Category Archives: Solo Female Travel

Las Vegas Trip Report: Binions Shows Me Some (De)Gener(ate)osity

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Saturday, December 18, 2010: Day Five of Nineteen

[This is part five of a nineteen part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

Is it day five already??

Up at 6:30 am at the El Cortez.  I just can never sleep in Las Vegas.  I get dressed and am out at 8:00.

I lose $60 in the quarter Double Double Bonus video poker progressives at the El Cortez that I love so much.

I head out to try the Fremont buffet and it’s not open.  It never is whenever i actually try to go there.  Like seriously for years, whenever I go there, it is closed.  It makes me want to eat there just because I cannot eat there.  Screw you and your mind tricks Fremont Buffet!

Pass through Binions, lose $20 in an Amazing Race slot machine.  Maybe I should actually go on The Amazing Race.  It seems I would have a better chance of winning money that way.

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Las Vegas: Going Degenerate Downtown in the Rain

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Friday, December 17, 2010:  Day Four of Nineteen

[This is part four of a nineteen day trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I am in Las Vegas so obviously I cannot sleep.  I am out at 6:00 am at the El Cortez.  I want to play Multi Strike Supertimes Pay, otherwise known as Crack.  Every downtown degenerate video poker player knows this machine inside and out.  There is just one.  JUST ONE.  In all of downtown.  It is often hard to get on it and it is no surprise that at 6:00 am this morning, Crack is taken.

So fine.   I will just play the quarter Double Double Bonus progressives that I love so much.

$20-$70 Jacks

quarter jacks

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Las Vegas Trip Report: First Time Visiting Cosmopolitan and A Fun Game of “Is It Heroin or Is It Spam?”

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Thursday, December 16, 2010 

[This is day three of a nineteen part trip report.   To start at the beginning, go here.]

Up at 7:30 at the Gold Coast.  I slept well because of Benadryl.  Out at 8:15.

Monopoly Bigger Event slot machine: I hit a $167 bonus, then got a 13X multiplier for $97.50

I try to cash out but I have time left on my bonus meter and as I am waiting for that to run out, the bonus hits again!  This time I only got $8.30

Cash out with $150.

Gold Coast buffet for breakfast, I had the best server ever.  She never once let my coffee cup go empty.  LOVE her.

After eating, it is back up to the room to get dressed and sort out my money.  Then it is back down to play!

Wizard of Oz: Ruby Slippers slot machine, huge bust.

Press Your Luck slot machine: $20-$0

Keno: $60-$0

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker: $40-0, followed by $20-$0

It is time to check out of the Gold Coast.  My hotel bill is $2.96.

I leave my bags with the bellman and head to the strip for coffee and cigarettes.  I am also going to visit  the Cosmopolitan casino, which opened last night.

My first stop is  Ellis Island.

$20-$0 in triple line nickel Double Double Bonus video poker.

$10-$0 in a nickel progressive Double Double Bonus video poker game.

$20-$50 on an Ultimate X Double Bonus video poker in pennies, so so so so so so much fun.  I could show you lots of blurry cell phone pictures, but I would hate to force your eyes into a permanent cross.  Then you would never be able to read my trip reports again and that would just be terrible!

Lunch is at Ellis Island’s coffee shop with a 50% off coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor.  Bacon mushroom cheeseburger.  My waitress is an idiot.

It’s 12:35.

I walk back to the Strip and head for the Bellagio.

Bellagio Las Vegas

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Going Degenerate to Hit a Higher Tier Level at Boyd

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010 

[This is part two of a nineteen night trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

Can’t sleep.  Up at 6:30 am at Gold Coast.  Out to gamble!  I play triple line nickel Double Double Bonus video poker:  $20-$0.

New wheel video poker, playing nickels:  $20-$30 via four of a kind nines.  Have you ever taken acid?   Well my blurry photo of those nines, that comes complete with flash orbs, looks like your acid trip.

Old wheel video poker: $20-$0

Press Your Luck slot machine: $40-$30

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker: $30-$0

Breakfast was at the Gold Coast buffet.  Nothing special at all, but it is cheap and right here so it works for me.

After eating, I played quarter Double Double Bonus video poker and hit Aces!!  I love Aces.
quarter aces

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Las Vegas Trip Report: The Time There Were Only 28 People on My Flight

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010 – Day One of Nineteen

Yes, day one of NINETEEN.

I left work early, even though I didn’t really need to.  But I wanted to because you know, I am leaving for Las Vegas today and I can’t stand to be at work any longer.

I took a cab from my apartment to JFK Airport.  This is a very rare splurge for me.  With the amount I travel, taking cabs every time I went to an airport would add up to more every year than the cost of a flight.

The airport was so empty and there were only 28 people on my flight.  I just love flying to Las Vegas at this time of year!    However, the downside was that when I got to my gate, there were zero people there which made me think I was late.  So I hurried it the eff up and did not stop to buy a soda.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 – Back when the Imperial Palace was still the Imperial Palace

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that was written back in 2008.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 – Day One of Eight

Today I worked and then went to the airport.  I made it there rather quickly and ended up with only about five minutes to kill in the airport.   Perfect.  My flight leaves at 5:30, but it’s about fifteen minutes after that when the pilot announces he has good news and bad news.  The bad news is that we are 21st in line to take off.  The good news is that there are planes behind us with longer waits and we are not one of those planes.  Oh yeah.  Still though, this actually is much less of a wait than I am accustomed to. I am used to it being hours after we are supposed to take off before they tell us we are 92873498237489237478923473289th in line.

I have the whole row to myself by the way.   This is my specialty.

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Macau, China: Final Gambling Chapter Featuring MGM Grand and the Venetian

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So after spending a day doing touristy stuff, I earned my right to continue on being Gamblor!  Hopefully I will do as well as I did on my first try, which you can read about here.

My plan is to play $100 HKD (just under $13 USD) in each of the five casinos I plan on visiting.

Where better to start than in my own hotel?  Lisboa’s casino was offering $20 HKD free play to new sign ups.  This is about $2.50 USD.  I also got a free cookie and a little change purse.

Lisboa casino swag

I lost my $20 free play and my allotted $100 (and an extra $100 for good measure.)  I went to cash out my last few cents and found out I had played enough to earn $50 HKD in free play.  Lost that too.  BUMMER.  When I went to collect my change, there were two women working the cashier’s cage.  One was obsessed with me and you could just tell she was dying for me to go to her window.  She looked SO EXCITED to see me walking up.  So I decided to get some good karma by obliging her.  No one has ever been happier to speak to me in my entire life.

Back over to Wynn.  Surely I will win here, since I did last night, right?  Maybe.  I lost my $100 in a Code Red slot machine and put in a second.  Because I said I was only going to play $100 and now I am playing $200.  This got me $1000.  That is about $129 USD.  This means I can put in another $100.  Cashed this one out at $900.

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Macau, China: Ruins of St Paul’s Church and Macau Fortress

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Most people do Macau as a day trip from Hong Kong.  Being a gambler, I stayed and played for a few days.  But I did take a morning to play tourist. First up was Senado Square. This was a quick walk from my hotel – Lisboa.  Some street views on my way: Macau China streets Macau walk to Senado Square The May heat meant that when I went to take my first picture, the camera was physically hot.  Also, it meant my camera did this, which freaked me out a bit when I realized the fog was inside the camera, not just on the lens.This was my first trip ever with a fancy camera and it fogs up.  Great! Don’t worry, I did figure it out and was able to get some pictures after all.  WHEW!Macau China Senado Square fountain Continue reading →

How (the opposite of) a Classy Broad Handles Shanghai’s Pudong Airport Scammers

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I flew to Shanghai from Chengdu.  When checking in, which was not the easiest thing to do since I somehow had no clue what airline I was flying on (I is smart), next to me was a group of Western kids that appeared to be on a class trip.  They had 49 pieces of luggage combined.  My thought was “that poor woman who has to help them”

Well wouldn’t ya know it, they are on my flight.  All eleventy billion of them.

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Hong Kong, China: Lantau Island, Ngong Ping Village, Tian Tan Buddha

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Today is my first full day in Hong Kong!  I am awake after only six hours of sleep.   Outside my window is this view of pouring rain:

Ibis North Point room view Hong Kong Victoria Harbor

I consider maybe not sticking to my original plan of going to Lantau Island.  I mean, it is raining!  I know it is supposed to rain my entire time here.  I ask myself what I am going to do instead.  It is a trick question.  If I can come up with an alternative, I am allowed to do it. But if my only alternative is to go back to bed, then I know I am just using the rain as a scapegoat for me being nervous about going out in a new country all by myself.  Guess what?  It turns out I did plan to go back to bed.  Nuh uh – nope.  You chose to come here, you are going out.  So I did.

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