On my recent trip we hit some different places and we noticed a few things from the past, that I thought was all gone. It made me smile....

Change girls, anyone remeber these. Well the Golden Gate's got them. No ticket in/ ticket out for them. No slot card either!

Desert carts, after dinner bar, anyone remember those, Great Momments room at the LV Club got those too.

Male cocktail servers, Bally's got at least one, and he was very attentive. But then, I guess, he has to be, not too many guys are tipping him for his clevage.

Valet that actually show a little hussle, MSS, Sahara, & Ballys (of all places).

people that hold the elevator for you, It happened almost every ride up at MSS. I beleive we could all learn a thing or two from the Hawains.

Rio had some male cocktail servers/dancers the last time I stayed there.

I valeted at Hilton, Harrahs, Sam's Town, Gold Coast, Orleans, and Arizona Charlies West on the last trip, and I don't think I had time to finish a cig anywhere while waiting for my car. Hilton was the slowest, right on down the list to AZC which took about 1 minute.

Holding an elevator door(or any door)happened occasionally at the Orleans --- just an excuse for an exchange of pleasantries that make all parties feel better.

Dessert carts? Oh, yes, bring those back! LOL, I know I've seen them, but I just can't specifically remember where, possibly the Carmel Room out at Rampart.

I don't really miss the change girls; I like the ticket in/out and the many kiosks to cash out ... OTOH, just try to flag someone down when one of those ticket out printers malfunctions on your machine.

Those ticket in/out are also eliminating the small change booths. I know a couple of booths at Texas Station, Santa Fe Station, and Sahara that I used often and they just disappeared.

The last time I saw a male cocktail waiter was in Louisiana and it didn't make me thirsty. There's some things that women do better than men. I can't picture a guy wanting the job.

Dessert carts at Twin Creeks, Silverado, and Daisy's new favorite Italian place that she has not been to are tempting. Along those same lines, does anyone remember eating at The Flame steakhouse? They brought out a steak tray with several steaks on it and you picked out your steak. And it wasn't one that looked the one on the tray, it the very steak you saw. If you didn't like what was on the tray, they'd go back for more...although the first choice was always good to me.

I've seen the waiters at House Of Lords cook desserts tableside. It was probably Cherries Jubilee. Tableside cooking is pretty rare these days. I had a waiter make fettucine alfredo tableside in Las Vegas MANY years ago.

Most places I wouldn't hold an elevator since they usually have plenty of them. MSS would be an exception. Many parking garages would be an exception. Some key components help me make my decision. Are they smoking and need to find an ashtray first? Is there a stroller? Are there kids? Is she a hottie? Do they look lost? Does it remind me of my mother? Tattoos, loud talking, cell phone users, and other little hints help swing the vote if needed.

Before ticket in/out, Caesars had a deal where you could play a machine, and when you finished, you sent your balance to a main computer. Later you could pick another machine to play and have that balace sent to that machine. When you finished, you send it back to the main computer. It wouldn't work these days because the only way to redeem you balance for cash was at the main cashiers cage. But if you remember back in those days, your other option was to carry around buckets coins, wait for hopper fills, and wonder if the machine really spit out as many coins as it said and if the change machine would count it right. And in the end, you had to go the cashier anyway. So their method was much cleaner.

I mentioned this recently to some friends. Does anyone remember the KENO holders in the restaurants that held the crayons and papers that had a light on it? I think they used a AA battery and flashlight bulb inside. You could turn on the light to let the KENO runner know that you wanted service. Sometimes the light lenses were shaped like a flame or gem, or something fancy.

Am I ever going to find out where my new favorite Italian place is? Any particular dish I like there?

FWIW, I've never seen a female cocktail server that made me thirsty<g>.

You said it, Daisy!

So, Lee - the male server at Bally's was not getting tipped by the guys for his cleavage.

But perhaps he was getting tipped by the gals for his - uh, his, well his lower cleavage?

Guess we should ask Sharon.

Sorry, but the cocktail waitresses are there to make me thirsty. That's just the way it is. It may be sexist, but I didn't make the decision, I just enjoy it.

As proof of this theory, feel free to ask any cocktail waitress at Caesars, Orleans, Venetian, or any other major resort in town why they wear those silly uniforms. They don't wear them because they are comfortable or because they are the uniform that everyone else in the company wears.

And it's not all cleavage. There are dealers with cleavage. There are housekeeping women with cleavage. Cleavage is only a fraction of the package. Cocktail waitresses generally have the whole package. They have nice hair, but some dealers have nice hair. They have make up, but some dealers have the same make up. They have long legs, but some dealers have long legs. They often smile, and on rare occasions a dealer might smile. Unlike a dealer, they are generally pleasant.

Yep, it's that uniform that completes the package that makes me thirsty.

Don't get me wrong, JMT. I got no problem with that uniform making you thirsty. And (hope this does not sound weird) I get a kick out of seeing the uniforms too. Just part of the whole Vegas not the real world thing.

I'm just suggesting that women get thirsty too. With the popularity of all the Thunder Down Under and Chippendales shows, you'd think some place would consider having good looking guy cocktail servers.

But I don't think it will happen. Because most women don't mind being served by a cute/sexy waitress, but I think most guys would not be happy be served by a hunk, especially one with some sort of uniform emphasizing his hunk-i -ness.

Unless they figure out how to make a female only section of the casino.

Now - apologies to Lee for getting off topic here.

back to your original post - I don't miss coin in machines or hand fills, but I do look fondly on my collection of coin buckets, stashed in the back of my closet. And I do miss the feel of walking around wih a bucket, jingling the quarters or dollar tokens in them. I did see buckets at the Venetian last Fall - they still had some coin in machines.

I miss the coin machines because of the way I play. I'd put a certain amount into the machine, Then when I ran through that I'd cash out put half into my bucket and play the outher half, and repeat until I ran out. Most of the time I came out ahead or at least even. With paper that is hard to do.

P.S. I like the cocktail waitresses at the Orleans! Aren't they cute??

Larry, that also slowed your play down too. What a great way to cut the house edge, cut your gambling time.

With the way service has been going on my last several trips, I miss the old days. I just feel that a lot of the original post was some of the vegas affect. Peolpe were happy to serve, and be tipped, now it seems more like it's thier right to be tipped no matter what kind service is rendered.

I don't think that attitude (I deserve the tip no matter what) is just Vegas, I find that in a lot of places. The meaningfulness of the tip was lost years ago - if it ever existed.

I do have to say that the last few trips I felt like I got excellent service, whether it was valet or cw's or restaurant servers.. And sometimes a woman alone does not, because its assumed she won't be a good tipper (which I think I am decent.)

Around here, the attitude of servers seems to directly reflect the attitude of management. If management cares about the customer, they make sure to hire great servers and they also communicate that attitude to the servers in training etc.

Do you think that happens in the really big companies in Vegas?

Kes, I think it is a problem everywhere.
However while you where impressed with service your last tript to Vegas, I feel our service has gotten progressivly worse in Vegas.

Since you all are on the subject of good looking female drink servers....has anyone been to Hooters, and what was your opinion on the girls there?

Two weeks ago, my husband, my girlfriend and her husband, and I all went into Hooters expecting to see some really good looking, well built girls. What a disappointment for the guys!!! I kind of liked the place, but believe me the servers weren't anything that any of us expected.

The bartenders where very attentive, while we played.
OK, lets say your a goodlooking, young, hot, female. You have a brain in your head, where would you rather work? You follow the money. What I noticed in Hooters, yup they where paying for drinks (top dollar too), but the tips? I didn't see it. Now look at places like Wynn dot, Venetian, Rio, Mirage, Mandalay bay, Orleans even. All pretty, all not busting thier butts, all making money, and not having to deal with the Hooters crowd. BTW, we did see someone get escorted to the door at Hooters. Someting I have rarely seen in the nicer places.

I think Hooters restaurants are very over rated. The costumes are cute. The food never caught on with me. The girls in the costume have deteriorated with the laws on how they can't pick who they hire based on how well they fill the costume. I thought the Hooters Casino servers were just par for the course, nothing special. And I guess the ugly women that got those laws passed are just delighted about it.

But Lee, you hit on a very good point of why I think Hooters Casino might be in trouble. It's the "Hooters crowd". I don't know where these people come from or what they are doing here, but in general, they aren't the same people you see in the Rio, Venetian, Wynn Dot, or other strip properties. So who are they, why are they here, and where did they come from? Surely, they didn't fly in from middle America, stay at Budget Inn, and take a cab to Hooters every night.

I have to tell you guys, I went into the ladies room at Hooter's. I was appalled. There were five stalls, they were all gross, filthy, whatever you want to say. I walked right back out. I can't believe that a place that has just opened, has no one checking on the restrooms. Most all hotel/casinos in Vegas have really clean bathrooms. I couldn't believe what I saw in this place.

The mens rooms were acceptable to me although I never visited the stalls. It has to be pretty bad before I find a urinal that's unuseable

There are still quite a few issues with the place.

I can hardly wait to check this place out on my next trip!!