees when we landed at the airport, just past noon, so we went over 100 F. first day in.
And I forgot to mention the Bloody Mary I got at the Golden Nugget, while slot playing. It wasn%26#39;t very good... Plenty of vodka in it... just wasn%26#39;t flavored right. I surely expected better there.
Day Two:
I%26#39;m up before 9 am, with less than 4 hours sleep. Wide awake. I take a quick soak %26amp; shampoo, blow dry the hair, dress, clean out my purse of various sundry items collected my busy day yesterday, and... I%26#39;m off.
I think... I%26#39;ll head to Magnolias for breakfast, and then head on down to catch the first Bingo at the Plaza. So I head to the Four Queens, take a quick spin on the $2500 big wheel at the door, but as always, Four of a Kind are not on my agenda.... and I head across the casino to Magnolias. There is a line all the way down the steps~!
I%26#39;m not really THAT hungry... so, I work my way around to a bank of slots that looks friendly. I pick out a Triple Double Dollar penny machine, and slap in a $5 bill. I%26#39;m betting this 9 line machine, 2c a row, and I%26#39;m hitting little payoffs almost every time! After maybe 15 minutes, UP jumped the devil!!!
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Yes indeed... the top line winner! If I%26#39;d have had the full boat bet ($4.50) 100,000 pennies! But I was well satisfied with 4216 pennies paid for 18c invested... and cashed out with $44.26. I figured this to be a great start to my day. And because it was time to mosey on over to the Golden Nugget and play my way down to the Plaza. I was going to get my exercise on this trip to Vegas.
Did no Good at the Golden Nugget Again. Played a Double Diamond Machine for $5.00 in, and cashed out a small TITO on this one.... I%26#39;d play it off on my way back.
So... this time, I didn%26#39;t walk past it.. I got some beads, and into La Bayou I went. Sat down to play at a 25c machine not too far inside the door... Second bank of slots, and a cocktail waitress was there immediately. I order another bloody mary. She%26#39;s back in a jiffy, and I give her her $1 tip, and ... within two minutes, I have two waitresses hovering! But this bloody mary is very good, but hot hot hot! And I%26#39;ve not had any breakfast yet, so... I sip it slowly, and play slowly... because thiz machine surely wasn%26#39;t gonna hiccup for me... and I finish most of it, before I decide I%26#39;d better get moving before one of those waitresses brought me another bloody mary without being asked! I finished most of it, and left quickly. The place was also very dead. I think this is a ';late night place';... or certainly later than maybe quarter after 10 am.
Next, I make my way to the Golden Gate. This place is really starting to grow on me. I go to my same bank of Hot Hot Penny slots, another Double Easy Money machine, and within 15 minutes, with bonus after bonus, I%26#39;m up to over $32.00 on my $5.00 in! I cash out... its time to make my way to the Bingo Hall, and I%26#39;m really rockin%26#39; and rollin%26#39; this morning!
So.. I play the first session of Bingo, which starts at 11 am. STILL no wins. Session ends about noon, and I head downstairs and plan to play some slots, but I see the Buffet isn%26#39;t busy at all, so I head over to eat something... Their lunch buffet is actually a brunch, so for $7.77 plus tax, I help myself to some pretty good food. The roast beef on this buffet is more tender, and more tasty than that yesterday at the Paradise Buffet at the Fremont, and I have a slice of ham as well... also very good, and bone in, juicy ham. Applewood smoked I think. Some nice veggies, a couple salad items, some of an Asian Beef Broccoli that had some nice crunchy veggies in it, and water chestnuts and mushrooms as well..a nice glass of iced tea, and, I didn%26#39;t even look for the dessert bar.
I did go out and play a 1c blazing seven%26#39;s bonus type machine which took my $5.00 up to $9.00, but time to roll back up for Session 2 Bingo.. 1 PM. STILL.. no wins! Downstairs for a bit more of the Blazing 7%26#39;s... but it has cooled off. I play down to about $4.00 and find another slot, that works me quickly up to about $7.00, and its time to go back upstairs, for the 3 PM Bingo session. This Bingo hall is not far inside the front door of the Plaza, then up an escalator two floors (escalator is on the left, as you are coming in) where you come out right by the Bingo Hall... OR if you like the Beef Jerky shop, its right there as well.
So.. STILL no wins... I figure it up. I have now played 6 sessions of Bingo and haven%26#39;t won a thing. I decide... one more time. I%26#39;ll try the 5 pm session. So I go down with my TITO, and play some more penny machines, till.. its all gone. But I%26#39;ve played all day on my original $5.00 investment here on the slots... for about 35-40 minutes per session in between Bingos, so... Its been fun, and certainly though not profitable, very easy on the pocketbook!
The $5.00 session doesn%26#39;t give me a win either... so at around 6 pm, I%26#39;m out the door. I think... its time for me to finally have the famous 99c Shrimp Cocktail at the Golden Gate. So.. I cross the street, and head in to the Bay Street Diner. There is a small line, but I don%26#39;t care. I%26#39;m here, and I%26#39;m eating. Too many times, I%26#39;ve just gone on past.
It takes about 10 minutes, but... I%26#39;m soon seated at the counter of the Bay Street Diner. Nice location too... I could watch the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, and the cash register as well.
My waiter Jack brings a menu, and heads off to get my water with slice of lemon. The girl sitting on my left is eating something that looks wonderful, so I ask her what it is. She says ';Its just a patty melt..'; but it, and the fries she was consuming sure smelled good. I asked if the fries came with, and she said yes... so, I find it on the menu. Its something like $7.79... so, I order this, AND a shrimp cocktail... but I%26#39;m in the wrong place! You have to go to the Deli for this. Well.. I%26#39;m having a patty melt... so, off he goes.
Meanwhile I%26#39;m having a nice conversation with the girl sitting next to me. She is from Utah, but is passing through Las Vegas, on her way to California, where she is moving. I say... ';Wow, you are really movin%26#39; on down the road...'; Do you have a job waiting for you in California? No... I%26#39;m a student.
(I%26#39;m thinking... all the schools have already started) so I say... ';Aren%26#39;t you late for the start of the semester?'; And she says... ';No.. actually I%26#39;m in a College of the Arts, that has its own schedule.';
I say... Ohhh, thats nice. What kind of art do you do? She says... (and by this time... she may be getting tired of the inquisition... as she is doing no more than just answering my questions) Well, actually I%26#39;m a culinary arts student. NOW I%26#39;m impressed. I said.. with a giggle... ';I%26#39;m so glad I ordered that Patty melt';... as I knew she knew what to order here. (She had earlier on confided that her grandparents used to bring her to Vegas all the time, and the Bay Street Diner was her favorite places to eat)
She laughed when I said that... and when I asked her about going to eat at Emerils, or Bobby Flays, etc. she said, ';I can%26#39;t afford those guys... I wouldn%26#39;t be able to pay my rent';.
It was about this time that my Patty Melt extraordinaire arrived! I had asked for sour dough, out of a choice of breads, and I was not disappointed! This was a very good medium well burger, that was actually quite pink... so I%26#39;m glad I hadn%26#39;t asked for medium rare.... the french fries were excellent, and there were some nice crisp pickle chunks that just set it off. After I%26#39;d finished, I gave the cashier a $10 bill and told her to give Jack the change. He was a good waiter...
And then back to my Hot Hot Penny Slot.. for more bonus rounds, and more play. I played here for a couple hours, I guess. My $10 went up and down and up and down, but not by a whole lot... never more than $15, and not under $5... For a spell, I did get down below $5.00, but finally bounced back up and when it got back to my $10 investment, I decided to cash it in and move on down the line. I enjoyed another canopy show as I walked along this Wednesday night.
Something Big, and Brash and flashy. Showing all the components of gambling. Some roulette shots, some craps... a shot of big dice rolling down the length of that canopy... and more. I am warm all over though not uncomfortable as I stroll along.
Back I go into the Golden Nugget.... and play some more. Nothing much happening here after 10-15 minutes, so I take my TITO and cash it in... My $5.00 has climbed to a whopping $6.55. I can feel the pull of the blackjack tables at Fitz...
So I walk past the Four Queens, and head up to my room in the elevator. Its time to arrange my money, after a quick splash in the tub, and another change of clothes. I walk around looking for another 3rd base, or anchor position, and there are none available.
Finally, I sit down, at first base, on a single deck hand dealt Blackjack table. I still have my chips from last night,.. so I buy in with two $25 chips, and I still have 3 reds loose. I play a couple hands, and the dealer gets a 4 up, and I have a 2 %26amp; a 7. I decide to double down on this. She flips my cards over, (these are being dealt face down) and says, ';No can do..'; shes oriental. I say, ';What do you mean?'; She points to the brass plate next to my arm which says, Doubles on 10 or 11 only. I%26#39;m dumbounded. I%26#39;ve never heard of this. She explains...';Single deck only'; I say ok, and I still win the hand.
A couple plays later... I see one at our table get a blackjack, and she pays him 6 to 5. I jump up and grab my chips... Ok... sorry, I gotta go. I want to find a double deck table. She%26#39;s pleasant.. ';Ok...';
Its only about 11 pm. I head around the tables, and can%26#39;t find an open table like I%26#39;d like... so I stand and watch Pai Gow for about 5 minutes, and decide... I%26#39;ll play here for awhile...
I%26#39;m tired now... so I%26#39;ll finish this day tomorrow...
I need sleep! Still not caught up from my Las Vegas ..
I know you understand.
sheila
Sheila welcome back, get some rest and look forward the following installment of your time in Vegas.
You were one busy girl! Wish I could play on $5 like that...but I have no discipline!
So you went solo?
You sure know how to get a lot out of your time in Vegas! Made me tired just reading all you did. Loved the report so far, your enthusiasm is contagious!
Shelia, Shelia, Shelia.....so glad to have you back. I did miss you so while you were gone.
The blackjack does sound so interesting. I haven%26#39;t played yet but do want to this next time. All those little wins do add up after a time. Also the extended play time on $10.00 that was great! It sure seems that your money stretched a looooong way.
Can%26#39;t wait to hear the rest. I do hope that you have caught up on your sleep.
Marge
Hey Super Shelia--
Your report is great and very entertaining. Wow! You really know how to make your $$ last in LV.
You are such a great writer. I had a smile on my face the entire time I read your report! Glad you had a fun trip!!!! Thanks for all the details.
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