Well folks, this was a short trip to Las vegas, but we sure crammed as much into 4 nights as we possibly could. Since we had just been in Vegas 5 days earlier, I had some strange idea that this would be a more relaxing trip....WRONG!!!

Reason for the trip.....The Senator was going to be intown.

Left Friday evening for Las Vegas on Continental out of Harrisburg, with a conect in Cleveland. Again continental proved they deserve my high praise, and everything went smooth, and personel was friendly, the whole way.
Arrive in Vegas slightly ahead of schedule, pick up red Dodge Intrepid from Thrifty, pick-up was slow at best. Thrifty automaticly charges you for the gas in the tank, if you bring the car back full, they refund the cost! (I think this is a lousy practice) Hard sell for the insurances, and then out the door to our car.
Drop Sandy off at Las Vegas Club (her hotel for the entire saty, then Main Street station for our hotel. Check-in was smooth, and we hit the treasure chest machines at the bar till 5am. The Senator found us, sat down beside us, and proseeded to take the royal we where playing for. Nice to see someone we know get a royal Jeff, but did you have to make it look so EASY? Jeff leaves with his winnings....Sharon & I continue to play. Late night snack at 5am of hot wings and cheese sticks at the Brew Pub.

Saturday, up at 8am, meet Jeff for motorcycle rental/ride. Bike rental went smooth, and the tour in general was great! I liked my bike, but it wasn't what I really wanted to rent, but settled because there web site lost my original reservation for a Dyna Wide Glide. Lunch at Casa Blanca in Mesquite, Valley of Fire & Lake meade. But the most wonderful part about this trip was Sharon. This is a gal that hasn't been on the back of a motorcycle (so she says) for a long time. We did close to 240miles that day. Her butt was sore, she was cold and wind blown, and had helmet hair. She never complained!
Bike return was smooth, MSS to shower and nap, before dinner with Sandy at the Pasta Pirate. We didn't get Dean as our waiter, and we missed him. while service was ok, it wasn't up to Deans standards, and next time, it's Dean or no one!
Did a little gambling after dinner, but our butts where dragging, so it was an early night.
At 11:30pm I get woken up by the phone ringing in my ear. I answer, and security is calling me to tell me that my rental car was hit by a bus while it was parked in valet. They asked if wanted to come down to inspect the damage. I declined and said I'd see it in the morning. (this is the same rental car I took no insurance on)

Sunday, I awake, shower and dress, and call Diners Club (they offer free renters insurance on all cars rented with thier card) Diners so far has been great, they said I shouldn't worry and to try to enjoy the rest of the vacation. When I asked if I should call thrifty, they said they wouldn't unless the car was undrivable. I checked out the damage, valet guys all said they didn't do it! LOL Seems a Airport shuttle bus pulled into valet (signs posted no busses) to drop off passengers, he cut turn to wide and clipped the front end of my car with his folding doors and rear tire. Side pannel, grill, bumper and hood ruined, but still drivable! I get a police report for security, they also have a video of it too.
Meet Sandy an hour late, with all the excitment, I forgot about the time change and was the one hour late to go for lunch!
PF Changs for lunch, I had 2 long island ice tea's along with food. Then Green vally Ranch for some loosing drop bar VP. Then some break even Pia Gow Poker, along with the start of my Red Bull & Vodka day. Cannery next, where we meet Jeff for some more Pia Gow Poker, and more Red Bull & Vodka. The cocktail waitress is bringing them faster then I can guzzel them! By this time, as Jeff pointed out, I'm a crazed caffine junkie, and Jeff leaves our table for quieter surroundings. Back to Main Street and Jeff makes plans for the Pullman grill. I had reservations for the Center Stage at the Plaza, but I don't think Jeff liked those plans! LOL Dinner & more Red Bull & vodka. Poor service, good food. We all had comps, so it was free, so we overlooked the service flaws. The Senator is voted as the driver, however, I don't recall too much of this vote. I remember being pushed into a silver Intrepid thinking, this sin't my car, and there is no steering wheel, how the heck am I gonna drive this car??? Riviera next for the worst comedy show I've ever seen. The Riviera should be ashamed of themselves for booking Jackie Martling. Old & tired, we left during his performance. A couple of rum & cokes (trying to cut back on the caffine here) & Back to MSS, again. Treasure Chest machines, but they are playing way too slow for me, and I get bored and bail on them. Bed time, laying there I can feel my heart just beating in my chest and begin to wonder if maybe someone with high blood pressure shouldn't be drinking so much caffine? Oh well, I fall asleep to the sound of my own heart beating. LOL
Monday, I wake up feeling like crap. In & Out burger for breakfast, then the Palm. After the Palm, I'm feeling pretty bad and we bail for MSS so I can lay down for a bit. Make dinner plans to meet at 7pm for dinner. I have a short nap and feel refreshed. I play some $5 VP at MSS and then out the door to the Lady luck (what a dump) and then Fremont, where Sharon & I partner up on a $5 treasure chest machine. She gets some good play here, but no 4 of a kinds. Las Vegas Club for some nickle Jackpot Party machines, we play for 2 hours and cash out about even. We each requyired a slot fill, that took 30 min. each time! Meet Sandy for dinner at California Cafe. My dinner was not great. But it was food. Sharon & I played some dollar treasure chest machines, and I hit the $5 vp again with no luck. Called it an early night at 11pm, after a few coctails.

Tuesday, Up at 3:30am, pack, pick up sandy, return rental car to thrifty (Not happy) although counter person said "stuff happens like this all the time". Continental flight to Cleveland was smooth and arrived on time. Conection to Harrisburg was over sold by 2. Offered us $200 each (3 of us) to take a later flight. We said ok, but the later flight they wanted us to take was already delayed. So they put us on Northwest. Cleveland to Detroit, Detroit to Harrisburg, we arrived 2 hrs later then original flight. However, our bags where one the Continental flight, that was suppose to beat us to Harrisburg. But that flight was canceled! (dodged a bullet there) So no luggage. Went home, Luggage was delivered at 1am in the morning.

Thoughts.....

Yes, I'm ready to go again! I asked Sharon if we could go again this weekend...she said no, maybe next weekend?

Service is slipping in almost everything since so many lay-offs since 9/11. Change personel are almost non-existant anywhere. MSS hand pays & fills, Las vegas club fills, Palms fills, Drink service at most places was slow at best, Even the dining rooms where hit by slow or short staff.

Vatel at MSS, these guys felt bad about what happened, and it wasn't thier fault. I'll keep you all posted on developments of my wrecked car as they unfold. I'm very curious how Diners club handles the matter.

If the Cannery sends an offer for a free room, we will use it! I really like this place as does Sharon & Sandy.

Don't have a next trip planned for now, but I am hoping to go the end of May. If that doesn't work out, then first week in July is my target date.

Thanks for reading.....

Lee - Another great TR! They always wear me out! $5 VP at MSS? Wow - you're at a new level -I just don't have the guts for that! Did you check out Daisy's poll? At least I got the PF Chang's part right! I enjoyed your funny story about Jackie the Jokeman on the other thread. He sounds like a real winner. Thanks for the TR! --Mike

Look at the bright side, Lee .... first, you weren't in the car when the bus hit and I don't even want to think about a bus hitting a bike!

FWIW, I had car damage on a rental car in Canada. I had also declined all the extra insurance, but my personal auto insurance picked up most of the tab, and American Express picked up my deductible.

LOL, Aunt Daisy is going to cut you off all that caffeine! It also sounds like Daisy Tours should be the designated driver for both you and the Senator ... I would have been ROTL when you were looking for a steering wheel.

I'm surprised that you were allowed to fly without your luggage. $200 vouchers are nice, but aren't they also supposed to give you half of your airfare too?

Mike, I blew it on PF Changs, but I got VOF right. I sure wish I could remember what else I voted for that night<vbg>.

Hey Lee,

Thanks for the report. I agree with you about the service level. I found cocktail service slow at MSS and green Valley. Also John at the bar at MSS.

I hadn't kept track of our miles on the bike but figured 250-300. I was probably close to 300 by the next morning when I returned mine.

What all did you have to go thru with Thrifty?

For any of you who aren't aware, Lee gets rather special treatment at MSS valet (actually he gets special treatment about everywhere). They don't take his car and park it. It sits right in the valet lane just waiting for him. When we went to get the bikes, the valet guy ran out when he saw Lee and asked if he was ready for his car. The guy jumped in, turned it around and off we went.

Mike,
I'm not always playing at the $5 level! LOL However, I find myself drawn to those machines more and more. It all started at the Golden nugget a few years back. Every trip I'd slip into the high value area, and play a $100 bill through the machine (4 plays). Most of the time, I'd just get 4 tries, but every now and then I'd get 5 or 6. I got away from that machine, and went to the Fremont, where they have one $5 treasure chest machine (everyone here knows I love those) and I've gotten a lot more play on that one. I'm still looking for my first 4 of a kind on those machines, I'm way over due, but I have gotten that machine cranking already. Main Street Station $5 bonus machine is a new one I just started playing. With my new girlfriend, I find my playing time has dropped, and the $5 machine is a quick way to get some slot points, to keep up my free rooms and food. Remember a full house is $200 (sweet)! Running 3 grand through a machine to keep the food & comps coming is short work, as long as the machine gives you a little play time! Sharon should get a good offer for the play she had on the Fremont machine. My plan is simple, with 2 differnt last names and addresses, getting a week or more in LV at the same hotel should become a lot easier, with maybe only a slight inconveinace of a room change.

Daisy....aka Aunt Daisy,

We'll see what happens with the rental car, I'll keep everyone posted here. I'm sure this is going to be some sort of ordeal. Thrifty was actually pretty cool about the whole thing. But time will tell. I think the police report helped my cause.

You don't have to cut me off the caffine, I am in self exile of the stuff. What was amazing was, after the show and we said our goodby's I only ran a $10 bill through the machine and went to bed, and fell straight away to sleep!

The luggage rule applies only when it's from your origenating city. At Cleveland, it didn't matter any more, because the luggage had already been on a plane with me, and people miss conections all the time, so it's allowed! $200 for a Cleveland to Harrisburg flight was fair. They only needed 2 vol's and I asked for the 3rd person in our party to be included. When the gate agent said sure no problem, I figured us (the 3 musketeers) could spend some quality time in a few Northwest planes! LOL

As for your little poll......I'll get you back, when you least expect it!

Jeff, as posted in Daisy's reply, It was a fairly quick rental return. It might have took an extra 10 to 15 min. to get the paper work started. But I was out the door quickly. They asked me to sign a statement, and there really wasn't much to tell. I wasn't in the car, the car was legally parked, the bus driver hit my parked rental car in an area, he didn't belong at, that was clearly marked as such. Oh, and I took my own pictures of the car. But on the police report, they have a checked box where they state they have it on video!

Yes Jeff, I get some special treatment at MSS, but I've invested time at this property. Sometimes it's not the size of the fish, but the size of the pond the fish is swiming in!
There are a few places where I've gotten special treatment besides MSS. The Cannery is my newest favorite place. I like the little nice-itties that some of the smaller properties have to offer over fancy rooms. One of my worst valet experiances came from the Green Valley Ranch Hotel Valet. Sad , but true!

Hey Lee, help me out....I'm not familiar with the Treasure Chest Machines. What are they? Also, Red Bull, a caffeined up soda (or pop in some parts of the country) mixed with Vodka, I'm guessing?
The Cannery, where is it? Inquiring minds want to know!!

Enjoyed the trip report. Thanks.

Susan

Susan,
REDBULL, it's a super caffinated citrus flavored soda/pop, sold in slender 8oz cans. Add Vodka and you basicly have a drink that will keep you up long after you should have passed out. LOL

Cannery,
New casino in North Las vegas, very clean, well themed, very nice personel, and some decent VP too! It's located on Craig, just off of rt15.

Treasure Chest Machines,
Basicly a Video Poker machine that plays like a VP bonus poker machine, only instead of paying a straight bonus on A's and such. It lets you pick one of 5 Theasure chests on a screen, whenever you get a 4 of a kind. The Chests when picked reveal your pay. Options that cna come up are...
140 credits, 180 credits, 250 credits, 500 credits, or $1199.00, On a quarter machine. The top prize on a dollar maqchine is 5000 credits. I've seen these in nickle plays too, but can't recall seeing them lately.

Lee:
Thanks for the info.

Susan

There's no rush to get even with me, Lee ... I'm still wading through that M&M CD you gave me. :p

Lee, enjoyed your report, as usual. You sure crammed alot of activity into 4 days. Sorry to hear about the bus incident - as "aunt" Daisy said, at least you weren't in it. Watch those bike rides, I still have a scar on my butt from from a bike accident when I was a teenager. (I don't do that anymore) When is your next "firm" trip - should be soon, cause I know you can't stay away that long. Wendell

Wendell,
Right now, I have no set plans for another trip to Las vegas. I need to do things around here, like buy a house and catch up on work that I've been putting off.
I'd really like to go at the end of May and 4th of July, but for now, I have no firm plans. My daughter and son in law are going on the 4th of July week and I have friends that want me out in LV the end of May, but I got to get my own house to live in first! LOL

Lee,
"I got to get my own house to live in first!"
HOMELESS, If'n thats the case you may as well join the rest of them on the streets in Vegas, in a place that you love.

Lee, you shall get it done - I have confidence in you. Wendell

Wendell,
Oh, I'll get my stuff done, it's all a matter of how quickly it gets done. My busy season is coming rather fast here in PA.

Larry,
Summer is coming, Las vegas heat and me as a squeegee man under a bridge doesn't sound like a cake job! I'll stay in PA....for now!

I have it through sources that the bus thing was staged by the parking attendents to save Lee's BUTT

Bus update.....
I just sent in all the requested information from the bus hit. I sent it al to Dinners clud, so far no problem....I'll keep you all posted.

Larry, I wonder what kind of toke that would take to arrange a bus hit? LOL

Update on "hit by a bus"

In yesterdays mail 7/29/03 came a notice from Diners Club that they have finally agreed to pay the $193, not covered by the bus drivers insurance. Basicly the charge for the down time while the car was repaired.
This took severl months to resolve, and Diners club kept me informed along the way that they where still working on the open claim and that I was not to worry. Thrifty on the other hand tried to strong arm me into paying the $193. I declined and diverted to Diners for help.
All in all everything worked out. I am still using my Diners Club for all rental cars, and I'll use Thrifty again, when they have the better rental price.

Lee,

What do you think would have happened if you'd have tried to rent a car from Thrifty prior to your dispute being settled?

Do you think rental car companies have lists of people they won't rent to due to previous problems?