Got in an extra trip for us in Jan. due to some really good rates at the Tropicana. I have a lot to report so I'll break in down into segments. Doubt that I'll get it all in on one post so you'll have to bear with me a little.

TRANSPORTATION:
Took a nonstop SW Airlines flight out of Kansas City, MO. Since we live in Wichita and it had been several years since flying out of KC, I gave myself plenty of leeway on time. To much in fact. We ended up at the airport 4 hrs. early and that was after stopping in at the airport Marriot for a leasurely breakfast. Was stunned at the daily rate for long term parking, $15/day, OUCH.

The flight out was a mess. We ended up being the 3rd stop on this planes path to Vegas. Needless to say it was pretty much full when we boarded. The seats were well worn and everyone had winter coats on. Felt like sardines in a tin can. By the time we got to Vegas I was beat.
Once in Vegas we made our way to the baggage claim area. Since this was a nonstop flight I didn't anticipate any problems, WRONG. We waited until the carousel shut off and then started to head over to the SW office to rip off a couple of heads when I noticed my luggage just sitting out in the middle of nowhere. Seems my luggage took a different flight than we did.

Next was the rental car. We rented from Alamo this trip for a good rate with a coupon from our Entertainment book. The counter girl had to be one of the most aggresive I've come across in a long time. Frist she was insistant on the collision waiver plan. Even though I explained my credit card had coverage for that she was just as insistant that it didn't. Once past that she started in on the upgrade, then the tank of gas. I was almost to the point of telling her to just give me the %#^ car when she relented. We did get a nice Olds. Alero for $100.85 for a total of 4 days.
Our torture wasn't over yet though. Seems they have set up a booth for the time share company Fairfield in their lobby. This guy wouldn't shut up either. Finally just walked out the door with him still talking.

HOTEL:
We booked a garden room at the Tropicana for $29/night. This is the second time we've booked a Garden Room but have yet to stay in one. Upon check in we were offered to upgrade our room to an Island Tower room for $10 more per night. Since we felt beat to death already I agreed. This rate was also cheaper than what they offered on the internet. When we got to our room we had a big surprise. She had put us up in a 19th floor mini suite. Extra large room, aprox. 500 sq. ft. Great view of the South end of the strip and the airport. This is our second time staying at the Trop. and while other may not care for it, we have been treated great both times we've stayed with them.

DINING:
This trip we ate at two buffets, neither one anything to write home about. The first night we were tired and had recieve 2 for 1 coupons for the Trops. prime rib buffet. Nice atmosphere and the drink service was good. Prime rib was far from decent, boiled shrimp was O.K. Probably the best station was the pasta station. You select the fixins' and the cook makes it for you. Overall I wouldn't pay full price for this one.
The other buffet we ate was the lunch buffet at Boulder Station. Again we recieved 2 for 1 coupons when we signed up for the slot club card. This one literally made us ill. Even though we were there right as the food was being set out, it was still bad. Since Shelley only ate the roast beef, we're pretty sure that's what got us. I didn't think they had much of a selection and the desert bar wasn't even inticing.
They also had several people in there from a foriegn tour company. I Understand the America's concept of a line isn't held by all nations but I really hate having to fight for my food. Not only that but they picked over ALL the pieces of food looking for the best one. Not very appealing if you ask me.

We ate two places for the cheap prime rib meals. San Remo's coffee shop has been one of our favorites for a cheap prime rib meal and they didn't disappoint us this trip either. Ate their three time over 4 days, once at 4 am and the prime rib was still prepared just as we asked for it. Ate the $6.99 prime rib dinner at Smokey Joe's in Sams town and was pleased with everything but the salad bar.

Two theme resaurants were included this trip, Mowtown cafe at NYNY and Quarks bar and grill at the Hilton.
Mowtown was a late lunch at 1:30. We entered for the door on LV BLV. and were told to go to the front for a host/hostess to seat us. The place was mostly empty and when we asked for a table, we were told let me see what's available. I thought buddy half the restaurants available. They have a "mowtown moment" were impersonators come out and sing some of the standars from the mowtown heyday. Unfortunately with an empty room the music was to loud for conversation. Service here was poor but the food was very good.

Quarks bar and grill was a great experience. This was an early lunch and there were barely any people sitting when we got there. Even though I'm not a big Star Trek fan this place is great. They really do a good job of capturing the feel of the movie's and show's. Very large selection of food items and beverages. Since they keep with the theme, it takes a while to read through the menu. We ended up ordering cheeseburges (choice of 3 types of cheese). I ordered a bowel of potato soup to go with mine. That was a mistake as the cheeseburgers were HUGE. I like to never got my fat back side out of the seat. They also have Klingon characters and Feringe (sp?) walking around. These people are in FULL makeup and look VERY real. They also do a great job acting the part.

For our High dollar meal we went to Smith & Wollinski's. I hate to say it but I was very unimpressed by the service. For openers we were seated in a small room with two of the nosiest bunch's of people I could ever imagine. Conversation was imposible until they left. I wish I had brought my camera so I could have made sure they were all blind by the time they left as well. I swear each one of them had to stand up, walk past our table and snap a picture every 3 to 4 minutes. Then there was the waiter. At least I assume we had a waiter since we rarely saw him. By the time we got to the table my drink was empty. He asked what I was drinking, came back 5 minutes later to confirm what I was drinking, then was never heard from again. Thank God for the water boy or I would have eaten my meal with no liquid.
The food however was wonderful. This had to be one of the biggest filet mignon's I have ever seen. Shelley had the lump crab meat cocktail which was very good and I had a maryland crabcake appitizer which was delicious. Our dining companion had a on the bone rib eye that was huge. All the steaks were cooked as we expected.
If not for the service, this place would be up towards the top of our list.

We also ate a couple of meals at the Cheesecake factory in Caesers Forum shops. On one trip I had the Tirimisu (sp?) which is Italian custard with lady fingers over expresso cake, the other time I had their spinach & artichoke heart cheese dip. Both were fabulous. Shelley choose just to have a drink as both times she wasn't very hungry. We were seated on the patio out by the shops which was great for people watching.

Fingers are tired so I'll tackle the rest later.
We did take pictures and I have given Gail the E-mail address of our web page so that the webmaster can work his/her magic and transfer them to this site without the adds.
Looked into putting them on disk but no one here seems to know what I'm talking about. When I asked about putting our film prints on disk they quoted outragous prices. $15.95 for the first role, $12.95 thereafter up to 8 rolls per disk. Most places I asked about transfering the media card didn't even know what I was talking about. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in a read/write attachment so I can create my own disks. They seem to be running in the $150 to $200 range. combine that with a scanner for around $100 and it will only take 14 rolls of film to make up the price's I was quoted. Shelley can do that in one trip. Although she only had 7 this trip. I made up the difference with 93 of my own on the digital camera. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

doug,

great trip report. sounds like most everything went very well once you got to your hotel. often times the travel can be the worst experince. I'm very happy when someone asks me how my flight went and I can reply, "uneventful!"

I have a little more to add:

GAMBLING:

This trip we made an effort to get out to some of the "locals" casino's to see what the difference was. WOW what a difference. While the strip slot machines acted like a vacuum attached to our wallets, we got plenty of good play at Sams Town. Actually we only got to two of the casino's on Boulder strip, Boulder Station and Sams Town. Of the two we really fell in love with Sams Town. The casino was more to our liking and the atrium area provided a nice place to relax with a drink to take a break from the slots. All the machines seemed to hit more frequently there than on the strip. Every place we played on the strip just took our money with little to know return. We played all day on $200 at Sams Town. I also liked the variety of VP they had. They mave them mixed in really well so I can play some VP while Shelley was hitting the WOF machines. This has been the only casino we've played at were our point total accumlated enough to reach comp levels, even if it did barely reach.

ENTERTAINMENT:

We spent a lot of time just walking the malls and seeing the sights. We did take in the motion simulator rides of the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton and Race for Atlantis at Caesers. Neither would be a good choice if your prone ot motion sickness. Shelley prefered the Star Trek ride. They do a great job of making it very realistic with the actors. I prefered the Race for Atlantis. It's a 3D simulator ride and the projection is really pretty neat.
We also took in Madame Trusardes (sp?) wax museum at the Venetian. This is really a great place to spend some time. Being able to get really close up to the statues is unique and fun.

Overall we packed a lot into just 4 days. I look forward to our Oct. trip when we're out for 8 nights. We can take a more relaxed approach to the trip.

Thanks for a great report, Doug. I sure agree with you about Sam's Town; did you sign up for a slot card at Sam's? If so, you're probably already qualified for casino rate of $25 for your October stay.

As for Alamo....JMT is the expert there, but he gives good advice about getting the Alamo Quicksilver card. There was a long line when I flew in on my last trip, but with the QuickSilver card, I by-passed the line AND the hassle...had about the same rate you got but was out the door in about ONE minute!

Thanks for an interesting report, Doug. As I get closer and closer to my upcoming visit I am more interested in what everyone has to say.
Your comments about the machines at Sam's Town are interesting. Is is the concensus among our group that the off strip locations pay off better than the strip? I would think that with all the competition they would all pretty much pay off the same. Tom

Tom,
The strip survives off of the heavy tourist trade. Many of the people who visit Vegas don't rent a car. They either walk, take a taxi, use the bus, or use the free monorails/people movers that are everywhere. Also many of these visitor never seek out the advice of bulletan boards such as this one.

Sams Town would be one heck of a cabfare from most places. They do have a shuttle but a lot of people find that to be inconvenient and time consuming. Therefore the off strip properties have to do something to get a) the locals in the door and b) some of us tourist's to make the trip out there. That would be better payback on the slot machines and better rules at the tables.

Daisy,
Yes we did sign up for the slot card, we were even introduced to a slot host while we were there. When we left Shelley had over 2,100 points on her card and I had somewhere around 800 on mine. Seems my card had a habit of slipping out of the machine from time to time.

I need to give them a call. $25 would be great and it would give us a good location that first night. About all we do the first night is eat, play a few slots and go to bed. Since this has become our favorite place to play slots, it only makes sense to stay with them. The rest of the nights will be spent in our t/s at Polo Towers.

Doug,
Thanks for the informative report! It was a pleasure to read.
About the 2 themed places you dined at.
I've never seen Quarks full & we always ask for the balcony at Motown Cafe. Viewing the acts are sometimes diffacult, but the sound level seems to be down a little up there.

Got to wait till October....bummer! I remember when we only went one time a year, and boy oh boy, did the months go by slow!

Thanks for taking the time to type it all out for us! I know it takes some time, but I enjoy these so much, Thanks again!


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

Next trip to Vegas is in Oct. but I have a few trips in between to take my mind of it. We are out in Denver to see Shelley's dad in a couple of weeks. Just a short 3 day trip. Then in March it's off to Orlando for the family vacation. In July it's Reno/Lake Tahoe. Now July to October is going to be a looooooonnnngggg time waiting.
I keep watching the airfares though to see if I can sneak another trip in somewhere. Unfortunately they only allow me so much vacation time.
The lottery drawing is tonight though. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Great trip report. I liked the info on Sam's Town, have never been there but would like to play there sometime.

Doug, thanks for the report. Sorry to hear the service was poor at S & W. Next time ask if Hooch is working and ask for him as your waiter. You won't be disappointed.


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John
Moderator Dining Forum
john@talkvegas.com

Doug,
Thanks for the great trip report. I really enjoyed reading it. $15 per day for parking at the airport really is high. Michael's twin sister and her husband live in Overland Park and my brother-in-law flys in and out of Kansas City airport all the time on business. I know he told me that he parks somewhere that has very reasonable parking. I think it might be one of the rental car companies, but I'm not sure. I'll find out the name for you and how much they charge, in case you ever fly out of there again.

Sorry to hear you had such bad service at Smith and Wollensky's. We had great service, as well as great food when we ate there in April. Why not try writing a letter to the restaurant and tell them about your experience. Also be sure to tell them that you have posted on an internet bulletin board about your experiences. They may not do anything, but it's worth a try. Let us know what happens.

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

Doug,

Thanks so much for the report. Never seem to get tired reading about everyone's adventures while in LV.

Fred and I have stayed at Sam's Town many times. Our next trip in March we will be there for 6 nights. We definitely enjoy gambling at Sam's and I feel as though it is much more relaxing than any of the strip casinos. I enjoy the atmosphere even though the smoking sometimes bothers me so I adjust accordingly. We use the LVL from Sam's to the airport.

Also make great use of the shuttles to downtown and the strip during our stay. Timed the shuttle from Harrahs to ST and, in normal traffic, took exactly 17 minutes door to door. I don't know as I could do any better with a car.

Has there been any progress in the area of the old Western Emporium?

Gregg - You should definitely give Sam's a try.

Sounds like you had a great trip. Had wanted to try Smith and Wollensky's, but now I'm not so sure.

Beth



[This message has been edited by Beth (edited February 06, 2000).]

Doug,
Seems you don't let too much grass grow under your feet when it comes to travel! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

So, are you our newest millionaire, after that lottery last evening?

Oh, and please don't forget to post a TR after your Reno/Lake Tahoe trip. If there is gambling involved....we want to know! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img]

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

Beth,
Not sure about the Western Emporium as this was our first time going to Sams Town. Probably wouldn't have recognized it if it bit me.

Lee,
No, not a millinoaire unfortunately. I did inherit a little money a couple of years ago. Had thought about purchasing a camper trailer but I don't really care to drive all that much and , when you added in the extras like the truck to pull it, taxes, upkeep, stoage and the like, we decided it would be better to purchase time share. Overall cost of the t/s was cheaper and yearly maintence fees are less than what taxes, storage, and maitence would have been going with the camper. I also don't have the problem of sewage disposal and finding a nice RV park for the camper, setting it up, and all that hassel. Could you imagine and RV park on the Strip?
We own 2 weeks in 2 bdrm units that can be split into 4 weeks. This works out well for us as we earn approx 6 weeks combined sick leave and vacation each year. As a plus the accomidations at the t/s are much nicer than any camper we could have purchased for the same price.

Doug,
I fully understand about vacation time limits! I'm trying to work around them all the time with my wifes job.
A long time ago we looked at camping untill my wife asks who does all the work on these vacations....my reply was we do...her responce was, what kind of a vacation is that! (end of camper idea!)
We never got involved with the time share thing, always seemed so slimy (people who push them at the resorts) We've been to a couple of "showings" but nothing really impressed us all that much. I know they work out great for some. Just when you gamble in LV and get rooms either free or at a large discount, it's hard to justify the investment, on my end. The one perk of a time share in LV, would be you are no longer tied to any gambling obligations anywhere!
Had to laugh at your "I'm not a millionaire" comment, there is always the next lottery drawing!
Why does the song "Take this Job and shove it" always come to mind when I hear talk of lottery or megabucks winners? I don't even like counrty music that much, but I'd be a singing it all the way to the bank! LOL

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

Lee,
I always play our multi-state lottery but never figure on winning it. They say the odds are that I'll get struck in the head by lightning 7 times before I would hit the big one. Since I don't plan on getting popped by lightning anytime soon I guess I really don't plan on giving my boss that 2 minute warning of my resignation.
I wonder if that shock you get from static electricity would count? maybe I ought to have Shelley shock me a couple of times? That might be the ticket to loosen up that lottery windfall. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
I still play though. At least it climbs faster than mega bucks. It's only been a couple of weeks since it was hit and it's already up to 33 million. Somehow I think I could live on that for a couple of years.

Timeshare can be a good thing if you learn how to trade your unit for other locations around the world. They are much less expensive if you buy a resale rather than from a developer. I have seen some Vegas timeshares go for as little as $3,500.

I participate some on a t/s bulletin board that has a lot of info. If your ever interested E-mail me and I can get you the address. In fact, they are having a meet in Vegas this coming October. When I E-mailed her about participating, I mentioned that I participate on a couple of boards. I believe a couple of you know this lady from the prodigy board. Her name is Fern M.When she E-mailed me back she asked about a Veronica and David. Told her about this site. Perhaps she'll drop in.

Doug,
New members And questions, are always welcome here! If we can help have them post away! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Thanks for the offer, but I'll hold off on the time share thing a little while longer. I like my money just where it is [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img] Besides this BB alone keeps me pretty busy, I wouldn't have the time for another one yet! LOL

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

Beth,
The Western Emporium is now closed and there is a wall up over the old entrance, so you can't see what is going on construction wise.

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

Lee,
I'd prefer more of my money in my pocket and less in those slot machines I've been playing on the strip. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Doug: Really enjoyed your report and looking forward to seeing those pictures. It's good to know you enjoyed the food at S & W. Too bad about the service. As John said, ask for Hooch next time!

Awhile ago I told Fern about Talk Vegas. Next time you talk to her, tell her I said hello and she's overdue dropping by! [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Doug,
I just spoke to my brother-in-law and he said that he always parks at Thrifty Car Rental at the Kansas City airport. He pays about $4 to $4.50 per day to park there. You just use their shuttles to get you back and forth to the terminal.

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

[This message has been edited by Lee Ann (edited February 09, 2000).]

Thanks Lee Ann,
We are flying out of Kansas City to Denver next week to see Shelley's Dad. I'll give them a try.
We have three more flights out of KC this year for a total of 16 days. At a savings of $10/day that makes for a nice new piece of luggage. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Maybe I can talk Shelley into seperate bags and she can carry her own? Might make for less packing per trip.

Veronica,
Dropped Fern a note telling her she's overdue to say hi. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Maybe she'll drop in soon.

Doug,
Does Shelley belong to the Veronica/Lee Ann
school of packing? [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img] This means that you take every piece of clothing that you own with you and then make your husband carry the bags. LOL That's why Walt (Veronica's husband) always says that the two of us can't fly on the same plane. It would be too heavy to get off the ground. (With luggage of course.)

Glad you can use the airport parking info. Tom, (my brother-in-law) said that there is also a long term parking lot that is about $5-$6 per day, but he uses Thrify since it's a little cheaper and is basically the same distance from the terminal. He said it's easy to just hop the Thrifty shuttle back and forth to the terminal, just as if you were renting a car.

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

Let's just say that Shelley would have made a great boy scout. When it comes to Weather, she's always prepared. She has to take at least 2 sets of close in case the weather changes. So for a 7 night stay she usually has at least 14 changes of clothes. Of course there's evening wear as well if we intend to go someplace nice.
Come to think of it, I thought those jet engines sounded like they were a little under stress.

[This message has been edited by doug (edited February 10, 2000).]

Doug,
Yes, Shelley would fit right in with Veronica and me. <vbg> She's welcome to hang around with us anytime.

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

To see pictures from Doug and Shelly's trip, go to the TalkVegas home page, click on Photo Trip Reports, and look for his Jan 2000 trip report link.