It is that time again.  Las Vegas at Christmas time.  Although it was not supposed to be. I am supposed to be in the Middle East.  But war.

I never posted my last trip report so you do not know this but back in May, when I was in Vegas, I got sick of Vegas.  I mean I got SICK of Vegas. It just felt increasingly dumb to gamble.  I wasn’t having fun and I didn’t want to be there anymore.

I had another trip booked for July and cancelled that while still in Las Vegas. I thought this was finally it.  But then here I am with time off and nowhere to go because my planned trip to the Middle East was off.  But I don’t want to spend the trip in Vegas.  But Vegas is easy.  But I don’t WANT TO GO THERE.

I priced some other destinations that were quite expensive as I was now not booking far in advance.

I also really hate my job. Perhaps if I had spent a week or two checking on things, I could have done better.  But because I hate my job, I absolutely must have all trips booked NOW because having trips booked NOW is how I stop myself from screaming FUCK YOU I QUIT.

So I decided to use Las Vegas as a base to see other cool stuff.  This way I get to take advantage of my comps, but this is not an actual Las Vegas trip.  It is a trip where I am using Las Vegas as a base to see other cool stuff.

I’ll write more about that cool stuff as it happens.

Booking this trip was so difficult.  I had to keep telling myself this is not a Vegas trip.  Yes, you do want to stay in this hotel but guess what?  YOU CAN’T.  Because this trip is not about Vegas. It is about using Vegas as a base.

I am also going to be burning a lot of my comps on this trip and I am fine with that too.  I do want to keep Boyd in tact because I love Boyd.  Cosmopolitan too, but since they are now owned by MLife, they may break up with me after I burn MLlife on this trip.  Oh well.

I arrived in Vegas, fresh off a cruise to the Bahamas that was plagued by weather issues.  I didn’t care about all that.  I didn’t want to go to the Bahamas.  I just went because it was a $100 cruise and I had time to kill.

Then off to Vegas!  I rarely arrive in daylight so I took a million photos as we were approaching Las Vegas.

I landed and actually took a taxi for the first time in a million years.  The driver told me that he had been waiting an hour and seven minutes for a fare.  He said it was really slow in town.

I got dropped off at Ballys (okay FINE, Horseshoe) to check into my Paris Versailles room.  These are the brand new rooms in the former south tower of Ballys. I asked for a refrigerator and was told that I could not have one because the rooms weren’t wired for them.  I did not fact check this.

I need a refrigerator for my medication though.  She offers me a different room type.  But I don’t want to walk all the way over there.  She makes a call and gets me switched to Horseshoe proper. I am completely fine with this.  I am more than fine with this actually.  I am elated that she took care of me.  So elated that I will call the property “Horseshoe.”

I get to the room and took a quick and shitty photo that I have accidentally deleted so if you just MUST see a Horseshoe room through my eyes, stick around!  I am staying here again in a couple of weeks.

I walked over to Bellagio, where I am also checked in.  I am not staying here and just booked it for the free play and dining credit.  I will not be gold next year and I will not pay resort fees so I am going out with a bang.  I booked four MLife offers in this one trip.

I don’t think I mentioned this trip is 33 days?  More on that later.

Back to Bellagio.  The walk over was frustrating because of the construction going on in front of Horseshoe.  I cannot stand all the Vegas construction and how it fucks up everything.  You have to walk all around this bullshit.  The escalators were not working either.  The top of the steps were very dark and there was a bunch of graffiti.  Had I been a brand new visitor, I would have been very disappointed that this was Las Vegas.

Once inside Bellagio, first stop if Starbucks.  Second stop is the Player’s Club. I had to go get a new player’s card since I forgot to pack mine.  I also got a MyKonami free play loaded.

I decided to play Moolah and got my $125 free play up to $119.  Lost that and then lost another $100.

I went to Snacks to get some dinner and breakfast for tomorrow.  Bellagio dining options are very limited if you do not want to pay for a fine dining experience.

I went up to my room that I am not staying in.  Since when are razors, dental kits and mouthwash given out?
The room:

And of course, the view:

After eating, I grabbed all the toiletries and slippers and headed back to Horseshoe.  I played a bit of Cleopatra Keno on my way out. I spilled root beer alllllllllll over the machine next to me.  I made such a mess.  Good thing though because it got me out of there because I didn’t want an employee catching me being a slob.

Second stop at Starbucks to use some more dining credit and to get coffee for tomorrow morning, and then back to my room at Horseshoe.

I packed for tomorrow because tomorrow I begin a three day National Park tour!  I am going to see: Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.

I am being picked up at Paris at 5:40 AM.  It is currently 8:00 PM.

I decide to go downstairs and use my free play that came with my offer and I bring $200 additional with me.  Here is the result:

YAY.

I am in bed at 9:01 and pass right out as I had no sleep the night before.

As I mentioned earlier, this trip is very long.  I’ll be working at the end of it, which I am not looking forward to.  I am also leaving Vegas twice.  Once for a short trip to Flagstaff/Laughlin and a second time for a week in Sedona.

I have never slept in Arizona before and I am sleeping there three different times during this trip.

I am doing a TON of stuff with Vegas as a base.  I normally don’t do much.  I usually book spa appointments, gamble and sometimes I book tickets for shows I don’t use because I don’t want to go once I am here.  This time I booked cool stuff.  You’ll see!

The more I booked, the more I wanted to book.  Then I’d keep moving my flight home out so I could do more.  Now I am doing all the things and I am pretty fucking excited.

Continuing reading HERE.