Tuesday:
This morning, I returned once again to Bally’s Sidewalk Café, this time avoiding the minor culinary fiasco that was their “Express Breakfast Buffet” in favor of a proper meal. There was no wait as the café has just opened and therefore I received the “privilege” of being placed in the slightly separated VIP section which was really no different than any other section. Nonetheless, I felt “special” as I enjoyed some surprisingly good vanilla bean French toast.
A lot of my decision to stay at Bally’s instead of Mandalay Bay where most of my business was being conducted was based on what I had thought would be a pretty easy commute. I planned to take the monorail all of one stop to the MGM Grand station, walk through the casino and across the street to the Tropicana/Luxor overpass where I would take the tram to Mandalay Bay. As I had at least seen if not utilized this route before, it seemed pretty straightforward. Perhaps not...
The smoothest part of the trip was the monorail. As a Bally’s guest, the station was pretty convenient to find; I can see how it might be a pain for some others. I went down the same escalator that led me to the gym via the resort wear stores, Sbarro’s Pizza and the sportsbook/restaurant to find the monorail entrance next to the pool area. I noticed a sign that while Bally’s pool area is closed for the winter, save the tennis courts, the indoor pool at Paris was also available to Bally’s guests. I arrived a few minutes before the monorail’s opening at 7:00. The actual trip from Bally’s to MGM lasted about two minutes.
So I walked through the MGM and across to the Tropicana only to find…non-working escalators? After my unintentional shopping “workout”, I wasn’t crazy about climbing steps but I did it. (I found out later that there was also an elevator on the other side of the escalator. Whether or not that was actually working, I’ll never know.) I wasn’t crazy about that but figured I would get to relax a bit on the tram at the Luxor. Nope. The tram didn’t start operating until 9:00am, about 90 minutes later. So I embarked on another unintentional tour through the Luxor and Excalibur. Other than some mild curiosity about insult comics serving me dinner at Dick’s Last Resort (@Excalibur), I pretty much confirmed that I wouldn’t go out of my way to return to either of these casinos.
This concludes Learning Experience #4, by the way.
I would say that the monorail is most useful for those traveling from either of its end points: the Las Vegas Convention Center to the north or the MGM Grand station to the south. It may not necessarily be worth it otherwise, especially considering the long walk required to back of the corresponding casino to reach the station. Catching a cab would save the most personal wear and tear. Renting a car would be even better although, as a reminder, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police does not mess around with drivers who have even had a "little bit" to drink.
I won’t bore you with any of my business details, except to say that the Red White and Blue restaurant at Mandalay Bay became the “home away from home” for me and my colleagues. The menu offerings were priced at a level consistent with the four-star resort but were a better value than the more convenient convention center food court.
After a long but productive day, I made it back to Bally’s to rest for what I intended to be an hour nap….except that I woke up four hours later. I had received another invitation from the internet friends I met on Sunday to join them for dinner at Ellis Island, a nearby off-Strip casino, so I was disappointed that I had missed out on that opportunity. I still wasn't feeling my best but, not wanting to waste a night in Vegas, so I set out to take a walk around.
My first stop was the Flamingo, where I spent a week in the summer of 2007. I don’t know what it is but I just feel comfortable here. The vibe is relaxed, I like the vanilla scent, and I can even embrace the loud pink. I thought about grabbing a bite at the Burger Joint or the new food court but decided that I still hadn’t built up an appetite. I kept on strolling up the east side of the Strip until I got to the Venetian.
One of the best things about resorts about the Venetian is that it’s one of those places that offer enough that you never really have to leave. The flipside of that is that it takes “forever” to get in. After a bunch of moving walkways and thruways, I eventually found myself in the Grand Canal Shoppes. I didn’t really know where I was going but at some point I ended up in St. Mark’s Square where I got some chocolate chip gelato. I walked through the Venetian casino which was as packed as any place I would visit during the trip. I also noticed that a dueling piano bar, an option which I’m not sure is mentioned much here.
On the other side of the Venetian, I stopped in Walgreen’s to find something that I hoped would make me feel better. Then I checked out the Palazzo for the first time. It was interesting approaching the entrance as I wasn’t sure whether the ladies passing by me in their snug dresses were “entrepreneurs” or merely headed to the Lavo nightclub queue. Overall, the Palazzo was fine but just seemed like an extension of the Venetian. So I did an about face and headed back to Bally’s.
It was approaching midnight and I was finally getting an appetite. So I stopped in the Tequila Bar and Grille, figuring I could get a good quesadilla. As it turns out, I’ve had better quesadillas from Taco Bell. For one, the meat was virtually non-existent. The rest of it just didn’t have any taste. But I managed to get full enough and listened again to the R&B cover band in the Indigo Lounge for a bit before calling it a night.
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