Seven Day Trip Las Vegas Late March 2012
Trip was seven days with my wife. Left Sunday March 23, 4:30 PM from Manchester, NH via Southwest and got in at about 9:00 PM. Rented a mid-size using Dollar Express and the "City Special" at $170 (including all charges). Computers had been down at Dollar most of the day and my car was not ready at the kiosk. Slim pickings of cars so took a full-size Mercury Marquis. What a boat -- also the car smelled. This was surely your grandfather's `Merc". Anyway, after getting a room deodorizer for the car, decided to keep the car for the duration even though because of its size it was tough to park and guzzled gas.
We did a late supper at Mr. Lucky's at HR (despite it being mobbed as a result of a concert just letting out) using a free $10 restaurant.com certificate. Next, hit a 24 hour Albertson's Supermarket on Flamingo to pick up some drinks and snacks. We then checked into a one bedroom (three room) time-share condo trade at the newly-renovated Desert Club Resort for the week behind the Harrah's Hotel on Koval. Check¬-in was quick and smooth. The unit we were assigned was nice with lots of granite (kitchen and bath countertops and fireplace surround), very large tub, rain head showerhead, gas fireplace, two large screen TV's¸ private deck, and free Wi-fi. Only complaint was that the portion the bathroom with the tub, shower, and sink had no door between it and the bedroom. So, if one person wanted to use the shower before the other person woke up in the morning or had already gone to sleep in the evening, it would get a bit noisy in the bedroom. Also my wife was bummed that there was no large mirrors only a very small one high over the bathroom sink.
MONDAY
I got up at 6:00 AM and drove over to the Peppermill to get a coffee to go and then to Circus Circus (CC) to play their 50c Aces & Eights video poker that I had been practicing on software before the trip. If played perfectly it will return 100.25%+ (I say "+" because of the added benefit of it being a progressive on the royal and sequential royal as well) over the long run. Of course part of the return is dependent on getting your fair share of not only royals but also high paying sequential royals. So without those, it becomes less than a breakeven game. Still, after playing about four hours without any royals, I managed to breakeven. CC looked better and didn't smell as badly as the last time I was there a couple of years ago.
In the afternoon we took a ride to see the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and walked over the bridge pedestrian walkway. The views of the dam are better from the bridge than they are from the dam itself. Parking is limited near the bridge, however, and I nearly got into an altercation over an open parking space when someone tried to cut me off to sneak into the spot I had my eye on.
Late in the afternoon we went to Bahama Breeze on Flamingo and Paradise and had a decent meal for a reasonable price. I had wood-grilled Talapia and my wife had some sort of shrimp special. Used a $10 email coupon I got from being on their mailing list. After a brief nap, made it over to Bill's to see the 6:30 PM free Big Elvis show. He was good but his sidekick was less so. Also it looks like Elvis gained back most of the weight that he lost. From there, walked over to the Bellagio to see the spring conservatory show. It was excellent. One highlight was an actual replica of a painting made entirely from flowers. Closed out the day where it started, at the Peppermill, this time for dessert, carrot cake and a sundae.
TUESDAY
Up early again -- this time to drive to downtown Henderson to the Rainbow Club Casino to play $0.25 x 10 coin FP Deuces Wild (FPDW) VP. After a couple of hours, I hit four deuces for $500 and left with a $400 profit. Decided also to swing by the Fiesta Henderson to see if I had any points or cash back there from previous trips. There was none, so I just stuck a $20 in a 25c FPDW and lost it quickly. From there, decided to go back to CC for some more Aces & Eights and also to get two Wincard deals: 1) $15 in chips for $10 and 2) $30 in chips for $20. Didn't do well playing blackjack: lost $10 of my initial $30 investment, but without the Wincard chips would have lost $25 (so saved $15 in losses). Walked across the street to Riviera and played a $10 matchplay (MP) coupon on a rare low-stakes single-zero roulette wheel and won $20 betting black. Walked back to CC and continued playing Aces & 8s VP and overall left winning $50 on VP for the day here.
In the afternoon took wife to Premium Outlet Mall for a few hours and then we went to the Palms to redeem our two $40 in slot play for $25 coupons we had bought online We played the full pay, multi-hand, penny, JoB VP machines near the food court. I cashed out with a $40 ticket for a $15 profit. While there, I also played a $10 MP, but lost $10 betting 19-36 (low). We then ate at the 24/7 café, each having chef salads, shrimp cocktails, and drinks using the MRB 50% off coupon saving 50% on the check.
That evening we saw Absinthe at the front of Caesars (parked at Bill's garage for an easy walk to the show tent). I got a significant discount buying a Travelzoo voucher in advance. The show got off to a slow, disjointed, and hokey start, but once it got rolling it was really entertaining and seemed to get raunchier, more mesmerizing, and entertaining as the show went on. In addition to some great acrobatic stuff, the MC was hilarious particularly when dealing with audience members and audience participation. It was like vaudeville and burlesque meets Cirque Soleil on a tiny stage in a small circus tent. I'd commend the show to anyone.
From there, had a late supper/snack at the Peppermill. I got the fruit platter with banana bread (which is enormous). I ate about a third of the contents of the platter and they packed the rest to go for us. Since we had a full-size refrigerator in the condo kitchen, it provided fresh fruit and banana bread for both of us for the next few days.
At this point I'm up $455 in gambling winnings for the trip.
WEDNESDAY
Had fresh fruit and banana bread for breakfast and drove to CC for some more VP. After an hour or so I lost $100 and then decided to begin a near-strip coupon run. First stop was Gold Coast where I lost $5 on a MP but won $22 on a $10 free slot play (FSP) coupon. Next did a $10 MP at the Palms for a $10 loss, followed by two $10 MPs and one $10 FSP at the Orleans for an $8.00 net gain. Next drove to the Luxor and did a $30 in chips for $20 Wincard deal and the same $30 for $20 deal next door at Mandalay Bay. Playing blackjack at both with $60 in chips total lost it all quickly with no luck at the blackjack tables. Despite the $60 loss in chips, because of the deal I only lost $40 in real money.
More fruit for lunch, followed by a trip to the relatively new downtown Mob Museum with my wife (who is obsessed with most things mob-related, especially Whitey Bulger information (we got $4.00 off each ticket with an online LVA coupon).
I am not obsessed with the Mob yet the museum was really done well and I would say the average person would enjoy it and it's a great way to spend 90 minutes or so. We, however, spent amore than three hours as my wife had to see every minute of every video, interactive exhibit, memorabilia, artifact, and photograph as well as read every subtitle and story. Coincidentally, we entered at the same time as a well dressed, well preserved and attractive elderly women and I think she spent as much time poring over every document and exhibit as did my wife. I kept imagining this woman must have hung with the mob boys in the old days of Vegas and was reliving some of her old flames and escapades (my mind wanders some times). Nonetheless, the museum was very informative entertaining and organized. The building it is in is an old federal building that housed a post office and federal courtroom, and offices and has been wonderfully restored. Although they charge $3.00 to park onsite, there was a lot next door where we parked for free.
We then went ot Maggiano's across from the Wynn at the front of the Fashion Show Mall for an early supper. I had a couple of $25 gift certificates I had accrued over the past year or so. I had veal parmesan and my wife had gnocchi and sausage. Both dishes were very good and very reasonably priced. The service was great as well.
That evening we went to a late 10:30 show to see Gilbert Gottfried. Again through Travelzoo I got an advanced purchase voucher through Travelzoo at a significant discount. He is a strange person. The show again started slow and then it seemed like he woke up and just caught on fire. Probably not everyone's cup of tea as he can be pretty racist and offensive if you take him seriously (apparently as the Japanese did, which got him fired from his AFLAC gig).
On the way out, I played a $10 mp at the Riv, but red came up when black was supposed to.
THURSDAY
First stop was the Fremont Casino where I got a large coffee at Dunkin Donuts and then sat down at their 25c Pick'Em (PE) VP machine (AKA Pick-a-Pair). I used to play this game regularly at Mohegan Sun in CT so know the game cold. Last time I played it here, I lost about $400 in about three hours. This time however, hitting two 4oK's in about an hour I walked out with a $275 profit. I then went on a downtown coupon run, hitting ElCo, 4Queens, LVC, and the Plaza, but only managed a $5 profit from the coupon run. I finished this out with some more PE at Fremont and gave back $40 of the $275 I had won earlier. Before heading back to the condo, I made a one block coupon run including the HR, Terrible's, Tuscany, and Ellis Island for a net $11 gain.
Later in the afternoon, my wife and I went to LeBurger Brasserie at Paris Hotel for a late lunch. I had the lamburger and my wife had some sort of specialty burger. I had an MRB 2-for-1 coupon as well as received 50 cent off per burger with a Harrah's/Caesar's Player's Card. Good burgers especially the hard-to-find lamburger. Since we were on the strip, I took my wife to Cosmo across the street in hopes of getting her $10 in freeplay for signing up as I did last year. Well they've apparently cut that to only $5.00. After a few minutes of playing her $5.00 freeplay at a 25c crappy paytable JoB machine she parleyed that, however, into a $20 win. From there, we went back downtown where I got her $10 more of freeplay at Elco that netted her $8.00.
With so little sleep due to getting up each morning about 5:00 AM, I took a nap at about 7:00 PM and didn't get up until 1:00 AM. After doing nothing for a couple of hours I fell back to sleep until 5:00 AM again.
Thus far for the trip I calculated I was up $571.
FRIDAY
Got to Green Valley Ranch about 6:30 AM, where I played 25c FPDW VP. After going sideways for quite a while with no four deuces to be had, I switched to Loose Deuces Wild that pays $625 for four deuces instead of $250 (but less on the more frequent lower paying hands). After about 10 minutes, the four deuces came and I hit for $625. I kept playing and increased to 50c x 5 per hand and by getting some good cards increased my balance to as high as $900 (an $800 profit). I increased it to $1.00 x 5 per hand, but after a while my profit declined to only $600 and I quit.
From there I made a quick trip back to the Rainbow Club and played 50c FPDW but lost $100. From there, I drove north on Boulder and picked up tickets for a Saturday night concert at the Eastside Cannery and at the Longhorn across the street played a $10 MP and some blackjack. I left with a $20 loss.
Before heading back to the condo, I did another east of strip coupon run hitting Tuscany, Terrible's, HR, and Ellis Island resulting in no net gain or loss and then a brief west of strip run including Orleans and the Palm's (plus a bit of straight up blackjack at the Palm's) for an overall $30 loss.
For lunch, across from the HR on Paradise I got an excellent sub at Capriotti's and brought it back to the condo.
In the afternoon we decided to check out the Broadacres Flea market in North Las Vegas. Only a small portion of the normal vendors were setup since it was a Friday (and not the weekend) and there didn't seem be anything my wife was interested in, so we only were there for about 15 minutes. So I went with Plan B, and drove to the new Nevada State Museum on Valley View Rd. It had many exhibits from prehistoric Nevada all the way through the present. Dollar for the dollar though I thought the Clark County Museum in Henderson had more to see in that regard, BUT one of the benefits of coming here is that entitles you to admission to the abutting Springs Preserve which has many exhibits on the growth of Vegas and short movies to see as well as a number of special exhibits such as the current SPACE exhibit with moonstones you can touch, etc.
That night we had EXPENSIVE tickets for Garth Brooks at Encore. It essentially was a one man show except for when his wife joined him. He discussed and played (acoustic guitar only) the many influential songs and musician's he grew up on such as James Taylor, Bob Seger, and Simon & Garfunkle to name a few and play many of their songs. He then did many of his own hits. I'm not a big fan, but my wife is and the tickets were a Valentine's Day gift to her. I will say he worked his ass off, so you felt like he just wasn't calling it in to take your money.
From Wynn we walked to the Palazzo and had supper at the Grand Lux, I had a club sandwich, which had excellent bacon and bread and we shared a butterscotch pudding that was made with shards of butterscotch lifesavers and topped with whipped cream which was topped with crackerjacks and pecans.
So far for the trip I'm up $1.021.
SATURDAY
Being up about $1,000 I thought I would quit gambling and go home with a nice profit. So we didn't do much Saturday morning. Late in the morning my wife wanted to buy her grandchildren some books so we went to Barne's and Noble on Maryland Ave. While she was in there I wanted something to tide me over until the large dinner we had planned. I was going to get some fries at Mc Donald's or something else small when I noticed Jason's Deli in the shopping center. A few people from Vegas I have traded coupons with in the past had recommended Jason's as the best Deli in Vegas.
I got a half of a corned beef sandwich. I'm sorry, but the corned beef was extraordinarily fatty, rubbery and tasteless. I only ate half of the half of a sandwich. From there my wife had to go to church and I took her to the one on the strip just north of Encore on Cathedral Way. I had an hour and one-half to kill and I was in walking distance of CC, and I was feeling lucky, so I figured I'd give the 50c Aces & Eight VP machine one last try. In just 15 minutes or less I lost $120 and called it quits, thus leaving me still with a $900 profit for the trip.
That night before the concert at Eastside Cannery, I had a $50 restaurant.com certificate from Carve at Eastside Cannery. To use it we had to spend $100 and they add a 20% gratuity based on the full check amount. With a large bottle of Pellegrino water, two salads, two sides, two filet mignons (one petite, one regular size), two desserts, and two coffees, the check came to about $120 (without tip) and we got $50 off of that. The food and service were excellent and the meal would have cost close to $200 on the strip.
We than went to the concert. Because I had bought the tickets online at the exact second they went on sale, I was able to get second row seats near center stage. Paul Rogers (lead singer of Bad Company and Free "All Right Now fame") was extraordinarily good. For an old guy his voice is still strong. The band he had was great. I forget how many good hit songs Bad Company had until he started singing them all.
SUNDAY
Had to check out by 10:00 AM and fill up the car with gas, return the rental, and make it over to the terminal and get through security and to the gate for a 12:15 PM flight. With all of that, we made it from the condo to the gate in an hour. Made it back to Manchester NH airport and home with no glitches and with $900 in winnings.
Thanks for reading this.
ST
