Yes, another old Las Vegas trip report. Imagine my surprise when looking in my drafts and seeing this one mostly set up and just never posted. I am kind of hoping it is all typed out so I don’t have to go foraging for my notes to complete it. This trip took place in June of 2022.
I booked this trip before leaving for my 10 week Europe trip. I flew to Vegas just 10 days after arriving home. Some people thought this was too much but I personally thought ten days home was too much so…
I flew first class on Delta because I am now fancy like that. I went through security a bit earlier (for me) than normal because it took me awhile to realize that first class tickets come with first class lounge access and I could stock up on a million tiny bottles of water so that I didn’t have to go outside in the desert to find water when I arrived. Las Vegas is really no longer a 24 hour town and of course you can find a Walgreens or CVS nearby. But who wants to walk to anything “nearby” in 110 degree heat when you have to be “at” work in a couple of hours?
Well that did backfire because the line to get into the lounge was incredibly long. But it also worked to my benefit because I actually got to get Dunkin Donuts at the airport. It is normally closed. This time, they closed the “door” (actually a metal fence) behind me as I left. Score!
This flight was packed to the brim with some of the worst people on the planet. Everyone rushed the gate before they even announced priority boarding. Once I realized about 50 people were boarding I guessed maybe I should go too? I got the last spot in the overhead bin. Did not stop people from passing by and opening my overhead bin, smashing my arm with whatever baggage they had around their shoulder as they stood so close to me.
I don’t recall ever a plane that took so long to board. We left about an hour late. I was determined to take the bus from the airport. I have no idea why. I had 5 hours on the plane to dig into my thoughts and I came up with this: I love self destruction. Since I was pretty much settled on making this the first trip of my entire life to Las Vegas where I would not gamble on night one, I had to be self destructive some other way. Why not cut into precious sleeping time to be “at” work at 6:00 am as a replacment for first night degeneracy?
I pretty much run off the plane to get to the bus as I am cutting it close with time. I did slow down for one second to take a deep breath of the inexplicable chlorine scented air at the bottom of the escalator to inhale that wonderful smell.
Walking outside and taking that first breath of burning hot desert air is always the opposite of pleasure that comes from that short lived scent of chlorine. There are excessive heat warnings and tomorrow is supposed to break the record high for that date. My throat immediately caught on fire and I could not stop choking. It felt like I inhaled ash from a camp fire. And I am someone who frequently goes to Vegas in the summertime (even after always swearing never again!) And yet here I am choking to death on burning hot air. COULD. NOT. STOP. DRY. COUGHING. Good thing I stockpiled tiny bottles of water on the plane.
The bus schedule was a fun thing. The RTC website has the schedule for the CX. I was not sure if it was running on a regular schedule or weekends (it was announced awhile ago that all buses were running on weekend schedules due to lack of drivers.) So if I went by the RTC schedule, it was either arriving at 10:32 or 10:36. Google Maps though, said 10:49. I got to the bus area at 10:29 and watched a whole lot of 108 and 109 buses and also one “driver in training” bus pull in. Then at 10:49, the CX pulled in.
I love the CX bus. I just like sitting on it and watching the Strip go by. I guess you do the same thing in an Uber but it just feels better on a bus. Fight me.
I checked into Four Queens, 3 nights on a comp. Their incidental hold is $25 total on comped nights. Love them. I got room 1728 in the South Tower. I am not winning any photo awards for these shitty shots.
Since the South Tower elevators at are the front desk area, I didn’t even have to walk through the casino so no temptation to gamble. Except I was starving. I didn’t want a sit down meal because I just really wanted to go to bed. Most things were closed at this point anyway. So I opted for Subway as my first meal. I also agreed I could use my free play but no cash. So I left my room with no cash, but came back with cash! DEALT!
Went to bed and despite being exhausted, I could not sleep. But also refrained from going out. I might not have been well behaved if I could get iced coffee easily but that is so 2019.
Barely crawled out of bed for work in the morning. Good morning Las Vegas!
I left my room at 5:30. I needed iced coffee and breakfast and to be “at” work by 6:00 AM. I did a mobile order for Dunkin Donuts so it was ready when I got there, I love you Dunkin Donuts. Then gave myself 15 minutes to play before grabbing McDonalds breakfast to go when they opened at 6:00.
I opted for dollar video poker again because I knew if I lost, it would be quick and I would be done in time to get “to” work ontime (except late because McDonalds opens at the same time I start work.)
Great decision. Everyone love getting four Queens at Four Queens.
Cash out and remember I have last night’s winnings in my wallet still so fuck it, let’s go again.
Time to go!
I grabbed breakfast and got to the room and had the wonderful realization that this trip didn’t even really start yet and I am up $660.
To the room to work. Then out for dinner at 3:00. I have a million dollars in comps at Four Queens so I ate at Magnolias.
Over to The D to start using the Las Vegas Advisor coupon. Receive $5 free play for every 50 points, up to $100. Every trip I say I am going to get to the max with this coupon so I can get my comps back at The D. I am currently back up to 2 free nights, but I no longer enjoy 2 free nights. Especially when working in Vegas. I always need to overlap rooms so I have internet for the full day. That said, I did not get anywhere near maxing this out. But the win here is that I stopped before going full degenerate.
Off to bed I go.