Left Columbus very early Sunday the 4th on America West. Pushed away from the gate right on time. One quick bloody mary before take off. Breakfast was a choice of chicken hash, cereal and fruit, or apple crepes. Went with the crepes. They served a fruit plate first. The Bloody Mary's were pretty good. Just a little too early for scotch this trip. Well, actually I had one before we landed [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]. Flight was very bumpy. Seat belt sign wasn't turned off till about 3 hours into teh flight.
Used National's Emerald Aisle. Pick out whatever car you want, show em your card at te gate and you're gone. Choices included Grand Prix's, Alero's, an Intrepid, Blazers, a Bravada and several pick-up trucks including full size 4x4s.
Got to the Mirage a little after 9, they said I'd have to wait till about 11 to check in. Went to MSS for brunch. Had enough points in my account for 2 comps. Played some 50 cent Double Bonus. Had 4 six's dealt to me pretty quick. Cashed out up $150. Brunch was good as usual. Great selection and most was pretty good.
Back to the Mirage about 11:30. A $20 bribe was going to get me a suite until she saw that I was on a $49 per night promotion. She said I had to be paying casino rate of $99 for her to geat away with a free upgrade. She did find a room that was ready at least. I've never been a fan of the Mirage but decided to give em a try at $49 per night. The room was very nicely furnished. Everything was in excellent condition. As many others have said, the bathroom is small. No coffee maker, no ironing board.
Called Randy and Kelly and they invited us to meet them for dinner in Jean at the Nevada Landing. Ate at their gourmet room, reminds me of the Redwood Grill at the Cal. Food was very good. Had a very nice visit and a good session on a double bonus machine. Hit quads twice. Hit the bed early cause we were being picked up at 5 AM for a hot air balloon ride. Got a call at 4:30, too windy.
Slept in a bit then walked over to Paris for breakfast buffet. This buffet REALLY impressed me. Great selection and everything I ate was delicious. I've already posted this on another subject but try a crepe with chocolate chips, slivered almonds and rasberry sauce! The poached eggs were soft. They have a nice selection of toast plus all the regulars.
Walked down the strip to the Riv and finally saw the museum. This place was GREAT! They're got loads of pictures, casino chips, ashtrays etc. Large display of checks that were written to entertainers over the years along with some of their employment contracts. The gifdt shop has a large selection of casino chips for sale. Casino Player magazine always has free coupons for this place. You can pick them up at many car rental offices as well as some hotels.
Left the Trop and cut thru the MGM to ride the monorail back, it was REALLY windy and the dust from the construction sites was terrible. Got to see the Lion playing. I think he's worth seeing. Hit the pool for a little relaxation and sight seeing. It WAS relaxing and there WERE some sights! They've got WAY too many chairs around the pool. There wasn't room for your legs between chairs, you had to sit on the end and slide up.
Had my first and last serious gambling session Monday afternoon and evening. Pai Gow at the Mirage. Thought the dealer was being rude and ignoring me. Finally figured out she had a hearing impairment. Met a suit from Cincinatti who went to OSU. We had a real nice time chatting. Cocktail service was good, Pai Gow was bad for a long time. Finally hit a streak and got close to even. Decide it was time to eat. Did notice many $10 black jack tables and a couple $5.
Took David Feldman's advice and tried Something of Siam (I think). It was not where I expected. I thought he said it was in the Convention center. I believe it's actually called the Commerce center or something like that. Anyway, it's a strip center that's kind of hidden back off the road. There's several Asion restaurants and bars plus a market and a Mexican Resturant. Asked for Bill and Told him David sent us. He said several people had already been in with print-outs from the internet. Tried the sour sausage app and stuffed chicken wings. Both were excellent. I had the drunken noodles for my entree. Noodels with a bunch of seafood and chili paste. Bill asked how hot on a scale of 1-10. I chose 7, should have said 5!
Stopped at a bar for a while after dinner. I kept running out of dollar bills for some reason [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]. Stopped at the Ho for a huge bowl of lousy strawberry shortcake before going back to the hotel.
Tuesday morning checked out of the Mirage and went to the Orleans for breakfast in the coffee shop. Nothing spectacular. Stopped at Easy Rider for a t-shirt but found they were closed. Saw a sign for a place called Eagle Rider. Was only a couple block so went and checked them out. Bought Patti a t-shirt. Found they're the biggest Harley rental place in Vegas. They say they've got 50 Harley's to rent. UNlimnited mileage, Rent-a-Vette gives you 200 per day. Their web site is called hogrent if anyone's interrested.
Checked into Harrah's on a free room offer about 2 PM. Next stop was Las Vegas Harley Davidson. Biggest Harley showroom in the country. They sure aren't bashfull about their clothes prices. Decide to use a Mirage buffet comp for dinner. A buddy of mine thinks this is the greatest buffet in Vegas. Boy do I disagree with him. Very small selection. If you like shrimp, prime rib and coconut macaroons, you'd be fine here. Service stunk!
Back to Harrah's to shower, pack and check-out. Stayed a litle over 4 hours! Had free tickets for Smokey Joe's. Show was OK, at least the price was right. In other words, I'm glad I hadn't payed for it. Got out of the show in time for a peice of cheesecake at the Stage Deli before heading for the airport for my 11:30 return flight.
Car rental return was a breeze. The chek-in lines curbside as well as inside for America West were terrible. Must have been at least an hour's wait. Didn't have anything to check so just went to the gate.
PLane pulled away about 5 minutes late. The flight across the aisle was going to LA. They were offering $500 vouchers for people to give up their seats. That's a hell of a voucher for a $50 flight.
Got no cocktail service on the ground and the service in the air wasn't much better. He had a book he wanted to read. The plane was very hot. It's the first plane I can remember being in with no air vents above the seats. Got into Columbus on time. Had time to come home and shower before going to work. I'm still not back on a normal schedule. Hopefully by Monday!
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Jeff, Gambling Moderator
jeff@talkvegas.com
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