Las Vegas Trip Report: The Day I Whine A Lot in Las Vegas

10 Replies

Sunday, May 3, 2009 – Day Ten of Eleven – Last Full Day in Las Vegas

[This is part ten of an eleven part Las Vegas trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I wake up at 10:00 at Fitzgeralds, which is the latest I’ve woken up the entire time I’ve been here.  I’m out at 10:30.

There’s a slot machine named Rawhide something, that has a progressive which needs to hit by $500 and it’s at $430.  I play that a while.  I got a $26.50 line pay.  Then a bonus for $19.78.  But no progressive. Dammit.

I walk over to Four Queens to check to see if I have any comps.  I have neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr in my life used a comp here and I recently discovered that they do have a separate comp system.  So I ask and I’m told that in order to get a comp I need to speak to a host and “you don’t have enough play for a host.”  So you are telling me that after nine years of playing in your casino on EVERY trip I have taken, I can’t even get a free breakfast?  And you don’t send room offers to me.  So I guess I won’t be playing here ever again.  What’s the point when I have a choice of other places who ,for the same amount of play, will give me food and free play and rooms?  Eh?

But I do want to play here because they are the only downtown casino I’ve ever seen the Love Boat slot machine in.  So I walk over and EFF YOU it’s gone, replaced by Happy Days.  I HATE YOU FOUR QUEENS.

I go outside and walk to the Golden Gate.  It’s HOT in here.  There is a line at the slot club.  I need to get a food voucher.  It’s hot.  Line.  Hot.  Line.  Why can’t I just swipe my freaking card?

I get my voucher and the diner is packed.  I take the counter.  I have a horrible server. She is ignoring me.  Haaaaaaaate.  It’s like 11:30, which is like 2:30 East Coast time, which is ridiculously late for me to eat breakfast.

Finally, I get to eat.

I check my card and there is $5 mystery free play on it again.  I play some penny game named “Extra Luck” and I get nothing.  Viva Las Vegas, nothing.

I walk back and play at the Four Queens (didn’t I JUST say I was never going to do this ever again???) and I play penny 25 play Double Double Bonus video poker and hit Aces with a kicker:

ACES PENNY (2)

I walk through and find a new Sydney Omar game -this one is named “Zodiac Wheel.”  I play it six times, $5 each time.  I leave up ten bucks.

On the way out I can’t resist one more penny progressive game and I lose my money, of course.

I get back to Fitzgeralds and there is a Maggie and the Martians slot machine right at the entrance.  I did well on this at Encore and never saw it again.  So I am dying to play it, but there is a whole gaggle of people all over the area just hanging out and not playing.  One of them is sitting at Maggie.  So I sit down next to her and take my time doing things, including lighting a cigarette.   I do understand that for nonsmokers, having a smoker light up next to you when you are playing is irritating.  But if you are NOT playing and you are just sitting there, you have no right to be annoyed.  She was annoyed.  And she made it obvious so I ask “Are you going to play that machine?” She got up without saying and word and Maggie was mine.

I lost fifteen bucks on her.

I went back to the Rawhide progressive slot and tried to get it.  I didn’t.  But I kept getting nice line pays including a $40 line pay on a 30 cent bet.

Went back to the room down $15 for the entire day.

My room key isn’t working.  Again.

Back downstairs, takes foreverrrrrrrrrr for an elevator to come.   I kind of flip out on the front desk dude and tell him this is the second time my key has stopped working, I tell him that Fitzgeralds has the absolute most horrible elevators in all of Las Vegas.  I whine to him that the whole having to wait forever to go up, only to find out my key doesn’t work and then to have to wait forever to go back down, to wait forever to go back up is just beyond frustrating.  He is very nice and apologizes and tells me they are fixing the elevators. I tell him they were fixing them in December and its now May so by this schedule they should be done in mid-2011.   This is not his fault, I know this.  But I can’t stop whining.  I am so sorry Fitzgeralds desk dude.

Its 1:45 and I try to nap but I can’t.  I’m back out at 2:45.

I walk over to the El Cortez intending to play the nickel machine that was nice to me yesterday.  There is a man sitting at it, not playing, and carrying on a conversation with an invisible person.  I kind of hope security will come and remove him but instead I take note that (a) this never happens and (b) the cocktail waitress keeps serving him.

I walk over the progressives I love so much and note that yesterday’s $1700+ royal has hit since I was last here.  Why oh why couldn’t it have been me?

I put in a ten to see if I can get anything, I can’t.

I go over to the internet kiosk and print out my boarding pass for tomorrow.  I get a B pass.

I try that dumbass diamond progressive game again and I lose.

I try the progressives again and I lose $40.

Back to Fitzgeralds and stop at their coffee shop to use the $20 food voucher I got in my mailer.  I originally planned to use it for Don B’s but looking at their menu shows me that I’d have to kick in my own cash after the voucher, and I don’t want to.   $20 is way too much for a solo diner at the coffee shop but I figure I can get desert to go after I’m done eating.

I get a western burger, which is actually pretty good.  All the food here is pretty good.  However as always, the service is absolutely horrible. Every time I’ve eaten here there are pages of me writing “Hello, is anyone going to help me?  Can I get a drink?  Is anyone ever going to take my order?” in my notes and so on.

I am suddenly very exhausted and this is making my tolerance for having to wait forever for someone to pay attention to me just vanish.  Now I’m angry.   Where is my drink? Where is my food?  Where is my server?  Ugh.

Finally I get everything I need, including cheesecake to go.  I steal a fork to eat it with since they don’t provide you with one.

I go back to the Four Queens and play (why am I not boycotting this place?) and lose the rest of my daily budget.

I stop for a Diet Pepsi and I’m in my room at 6:30.  I had planned to read a bit but I absolutely cannot keep my eyes open.  So I set the alarm for the Amazing Race, pass out and sleep through my alarm for a good 55 minutes.  Good job.  I miss all of the Amazing Race, save for the coming attractions for next week.  Son of a bitch.

I watch the Celebrity Apprentice while packing.  I decide to stay in since tomorrow is my last day and I want to get up early.  I go to bed at eleven but I never really fall asleep because I’m now scared I will sleep through my alarm again tomorrow morning.  Hate that last night in Las Vegas.  Hate it.

Want to read more?  You can find the next chapter here: eleven!