Category Archives: Solo Female Travel

Las Vegas Trip Report: Let the Degeneracy Begin!

Welcome to a long overdue Las Vegas trip report!   Let’s face it, I am the world’s worst blogger who (at the time I started this post) was posting maybe ten posts a year.  Now that I am getting around to actually posting it, I am averaging zero posts a year. As a matter of fact, I am such a horrible blogger than when my account came up for renewal almost a year ago, I didn’t even notice my credit card had expired and my blog went away.  Thank you the lovely Ms. Geri for contacting me about that.

This trip was to kick off 2018 without wanting to slit my wrists after returning from a month long trip to Myanmar in December 2017.  I had decided that in 2018, I was going to take more frequent and shorter trips.   So why not start off with Las Vegas?

I changed my dates a couple of times.  I finally settled on January 26 through February 3, so that I could double dip and use my Boyd offers from January and February.  I filled the middle in with a three night offer from El Cortez (which I booked for two nights, and stayed only one) and a two night comped stay at Cosmopolitan.

I also booked a one night MyVegas room at Excalibur so I could use some MyVegas buffet rewards that require a stay.  I had zero intention of staying there.  People really have opinions on whether or not this is ethical.  I personally don’t care.  I had the points, I booked the room.   “This is why all the good rewards are gone!  People book rewards and don’t play!!!”  I promise you, I gave MLife more than enough to cover the one night stay at Excalibur.  As a matter of fact, this comped room was an offer I got sent based on that degenerate play.  It was not a MyVegas reward.

I armed with a Member Rewards Book from Las Vegas Advisor, an American Casino Guide, and a bunch of MyVegas rewards.  I get six rewards because I have bought a lot of chips.  I redeemed them for free plays and buffets.

I like to try new things on every trip.  And by “try new things” I really mean “go degenerate in a casino I have never been to before.”  This trip I would like to visit Skyline.

I am also going to be trying French Toast Pizza. I saw a photo of it online and have been determined to get there, still have not.

This sounds like a good place to start the actual report.

January 26, 2018

I found a penny on heads at the airport. It seems to be a new thing that I excel at. I used to also be really good at having an empty middle seat.  I am one of those people who obsessively check the seats on flights before I board them. I am aiming to have an empty middle seat which is everyone’s dream correct? Right before I went through security, I checked and yes, the seat next to me is empty.

For one time ever we finally board on time. I don’t think this has ever happened when I’ve left in the evening from JFK Airport. Of course the door should be shutting anytime now. Okay how about now. Hey maybe shut the door is now. Isn’t everyone on this plane already?

Enter the stragglers. One of which is seated right next to me in my empty middle seat.

The plane takes off a little bit late. I was having issues with my headphones. You know how sometimes you have to twist them around to get the earphones to actually play in your ears between the sound of static? That’s what was happening to me. After about 15 minutes I finally got the headphones in the perfect place where they were playing in both ears. And then the guy next to me has to get up and pee.

Although it was not his fault, I was still very annoyed at the fact that I had just got my headphones perfectly positioned to work, and now I have to move them so that he can get out.

This happened seven more times.

Obviously this person had some sort of issue.  His son or who anyway who I assume is the son, offered to switch seats with me so I can have the window seat. In retrospect, I should have said yes with the caveat that I want the aisle back before we land. Then I could have had a window seat, a working headphone jack, and still have been in the aisle to run the fuck off the plane.  Wait why did I not do this?  God dammit. Now I am mad at ME.

We land in Las Vegas.  I bolt outside hoping to catch the WAX that left about two minutes ago, but maybe it was delayed.  Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.  I sit down on a bench to wait for the CX bus.  I look down and see a penny.  But it was on tails.  No, go away YOU.

Some guy comes and stands next to my bench.  The only thing he has with him is a clear liter sized plastic bag, with his liquids and his passport. Not quite sure where his luggage was. I put my headphones on to listen to Frank Sinatra’s “Luck be a Lady Tonight”.  I hate this song but it has found it’s way into my ritual of winning.  I took my headphones off when the bus pulled up and the driver got out and lit a cigarette. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the CX bus or the WAX bus. So I asked him. That opened up a door for him to talk to me and ask me to hang out with him later. No thank you.

I got to the Fremont Hotel at 10:44. I checked into my room, which is room 416.  I do not have any room photos but here is my view:

Fremont now has security guarding the elevators.  They have zero emotion or expression and sometimes you need to ask them to push the elevator button as they stand basically blocking it.  I think this is supposed to make you feel safe.  In the room I noticed a little sign that they would be checking rooms with a Do Not Disturb sign for longer than thee days.  I didn’t notice if anyone had entered my room.

I put my lucky penny that I had found in the airport in my bra before running outside to play.

I stopped at Dunkin Donuts of course. Then I played at Binions. I lost $100 pretty quick on my video poker machine that on my last trip gave me a Royal Flush followed by Aces with a kicker. I had $10 free play and I lost that too. I move to a Buffalo slot machine and lost yet another hundred. I’m only supposed to gamble $100 total tonight. So since I’ve already lost twice that, I obviously put another $100 bill in another Buffalo slot machine and hit a bonus for $432.  Wahoo!

I played some more video poker and got a really weird hand. I got four nines on the draw.

I played Buffalo again I hit a $118 bonus which included this beauty:

I probably would have stayed and played forever but I am absolutely exhausted. I do my swipes for the Motherlode promotion at Binions before I head to bed.  I had enough points for three swipes. The first one I got a free gift, the second I got $15 dining credit, the third was yet another free gift. I did not even try to redeem the gifts, I am not interested in lugging crap home.

I was in bed by 2:40 am. Despite my big wins, I end up only $90. Because degenerate.

Questions or comments?   Please leave them below.

If you want to go to the next page, click here.

Deep Thoughts on an Overnight Train from Yangon to Bagan, Myanmar

Taking this train in Myanmar was one of the top reasons for my visit.  Seventeen hours on a train is a very long time.  So is 20.  When I took the 24 hour trip to Lhasa a few years ago, I documented what I did during that ride.  What I did not document though, was the amount of thoughts that went through my head.  Ever wonder what goes through someone’s head when they are on public transport for an insane amount of hours?  Well I can tell you.

The overnight train from Yangon to Bagan is supposed to be 17 hours, it ended up being 20 hours.

I knew I had to do this trip before I even finished reading this post that introduced it to me.  Oh man.  This looks FANTASTIC.  The whole idea of your commute being this insane experience you would never forget.  The second I finished reading that post, I had to email the author to tell her about the irony of stumbling across it on the same day I read a post on a Las Vegas message board where someone had cancelled a reservation for a Strip hotel because she saw photos online where you could see the toilet when you opened the bathroom door.  It was right out there and not tucked behind a wall.  The horror!

I booked a ticket going from Yangon to Bagan.  I knew that the sleeper car is a separate car that is only attached if they sell tickets for it.  I ran the risk of being trapped in here with other people.  It is not internally connected to the other cars on the train.  You cannot walk through to get to anywhere.  How many beds had to sell to attach the car?  The booking agent I used stated on their website that if you wanted to guarantee a sleeper car would be attached, you could book all four beds for yourself.  I am not sure why I did not do this.  But I didn’t.  And then spent time wondering who would be in the car with me.  I was hoping to not spend the entire 17 hours being paid attention to for being a Westerner.

I arrived at the train station and took the obligatory photo of the “Warmly Welcome & Take Care of Tourists” sign.

Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: The One Where Anything Can Happen

I just finished up posting my last Vegas trip report, which was a nonstop blood bath where my biggest win was a whopping $108.  What a sad, depressing trip that was!

Still, when my job reminded me I had two days off to use in August, I booked another trip.  I got two comped (plus resort fee, fuck you) nights at Flamingo and three at Fremont, which is my favorite hotel in all of Las Vegas, despite it being tiny and crappy.   I had originally booked a MyVegas reward for two nights at Monte Carlo.  In the end, I ended up cancelling (and losing my points) for that.  I really just like smoking rooms in Vegas.  MLife doesn’t have them.  I do not want to forfeit my personal comfort for a free salmonella laced plate of scrambled eggs at the Bellagio buffet.

My flight was supposed to leave at 6:30.   We boarded on time, which was a shock.  We left late despite this, which was not a shock.

I landed at 9:30 and decided to shuttle to Flamingo.  We sat there for a good half hour before leaving.  And by “good” I mean “FUCKING LET’S FUCKING GO ALREADY.”   The driver dropped me off nowhere near the entrance.  If I were a degenerate packer, I would have been mad.  But my bag is carry on sized so I don’t care.

Cute stuffed dog going on an adventure

Continue reading

Atlantic City: Ultimate X Video Poker Porn

Ah, Atlantic City.  The opposite of Las Vegas.

Back in July, I went to a fest in Philadelphia.  As always, I make a stop in Atlantic City for a few days to kill time before I need to be there.  This trip I stayed in Atlantic City Tuesday – Friday.  I left Thursday for Philadelphia and came back Thursday night.

I only kept notes from my first night and the final tally, so this will be mostly photos and less text.  Although Google wants you to use more words in order to rank higher in Google searches.  So maybe I will just ramble a bit about things like…Google searches, to please Google.  Because GOOGLE.

I arrived with a reservation for the Dennis Tower at Ballys.  I did not want to stay in the Dennis Tower.  Hell, I didn’t want to stay at Ballys either.  But it was the only hotel coming up with all three nights comped.  The guy who checked me in upgraded me to the Ballys Tower.  Thank you kind sir for saving me.

Ballys Atlantic City hotel room

I loved the view.

Ballys Atlantic City ocean view room

Continue reading

Goodbye to Las Vegas Club, Glitter Gulch, Mermaids And All My Money.

This morning I woke up in beautiful Downtown Las Vegas at California hotel.  I began to pack for a hotel switch to Four Queens.   As I was doing this, I found a can of Pringles in my bag that I had forgot about.  I then picked it up, the top fell off and now my suitcase is filled with a million potato chip crumbs.  ARGH.  I am done with this place.  I finish packing and check out.  I leave my keys in the room because I do not need them anymore.  The second the door shuts I realize there is Diet Pepsi in my refrigerator.  Damn it all to hell.

I check my bags at the Four Queens Bell Desk and get on a bus.   Today I am going to the Mirage to visit the beautiful Buffalo slot machine that gave me $1800 back in March.

I took the CX bus to Treasure Island.  It is hot out.  I walk through Treasure Island to take the tram.   The tram is not running.  So I walk back through Treasure Island to get outside to walk in the heat, so much heat.  HOT BURNING DEATH FIREBALL SKY.

But it is pretty.

las vegas strip from mirage

Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: The Sky is Blue But there is a black cloud hanging over me

I was asleep at Planet Hollywood in Vegas when I am awoken by this loud as all fuck noise.  At first I think it is my phone.  I jump out of bed to make it stop, why is it so fucking LOUD.  But it isn’t stopping.  I turn on the light and realize it is the fire alarm.  It is 3:00 am and the fire alarm is going off, louder than anything that was ever loud before it.  It is so loud.  SO. FUCKING. LOUD.

I don’t know what to do.  Obviously you are supposed to do something, like leave your room.  But I don’t want to.  I am comfy in my jam jams and just want my heart to stop palpitating.  The alarm is not stopping.  There are no announcements.  I know to not call the front desk, I will be one of a million.  I peek out the peep hole on my door and there is nothing out there.  Fuck I guess I will get dressed and go downstairs.

As I am putting my shoes on, it stops.  Then comes the announcement that it was a false alarm.  Then that announcement begins repeating a million fucking times.  Holy shit.  I came to Vegas to win a million dollars but the real million dollar win will be me inventing a system for hotels where their guests can push a button to acknowledge they heard the first 75 announcements that it was a false alarm.  Then it can fucking STOP IT ALREADY.

Continue reading

Another Surprise Trip to Las Vegas? Sure, Why Not?

Or rather, what about another two surprise trips to Las Vegas?

Yes, I know.  “I thought you were never going to Vegas again neener neener I told you so…”

My job decided last minute that we would be getting five days off for Fourth of July.  I am not sure if you have ever tried to book a last minute trip on a major holiday weekend.  Well I now have and I will tell you, it is expensive to book last minute.  Las Vegas was the cheapest option even with inflated airfare and gambling budget.  Then again in August, I was reminded I had two free days to use.  These days needed to be used in August.  Again, while not a major holiday, apparently planning any summer travel last minute is really expensive.

So yes, if I find out last minute I have extended time off work, and that time is not long enough to do things like I would like to, such as go to Turkmenistan, then I will be boring and predictable and go to Vegas.

Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: Last Day of a Winning Trip.

How much do I hate waking up on my last day in Vegas?  I wake up at Mirage this morning, and I don’t want to go home.  I really don’t.  I sit and check flights, considering staying an extra day, like I did back in December.  In the end, I agree to go home.  But I am not happy about it.

I am so exhausted from my insistence of visiting every Strip casino, and doing it all in two days.   I would love to just stay in this bed for a few more hours, or another week.  Hell, just quit my job and stay forever.  But I am not allowed.

I got dressed and walked over to Bellagio to use a free MyVegas buffet reward.  For anyone who says  “How hard is it to mess up breakfast?” I present to you a tray of salmonella.

salmonella bellagio buffet las vegas

Continue reading

Las Vegas Strip Report Continues!

I wish I would have thought of that snappy post title a bit earlier!

Happy good morning Las Vegas!  Today will be my last full day here.  I need to finish visiting every casino on the Strip.  I need to gamble.  I need to get some photos of the Mirage atrium without a million people in the way.

mirage las vegas atirum lovemirage las vegas atirummirage las vegas waterfall in atrium

And the casino.

mirage las vegas casino

Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: Visiting Strip Casinos

When we last left off, I had just had my biggest win of any Vegas trip.  I went to my room for a break.  But not for long because I have a ticket for Mystere, right next door at Treasure Island.  I took some pretty photos on my walk over.

las vegas strip from miragemirage dolphin fountains las vegaswynn palazzo las vegastreasure island las vegas sign

Continue reading