This is an old Laughlin / Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts. While it was current at the time it was written, a lot of it is now completely outdated.  Much of what you read about may no longer exist.

Monday, March 24, 2003 – Day Four of Nine

My mother and I wake up today at the Plaza.  Breakfast is free for both of us with the Plaza’s Pleasure Pak coupons.  The food here is nothing special, but it is free and features crispy bacon.

Today we are taking a day trip to Laughlin. I was hoping we’d get the same driver I had back in June. He was wonderful and shared a lot about Las Vegas, history, little facts and interesting things. Unfortunately we had a different driver. This driver had no personality and didn’t like to be spoken to. Oh well.

The bus trip comes with free coupons to the Edgewater buffet.  After lunch, we took Laughlin’s only form of public transportion; a water taxi.  This was a nice way to get around as you had a lovely view.

I would love to see the inside of these homes.

Laughlin’s own Vegas Vic!

I love the Colorado Belle:

We took the river taxi all the way down to Harrahs, which is the last casino of the bunch.  It’s peculiar because you see the beach with mountains in the background, which I am so not used to, being from the East Coast. If you look at just the beach, it’s possible to forget you are in the desert.

First thing I spot inside Harrahs is a bank of The Price is Right Punch a Bunch slot machines. I never got to play them though since they were always full.

I had wanted to build up some more points on my Harrahs card so I went nuts. I won on Cash Crop, Quarter Mania and Monopoly. I left Harrahs up about $50 which was great because I was going nuts putting money into machines.

We get back to the Edgewater and discover that none of these machines are going to give us any money. So we stop playing and settle for Krispy Kreme donuts.

On the way back to Las Vegas, we decide we want to get off the bus at Caesars so we can eat at the Cheesecake Factory again. Our driver with no personality said “I’m only dropping off where I picked up, no additional stops” which was fine. But we are curious “Did you stop at Caesars on the way here?”  Because you know, he might have before he picked us up at the Plaza. So I ask.  Mr. Personality barks back “You can get off if we stop near Caesars.” I try again.   I ask him “Where exactly are you stopping?” He answers me with “Shhhhh, I’m counting” and then makes an announcement that “It’s okay to tip your driver” Sorry, but I’ll pass.

Some woman on the bus offers to me that Ballys is near Caesars. I already know this, but does she happen to know if the bus is in fact stopping at Ballys? She doesn’t know, but starts naming for me all the hotels near Caesars. Thanks. Do you know if the bus is stopping at any of these hotels? No? So you are just being helpful listing random hotels for me? I feel myself getting so cranky.

It turns out we do stop at Ballys. My mother and I exit the bus and walk to Caesars. I am getting crankier and crankier and crankier by the minute. The people mover that you take from the strip into the casino isn’t working, which means my mother has to walk uphill on it.  This is very difficult for her to do.  I am not even hungry and I just start snapping and in my snapfit I tell my mother “IM NOT EVEN HUNGRY” to which she said she wasn’t either so we skipped the walk.

We stopped at O’Sheas because they had Sale of the Century slot machines inside. I had never seen them before. My machine ate all my money. My mother cashed out on a Reel ’em in game. We get her money and head to Harrahs. It is at Harrahs that my mother realizes she left her jacket in O’Sheas. Back we go.

We return Harrahs a second time and this time I play The Price is Right Punch a Bunch. I LOVE this game. The girl on the Showcase Showdown has a name tag that reads “Jen” I won $75. This game is so great. I want to play it all day every day.

We take a cab back to the Plaza. I take a shower, the tub wont drain. Neither will the sink when I brush my teeth. Luckily the win at Harrahs has eased my crankiness and I condition myself to “it’s our last night at the Plaza, who cares?” I go to sleep smiling.