Monday, December 2, 2013

[This is part eight of a ten part trip report.  To start at the beginning, go here.]

Today is my last full day.  WAH.

I wake up at the Riviera at 8:00.  One of the things I do not like about staying here is that the food options are awful.  The coffee shop is gone.  The buffet is gone (I think anyway, it was inedible so even if it does still exist, it is not an option)  You can have breakfast in their pub, but I don’t want to do that.  I want a very large iced coffee.  The only place you can get one around here is at the McDonalds across the street.  So that is where I go.

If you have never frequented a Las Vegas message board before, then you have no idea that eating McDonalds in Las Vegas is considered worse than being a murderer.  I cannot stress enough, the anguish people feel over being subjected to the life ending torture that is knowing that someone who was not themselves dared to walk into a McDonalds in Las Vegas.  OH THE HORROR.

On the way outside, I lose my last $60.  I would have gone to the ATM right now and then gone degenerate, but every ATM in the Riviera is out of order.  Or at least, the FIVE I found are.  FIVE.  Out of order.  Thank you Riviera for saving me some money.

I walk across the street to McDonalds. I am on line, waiting to order.   I am trying to figure out what I am going to do as far as going to the ATM today.   I was supposed to take out $600 the other day, but my bank only let me get $500.   In addition to that, I still have another $600 intended for this trip.  I only have 1.5 more days, I do not need $700.  I am trying to figure out if I want to stick to $200/day or if I want to go a bit higher.  While I am trying to do math in my head of how much I want for where I will be today, someone comes up and tries handing me something while talking to me.  This is what modern day Las Vegas is. Everywhere you go, someone is shoving something in your face, asking you for something.   While most people are asking for money, there’s also the porn slappers who hand you porn cards (collect a complete set!), people hawking free show tickets at you (these will always cost you money when it turns out they come with a minimum drink requirement)   There’s also the time share people who have still never bothered me once (yay for looking homeless), but who I gather are very persistent.  It just goes on and on.  Everyone shoving something in your face, everyone asking for something.

So when this happens to me as I am trying to do math, I just shooed him away and it didn’t even register to me what was happening for like a full sixty seconds.  Once it did register, I realized that this was a person handing me a coupon for a free sandwich with purchase, asking me if I would get it for him.   Fuck.  Now I feel like shit.  This is probably a homeless person who scored the coupon of his life and cannot afford a purchase.  It will take me NOTHING to give him something.  So I turn around to see if I see him, so I can do this for him.  There are three people standing around who look homeless (four, if you count me) and I don’t know which one was the one who asked me.  I don’t want to insult someone by asking the wrong person about the coupon.  I feel like such an asshole for this.   I really do.

I walked back to the Riviera, cursing myself for being such an asshole.

NOW the ATM’s are working.   Thankfully I have broken degenerate mode by this point.

I am back in my room at 9:30.  I decide to stay and linger in here because I know it’s my last full day, I am under budget, I am a degenerate, wouldn’t it be nice to just once come home and not regret being a maniac?

I go back out at 1:30.  I am supposed to play $20 on Riviera’s quarter progressive Double Double Bonus video poker machines.  I do not do this.  I play $60.   Thankfully as my third $20 is in, I hit quad 7’s and am up to $80.  I should cash out since I am up $20 but that is just too much responsible gaming for me so I cash out at $60.   

I go outside and get on the Deuce bus.   I was going to go straight to the Mirage but the bus is not moving.  So I get out at Fashion Show Mall and stop at Starbucks and then just continue on walking.

Treasure Island pedestrian bridge entrance:

I went inside to get a player’s card.   I haven’t actually been here since Treasure Island was part of the MGM family.   It is now independently owned, but they do not consider you a new member if you have an MGM card.

I stopped to play some slots, and lost some money.

On my way out, I spotted a giant dead cockroach in the entry way.   He was so big that I was scared even though he was dead.  I have a picture of him.  If you want to see him, click the link.  If you do not want to see him, do not click the link.

http://iputmylifeonashelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dead-roach.jpg

Outside, I had to take pictures of what is left of the pirate show.   They are dismantling it and this is the last time I will see it as they are doing away with it.  I am not sure what will be in it’s place, but I really don’t care because I never even bothered to watch the new “sexy” version of the pirate show that has been running for years.  That was also around the same time that the sidewalk was reconfigured so that you could no longer walk by Treasure Island on the street.  You have to walk inside, through the casino.

Continuing on my walk, across the street, the Venetian is done up for Christmas.

I could have gotten better pictures by simply crossing the street, but I did not want to.  So let’s recycle and use pictures I took back in 2011.

Now it’s time to enter the Mirage.   I have no idea when I was last inside this property either.   It’s been years.

They have some Christmas stuff going on.

I walk through to pick up my ticket for Zarkana at Aria later tonight.  I love Cirque du Soleil.   I have wanted to see this show ever since it existed.   My ticket is free via playing the My Vegas game on Facebook.  I still do kind of wish I hadn’t gotten a ticket for my last night.   But all the other dates were blacked out since this was a holiday trip.   I don’t like having plans on my last night, I want to be free.

On my way out, I had to break a $20 to buy a bus pass.  Of course, this means I have to put a $20 in a slot machine, rather than a bill breaking machine.   I came so close to losing my $20 but a bonus brought me back to $16.   Perfect, since I need $5 for the bus pass (I am buying a local’s pass, I am not riding the Deuce anymore this trip)

Back outside. I am glad to see these boys have their water back.   The last time I was here, this pond was drained and they were dismantling the people mover over here.   I was not aware until today that this still existed.

This is the part of my report where I am realizing just how long today is.  As you can tell by the pictures, it’s still broad daylight outside.   So I am going to stop here and do the rest of today in a second part.

Want to read more?   Here are parts nine and ten!