I think I must have gone through some type of grieving process after leaving Vegas... I%26#39;m still a little weepy, so pardon the tears.
Flew in on Independence, no problems (getting there at any rate). Picked up my temporary rental (Long story) and went straight to The Orleans to bet on a couple horses. Thought that Giacamo horse had a dumb name and proceeded to lose $40, betting on his competitors.
HOTEL- #1
Okay, stayed one night at the El Cortez. Not the worst hotel, actually the room was good. (clean, nicely decorated) The casino had a certain edginess that was a bit of a turn-off. (Not so clean, not so nice, clientele a little rough.)
Left the El for an In-N-Out Burger... I have to say, one of the better meals I had this trip, but not in a bad way. Good burger, superb fries. And then I was off to pick up my rental for the rest of the week.
Hmmm, don%26#39;t want this to continue as a blow by blow.... Saw one of those in the parking garage...
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERE, fantastic of course, thank you all so much for the intel to be a little early. I would have been the one in the spotlight! Marvelous staging (and not to detract from the rest of the show, but the actual hydraulics and movement of the stage was as hypnotic as the performances!) and the baby was a trip! From one act to the next it was almost perfectly seamless. Done much too quickly, and we kind of sat there at the end thinking it couldn%26#39;t possibly be over.
LEGENDS, this was last minute, but still kinda fun. Grabbed the coupons and saw an entertaining show with an Elvis impersonator that made me think I might like Elvis afterall.
FOUNTAINS, well, this is where the redneck in me came out. If I%26#39;d had a lawnchair, I would have planted it right out front and stayed there everyday %26#39;til they played the ';Star Spangled Banner';.
TITANIC EXHIBIT, ummm, I hesitate to put this under entertainment. There was china from 1st, 2nd, 3rd class... and a giant chunk of the ship. Don%26#39;t get the audio if you go. (It%26#39;s deep, deep, deep in the bowels of the Tropicana. I guess they want to make you feel as if you really have discovered the long lost ship.) P.S. Trop kinda scared me.
HOOVER DAM and VALLEY OF FIRE, again, super thanks to this forum on the Valley of Fire, BEAUTIFUL! We picked up sandwiches at Capriotti%26#39;s (Yummm!!!) and picnic-ed like kids. The weather had been above par all week, and was no exception this day. Take plenty of water and choose your stops carefully so you don%26#39;t get burnout before you%26#39;re halfway through it.
I was forced to travel to the Hoover Dam. It is a fine example of the marvels of modern engineering.
Oh, and I learned that there were high levels of calcium in the Colorado River and Lake Mead. This causes unusually high occurences of kidneystones in Las Vegas citizens. Don%26#39;t drink the water! (Er, drink bottled water?)
FREMONT EXPERIENCE, I really wish I had spent more time in the downtown casinos losing my money, but there were a couple good bands out there and the light show was quite a sight. The wind was a little too brisk, and we got cold, (Literally. I caught a cold!) and left to get some food.
P.S., had to hunt down the Nuggets at the GOLDEN NUGGET, ask at the desk! I think it was past the elevators and around the corner?
THE STRIP, I knew I was going to fall in love with the spectacle of it all, and I was right. When I wasn%26#39;t complaining about my feet (Only eight blisters, and they%26#39;re all healing nicely, thank you) I was in awe of the sheer size and scale. (I told you I might get weepy, hold on... I need a tissue **blewww**, thanks.)
I was booked into The Barbary for the bulk of my trip. It get%26#39;s an ';A'; for location, and would definitely be suitable for a last minute stay. I%26#39;m thinking of expanding my budget for better digs next time. Room was clean, bed was wierd, squishy mattress on a box. Hey, who goes to Vegas and spends time in their room?
I got to drop a friend from an airplane on Wednesday. That was cool. Don%26#39;t worry, he was attached to another guy and they both made it to the ground safely. I don%26#39;t remember the company%26#39;s name, but they do run out of the Boulder City airport. (They probably all do...)
FOOD
I had very little good food, but found I was too excited to eat most of the time.
PEPPERMILL, hello, welcome to the grease capital of the world! Oh wait, wasn%26#39;t that the VICTORIAN ROOM at the Barbary? Let%26#39;s hope you%26#39;ve got a stomach seasoned like a cast iron skillet for either of these places. (In the Peppermill%26#39;s defense, it is written up for breakfast and we were there for dinnerish.)
BELLAGIO BUFFET, yes, God does come to Las Vegas, and this is where he eats His buffet! Hit the lunch line, not too bad, food was incredible! And they do this everyday? For a little less than $20, plus tip, this place is a freakin%26#39; steal!
HARRAH%26#39;S, ew. Who ever heard of cold crab legs? And don%26#39;t you need hot butter to go with them? A bit below Golden Corral, if we%26#39;re using that as a barometer.
RIO INTERNATIONAL BUFFET, I can%26#39;t bash Rio, they let me win $2500 on one of their slots. The food had some high points, but again, I didn%26#39;t feel much like eating.
BATTISTA%26#39;S, I should have known when the waiter plunked down two bottles of ';complimentary house wine';, that the food would be less then stellar. I think another reviewer called it bland. Unfortunately, I didn%26#39;t read that review until AFTER I got back.
GAYLORDS, this is a wonderful Indian restaurant in the Rio, nice setting, excellent food, and we had a really sweet waitress. Can%26#39;t tell you how much I love the Rio!
PARIS BUFFET (BREAKFAST), wow, what a spread! And cheese, too! What a fantastic selection of fruits and sausages and breads and sausages, and eggs and sausages, you get the idea. Came to the conclusion that no one in their right mind can eat that much food for breakfast, but at around $14 bucks you can certainly try. Quality, not just quantity!
I loved my trip! I loved the fun little theme slots and Bailey%26#39;s and coffee at 1am! I loved driving around Vegas! Except on Friday and Saturday nights. I loved the escalators out on the street ! (You have to know this was a huge novelty to me!) I loved seeing people tumble out of a taxi at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, and knowing they had yet to go to bed!
I miss Vegas already, and I will be back!! ***tears***muffled weeping***
Thank you! **sob**
Trip Report!! 5/7-5/14, pretty d*rn long...
Glad you enjoyed it... I%26#39;ll be there in a week and after 4 years of Blacksburg food (Go Virginia Tech Hokies), I can certainly get some quality food!
Trip Report!! 5/7-5/14, pretty d*rn long...
I loved your report -- glad you had fun! you really know how to write! :) I can%26#39;t wait for my trip (only 3 months to go). Am anxious to try the Bellagio Buffet.
Loved your report! You made it entertaining and very easy to read (thank you!)
Nice...won some $? That always helps make the trip that much more special!
Terrific report. I%26#39;m glad you had such a good time ($2500! Killer win!) and that you took the time to share it with us.
hi krisabella,
that was wonderful reading, enjoyed it tremendously. hope my trip is half as good. UKTRIPPER.
Great trip report Kris. Vegas has something for everyone I think. It would be very difficult to have a bad time there, if you don%26#39;t like one thing you just move on to the next. No way to see it all in one trip, gotta go back!
I also have to say I loved the way you wrote your report, very enjoyable and informative.
Great report. Am going Oct 21, for a week. You have some good suggestions for things to do. Thanks again.
I also loved your report, informational and entertaining...thanks!!
;-) Claudia
ps...I have to try the Bailey%26#39;s and coffee thing
Kris, good report...it made me a lil misty too..thinking about my trip a few weeks ago....I am holding my breath. until my next trip in the middle of July....lol
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