I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting for something regarding AP VP.
On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 11:11 AM, westie2f <westie2f@yahoo.com> wrote:
> **
>
>
> October 19-November 2, 2011
>
> Use the following link if you want to read this TR with photos:
> http://tinyurl.com/cm47hoa
>
> Most of our experiences in life are destined to become little more than
> vague memories, but one may hold the potential to turn into a living
> nightmare. Mine began in 1964 while on spring break in New Orleans where I
> spent considerable time in the backroom of Acme Oyster House drinking
> hurricanes, eating oyster po' boys and playing 7-card stud.
>
> One evening while engaged in a no limit game with some locals, a fella
> known as Handsome Jack sashayed through the door and pulled up an empty
> chair. As night gave way to dawn, I went all in after being dealt a pair of
> tens. Handsome Jack said he was a little short of cash to call my bet so he
> offered to sign over a deed to some acreage in Connecticut I accepted the
> offer and won the pot after catching trip tens to his Aces and eights.
>
> What wasn't known at the time was Handsome Jack had sweet talked Marie
> Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans, out of the Connecticut property
> plus a million dollars in gold bullion. Later that same day, upon learning
> of his betrayal, Marie started mumblin', her fangs started gnashin', her
> body started tremblin' and her eyes started flashin' as she rid this world
> of a rogue known as Handsome Jack and placed a curse on the property now
> owned by yours truly.
>
> Let us fast forward to 2011 on a recent October evening as Ann and I were
> preparing to go to bed.
>
> Dum dum dum deedum
>
> Max-the-Schipperke howled.
> I cowered under the blankets.
> Ann pushed aside the shades and saw a coven of zombies dancing around
> several bonfires.
> The line between sanity and madness had just become finer.
> Our living nightmare had returned.
>
> Dum dum dum deedum
>
> Every seven years since we first moved into our Connecticut home, zombies
> have taken over our back yard and embarked on a nightly ritual of incessant
> drumming followed by blood curdling chanting:
>
> Dum dum dum deedum
>
> "1 – 2 – Freddy's coming for you, 3 – 4 – Better lock your door, 5 – 6 –
> Grab your crucifix
>
> From prior experience we knew their ritual would grow in intensity over
> the following 2 weeks culminating on the eve of All Saints Day when a
> one-eyed snake, a three-legged dog and a pair of Las Vegas virgins would be
> sacrificed.
>
> I could not face the ordeal again so I begged Ann to call our travel agent
> and book us somewhere, anywhere, just so long as it was far removed from
> zombies, vampires, ghouls and witches.
>
> Dum dum dum deedum
>
> 7 – 8 – Better stay up late, 9 – 10 – Never sleep again…"
>
> ……….and this explains why on October 19th, I could be found clutching a
> black cat's tooth and a Mojo bone while seated on a SWA flight bound for
> Las Vegas, Nevada.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOa-PCiraO0&feature=related
>
> Our usual non stop out of Hartford would have arrived late in the evening
> so we opted to leave a few hours earlier and make a change in planes in
> Chicago. We arrived on time and were soon shuttling off to the rental
> facility before shuttling off to Fox Rent A Car. Unlike our previous
> experience with Fox, the clerk only made a half hearted attempt to sell us
> insurance and the full tank gas option. We were soon off for the South
> Point in our Nissan Altima at an all-in cost of $280. Ann used a free night
> coupon from a locals' mailer and we were assigned room 919 which offered an
> expansive view of the rooftop and the distant Spring Mountains.
>
> We were both thirsty after our cross country journey so we headed north to
> the upscale Ellis Island Resort and Conference Center for a pair of
> merlots. Dinner was at the Broiler in Palace Station.
> http://www.palacestation.com/dining/broiler/ In the past the expansive
> soup and salad bar was included in the price of entrees, but a $3 surcharge
> has been recently introduced - WeLuvYouTooStations!
>
> We each ordered the bouillabaisse which included a copious amount of
> seafood in a just okay tomato based broth. The medium spice level we
> requested turned out to be too spicy for Ann, but about right for me. The
> bill, including tax and gratuity, was $60.35, but by stacking a LVA $25 off
> $50 coupon meal with a gift card I purchased at
> http://www.weluvlocals.com/, the bottom line was a more frugal $20.08.
> (2.5 Forks out of a possible 5)
>
> After concluding dinner we stopped at a Walgreens for sundry items before
> returning to our room for the evening.
>
> 10/20 I woke up a few hours later and, because I am Young at Heart, but
> old of body, I headed to Sam's Town for the 5 x points offered to seniors
> on Thursdays.
> http://www.samstownlv.com/whats-new/promotions/young-at-heart-thursdaysMy 4.5 hour video poker (vp) session turned out to be beyond Grimm even
> though I hit my 1st quad deuces of the trip.
>
> The first order of business was for Ann to checkout and for me to check
> back in for the following 13 nights. Since our stay would extend into
> November, I was able to use a 2nd free night coupon for our last night's
> lodging. I received two more funbooks which we immediately used for
> breakfast.
>
> My first buffet breakfast of the trip included OJ, fresh fruit with
> strawberry yogurt, easy over eggs, a sliver of ham, bacon, a bloody Mary
> and a Tums. ($4, 2 Forks)
>
> After reading the newspaper, we headed for the Fiesta-Henderson where we
> got new Station casino slot cards and had our old points adjusted upwards
> to reflect the new points system. The Fiesta was offering a scratch card on
> quad Aces and Faces, but neither of us hit one during our hour of play. Ann
> stopped playing and told me she would be walking near the gift shop until I
> quit which I took as an implied threat so I cashed out immediately. LOL
>
> We attended the Dennis Bono show at the South Point at 2PM with today's
> performers being Corrie Sachs (Country Superstars), the Kingston Trio (2
> members of the Trio were not in town yet so Corrie and Dennis filled in),
> Domenick Allen (former lead singer of Foreigner), his wife Leigh Zimmerman
> (Broadway actress, singer and dancer), their daughter Cayleigh Capaldi (
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3JlhDL6Lmc) plus singers Joey Dee
> (personality-challenged) and Elisa Fiorillo-Dease.
> http://dennisbono.com/p4lvnow.htm ($0, 4 Claps)
>
> Later in the day we made our way back to Ellis Island where Ann ordered a
> merlot and I tried my first and last Ellis Island Tea. (1 Sip) On learning
> we would be dining on Bulgarian tapas this evening, Ann inquired if I had
> totally lost my mind.
>
> I was somewhat dismayed to discover on entering that the interior was
> small and more reminiscent of a biker bar than a fine dining establishment.
> http://www.barforte.com/ Our waitress turned out to be very informative
> and helped guide us through the menu. We ordered Adjarski Khachapurri,
> Selska Ljutika, kiufte (sausage), Hungarian Ghoulash and a biscuit cake.
>
> For those who have not been to Bulgaria or Russia recently, Adjarski
> Khachapurri is a boat shaped loaf of bread served directly from the oven
> with cheese and a cracked egg that are cooked and mixed together tableside.
> The Selska ljutika is a refreshing salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and
> peppers tossed in olive oil. The Hungarian goulash over mashed potatoes was
> excellent, but took second place to the biscuit cake which is described in
> the menu as a liqueur dipped honey tea biscuit layered with creamy
> mascarpone, decadent espresso and chocolate. ($39.40, 3.5 Forks)
>
> On our return to the South Point we did two complete laps around the
> casino as penance for woofing down the biscuit cake in record time.
>
> 10/21 Fiesta-Henderson was offering 2 x points today, though my extended
> vp session turned out to be even worse than yesterday's.
>
> We had OJ, grapefruit and a shared bagel in our room this morning before
> departing for the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (South).
> http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=61 We agreed to meet
> in an hour and after circumventing the entire outlet, I bumped into Ann in
> the Fossil store some 45 yards from where we separated. Since she wanted to
> pick-up some baby clothes for our nieces' newborns, we retraced my steps.
>
> Lunch was at KoMex Fusion Express, a small, but popular Korean/Mexican
> restaurant located on Decatur Blvd.
> https://www.facebook.com/pages/KoMex-Express/184627358240962 The staff
> was very friendly and offered to take our order while we waited for a
> table. Our fried wontons, 4 per serving and costing a mere $1, were good,
> but totally unnecessary since they were preceded by complimentary housemade
> chips, salsa and guacamole. Our order of 4 barbecue tacos (2 pork, 1
> chicken and a beef) came with cilantro, lettuce, onions and kimchee, the
> latter being optional. Each was very good to excellent, though next time I
> would skip the beef in flavor (sic) of the pork or chicken. ($10, 4 Forks)
>
> We were both stuffed so we retreated to our room and changed our dining
> reservation to later in the evening. The remainder of the afternoon was
> spent snoozing (me) and reading/playing vp (Ann).
>
> At 6PM we joined the mostly senior crowd in the Grandview Lounge where Wes
> Winters was performing. His website needs to be updated to reflect a recent
> schedule change; he now plays 6-9PM on Friday and Saturdays.
> http://www.weswinters.com/ (2 Claps) We used our ticket stubs from
> yesterday's Dennis Bono show for a pair of merlots which we nursed for
> almost an hour.
>
> This evening we dined at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Ventano
> Italian Grill and Seafood. http://ventanoitalian.com/index.html Although
> this was a Friday night, the restaurant was not as busy as usual. We took a
> pass on the bread and shared a delicious spinach salad with onions, hard
> boiled egg and mushrooms in a warm bacon dressing. For an entrée we shared
> our usual eggplant rollatini, but the portion size had been reduced by 50%
> and the ricotta filling was a mere memory. We also ordered a side of
> sautéed spinach to meet the value of our Groupon, but the waiter
> substituted it for the usual sides of ziti so we were forced to order a
> crème brulee. Unfortunately it was overcooked and very disappointing. I
> don't know whether we caught a bad night or not, but I am not inclined to
> rush back. ($26, Groupon, 2 Forks)
>
> 10/22 This morning's vp session at Fiesta-Henderson featured 2 x points
> and my 3rd consecutive losing session.
>
> We drove to the Rio first thing this morning to pick up GregRio and headed
> off to Aliante Station following directions I downloaded from Yahoo maps.
> These directions sent us over hill and dale plus our nameless navigator
> misinterpreted them so we eventually ended up going over dale and hill as
> well.
>
> We finally made our way to Aliante and headed directly to the buffet for
> breakfast. The food quality was good, but the variety was disappointing
> because the ethnic stations were closed. This proved to be another marathon
> dining experience where we spent more time gabbing than eating. I settled
> on an omelet, OJ, fruit, bacon and more fruit. Greg picked up the tab
> (thanks). ($5, LVA, 2 Forks)
>
> We toured the beautiful casino and pool areas finally making our way to
> the slot booth where we met Sue Casey from the LVA board who provided us
> with helpful information, not least of which were directions for our return
> to the Rio that saved us mileage, time and frustration. Thanks, Sue.
>
> After dropping Greg off, we went to the Enterprise Library and used its
> computers plus borrowed a few books for Ann. On our return to the room we
> shared a fortune cookie which read "Be a winner". I've been trying!!
>
> We had an early dinner at Thai Original BBQ on 3rd Avenue.
> http://thaioriginalbbqlv.com/ On our last trip we ate twice at their
> Flamingo location so in spite of its seedy location, I maintained high
> expectations. We each ordered the BBQ chicken that came with shrimp fried
> rice. The food was tasty, but the chicken was obviously reheated and
> overdone. On being presented with our check, net of my restaurant.com(R.com) certificate, of only $5, I pointed out the $10 error to our server.
> She initially did not understand, but upon taking the bill to the cashier
> we could hear the two of them giggling which continued in spurts as other
> staff members were told. ($15.22, R.com, 2.5 Forks)
>
> We then made the short drive to the Clarion to see "Illusions" starring
> Jan Rouven in the Fame Theater.
> http://www.janrouven.com/the-show.en.html The show started with some
> close-up magic by a friend of Jan's. For his part, Jan performed several
> illusions including Bed of Death, Fire Spiker, Hand stab where a volunteer
> from the audience will play Russian roulette with a sharp knife and the
> Water Take where he is cuffed and chained under water. Jan was pretty
> personable and frequently sought audience volunteers though he sometimes
> carried on a little too long. Overall, I felt the show was well worth our
> time and money. ($40, Groupon, 3 Claps)
>
> 10/23 I hit a 2nd quad deuces at Sam's this morning, but managed to turn
> in yet another, my fourth, losing session. To add insult to injury, I
> discovered only points earned between 9AM and 9PM qualified for the gas
> promotion. On the journey back to the South Point, I tossed my black cat's
> tooth and Mojo bone out the window.
>
> For breakfast we went to the Maple Tree Café on Spring Mountain Road.
> http://www.themapletreecafe.com/ This used to be one of our favorite
> places for breakfast, but the original owners sent it on the skids before
> selling out last year. Our waitress took our orders and returned with a
> miniscule sample of a coffee cake "that just come out of the oven" though
> it was served at room temperature. We each ordered French toast stuffed
> with strawberry cream cheese and topped with strawberries. The cream cheese
> filling was little more than a smear and the French toast itself was pretty
> ordinary. Based on our experience on this trip and last, I feel the new
> owner needs to address pricing and quality issues. ($15, Groupon, 2 Forks)
>
> Our next stop was the box office at the Orleans, but it doesn't open until
> noon so we returned to the room to read the paper and rest. Ann incurred a
> small loss during a short vp session.
>
> In the early evening we retraced our steps to Ellis Island where we
> enjoyed a pair of merlots. Dinner was at the nearby McCormick & Schmick's.
>
> http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/locations/las-vegas-nevada/hughes-center-drive.aspx
> The restaurant offers a 3-course menu on Sundays that was reasonably
> priced at $19.95. We started off with a mixed salad of greens, blue cheese
> and candied walnuts with a white balsamic vinaigrette. Our entrees were
> sole stuffed with brie, crab, artichoke and sundried tomatoes with tomato
> Romesco sauce. I thought the sauce detracted, rather than complimented, the
> entrée so I largely ignored it. Our crème brulees were, as usual,
> excellent. I used a $25 credit on Preferred Guest card. ($24.15, 2.5 Forks)
>
> After concluding our meal, we made the short drive to the Las Vegas Hilton
> for the Greg London's Impressions that Rock show in the intimate Shimmer
> Cabaret.
> http://www.gregorylondon.com/greg/shows.html We had a coupon for VIP
> Tickets so we first went to redeem them at the Box Office. These tickets
> called for seating in the first 3 rows which are way too close IMHO so we
> opted for seats in the general admission section, but center stage.
> A scant few of Greg's impressions of rock stars were close to being spot
> on, most were not and a few were outrageously bad (e.g. Julio Iglesias).
> Overall we had a good time enjoying the music.
> ($39, KSHP, 2.5 Claps)
>
> 10/24 My streak of bad luck continued as another loss was registered at
> the Fiesta-Henderson. This trip is rapidly turning into a Nightmare on West
> Lake Mead Parkway. I put on more than enough points on each of our slot
> cards to earn free breakfast buffets, but after touring the buffet we
> decided to head elsewhere.
>
> Elsewhere turned out to be the Feast buffet at Sunset Station. I was
> dismayed to discover the fresh fruit section had been downgraded since our
> May visit. My breakfast included OJ, fresh fruit, premade huevos rancheros,
> bacon and potatoes. I normally assemble my own huevos rancheros, but the
> cook told me they did not have ranchero sauce. More likely, he was just too
> lazy to make the effort to comply with my request. ($2.75, LVA, gift card,
> 2 Forks)
>
> I was in desperate need of a haircut so we made the short drive to
> Supercuts on Sunset Road.
> ($16, 3.5 Shears) We then went to the Paseo Verde Library to check out
> email, but they were experiencing a temporary problem logging into the
> system which took about 20 minutes to resolve.
>
> We then returned to the Orleans box office to purchase tickets for the
> Osmond Brothers show for later in the week. http://www.osmondbros.com/
>
> Our merlots this evening were served at the Grandview Lounge where we used
> ticket stubs from the previous week's Dennis Bono show. We then departed
> for Taj Palace on Eastern, a recently opened Indian restaurant in
> Henderson. http://tajpalacelv.com/ We received complimentary papadum with
> a spicy mint sauce and the worst tamarind sauce I have ever tasted. Our
> entrees were boti kabob masala (lamb chunks in a rich yellow curry) and
> Murgh madras (boneless chicken in a tomato/cream curry). In addition, we
> ordered naan and zeera rice (lightly spiced basmati rice with cumin seeds).
> Neither entrée scaled any culinary heights though the amount of animal
> protein in each would likely have caused Hannibal Lechter to rejoice.
> ($20.70, R.com, 2 Forks)
>
> 10/25 Though this morning resulted in my 6th consecutive losing session, I
> was somewhat mollified by the knowledge that there are only 8 more mourning
> (sic) sessions before the end of our trip.
>
> We enjoyed fruit and OJ in our room before heading for the breakfast of
> champions, coffee for Ann and a shared apple fritter, at Ronald's Donuts on
> Spring Mountain Road. ($3.92, 4 Crumbs)
>
> We killed a little time walking around the Las Vegas Premium Outlets
> (North) before it was time for Ann's massage at Elements Therapeutic
> Massage on Eastern Avenue. http://touchofelements.com/henderson
> ($54, Groupon, 4 Hands) In the meantime, I returned to the scene of the
> crime at Fiesta-Henderson and hit my 3rd quad deuces of the trip.
>
> After picking Ann up, we returned to Paseo Verde Library to check our
> emails.
>
> For lunch we attempted to go to the Great Greek restaurant, but the road
> was blocked due to construction so we opted for the luncheon buffet at the
> South Point, but discovered there was a 40 minute so we settled on plan C,
> hot dogs and a soda at the cart next to the race book. ($3.50, 2 Buns)
>
> Ann won a few dollars playing vp in the afternoon while I catnapped.
> Dinner and libations were at the beautifully decorated Hachi restaurant at
> Red Rock Resort. http://www.redrocklasvegas.com/dining/hachi.php We timed
> our arrival to take advantage of the drink specials offered during happy
> hour at the bar. Ann ordered a glass of Chardonnay (3 Sips) while I chose a
> Zen-Tini (Chai liquor, green tea liquor and Stoli vanilla vodka) (3.5
> Sips). We started off sharing a bowl of the spicy Kabocha coconut soup (4.5
> Spoons) and nasu dengaku (broiled eggplant with sweet miso (4.5 Forks). Our
> next order included a large portion of veggie fried rice (3 Forks), a mixed
> greens salad with ginger dressing (2.5 Forks) and chicken kushiyaki with a
> Peruvian sauce (2 Forks). Overall the meal was very satisfying though the
> portion size of the chicken skewers was ridiculously small and the meat was
> overdone. ($36.85, WeLuvLocals gift card)
>
> On our return to the South Point I took a few laps around the casino
> before retiring to the room while Ann chose to play some vp before
> eventually joining me.
>
> 10/26 I managed to hit my 4th quad deuces at the Fiesta this morning, but
> lost once again. On my way back to the South Point a light rain began to
> fall and, as the sun broke through, I saw several rainbows, but each pot of
> gold turned out to be just beyond my grasp.
>
> Our breakfast this morning was OJ, grapefruit and a shared bagel from the
> Del Mar Deli. We then dropped off our laundry at our favorite wash and fold
> and learned the owners have the business up for sale. Sigh.
>
> We then walked around the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (South) for an hour in
> order to kill time before Ann's appointment at Elite Hair Salon. ($41, 4
> Brushes) As I waited in the car I gave serious consideration to committing
> hari kari, but could not locate a sword.
>
> Our last stop before retuning to the South Point was the Paseo Verde
> Library where we checked emails once again.
>
> For lunch we used free buffet coupons from the funbooks received on a
> previous stay. I enjoyed cocktail shrimp, a tomato salad, one BBQ pork rib,
> a few tiny meatballs and a fresh fruit tart. ($4, 2 Forks)
>
> The afternoon was spent reading and snoozing while Ann won a few dollars.
> We then drove over to pick-up our laundry; returning to South Point in time
> to watch a little of the PBR finals plus the UCONN versus Pitt football
> game. We then used funbook coupons for entry into the showroom to see the
> Déjà Vu Dance & Show Band and received both a free drink coupon and $5 in
> free slot play.
>
> Later in the evening we headed to the lounge at Twin Creeks Steakhouse in
> the Silverton.
> http://www.silvertoncasino.com/dining/vegas-steakhouse-seafood.aspx After
> 8PM on Tue-Sat, all drinks plus the entire tapas menu were being discounted
> by 75%. Do I hear a Hallelujah? I ordered a mojito (3 Sips) while Ann
> wisely chose the Espresso martini (espresso vanilla vodka, coffee liquor,
> Irish liquor and a shot of espresso) (4.5 Sips). Each of these drinks cost
> a mere $2.50. Give me another Hallelujah and a 2nd round of drinks!
>
> Our first order of tapas included stuffed mushrooms (chorizo, chicken and
> parmesan cheese) (3 Forks) and bacon wrapped dates (3.5 Forks). Service was
> extremely slow so our waitress, cum bartender, Michelle gave us a
> complimentary order of bacon wrapped shrimp with an adobo BBQ sauce as an
> apology.
> (3.5 Forks)
>
> For the second round, Ann ordered a glass of Chardonnay while I went with
> the Zombie martini (light and dark rum, coconut rum, Bacardi 151, OJ and
> pineapple juice). (4.5 Sips) Our last tapas order included piquillo peppers
> stuffed with garlic cream cheese (4.5 Forks) and red potatoes in a spicy
> aioli sauce (3.5 Forks). Our bill was $61, reduced to $15.36 with the happy
> hour discount which was covered by Ann's points. ($10, 4 Forks) One last
> halleluha!
>
> Note: the 75% late night Happy Hour was discontinued as of November 1st,
> but a 50% discount is offered Tue-Sat from 5-8PM.
>
> 10/27 An incredible number of wild royals kept my gambling loss to a
> minimum. .
>
> We returned to Ellis Island this morning for breakfast with Ann ordering
> the cinnamon French toast while I went with easy over eggs, wheat toast and
> hash browns. Service continues to be very good. ($8.14, LVA, 2.5 Forks)
>
> We then parked at Bill's Gamblin Hall and made our way over to the
> Bellagio where we took in the fall exhibit in the Conservatory and
> Botanical Garden, the Chihuly shop and the Jean-Phillip patisserie.
> (4 Claps)
>
> On our return to the South Point it was time for me to get in line for the
> Dennis Bono show. This week's lineup featured a number of tribute artists
> including Kaleidoscope who cover such diverse performers as the Righteous
> Brothers, Mama's & Papas and the Carpenters. I recognized one of the
> members who previously performed with a group called Spectrum. Other
> performers included Roy Hamilton Jr. who sang his father's hit Unchanged
> Melody and Bobby Brooks Wilson who had people dancing in the aisles when he
> sang two of his father's (Jackie) greatest hits - Lonely Tear Drops and
> Higher and Higher. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVa_eqIr1Rg (4 Claps)
>
> In the early evening we sought courage by downing merlots before heading
> off to the Sanctum of Souls haunted attraction on Sahara Avenue. This was
> one of the newest Halloween attractions so we were not sure what to expect.
> http://www.sanctumofsouls.com/ It featured 3 haunted houses: the Clown
> Carnage in 3D, Flatline & Nightmare! There were very few cars in the
> parking lot so we proceeded with much trepidation.
>
> On entering we were assigned a leader who guided us throughout and joined
> 3 women as we entered the first house – Clown Carnage. At the end, the
> others departed and we were left alone with the leader as we continued on
> to Flatline followed by Nightmare. On exiting I mentioned there had been
> awful lot of screaming going on considering the few visitors. Ann said it
> was me who did almost all of the screaming. ($20, Yipit, 2.5 Screams)
>
> Having worked up an appetite and thirst, we made the short drive to the
> Las Vegas Grill for some barbecue http://www.vegasgrille.com/ Business
> was very slow with only one other table occupied during our entire stay.
> The owner explained that everything is made in-house and each meat is
> smoked by choosing an appropriate variety of wood such as apple, pecan,
> hickory etc. We ordered the 4 meat and 3 sides platter choosing ¼ rack of
> ribs w/a spicy pineapple sauce, New Mexico chili sausage, tri tip and pork
> loin.. Our side dishes were Bavarian potato salad, rainbow slaw and spicy
> beans. The ribs and sausage were excellent while we both felt the pork loin
> and tri tip were dry. None of the side dishes distinguished themselves.
> ($12.56, CBS, 2.5 Forks)
>
> We decided to have a late night cocktail at Twin Creeks, but the waiting
> time was prohibitively long so we retired early this evening.
>
> 10/28 Today was Nevada Day and it also commemorated my first and only
> Royal Flush of the trip. To celebrate we headed to the Gold Coast for the
> Ports O'Call buffet. The buffet was disappointing on a number of levels
> including the absence of ripe fruit and no Chinese or Italian food. My
> huevos rancheros suffered from stale tortillas and overcooked eggs. I used
> a pair of free buffets that I won by posting on the American Casino Guide
> (ACG) website. http://forum.americancasinoguide.com/forum.php ($4. 1.5
> Forks)
>
> Later in the morning we spent a few hours at the PBR Fan Zone at Mandalay
> Bay with the highlight being a soothing chair massage. I spent the
> afternoon in the room reading and snoozing while Ann worked the vp machines
> until she hit her 1st quad deuces of the trip.
>
> Several hours later we found our way back to Ellis Island where Ann had a
> merlot and I tried an in-house brewed Octoberfest beer that left a sour
> aftertaste. (1 Sip)
>
> Dinner was at Panna Thai located on Fort Apache.
> http://pannathairestaurant.com/ Our appetizer was Golden Cups – sautéed
> minced pork, chicken and vegetables with a touch of curry served in small
> pastry cups. We selected our entrees from the list of Chef's specials;
> seafood eggplant (mixed seafood stir fried with chili, basil and eggplant)
> and spicy basil clams (clams sautéed in a spicy Thai chili sauce with sweet
> basil). Both entrees were served on sizzling hot plates and accompanied by
> Jasmine rice. We ordered a medium spice level which turned out to be
> perfect. The food was appealing to both the eye and palate.
> ($25.25, R.com, 4.5 Forks)
> We drove to the Orleans to see the Osmond Brothers show.
> http://www.osmondbros.com/ When I was planning this trip I asked Ann if
> she would be interested in seeing the Osmonds not realizing she thought we
> were going to see Donnie & Marie. The brothers are now celebrating 50 years
> in show business. Their performance was smooth, but I did not find either
> their voices or music to be particularly good though I am certain their
> fans would disagree. ($45.95, LVA, 1.5 Claps)
>
> 10/29 This morning's session at the Fiesta-Henderson netted me 2 x points
> and little else. We again made the trek to Ronald's Donuts for a coffee
> (Ann) and shared a delicious apple fritter. ($2.92, 3.5 Forks)
>
> Later in the morning we played for an hour at the Fiesta-Henderson with
> Ann hitting her 2nd quad deuces of the trip while I lost.
>
> It was time for lunch so we made our way to Beijing Noodle Café which is
> located in a shopping center on Sandhill at Flamingo. This is a small
> husband/wife operated restaurant where the wife serves as manager and
> waitress while the husband and his 2 apprentices make the same hand drawn
> noodles as at the highly (expensive) regarded Beijing Noodle No. 9 in
> Caesars. We started with an order of vegetable spring rolls that were light
> and flavorful. We also shared a bowl of Lan Zhou noodle soup which was
> delicious, but a bit too spicy for Ann. ($11.65, 4 Noodles)
>
> Later in the afternoon while I was napping, Ann put in another winning
> session without hitting quad deuces. I have never figured out how she
> manages to do that while I lose even after hitting quad deuces.
>
> We enjoyed a pair of merlots at the Grandview Lounge using ticket stubs
> from the Dennis Bono show before heading to the Silverado Steakhouse. On
> the walk over I looked at our locals coupon and realized Saturday evening
> was excluded. I rescheduled our meal and went with Plan B, dinner at the
> Primarily Prime Rib using a LVA 2/1 coupon. Oops, no availability until
> 7:30PM – too late. Plan C was using 2/1 LVA coupon at the buffet – nope,
> that doesn't work on Saturday night either. Plan D was a shared corned beef
> on rye at the Del Mar Deli using a 15% off coupon from the funbook. The
> corned beef was lean and delicious. We also shared a soda and a large
> Napoleon for dessert. ($16.25, 3 Forks)
>
> We exited the deli and got in line for the Lettermen show.
> http://www.thelettermen.com/Home1.html
> We have seen them previously though the line-up has slightly changed, but
> their performance continues to be as smooth and polished as silk. We were
> surprised at how many audience members were in their 20's and early 30's so
> before exiting, Ann asked one of the young ladies sharing our table how she
> become a fan. She responded that she was Tony Butala's fiancée. Tony is the
> sole original member of the Lettermen and is now 73 years old and
> celebrating his 50th year as a member of the group. God bless him.
>
> On exiting the showroom we headed directly for the corridor leading to the
> Events Center where attendees of the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball were
> beginning to line-up. We watched them for about an hour and discovered they
> were a fun group who were not nearly as outrageously dressed as I suspected
> (hoped) though there were a few R-rated costumes. (3.5 Whips and a boa)
>
> 10/30 I was up early enough this morning that I saw a number of the
> attendees returning from the ball before I headed off for the
> Fiesta-Henderson. After putting in another losing session, I stopped at
> Sunset Station and picked up a pair of apple fritters at the Grand Cafe.
> http://www.sunsetstation.com/dining/cafe/ These were only distant
> relatives of those offered at Ronald's. ($1.72, gift card, 1 Fork)
>
> It was Sunday morning so we read the paper in our room followed by 3 laps
> around the casino before making the long trek to Abuela's Tacos on E.
> Sahara. http://www.abuelastacos.com/ The family that owns this small,
> casual café-style Mexican restaurant makes everything from scratch. We had
> some difficulty deciding what variety of tacos to choose – eventually
> settling on (2) shrimp, a chicken and a Barbacoa (beef). While waiting for
> our tacos, we enjoyed the complimentary salsa (spicy) and chips. The shrimp
> tacos were by far the best though the others were very good with each being
> served on a homemade tortilla. Prices are bit higher than the comparison.
> ($9.86, CBS, 2.5 Forks)
> Before returning to the room, we played a little at the Fiesta with me
> losing and Ann breaking even. This evening's libations were served at
> Miguel's Tequila bar where all tequila drinks at just $2 during its Wed-Sun
> happy hour. Ann chose a tequila mockingbird while I opted for a tequila
> sunrise. ($5, 3 Sips)
>
> While we were enjoying our drinks, a woman at a nearby table came over and
> offered us tickets to this evening's Lettermen show because she would
> unable to use them. We declined though I was sorely tempted.
>
> Dinner was at the Silverado Steakhouse where our entrees included a decent
> house salad with blue cheese dressing.
> http://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/silverado-steakhouse.php For
> entrees Ann ordered the 8-ounce filet while I went cowboy style by ordering
> the 16-ounce prime rib. Both entrees were perfectly cooked to medium rare
> as requested and included a baked potato with all the fixings. My prime
> rib, served with au jus and a horseradish sauce, turned out to be a mammoth
> slab of beef with most of the outer ring of fat and near fat removed. I
> only wish Max had been with us because it took a Herculean effort for me to
> finish it alone. Dessert was out of the question. ($10, 2/1 locals coupon,
> points, 3.5 Forks)
>
> After a few laps around the casino, I returned to the room while Ann put
> in another short vp session.
>
> 10/31 I was hopeful that my luck might change with this being the 85th
> anniversary of Houdini's death, but I suffered yet another loss at the
> Fiesta-Henderson. http://www.houdinitribute.com/ The weather once again
> was near perfect; clear skies and temperatures in the low 80's, but we
> learned folks back home were experiencing a historic snow storm that
> paralyzed much of the northeast with fallen trees causing over 900,000 CT
> residents, including us, to lose power.
>
> We decided to use my coupon for 2 free buffets at the Orleans, won by
> posting on the ACG discussion board, this morning. Most of the buffet
> employees were dressed in Halloween garb and they seemed to be in a
> particularly cheery mood. I had my usual huevos rancheros, fruit and OJ.
> The quality and variety of the food was a notch above those at both the
> South Point and Gold Coast. ($3, 2.5 Forks)
>
> We made the cross city trip to Sam's where we each played for about an
> hour with Ann winning and me losing - same old, same old.
>
> In the late afternoon, we drove to the historic El Cortez.
> http://www.elcortezhotelcasino.com/
> On entering we headed for the recently renamed and renovated Parlour bar
> for the happy hour 2 for 1 martinis. I ordered a raspberry martini (Sky
> infusion raspberry vodka laced with Baily's Irish Cream – 4.5 Sips) while
> Ann chose a lemon drop (3 Sips). On the second round, Ann ordered the
> raspberry while I achieved martini nirvana by ordering The Bullet
> (Tangueray Ten Gin, Sambucca Romana and lemon juice – 5 Sips and no
> sharing).
>
> We then meandered over to the Fremont Street Experience and watched the
> Halloween parade for about a half hour before becoming bored. We then
> directed our feet to the Golden Gate where I had a $50 dining comp at
> Du-Pars Restaurant and Bakery that I won by posting on the ACG board.
> http://www.du-pars.com/
>
> Our dinner at this coffee shop proved to be disappointing. Ann ordered the
> fresh salmon which came with mashed potatoes, salad and mixed vegetables. I
> ordered the halibut, salad, roasted potatoes and the same mixed vegetables.
> Both pieces of fish were overcooked and everything else was below mediocre
> with the exception of the veggies. I thought we could salvage our dinner
> with slices of their highly acclaimed pies. Ann chose chocolate cream while
> I settled on coconut custard. Each was probably the equivalent of a Mrs.
> Smith's frozen pie though, in all honesty, I have never had a Mrs. Smith's
> pie so I may be insulting Mrs. Smith. One last note – our server was
> crabby. ($7, 0.5 Forks)
>
> On exiting we enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the El Cortez, stopping for
> photos and to listen to Frank & The Steins and an Alice Cooper tribute
> artist perform. (4 Claps)
>
> 11/1 One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and
> expecting a different result. I must be insane because I returned to the
> Fiesta this morning and ended up losing again.
> We soon departed for Our Families Country Café for breakfast.
> http://mycountrycafe.com/
> The address is Rainbow Avenue at Cactus Avenue though neither road will be
> completed for at least 2 more years. Fortunately, a yelp poster provided
> correct directions, use Buffalo and turn on to Cactus Avenue, so we avoided
> getting lost. The inside is quite homey and the Sturz family proved to be
> very affable proprietors. We both ordered easy over eggs with bacon and
> wheat toast. The eggs were perfectly cooked (runny) and the bacon was by
> far the best I have had in ages. ($13.88, Groupon, 4 Forks)
>
> Most of the remainder of the day was spent at the library or in our room
> considering whether or not to extend our stay in Las Vegas or return to CT
> where widespread power outages are forecast through at least Sunday
> evening. After mulling it over for several hours we decided to decamp and
> booked the only lodging available.
>
> In the late afternoon we washed our laundry followed by drinks at the
> always inviting Ellis Island casino. On our return to the South Point we
> deposited our clothes in the room and headed downstairs to Don Vito's
> Italian restaurant. http://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/don-vitos.phpWe received warm rolls which we normally refuse, but not tonight because we
> knew from past experience that they would be accompanied by a small bowl of
> roasted garlic, chopped tomatoes and EVO. We each ordered the eggplant
> Parmesan which came with a choice of soup, salad or pasta. Ann chose the
> excellent pasta faglioli while I ordered a salad dressed with tomato basil
> vinaigrette. The eggplant, stuffed with ricotta, was very good and I was
> able to use a 2 for 1 coupon from a locals mailer. ($6, points, 3 Forks)
>
> We called it an early night in anticipation of our long travel day
> tomorrow.
>
> 11/2 One more losing session at the hands of the Fiesta before I returned
> to the room. We noshed on a shared bagel, the last of our jarred grapefruit
> and OJ in the room before departing for the Fiesta for our last session.
> While I made a whopping $5, Ann pulled off a Hail Mary by hitting a royal
> flush in spades. Can I have one more Hallelujah?
>
> For our last meal of the trip, we decided on the 3-course $10.95 lunch at
> Opus Too in the Art Institute of Las Vegas. This student run dining room is
> tastefully decorated and overseen by a pair of experienced chefs. In the
> past the menu changed weekly, but since our last visit the number of menu
> items has increased and the menu now changes on a semester basis. We both
> chose the grilled polenta with black and green olives and pimento roasted
> vegetable coulis which was just plain delicious.
>
> For an entree Ann chose moussaka; a combination of ground lamb, eggplant,
> marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and béchamel sauce – again, delicious. I
> somewhat hesitantly ordered the cioppino, a fisherman's seafood soup which
> was one of the best I have ever tasted. We closed out this feast by both
> ordering the crème brulee medley – small servings of both traditional
> vanilla bean and espresso. The traditional was excellent, but the espresso
> raised the dessert bar by a full notch. ($30.86, 4.5 Forks)
>
> There were only 60 passengers on our return flight and I wonder if it had
> anything to do with it being Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday known
> as the Day of the Dead? We arrived at 11:30PM, approximately 30 minutes
> early, and were soon off for our temporary lodging in the Comfort Inn in
> Wethersfield. (1 Night) We lucked out by having our power restored on
> Thursday afternoon in time to cancel the remainder of our reservation and
> pick-up Max at the kennel. On arriving home we found the Zombies had
> departed but had left the backyard littered with chicken bones, smoldering
> bonfires and a large sign that read "Be afraid… Be very afraid" scrolled in
> what appeared to be blood.
>
> Thus concludes our vacation. Ann did her utmost best to offset my run of
> bad luck, but came up a bit short so our record now stands at 14 winning
> trips out of the past 18. Thanks to each of you who took the time to read
> this TR and feel free to comment or ask questions.
>
> "This is no dream! This is really happening"
> Rosemary's Baby (1968)
>
>
>
--
Jack
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