I had originally wanted to go to Vegas in late Feb. or early March but with my work schedule, decided to try Vegas in January. I’m not one to spend hours at the pool so real warm weather was not a concern but what luck to have it in the 60’s and 70’s.
I left Sunday morning at 5am for my usual drive to Detroit Airport. We had a snowstorm the night before but with my 4WD truck and lots of time to get to the airport, I wasn’t concerned about the time. As it turns out Detroit must have used up their entire budget for snow removal as none of the roads from downtown to the airport had been plowed. With just carry-on and it being early, I made it to my gate with 20 minutes to spare.
Took Northwest and the flight was great. We arrived a ½ hour early and I was in a cab, windows down, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, warm weather and off to Bally’s in no time.
It didn’t take long to notice that the resent recession has already started to hit Vegas. No traffic and only a hand full of people walking the strip at 10:30 in the morning. Arriving at Bally’s, I got out of the cab and could not believe how quite it was. Great for me but felt kind of spooky in a way.
Ok, the depressing part of the report is done (excluding the weather) and on to the fun stuff I know you want to read.
I checked in early and received a free upgrade to the North Tower. As this was my first time at Bally’s; they had already comped me 2 nights and the other 2 for $40, and only the second time on this side of the strip, I wasn’t expecting anything, so this was a great start. I had a few hours to kill so went to Sullies VP bar for a few drinks and try my luck. Well, the beer sure tasted good but set me back $100 real fast. I got that over with and decided to lay low until my room was ready, shower, eat, and gamble responsibly. Got my room at 2:30; very nice, clean, and big (not much of a view but didn’t matter) and was on the strip at 3:30. Maybe it was the time of day or the sun but the strip had picked up considerably. Went to PH first (I love the music they play) and got into the party mood fast. The drinks came quick, and the gambling was consistent. I didn’t win anything but played for 2 hours on $20.00. It was my original intention to get dressed up a bit and head down to Encore for the night but after eating, I made the mistake of laying down for a quick rest. Next thing I knew, it was 2 am Monday morning so I needed to get going. I missed my complete first night in Vegas!
With the Bally’s casino almost empty of people, I had free range of any VP machine I wanted. I jumped from machine to machine, looking for a winner and bingo, I found her. By 6:30, I was back in my room and up a few hundred bucks. Off to the Paris Buffet by 7am and over to the Bellagio for a walk through. At 8:30 in the morning, the “casino” population consisted of a few dealers trying to stay awake, one call girl at the bar, a few staff cleaning the machines and me. The Christmas display had been removed and they are setting up for Chinese New Year. I’m ready for some action and it wasn’t happening in this hotel. I crossed back over to the other side of the strip and began walking up towards MGM. After passing by the Glass Monster (City Center) things got better. Lots of people out and about, people trying to sell you stuff, noise from traffic and construction, music coming from the stores, Cops on bikes giving a drunk guy a hard time, cleaners sweeping up porn cards…….ah, Vegas in the morning, I love it. I spent a few hours at the MGM but only gambled for a short time. Crossed over and Tramed to Luxor. I hadn’t been in there for a few years but it has improved dramatically. A very upbeat and fun place to be. Everyone I was in contact with was very positive and helpful. It seems like they are going out of their way to help you, for example, I was looking at the property map when a hotel employee stopped and asked if I needed assistance. I didn’t but this made me feel very welcomed. I checked out prices for the exhibition “Bodies” so I could compare prices with Ticket 4 Tonight. More about “bodies latter but T4T is definitely the way to go. Walking back to Bally’s to make my donation for the comps; I had to laugh when I saw that the porn slappers have gotten very creative with their advertising. In a group of 8 or so, two of them sported billboard signs on their backs that light up. They were very frustrated with me as I was interested to see how the sign worked but kept refusing the cards. Moving on, I stopped into PH for a music fix, a few beers and gambling. The music and beer was great!
Tuesday morning, I was up around 2:30 (I don’t sleep much in Vegas) and headed down for a coffee and some VP. The casino craps tables were doing well at that time and still a few people on the slot machines, so when I finished my coffee, I ordered a beer. The bank of machines was paying off and the two girls a few seats down seemed to be having fun. My machine was one of the louder ones, so every time it paid off I was getting some looks from the two girls. Eventually my machine got into a paying streak and the three of us started joking back and forth. They asked me to join the drinking game with them; if anyone hits a 3 of a kind or better, we all had a healthy swig of our drink. Turns out the three of us played this game for close to 2 hours and I looked down to see that my 80 credits had turned into well over 800. A good run, a good time and a good buzz. Doesn’t get any better.
After cleaning up and Paris Buffet, I took the shuttle to Rio. I was there last year for a quick walk through on my way to Palms but didn’t gamble. I found a bank of VP that had more than one person playing so I decided to give this a try. It seemed like this was going to be a good day to gamble. Four of a kind’s were coming up ever 20 plays or so. A half hour into my session a Rio employee by the name of Kim walked behind me and said “good morning Mr. King.” She had mistaken me for someone else and began to laugh and we chatted for a few minutes. A very pleasant oriental woman that had moved from China 15 years ago and has lived in Vegas since. Before she left, she asked my name and from then on, when she walked by, she would yell out, “good morning King John.” It had been my intentions to stay at Rio for an hour and go to the Palms but I was doing so well, the staff was fun and the cocktail waitress were outstanding, I found a new home for at least a few more hours. I was coming to the end of my lucky streak and looking for a sign to tell me it was time to stop, when a deep voice from behind me said “can I get you a drink”, I turned to see that the beautiful waitress that had been bringing me drinks for the last few hours was replaced by a man……….off to the palms to play some VP and ended up loosing half what I had won at Rio, but got a free ball cap for my donation.
As I walked back from Palms to the Rio for the shuttle, I couldn’t help but notice the City Center and how it has changed the strip sky line. I hope I’m around to watch them implode that eyesore.
After cleaning up, off to Mirage for a walk through and dinner at BLT. The moving walkway has been replaced with an attractive concrete pad……..how inviting. Inside of BLT was just ok, but the staff and food made up for any lack of decorating creativity. I stopped in at the Players Club to see why my card was not showing any points collected and they explained that they were having trouble with the system but to be assured that my play was being calculated………………….sure, I thought to myself as I walked away. I put $40 into a VP machine and was lucky to get a pair of anything. The money and I were gone in 15 minutes. As I walked out the front door, I thought to myself, Steve Wynn should bye this place back and restore or change it back into a beautiful hotel it once was.
The weather was so great, I spent the rest of the evening walking the strip and taking in Vegas.
Latter: Bodies and Fantasy at the Luxor and the perfect last 4 hours in Vegas.
TR Jan. 11 - 15..... Part 1
Great TR, sounds like you had a blast as much as I am reading this...
TR Jan. 11 - 15..... Part 1
WOW!! you sure know how to have a good time!! awaitng the rest of your tr. Joe
Nice report so far King John!
This would explain why I%26#39;m getting so many nice offers from everyone. Nobody in town compared to normal.
Interested on your take on Bodies. Wife liked it, I was a little bored for what we paid.... interesting for 5 minutes or so.
%26lt;%26lt;bowing to ';King John';...lol%26gt;%26gt;
Love your description of Vegas in the morning.
Ahhh...this is why I love tripadvisor so much...reading your TR is like reliving fun times I had in Vegas, in good detail. You transported me there! Can%26#39;t wait for more =)...and I agree with the Glass Monster part...lol.
Enjoying your trip report. I love Vegas in the morning too - one of my favorite times to people-watch.
Nice report so far. Looking forward for more. I have one question. How do you and alot of vegas goers remember everything? I think its great but how? I%26#39;m going in May with my son for his 21 birthday and would like to be kind and write our report becuse I%26#39;v enjoyed others so much. I%26#39;v thought about taking notes everyday. I can%26#39;t remember what I did yesterday. (lol) I guess Vegas is different. Been six times , last one years ago. Got on this site a month or so ago and love it. Well, looking forward to next report.
If you love VP so much, you should come to Montana. We have them everywhere, in every restaurant.
Mr. Mirage, glad you got an upgrade at Bally%26#39;s. Hope you enjoyed your first stay there.
Thanks everyone. Part two is posted
Bosoxfan 8: good question regarding TR. I personally don’t take notes but take a day to do my report. Maybe re read a few times as I remember events during the day. I have read of a few people that do take notes and some bring their laptops and report at the end of each day. May I sagest reading a few and remember what you liked about the report, and what you got out of it. Me; I would love to know how you felt in Vegas, and remember that just getting to the show or casino may be an interesting story in itself. Report from your heart and most will love it. Have a great time with your son; sure wish my Mom brought me to Vegas for my 21st.
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