Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2008.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

December 16, 2008: Day Five of Twenty One

I’m up at 5:30 am. Why. I go out and lose today’s budget before 9:00 am. Sigh, I hate days like this.

I retreat back to my room and nap until check out time. Check out of the California and into the El Cortez.  The check-in-ling comments on how tired I look.  What can I say?  It’s exhausting being a degenerate gambler. I get room 902 and my view is of workers working on the new Cabana Suites.

My bathroom sink actually drains, an El Cortez rarity.  But it does gurgle when someone else takes a shower. The heat in this room is way too strong. I can’t figure out how to get it cooler because the thermostat doesn’t really make it clear which way is hot and which way is cold. Thankfully, someone else seemed to have this problem and was kind enough to write directions on the wall for future guests.

Of course, this doesn’t work so I sleep with the window cracked open to counter the heat.  This seems to work fine and I fall into a nice nap until I have a nightmare that I am on Long Island, trying to leave for Las Vegas.  My ride to the airport fell through and I missed my flight. I am woken up by insanely LOUD people in the room next door to me. I’m a bit confused and then I realize it was a dream and I’m IN Vegas and I immediately feel better, loud neighbors and all.

Today is double points at the El Cortez with my mailer. Between my room offer ($25 free slot) and the Las Vegas Advisor free slot coupon, I have $30 free play and that’s all I’m risking on my first trip out. I use it on Multi Strike Super Times Pay video poker (aka CRACK) and play penny Triple Double Bonus poker.  On the third line up I get fours, with an 8x multiplier for $32.00. I cash out with $40.

Lunch is at Cafe Cortez.  They have completely redone it and the counter is gone.  It looks so nice and different.  I get the French Dip and it’s very good.

After eating, I find a new slot machine – Rembrandt Riches. It’s just like All That Glitters and Davinci Diamonds in that wins cascade and new symbols fall down. I lose the $40 I turned my free play into and am getting really sick of this.

I don’t want to put any more cash into any machine so I go to Fitzgeralds where I have $50 free play for an offer I booked and am using next week. I get nothing out of the $50.

It’s still early (7:30 pm) but it’s time to give up for the day. I have had a painful earache for a few days now.  So I stop at Walgreens, where I’m delighted to discover they do sell over the counter drops for ear aches. I grab a sandwich and retreat to my room and crawl into bed with a book and stay there until morning. The ear drops do a magical job of both fixing my ear problem AND clogging up my ear so that I don’t hear my loud neighbors.

Note: With the exception of switching hotels and going to Walgreens, I never went outside today.