Tuesday October 14th
This morning I got up and headed to the Bellagio to cancel our tickets to “O”. I had booked them for the Wednesday night show before we left but when I told Terry she wasn’t to excited to see another Cirque show which was fine with me as it saves me $377. I had decided to walk over and when I got to the corner I saw a sign at Wild Bills for one of those half price ticket outlets and thought I would see what is available. As you walk in there is a booth on the right side with pictures of shows so I walk over and damn it’s another time share booth. I turned around and on the left side was the half price booth. I found tickets for Momma Mia for that night at $55 a ticket so I bought them. When I got back to Imperial Terry was dressed and ready to go on a drive to Valley of Fire so off we went. This is a nice trip, not too far out and the Valley is very interesting. We got back in time to have a quick bite and get changed to go to Mandaly Bay. Terry and I found a couple of Hot Hot Penny machines and we sat beside each other and played them before the show. When we sit side by side we take turns playing, one spins and then the other spins and so on. It is fun and kills the time without getting burned.
I was looking forward to this show and unfortunately I was not impressed and I actually found it boring until the last 10-15 minutes when the cast sang some songs together. Terry liked it though so it wasn’t a total loss. We stopped at Ballagio again to watch the fountain shows one more time and take some pictures of Paris.

Wednesday October 15
This was our day to go to Oatman Arizona and go horseback riding. This was a great trip with different scenery than what we see back home. We did not stop in Laughlin and when we got to Oatman the lady was just taking a group out for a two hour ride. She was willing to wait for us but we felt 2 hours was too long on a horse so we said we would wait till they got back. Oatman was not what I expected. It’s a shame they let vehicles park on the street and the buidings are all selling trinkets and souvenir junk. It was the same as going to a flea market. They put on a wild west shootout and then pass the hat around for donations. Wild burros roam the street and people buy a bag of carrots and feed them except the ones with a small sticker on their forehead because they get sick when they eat carrots and stuff. The restaurant’s walls and ceiling are just about covered with dollar bills that people have written on with their names or funny sayings. In one shop there was a lady behind the counter that was one the phone and she was saying to whoever was on the other end that she could pay $150 in a couple of weeks but that is all the money she has at the moment and asked for some time. It was kinda sad in a way as I am sure it is not easy to make a living around this area.
We finally saddled up and off we go to see the surrounding fauna and flora. It was an enjoyable slow ride with the lady telling us about some of the history etc. but I was sure glad we didn’t do a two hour tour as my backside and um err groin area had had enough after an hour. It costs $40 bucks for the hour and that seemed reasonable to me.
We headed back and stopped at a small casino called “Railroad Pass Hotel Casino” and did a little gambling then made our way back home. We had accumulated enough points on our Mirage/MGM card to have a buffet at the Mirage so we showered and changed and headed over there and enjoyed this buffet very much. We finished eating and headed back home to the Imperil and gambled the rest of the night away. As a side note to anyone who plays poker, the poker room at the Imperial is very small and tacky. The tables have a pinkish color felt with a color picture of a waitress on each end. Their $1 chips are plain grey and the $100 and $500 tournament chip’s are easily mixed up because they are so close in color. A couple times someone put a $500 chip in the pot thinking it was a $100 chip.

Thursday October 16th
We got up and sat on the balcony having coffee and mini wheats as it had finally warmed up and then went to the Miracle Mile shops. I parked in the Paris garage and we walked through Paris before heading over to MM. It was really not a lot different than a mall back home but Terry did find a bracelet she liked so she bought it. We had seen an ad for a show at the Venetian called “The Real Deal” in which you participate in a game of Texas Hold Em against a couple of pro players. We drove over to see about this and it was $90 to get in and you have a hand held device to play against the pros. You can win prizes and stuff. Jennifer Harmon and Eli Elezra were the pros this day so we skipped it. Jennifer would be good if Daniel Negriano(Sorry Daniel for the misspelling) or Phil Laak were there. I drove Terry back to the Imperial and then I headed for the Bellagio to play poker for the afternoon. I really like this room and I got lucky enough to leave ahead by $500. Ok now we decided to try the dreaded Imperial Palace Buffet. It was probably one the worst buffets I have ever had. I can’t describe it any different than some people on this forum so I will let it go at that. This was our last evening so we just stayed close and gambled here and then went to bed.

Friday October 17th
I get up and have a coffee but no mini wheats as Terry wanted to go for breakfast before we left so we packed and took all our stuff to the car and went upstairs again to the tearoom. I told her we had 45 minutes before we had to go so we went back to the Wizard of Oz and sat side by side. We each put $20 in and after a couple of spins Gilinda appeared on my machine and generously gave me $304. I took this out and put another twenty in and just as I hit my button Gilinda came on Terry’s screen and gave her $175 and on the very next hit she got the bonus monkey round and hit for another $100. I took all the tickets and went to cash them in as Terry played another twenty. This lasted about a half hour and then it was time to go. A nice way to end a trip to be sure. Car rental return was no problem and the plane left on time taking 3 hrs and 40 minutes to get back to Toronto. I watched Indiana Jones so the time went quickly. The best part of this trip was Terry saying she had a great time and started talking about going back in February.

Capsule

The Good:
We were down about $1,000 for the week gambling for both of us which we didn’t think was too bad.
The ride to Oatman was very relaxing with some beautiful scenery. .
We were pleased with our room and the Imperial Palace overall except for those time share sharks.
The efficiency of picking up the car and getting to the hotel. I quickly found the alternative routes to get me where I wanted to go.
The Mirage buffet and the steakhouse at the Monte Carlo.
Bellagio fountains and poker room

The Bad:
The weather for the first 3 ½ days
Time share vultures
Porn peddlers
Imperial Palace buffet
Players club booth at Mandaly bay
Downtown Fremont street experience
Being down $1,000 instead of up $1,000 (I know what I said above but let’s face it, no one wants to lose).
Oatman
Not getting to do everything on my list.

The Ugly:
Leaving Toronto at 9:00 at night and missing a whole day of vacation
Leaving Las Vegas at 12:30pm and basically missing another full day of vacation
The cocktail waitress at Binions. While we were talking to our friends I asked her for a couple of diet cokes and she said ”I don’t see you playing a machine so if you want a drink you will have to put some money in the machine first.” Maybe this is normal but I have never been told this before.

Well that’s about all I can remember for now. I hope to post a few pictures shortly. We sure are glad we spent the time in Las Vegas and it looks like there may be another trip sooner than later.

I want to thank you all for your suggestions and hints. They were greatly appreciated by both of us.

Wow, what a great trip report. It sounds like you stayed busy. You got a good sample of Las Vegas.

I was wondering if you did any research on the history of Oatman before you left. I've only been there at night and it was a little spooky to me. And you are correct about the drive being scenic and fun. When you know the history of Laughlin, Bullhead City, Needles, Oatman, Route 66, the river, and tie it all together, it makes the drive more interesting.

I'm glad you were comfortable with the IP. Those time share sharks are everywhere, and it would be nice if you could say that it wasn't the IPs fault, but it is their fault. The IP (and other places) have the option to not rent them a kiosk and not allow them to bother the customers. I guess it's good money for the casinos. It sounds like you were coming and going through the back of the IP. That area is the first to flood when it rains. Back when there wasn't much more than the Flamingo in that area, the strip had a bridge that went over the water way. There wasn't ever much water in it, except when it rained. As the hotel industry grew, they built underground tunnels to carry the water away from the tourist. That area at the IP entrance is the one weak spot where there just isn't enough capacity to keep the flow going. Also there is a big group of homeless tunnel people that live down there.

I have heard a lot of hype about Brand before it opened. You are the first I know to give a report on it. Thanks. It sounds like a pretty good steak house.

Did you ever make it to Red Rock Canyon or Mt Charleston?

I have really mixed emotions about downtown. It was once my favorite destination. On one hand I appreciate the idea to try to revitalize the place. OTOH, I have not been a fan of the things they have tried to make it work.

Thanks for the pictures. I'm off to look at them now.

If you come back in February, don't plan on pools and balconies. Maybe plan on snowboarding on Mt Charleston though.

Great REPORT!!!
Sorry to hear about the loss, but your right, one K for a a week is a pretty good run in my book! Heck, I might even put that in the win colloum! LOL

As for being a player and getting a drink, that's pertty much the norm, unless they know you. I'm sure however she probably could have been more pleasent, those downtown properties get a lot of deadbeats looking for something for nothing. She was probably a little jaded!

The IP buffet???? My gosh man, never on the night before a flight home! You do not need montazumas revenge on the plane ride home! You really are a gambler! LOL

Thanks for taking the time to report back to us. I do enjoy these reports. It gives me a kick untill my next trip. Speaking of next trip ....Febuary works for me!

Thanks Joe

I actually did not do any research but saw an ad for Oatman in a magazine so I thought we would give it a go.
I would stay at IP again. It is a bit of a walk to the garage and as some have said the elevators can get a little busy especially if you are staying on the middle floors. When we called for an elevator there was usually a couple of people who had gotten on going up because the car was usually to full by the time it got to their floor so thay would ride it up in order to get back down. It was one advantage of staying on the top floor.
I am not a conniseur(sp) of fine food so my report on the "Brand" certainly isn't what it would be if Mike had eaten there but lets just say it was very good.
We did not make it to Mt Charleston or Red rock mainly because of the unexpected cold weather we had. It was unusually cold wasn't it.

Well Lee
We now have a holiday here in Canada on February 16th, what they call family day. I am going to check out some flights etc. and shoot for this time period. If all works out and you or any of the talk vegas folks are in Vegas at that time I would be more than happy to meet up for a little social time.
I was going to ask joe if he would like to meet up when we were there but I didn't want to impose on him and he must get tired of people taking up all his free time. Anyway if things work out I will let you know the exact days I will be going.

Funny you should mention the flight home. I was ok but Terry was kinda in a funk and was blaming it on the IP buffet. LOL

Beware, The 14th is Valintines day, and depending on when it falls Vegas can be very busy that weekend (which ever is closest). No so much traffic and gambling, but hotel rates are higher and weekends can get hard to book at some places.
You might want to bring a heavy jacket too!
Please keep us all informed on your travel dates. You never know who will be out there!

I'm impressed with your trips to Oatman and Valley of Fire - usually, those trips tire most of us out to the point we don't do much else that day<g>. How far did you drive into Valley of Fire? I missed the most beautiful scenery on my first trip because I only went as far as the info center. Oatman has been on my wish list for a long time, and I appreciate your pointing out the tacky/sad side of things there, as well as the things you enjoyed. I hate it when I don't enjoy something mainly because I set my expectations too high. LOL, Oatman will be a side trip for me some day but probably from Laughlin - got to conserve my senior energy<g>.

I salute your courage for eating at the IP Imperial buffet! Years ago (1990?), the TeaHouse buffet was ok - not good, not bad, just ok - and universally thought to be much better than the Imperial buffet. I decided to test the Teahouse buffet again sometime after Harrah's took over, and it had gone from ok to downright awful. This kind of defies logic since the a la carte meals at the TeaHouse are decent, and Harrah's properties usually serve good food.

I have to agree with Lee's warning about your next trip -especially since Valentine's Day is on Friday this year, and our President's Day will fall on Monday, February 16th. That holiday weekend is one of the most congested/expensive of year, probably coming in second to SuperBowl weekend. If that's the only week that works into your schedule, you might want to skip a car the first 2-3 days and save yourself major $$$ and aggravation.

Thanks for the report; it will keep me out of Nevada withdrawl until Friday (when I leave for Reno!).

It's just the opposite on meeting my friends. I appreciate people taking time out of their vacation to just sit and talk over drinks/dinner/whatever. I understand the Las Vegas tourist has a to-do list a mile long and very limited time to even put a dent in it. For me, a small portion of the excitement and enthusiasm of being in town is under control and I'm only limited by my work schedule.

It was still a little cool the day we went to VOF. The only time we stopped was at Mouses Tank. It was supposed to be where the pioneers would get their water but it was just a small pool of water down a hole. It was a bit of a walk to get to it and there were a lot of petrograph's(sp)on the rock walls. I was expecting John Wayne to come riding around the corner at any time. We just drove the rest of the park and headed back. The rock formations are beautiful and you can see a lot of faces or formations in the rocks if you let your imagination go.
Thanks for reading the report Daisy and hopefully you will have one about your trip to Reno.

I just looked at Feb. reservations, even the airfare is high that week from my airports RUkiding. We are going to book a Feb trip, just haven't settled on dates yet.