I did a bit of casino visiting today to check out the mid week activity and here's my personal observations;

It appears that the casino activity is picking up a bit. Not a major improvement but at least the casinos I visited today were not completely void of customers.

The Palms : I went to the Palms this afternoon to try my luck on the $10,600,000 comped slot machine pull only to discover it was still Tuesday and those free pulls are only available on Mon/Wed/Fri each week during June.

So I walked around the tables and found them to be relatively busy. The Palms seem to draw a lot of Asian gamblers who love Baccarrat and play with $25+ minimum bets, while the apparent locals stick to the $10 minimum blackjack tables and craps tables.

And it appears that Three Card Poker is becoming more and more popular each week.

But the majority of those Palms patrons were playing a variety of slot machines such as Monopoly, Reel 'em In, Gold Fish, Alien Cows From Planet Moo-lah, Crystal Forest, Golden Pearl, the John Wayne thing and the sing along thing with my good old friend Dean Martin.

Then off to Ellis Island to take advantage of my free slice of pizza and a home made beer. I actually had two home made beers because the little old lady in front of me got one but didn't want it so she offered it to me and I gladly accepted.

So I said. "Thanks!" and me and my Hawaii pineapple pizza and two cold home made beers took a seat at the relatively crowded bar and had a somewhat decent meal while watching all the surrounding activity which was also somewhat more busy than normal.

BTW, if you want good ribs, you have to try the Baby Backs over there in the SW corner. Show your player's club card and you get 'em for less than ten-bucks a slab, And mighty tasty they be!

And then back on over to the other side of the 15 for a quick look-see within the Orleans.

Definitely more busy than it's normally been with table activity and a decent line in front of the buffer and TGIF.

I hate to be a know-it-all but I think this town is picking up, It might be pik'en up just a little bit but that's definitely a step in the right direction.

And tomorrow is Wednesday - a day when I get my free pull on that stuborn $10+ Million Dollar slot machine at The Palms.

If I win - I'll let ya know!

Thanks will. Those were all regular stops for me at one time. I dropped each of them from my list for the same reason...parking. The Palms may have gotten better with their new garage and end of construction. The garage at Ellis was spooky and creepy. The Orleans took out the top floor for employees and the close spots on the next level were blocked out for high rollers.

Where do you park at each?

Parking?? Usually I let the weather conditions determine where I park in all the hotel/casinos.

At The Palms .... I usually park on the 3rd floor in the new parking structure just west of the casino. But during the cold/rainy season I usually park on the east side of the casino because the elevator leads directly to the casino floor.

At Ellis Island I always like to park in the "spooky, creepy" parking structure because of the convenience of not having to walk outside to get into the casino. And during the hot months, I prefer parking in the shade.

At the Orleans I usually park third floor of the parking structure for the shade benefit.

To be perfectly honest I have never had a problem finding a parking spot in any hotel/casino regardless of its location these past couple of years.

I have more problems parking my car at any of the many US Postal Service offices I frequent.

I don't 'drink and drive' but I used to always forget where I parked my car if I would outstay my welcome in a casino, so now I always park on the 3rd floor of any parking structure I find myself in.

That way I always remember where I parked my car.

And to this day, I have yet to NOT find a convenient parking spot on any 3rd floor parking structure.

BUT ... I realize I'd be in real trouble if a parking structure only had two floors in it. Under that situation, I don't know what I'd do!

Maybe .... I'd just valet it.

I went back to Ellis Island for BBQ this week. It was just after dark, the weather was great, so sitting out on the patio was not a problem.

The BBQ ribs were good although I would prefer less sauce on it or sauce on the side. The place has changed a little since I last ate there. They used to have several charcoal grills like you might find in someones back yard. Now they have an industrial electric smoker with several warming ovens. As with any Ellis Island eatery, it was very high on the bang-for-the-buck scale.

For newbies, I have a small primer. First, the menu is very limited. Baby back ribs and chicken. Your only options are full rack, half rack, or half and half. The plates come with corn on the cob, beans, slaw, and bread. I think the full bar menu is available. Second, a players club card will save you two or three bucks per plate. With a players card, the full rack is $12. Third, as with all of the dining at Ellis Island, there isn't a lot of seating, and you often have to wait for a table. You leave your name and/or get a number and they announce it on the PA in the casino. And lastly, I'm gonna have to stand by my dislike of the parking garage. Remember, this is OFF of the strip with cheap hotels and apartments nearby. Especially at night it would be very important to not let your guard down whether in the garage, or venturing by foot. You should have a heightened level of situational awareness compared to what you normally would have on the strip.

As a question:

How do you evaluate the choice between valet and self-parking?

It seems like the locals on the board pretty much always self park. I have always tended to valet park but to be fair it is not my car. I figure the convenience is worth the cost of the tip.

I usually self park. First of all, the walk and using the stairs doesn't hurt my health. I am usually a good tipper and it could add up if I were to use the valet. When I had Corvettes, the valets had issues with push button start, 6 speed transmissions and other automated features. Even now, with a Mazda CX-7, the proximity card and keyless start are sometimes a challenge for the valets. I can revert to manual mode (as I could in the Vettes), but that takes away my convenience. Finally, the times that I really want the convenience of valet are usually times when the valet lines and wait times are long. I confess that I don't like other people taking control of my car, whether it is at the car wash, valet, or maintenance service people.

I totally understand a tourist with a rental car wanting to drop off the car and move on to the casino, restaurant, or show.

I do use the valet. It is usually at the Sahara when a big convention is in town, or when out with a girl friend of mine who has MS.

I self park also, the walk does add a little more to the daily calorie burn for better health, and I try to use the stairs as much as possible. A lot of times I'm on two wheels, there's no way I'm going to hand over the keys to my Harley to a lot jockey. And when I'm in my truck, aka mini-semi, an F-350 crew cab 4X4 dually, most lot jockeys wouldn't know how to park it without taking out another vehicle or some other permanent fixture in the garage.

I valet a lot, but that doesn't release you from responsibility if your car gets crashed. Mine was hit by a shuttle bus while in valet care.

Lee, I remember your car being crashed in the hands of a valet. Do you remember what the valet is and is no responsible for?

INTERESTING SUBJECT: Doesn't the hotel valet service have any responsibility when you hand over the keys to have your car parked?

There is always a claim on your valet ticket essentially denying that a bailment is being created and trying to decline all responsibility.
I am not sure how valid these claims are. In general, it is very hard to avoid responsibility for your own negligence or illegal actions. The hotel might make a claim that the valet is an independent contractor but I would not think that would stand up.
I suspect a lot of the question would come down to whether the damage was the valet's fault (i.e. he crashed into the shuttle bus) versus something happening while under the control of the valet (i.e. the shuttle bus crashes into him).

eric&ellen are correct, read the fine print on your next valet stub. My car was parked by the valet, and they did nothing wrong, except park the car in an unlucky spot that day. They where keeping it close (another words parking my car up front). Those spots that you see close to the casino doors also see the most traffic. If another drive miscues, your car is going to get a shot!
This took a long time to get resolved. As my credit card picked up the claim and paid it. That included the down time for the car. BTW those rental car companies, charge you per day for revanew lost while the car is being repaired. It was a Thrifty rental.