This trip was my shortest ever

It was good to see you again. I am sorry about Quarks, as Toby and I always had fun there. I am also sorry that the Hilton Buffet saw you coming and pulled their eggs benedict the moment you hit the entrance!!!
Glad you made up for the money drain from the Hilton at the Wynn..............and on the Megabucks machines!! Wow, that really messes up your record timing, doesn't it?
It sounds like you had more than 43 hours of fun!

A 3 1/2 hour show is pretty impressive! Glad you enjoyed it!

I remember playing poker at the Hilton on my very first trip to Vegas. Although I've been back, I don't think I've played there since.

Would you stay at the Flamingo again?

Thanks for lunch and I'm glad you enjoyed your chicken.

Tater was VERY understanding when we got to the Hilton buffet - the cashier had warned us that they would stop serving breakfast in 5 minutes - so I had my priorities and started to excuse myself from our table, but Tater just waved me toward the food, and I took off - to see the tail end of breakfast disappear as they took it into the kitchen. LOL, I rarely have eggs benedict at a buffet (Rampart would be an exception), but I had been drooling over the thoughts of blintzes and bacon since those don't appear on my kitchen table.

I didn't make up the Hilton $ drain entirely at Wynn, but Orleans finished the job ... and I did stop briefly at the Garden Bar after the show - didn't get a drink offer in the time I was sitting there but did hit aces which undid a LOT of the damage from the first day. YEE HAW! As for the Megabucks - I smashed my old 55 second record shortly after the Wynn opened. I crammed 43 hours of fun into Thursday alone - thanks for the help!

Jeff, the couple next to me had seen Daniel O'Donnell 4 times down in Branson, and they told me the show would be about 3 hours - I just didn't believe them. I thought thought there was an unwritten rule that no one sang or talked more than 90 minutes in Las Vegas<g>. A lot of the audience made me look young, but there were a couple of young kids in the row ahead of me - and no one of any age was fidgiting or impatient to get out of there.

This wasn't my first stay at Flamingo, so yes, I would stay there again. I'll probably stay there again in July since I'll actually be in town over a weekend, and my free Harrah's choices are Ballys, IP, Harrahs and Flamingo. Lee will probably be ROTFL but in addition to the rooms & location, I like the valet - they've had my car out within 2-3 minutes every time. I'll have to see how they do on a weekend<g>.

Lunch was my pleasure, and I'm ROTFL as I write that - you already know I hate eating a late (and big) lunch in Las Vegas because it ruins my dinner - but lunch turned out to be THE meal on both days this trip. I never did eat anything I'd call dinner, and my only breakfast was at the airport Prickly Pear -not sure that counts<g>. At least I had two very good lunches!

Daisy - you sure turned 43 hours into an interesting trip report! Sorry your luck wasn't better but if your main goal was to see Daniel and Mary, then your trip was a huge success - you certainly got your money's worth!

WOW!!!
43hrs, and you covered a lot of ground!
I am impressed!
Thanks for the Great report! It seems like my upcoming trip is a million miles away from coming any time soon. Thanks for the Vegas fix.
Of course I am Jelious, you can just hop on a plane and be in Vegas in no time flat, for a show.
Lee-PA

Mike - Mission Accomplished! I would make this trip all over again.

Lee, I was motoring on Thursday, but Wednesday never really got in gear after the Senator dropped me off. Look at the bright side, you can go over to AC. Well, let's do that again<g> - you can go cruisin'.

daisy-you always pack alot into your trips.i can hardly wait for the time when i can just pack up and go and go and go.real sorry we will not connect this year in july

Things just fell into place on this trip - airfare was right, good hotel offer, and I got the next-to-last ticket to a sold out show.

I wish our paths crossed in July too, but that's going to be a combo trip - Escapades and bowling, so that locks me into a particular weekend.

yes, Daisy - you should have stayed in town to get together with me - but you wouldn't have stayed cooler, that 's for sure!

I was really, really interested to read your comments about not getting served at the Garden Bar at the Flamingo. I went there my second night in town - remembered that someone here (Lee? Tater?) likes to play vp there. It was not busy = maybe 3 people at the bar. I sat down, plunked in a $20, and was ignored. A man came to the bar, sat down right next to me, put a bill in his vp machine and the bartender whipped out a cocktail napkin & asked him what he was drinking. I was speechless. Bartender brought the man his drink, and said to him - you have to play full pay for a comped drink.

I wanted to say "you mean like I'm doing?" but I was still so flabbergasted - I wanted to see what would happen next. The bartender literally turned and stood with his back to me. I am not going to beg for service, and not in the mood to give money for that begging, so I cashed out and left.

Later, I thought of returning to the bar and giving them a tip for bad service. Since I found a Much better vp machine and friendly cocktail service, that sent me away $80 up. More later in my own tr.

But what do you other folks think of this whole garden bar thing?

Do you suppose the Flamingo is trying to discourage a woman sitting alone at a bar? Or that particular bar? Weird.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I know the Flamingo has been experiencing a problem with hookers/hustlers. A good personal friend was robbed by two girls a few weeks ago. His host told him of another similar incident a week later.

So yes, they may be discouraging single women from hanging around. Were you wearing your thigh-high boots and mini skirt?

Darn it, Jeff. You blew my cover!



But seriously, after reading Daisy's report I wondered if something like that may have been in force. Staff directed to not make the decision on whether its a working girl or not, just don't serve a woman alone.


I think I'm going to write a letter. Who is in charge of a bar at a casino - would that be director of food and beverage? I am just curious to see what response I get.

I am sorry your friend had a bad experience. Another reason that the world's oldest profession should be legalized. It might be a good thing to remember that our mothers taught us never go with strangers.

Why should Daisy or I or other "innocent" women be snubbed at a Flamingo bar because some guests may be too intoxicated (by alcohol or those thigh high boots) to remember the Mom rule?

AND - apologies to Daisy, hope I am not hijacking this thread! your trip - and report - were mini-amazing!

Let's see, Kes - it sounds like you got up from the Garden Bar and walked through the lobby, down 3-4 steps and found the MultiPlay machines at the south end of Flamingo.... better paytables and good cocktail service there.

The first time I sat down about the middle of the Garden Bar - with 3 bartenders talking with the folks on the 4 machines to my left and one then hustling down to the sweet young lady that sat down a couple of machines to my right - LOL, it was one of those real "chopped liver" moments. I moved over to the bar behind Second City and got just barely ok service. Now that you mentioned it, there was also a conversation about fullplay with one of the customers at the Second City bar. There was one exception to the crappy bar service on my second day when I showed up with my take-out coffee (I came prepared!) - a young lady that actually smiled and said to let her know when I was ready for a refill.

I don't know if there was snubbing because I was alone or if there was just a subdued mood with most of the bartenders. I remember wondering if they had lost hours or benefits due to the slow business. Maybe they are unhappy with the restrictions being enforced on full play to get a comped drink - or other restrictions we know nothing about. Whatever the reason, I didn't see the happy crew I normally associate with the Garden Bar.

I really would have been cooler in Las Vegas than I was at home for 4-5 days after my trip. Normally, we run 5-10 degrees cooler than Vegas, but during that time frame, we were 10 degrees warmer! And ... it's not a dry heat here<g>.

Does the Flamingo ever require you to show your key to go up the elevators? I know that I've walked through some of the elevator banks and never been stopped.

The reason I ask is that on more than one occasion I have found key cards hidden near certain house phones. I just assumed they were there for "certain people" to bypass security measures. When I see them, I pick them up and throw them away later.

There was no elevator security in my tower.

No elevator security at all at the Flamingo, NONE!
They do have regular patrols of the halways however???
As for my old Garden bar, well, it's still a comfortable place to play, not the best pay tables, and not the great service it once was. The reason for this, About every 6 months bartenders re-bid for jobs, when they get the fits of on location (for what ever reason) they switch locations, shifts, sometimes even hotels. Sometimes it's all about who is incharge of that area, sometimes it's what shift girl friend/wife is working, sometimes, it's about seniority.
All my good bartenders have left the area.

BTW, The Flamingo has always had problems with the working girls. The problem IMHO is worse now, because as the bigger newer hotels pop up, the Flamingo is not attracting an A-list customer, and there for, no longer attracts an A-list working girl. Last I looked, (looked being the key work here) they where down to about E-list. LOL I can imagine rolling customers isn't too much of a strech here.

I take it the Flamingo used to have elevator security? I used the elevators between the Garden Bar and coffee shop, and they did have a desk at the elevator entrance - the folks there were selling timeshares<g>.

Great, Daisy. We're being mistaken for E-list girls.

(By the way, I did write a letter - let you know if i get a response!)

LOL, I was going to let that one die a quiet death. Not being sure about the last time he looked, I was afraid we might be G-list by now.

That's the funny thing.....you'd have thought for sure you girls wouldn't have been mistaken for any working girls in that hotel...after all, what would two fine A-list girls be doing in the Flaming-O anyway!