Donna's Trip Report - Part 5 of 5 - 7/29/06 to 7/30/06 - a great cure for insomnia!

Luck be a lady tonight
Luck be a lady tonight
Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with
Luck be a lady tonight

From "Luck Be A Lady Tonight"
Frank Loesser

~~~~

Saturday arrived. VIP services had arranged for Mark and I to have a late
(1:45 PM) lunch at Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse. We walked down to the
restaurant and were seated immediately.

We started with an antipasto platter that contained a number of unusual
items. I should have taken notes. Except for duck pastrami, I can't
remember what was on the plate but it was all very good. For wine, since I
usually drink white wine during the summer, I ordered a glass of Chardonnay.
For our main course, since it was so large, we decided to share the house
specialty--the bone in ribeye steak. Mark is a hearty eater. In spite of
me taking part of the steak, he managed to leave satiated. The steak was
great! We ordered the creamed spinach as a side dish and between the two of
us, the portion was so large that we left half. Since you just can't go to
a place like the Delmonico Steakhouse without ordering dessert, Mark picked
Bananas Foster Ice Cream Pie. I had a few bites and it was good--not
outrageously good, but good. The total bill (sans tip) came to $98.60. I
wasn't trying but I sure came close to exactly maxing out my $100 per day
food comp. The day might prove to be lucky.

As we left the restaurant and walked down "restaurant row," we noticed a
model on display that shows the new construction at The Venetian. From the
looks of the model, it appears that when construction is completed, the V
will double in size. Unbelievable.

For a number of years, The Venetian has run this promotion called "The
Venetian Wheel Deal":

http://www.venetian.com/casino/vpc_wheel_deal.cfm

It is a silly game where players points earned during a 24 hour period
entitle you to entry tickets. In all the days I stayed at The V, I never
entered this contest mainly because you have to be there at 6:00 PM. I had
planned to be in the casino anyway and I was in a weird enough mood that I
thought I might as well give it a shot. I went to the players club, had my
entry tickets printed and dropped them into the drum.

6:00 PM came and I was in the "audience" eagerly anticipating the Wheel
Deal. Yeah, sure. They drew three tickets from the drum and I was the
second person selected. Since all three contestants were present, we all
went on stage to qualify. We each took a turn at spinning a wheel that had
numbers all around it. The person who landed on the highest number was the
winner and declared the big spinner of the day. The other two contestants
received t-shirts. Yeah, you guessed it--I got the highest number.

There were two additional wheels. The third wheel had cash prizes valued up
to $5000. To spin that wheel, you first had to accumulate $500 by spinning
the second wheel. Around the second wheel were dollar amounts along with a
number of spaces marked "Gift Certificate" and a few spaces marked "Show
Stopper." With every spin, you had the option of either taking the cash
that you had thus far accumulated or spinning again. If you spin and land
on "Show Stopper," you lose the cash and walk away with a t-shirt. If you
spin and land on "Gift Certificate," you lose the cash and walk away with a
t-shirt and a gift certificate to one of the Grand Canal Shoppes. With
each successful spin, the value of the gift certificate increased. The
starting value was $25.

Hello? Did you get all of that? Are you still awake?

I wish I could say that I made it to the big prize wheel. I can't. In two
spins, I accumulated $180.00. Pretty easy and the crowd was cheering "Go
Donna!" (I kid you not) so how could I stop? On my third spin, I landed on
a gift certificate space and wound up with a $50 gift certificate to a
women's clothing store called Privilege and a t-shirt that has the "Venetian
Wheel Deal" logo on it. Is there a market for these shirts on Ebay? Very
anticlimactic. I went to the store and had no problem spending the $50
certificate plus $28 more.

Later in the evening, Mark and I would meet to see "The Phantom Of The
Opera" ( http://www.venetian.com/phantom/index.cfm ). I was invited to
attend the opening but that was the same night I had dinner with Kimmer and
David. Since I was unable to attend, my host comped me a pair of tickets
for this trip.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe.....

Ooooops!! Wrong musical!! Just testing to see if you are still awake.

We met at our seats just prior to the show. I have to hand it to my host as
our seats were beyond excellent. They were located pretty much dead center
in the sixth row. These tickets were "golden circle" tickets and if I had
to buy them, would cost $150.00 each.

I had not previously seen Phantom. Mark had seen four different
productions--the original London production, the L.A. production with
Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, a terrible Honolulu production and a
decent Honolulu production. Phantom is his favorite musical. He loves the
music and sometimes sings it at Karaoke. (What can I say? He is brave.)

I don't know if it was because I was tired or because all of that excitement
from the "Venetian Wheel Deal" was more than I could handle, but by the time
the show was half over, I was struggling to stay awake. (Probably just like
you, dear reader.)

Also, Steve Two-Names was playing that night out in Summerlin. There was an
element of resentment since being at this show meant that ONCE AGAIN, I
would miss seeing Steve and The Pickadillos. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE
TRIP WHERE I WOULD FINALLY SEE THEM!!!

Over the years, so many people that I know have raved on and on about
Phantom. I think this was a case where it simply could not live up to my
expectations. To be fair, the music, singers, costumes, special effects and
the sets were all great. The amount of detail put into the theatre alone
was spectacular! This play just moved too slowly for my tastes. But I am
glad that I was finally able to see it and that I didn't have to pay for the
tickets. So that was MY Phantom experience.

Now, what did Mark think of it? The Venetian's production was his favorite
production as far as music, costumes, special effects and sets go. The L.A.
production with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman wins the prize in the
singing category, but he definitely put The Venetian's production first in
every other category. Based on Mark's critique, if you are a Phantom lover,
I can heartily recommend this show......but please don't ask me to go with
you.

After Phantom, Mark went up to the room to pack and sleep as he had to fly
out in the morning. I stayed in the casino. As I was playing slots (big
surprise, huh?) and waiting for a hand pay, a couple of women came by to see
what I had won. They started telling me that they loved The Venetian and
used to play and stay there exclusively. Then they visited The Wynn and the
slots at The Wynn have been so good to them, that The Wynn won their
business. They said the rooms and comps at The Wynn are great but they felt
that the food is better at the V. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Interesting comment. They
encouraged me to go check out The Wynn.

For my past few trips, a visit to The Wynn was on my To Do list but I never
made it. It was about 1:30 AM. My host had arranged a 4:00 PM checkout for
me on Sunday. I didn't have to get up early so I decided that it was time
to check out The Wynn.

Parking was a breeze and I was pleasantly surprised to see how close the
casino is to the parking garage. I immediately joined their players club
and found some slot machines that felt promising.

About 45 minutes later, I had accumulated $1800 more than I had when I
arrived. I also accumulated slightly over 2900 players points. I knew that
500 of those points entitled me to two free buffets. I wondered if I was
entitled to anything else. I went over to the players club and the rep
looked up my account. She told me yes, I had earned the two free buffets
and that I had until the end of this year to use them. She continued to say
that I also earned two additional buffets that I had to use this trip or I
would lose them. Then she went on to say that based on my play, I also
earned three restaurant meals that I had to use this trip or I would lose
them.

I started laughing as I told her I would be leaving Vegas within the next
twenty hours and that due to my need to sleep, shower, pack, digest, etc., I
couldn't possibly eat five meals. She laughed back and insisted that I
simply had to use my five free meals. She was quite determined to figure
out a way. She asked me if I was hungry and if I would like to eat now. I
hadn't eaten since lunch and I was craving something. My plan was to get a
late night snack at The Grand Lux since I had $100 in food comps coming for
Sunday and by then, it was Sunday. With the remainder of my food comps, I
was planning to try that elaborate Sunday brunch at Zeffirino Ristorante.

But I was curious about the restaurants at The Wynn. I told her I would be
happy to use one of the meals that night and she set me up to go to their 24
hour restaurant, the Terrace Pointe Cafe. Then she asked me if I could come
to the buffet for brunch on Sunday. I thought about it and as much as I
wanted to go to Zeffirino, I had been VERY curious about this buffet. I
agreed to come back for the buffet. She set me up for the buffet (for two
people) and also gave me a line pass. I still had two meals that I had to
use. I think she may have combined the two remaining meal comps into one
and asked if I would have dinner at one of their slightly more upscale
restaurants, Red 8 Asian Bistro. I reluctantly agreed. I figured I could
always change my mind and not go.

Off I went to the Terrace Point Cafe. After I was seated, I gave my players
card to the waitress. She went to the computer to check my account and came
back and told me that I could pick any appetizer, any entree, any dessert
and any non-alcoholic beverage. I wasn't THAT hungry, but I figured I would
play along.

For an appetizer, I ordered the crab dip. If I remember correctly, the
price for this was $16. It was thick, cheesy, very creamy and contained
nice chunks of crab. It was served with wedges of some type of flat bread
that were crisped on the outside, but still soft on the inside. Although
the dip was excellent, it was very rich and I was only able to eat the
majority of the crab chunks.

For the entree, I got the lamb chops. There were three lamb chops served on
beds of peas and crispy cubed potatoes. Fortunately, they were the smallest
lamb chops that I had ever seen--maybe two bites each. I was able to finish
the lamb but did not touch the sides. The lamb wasn't spectacular, but it
was decent. At $28, it was also overpriced. I have had better lamb for
less at other restaurants.

For dessert, I ordered the crème brûlée which was priced at around $8. I
think it was probably the worst crème brûlée that I have ever had. Instead
of being rich, thick and flavorful, the consistency was quite thin and it
had very little flavor. I didn't have a problem resisting it.

The total bill came to $58.00. I left the appropriate tip, signed the tab
and off I went. By then, it was closing in on 4:00 AM. I drove back to The
V and went straight to the room. I arranged an 11:30 AM wakeup call but
knew that I would be getting up earlier to say goodbye to Mark.

~~~~

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends
I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

From "In My Life"
John Lennon and Paul McCartney © 1965

~~~~

This was my best visit ever to Las Vegas, but it was quickly coming to an
end. At somewhere around 8:30 AM, I got up for about three minutes to say
goodbye to Mark. Sadly, Mark left and I promptly went back to sleep.

11:30 and my wakeup call came. I got up, got ready and packed. I decided
that I would go to The Wynn and that I would not need my 4:00 PM checkout.
I did take my time, though and relaxed. I checked my account balance for my
stay and it was at $0. They apparently took off that extra $29 from
Friday's dinner. Hmmmmmm.....perhaps I SHOULD have visited Canyon Ranch and
charged it to the room.

I still had $100 in food comps coming as long as I used them prior to
checking out. I thought about getting a bottle or two of wine from room
service and taking it home. By the time I paid the 18% tip and the tax on
their ridiculously inflated prices, it wouldn't be worth it as I could buy
the wine for the same price or less. My $100 food comp went unused.

I checked out via the phone and called for a bellman who arrived about eight
minutes later. For some reason, I am always a little sad when I vacate my
room at the V. I left the room at 2:30 and went down to the players club to
cash out my points. I went to retrieve my bags and car from valet. As
usual, that area was a complete madhouse. In spite of that, both my bags
and my car were delivered within twelve minutes.

I went to The Wynn to investigate their buffet. I picked somewhat of a bad
time to do this. When I arrived, the Wynn's brunch buffet was in the
process of being changed over to whatever buffet is "normal" at 3:00 PM on a
Sunday. Many of the trays were missing or nearly empty and the trays that
remained had description signs that did not match the contents. I wasn't
very hungry so I just had a few shrimp and a small piece of prime rib.
About 15 minutes later, I went back. Everything had been replenished and
the food matched the description signs. I noticed that they had lamb chops
that looked the same as the lamb chops served at the Terrace Point Cafe. I
didn't try them to verify that they were.

They got smart with dessert portions as they are very small. I didn't feel
guilty trying three--NY Cheesecake, a brownie covered with a rich layer of a
chocolate torte and a dab of bread pudding. They were not memorable but
they were all very good. The crème brûlée looked to be the same as what was
served at the Terrace Point Cafe. I passed. I can't believe that I also
passed on the famed Ile Flottante. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?

Being a creature of habit and wanting my fill of live Beatles music, I left
The Wynn and went to see The Fab Four for my third time this trip. Using
Walt's coupon ( http://www.vegas4locals.com/couponfabfour.html ) and
upgrading to VIP, I wound up with a front row center seat. Same set list --
same great show.

After I returned home, I visited their web site ( www.thefabfour.com ). I
clicked to see the cast list and noticed that the names did not match the
members of the Vegas group. I wondered if the site needed updating. I was
under the impression that when I saw The Fab Four in April at the Anaheim
House Of Blues, that it was the same group of musicians that I had
previously seen in Vegas. I wasn't close enough to get a good look and
couldn't hear a difference, but apparently, there are two different Fab Four
groups. I went back to the home page and clicked on the link for the show
at The Aladdin. A new window opened up for Fab Four MANIA. The cast link
on this page brought up the correct names of the musicians who play at The
Aladdin. I noticed that The Fab Four logo used for everything related to
the Vegas show reads "Fab Four Mania." I'm a bit slow but I bet that Walt
has known about this all along!

I did some gift shopping at the desert passage mall and returned to The Wynn
for my dinner at Red 8 Asian Bistro. I was again told that I could order an
appetizer, entree and dessert. For an appetizer, I decided on pork and
vegetable pot stickers. I have to say that these were the best pot stickers
that I have ever had. Excellent. For the entree, I selected a combination
of crispy duck and barbecued pork. It was brought out on a small
rectangular plate and did not come with any vegetables or rice. It was very
good and I enjoyed several bites of each. Their dessert menu didn't excite
me and I passed. Since I was rather conservative with my selections, the
tab came to about $42. I left the appropriate tip and signed the tab.

I stayed at The Wynn and played what would be my last round of slots before
driving back home. A host visited me and invited me to come to a slot
tournament in November. Whether or not I go remains to be seen as I have a
commitment at the V just prior to Thanksgiving, but I would really like to
stay there.

I left Vegas at 11:30 and pulled into my driveway at 2:55 AM
Monday--slightly less than a 3.5 hour drive. I made great time! Except
for dense fog on the Cajon summit, the drive home was just the way I like
it--uneventful.

OK, so here it is--the part that many of you have been waiting for. The
bottom line. After deducting the items that I pre-paid (my room at The
Orleans and1 ticket each for Elton, "Love" and Steely Dan) and all of the
other items (a **SUBSTANTIAL** amount in tips (largely due to the hand pay
jackpots), gas, the non-comped meals and drinks, six VIP tickets to Fab Four
Mania, $80 worth of professional photos that were taken when we saw "Love,"
the Beatles items that I bought, the extra $28 that I spent at Privilege and
the gifts that I bought), I wound up with a net gain of a bit over $10.1K.

As I mentioned, this was my best trip yet to Las Vegas. It's going to take
quite a bit for me to beat it, but I definitely plan to try.

THE END!!!!

Donna



.

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