Category Archives: Las Vegas

Las Vegas 51st Birthday Trip Report!

Ahhhhhhhh yes.  I am flying to Las Vegas for my birthday.  This was supposed to be a quick long weekend trip.  Then I added some days.  Then some more.  Then spoiler alert: I added even more when I was there.  I think this was a 4 night trip that ended up being 21?  Whoops?

I have a flight at 6:13 AM.  I have so much JetBlue credit that is finally expiring so I had more than enough to overpay for a Mint flight so I did that.   When I booked, rows 2 and 4 were filled.  2 had one open seat late at night on the 30th, so I nabbed it woo hoo, total privacy!

I rarely fly early so here are some photos from the plane that I normally cannot get.

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Through The Years: Wynn and Encore Las Vegas

Ah yes, Wynn.  I am now more seasoned than I was during my first trips.  Back then, everything was new, so I didn’t really have an idea of what was actually new.  There was construction everywhere.  Look at this photo from Bellagio back in 2005.  There’s Wynn going up!

Desert Inn sat on the current site of Wynn.  I don’t recall ever going inside.  I know I must have passed it on my Strip walk on my first trip, but that walk is very hazy.

Desert Inn from my room at Stardust:

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Las Vegas Trip Report: The Only Constant is Every Trip Must End

Yet another “last day I am going home today waaaaaahhhhhhh” day in Las Vegas.

I wake up at Cosmopolitan at 7:00 AM.  I am supposed to go back to Luxor for my massage but I don’t want to.  I don’t.  I don’t want to, can’t make me.  I call and cancel and tell them they can charge it to my room since I have resort credit to cover it.  They seemed to feel bad for me that their policy is to charge for it if you are a no show.  It is fiiiiiiiine, just charge it.  Let me off the phone.  Bye bye.

I decided to walk through the casino to get to Starbucks rather than through the 3894873 mile walkway from the Chelsea Tower.  I played along the way, losing money.

Armed with coffee, I head back to MY Ultimate X video poker machine.  What a run I had.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: I Hate the Chelsea Tower at Cosmopolitan

Good morning Las Fucking Vegas!

I wake up at Treasure Island at 9:45.  I am out at 10:45.  I am not staying here tonight but since I am burning them, I booked the comp for tonight so I did not have to check out until I felt like it.

Reservations at all restaurants are still needed in Vegas during this trip.  I was able to score one for 12:45 at The Pantry at Mirage.  I cannot wait until the days of going to eat when you are hungry are back.   I hate having to keep track of time for meals.

I stopped at Starbucks, and then went to my Ultimate X video poker machine.  Lost 2 $100 bills before hitting this:
Also hit this:
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Las Vegas Trip Report: Traveling Around Sahara

Day three of this Las Vegas trip report begins in my warm room at the Plaza.  I cannot wait to leave this shitty hotel tomorrow.

Today I am getting the hell away from Downtown.  I am out at around 9:00.   One huge plus of being in the South Tower is that the exit to the Uber pick up is right here.  Spoiler alert, when I need to leave with luggage tomorrow, the exit will be locked.

I take an Uber to The Egg and I.   I have always wanted to come here for breakfast and finally after 2 decades of this place being on my itinerary, here I am!

There was a bit of a wait to be seated, maybe 20 minutes?  Not bad if you have a car.  But I don’t.  There wasn’t much shade so I just kept walking and looking in store windows to kill time.

The food here was good.  Not great.  Not “paid for an Uber” kind of worth it.   But still very good.  Way too many potatoes though.  I feel like you can see how salty they were.  Also you keep that ketchup AWAY FROM ME.

After eating, I took the bus to Palace Station.

I start with Starbucks and get going on Buffalo.  First I lose $20.  But then I move machines and win $20.  Holy shit, I have won something!   Keep going.  I win $40!  I win $80!  I lose $120.  Shit.

On the way out I lose another $100 in Double Double Bonus Supertimes Pay.  Oh well.

I get back on the bus and head to Sahara.  I hate how far the entrance is from the bus stop.
I get a new card and have $10 free play and some dining credit I did not use.  Probably should have seen if it was usable at Starbucks.

The casino is all a mess because they are doing construction.  The casino also seems really small compared to what I remember.  Not sure if this is actually the case or if parts of it were behind a construction wall.

I sit down at Buffalo Gold and fuck it, let’s go all out.  YES!

Oh god bless you Buffalo Gold at Sahara!

I played a lot around Sahara.  I moved up a level on their player’s card but did not collect my new card.  I tried a new (to me) Monopoly game and won $60.  Then just kept going on old school Buffalo Deluxe, one game at a dollar a hand.  This blessedly kept me busy for over an hour.  YAY look at me, I am finally PLAYING.

I had wanted to go to Stratosphere next but I have a pounding headache and it is now hot outside so I take the bus Downtown, transferring to something that stops near The D, which I don’t recall, but I have this photo.

Golden Gate, I have $15 free play.  I play some game I had never heard of before called Wild Chuco. I won $100 on the Lightening Link feature.  Woo hoo!   I also hit this:
I accidentally left Golden Gate without cashing out my TITO.  I was walking around the casino and an exit door I didn’t really notice opened with my motion and I just kept walking.  It was a weird experience.  If it was a movie, it would have been a door opening to a new dimension.  In real life, my new dimension was Plaza.

Fucking FUCK this place.  I lost another $200 on Buffalo.

Head to the room to chill a bit before going back out tonight.   This room is the worst.  It just sucks any last bit of luck out of me.  Notice how the further I traveled away from it, the more I won?

I decide I am done playing until I switch hotels tomorrow.  I went back out to grab dinner at Saginaws at Circa to go and ate dinner in my shitty, crappy room.  I packed so I can get the fuck out of here tomorrow with the quickness.

Good night Plaza, I hate you.

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Las Vegas: That Time Someone Vomited Outside My Hotel Room

Las Vegas trip report day 2.  Or maybe day 1.5.  I could not sleep at all in my room at Plaza.  It simply would not cool down.  No I did not call the front desk.

I am up at 4:30 AM and kill some time before the Dunkin Donuts at Fremont opens at 5:30.  There is rain in the forecast for today.

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Las Vegas Strip Crawl

Day 18 of this Las Vegas trip report sees me up at 8:00 at California Hotel. I do not go out until 10:30 because I am a slave to restaurant reservations and that was the first open spot Market Street Café had for breakfast after I had showered. Should have called earlier. I just cannot get into the groove of this reservation thing.

In the café, I am seated less than 6 feet away from what would have been a flip flop wearing Fred Flinstone. Except he didn’t have his Flinstone feet in the flip flops so they were just out there in the wide open.

I had Eggs Benedict, which were good.

After eating, I lost $100 on quarter Double Double Bonus video poker. Then I lost $100 on Ultimate X Bonus Streak video poker. Then I went over to Circa where holy shit!  Not only did I get 15 Buffalo heads for the second time in my life, it was the second time on this trip!
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Las Vegas: Luxor Super Suite Times Pay

Las Vegas day 17 of this monstrous trip report!

I am up at 9:30 at California.  I am woken up by the phone ringing. I am checking into Luxor today and Luxor’s spa is calling me to let me know that I can get an earlier appointment than what I have scheduled. I can’t really change it though since I am checking in just to get my $100 resort credit and $50 free play. I need to have a room to charge the spa to my room, so I can use the credit.

I went to get breakfast at Binions, using an app reward. I have to say it, by this point in the trip, and for the first time in my life, I am sick of breakfast here. The hash browns taste like movie popcorn butter. I’ve never noticed that before and I don’t like it.

While I was eating, I got a notification that my Luxor room was ready. So I went back to my room at California to change my spa appointment and then headed to Luxor.

I checked in and got a one bedroom suite. These are wasted on me because non smoking so I won’t stay here.  Probably shouldn’t have messed the bed up before photos + I normally don’t mess the bed up.  Lots of people do this.   You know, so that housekeeping doesn’t report you didn’t stay.  I don’t think they actually do this / anyone would care.  So why I messed this bed up at all, nevermind before taking photos, is a mystery.

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Las Vegas: From Cosmopolitan to California Hotel

Day 16 of Las Vegas trip report continues as I am up at 8:00 AM at Cosmopolitan.  I am pretty bummed I missed sitting outside on my balcony as the sun rises.  Oh well, maybe next time.

I grab some Starbucks and get to playing.  My favorite Ultimate X video poker machine is back up. I turn a $100 bill into $160.  I want to keep playing but I have to go back up to the room to get ready to check out.

I pack and get ready to go.  On my way out of Cosmopolitan, I stop at my Ultimate X machine on my way out.  I am dealt Aces!

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Las Vegas: Buffalo Slots and Double Double Bonus Video Poker

Las Vegas day 15!  Waking up at Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.  How much do I love my balcony?

I am up at 10:00 and out at 11:00.  I try some Buffalo.  I am going degenerate. I cannot stop.  I cannot get any bonus, I will not stop until I get the bonus.  I move between machines, putting a $100 bill into three of them with nothing.  I have lost today’s budget.  I still don’t stop.

I try a new machine and thank you Buffalo gods for saving me.

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