Wednesday December 22, 2010 – Day Nine of Nineteen

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

Up at the El Cortez at 9:00, out 9:45. I have one last meal at Cafe Cortez to use up my dining credit here.

Cleopatra Keno: $5-$0

Four card Keno:
$25-$55
$25-$0
$25-$0

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker:  $80-$120 by hitting four of a kind too-blurry-to-post-a-picture-of-sixes and a dealt Straight Flush!

Today I am checking out of here and moving to the California hotel.  At check out, my room bill is wrong since my dining credit should have been applied at $20 per day and not $60 total.  Since a couple of days I was over $20, and today I am under $20, she has to play with it to get it to work.  She does and my bill is $0.

It’s P-O-U-R-I-N-G out.  I mean monsoon like.   On one hand, this is fine by me since I am usually lucky in Las Vegas when it rains.  Come on BIG MONEY!   On the other hand, I don’t have much of an interest in walking my luggage to the California in the rain. I ask the El Cortez bellman if he can call a cab for me. He had their driver take me to the California for ten bucks. I don’t know if I was supposed to tip on this? The guy is not a taxi driver. But I gave him $15. Better to be safe than sorry.

At California, I get room 1133, last one in the hall.

These rooms come with a refrigerator, but they do not come with Las Vegas luggage.  You have to bring your own.

View of the pouring rain outside my window:

I drop off my bags and head to Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee. It’s 11:30.

Fremont Double Double Bonus Supertimes Pay:
$20-$0
$20-$0

I had two Binions promo chips from doing the “Spin the Wheel” promotion on my last Las Vegas trip, so I head over there. I don’t play table games (nor do I know how) but the internet told me I could use them on Roulette and just bet one on red and one on black. I did this and won $5.

Binions quarter Double Double Bonus video poker:

$20-$80 by hitting four of a kind fives:

$80-$0

I have enough points to do the swipe promotion again. This time I win $10 food credit. That’s so much better than a deck of cards.

I play around some more because you know, GAMBLOR.

Life of Luxury slot machine: $20-$50
Crystal (something?) progressive slot machine: $20-$0
Sex in the City slot machine: $100-$0 (yikes)

Then because clearly I am beyond degenrate, I start playing dollar video poker.

Thankfully, I hit four of a kind sevens and cash out with $300.

Do I stop there? Um, NO.

Miss Kitty slot machine: $20-$0
Geisha slot machine: $20-$0
Ducks in a Row slot machine: $15-$0
Triple diamond Keno $5-$0
Four card Keno $25-0 and then another $25-$0

I now have enough points to get a second swipe on the spin promotion and I win a free Binions burger!

STILL NOT DONE.

Monte Carlo Royale slot machine:
$20-$50
$20-$50
$20-$0
$20-$0

Make my way back to California and here I play a Maltese Fortune slot machine: $20-$0.

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker:
$20-$0
$20-$30
$20-$0
$30-$0

I take a break to go to room to situate myself and add lucky glitter to my new money.

Out with $105, my aim is the Golden Gate and instead, ended up going to the Plaza as it was screaming for me to come inside.

It is so DEAD in here. I played some slots:

All That Glitters 2:
$20-$30
$20-$40
$20-$0

I Love Lucy: $20-$0

It is still pouring outside.  I love the neon reflection when it rains on Fremont Street.

I am exhausted and want my bed. I go to my room. I put on pajamas, brush my teeth and crawl into bed with a book. It is so comfortable and I just let out a pleasured sigh and then IT happens. I put my arm under a pillow. It feels frozen under there. What the…my bed is wet. SOAKING wet. What the hell is going on here? I get out of bed and note that the side of the bed away from the room door is completely soaked through, as is the carpet. I was walking on it making this discovery and the water was so deep in the carpet that it would rise up and go over my foot. What is this?

Does this look wet?  No?  Maybe that’s why I got into it in my pajamas.  ARGH.

I call the front desk. I say “My room is flooded” and the check-in-ling tells me to come down and she will give me a new key. Not that she will send someone up with a new key to help me move or anything. Not even an apology actually.

I am in my pajamas. I am exhausted. I don’t want to get dressed. So fuck it, I don’t. I go down to the lobby in my pajamas, with no bra on, wearing these slippers:

As I get off the elevator, the check-in-ling is waving me over with my new keys in her hand. She didn’t even verify I was me or apologize. I still to this day have never received an apology, even after writing a letter when I got back home.

Now I go back upstairs to move all my stuff. I didn’t want to pack and I was being a total child throwing a temper tantrum about this. Rather than pack and just move my bag, I keep going back and forth between the two rooms with a few items at a time in my left hand, while holding my right hand up giving the finger to any security cameras that might be watching me.

My 9:00 bed time has now become an 11:30 bedtime. Screw you California Hotel.