Winter In The Desert Oasis - Part One

I spent the second week of December in my favorite active vacation destination: Las Vegas. While I was primarily there on business to attend a convention, I did manage to make some time for fun. Despite my pre-planning, I had more than a few quirky “learning experiences”. On the other hand, I managed to have some good luck as well…even in the casino.


Upon arrival at Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport on Sunday, I was able to retrieve my luggage quickly…although “quickly” is a relative term at this airport. I passed by many casino slot games – which are said to collectively have the worst odds in the Las Vegas area – on my way to a free tram which transported me to the baggage claim area.

This would be a good time to give an advisory/reminder that Las Vegas is a big place. Its airport is no exception. If wheelchair assistance would be necessary at your departing airport, you would definitely benefit from it here as well. I admit that I have not yet seen anyone in a wheelchair utilize the tram service. As there are four domestic terminals, the odds of utilizing a tram are roughly only 50%. Arrivals into the international terminal have a 100% chance of partaking in the tram.

I retrieved my luggage and soon entered into my first “learning experience”. I had considered a slight splurge in hiring a walk-up limousine to take me to a local market to pick up some snacks and sundries before dropping me off at the hotel. But I decided the convenience stores on the Strip would suffice and instead got in the taxi line. I thought I lucked out when I was able to get a taxi so quickly…but that’s when the fun began.

The driver, whose accent made him a bit difficult for me to comprehend, tried to tell me that something was happening on the Strip that would require him to take the tunnel route. Now, I had heard of this (in)famous tunnel. There are cases where traveling through the tunnel is to one’s advantage: when traveling towards the North Strip towards downtown Vegas or when dealing with the aforementioned traffic. I was skeptical at first as I had heard stories of people being needlessly “tunneled” by unscrupulous cab drivers looking to pad their fares. But as we traveled along the alternate path, I did indeed notice that traffic was backed up. In the end, what I predicted would be a $15 fare turned out to be double the amount. I continued to be suspicious until later in the day when I saw the TV news mention a half-marathon whose route included…the Strip.

My hotel destination was Bally’s a mid-level hotel located in the Center Strip area. Meanwhile, the convention I was attending was actually at Mandalay Bay, a moderately upscale South Strip property. I chose Bally’s for many reasons, not the least of which was its convenient location for all the things I wanted and needed to do. However, I would later find that not everything turned out to be as convenient as I thought it would be.

Bally’s has two towers of room: North and South. I stayed in the relatively newer North Tower in an ample 450 square foot room. There was a comfortable sofa chair with low arms and ottoman. Over at the business desk, one plastic chair has prominent arms while the wooden chair did not. The flat screen TV was appreciated although, typical of Vegas hotels, the station selection was limited to about two dozen channels. The hotel showed particular respect to their Asian and Hispanic guests as there were at least a couple channels in those respective languages. Although the North Tower doesn’t have direct views of the Strip, I thought I had a decent view of the sides of several casinos looking northward. It certainly made for a pleasant sight in the evening.

I intended to kick off my stay with a celebratory Cuban sandwich lunch at Margaritaville, a Jimmy Buffet -themed restaurant located nearby at the Flamingo casino. However, I managed to arrive there around noon at the heart of the first NFL football game of the day. With no seats to be found,I settled for my second choice, Le Burger Brasserie, an interesting twist on a sports bar that was located at Paris but easily reachable through the connecting retail boulevard with Bally’s. In fact, it is essentially the first Paris establishment one will see when walking from the Bally’s side.

It was fairly crowded here as well but I managed to find a seat at the bar. After walking through Bally’s, Flamingo and now Paris, I noticed a common theme of all staff members wearing football jerseys. It occurred to me that they were really encouraging people to get into the games and therefore place some sports bets. I ordered a turkey burger and skinny fries...or as they apparently say in France, Le Turquie et Les Petit Pommes Frites. While I ate and enjoyed the football games, I chatted a bit with three people near me at the bar: a marathon participant, her supportive friend, and a third lady who had just befriended us all. After finishing my meal, I waved my new acquaintances goodbye and decided to settle in for some minor slot machine action.

Those of you who have read my previous blogs know that I have a slot favorite called Village People Party. Despite my bit of research showing that the machine was at Paris, I was never able to locate it. Instead, I found the first of an eventual duo of substitutes: Jackpot Block Party and Super Jackpot Party (or something like that). Like the Village People version, both slots played generic dance/disco music while “spinning” and offered the occasional bonus round where one pressed the touch screen to pick as many hidden bonuses as possible before inadvertently choosing the “party pooper”. I stuck in a twenty and went to work. It would turn out to be a short work session as I had little success before calling it a day with ten bucks left.

I returned to my room to rest up a bit before heading downtown to Fremont Street for a meet and greet with some Internet forum acquaintances.

Return From Las Vegas

Hello There!

I'm catching up on business this week after being in Las Vegas for all of last week. While I was there primarily to attend a convention, I did manage to make some time for fun as well. I look forward to sharing my latest experiences in the desert oasis in the coming days.

Back To The Boardwalk - The Conclusion

On my last morning, I decided to break my Cafe Roma habit and head back over to Bill's Gyros for breakfast. While the pancakes and sausage were reasonably good, the real highlight for me was the attractive lady server who, with a little more styling, would not have been out of place over at A Dam Good Sports Bar.

For my last meal in town, I decided that I would treat myself to a trip to the Metropolitan Cafe at the Borgata. I had admired the atmosphere from afar during my last trip but wasn't able to convince my buddy Ben to check it out. I decided to catch a cab from the Convention Center to the Borgata, thinking I would come nowhere near the $13 maximum fare allowed within Atlantic City. But then the driver took a route through a tunnel that I didn't recognize from the June visit. Suddenly I found myself paying the $13 plus a polite $2 tip. (Upon my return home, I would  talk to an acquaintance who told me that was a legitimate route to take. So it was simply a learning experience for yours truly.)

Once inside the Borgata, I was immediately reminded of why this I feel the classiest casino hotel in Atlantic City. I mean, the restroom napkins were so luxurious, I almost felt guilty wiping my hands with them! Over at the cafe, I ordered a rather tasty turkey club sandwich. Meanwhile at the table next to me, I noticed two guys who were micromanaging their order. I admired their server's professionalism as they kept changing their minds.

I caught a jitney back to Caesars to pick up my luggage from the bell desk and returned to the convention center where I attended a few more seminars before walking over to the train terminal for a smooth ride home.

Some closing thoughts:

While I once again enjoyed my stay at Caesars, I found the attractions at the Tropicana to be the most appealing. However, the Tropicana's rooms seem to get mixed reviews from my sources.

I was happy to see so many local businesses open on the Boardwalk this late in the year, even if they weren't particularly busy.

If I had my druthers, in the future I would return for a Thursday-Saturday stay. It seems like non-gaming options start to heat up on Thursday nights and the reasonable rates/possible comps would balance out the Friday night premium.

Thanks for reading!