I woke up around 7:00 on our last morning and, with Ben just descending into REM sleep, I decided to take a stroll along the boardwalk and check out some of the “old-time” areas further north between Bally’s and Resorts. When I walked out to the Boardwalk, I was amazed to see people lined up at the beach entrance next to the Pier at Caesars waiting to stake their claim on the sand. It seemed that not much has changed on this section of the Boardwalk which I actually saw as a good thing. I was concerned about the fire damage that apparently happened in front of the Central Pier Arcade. I think I wouldn’t have minded indulging in a shoulder or foot massage from one of the many shops offering the service. I was also sure that Ben wouldn’t mind indulging in the more moderate food prices at the dining establishments I passed. When I got back to Caesars just before 8:00 and saw an even longer line waiting to enter the beach, I hoped to myself that they were just minutes away from starting their day.
I was curious about both the Qua Spa and the rooftop pool. In fact, I considered indulging in a spa pass for Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I was not able to convince Ben that relaxing in a pampering environment for a couple hours was worth the equivalent of five hands of blackjack. We were both mildly interested in the pool, so I thought I’d do the legwork to see if either the pool or spa were worth squeezing in that morning. After trekking over to the Centurion Tower where the spa was located, I realized that I would have to go through the spa to get to the elevator leading to the rooftop pool. Not being really dressed for either, I decided to decline going any further and headed back to wake Ben for breakfast.
Our last meal of the trip was to our eat-in kitchen Café Roma. The $4 short stack of pancakes put a smile on Ben’s face. Along with my own short stack, my bland taste buds decided to go “wild” and order chicken-apple sausage. The sausage turned out to be a bust but I had certainly taken bigger risks in the casino.
We packed up and by 10:30 were on the road. Four and a half hours later, I was back in Virginia and Ben had returned to Maryland, each of us managing to have some leftover change in our pockets.
Before I finish, here are some notes and thoughts on getting around town:
Although I was used to free parking (or a tip to the valet) in Las Vegas, I was not surprised that Atlantic City casinos charged to drive into their facilities as day trippers make up a considerable portion - if not the majority - of their visitors. I believe we paid $5 a night for a total $10 plus the occasional valet tip. However, I found the rules for hotel guests to be a bit confusing if not also annoying. When we went out on our first night to the Tropicana, the valet told us that we could park at any casino for free until 3:00am. That seemed fair to us. Upon riding out to the Borgata and Showboat the next day, however, we had to pay $3-5 to park at each of them. I think it would be beneficial if there were some consistent cross-honoring system between casinos for hotel guests.
At a length of two-and-a-half miles, the Boardwalk isn't quite as lengthy as the four-mile Las Vegas Strip. Nonetheless, the idea of strolling aside the ocean may not be enticing for everyone. Fortunately, there are other options, each with their benefits depending on how one values their time versus their money.
Taxis are the quickest choice and aren't always the most expensive option. The maximum fare within the city limits is currently $13 plus tip. If you're traveling between Boardwalk casinos, it is sure to be much less.
Jitneys, which were once horse-drawn wagons in Atlantic City, are now modernized 13-passenger mini-buses that travel to every casino and all around the city 24 hours a day, every day. A single ride fare can be purchased for $2.25 with the option of a multiple-ride discount. For some, the one drawback to this option would be relying on a schedule.
The rolling chairs are a popular way to get around the Boardwalk and take a relaxing self-guided tour while a hard-working attendant pushes you towards your destination. The cost varies by the amount of blocks one travels, from a minimum of $5 to a maximum of $40 for a one hour tour. The attendants do appreciate tips; a person of size may want to be particularly generous.
And finally, each casino has access to personal scooters for rent. The scooter would be useful both inside the hotel and out on the Boardwalk. It would be good to confirm with the hotel before arrival that they will have the appropriate size in reserve.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Over The Boardwalk in Atlantic City - Part Three
When we last left off, my friend Ben and I were approaching the middle of our second day in Atlantic City. We were starting to feel some faint hunger pangs upon leaving the Borgata but decided to check out the Showboat on the way back.
We settled in at a blackjack table with a $10 minimum where Ben and I each put $100 into play. The intially empty table soon filled up with two other relatively experienced players and one rookie. I was still relatively green myself and the dealer helped the rookie and me out with good advice on some hands. I started out relatively hot, up to $140 after four hands. I then proceeded to mostly trade wins and losses until I whittled back down to my original $100 and left the table after tipping the dealer a $5 chip. Ben had a similar trajectory, maxing out at $150 before settling back to somewhere near what he came with.
I would have cashed in my chips then if Ben hadn’t found a lively craps table on the way. We decided to pool $50 and invest it in the game. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about craps strategy but I knew that a relative “safe” bet would be to bet on the Pass line. So that allowed us to hang in there for five slow losses while occasionally wagering our personal funds on side bets.
I knew myself enough to know that if I got a chance to handle the dice, there was a fair chance that they would either go flying off the table or only go two feet. So when my turn came, I declined and let Ben take a crack at it. Now, these crap dealers were a fun crew that enjoyed making light sarcasm and coming up with nicknames for each other and a couple of apparent regulars. But when Ben had the misfortune of gripping the dice with both hands, they got serious really quick with a stern reminder to use one hand. Then they lightened up again, joking about how they should sue Hollywood for “teaching” people how to throw dice the wrong way. When Ben unwittingly did the two-hand grip again, I thought he (and maybe yours truly by association) would be kicked out of the Showboat. But when one of the dealers suggested they duct tape one of his hands behind his back, I was inspired to re-christen him “One-Hand Ben”. The name stuck and One-Hand Ben took the good-natured abuse for the rest of the session. After we lost our $50 craps pool, we decided to cash out and cut our relatively low losses. Out of our respective $100 investments, I still held onto $83 (not including my $5 tip) while Ben managed to keep $87.
After an uninspiring meal at a Nathan's hot dog shop next to Caesars, I was able to convince Ben to go back to the Pier at Caesars. I had wanted to surprise him with the Water Show in the back of the complex. Of course, he saw the sign for it as we approached which ruined the surprise but that was okay. For some reason, I had thought it was an outside show with jets shooting up from the bottom of the pier or something, not the indoor setup that it turned out to be. When the water seemed to shoot up in little piddles for the first few minutes, I started to think perhaps this was much ado about nothing. But then the show really started! It was a nice presentation, certainly inspired by the Bellagio fountains if not quite as large. Even Ben was impressed. It’s not something I would make a special trip for again but if I happened to be in the Pier, I might stop in to check it out one more time.
Okay: in an environment where there are multiple options to indulge in the "vices" of gambling, drinking and smoking - of which Ben and I engaged only in the first - there will likely also be other forms of adult entertainment. So in that spirit, my buddy and I decided to go to a dance club of sorts...except that no guys were encouraged to dance. The ladies' dress code, for that matter, did not leave very much to the imagination. Along the way, a bachelor party of six arrived and the guest of honor received a special surprise on stage that didn't look like as much fun as it was intended to be. Not that the security staff - which. like the Showboat's craps dealers, was friendly yet firm - would have allowed anything truly scandalous to happen. In the end, it was the most interesting experience of the trip for Ben and me.
(And yes, to those who may be concerned, my lady approved of this side venture.)
The night ended back "home" at Caesars with a late evening dinner in Cafe Roma where we proceeded to be overlooked by our server for at least fifteen minutes. Ben notified the hostess of this and the server finally found us a few minutes later. He didn’t look particularly happy and was off his game when he presented each of us with the other person’s drinks. But to be fair, the coffee shop appeared to be short of staff as others, while served a bit quicker, received their food fairly late themselves. What turned out to be an early morning dinner was just another okay affair.
After another quick go-round on the slots, I was all gambled out and decided I wanted to go back to the room around 1:00am. Ben, who had not had much success himself and seemed ready to call it a night himself. But the siren song of the casino was too alluring as I faintly recall seeing "2:00am" glow on the iPod clock as he headed back out the door. Perhaps two hours later, Ben had finally accepted his fate.
Next: The morning after...and the ride home.
We settled in at a blackjack table with a $10 minimum where Ben and I each put $100 into play. The intially empty table soon filled up with two other relatively experienced players and one rookie. I was still relatively green myself and the dealer helped the rookie and me out with good advice on some hands. I started out relatively hot, up to $140 after four hands. I then proceeded to mostly trade wins and losses until I whittled back down to my original $100 and left the table after tipping the dealer a $5 chip. Ben had a similar trajectory, maxing out at $150 before settling back to somewhere near what he came with.
I would have cashed in my chips then if Ben hadn’t found a lively craps table on the way. We decided to pool $50 and invest it in the game. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about craps strategy but I knew that a relative “safe” bet would be to bet on the Pass line. So that allowed us to hang in there for five slow losses while occasionally wagering our personal funds on side bets.
I knew myself enough to know that if I got a chance to handle the dice, there was a fair chance that they would either go flying off the table or only go two feet. So when my turn came, I declined and let Ben take a crack at it. Now, these crap dealers were a fun crew that enjoyed making light sarcasm and coming up with nicknames for each other and a couple of apparent regulars. But when Ben had the misfortune of gripping the dice with both hands, they got serious really quick with a stern reminder to use one hand. Then they lightened up again, joking about how they should sue Hollywood for “teaching” people how to throw dice the wrong way. When Ben unwittingly did the two-hand grip again, I thought he (and maybe yours truly by association) would be kicked out of the Showboat. But when one of the dealers suggested they duct tape one of his hands behind his back, I was inspired to re-christen him “One-Hand Ben”. The name stuck and One-Hand Ben took the good-natured abuse for the rest of the session. After we lost our $50 craps pool, we decided to cash out and cut our relatively low losses. Out of our respective $100 investments, I still held onto $83 (not including my $5 tip) while Ben managed to keep $87.
After an uninspiring meal at a Nathan's hot dog shop next to Caesars, I was able to convince Ben to go back to the Pier at Caesars. I had wanted to surprise him with the Water Show in the back of the complex. Of course, he saw the sign for it as we approached which ruined the surprise but that was okay. For some reason, I had thought it was an outside show with jets shooting up from the bottom of the pier or something, not the indoor setup that it turned out to be. When the water seemed to shoot up in little piddles for the first few minutes, I started to think perhaps this was much ado about nothing. But then the show really started! It was a nice presentation, certainly inspired by the Bellagio fountains if not quite as large. Even Ben was impressed. It’s not something I would make a special trip for again but if I happened to be in the Pier, I might stop in to check it out one more time.
Okay: in an environment where there are multiple options to indulge in the "vices" of gambling, drinking and smoking - of which Ben and I engaged only in the first - there will likely also be other forms of adult entertainment. So in that spirit, my buddy and I decided to go to a dance club of sorts...except that no guys were encouraged to dance. The ladies' dress code, for that matter, did not leave very much to the imagination. Along the way, a bachelor party of six arrived and the guest of honor received a special surprise on stage that didn't look like as much fun as it was intended to be. Not that the security staff - which. like the Showboat's craps dealers, was friendly yet firm - would have allowed anything truly scandalous to happen. In the end, it was the most interesting experience of the trip for Ben and me.
(And yes, to those who may be concerned, my lady approved of this side venture.)
The night ended back "home" at Caesars with a late evening dinner in Cafe Roma where we proceeded to be overlooked by our server for at least fifteen minutes. Ben notified the hostess of this and the server finally found us a few minutes later. He didn’t look particularly happy and was off his game when he presented each of us with the other person’s drinks. But to be fair, the coffee shop appeared to be short of staff as others, while served a bit quicker, received their food fairly late themselves. What turned out to be an early morning dinner was just another okay affair.
After another quick go-round on the slots, I was all gambled out and decided I wanted to go back to the room around 1:00am. Ben, who had not had much success himself and seemed ready to call it a night himself. But the siren song of the casino was too alluring as I faintly recall seeing "2:00am" glow on the iPod clock as he headed back out the door. Perhaps two hours later, Ben had finally accepted his fate.
Next: The morning after...and the ride home.
Friday, September 24, 2010
I'm Certifiable...In Vegas!
Some quick but exciting news! Abundant Travel has earned the proud distinction of Las Vegas Destination Specialist as granted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. We will now have access to the latest information to help you plan your trip to the desert oasis.
Feel free to contact me at tony@travelabundantly.com and I will work to make your Vegas Vacation the best ever!
Feel free to contact me at tony@travelabundantly.com and I will work to make your Vegas Vacation the best ever!
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| The Official Logo |
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Yours truly and Cathy at the Welcome Sign Red Rock Canyon |
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Over the Boardwalk in Atlantic City - Part Two
In the first installment of our trip, I focused mostly on our home base Caesars Atlantic City. Now I'll talk about some of the places we visited outside of our hotel.
We decided to do a walk-through of Bally's/Wild Wild West next door. Ben was mostly in search of $5 Blackjack and Craps tables. When we didn’t find any, I suggested we checked out what Caesars had done to the former Ocean One Mall. I was particularly interested in the restaurant and bar establishments on the third floor.As it was about 11:30 now, I didn’t realize most of the establishments would be closed. One good thing I did notice was that there were plenty of elevators, escalators and the occasional ramp to help smooth things out. (It should also be noted that Gentlemen of Size may like some of the clothing selection featured at tropical-themed Tommy Bahama.) We took a seat in the armless chairs along the faux sand beach lining the perimeter and plotted our next move; this would turn out to be the only “sand” my feet would touch this trip.Looking southward at the casinos on the horizon, I suggested we check out the Tropicana, primarily so I could see their entertainment complex The Quarter. It seemed close enough to walk but Ben, whose legs were tiring a bit, convinced me that it would be better to drive.
So we retrieved the car and drove down to the Tropicana when I came to realize that objects sometimes appear to be closer than they are. It would have been a fairly lengthy walk for anyone. Ben kept a lookout for the elusive $5 BJ tables but settled for a rather lively Big Six wheel. We each placed a couple bets that turned into contributions. Eventually we found the Quarter…actually, we found it essentially closed. I was disappointed again at my bad timing and Ben was visibly annoyed, perhaps influenced by the gambling money burning a hole in his pocket. We decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night around 1:00am.
Ben, who has a habit of going on late-night gambling runs in Vegas, always “loved” being woken up for an 8:00 breakfast run by yours truly. So of course, I could not disappoint him by not continuing the tradition in Atlantic City! We had wanted to try the Wild Wild West buffet, having researched that it was a better value than Caesars’ La Piazza Buffet, but were surprised to find out that it was closed for breakfast. So we ended up doing the Caesars buffet after all. Hmm…well, I liked the upscale trappings there (and at the coffee shop too, for that matter) and our server was particularly friendly. But the food itself lived down to the reputation that I had prepared for. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t quite mouth-watering, either. When the highlight of a meal is a cream-filled donut, that’s not exactly cause for a ringing endorsement. We managed to fill our bellies but resolved not to visit again. One plus at least, as mentioned in the previous blog, was that virtually all of the seats were armless.
After breakfast, we headed over to the marina area to see the Borgata. I wanted to see what this “crown jewel” was all about. But I have to say: could they have made it anymore difficult to find it? (smile) I would have thought it was just us who had trouble locating it if a lady hadn’t pulled up beside us asking if we knew how to get to the Borgata. She decided to follow us, as if we knew what we were doing. It seemed really odd that the road would lead to Trump and Harrah’s then suddenly do a 180*. Somehow we found ourselves at a loading dock and a worker redirected us to the valet.
Already knowing that $5 tables wouldn’t be found, Ben settled in at a Monopoly machine while I looked around. The Borgata certainly lived up to my expectations of what an “exclusive” casino would look like. Based on the common areas, it could certainly hold its own against the more upscale Vegas casinos. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised that it featured a reasonably priced food court in its basement. I tried to interest Ben in joining me down there for lunch but he preferred to wait until we returned to Caesars.
Next: The Showboat, The Water Show and (Censored).
.
We decided to do a walk-through of Bally's/Wild Wild West next door. Ben was mostly in search of $5 Blackjack and Craps tables. When we didn’t find any, I suggested we checked out what Caesars had done to the former Ocean One Mall. I was particularly interested in the restaurant and bar establishments on the third floor.As it was about 11:30 now, I didn’t realize most of the establishments would be closed. One good thing I did notice was that there were plenty of elevators, escalators and the occasional ramp to help smooth things out. (It should also be noted that Gentlemen of Size may like some of the clothing selection featured at tropical-themed Tommy Bahama.) We took a seat in the armless chairs along the faux sand beach lining the perimeter and plotted our next move; this would turn out to be the only “sand” my feet would touch this trip.Looking southward at the casinos on the horizon, I suggested we check out the Tropicana, primarily so I could see their entertainment complex The Quarter. It seemed close enough to walk but Ben, whose legs were tiring a bit, convinced me that it would be better to drive.
So we retrieved the car and drove down to the Tropicana when I came to realize that objects sometimes appear to be closer than they are. It would have been a fairly lengthy walk for anyone. Ben kept a lookout for the elusive $5 BJ tables but settled for a rather lively Big Six wheel. We each placed a couple bets that turned into contributions. Eventually we found the Quarter…actually, we found it essentially closed. I was disappointed again at my bad timing and Ben was visibly annoyed, perhaps influenced by the gambling money burning a hole in his pocket. We decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night around 1:00am.
Ben, who has a habit of going on late-night gambling runs in Vegas, always “loved” being woken up for an 8:00 breakfast run by yours truly. So of course, I could not disappoint him by not continuing the tradition in Atlantic City! We had wanted to try the Wild Wild West buffet, having researched that it was a better value than Caesars’ La Piazza Buffet, but were surprised to find out that it was closed for breakfast. So we ended up doing the Caesars buffet after all. Hmm…well, I liked the upscale trappings there (and at the coffee shop too, for that matter) and our server was particularly friendly. But the food itself lived down to the reputation that I had prepared for. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t quite mouth-watering, either. When the highlight of a meal is a cream-filled donut, that’s not exactly cause for a ringing endorsement. We managed to fill our bellies but resolved not to visit again. One plus at least, as mentioned in the previous blog, was that virtually all of the seats were armless.
After breakfast, we headed over to the marina area to see the Borgata. I wanted to see what this “crown jewel” was all about. But I have to say: could they have made it anymore difficult to find it? (smile) I would have thought it was just us who had trouble locating it if a lady hadn’t pulled up beside us asking if we knew how to get to the Borgata. She decided to follow us, as if we knew what we were doing. It seemed really odd that the road would lead to Trump and Harrah’s then suddenly do a 180*. Somehow we found ourselves at a loading dock and a worker redirected us to the valet.
Already knowing that $5 tables wouldn’t be found, Ben settled in at a Monopoly machine while I looked around. The Borgata certainly lived up to my expectations of what an “exclusive” casino would look like. Based on the common areas, it could certainly hold its own against the more upscale Vegas casinos. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised that it featured a reasonably priced food court in its basement. I tried to interest Ben in joining me down there for lunch but he preferred to wait until we returned to Caesars.
Next: The Showboat, The Water Show and (Censored).
.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Over The Boardwalk in Atlantic City - Part One
In contrast to last summer's cross-country road trip (which you've hopefully already read about here or else you're in for a treat), I've been mostly busy building my travel business. The only vacation I've taken was a three-day, two-night trip to Atlantic City. I was accompany by a guy we'll call "Ben", a good friend of mine who happens to be a BHM. Since our vacation was short, we decided to splurge a bit and chose the upscale Caesars Atlantic City hotel. While I rarely wager much in casinos, I knew that I would be gambling more than usual as I wanted to try my hand at some table games. For Ben, gambling was his primary motivation for the trip.
As we exited off of the Atlantic City Expressway, I was pleased to see the new developments on The Walk. This collection of outlet centers was just opening when I visited several years ago and their expansion made for a nice introduction into the city. Ladies of Size may appreciate some of the offerings at Ashley Stewart.
There were only two people ahead of us as we walked into Caesars at 7:30pm and we were eager to check into the non-smoking mid-level Luxury room we had reserved. I cheerfully inquired to our agent about the possibility of being placed in the Centurion Tower which, according to many accounts I had read about, was supposed to be the “best” tower.
Unfortunately, we found out that not only were all the Luxury rooms sold out but that we were going to be assigned a smoking standard Deluxe room in the least desirable Temple Tower. Needless to say, we were disappointed although, from experiences in Vegas, I knew that casinos don't guarantee room preferences.When we declined the offer, the agent hinted that we might be transferred to a sister hotel. Being unamused by that prospect as well, we asked the agent if we could speak to her manager. She disappeared for a few minutes and returned with the news of a “magically” discovered non-smoking room in the Temple Tower at a fair discount.
Ben and I approached the room with a bit of trepidation but it turned out to be nicer than we thought it would be. Being accustomed to the basic amenities in Vegas Strip casino hotel rooms, we were pleasantly surprised to see not only a refrigerator and coffeemaker (not that we were coffee drinkers) but also a flat screen with three times as many channels as one would normally find in the desert. The alarm clock with the iPod dock was a nice touch too. Night Owl Ben really appreciated waking up to my tunes at 8 in the morning! The coffeemaker was on a round table stuffed in the corner with two fabric chairs with low arms. My rather burly friend found it difficult to sit in those chairs but the armless wooden chair at the business desk accommodated him just fine. The bathroom was nice enough with an ample tiled shower - no tub – soft towels and decent soap and shampoo. We both found our beds to be rather comfortable. The only thing we didn’t like about the room was the “view” which consisted of a frosted window hiding a window to nowhere.
The casino was slightly confusing to navigate but we considered ourselves “veterans” by the morning we left. The two levels of gambling was an interesting twist. As non-smokers, we also appreciate the ample spacing between the smoking areas. Although we didn’t play any table games here, we enjoyed losing our slot money slowly. Like most casinos, there is a considerable amount of walking to do. There are plenty of escalators between the gambling floors as well as one elevator. I also noted a number of rented scooters in use although I did not spot any particularly larger persons using them. However, just like Vegas, I would predict that larger-size scooters would be made available with some pre-planning.
We found our food experience at Caesars to be just okay. Café Roma was decent for the typical premium-priced casino coffee shop. We went to La Piazza Buffet as a last resort one morning and the selection and taste was underwhelming. That said, I did like the ambiance at both places. There were plenty of armless chairs at each establishment as well. On a future trip, I intend to try one of the more upscale restaurants on the property or across the way at the Pier at Caesars, where the Ocean One Mall once stood. Finer dining was a non-starter for gambling-focused Ben.
The one thing I appreciated the most about Caesars was the service. In particular, when we were looking for a certain slot machine, a security person not only approached us to help but also walked us over too it. She ended the interaction by saying “Thank you for coming to Caesars!” In fact, virtually every person we encountered from the valets to housekeeping to casino staff was friendly. Even the front desk agent person we dealt with was reasonably courteous and professional. The one slight exception was a Café Roma server we dealt with one night who was slow and didn’t look particularly happy. Generally speaking, it seems that staff has received the message that customer service is more important than ever these days considering the current economy and rising competition.
Next: We venture out of Caesars...
As we exited off of the Atlantic City Expressway, I was pleased to see the new developments on The Walk. This collection of outlet centers was just opening when I visited several years ago and their expansion made for a nice introduction into the city. Ladies of Size may appreciate some of the offerings at Ashley Stewart.
There were only two people ahead of us as we walked into Caesars at 7:30pm and we were eager to check into the non-smoking mid-level Luxury room we had reserved. I cheerfully inquired to our agent about the possibility of being placed in the Centurion Tower which, according to many accounts I had read about, was supposed to be the “best” tower.
Unfortunately, we found out that not only were all the Luxury rooms sold out but that we were going to be assigned a smoking standard Deluxe room in the least desirable Temple Tower. Needless to say, we were disappointed although, from experiences in Vegas, I knew that casinos don't guarantee room preferences.When we declined the offer, the agent hinted that we might be transferred to a sister hotel. Being unamused by that prospect as well, we asked the agent if we could speak to her manager. She disappeared for a few minutes and returned with the news of a “magically” discovered non-smoking room in the Temple Tower at a fair discount.
Ben and I approached the room with a bit of trepidation but it turned out to be nicer than we thought it would be. Being accustomed to the basic amenities in Vegas Strip casino hotel rooms, we were pleasantly surprised to see not only a refrigerator and coffeemaker (not that we were coffee drinkers) but also a flat screen with three times as many channels as one would normally find in the desert. The alarm clock with the iPod dock was a nice touch too. Night Owl Ben really appreciated waking up to my tunes at 8 in the morning! The coffeemaker was on a round table stuffed in the corner with two fabric chairs with low arms. My rather burly friend found it difficult to sit in those chairs but the armless wooden chair at the business desk accommodated him just fine. The bathroom was nice enough with an ample tiled shower - no tub – soft towels and decent soap and shampoo. We both found our beds to be rather comfortable. The only thing we didn’t like about the room was the “view” which consisted of a frosted window hiding a window to nowhere.
The casino was slightly confusing to navigate but we considered ourselves “veterans” by the morning we left. The two levels of gambling was an interesting twist. As non-smokers, we also appreciate the ample spacing between the smoking areas. Although we didn’t play any table games here, we enjoyed losing our slot money slowly. Like most casinos, there is a considerable amount of walking to do. There are plenty of escalators between the gambling floors as well as one elevator. I also noted a number of rented scooters in use although I did not spot any particularly larger persons using them. However, just like Vegas, I would predict that larger-size scooters would be made available with some pre-planning.
We found our food experience at Caesars to be just okay. Café Roma was decent for the typical premium-priced casino coffee shop. We went to La Piazza Buffet as a last resort one morning and the selection and taste was underwhelming. That said, I did like the ambiance at both places. There were plenty of armless chairs at each establishment as well. On a future trip, I intend to try one of the more upscale restaurants on the property or across the way at the Pier at Caesars, where the Ocean One Mall once stood. Finer dining was a non-starter for gambling-focused Ben.
The one thing I appreciated the most about Caesars was the service. In particular, when we were looking for a certain slot machine, a security person not only approached us to help but also walked us over too it. She ended the interaction by saying “Thank you for coming to Caesars!” In fact, virtually every person we encountered from the valets to housekeeping to casino staff was friendly. Even the front desk agent person we dealt with was reasonably courteous and professional. The one slight exception was a Café Roma server we dealt with one night who was slow and didn’t look particularly happy. Generally speaking, it seems that staff has received the message that customer service is more important than ever these days considering the current economy and rising competition.
Next: We venture out of Caesars...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The SOL Tour - July 24-26
To be honest, after leaving St. Louis, there wasn't really anything particularly interesting to report, save a couple of quirks that I will explain as we go on.
See the shadow to the right of the picture above? That's my finger covering the Illinois welcome sign. But we were actually there, I swear! We overnighted at a Holiday Inn in Vandalia, IL. Having run out of clean clothes, we were happy to find out that a laundry room was on-site. Unfortunately, the dryer was apparently broken, cleaning us out of multiple quarters - as well as a longer night's sleep for yours truly - before the clothes were finally ready. The front desk agent we spoke to the next morning seemed sympathetic but apparently lacked the authority to compensate us for our troubles. However, a subsequent call to the hotel chain's customer service line concluded in an amicable resolution.
We stayed at yet another Holiday Inn Express - yes, there is a pattern - just outside Columbus in a town called Pickerington. We thought we had lucked out as we apparently snagged the very last room available. The bad news was that the place was overrun by a gaggle of teenage girls who had participated in a soccer club tournament. Of course "kids will be kids", but between the yelling up and down the hall, the subsequent mess left in said hallway and the lack of responsibility the adult chaperones seemed to be taking for all of this, it was one of our least pleasant stays.
This was actually the second attempt to take a picture of the West Virginia welcome sign. The first time, while passing through the sliver between OH and PA was unsuccessful. However, we had better luck once when we reached the WV panhandle.
I'm sorry to say that there is no picture of Virginia - I fell asleep - but rest assured that we made it back.
For those of you still keeping score: 37 days, 23 states, 6550 miles...and, most impressively, zero arguments! It was quite a memorable experience for Cathy and me, to say the least. While investing this amount of time and resources in such a vacation may not be possible for all, I would certainly encourage everyone to consider taking a road trip to your destination as there may be interesting, often unexpected things to see during your journey. Certainly for a person of size, traveling by car can offer a lot more flexibility than by choosing to fly. In our case, we realized that the cost of flying to our main destinations and then obtaining a rental car would have been a negligibly small difference from our road trip.
To those who followed the entire Summer of Love tour, I hope you enjoyed the re-telling of our story as much as we enjoyed the experience. To those who joined us in the middle...you've got a lot of fun catching-up to do...what are you waiting for??? *smile*
Monday, September 13, 2010
The SOL Tour - July 24
After departing the small metropolis of St. Joseph's, MO, we dropped down to Kansas City for what I anticipated would be some visually appealing sights to record...and I wasn't disappointed.
Our first stop was the 18th and Vine District, part of a historically African-American downtown area that had been revitalized in recent years.
Kansas City is known as the City of Fountains. No where is this more evident than the downtown area known as County Club Plaza.
By now, we were starting to get hungry for lunch. We had a particular hankering to try some Kansas City-style barbecue. However, the flipside of walkable County Club Plaza is that parking spaces were not very convenient. So we popped "barbecque" in the GPS and found a place just across the state line in Kansas.
The interesting thing about driving into Kansas, for someone who is used to border-hugging cities being separated from another state by bodies of water, was that there was no such natural boundary here. We just drove across from Kansas City, MO over into Kansas as if it were just another street.
We found Jack Stack's Barbecue over in Overland Park, KS. As we arrived towards the end of rush hour, it wasn't too hard to find a closer parking space nor be seated at a table. I have to admit that I don't recall exactly what I had, although taking a look now at the menu, I most likely chose the BBQ Combo Lunch with Burnt Ends and Bone-In Chicken. What I do remember for sure about the meal was that the BBQ was a bit more peppery than what I had ever tasted before. Not that it was a bad thing; I certainly enjoyed my meal as did Cathy.
Following our filling lunch, we got back on I-70 and traversed Missouri until we reached St. Louis. The only attraction I really wanted to see here was the famous Gateway Arch. I took no shortage of pictures of this famous landmark. Here are the best few:
After admiring the steel arches for a while, we crossed over into Illinois, where we settled in for the evening.
States visited:18.
Our first stop was the 18th and Vine District, part of a historically African-American downtown area that had been revitalized in recent years.
American Jazz Museum/Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
When you care enough to create the very best....
The interesting thing about driving into Kansas, for someone who is used to border-hugging cities being separated from another state by bodies of water, was that there was no such natural boundary here. We just drove across from Kansas City, MO over into Kansas as if it were just another street.
We found Jack Stack's Barbecue over in Overland Park, KS. As we arrived towards the end of rush hour, it wasn't too hard to find a closer parking space nor be seated at a table. I have to admit that I don't recall exactly what I had, although taking a look now at the menu, I most likely chose the BBQ Combo Lunch with Burnt Ends and Bone-In Chicken. What I do remember for sure about the meal was that the BBQ was a bit more peppery than what I had ever tasted before. Not that it was a bad thing; I certainly enjoyed my meal as did Cathy.
Following our filling lunch, we got back on I-70 and traversed Missouri until we reached St. Louis. The only attraction I really wanted to see here was the famous Gateway Arch. I took no shortage of pictures of this famous landmark. Here are the best few:
After admiring the steel arches for a while, we crossed over into Illinois, where we settled in for the evening.
States visited:18.
Friday, September 10, 2010
The SOL Tour - July 22-23
After leaving Denver for a self-guided tour of Cheyenne, Wyoming, we found ourselves traveling on I-80 through through some monotonous farmland, which was only broken up by this:
Needless to say, this was not the best time to repeat our Terrell, TX experience where we almost ran out of gas with little relief in sight. Needless to say, the options in Nebraska were even fewer. We ended up pulling off into Lodgepole,NE where the road signs for gas led us to a tiny unmanned station with two old-school (non-digital) pumps. A traffic jam of sorts was created when a friendly local showed up to fill his tank as well.
Eventually we found "civilization" in North Platte, Nebraska. It appeared that the town had built itself up into a tourist attraction, largely upon the reputation of "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Apparently we managed to arrive at the height of tourist season, as most every hotel was sold out, save the not particularly comfortable Comfort Inn we settled for.
The next morning we headed out to Omaha where we would really looking forward to some soul food.
Yes, you read that right. Soul food. In Omaha. Nebraska.
A couple weeks before our trip, we happened to see an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network which featured a lady from Omaha that had gained a reputation for some of the best soul food anywhere. We decided right then that we had to see it to believe it. However, would you believe we almost didn't see it?
Traveling at a productive if not hurried pace, we decided it would be good to call the restaurant and confirm their location and such. Along with that information, they kindly let us know that they were closing at 2:00. Of course, our GPS estimated an arrival of about 2:30.
Now, I would not encourage anyone to disobey any highway safety laws, but let's just say that we were happy that the Nebraska State Police were apparently busy attending to other matters. (Directing traffic back in North Platte, perhaps?)
As we made our way through Omaha, we became a bit confused when we left the retail corridors and entered a largely residential area. Eventually we saw what appeared to be a school or YMCA. Figuring Big Mama was in there - or someone could at least point us in the right direction - we entered...and just in the nick of time!
Even though it was maybe 1:50pm, they were happy to serve us albeit with a few less items still available on the menu. Cathy tried the famous Afro Burger that was hot enough to make Guy Fieri turn red. Being not so brave, I opted for the somewhat milder Big Redd Burger. Big Mama herself was kind enough to come out to meet us and share her story.
The building we were used to house the Nebraska School for the Deaf. When the school closed several years ago, a church bought it with the intention of turning it into a community center. Meanwhile, "Big Mama" a utility employee who had opened up a side business catering food to friends and small groups, had been looking for an affordable property to open up a restaurant. Eventually she caught the attention of some parishioners who put her in touch with some senior church staff. And the rest, as they say, was history.
My only minor regret during my visit to Omaha was not seeking the modest home of famous billionaire Warren Buffett. Or maybe we could have just popped in his office at Berkshire Hathaway and invited him out for lunch. I think he would have appreciated an Afro Burger.
After passing through a sliver of Iowa...
...we entered Missouri, calling the small city of Saint Joseph our home for the evening.
States visited:17.
Monday, September 6, 2010
The SOL Tour - July 20-22
After staying in Las Vegas seemingly almost long enough to establish residency, we were on our way back to Virginia. The unusually cloudy day helped set the mood as we turned on our satellite radio to the Sinatra channel and listened to the standards and wistfully made our way across the Strip and out of town.
Our intended destination was a yet-to-be determined location in Utah. We were surprised to find out that we would have to travel through a sliver of Arizona to get there. Here's a picture from our brief return to AZ.
We decided to stop for a quick tour and late lunch in Saint George, Utah. Like many cities and towns in the state, it was surrounded by picturesque mountains. The center of town seemed to be designed for tourists as there were a lot of motels along the main streets. The overall sights impressed Cathy enough that she half-jokingly suggested that we consider Saint George as a retirement destination. I said, "Sure...as long as I can go to Vegas once a month!"
We decided to have lunch at Jimmy John's, a fast-food restaurant that was referenced on a random Jerry Springer show we happened to catch before leaving for our road trip. Their tag line is that they make "freaky good" food "freaky fast!" I don't know about the "freak factor" but we received our sandwiches quickly enough - we were the only customers at the time - and enjoyed them well enough.
Within twenty minutes of leaving sunny and warm Saint George, I was shocked - and Cathy relieved - that the temperature dropped thirty degrees with an accompanying drizzle as rode higher into the mountains. We took the following picture at a rest stop.
Our intended destination was a yet-to-be determined location in Utah. We were surprised to find out that we would have to travel through a sliver of Arizona to get there. Here's a picture from our brief return to AZ.
We decided to have lunch at Jimmy John's, a fast-food restaurant that was referenced on a random Jerry Springer show we happened to catch before leaving for our road trip. Their tag line is that they make "freaky good" food "freaky fast!" I don't know about the "freak factor" but we received our sandwiches quickly enough - we were the only customers at the time - and enjoyed them well enough.
Within twenty minutes of leaving sunny and warm Saint George, I was shocked - and Cathy relieved - that the temperature dropped thirty degrees with an accompanying drizzle as rode higher into the mountains. We took the following picture at a rest stop.
Eventually we arrived at in Richfield, UT, a town sandwiched between two national forests that we could not see due to darkness. The hotel, a Hampton Inn, was fine if not as outstanding as others we had or would visit. My most distinct memory was, as I was unable to deny my dinner hunger, finding out the one casual dining restaurant on our street was closed (at 9:00pm) and having to cross a sparsely lit thoroughfare to the convenience store across the street. After picking up a store-made sandwich, chips and soda for myself, I spotted an "instant" milkshake machine and thought I'd give it a try as a surprise for Cathy. Unfortunately, it took many instances to get the milkshake together as even the staff person that helped me was having issues with this relatively new device. Eventually I did get the shake and, after playing "Frogger" across the street once again, all was well. The next day we were off to...
We specifically chose the Staybridge Suites near the Denver International Airport for our next stay. This hotel ranked up there with the Hampton Inn in Phoenix as being the most comfortable place we stayed during our trip. I also recall the front desk staff being rather friendly as well.
The next morning, we toured a few sights, including a wild goose chase for Mile High Comics, a notable retailer for devoted fans such as yours truly. We would later find out that the location we found on the GPS was actually a distribution center and eventually found a location out in the 'burbs.
As you'll see, the main reason I was looking forward to Denver was to see their unique airport.
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Coors Field - Home of Colorado Rockies Baseball Invesco Field at Mile High - Home of Broncos Football  Mile High Comics - Holy Grail to Geeks Everywhere |
While getting ready to depart in the morning, Cathy noticed that we were only 90 miles away from Cheyenne, Wyoming. I had never thought I would ever see Wyoming, let alone on this trip.So we decided to satisfy our curiosity and make a slight detour north.
We happened to stumble upon Cheyenne Frontier Days, possibly the biggest summer event in the city. If you have a hankering to see a rodeo and other things Western, this would be the time and place to do it.
Next stop....North Platte, Nebraska???
States visited:15.
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