Re: Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- From: "Sr." <trout@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 07:22:14 -0600
WOW...SADLEE THO ONLY 6 MOORE...
=SEN0UR TR0UT=
--
Have A Great Day...
"Walt" <none@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:291120050559297110%none@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Walt's Trip Report Part 2 of 8 - 10/20 to 10/23/05
> ----------
> ACG = American Casino Guide; POV = LasVegasAdvisor.com's Pocketbook of
> Values
>
> 10/20 (Thursday) - This morning we had breakfast at the Blueberry
> Hill diner on East Flamingo, one of my favorite meal stops in Vegas. I
> ordered the same thing I always get: the blueberry pancakes. They
> have blueberries mixed into the batter and are served with more hot
> blueberries poured over them, plus some canned whipped cream sprayed on
> for good measure. Delicious.
>
> After breakfast I drove to the Orleans to buy myself a ticket for the
> boxing matches on the evening of 10/28, the day M&D would be returning
> home. Walking into the casino, I passed a balding old guy escorting a
> 30-ish blonde in a low-cut, tight-fitting dress. His niece, no doubt.
> From the Orleans I went to Tix4Tonight on the Strip between MGM and
> Aladdin to buy 3 half-price vouchers for the "Society of Seven" show
> this afternoon at Bally's. And from there I took the vouchers
> directly to Bally's box office and exchanged them for the actual
> reserved-seat tickets. I was surprised at the excellent seats we
> received, at a table front-and-center, about 15 feet from the stage.
> Cost at Tix4Tonight was $26 per person including tax & service, using
> this coupon:
>
> http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/tix-4-tonight-coupon.htm
>
> We arrived at Bally's Jubilee Theater about 20 minutes before showtime.
> There was a lengthy line of folks waiting to get in, but when the doors
> opened it didn't take long to get to our seats. The Society of Seven
> is a group of guys from Hawaii who have been performing since the
> 1960's, although only one or two of the original members are still with
> the act. They sing, play instruments and do comic impressions of
> entertainers like the Rat Pack, Kenny G and Cher (yes, they are not
> averse to dressing in drag to get laughs). The comedy is broad, with
> lots of goofy costumes and horsing around. Their big finish is a spoof
> of "The Lion King," followed by a patriotic finale (something which,
> whether sincere or not, always strikes me as a cheap manipulation of
> the audience).
>
> I would probably give Society of Seven only a so-so recommendation,
> were it not for the presence of their girl singer Lani Misalucha, a
> Filipino entertainer who shines in this show like a ballplayer who's
> come down from a higher league. She sings pop songs, show tunes and
> operatic arias with equal ease, and could easily fill in at Caesars for
> Celine Dion, whom she deftly skewers with a comedic impression. Her
> take as Beyonce doing "Crazy in Love" is electric. Whether singing
> solo or joining in the guys' cornball skits, she commands the
> audience's attention whenever she's on stage. And she clearly loves to
> entertain, even when the house is less than half-full as it was this
> afternoon. So, with Lani Misalucha in the cast, I give Society of
> Seven two thumbs-up and hope that Lani will someday get her own Vegas
> show.
>
> Speaking of Bally's, here's a photo of the Strip entrance...
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/ballys.jpg
>
> Later on we had the Seafood Night dinner at the Gold Coast buffet,
> using ACG 2-for-1 coupons. I didn't make any notes about it and I
> don't recall anything exceptional. After the meal, I put $5 in a
> 5-cent JoB machine and started playing single-credit hands. I was
> gaining a little, so, feeling lucky, I bumped it up to max credits (25
> cents) and soon ran the five bucks up to $34. Instead of doing the
> rational thing and cashing out with a nearly six-fold profit, I heard a
> little voice in my head say, "Hey, why not keep going? You're playing
> with house money, after all. Go for the big score, the royal flush!"
> So I kept playing, and a while later I cashed out with $10 and no
> royal, and I felt like I lost $24 instead of gaining five.
>
> 10/21 (Friday) - Late breakfast/lunch at the Paris buffet. For once
> we pay full-price, about $14 per person plus tip -- woo-woo! This
> buffet runs continuously during the day, so if you arrive at the right
> time you can get in, say, for the breakfast price and sample both
> breakfast and lunch. I have no notes about this meal, but I recall
> some good crepes, a nice made-to-order omelet, and some large
> pre-peeled shrimp. Also saw some meat entrees in various Frenchified
> sauces, and if I recall correctly, I had some good New England clam
> chowder (sacre bleu!) Couldn't find any French fries or French's
> mustard.
>
> We didn't do much the rest of this day. Went downtown again later in
> the afternoon. M&D played more slots in Vegas Club, a sports-themed
> casino where, ironically, the sportsbook remains closed for
> renovations. Around dinner time, M&D weren't hungry yet, so I went
> alone to the California for another prime rib special. After that I
> walked up Main St. to the Plaza's front driveway, where they were
> celebrating Oktoberfest with an oompah band called the Dummkopfs and a
> stand selling beer and brats...
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/oktober.jpg
>
> When I hooked up with M&D later in the evening, they said they ate
> dinner at the McDonald's in the Plaza.
>
> 10/22 (Saturday) - We tried the brunch buffet at Main Street Station
> using the 2-for-1 POV coupon. Although I generally avoid breakfast
> food, it was pretty good. The happy omelet guy was there doing his
> thing, so I had one of his creations, plus a few lunch-type items that
> apparently were not all that memorable. I do recall that some big,
> warm cinnamon rolls caught my fancy; I had a couple of those and would
> go back just for them.
>
> After brunch M&D played some slots and I went out on Fremont to look at
> some "vintage" Mustang cars on display. With Fremont Street turned
> into a pedestrian mall, shows like this are the only way you'll get to
> see cars parked in front of the casinos under the canopy. It sort of
> harkens back to the old days...
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mustang1.jpg
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mustang2.jpg
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mustang3.jpg
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mustang4.jpg
>
> After looking at the Mustangs I went back to Vegas Club where M&D were
> playing. To kill time I found a 10/7 JoB machine and won a quick $10
> by hitting 4 kings.
>
> For this evening I had ordered up something different -- tickets to the
> sprint car races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. First I took M&D to 4pm
> Mass at Guardian Angel Cathedral across from the Stardust. While they
> were in church I walked over to the Stardust, got a replacement slot
> card and found I still had 64 points from a visit 5 or 6 years ago. I
> played a little VP to pass the time and broke even. Then I walked to
> the north end of the Stardust property and crossed the Strip to see
> where the Tix4Tonight outlet was. By that time Mass was about over, so
> I returned to the church to get M&D.
>
> For dinner we drove to Arizona Charlie's on Decatur, but M&D said they
> weren't hungry yet and would eat at the races. While they played some
> slots, I went to the coffee shop and had the $2.99 steak & eggs with
> hash browns and toast. Nothing to complain about, quality-wise, and
> the price can't be beat.
>
> We drove north out I-15 to the speedway exit, parked the car and found
> our seats in the grandstand of the sprint car track. We could hear off
> in the distance the drag races which were being held at the same time.
> This was our first time at any live car race. I remember going to a
> demolition derby once when I was a kid, and the crowd here looked
> similar. You won't see too many of these folks in the audience at "La
> Reve." Lots of baseball caps with automotive logos. Lots of tattoos,
> sideburns, facial hair. And that's just the women. Hey, thank you!
>
> The action started at 7pm with practice laps and qualifying heats.
> This was the end-of-season championship for the "World of Outlaws," as
> the sprint car people like to call themselves, although I witnessed no
> crimes being committed other than auditory assault-and-battery on my
> eardrums. Sprint cars are small but LOUD, like a dozen power mowers
> circling your living room while you're trying to watch the
> politically-correct news on PBS. I noticed a few spectators discreetly
> wearing ear plugs, and I quickly wadded up some tissue to stuff in my
> ears and reduce the higher-frequency noise to a tolerable level. I
> offered some to Dad, but he declined. Mom merely removed her hearing
> aids.
>
> I was surprised at how fast these sprint cars are. They were turning
> laps at over 120 miles per hour on a half-mile dirt track. As a result
> you get a lot of dust and bits of dirt flying up into the seats and on
> your clothing and in your hair. That part was fun. Here's the only
> photo I was able to get in the available light where the cars weren't
> too blurry. They were under a yellow caution flag at the time:
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/sprint.jpg
>
> The night ended around 11pm with the final 30-lap race for the
> championship. I don't recall who won. The important thing is that
> there were no fires or crashes, with cars flipping end-over-end like
> you see on TV sometimes, and for that I left the track feeling like the
> entire evening had been a waste of money.
>
> M&D never did bother to eat at the races, so when we drove back to town
> we stopped at the Gold Coast coffee shop for the $2 late-night
> breakfast.
>
> 10/23 (Sunday) - Last year we used a POV coupon to get two free
> brunches at the Gold Strike's steakhouse in Jean. This year we tried
> the same deal at Nevada Landing. The coupon in effect gave us 3-for-1
> brunch in the Jade Room there. It's not a big room, nor a big buffet,
> just some pastries, rolls, bagels, fresh fruit, a couple of cold
> salads, etc. You also get to choose a hot entree from among several
> choices. We all went with the crab cakes. They were more like
> flattened crab patties with too much filler, and while they didn't
> taste too bad, I think I would order something else next time. The
> bagels were good, though; I ate two of them. Our server was a young
> guy who didn't see much of a future for himself in rural Iowa, so he
> moved to Nevada several years ago and bypassed Vegas to go directly to
> Primm and then Jean for work. He lives in Sandy Valley, a small,
> isolated community west of Jean near the California border. He also
> bought some property there and hopes it will continue to appreciate in
> value as the area develops. After our meal Mom played some slots, Dad
> tried some video poker, and I lost $5 on VP and watched some football
> on TV.
>
> Don't recall where we had dinner this day, but for the evening, we had
> half-price seats for comedian David Brenner at the Hilton. Seating is
> unreserved and by hostesses. No need to tip big to sit close; it's not
> a large room and you can hear the jokes fine from anywhere. Brenner
> has been around a long time and often filled in for Johnny Carson on
> the Tonight Show. He comments on current events and jumps back and
> forth between the news and personal stories in a sort of
> stream-of-consciousness way. Unlike some other comics, he mostly
> avoids working "blue", but in this show he threw in a few unnecessary
> f-bombs. Despite that, I thought he was pretty entertaining, although
> I'm the type who doesn't laugh out loud so much as just sit there and
> think, "that's funny," and occasionally emit a quiet chuckle. An
> audience full of Walts would make a grown comedian cry. Fortunately
> the rest of the crowd was more vocal and laughed and applauded at
> appropriate times. Brenner performed for about 75 minutes and then
> closed the show rather abruptly. He didn't have a big finish or an
> extra-funny bit that would suggest a climax; he just came to the end of
> a story and then unexpectedly said goodnight, thanks for coming. A
> little more warning would have been nice.
>
> Following the Brenner show, we drove over to the Sahara to catch the
> Checkmates' 11pm set in the Casbar lounge. It was pretty much the same
> show I saw last May -- same songs, same jokes, and still entertaining,
> especially for a free show. If you're in Vegas, don't pass up a chance
> to see the Checkmates. They generally alternate between the Sahara and
> Arizona Charlie's on Decatur.
>
> Bonus pics: the Mirage at night...
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/mirage.jpg
>
> ... and one of the double-decker "Deuce" buses that run up and down the
> Strip and to downtown. Five dollars gets you a 24-hour pass...
>
> http://walt-avlv.tripod.com/vegas2/deuce.jpg
>
> That's all for now. See you in part three.
>
> --- Walt
.
- References:
- Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- From: Walt
- Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- Prev by Date: Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- Next by Date: Re: Walt's TR - Part 1 of 8
- Previous by thread: Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- Next by thread: Re: Walt's TR - Part 2 of 8
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
