Yeah, I'm still around - lurking, anyway. Life gets in the way of more fun pursuits.

But here is my trip report from December, comments and questions welcome!

Be warned – this was a 12 page document So if you are in the mood to read a really, really long trip report, take any biology breaks that you need (something to drink, stretch, etc.) now!


This report is in categories – so skip to the very end if you just want to read about the gambling.

My trip was December 5 through the 13th. This is report is so, so late – Christmas, work, getting the winter cold really put a cramp in my writing time.

Oh How I hate to Get Up in the Morning – unless I am catching a flight to Vegas! But even then, rising at 3:30 am was really a toss up between staying up the night before or getting a few hours of sleep. Fortunately we live near the airport, so David didn't have to take me to the airport until 4 am for my 5:30 am flight.

It's the first time I've been to the Rochester airport before security even opened! After a few minutes they opened one traditional security station open for us – no scan, no pat down, just the usual metal detector. I heard another passenger ask about the scanner and the TSA agent said “oh, the person who runs that isn't here yet.”

It didn't take long before we were on the little US airways jet that was to take me to Philly, and then my one hour layover before the flight to you-know-where. It didn't take long to pull back from the gate. It didn't take long to get such a small aircraft de-iced. And it didn't take long for the pilot to then announce “well folks (you know its bad when they call you folks) we have a mechanical issue, we are going to pull back to the gate and deplane so you can wait in comfort while we wait for the mechanic.” We pulled back to the gate and then he announced “Well folks good news (but notice – still with the folks) the mechanic is already here at the airport but we are still going to deplane.”

US airways did staff up – they had 4 people ready to re-book those of us who were going to miss our connections. I was the second up to one of the staffers. He called airtran, and their rep said they had a first class all the way – but it was not coming up on the Usairways screen – I offered to go over to airtran and check on it, but no. Then he wanted to route me Rochester Chicago San Antonio Vegas – I knew it was snowing in Chicago, and said – anything but that! At that point, the jet was fixed, and most of us got back – me with a new connection out of Philly a few hours later.

So – what's a few hours difference? A chance to have breakfast/lunch in Philly, and then get on the nice big very full jet bound for McCarran. We took off, and about 15 minutes into the flight I heard an announcement that is worse than being called folks. The head flight attendant announcing “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a medical emergency if there is a doctor or EMT on board please make yourself known to the flight crew. All other passengers please stay in your seats with your seat belts fastened.”

Fortunately there were 2 EMTS and a firefighter on board. We made an emergency landing in Pittsburgh, greeted by a firetruck - with an ambulance pulling up shortly. From my window seat I could see the patient loaded into the ambulance, sitting up and gesturing, which was reassuring.

Another hour delay while they refueled the plane, replaced the oxygen, and did the paperwork. But I could hardly complain about the delays. After all, I was going on to Las Vegas – and that poor passenger was going to a Pittsburgh hospital.

(Of course I'm gonna complain a little bit!) So I was supposed to arrive at 10:30 am on a Sunday, all set for a champagne brunch. Instead, got in to McCarran about 3 pm (I think – its kinda a blur at this point) I was not renting a car on this trip, instead planning on relying on taxi, bus, monorail, trams and my friend Daisy's car (she drove in from California.) Originally I was going to try a shuttle bus from the airport, but after so many delays I splurged on a taxi. Fortunately the taxi line moved very quickly, and I got to the Flamingo in short order.

That's when I saw the line at registration – and seemingly people coming from all directions to join in the fun of waiting, waiting, waiting. I rushed to the line, then heard a voice saying

“Excuse me Miss, you have a Diamond check in waiting for you.”

It was my friend Daisy the Diamond member! I gratefully left the line standers and followed her into the Diamond check in. Quiet, refined, nice agent – who would not take a $20 for an upgrade. Oh well, she did find me a room in the Habitat tower that was not coded as view since the south view was blocked by the front tower. I enjoyed the view quite a bit – here is my room video.

Did I have dinner that night? I don't remember. I remember playing VP at the Flamingo Garden Bar with Daisy and enjoying a tasty Blue Moon beer. Oh wait – I did have dinner. Daisy invited me into the Diamond lounge where we snacked on chicken wings, spring rolls, and other assorted goodies. And liquid refreshment, of course.

We toured around the Flamingo a bit, played some more VP – I was holding my own, pretty much cashing out even. I was really feeling the flight and delays...and despite my own belief that the best way to fight jet lag is to stay up as late as possible that first night, I found myself heading to bed at the ungodly hour of 10:30 pm!

The problem with a long 8 day trip – I don't take notes, and I can't remember what happened on which day. So I will move on to a category report.

Besides, the first two days are a bit painful to recall. The gambling gods were not smiling on me. After that initial vp session where I cashed out even, I could not win, I could not make my money last, I could not get hardly any bonus games on the slots. And the travel took more out of me than I expected, The second night I was so tired I went up to the room to take a nap at 9 pm. I set my alarm for 10 pm. At 9:30 I thought – what is my problem? I have a whole week here, I'm away from my stressful job, I'm in a comfortable quiet hotel room – if I need to sleep, I should enjoy sleeping. So I turned off the alarm and went to bed for the night at 9 pm (I don't even do that at home, unless I'm sick!) And you know what? It was very relaxing, and felt like vacation!

So on to the category report – pick and choose, ladies and gentlemen. Read em all, some – or just look at the pretty pictures!

Hotel

As mentioned above, I was in the Flamingo – staying there for the first time. The room was adequate. It was clean, but definitely a little rough around the edges – cracked tile in the bathroom, bent air vent. Fortunately the mattress was decent. I was a bit concerned that there was no “Do not Disturb” hangtag, and I never saw one hanging on anybody else's door. I knew when I got into my staying up late swing, I'd not want housekeeping knocking on the door. And – they never did! And every time I came back to the room it was made up. It's like they were psychic or something. I did request a soap dish – never got one. But it took me a few days before I realized the maid had taken an extra washcloth and folded it into a little soap cradle.

I liked the Flamingo location, mid-strip The Habitat tower (with the elevator bank near the entrance to the wildlife habitat) was easy enough to get to. - it did not take long to get to any place on the property or out to the strip. And I have always enjoyed seeing the flamingos and other wildlife there, so it was fun to stay at their “home.” But I think I'll go back to Harrahs next time. Maybe.

Strip Sightseeing

The Flamingo wildlife habitat was fun to visit. I happened to catch one of the naturalist's talks about the flamingos, before my monday morning brunch. Learned that the flamingos pair up pretty seriously – don't know if its for life, but something pretty traumatic has to happen for a pair to break. Like catching Mr. Flamingo with one of those cute fluffy ducks.

I noticed in early afternoon the whole place is bathed in pink light as the sun reflects off the pink solarized walls of the one tower.

Took a photo of the Bugsy Siegel historic plaque. Since I am in the history business, I hope this makes my entire trip a tax deduction.

One night I stepped out into the habitat just to get some fresh air (and to let my husband know in a phone call that it was 60 degrees, and he was having 11 degrees and snow), and one those chicken things – guinea hens? was hanging out by the door, looking longly at the wood fired pizza stand. I sat down at one of the tables to steady my hand and try to get a better low light shot. The chicken scurried over to me, and sat on my foot! He (or she) did not leave any souvenirs, and didn't seem to be begging for food. Lonely, I guess. Maybe it was a working chicken (I thought I heard a little peeping voice asking Want to have a party?)

Complete opposite from the tropical fantasy of Flamingo – the Bellagio Christmas display. I really liked this year's tree and the little train with the secret that kept going around and around and around. Do you know the secret?

I also admired the white carnation bears. So pretty!

The conservatory is beautiful, but so are the arrangements behind the registration desk, and the little trees reflecting the Chihuly glass flowers in their mirror garlands.

I did also enjoy numerous Fountain shows. Did I mention this was the December week when the National Finals Rodeo was in town? It's the ideal time of year where you can hear the Fountain classics (Time to Say Goodbye) the Fountain Christmas classics (Santa Baby) and the Fountain Cowboy Classics (This Kiss)

I've been to Vegas a few times in December – it seemed to me there were less Christmas decorations than in past years. Did anyone else notice this?

Although I do have to say that the Caesars goddesses had balls.

Let's see – other sightseeing stuff on the Strip. Did I see anything new? Oh yeah, that big CC.

I found the whole City Center rather cold – and also very deserted on a weekday morning. But I did have fun taking photos of all the geometric shapes and the tornado water sculptures.

And don't you wonder what those sales people in the high end places DO all day? I hardly ever see anyone in the $2,000 shoe places at all the elite shopping areas actually doing any shopping. Las Vegas has the highest per capita number of very well dressed, very bored sales associates per square mile of any place in the country.

Aria – I didn't take many interior photos in there, but it was obvious that brown is the new black. Lots and lots of brown. Does it make it more glamorous if you call it sepia?

I did like the waterfall wall though.

The weather was so unusually warm and gorgeous that I paid a visit to The Secret Garden. It was a very relaxing time, and the 2 new white tiger cubs are getting pretty big!

On the Strip

I noticed a significant increase in the folks who pose for photos for a tip. My local friend told me a law was passed recently that permitted this activity as long as they were not within 10 feet of an entrance or blocking the right of way. You gotta love a place where a bagpiper and a Transformer share the street business.

Okay enough of the strip – what about downtown?

I did take the bus down one evening, using one of those machines (gee they are not lit very well when it is dark - I could hardly read the screen.) I hopped on a deuce, and changed to an express at Paris – very easy, it was right behind us waiting for people to switch. I was a bit surprised when the express turned off Las Vegas Blvd at Sahara. Somehow in my mind, the express should go straight down the strip! And it wasn't completely clear which stop we wanted to get off – but there was a family who had been staying downtown and one of the kids said – this is the stop, I can hear the zipline!

My plan was to do a bit of a coupon/vp crawl, maybe pick up a shrimp cocktail or three, and head back to the strip at a decent hour. After enjoying the sight of flying cowboys, the first Fremont light show, and a really really big Christmas tree. I caught a bit of of the holiday stage show, which was well done but I thought was a totally inappropriate pick for Fremont Street. Despite the ads indicating that it was sexy and sweet, it was mostly sweet. The band was fine, but the performers talked like kid show performers. Great for the families in the audience, not for the beer filled guitar or football people.

I headed into the 4 Queens with my coupon to pick up a $1 draft at the upstairs bar. I did pick up my draft – but also got picked up. By about 40 people, wearing red and green in various amounts. The bar was packed with santa look-alikes, naughty elves, and other yuletide themed costumed folks. I'd stumbled upon a Santa Pub Crawl. One of the guys said – come with us! Here's a map of where we're going, here's a wrist band that gets you specials.

So much for the coupon crawl!

The next stop was the upstairs bar at the Golden Nugget, over looking Fremont street. But most of the action was on the dance floor – sweaty, gyrating santas in full felt outfits. And elf-ettes in outfits that made me really glad there were no children in the area. Especially since the next bar was Hogs and Heifers. Which, by the way, had a bouncer at the door roughly the size of a house. I would have taken his photo but I was afraid.

I decided to skip that last two stops (even though I really want to see The Beauty Bar sometime) because I wanted to get in a little video poker – and it was getting late. So a detour up to Main Street Station for a little video poker. And “little” was the operative word. I played the treasure chests vp, got one quad – scratchoff was $2 and the quad payoff was 160 coins. But it was fun.

Then the adventure of the return to the Strip. It was past midnight, so I knew I had to catch the Deuce. I sorta attached myself to a young couple who were also looking for the Deuce. First we waited a the wrong bus stop – then a kind person told us we were at the wrong place. This was a regular person, not someone with the transportation company. We obviously looked like tourists, but no one in a uniform bothered to say anything to us. But we got to the right spot (across from the el Cortez) and managed to get on a Deuce – no crazy people, not a long a wait, and hardly anyone on the thing so the trip went pretty quickly.

I would use the bus again, but if I was solo I would def head back before midnight. It would have been too creepy to be waiting on that dark corner across from the El C by myself.

Really off the Strip sightseeing

I finally got out to the M Resort, it was great to see the Taters - for the buffet dinner. Dinner discussed under food. But as far as the casino – layout felt confusing to me, but that is because I was following my friend around as we headed for the buffet, rather than finding my own way around. Right now I can't even remember an impression of the casino's décor – except I guess it wasn't spectacular or overwhelming or wouldn't I remember something? This is where photos are helpful – I see I took a picture of the giant walls of calla lilies which at first I thought were real, but I guess not.

And you know how first gambling impressions last? Well I got my M card (very nice peeps at the players card place) and could not win one.single.dime. Not at VP, not at slots, could not even make the money last. And this was over a relatively short gambling session – maybe an hour, or 90 minutes. But a very expensive hour! So I won't be going out of my way to play there again (and yes, it sure is out of my way!) It struck me as a place for people who want to go to Vegas and want to gamble but don't want to be in Vegas. Maybe someone can enlighten me on the attraction of the place.


Entertainment – non gambling variety.

Okay folks, I caved. I did not get Harrahs all stage pass, as I planned. I really did not want to tie up that much time, and a few shows I was interested in were dark. I asked at the PH box office if the pass has been popular and they said yes, very much so. But I opted for more flexibility and less stress running around. Sorry, someone else will have to take this one for the team.

Still, I saw more shows than I thought I would on this trip. My friend Daisy is good friends with Pete and Amanda Vallee (Mr. and Mrs. Big Elvis) as well as his excellent co-star, Chuck Rawlings. So I saw quite a few of those shows – lots of fun to sit at the “reserved” table and then to chat backstage a bit. Mrs. Vallee is adorable and quite spontaneous! If you're lucky, you might see her sometime dancing to one of Elvis' Hawaiian songs (she is from the Islands.)

Daisy (Diamond) also treated me to tickets to Matsuri. When we arrived at the theater at the IP I was ready to tip up to a booth (hate those sideways tables) but the usher seated us in a nice one right away. Daisy said A booth, how nice! And he responded “we like to take good care of our Diamond members.”

I really, really enjoyed the show. I'd been trying to see it since it was at the Sahara, but my timing was always off. Funny, cute, very energetic. My husband works in Japan every year, and I saw a lot of connections between the performances and things he has videotaped at dance festivals in Tokyo. But you don't need to know a single thing about Japan to enjoy it.

Afterwards some performers go to the lobby to greet the audience. I was all ready with my Japanese phrase of “May I take a photo?” I held up my camera and proudly said “Shashin onegai shimasu?” The young woman looked at my pink Sony camera and said “Oh, I have a camera exactly like that one!”

We had sort of a post-show show – after Matsuri we went to O Shea's, sat and played vp at the bar and watched the beer pong people play. Ewww. Fortunately we had a psychic bartender who knew exactly when to put another pair of tequila sunrises in front of us (what can I say – we were in an 80's mood, or is that 70's?) It really was one of the nicest nights of my trip – laid back, silly, lotsa fun. Wish I was there right now!

It was unfortunate for me but fortunate for my budget that “Love” and “Human Nature” were both dark or I would have certainly seen both of those again. Instead I went for the tkts outlet and got the top price ticket to Viva Elvis. Figured I was going to be touring around Aria anyway, might as well see the newest Cirque Show.

It's hard to say what to make of this show. Let's start from the butt up. The top price seats are phenomenal. They are like giant couches, only with individual seats built in. The cup holders are on a console in front of you. Since I got talked into one of those giant drinks, I needed the cup holder.

The theater was perhaps 2/3 full – maybe only ½ full. I think it is a show that is having a hard time finding its audience. If you are a dyed in the wool full fledged Elvis purist fanatic, you probably won't care for it a lot. There are some interesting “interpretations” of some Elvis songs. If you are a huge Cirque fan, well there may not be enough cirque type acts for you. It's this interesting blend. There are some very magical moments, there are some fun acrobatic parts – but the whole thing was very linear. They have a narrator – a Colonel Parker type character – that introduces the various phases of Elvis' life as the show progresses. Part of what I loved about “Love” was that it seemed so organic, it just flowed from one scene to the next. This was more of a traditional flow, in a traditional shaped theatre. I did enjoyed myself – I love all kinds of theatre. It will be interesting to see if it lasts or if it gets significantly changed.

I tried to see Nathan Burton with those free ticket coupons floating around – turns out those seats are very limited. I could have bought a $20 ticket, but said no thank you.

I saw Holly Madison – no, not at Peepshow. At the Flamingo, at a ribbon cutting – for the Johnny Rockets in the food court! She really must be one of the hardest working women in Vegas (NO, not that kind of working woman!)

But since I wanted to honor her efforts to be at each and every opening, ribbon cutting, party, charity event, etc I decided to see Peepshow. Since I splurged on the Elvis seating, I went for a lesser price on Peepshow. The view was fine, but the seats – well, I am not a small woman, and I thought I was going to leave with bruises from the cup holders on both sides of the seat. Yes, sometimes its a squeeze for me in a theater seat, but never to this extent.

The show itself – it was entertaining and imaginative, as they figured out how many different ways could the women strip off their tops (and other garments) with all of the acts leading up to the most important “reveal.” There were lots of women in the audience, screaming and having a great time. I will say that Holly Madison had one of the most interesting entrances I've seen in a show. If you want to see a show that does not pretend that naked breasts are just part of the scenery (like Jubilee) then you may like Peepshow. There is naked guy butt too, and one very funny audience participation part. Overall, I think that Zumanity is sexier and funnier (and okay, weirder too) and Peepshow is pretty traditional – a strip show on a Las Vegas production scale.

I enjoyed lots of peripheral shows, too – a great band performing in the lounge at Bally's. One of my favorite Vegas moments – a drink, a vp machine and live music.

Food and Drink

I ate. I drank. I took photos. Please keep in mind when you read these descriptions that I was there for 8 days. Fitting in 4 buffets in less time would have killed me!

Did a bit of theme drinking – one morning stuck to bloody marys. My favorite was at Paris – it came with a celery stick and an olive and a lime wedge. And the CW got it to my machine in about 45 seconds = literally. I said “Wow, are you magic?” she replied “no one wants a drink this morning!”

Had more beer than I usually choose – just times when you are thirsty, and a decent beer is the only choice.

Also ordered amaretto sours a few times when I wanted something tasty but not too heavy. If I was planning on indulging in a number of drinks – stuck to clearish liquids. Vodka tonic, or cranberry or soda. Or even tequila and seven.

Did finally remember to order a Colorado bulldog. And one morning as I headed out for a walk I popped into O'Sheas for the breakfast of (female) champions: frozen Bailey's. Just like a Wendy's frosty, only with a kick.

Coffee
My first morning I got a coffee from the expensive stand near the entrance to the wildlife habitat. I think it was close to $4 for a regular coffee. I heard a cowboy say “Now I get it. Win money in the slots, lose it buying coffee.”

After that I walked next door to The Casino Formerly Known as Barbary Coast for a Seattles Best coffee, maybe $1.50 cheaper.

Never did get to a Starbucks – nothing against them, just didn't. But I did see this young wedding couple enjoying Starbucks in the connecting passage between Monte Carlo and Aria.

Was pretty sure they were Japanese so I called my husband at home to ask him how to say congratulations to them, (Omedetto Gozaimashita!) so I could take a closer shot. They were just too cute.

Food, glorious food.

Finally got to the famed M Resort buffet. I thought for sure there'd be one of their infamous long lines, especially since locals and some players had received a 2 fer offer for that night. We got there at 5 pm – literally, no line at all. When we left there was a line, but not terrible.

I enjoyed the buffet – amazing variety, for certain. I was mostly happy that I could have a diet Coke (not Pepsi) AND a cabernet AND a cappuccino. Oh yeah – and crème brulee and flan. And a bunch of other delicious foods. I especially enjoyed the wide range of asian foods -more than your usual Chinese buffet stuff.

My first morning I went to the Flamingo buffet – I figured breakfast (for me) is the easiest to not screw up. Salmon, capers, decent bagels, capers and tomato – I was a happy camper. That, and the made to order crepe station was open for breakfast – as was the whole dessert section. Don't we all want dessert at breakfast ? It was a lovely meal, lovely server, and I was seated right next to the windows and the lovely black swans and koi fish. I wish I was there right now!

I craftily visited the Bellagio buffet about 30 minutes before lunch turned to dinner. Had a leisurely made to order salad, then enjoyed the split king crab legs – one of my Vegas eating goals for this trip! The chef at the made to order seafood sautes was happy to steam up the cold crab legs.

I did have one issue with the Bellagio. Quite a few tables in my area stayed covered with dirty dishes, glasses, crab leg shells etc after the guests had departed. And stayed that way for a good hour. I remember this happening on at least two visits in the past – and those are visits from 2 years ago at least. Hostess staff stood behind me (I was near the entrance) and chatted away. Sure, this was at the changeover from lunch to dinner – but they did not close, they continued to serve, so they should continue to bus, right?

I took a few photos, and if its not too late I will send a letter or email to the food and beverage manager at Bellagio. One time would be excusable – but this has happened on all three of my visits, and it had discouraged me from returning to this buffet.

By contrast, I went to Cravings at Mirage for the Sunday champagne brunch. I was there for the turnover to dinner – but the place stayed very well cared for. My server continued to offer me champagne after the 3 pm end of brunch – I said “It's after 3, I thought I was out of luck” and he said “Oh we can always find a bottle for you!” I watched as the Cravings staff worked, and thought about the mess at Bellagio. They are both MGM properties, but what a difference. And I could see what it was. Every single Cravings staff member that walked through the room had their eyes scanning around, to see if anything needed attention. It didn't matter if it was a hostess, busboy or server – they worked a as a team.

I asked to speak to the manager on duty, and shared my contrasting experience at the two MGM properties, complimented her on the teamwork, She promised to pass it on to the crew working that day.

Oh yeah – the food there. Well beware, crab fans – they had split legs also, but they were snowcrab, not king crab. That's okay with me – I go to Cravings for the dim sum stand, the tossed to order salads, and to sample a little of this and that.

Big night out dinner

Daisy and I made the drive (okay, she did the driving) up to Rosemary's on the Wednesday night. That is the night for 50% off all food for ladies plus happy hour specials in the bar. I was grateful to my designated driver (DD, Daisy Diamond) and indulged in a signature Rosetini. Rosemary infused vodka, splash of vermouth, and two goat cheese stuffed olives. It was different and refreshing. I wouldn't order more than one, but it was a great start to a culinary adventure.

We both opted for the 3 course prix fixe for $55 – since it was Wednesday that meant 27.50. I've really gotta start taking notes. I know we were presented with a starter “amuse bouche” (love that – entertain the mouth) from the chef but I can't remember what it was. Daisy – if you're reading this and remember, please comment! Daisy had the crab cakes for her chosen first course, I went with the twice baked parmesan souffle on a bed of roasted garlic cream and wild mushrooms. I'm also fortunate that Daisy is the kind of friend that does not freak out at sharing restaurant dishes, so I can tell you that the crab cakes were very yummy – and the souffle was out of this world!

Her main dish was beef – she said she chose it mainly because it was accompanied by “get a man potatoes.” I guess if the man likes delicious scalloped potatoes it would work. I had the seared scallops – they were just this side of sushi, but I do like them that way. They were accompanied by fried parsnip strips (yum) and parsnip/potato mash. Not enough parsnip in it for me, tasted like mashed potatoes.

For our chosen dessert I went for the “rustic apple tart with homemade cinnamon ice cream” and Daisy for the goat cheese cheesecake. I thought the tart crust was more tough than rustic. The apple filling was yummy – but the cinnamon ice cream was out of this world. The cheesecake was tasty – just a bit of a tang from goat cheese, not overpowering.

Then there was the chef's gift of a brownie bite, lemon square and peanut butter melt in your mouth something. I had to get those boxed up for breakfast the next morning – I have to remember to try and just get the ice cream trio for dessert next time, then I might enjoy those bites when they are fresh!

As always, the service at Rosemary's is outstanding.

Other “spurge-ish” meal

Had lunch at Mesa Grill in Caesars. Okay the lunch maybe not such a splurge, but the drink was – a $16 margarita with reposada tequila. I got talked into it. Why am I always getting talked into these drinks? I must give off an aura of thirsty – or desperation for alcohol.

The $16 drink was accompanied by a $16 lunch. Grilled swordfish club with avocado, arugula and a little bacon. so, so good. I would get that again. I tried not to eat all the fries – or not most of the fries anyway, but Bobby Flay knows how to season fries. I was helpless.

Walk of shame meals

No, not the frozen Bailey's for breakfast. Not the Bailey's and coffee for breakfast. Not even the bloody marys for breakfast. After I broke my “early to bed” thing, I did do a few walks up the staircase between Casino Royale and Harrahs to McD's. Gee, why do they have the escalator turned off at 2 am – that is when you most need it!

Late night silly meal

I purchased a 50% off coupon from Tkts for Tonight for Planet Dailies. After seeing Peepshow, I enjoyed a lobster, asparagus and goat cheese omelette. Its on the menu 24/7, but at breakfast time it comes with home fries and toast, other times with fries. Wish I could have had home fries – but can't complain about the omelette. It was chock full of big chunks of lobster. Yummo.

Growing gills meal.

I met my friend Celestia, who works at Miracle Mile shops, for lunch and we chose Todai. Lots and lots and lots of sushi choices. Some were pretty good. The hot foods were not bad – they had a chicken lettuce wraps setup that was just as good as PF Changs. And – a made to order crepe station. What's not to like? I would not recommend it if you don't like sushi, but if you are with someone who does and it is not your thing, you will find some decent things to eat. We both like sushi – a lot. It really is amazing that we were not flapping fins by the time we left. Lunch is $20, and you can easily get your money's worth.

Growing gills meal part 2.

Went to Ra Sushi on the first floor of Fashion Show Mall for their happy hour specials. Thought it would be packed, but no problem at all. The happy hour specials are good in the restaurant as well as the bar. I ordered a touristy kind of roll – all kinds of ingredients, including a topping of crispy fried lotus root, and and an order of hamachi (yellowtail) nigiri. The roll was fun, the hamachi was so good I ordered another set. The roll is normally $14 and was half price. If I had found myself up that way again I would have gone in for a repeat performance.

The Okay Maybe it is cold in December meal.

I ate lunch at Serendipity 3, and was happy to be seated on the outside balcony overlooking the strip. It had been warm when I was out walking, but the balcony was completely in shade a got very chilly. My server kindly turned on the heater that was right at my back and then I was quite comfy, and enjoyed the view. I was determined to make it to dessert here, but I needed real food and had a quite delicious and very large turkey sandwich and a refreshing brew. No way was I going to dive into a $14 sundae after that – even with a 25% Facebook discount. I need to go with someone next time, to do some sharing.

Gambling

Did you know there is gambling in Las Vegas? And there is actually gambling in this trip report!

My first two days of gambling were characterized by a very strong sucking sound, as the casinos vacuumed all of the money out of my wallet, without much play to speak of. I was beginning to think that I would be going to sleep early EVERY night of my trip if that kept up. Fortunately it turned around, but just in a keep-you-playing mode.

I played a mix of videopoker, mostly DDB, and assorted slot machines.

I did get to play Lord of the Rings at Flamingo, Casino Royale and Caesars. I think the charm has worn off, it was frequently available. It was fun to play, but not particularly profitable for any of my sessions. I did notice that the theme music that played all the time that I was on was dark and ominous, since I was past the first “miles” in the game and into the scary part of the Fellowship's journey. When someone played who had very few miles in, the music was pretty and spritely, since they were still in the Shire. I liked the pretty music, the ominous music got tiring pretty quickly. The bonuses were fun – especially the random ones, like Legolas' arrows flying in and turning multiple symbols to wild, or Golum climbing up on the screen (creepy) and doing the same thing (nice.) I heard lots of people saying “Oh here's that monkey thing again!” showing that not just fans of the book/movie enjoyed the game.

At aria, I saw the new American Idol machine (near the players club) and gave it a try. Like Sex and the City, it is a multiple game option play. Unlike SATC it makes a difference to your results if you are playing more than one game. You can play up to 5 games. Any images of the judges (Randy, Simon, Kara and Ellen) that show up on the center screen game move over to the other games you are playing, resulting in columns of matching symbols.

I never got to a bonus, and it was a bit rich for my play at that time in the trip. I don't like being forced to play multiple screens to play more than one credit a line. I would rather play one game, and play up my amount per line without going into the 3 or 4 (or more) dollar per spin mode.

Hubby is a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock, so when I saw the slot at Bellagio I sat down to play a few bucks. Glad I did – had some rather modest wins, but it was the first breaking of the dry spell, they were unexpected, and it was fun!

My friend Daisy enjoys playing at the Garden Bar at the Flamingo, and introduced me to her favorite bartenders there. It ensured that I always got good service even when she was not with me. And we also played a short session at the Flamingo Lobby bar – a place I had normally just walked by. One evening I was too early to meet her at Casino Royale, so I sat at the lobby bar before heading next door, enjoyed a glass of cab, and hit 3 4OAKs on DDB in about 10 minutes. They were all the low end of 4OAK but who cares – what fun that was!

Yes, it is fun (REALLY FUN) to hit royals or deuces, which I did not on this trip. But sessions like that are also fun and keep me in the money. Or the morning at the Bugsy bar where I had 2 Bailey's/coffee and cashed out $20 ahead – and then got to walk out into nice, warm 70 degree sunshine in December. For this upstate New Yorker, that is a winning morning for sure.

It's fun to tour the big casinos, but I find I really like playing at some of the smaller places – especially Casino Royale. You gotta love a place where the “high limit slots” area is marked off by a little iron fence and includes $1 Wheel of Fortune.

AT CR I also found playing – I think its called Wheel Poker Deluxe VP fun. That's where if you are dealt a 4 of a kind, flush or – something else, can't remember you get a chance to spin a wheel and get rewarded with a number of free hands, where part of the hand is already filled in. For example, you might get 10 hands with 3 to the royal filled in – or 100 hands with 2 to a flush filled in. It was lots of fun, and I hit the wheel quite a bit, with nice results.

But I still found that my favorite to play at Casino Royale was just plain old, regular one hand DDB – which is full pay there. Can't argue with results like this. 5 Aces in Bonus Deuces.


And then about 3 minutes later, Aces with the kicker.


Did I mention I REALLY like playing at Casino Royale?



This was literally in my last hour of gambling – from here I went back to the Flamingo and checked out, heading for my redeye home.

I talked to my husband on the phone a few minutes after this hit, and told him that my machine was the only one around with a little Christmas tree on top. That of course is what made it such a lucky machine. Which doesn't help any of you visiting there in the next 11 months, I guess.

The trip home -


Like all going home trips, a mix of sadness at leaving and looking forward to seeing loved ones. This redeye on Delta to JFK was so empty that every single person in coach had 3 seats to themselves if they wanted. And Delta gives out blankets (unlike Usairways charging for their snooze kits.) So it was pretty comfy to put on the middle seat seatbelt, lie down with 3 blankets across the three seats, watch the movie “Salt” -it was a bit like sleeping on the couch at home.

The only going home travel drama was the connection from JFK to Rochester. They were looking for volunteers, and when it got to $400 and a flight at 1:30 pm instead of 10:30 am I jumped at it. They told me to stand by the podium as the boarded everyone except me and a family of 6 who also volunteered. The gate agent said to his co-worker, we may need to take some more passengers off, there's a weight issue.

The next thing I know he is telling me and the family– okay, you can board. Was not too crazy getting on this tiny jet knowing there had been some sort of weight issue. Was especially not crazy about it as we approached Rochester in a snow/ice storm. It was the fastest descent & approach I've ever experienced arriving at our airport. I kept thinking – this is too fast! – and we needed every bit of the longest runway to stop. Afterwards I realized the pilot probably wanted to get us down through the snow/ice layer as fast as possible.

But obviously I am here writing, so no problems. And it was so fast I hardly had time to be nervous about it.

I initially planned on going back to work the next day – but I was exhausted. I think I'm getting too old for these redeye returns. I love them, because it feels like an extra day in Vegas. But it also means leaving at night when things are starting to get lively.

We'll see what I do next time.

It was long, it was late – thank you for reading whatever you managed to get through!

I enjoyed reading your trip report...........and you make me as tired as Daisy with her reports!! You certainly have tons of energy for getting around......
It was fun to share a meal at M, unfortunately we also shared losing.
One of my favorite places is the Flamingo Buffet, just because of the reasons you shared. I love sitting by the windows and watching the fish and the birds, and I think that the wildlife habitat is a wonderful, restful spot in the middle of the Strip. We always make it a point to take a little walk through there when we are in town.
Thanks for your review of the Elvis show. We have a couple of comped nights coming up at the Aria (don't know why, we never play at MGM properties!!!) and I was wondering if it was worth the bucks to go.............guess it might be if we go to the half price ticket place, but maybe we'll just sightsee through City Center and the Cosmo.
Your meals sound like an adventure in gastronomy....and the show reviews were fun. Did you ever get to the Roller Derby?
Thanks again for sharing your trip.......stay warm, and hope to see you again next time.

Nope, I didn't get to the roller derby. Turned out my friend had to work that night. I did get to see her for lunch, and it was really all about seeing her. Though it would have been something different!

Kestral - Thanks for the TR. It was a nice fix for me. Sorry about all the trouble you had getting out there. But it sounds like you had a great time - some good wins and lots of good food! I've always wanted to try Rosemary's!

Mike, I hope you get a chance to get back to Vegas - and to Rosemary's. It's worth the trip!

Thanks Kes,

No Qua?

Oh, you're good JMT!

Yes, I did go to Qua. It was outstanding as usual, don't know why I didn't put it in the report. Maybe because I didn't take photos in there, and it all became a relaxing haze.

I went on a weekday morning after the cowboys (and cowgirls) had left town, and one other woman and I had all the baths to ourselves. There was never anyone else in the dry or steam saunas. It was very quiet and relaxing.