Tag Archives: solo female travel

Las Vegas Trip Report: Last Day and Realization I Did Nothing But Gamble This Trip

Friday, January 4, 2008 – Day Four of Four

This is part four of a four part Las Vegas trip report.  If you want to start from the beginning, go here!

I wake up early because it’s the last day and I need to get going.   I wanted to make my first trip to the Palazzo and check it out.  I could not decide if I should go there first or last.   I’ve had quite a few trips where I end up spending my last day playing tourist on the strip because I was sick of losing money.   But today I still have half of my entire budget that I  left in the bank.  So I decided to play and then maybe go visit Palazzo  if I lose.

I went downstairs and lost all over Sahara.   Like $170 before 8:00 am.   On every machine I tried.   Sigh.

Again, I had breakfast at The Caravan Café, using my comps.   After, I went back to the room and packed and got ready to go.  I checked out and checked my luggage at the Bell Desk and took the bus downtown.

I played Monopoly again, won again.  I played my video poker machine again, won again.  This machine is so wonderful.  She loves to deal me four of a kinds.   She seems to understand.   She even gave me aces three times today.  Best machine ever.

After some playing, I went downstairs and played a game called Cash Inferno.  This machine is one of those machines where I normally hit a $50 bonus every time I play it, but I don’t play it that often because I like to keep it for when I NEED to win.    I can’t explain my logic here.  I do know that I hit a $60 bonus though.

I have a ton of comps at Fitzgeralds so I end up eating here.

After lunch, I go back to my video poker machine and she is no longer taking bills.   She is mad at me because she knows I’m leaving and I don’t blame her.   We are in love.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: I am Serious, Do Not Go To the ATM

Thursday, January 3, 2008

This is part three of a four part Las Vegas trip report.  To start at the beginning, go here!

I woke up with $20 cash left from last night’s losing session.  My “no ATM until you have no cash left” rule is still in effect so I need to get to losing it!

I took the bus downtown.  My first stop is Fitzgeralds, where I have $10 free slot play on my card.  I LOVE casinos that give you free slot play as a promo.   I got $5 in one shot but ended up playing it down and left with zero for my free play.

I walked over to the El Cortez to eat breakfast (at noon).  I lost ten bucks here.  Sigh.

Back to Fitzgeralds with $10 to spend before I hit the ATM.  OH HEY, again it worked.   I put the $10 into Monopoly and cashed out with $50.  I went and got fives for that and came back and won AGAIN. I did this a few times and ended up with $160.

I really love my ATM rule.

I took my new found winnings and decided to head to Binions.  I have a love/hate relationship with this casino.   I’ve never had an okay day here.  Only great ones or terrible ones.   You never know which one you are going to get, which I guess is why it’s called gambling.   This is also the one casino where I don’t get mad at myself for losing because even if I do, I am guaranteed to rack up enough comps for a Binions burger.

I played a Press Your Luck slot and it gives me NOTHING at all.  What is up with this machine?   It gave me so much money just last week!

Stopped for a Binions burger, then went back to Fitzgeralds.

I went upstairs to my favorite nickel triple play machine.   As I have mentioned before, this machine is my baby.   I’ve noted that she sometimes has sound and sometimes doesn’t.   I like it better when she has sound.   I’m sure she is going to die one day soon – twice now I have been to her and she wouldn’t accept bills.  I have a feeling that after I hit all three progressive royal jackpots, they are going to take her away.

This is as far as my notes go.  I HATE when I do that.   I’m too senile to remember what else I did this day.   I do know that I was in my room on time to watch Without a Trace.   So maybe that last entry was made around nine-ish and I went back to my room at that point.  Maybe I went back because I won, maybe I went back because I lost. I don’t know.  I’ll never know……

Want to continue reading?  Next and last part is here!

Las Vegas Trip Report: Atm Rule: Do Not Go to the ATM Until You Have Zero Dollars

Wednesday, January 3, 2008

This is part two of a four part Las Vegas trip Report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here!

I woke up from a dream that a housekeeper had come into my room to tell me she switched my home made “do not disturb” sign with a real one.  I had to actually open the door to make sure it was just a dream and it was.   My homemade sign was still on the door.

Well I’m up now so time to go out!   I am dressed and on the elevator at 8:00 am.  I am very tired and I have a headache but neither of these are going to stop me from being in Vegas.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Las Vegas by Way of Atlantic City

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Today I am traveling to Atlantic City, to catch a flight on Spirit Airlines to Las Vegas.  The total cost of the flight was $81 round trip.   I have never in my life paid that little for a one way, let alone a non-stop round trip.  What a great deal.

Another monumental event in today’s trip is that I had ZERO problems at all getting to the airport/getting to Vegas.  This has never happened to me before.   What a smooth trip.

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Las Vegas, Nevada: Closing Day at the Westward Ho, Crazy Lady at the El Cortez and My Revenge on Loud Hotel Guests

So, shortly after booking my December trip to Las Vegas, I read that the Westward Ho would be closing their doors on November 17.  I wanted to go, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to have two trips so close together.   I’d have to fund this trip with my December Vegas funds and I didn’t really want to do that.   Of course, I didn’t abandon the thought.  I checked my Harrahs offers and found I had two free nights at the Rio.   Well that was it, I was going to Las Vegas to say goodbye to the Ho!

Thursday, November 16, 2005 – Day One of Four

I left work at 5:00 and took the air train to JFK.  I wouldn’t do this if I had luggage with me.  Most subway stops in NYC (including the ones at my home and my job) don’t have escalators.  But since I just had a small bag, it was okay.

JetBlue flight departing at 7:15pm.  Or it was supposed to be.   We boarded and the doors were shut the door at 7:10.  At 8:00 we got an announcement that it would be another 45 minutes.    I hate that.  I also couldn’t get my two favorite channels (Travel Channel and VH1 Classic).   That sucked too.

After sitting on the plane for about seven hours, we’re in Las Vegas!

I took a shuttle to the Rio.  I have two nights comped here.  I’m supposed to have a premium “suite” with strip view, but I don’t.   No complaints though as it’s free.   I get room 471 in the Ipanema tower.   The bed was so comfortable.  I love the Rio rooms.

Rio, Las Vegas. Room 471 in the Ipanema tower

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Belogradchik, Bulgaria – v.1.5

I had originally  made an “out-of-chronological-order” post about my trip to Belogradchik, which you can find here.

I loved it there so much that I could not wait to do it in chronological order.  But there is some information I would like to add, specifically about getting there and back.

When I was researching this, I found out there was a bus.  But the information was really lacking and completely conflicting.  Now that I have been there, I can help.

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Goodbye Niš, Serbia, Hello Sofia, Bulgaria!

I was taking a 4:30 am bus from Niš, Serbia to Sofia, Bulgaria.   My Niš apartment was on the third floor of a building that had a cement spiral staircase, and no lighting at all in the hallway. Being that I am leaving at this ridiculously early hour, there is also no sunlight in the hallway.

I gave myself an extra half an hour to sit down on the stairs and scoot down them with my suitcase in tow, to avoid breaking my neck and killing myself.  It is times like these that I almost wish I were not solo, just so that someone else could witness how stupid my life is.

steps death

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Mentally Melting Down in Niš, Serbia

Today I was able to sleep in a bit since Nis doesn’t have all that much to see.  This means I am up by 8:00 anyway.

First thing I do is Google to see where the train station is, since I had forgotten to do that before I left.  Oh fuck.  It is a 21 minute walk, which is fine.  But there are a lot of turns and stuff on Cyrillic written streets.  There is no way in HELL I am going to be able to find it in the dark at 2:30 am.  FUCK.  This was my whole reason for staying an extra night in my hotel.  I don’t want to trust that I can get a cab.  So I decide that I will just take the bus to Sofia tomorrow.  Good bye dreams of finally taking an overnight sleeper train.  UGH.

Since I am going to the Fortress today, I make that my first stop since it is pretty much at the bus station.  This way I can buy a bus ticket to Sofia for tomorrow. It was an easy walk, passing over the Nišava River.

Nišava River, Nis, Serbia

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Bus Ride From Sarajevo, Bosnia to Niš, Serbia

Today I am leaving Sarajevo and going to Niš, Serbia.  I am really excited about this.  I had done and redone this part of my trip 83274398274 times.  I wanted to go to Niš so bad.  I cant explain it, I just NEEDED to see it.  That happens sometimes, you just become completely fixated on seeing a certain place for unexplainable reasons, you just FEEL that you need to be there.  That is Niš for me.

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One Day Spent in Sarajevo, Bosnia

I had originally done a “quick picture post” of Sarajevo, here.

I had not planned to spend any time in Sarajevo.  I wanted to go to Mostar, and planned to use Sarajevo as a home base to travel to Mostar from, as a day trip.  However, after arriving in Sarajevo, I just felt like I wanted to be here.  I can’t really explain it.  I don’t know if the city affected me in any way, if I was just mentally exhausted, if I was so over Rome and all the people or what. I just knew I wanted to stay here. I woke up early and was raring to go.  I wasn’t really sure WHERE to go though.  I hadn’t planned on staying here, so I hadn’t done any research.  I hopped on a tram and took it to the end of the line and walked around a bit.  I found a cool park. park - sarajevo, bosnia Sarajevo has so much beauty.  I could not get enough of gazing at the multi colored houses in the hills. Sarajevo, Bosnia Sarajevo, Bosnia

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