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I’ve written this diary of our trip to
Las Vegas both so I can re-live the good times myself, and to share it with my cyberbuddies,
to hopefully give those that aint been yet an idea of some costs, ideas, what's
available, and what to expect. A lot of it is ‘wot we did’ and u mite find it a
bit twee and boring, but
If u find it entertaining then that’s gr8, if not, well
Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn…
If you see the following icon,
then this is a Tip that I think may help ya.The Mrs and I booked our
trip to Vegas early Feb 2006 through Expedia, an online travel site, who seemed to offer a wide range of holidays at most of the Vegas hotels at competitive prices.
Initially we wanted to stay at the Venetian, but a 14 night stay there worked out
quite a bit more than we budgeted for, so instead chose another hotel on our list,
the ‘Paris Las Vegas’ and our deal for flights, airport transfer and accommodation
worked out at what we thought was a reasonable £2,050 total for Both both of us, which
included good flight times (Depart 11.20am from Manchester on Weds the 12th
April Via Philadelphia, Arriving 6.15pm Vegas local time) and returning 11am on
Weds 26th, Arriving back in Manchester the next day at 8.30am)
Wednesday 12th April
What can u say about traveling such a long way, except Boring. It took us 7.45hrs
to get to Philly, a 2hr wait to transfer, a 1 hr delay, then another 5hrs to finally
land in Vegas, tired and 8hrs behind GMT. A good thing tho' was that McCarran airport
(named after senator McCarran in the 40’s I think it was), is only a short hop from
the strip, so we arrived at the Paris soon after using the shuttle bus. One thing
we requested on our booking form was a room overlooking the strip, however were
told at check-in that was $60 extra per nite, and coz we got a cheap deal through
expedia it wasn’t included, but after a bit of wrangling we managed to get upgraded
for free lol (if u don’t ask u don’t get). The rooms in the Paris are superb, with
big comfy beds, lotsa space, a big TV, fab bathroom with bath as well as shower
and a good air-con system. I had a quick wizz on a videopoker machine winning the
princely sum of $4 before we had a baguette and a few beers in the hotel before
unpacking then retiring to bed at around 11pm abs shattered, but looking forward
to the next day
Thursday 13th April
A good thing (I suppose) is that because u are 8 hrs behind it makes u get up early,
and we first awoke at 4.15am then slept a tad more arising at 7.30 itching to get
started. After a mull around the Paris finding out where everything was, we made
our way to the Aladdin next door where I found a $50 NLH MTT was starting at 10am,
and this included what can loosely be described as a ‘continental breakfast’ (donuts
and cakes with coffee). This tourney is a ‘re-entry’ (similar to a re-buy but if
u lose all ur chips you have to leave the table, re-enter and get re-assigned tables).
The actual fee was $45 dollars inc reg. Fee for 1000 chips, but $5 more gets u anuther
1000, so everyone pays it. The blind structure was OK, with levels starting at 25/50
and increasing every 15 mins, so u can get a little play before it gets too much
like a crapshoot. I exited this trny trying to buy the pot with AQ sooted after
flopping a flush draw and 2 overcards, but the guy holding a JJ overpair wasn’t
going to let it go and I never improved. As the re-enter period had ended (1st hr only) it was time do some sightseeing after watching the $1/$2 NLH cash game
for a bit that they seem to permanently have here, so I took Sue off the Videopoker
and we trotted into the attached ‘desert passage’ mall to have a look. It soon became
apparent just how big this mall was, with something approaching 200 shops, and this
was just one casino !!. After this, we walked down the strip to the MGM grand, which
is a real monster, abs massive and very busy. I think this is the biggest hotel
in Vegas with 6000 rooms and someone told me 7500 staff lol. We saw the lions then
had lunch in one of the many restaurants before having my piccy taken with some
follies Berger girls (tall strapping girls and mmm nice) outside the Tropicana,
then into the New York New York casino for a shufty, then onto the Monte Carlo,
which has the freshest air anywhere, then back to the Aladdin for a few drinks and
machines before resting, and out again at 8pm into Ballys, which is the other side
of the Paris to the Aladdin. After an hr or so in Ballys, we nipped across the road
to the ‘Barbary Coast’ (one of the smaller & older casinos on the strip) where
we played $5 blackjack for the rest of the night. I was $50 down at one stage, but
got it all back and broke even before leaving, with a gut full of beer and rum n
cokes lol. It’s worth mentioning at this stage that most other casinos have a minimum
$10 limit on blackjack on the strip, and as we didn’t wanna get too keen, $5 per
hand was enough to start with. Throughout our stay, we always tipped the waitress’s
$1 per drink (about 60p) and they brought 'em as fast as we could drink em, usually
paying with the $1 tokens we won whenever we had a blackjack (which pays 3 to 2
in most places but some like the Paris only pay 6 to 5).
Carry a bottle of water when ur out n about walking, Vegas gets hot and places are
further away than u think when on foot
Don't even entertain the idea of renting a car. There's no-where to park and it
will only cause u Hassle
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Inside The 'Dessert Passage' Mall attached to the Aladdin. That aint
real sky u can see, its painted onto the roof |
Ooo la la. These girls gave me 2 for 1 tickets
to see 'em l8r with there kit off. The cost for both of us wud'v been $59, Mebbe Next Time... |
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The New York New York complex, Almost as big as the real thing. |
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Friday14th
April
We took the monorail
to the Stratosphere where I played a $30 MTT with one rebuy allowed at $20. you
initially get 1500 chips, but get 2000 for the rebuy which you can take at any time.
I finished 11th here outta 50+ runners, but the highlight was when I
reraised AI v a serial button stealer when I had AA in the BB, severely crippling
him after he called with a stronger than usual QK. 2 hands l8r, he moved AI with
A-10, and I had AA again, duly eliminating him to his bemusement. In true poker
fashion I never saw another hand all game, and as the blinds were getting big seemed
to face AI’s every hand with junk, and went out when my top pr of K’s ran into pocket
AA, cest la vie lol, but the best hand I watched was when a woman moved her shortish
stack in with K 10, got called by AQ and after a flop of A x x, hit rnr rnr kings
to stay alive – not pretty lol. Earlier in the tourny I folded AKs in the cutoff
after an UTG AI and call. Only to watch my opponents produce anuther AK and pair,
then silently reel in horror as I wud'v made the nut flush and won, but I don’t
like calling with AK 3-way and would prob do the same again for all my chips at
that early stage of the tourny. After the game, we walked up the strip to the famous
‘little white wedding chapel’ when we booked an ‘Elvis’ wedding (well blessing actually,
coz were already wed) before going to the old ‘Downtown’ area of Vegas for lunch
and a look round such casino’s as the 4-queens, and Binions where I doubled my $50
at blackjack :). We then had a look in the ‘Golden Gate’ where we found a $3 blackjack
game with even more attentive cocktail waitress’s and Sue played here as well. We
both walked out a cpl hrs later with more than we started with to get ‘the deuce’
bus back to our hotel. These buses run regularly, and at $2 a ride are a cheap way
to travel, but the traffic was busy and it took us 40 mins for the 5 mile ride back.
After a cpl hrs rest and a quick snooze in our room, we had dinner at a Mexican
restaurant in the Aladdin Mall (Big portions) before spending the rest of the evening
playing videopoker and going to bed tired around midnight.
If your gunna travel up n down the strip, the monorail is the quickest way, so buy
ur tickets in a block of 10 or more to get the price down and save money, however
you can only go from the MGM at the south to the Sahara north, and need to get a
cab the bus, or walk to get to rest of the way to the downown area.
Make sure you carry quite a few $1 bills. There not only handy for tip's,
but if you use 'The deuce' bus, u need the correct change.
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Outside Binions on Fremont street. This part of Vegas is buzzin at night with plenty
of folks, live music and a superb show on the roof you can see that stretches 5
blocks. |
Vegas Vic, he's a local icon don't ya know. |
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The Stratosphere, It aint half big at 113 stories high |
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Saturday 15th
April
We awoke to anuther beautiful
80 deg day and took an early morn trip to the top of the Eiffel tower outside out
hotel, a ½ scale replica built at a cost of $28m where the views over Vegas are
fantastic. After this, we took a trip round the elegant Bellagio, before watching
the noon show of the fountains, which are very impressive. They have a longer show
every hour, then a short one every 15 mins. We then took a tour round the equally
impressive Caesars palace complex before playing blackjack at the Barbary coast
where I once again doubled my $50 – I love this town lol, its gr8 to get free drinks
and money. Walking back we saw a tramp with a homemade sign that said ‘Why Lie,
I need beer’, and as I’d won and was in a good moved gave him a few bucks coz I
liked his style. L8r we went back to the Aladdin where I signed up for a ‘players
club card’ which entitled me to a free pull on a slot machine each day with a chance
at a $2million prize (I didn’t win it - awwwww) and also $10 free slot play. At
8pm we got ‘the deuce’ downtown, and after a bite to eat, watched the fantastic
‘fremont street experience’ sound and light show. This is done on a huge overhead
screen that covers 5 blocks, and is impressive to say the least. This was built
a few years ago as part of an effort to regenerate the old part of town and should
definitely not be missed if you ever go to Vegas. After watching the show, we returned
to the Golden gate, where Sue turned $50 into $100 at blackjack, and I turned $30
into $100, so we left happy and with anuther boatload of complimentary drinks inside
us. Like I said earlier, we aint big gamblers, and its only a few quid profit, but
hey, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and it’s the winning that
counts right !!!. we got the 1am bus back spending anuther hour in the Paris casino
playing cheapo videopoker before bedtime in the small hours.
U might as well sign up for the ‘players clubs’ coz every casino has ‘em to get
free stuff and slot play, but make sure u take photo ID with u (passport) coz u
cant register without it.
look out for the free magazines n flyers that you can pick up, which contain money
off and 2 for 1 coupons in, they might save u a few dollars on shows, buffets and
other attractions.
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Looking south down the strip from the top of the Eiffel Tower |
The 'Fountains of Bellagio' are impressive, They give regular shows
choreographed to music that shouldnt be missed |
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The sportsbook in Caesars palace. If u wanna have a bet, or just watch
sports, then these places are pure heaven for ya, and all casino's have 'em |
The Fremont street experience is Superb. I took lotsa photos of different
scenes, and this is just one of 'em |
Sunday 16th
April
I did a husbandly duty (no, not
that lol) by going downstairs and bringing us breakfast up to have in our room,
coffee and a giant muffin for me, and fruit salad for Sue, before booking a meal
in the Eiffel tower restaurant for Monday night, then onto the forum shops at Caesars,
which on the whole are a bit posh and expensive for us but nice to look round, then
onto Harrahs and the Imperial palace before going back to the Bellagio where I met
and had a photo with Mike ‘Shuffle up n Deal’ Sexton who said I sounded like Devilfish
(pmsl), and Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari who told me AK is shyte and that he
doesn’t like English fish n chips (obviously he’s never been to West Yorkshire lol).
They were both doing book signings so I have some new reading material for my poker
book collection (not that they do me any good hehe). After this, we went to the
Barbary coast again where I won $25 again at blackjack, then more videopoker at
a few cents a pop. I had a relaxing snooze l8 afternoon, then we had a nice Italian
mean in a restaurant in the Bally complex, before more blackjack at the Barbary
where I LOST for the first time, the sum of $100 and Sue lost $50. We were both
devastated hehe (Vegas aint supposed to be like this lol). The whole table had a
truly awful run of cards and the house just couldn’t miss, but we still met some
nice folks at the tables, got bladdered and were still ahead overall in the gambling
stakes, so still had anuther gr8 day and night.
Vegas aint built on winners. Don’t carry ur whole bankroll with ya, and
budget ur gambling each day, coz Vegas is a lonely place with no cash in ur pocket
if u lose it all lol.
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Antonio n me. I showed him how to do a few new chip tricks |
With Mike Sexton. He mite look like a waxwork model here, but he's
a really nice guy. |
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Inside Caesars, another lavish place with lots of stuff to feast ur
eyes on. |
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Monday 17th April
I played the 10am ‘Breakfast club’ MTT at the Aladdin where I finished 12/48 with
6 paid. I exited when I was first in with A-10 from the cutoff trying to steal the
blinds but finding AQ in the BB and didn’t improve, that’s poker lol. After this
we walked down the strip and booked some helicopter rides. The first was a trip
over lake Mead, Hoover dam then a champagne picnic in the grand canyon, costing
$319 each, the 2nd was a night-time flyover Vegas and the strip at a cost of $85
each. Both trips included hotel-airport and back transfer (the grand
canyon one in a limo) and I thought these prices weren't too bad. Outside the place
where we booked the trips, they had there own ‘Elvis’ who posed for photo’s, and
Sue got a ring caught in his rhinestone jacket, and I was pmsl when Elvis said ‘looks
like were caught in a trap ma’am’ lol. After this we played a little blackjack where
I finished a monster $12 up before trotting back to our hotel early afternoon to
get ready for our own ‘Elvis’ wedding at the Little white wedding chapel, and at
5pm a stretch limo picked us up to take us there. Needless to say the ‘wedding/blessing’
was gr8 fun and we had the expected photo’s and a video made, and i'm sure all out
m8’s will crack up when they see Elvis serenade us (we got the same ‘Elvis’ who
was on TV on one of the UK breakfast TV shows). Our ‘wedding’ meal was taken in
the Eiffel tower restaurant overlooking the Bellagio fountains and we got a prime
viewing spot which was gr8. We retired to bed at the unusually early time of 10pm,
more due to tiredness rather than romantic inclinations lol, stuffed with gr8 food
and some fab memories.
Make sure u take comfy shoes or trainers. You can walk miles within the casino’s
alone, coz after a day or two in sandals you will be soon looking round to buy something
else.
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Vegas is Limo city, and this was ours |
Inside
the 'little white wedding chapel' with Elvis. 'Thank you very much' |
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The view from our table in the Eiffel tower Restaurant overlooking
the Bellagio |
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Tuesday 18th April
We got up early and took the monorail to the Sahara then
walked the short distance to the stratosphere arriving 8.30am, having breakfast
in one of the numerous ‘starbucks’ coffee shops in Vegas, before playing the $30
MTT. Neither of us had any luck, Sue hitting the rail after her underfull wasn’t
enough, and I had kicker problems when hitting top pair, but it was a friendly game
and we enjoyed it which is the main thing. (that’s what losers always tell themselves
hehe) & It’s gr8 being able to play cards at 9am with waitress’s bringing u
free bottles of beer lol. Afterwards we picked sum stuff up at what's billed as
‘the biggest souvenir shop in the world’, which is close by, before finding a $3
game of blackjack in the Sahara where we both lost $50, but liked the place so much
this wouldn’t be our last time there, and we returned quite a few times. On our
way back to the Paris Sue suddenly had an urge to buy a (rather expensive) diamond
and gold ring (and justified it by calling it her ‘Vegas Ring’ eh !!!!), but it
put her in a good mood to do all the postcard writing while I had a snooze lol,
before a Pizza, then returning back to the Sahara at night on the monorail where
we had a laff with our table m8’s and she was chuffed to get the $50 back she lost
in the morning session, but alas I suffered terrible cards and lost another $100
but we had a gr8 time, and arrived back at the Paris around 2am.
Pick up a copy of the free ‘Pokerplayer’ magazine that most cardrooms seem to have.
It not only lists the buy-ins and locations of tourneys, but has some interesting
articles as well.
Let your credit card company know before you go. My missus had her's stopped when
she got back coz of the unusual high value purchases abroad. They thought it may
have been stolen !!
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The Bonanza. If u can't find some tat to take home here, u aint been
looking very hard |
Its not enough to have a stretch limo for some, This is a stretch
Hummer, and it was bloody huge. I'd luv to see 'em try park it up in Leeds lol. |
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Inside our hotel 'The Paris Las Vegas'. This was taken in the early
hours of the morning when it was unusually quiet. The floor is made from authentic
cobblestones, glazed to make 'em look wet. |
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Wednesday 19th April
We
both awoke around 7.30 with banging heads, and I reckon part of the problem was
that we (me especially) hadn’t drunk enough water, concentrating on booze too much.
I also don’t think Air-con helps (seriously). I managed to nod off again, and awoke
at 9.59 with a compelling urge to play poker lol, so got quickly dressed and made
the Breakfast club 10am trny 15 mins late, being propelled str8 into the BB. A few
hands l8r, I limped pocket 2’s and in an unraised pot found a flop of QK2, at which
point the BB bet, the mid-pos limper raised, so I took my chances reraising AI.
They both called, one with Q2 the other with KJ and I virtually trebled up. I played
my decent stack well from that point, and 2 ½ hrs l8r I was Chip leader with 4 left
(6 paid) when one of the guys suggested a deal, and as the blinds were 9k a round
with every1 having enuf chips to win I agreed as it was turning into a crapshoot,
all netting ourselves $350 which was more than 2nd place paid, so I made
sum friends, a few dollars and a free day in Vegas – nice !!!. I gotta say that
along the way I took down AK with KJ (I had to call for odds after raising and he
was short stacked) and lost a big pot with JJ to A10 sooted who made a flush on
the river, but I cashed out and had a big smile on my face when I went back to the
Paris to meet Sue, where after lunch in a restaurant in Ballys, we walked up the
strip calling in at the Flamingo and seeing the various wildlife, including errr
Flamingos would u believe !! we than called in at Margarittaville before paying
$15 each to visit Siegfried and Roy's secret garden and the Dolphins at the mirage.
The animals included pumas, lions, tigers and although they had decent size cages,
I couldn’t help feeling a tad sorry for these animals to be captive. We called in
at the Barbary Coast on our way back where I won a few bucks before taking our nitetime
flyover the strip in the helicopter then getting the driver to drop us off at the
Sahara for a 5hr blackjack session where Sue broke even and I ended up $10 down,
but I wasn’t about to complain for all that time and the booze I drank haha.
Any kind of medicines seem rather expensive, make sure u take your own plasters,
headache tablets, antiseptic cream etc
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Ahhh success at last, it just goes to show any old muffer can win
at poker, there's even the odd Benjamin in this wad. |
Guess
where this was taken !! |
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u got any tuna sandwiches going spare mister |
u got any Roy's going spare mister |
Thursday 20th April
We had breakfast in a coffee shop in the dessert passage
attached to the Aladdin before a session at videopoker in the casino, basically
killing time before meeting our limo to take us to the airport for our trip to the
Grand canyon, but after a mix-up with the meeting place (my fault) we were panicking
and missed our ride, but a phone call to the organisers was enuf for them to fit
us in on a l8r flight without any penalty, which was a big relief. We shared our
Limo with some girls from Leeds and Doncaster and were in the air around 3.30pm,
first flying over some of the massive lake mead then seeing the fantastic feat of
engineering that is the Hoover dam. We had a gr8 Canadian pilot who kept us amused
with stories and anecdotes on the way taking some nice photo’s before a champagne
tea in the grand canyon itself. Words can’t describe the size of the thing, u gotta
see it for urself and all too soon we were back airborne and on our way home, taking
a daytime detour back down the strip. A quick shower l8r, then back into action
at the Barbary where I had another free nights boozing, but Sue took a $50 hit,
before sharing a BLT and fries at the nice ‘Sidewalk café’ in Ballys around 1am
before bed. At this point I’m gunna mention that outta all the casino’s in Vegas
that we both preferred the smaller and older ones over the new ‘megacasinos’ that
have sprung up, and I think this is because they seemed to be more intimate, have
friendlier players and staff, and u seem to get better and quicker service from
the waitress’s. Many mite disagree, but we aint posh folk, and although the new
themed resorts are gr8 to look round, on the whole they just weren't for us.
If ur going all the way to Vegas, don’t miss the Grand Canyon, its big
man… but forget going by coach, its something like a 7hr trip, bite the bullet and
pay the extra for a helicopter, it’s well worth it.
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Part of Lake Mead. It isn't a lake as u would typically know it, it's
long and stretches for a few hundred miles as it meanders through the dessert. |
The Hoover Dam, wot a feat of engineering for its time. |
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The Canyon is so big u easily lose all proportion of distance and
space. It's upto a mile deep in some places. |
Time for some champagne and smoked turkey sandwiches... |
Friday 21st April
This morning
we walked to the Luxor (That gr8 big black pyramid thingy) taking in the Excalibar
on the way and both played a $30 MTT at 12pm. This tourny was limit for the first
hour with NL after that. You got 250 starting chips (blinds 10/15 on Level 1) plus
an option to buy 50 extra chips for $3 at the table which everyone did. This was
my least favorite tourny, not because I saw abs no cards, but I find limit boring,
and with a table of calling station tourists was just a case of who got luckiest.
A good point tho was that I met a guy called Roger from near Harrogate, who told
me about a card game there every 2 weeks that sounds intresting, and i'm gunna check
it out soon. I exited this game on the 1hr break losing with KJ after hitting top
pr, losing to pocket AA (2nd time this holiday lol), but Sue did better
than I, however had bad luck at the end, but she was happy coz the players were
all friendly towards her and she enjoyed it. After a tour round the Luxor we went
to the huge Mandalay Bay resort, where we visited the ‘Shark reef’ attraction, seeing
would u believe mainly Sharks and fish lol, then walking back via the Aladdin where
they opened up a $5 blackjack table (first I’d seen there) and I ended up walking
away $25 up, re-investing some in the videopoker and breaking even there, but I
left my players club card in the slot, however it wasn’t a problem coz they issued
me a new one without hassle. You see a lot of slot jockeys with there cards on Bungee’s,
similar to what u use for ski-passes, and although it looks a bit nerdy, prevents
u forgetting em. At 6.15 we got the monorail and went for an evening meal in the
revolving restaurant at the top of the stratosphere, which provided amazing views
and shouldn’t be missed. I paid $42 (about £25) for a 10oz fillet steak (side orders
extra lol) and a better chunk of meat u wont find anywhere. We watched the psychos
on some of the rides at the top of the tower but i'm afraid I would have thrown
up if I tried ‘em lol. After the mandatory tour round the souvenir shop, we retired
back to the Sahara and played blackjack till 1.15am with some gr8 folks from Illinois,
where I had better luck winning $50 and Sue lost $50 so we broke even between us.
We got to bed around 2am after another exhausting but very enjoyable day.
You gotta go to the top of the Stratosphere, if not for a meal, then
just to enjoy the view.
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The Luxor, Egyptian culture Vegas style. They don't have elevators
here, they call 'em 'inclinators' coz they run at an angle, but u need a room keycard
to use 'em, Probably to stop tourists like us having a go lol |
Errrr,
a shark in shark reef at the Mandalay Bay. |
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View from the top of the Stratosphere looking down the strip |
A scary ride on the top. This ramp thingy hovers over the edge 1300'
up then dips down quick, just braking the car before u fly off. It Nearly made me
chunder just watching it. |
Sat 22nd April
We got up around 10.30, and first stop was the Venetian,
another elegant place with many attractions and canals running through the hotel.
You can take a gondola ride, but we passed on this coz I didn’t wanna wait 40 mins
to get on one, to Sue’s bemusement, but she understood. (you can pre-book a time
if you wish), and after a wizz round the shops, took a walk to the ‘Elvis-a-rama’
via the Treasure island resort. It cost us $25 each to see a fun 1hr Elvis tribute
show in a small theatre, that reminded me of one of the porno shows in Amsterdam
(u know wot I mean boys lol), before looking round the intresting museum that had
a published $4m worth of memorabilia inc a pink Cadillac, and we fortunately managed
to get on the courtesy bus that took us back to the Paris, saving us a fair walk
in 80 degree plus temperature. I had my first Burger of the trip in a café at the
Paris, before an hr or two’s rest then a look at the Bellagio fountains at night
before more blackjack at the Barbary, where Sue won $50 and I lost $50, another
keep it in the family night lol, we finished up playing more videopoker, and once
again after the fun I had and the booze I supped, I wasn’t complaining for £30.
At this time of year it can get quite cool l8 at night. U mite feel comfy when u
go out early evening in shorts an polo shirt, but its blooming freezing waiting
for a bus or the monorail at 1.30am
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Out front of the Venetian. You can take an electric Gondola with fake
Italian singing if ya want. |
One of the canals inside the Venetian |
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A
guy pretends to be a statue in 'St. Marks Square'. hmmm dubious |
Yet
another reincarnation of Elvis does his thing. |
Sunday
23rd April
Were starting to get ‘Vegas’d
out, and slept in till 11.30, then decided to chill playing videopoker for a while.
You can bet more or less what you want on these machines (and the bandits) ranging
from 1c a go upwards, and we rarely went more than 10c a go, we just played for
fun coz ur gunna lose on ‘em in the long run, and better to keep it to a minimum
IMHO. I left sue on a machine to play a little blackjack hitting a bad run and losing
$50, but I was sat there till 6pm lol and got quite p1ssed hehe. A brief moment
of joy was when I got 2 bars on the free $2m slot pull and won a deck of cards tho
lol. I had to have a quick shower and str8 out before I fell asleep, where we
called in the Flamingo then saw the amazing fire volcano at the mirage, walking
up to the frontier for a beer (another old famous casino) then onto the Sahara for
a game of Blackjack where Sue won a little but I took a bad hit losing $130 after
the worst run of cards imaginable. If I doubled down on 11 I’d hit an ace, if I
had 12 I’d hit a picture, if I had 20 the dealer made 21, it was terrible time after
time, and reminded me why i'm not a gambler and only play low stakes for fun, but
on the plus side we met some gr8 folks at the table and we all cheered each other
on. Our new buddies were amazed (like everyone we met was) that we were in Vegas
for 14 days. Most either looked at us like we were stupid, thought we were millionaires
of just plain crazy for coming here for so long, and I was starting to agree with
‘em, coz 2 weeks in Vegas is a loooooong time baby.
Avoid understrength Yankee ‘light’ beers, ask the waitress’s for European imports
like Heineken, or Mexican corona, and if ur a smoker, take ur own, coz American
tabs all taste like Marlboro and are crap.
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The Volcano at the mirage. |
There's nowhere like Vegas for bright lights and Neon. |
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Now that's wot I call a bandit lol |
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Monday 24th April
Awoke
at 9.55, and was once again l8 for the breakfast club $50 MTT at the Aladdin, where
I wished I hadn't bothered but ground it out with junk cards, and the nearest I
got to winning a decent pot was when I raised a limper with my AJ sooted from the
cutoff (blinds folded) and she called with her A7. she checked, and I set her AI
on a flop of A 9 4 and she duly called but the turn was a 4 and river Q to split
it. She then gave the chips away that shud’v been mine a few hands l8r with some
equally crap hand and I basically never got going to eventually finished 12th,
before having a go in the 1pm $60 event where I got off to a good start with A10,
checking a flop of 10 10 6 (he checked behind boooo), checking an A on the turn
(he then bets and I call), then leading into him on the river where he paid me off
showing the ace I thought he had. There was also this gobby yank on our table who
kept outdrawing everyone, even calling 2 AI’s with J8 and winning, shouting over
to his m8 on the other table how he’d just KO 2 players, and I was glad to see he
got his come uppance l8r when his luck ran out lol. I had my usual free pull on
the players club slot and won an Aladdin Coffee mug lol, which was some consolation
for not winning the £2million I expected, but it’ll do. In the evening we paid our
last visit to the downtown area where we bought a few more souvenirs, finishing
off playing blackjack at the golden gate where Sue finished $20 up, and I lost $100.
Tomorrows our last day, and we have done all we wanted to do in Vegas and are starting
to get tired and have almost had too much of a good thing lol.
The strip is gr8 and worthwhile spending time in, but the best gambling, loosest
slots, cheapest accommodation food and souvenirs are to be found downtown, so if
ur going primarily to gamble, consider basing urself there.
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Another 'Vic' in all his neon finery |
A last look at the 'Fremont Street Experience |
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The
reception area in the Paris, pretty swish... |
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Tuesday
25th April
This is our last day, and
we are both ready to go home. Sue did some shopping in the dessert passage buying
amongst other things a mini-bandit piggy bank, and I played videopoker and blackjack
breaking even. At Night we went back to our favorite casino (The Sahara) and took
in the Buffet which cost $12 each and provided a good selection of food and as much
as u can eat, before playing Blackjack till midnight where Sue was again a small
winner and I broke even. We took the monorail back to try get some sleep before
traveling home, both worried we mite sleep in and miss the flight home lol, as it
was taking us longer and longer to get up each day, so basically a chillin day without
anything really eventful. I mite as well mention the endless line of ‘Girls direct
to u’ ticketers that prowl the length of the strip. Prostitution is illegal in Clark
County (where Vegas is) but it doesn’t stop them clicking and handing out these
credit card size flyers with girls pictures and phone numbers on, available within
30 mins str8 to ur room (not that I wud know lol).
Buffets can be good and reasonably cheap places to eat, and although we only tried
one, many casinos have 'em. People told us that the ones at Bellagio and Mandalay
Bay are especially superb, and I was told before we left that the seafood buffet
at the Rio is very good, but we didn't try these ourselves.
2 weeks in Vegas is a long time. IMHO I reckon 7-10 days tops is more than plenty,
but i'm looking forward to going back sometime already lol.
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The Paris Hotel. well worth a stop.
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The last time we would see the Eiffel tower at night (at least for
a while) |
Wednesday 26th
April
The
shuttle bus picked us up around 8am taking 25 mins or so to get to the airport where
it didn’t take us long to check in, and the plane departed pretty much on time around
11am. The flight to Philadelphia was quicker than coming and took around 4hrs (wind
behind I spose), and after a few hours hanging around, boarded the flight back to
Manchester which was also quicker taking around 7hrs, and we got back around 8.30am
local time on Thursday. We had a fantastic holiday, saw and did all we set out to
do, even tho I think we overdid it a bit at times, but WTF, it was gr8, and I wouldn’t
hesitate recommending it to any of ya. If and when I go back, I won’t have to see
all the sights again and would concentrate on playing more poker, and would possibly
base myself downtown for better value or even at the Sahara, and not on the strip,
(which was fantastic, don’t get me wrong, and i'm glad we stayed at such a fab place
as the Paris). Lastly a mention of some things you don’t see in Vegas, and that’s
Kids, Dogs/Cats, litter, Flies and birds, but who cares!!
they say here ‘what happens in Vegas
stays in Vegas’ and u just gotta go at least once, but make sure u take plenty of
cash !!.
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Bye Bye Vegas, cya l8r baby.... |
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