Hi all,
Please forgive me, we've been home for a week, but some sort of cold/bug is going around this house. I've been spared of it so far, but I am the caretaker. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Right now I have a sleeping soon-to-be (saturday) one year old and a 3 1/2 yr old who is being too quiet in his room. So, I shall write as much as I can now and continue at a later date if need be.

We left wednesday night the 6th. I drove my husband to the airport for his flight on United to Chicago then onto Vegas. His flights were uneventful. On the O'Hare-Vegas leg they watched Big Daddy and Wild, Wild West for a $5 fee.
I dropped the kids off at Grandma's then it was on to the airport. I drove by an Avistar place that said Valet and said to myself, "Perfect". My husband had taken the luggage so I went straight to the gate to check in. At first everything was fine but after a beer at the bar, I walked back to the gate to find that we would be leaving an hour late. Fog or construction in Atlanta was holding up our plane. O.k., back for another beer, uh-oh, guy next to me got the last of the Bud so it's Miller Lite time. Finally made it to Atlanta but that flight is leaving 45 minutes late. I had two seats to myself to Vegas. Watched Big Daddy for the $5 fee, then tried to nap a little, yeah right! It was a white knuckle landing for me, yikes. Mark (my husband) was at the gate waiting for me. So it's off to Circus Circus.
My husband had to ask the Cab Driver to slow down as we thought more than once that he was going to flip the Chevy Blazer around the corners. I wanted to live to enjoy this trip.
Circus Circus was nice inside. Not too many people in the lobby. They put us in the Skyrise Tower, but told us to call a number in the morning and ask to be moved to the West Tower which we did without a problem.
The Skyrise tower was o.k. Very clean. We could see the Stratosphere. However, it was a long walk to it from the Lobby. The Skyrise must be the last of their remodel as well as the elevators were being painted. Mark couldn't believe we were on the 13th floor. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
The West Tower was a bit nicer. The elevators were right in the Lobby. We were on the 18th floor with a view of the Adventuredome. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/frown.gif[/img] This wasn't real bad though as I loved the mountains in the distance.
I should say that I was in awe at the sight of Vegas. It was much bigger than I ever expected. Mark expected the Luxor to be much bigger but I think it looks smaller in the shadow of Mandalay Bay.
We went straight to bed the first night. Tom (Mark's boss) told him to meet him in the lobby at 11.
So thursday morning I was up by 7. We were ready to go out the door in an hour after the obligatory call to our son.
We headed through Circus Circus and over to the Riviera to do the 40 for 20 and our free pull. We got cards, a mug and then each got the t-shirt, baseball cap, hand-held poker game package. We crossed back over to Slots-A-Fun and Mark played Craps. I liked how it was somewhat outdoors. Before we knew it, it was time to meet Tom.
We were going to do the Buffet, but the line was quite long so we chose the Pizzaria instead. I had the Double Cheese with fresh basil, Tom had the Chicken Fajita pizza that had so many jalapenos on it you could hardly see the rest of the pizza, and Mark had a large meatball sandwich. We all thought it was very good.
The guys went off to the Convention so I was on my own. By the way, when we called to change rooms it was taken care of in a matter of minutes. We got down to the desk and they had everything waiting for us.
Well, as I predicted I have to continue this later. My son was too quiet, he wrote all over himself with green marker. Yes, it's washable!
I'll be back!

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Patty in CT

O.k., here we go again.
With the guys off at the Convention I was on my own. So I decided to play some VP. I played some bartop VP in Circus Circus next to their race book. It only took about an hour till I had quad aces. Now I'm happy. I played for at least another hour with no more quads. The circus act was going on upstairs and the music was starting to get on my nerves so I wandered over to Slots A Fun and played a little over there. I met up with Mark and he played craps for a little while. Then we went up to the room to freshen up to meet Tom for our night out.
We met up with Tom and we all took a taxi to NYNY. We took alot of pictures outside then went in. Mark and Tom went on the Rollercoaster. They liked it.
We ventured outside and headed over to Excalibur where everyone was lining up at the walls for something, but we didn't know what. We walked around for a few minutes to find a good spot. Tom led us right to a perfect one. There were hardly any people there and we were looking right at the door where the dragon comes out. We got some good pictures and continued on our way.
We stopped in the Harley Davidson Cafe for some refreshments. We shared the chicken wings and quesadillas. The guys had a blast on the Harley simulator, I couldn't stop laughing. A kid came up and did better than both of them. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] After buying some souvenirs we headed up to Paris.
I was very impressed with this place. I wish we had spent more time there but it was crowded. The guys tried to get us tickets to the top while I used the restroom but the next available time was midnight and it was only about 9:30. Something to do next time.
We walked through Caesars, but we were all getting quite tired. So we headed over to IP and caught a taxi back to CC. Mark played about an hour of blackjack and did real well then it was off to bed.
Friday morning Mark and I had breakfast at the Pink Pony Cafe. It was o.k. Service was slow at first until Mark told the waiter that he was in a bit of a hurry and we got our food pronto. While there wasn't a line when we got there, it was quite long when we were leaving.
Mark and Tom headed off to the convention. I decided to try this triple VP that I had walked by. It was only a nickel machine but I blew through $20 pretty fast. I found some other nickel VP and sat there jumping between JOB and Deuces for at least 3 hours on only $20. This bank of machines was right next to the security desk. I enjoyed listening to the security guys making their football picks for the week-end. I didn't enjoy the fact that they had to tell numerous people to keep moving because children couldn't stand near the machines.
This brings me to the worst part about Circus Circus. I didn't mind seeing the kids during the day. Hey, the place is a Circus. However, late a night there were many people with crying over-tired kids that were just lingering around. I felt awful for the kids who probably just needed a good nights rest. Enough said.
I played bartop VP at Slots A Fun for a while. Did pretty well, had quite a few Heinekens. The bartender was way overworked for a friday afternoon.
I met my husband and we headed over to the Luxor. Joined the slot club and played some VP, craps and blackjack. No big wins but not a losing session either.
We picked up the boss at the Convention Center and headed to the Stratosphere. We had originally wanted to do the Star Trek Experience first but were afraid time would run out as we had dinner reservations at 7:30 at the Steakhouse at CC.
The High Roller was not opening until 6:30 and both of them chickened out for Big Shot. I didn't chicken out as I would never do any of those anyway. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] We took some pics and headed to the lounge for cocktails and watch the sun set. Very pretty from up there. We heard High Roller going so Tom decided to go do that and Mark stayed with me. Tom said it was o.k., definitely different being up there as he was in the outside seat.
Back to the CC just in time for a quick change for dinner. We all liked the Steakhouse. Service was excellent and the steaks were cooked perfectly. On the way in a gentleman was trying to weasel in a group of 15 claiming someone had called the day before for a reservation at 9:30. The girl was trying to tell him that groups over 6 (or it may have been 9) required a credit card to make the reservation and there was no record of it. On our way out the gentleman was outside the restaurant directing his group in. So they did indeed accomodate him.
I played some Shockwave VP while Mark played craps. We both did pretty well, but again nothing real exciting. Off to bed.
Saturday morning we walked down to the T.I. Joined the slot club, played for a little bit and took the tram to the Mirage. We only walked through here, I would have liked to stay longer. We saw the Tigers and headed over to the Venetian. We played VP for a long time at the Venetian. I had just commented on how stupid we were for not joining the slot club when over walks a lady and asks if we want slot club cards. What service. Better late than never, especially as Mark could not lose. He went around a bank of machines and took at least $400 out of those. After that he goes to a Megabuck slot puts $20 in and takes out $200. We head over to some $5 slots each put $5 in and take $50 out. We're having fun now. On to Craps. Mark had a great roll going there. Some girls were playing who were in town for a friends wedding. One girl had to keep putting these disgusting Halloween teeth in for luck and it kept working. Mark walked away a winner again.
Unfortunately he had one more seminar to attend that would take about 2 hours and then he would be done. So we headed back to CC. I had a sandwich at the Deli, nothing to write home about, but at least it was edible. Played a little VP while I ate, not good. I then headed over to Slots A Fun
and played $3 Caribbean Stud until my husband found me. It was a fun table to play at and I even won a little.
It was now about 4:30. I didn't really know what I wanted to do most for my last 6 hours. So we headed down to Caesars and thought about getting something to eat. We ended up at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Mirage. Food was great and as someone on here said, it's great for people watching.
We walked outside and saw the Volcano. We headed over to the T.I. and stood up on the outside of the railing and caught a little bit of the battle. Now I don't know what to do. I look across the street and there is the Flamingo staring at me. I grab Mark's hand and tell him that I think I know about some hot VP at Bugsy's Bar. We sit down have a few Heinekens and proceed to get those quads. Wow, a whole day of winning, this is good.
We headed back to the CC so I could lay down for an hour and then head to the airport.
I'm exhausted but I make it to the airport. Unfortunately the gentlman in the middle seat was very tall. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/frown.gif[/img] I think I actually fell asleep for a little while. No movie for me, it was Mollie. On the flight home to Hartford I had the two seats to myself. I was home by 11:00 am. All Mark's flights were on time on United through Dulles. He was home at 11:00pm. Unfortunately he lost some money that morning but not all of it. So it wasn't a complete loss for the trip.
We had a wonderful time. I wish I had a plan for saturday night as alot of our time was spent wandering around aimlessly. I was tired and overwhelmed by everything. I think a plan of attack for me would be to get up in the morning and see some of the resorts and sights and take a rest in the afternoon and head back out again in the evening. Oh gosh, a nap? Am I getting old? We didn't see any resort completely. Not even CC, where we didn't even walk into the Adventuredome.
I can't thank you all enough for all of your input. I can't wait to go back and see more of the resorts. I had especially wanted to see Downtown which was on the agenda for saturday night, but we wanted to go back down by the T.I.
Unfortunately, it will be a long time until we get to go back to Vegas. My son is begging to go to the "Mouse". Although after yesterdays performance maybe he should stay home and we should go back to Vegas! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
Again, thank you all so much and hopefully next time I won't miss a TV Meet.

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Patty in CT


[This message has been edited by PattyH (edited October 19, 1999).]

Patty, You must have been a blur of motion for most of your trip. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Very nice trip report! To bad you couldn

Patty,

Someone forgot to tell you that it's nearly impossible to cover the ENTIRE city during the number of days you were in LV. Really enjoyed reading how you did a great job of trying to do EVERYTHING. No wonder you were exhausted. I got great enjoyment reading your trip report. Thanks so much for posting.

Next time I think I'm doing too much on a trip to LV, I'll think of you to remind myself that there's so much more I can squeeze in. Don't we all try to pack in as much as possible?

Sorry about the green marker on your son! It, however, did give me a great laugh as it sounds so typical at that age.

Thanks again for sharing your trip to LV.

Beth

Patty, nice report. You really pushed your way through. Anyone who has ever been there can tell you you'll never get it all in. We usually go 2x a year for the last 6-7 yrs and still haven't seen it all! Just as you get close, a new hotel or show opens!

Glad you had a good time.

By the way, keep your son in "green" and he can go trick-or-treating as a leprecaun! I got a laugh out of that!

Hi Patty,
I enjoyed your report very much and I'm real happy to hear that you had a great time. I think your experience is typical. Las Vegas is such a great place.

My wife and I both had fun playing at Slots O Fun. Glad you did, too.

BTW, I was getting concerned about you since we had not heard. Hope everyone in the house gets well real soon. Tom Casey

Really enjoyed your report. Your trip sounded like most of mine, with most of the time being spent in various casinos. Glad you were able to have a winning day.

Patty,

I really enjoyed your trip report. I know how much and how fast you can lose money playing with nickels. A few weeks ago I put a $10 in a nickel machine in AC and hit max coins. It ripped 0ff $2.50 quicker than I could blink an eye. Then, like a jerk, I did it three more times. Result= no wins and good-bye ten.

Patty,
Fantastic trip report. Now you are a LVaholic. You will be back sooner than you think. There is always so much to do. You definitely need 2 or 3 trips a year for 5 or 6 years before you see everything---and that's if they don't build anything new. Also not to mention Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, etc.
I mentioned about people watching at CPK in the Mirage. It really is fun watching them flit by....and the food is rather good too.

Michael
Hotel/Casino Moderator
michael@talkvegas.com

Patty,
Thanks so much for a great trip report :-}

Gail, Lancaster, CA.

Patty, I think your plan for Saturday night was a good one ....you packed a lot into this trip so you probably needed the relaxation! I enjoyed your story of the guys success on the Harleys; it reminded me of my high hopes that crashed in the Nascar simulators<g>. I guess I was just lucky there weren't any small kids around to really embarrass me. Thanks for the report.

Patty, Great trip report!! You really did get to see a lot of Las Vegas. And yes, there is much more to see. Hope you will be back sooner than you think.

It's 10:30 pm here and I was exhausted from the day's work but you kept me on my toes with your report. Had to read the whole thing!

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us.

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gail@talkvegas.com
Moderator, TalkVegas After Hours
Administrator, TalkVegas BB




[This message has been edited by gailsacco (edited October 19, 1999).]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my report. I really wasn't sure if I was rambling too much or not.
John, I do wish I had been able to push the trip up. I had actually found my husband and his boss cheaper flights out of JFK but they had to go through the company travel agent, who by the way, has since been fired. I think they should hire me. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
Tom, I received your e-mail looking for me and realized I had better get on the ball and write this. Again, thanks for all your info. I did sit next to some undesirables at the bar in Slots-A-Fun, but I just concentrated on my VP and eventually they took their oversized tourist drinks and left. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
Daisy, I sure got lots of quads but I guess getting those deuces here in CT ruined by deuces luck for Vegas. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

I have a question for all of you. How come I never got handed any of that reading material that they hand out after dark when walking down the Strip? [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Actually, if I was holding my husband's hand he didn't get offered any, but if I wasn't...Mark left some "business" cards in the pocket of the Laptop he borrowed for the trip. Hope his co-worker has a sense of humor! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
Oh yes, the green marker. Well, it did indeed wash off. I made him leave it on until Dad came home. Dad asked Mathew why he did it, Matt's reply was that he wanted to make himself a picture. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
Have a great day everyone,

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Patty in CT

Patty, wonderful report. It was fun to read. I agree with you about the kids in Las Vegas. They should be in bed at night, not in the casinos. Of course CC is a big family hotel so there are more kids there than most places.
Glad you had fun and won some money. I couldn't win anything at the Venetian on my last trip.

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John
Moderator Dining Forum
john@talkvegas.com

Patty,

Thanks for the report. Is there still arestaurant in the Skyrise? They used to have a pretty good strip steak special.
The last time I was walking down the strip with my wife and got handed a flyer, she jumped all over the guy asking why he didn't have any for the ladies ! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]



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Jeff, Gambling Moderator
senatorjm@talkvegas.com

Patty,
Thanks for the great trip report. Geez, I need a nap after reading that one myself!
Hope your next trip to Vegas isn't too far off in the future. We can always use more good trip reports here!
Thanks for taking the time to type one up for us all, and the Green marker story makes this one a classic! Thanks for sharing!



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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Thank you all again for the wonderful comments.
John, I didn't see a restaurant in the Skyrise. There was a restaurant just past the entrance to the Adventuredome, I think it was a cafe of sorts and the name escapes me. There did seem to always be a line to get in there.

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Patty in CT

Patty,
I always called it the skyrise coffee shop. It might have been the skyrise cafe. They used to have a 16 oz strip steak for something like $6.99 that was very good. I know it's been 5 years or better since I've been there.

jm

[This message has been edited by senatorjm (edited October 25, 1999).]