Trip Report: 3 Busy Days in Las Vegas
Oct 24th, 2004, 11:14 PM
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Trip Report: 3 Busy Days in Las Vegas
I can't believe it's been almost a week since my recent trip to Vegas. Here are the highlights:
My friend and I arrived at DFW early last Sunday morning for our flight to Vegas -- her first visit to "Sin City" and my first in 4 years.
As is the norm for me, the security agent thought my purse looked interesting, and proceeded to empty everything out. She even took out my roll of gambling money, and handed it to me for all to see, while she inspected my makeup, utility bills, and so on. My friend, who has had a knee replacement, was thoroughly searched and scanned, and we ended up being the last passengers to board the plane.
Anyway, we made it, and took off on time. This was my 2nd trip this year on America West, and everything went smoothly, although we never could understand a single thing the captain said over the speaker. I sat in the middle seat next to my friend, and a very large woman whose arm kept mine pinned to the seat for most of the flight. I tried sleeping on the tray table, but the passenger in front of me had her seat leaned back, and it wasn't very comfortable.
After arriving at McCarran International, we caught our pre-arranged shuttle to the Aladdin. We didn't have to wait at all to check in, but the hotel clerk did try his best to get us to upgrade to a larger room (+$30) or a lakeview room (+$50). We politely declined, took or room keys, and went to the Bell desk and rented a motorized scooter for my friend. At $35 a day, this turned out to be money well spent.
Our room was in the North Tower, and was very nice. There was no fridge or microwave, but the room was still very comfortable. The bathroom was quite large, with a huge, deep tub, separate shower and potty closet. I don't know if I would recommend these rooms for a family with kids, however. The bathroom had "French" doors that didn't lock, and had a quarter-inch gap between them. The shower just inside had a completely transparent door. I warned my friend not to pop in to use the toilet while I was taking my shower. I could just imagine what would happen if I'd brought my kids when they were younger.
Anyway, after getting settled, we headed to the casino which is conveniently located just steps from the elevators. We signed up for the slot club and paid $25 to take part in the slot tournament. Although we didn't win anything, we both got several food discount coupons, free slot play, and gifts. She chose a beach towel and $10 off at the buffet; I chose a nice watch. (If you played twice, you could even get a suede jacket.)
We decided to eat at the Aladdin's Spice Market Buffet. The 30-min. wait in line was worth it, as the buffet has numerous "international" food stations, and everything was delicious.
After lunch, I played the slots for a couple of hours, while my friend rode around the adjoining Desert Passage Mall. Around 6 p.m., we headed for Caesars Palace, to see Elton John. It took a while to get a cab, even with the help of the valet. Although a motorized scooter will fit in the back of a Ford Explorer taxi, 3 or 4 drivers refused to take us. We finally arrived at Caesars around 7, shopped for a few minutes, and headed for the show. Elton's performance was wonderful, worth every penny of the $100 we paid for our tickets. Since my friend was on a scooter, they took her to the front of the line to pick up our camers (which had been confiscated at the door), and someone handed her a pair of drumsticks used during the performance. Afterward, we had a late dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops. My favorite item was the potato soup, but the lighting was so poor, we couldn't really see what we were eating Also, I had to ask our waiter four times for a to-go cup for my tea. Back at the Aladdin, I spent an hour or so more in the casino (my friend doesn't gamble much), collected my free gift for accumulating 50 points -- a little lighted glass thingy and another food coupon -- then retired for the night.
Monday morning, we took our time getting up and getting ready, even watching Regis and Kelly interview Celine Dion on TV, as she talked about how much she likes living in Las Vegas. We used one of our Starbucks coupons for a light breakfast, then played the slots and/or shopped for a few hours. We used yet another coupon for discounted lunch at the Zanzibar Cafe, which -- like all the other Aladdin Restaurants -- was right in the casino. Since it was obvious there were no coupons for P. F. Chang's, I decided to have the Emperor's Feast at Zanzibar. It was quite good, although I think I learned that you aren't supposed to pop the whole ball of wasabi in your mouth at one time.
That evening, we went outside to catch our tour bus for the "Neon Night on the Town" tour. The bus was very comfortable, and the driver very accomodating in getting my friend's scooter on and off. The bus picked us up at 5:30 p.m., for what was advertised as a 4-5 hour tour, starting at 6:30. We visited the Rio for the Mardi Gras Parade, which was probably the best part of the tour. I danced with one of the clowns and got free beads. Then, we were taken to the Bellagio, where we stood along the railing and watched the fountain show, then took a quick walk through the rainforest. Next, we visited the Tropicana to see the aerial acrobats in AirPlay. The performers were good, but the Tropicana looked kind of run-down and had a peculiar odor. Our next stop was supposed to be a 2-hour stop downtown to see the Freemont Street Experience and have dinner; however, the tour guide only allotted us 45 minutes, and we ended up having to grab a quick burger at McDonald's. The overhead digital light show was cool, but we didn't care much for Downtown, particularly since we couldn't find anywhere to eat. (It was after 10, and all the buffets were closed.)
After being driven around the Downtown area and "wedding chapel row" -- a waste of time, since many places were closed and dark -- we arrived at the Stratosphere after midnight. After being told there would be an hour wait to go to the top, my friend decided she didn't care to go. Since I've been to the top of plenty of tall buildings, I said that was fine, and we got the bus driver to take us back to the Aladdin. All in all, I would not particularly recommend this tour. The Rio and Bellagio were worthwhile, but it was quite tiring getting on and off the bus so many times. The bus driver couldn't have been any nicer, but it kind of bothered me that the tour guide ran off with the rest of the tour, and left me and my mobility-impaired friend behind at every stop. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it would have been nice if she had waited the maybe 3 minutes it took to get the scooter off each time, so we could have gone in with the rest of the group.
Although we didn't get back to our room until almost 1:00, I changed into my comfortable clothes, and headed back to the casino for a couple of hours. I also did a little window shopping in Desert Passage, even though everything was closed, and decided to recommend we have breakfast at Cheeseburger at the Oasis.
Tuesday morning, we headed to the mall for breakfast. Next to "Cheeseburger" was La Salsa Cantina, advertising breakfast for $2.95. We opted to go cheap and try LSC, which was a mistake. Breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs, 2 tortillas, a tablespoon of "Southwestern" potatoes, and the mildest salsa I've ever tasted. After returning the menu, I ordered coffee ($2.25) and pineapple juice ($2.35). My friend's more expensive breakfast had 2 slices of avocado, so I asked for a little avocado (1 slice, cut into 4 pieces for $2.00) and a little cheese ($1.00). We had to ask for a second bowl of salsa, because there was a hair in ours, but that was free. My $2.95 breakfast came to a little over $11. I wish we had gone with our original plan and eaten at Cheeseburger at the Oasis, plus seeing the guy waiters in grass skirts would have been a hoot.
We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon shopping in Desert Passage. I can't say enough good things about this mall. There were many unique shops, interspersed with lots of art galleries. I could easily have spent days there, and I would highly recommend Desert Passage for people of all ages. (My teenagers would have loved it.) There were lots of affordable clothing and gift shops, sports and music memorabilia, including a Nirvana guitar for $7450 that my son would have loved, but the slot machines didn't cooperate. The atmosphere and visuals in the mall were very pleasant, and the hourly rainstorm was interesting.
After a final hour in the casino, and collecting my slot club bonus, we caught our shuttle back to the airport. Check-in was much faster than I expected, although we again got searched pretty good. The security agent seemed puzzled by the ukelele in my carry-on. He never asked what it was, but ran it back through the x-ray machine a few times. After a sandwich and fries at the Cheers Bar in the airport, we boarded our plane for the flight home.
Our seatmate was a graduate student/businesswoman from Arizona, with whom we had a very pleasant conversation. When I asked for a refill on my tea -- to go with the Cinnabons we bought in the airport -- the flight attendant brought another cup and a whole can, plus extra peanuts and snack mix for the whole row. The flight went quickly, and we were back in Dallas before we knew it. On the way home, we stopped at Czech Stop in West for kolaches and big fat sandwiches. I was a little disturbed to discover a $26 Cashout Voucher from the Aladdin in my purse. (It reminded me of the time I went to Canada, and brought back $30 worth of Canadian money.) My friend dropped me off at home a little after 1:00. I checked 3 things -- (1) to make sure my son was at home/asleep (he was, although he was late 2 school both days I was gone), (2) to make sure all the cats were inside (they were), and (3) Fodors. Then, I headed off to bed to get 4 hours' sleep, before getting up for work the next morning.
Nice trip. (I'm going to be watching the mail for an offer from the Aladdin, since I accumulated 192 points in the slot club.) I can't wait to go back.
Donna
My friend and I arrived at DFW early last Sunday morning for our flight to Vegas -- her first visit to "Sin City" and my first in 4 years.
As is the norm for me, the security agent thought my purse looked interesting, and proceeded to empty everything out. She even took out my roll of gambling money, and handed it to me for all to see, while she inspected my makeup, utility bills, and so on. My friend, who has had a knee replacement, was thoroughly searched and scanned, and we ended up being the last passengers to board the plane.
Anyway, we made it, and took off on time. This was my 2nd trip this year on America West, and everything went smoothly, although we never could understand a single thing the captain said over the speaker. I sat in the middle seat next to my friend, and a very large woman whose arm kept mine pinned to the seat for most of the flight. I tried sleeping on the tray table, but the passenger in front of me had her seat leaned back, and it wasn't very comfortable.
After arriving at McCarran International, we caught our pre-arranged shuttle to the Aladdin. We didn't have to wait at all to check in, but the hotel clerk did try his best to get us to upgrade to a larger room (+$30) or a lakeview room (+$50). We politely declined, took or room keys, and went to the Bell desk and rented a motorized scooter for my friend. At $35 a day, this turned out to be money well spent.
Our room was in the North Tower, and was very nice. There was no fridge or microwave, but the room was still very comfortable. The bathroom was quite large, with a huge, deep tub, separate shower and potty closet. I don't know if I would recommend these rooms for a family with kids, however. The bathroom had "French" doors that didn't lock, and had a quarter-inch gap between them. The shower just inside had a completely transparent door. I warned my friend not to pop in to use the toilet while I was taking my shower. I could just imagine what would happen if I'd brought my kids when they were younger.
Anyway, after getting settled, we headed to the casino which is conveniently located just steps from the elevators. We signed up for the slot club and paid $25 to take part in the slot tournament. Although we didn't win anything, we both got several food discount coupons, free slot play, and gifts. She chose a beach towel and $10 off at the buffet; I chose a nice watch. (If you played twice, you could even get a suede jacket.)
We decided to eat at the Aladdin's Spice Market Buffet. The 30-min. wait in line was worth it, as the buffet has numerous "international" food stations, and everything was delicious.
After lunch, I played the slots for a couple of hours, while my friend rode around the adjoining Desert Passage Mall. Around 6 p.m., we headed for Caesars Palace, to see Elton John. It took a while to get a cab, even with the help of the valet. Although a motorized scooter will fit in the back of a Ford Explorer taxi, 3 or 4 drivers refused to take us. We finally arrived at Caesars around 7, shopped for a few minutes, and headed for the show. Elton's performance was wonderful, worth every penny of the $100 we paid for our tickets. Since my friend was on a scooter, they took her to the front of the line to pick up our camers (which had been confiscated at the door), and someone handed her a pair of drumsticks used during the performance. Afterward, we had a late dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops. My favorite item was the potato soup, but the lighting was so poor, we couldn't really see what we were eating Also, I had to ask our waiter four times for a to-go cup for my tea. Back at the Aladdin, I spent an hour or so more in the casino (my friend doesn't gamble much), collected my free gift for accumulating 50 points -- a little lighted glass thingy and another food coupon -- then retired for the night.
Monday morning, we took our time getting up and getting ready, even watching Regis and Kelly interview Celine Dion on TV, as she talked about how much she likes living in Las Vegas. We used one of our Starbucks coupons for a light breakfast, then played the slots and/or shopped for a few hours. We used yet another coupon for discounted lunch at the Zanzibar Cafe, which -- like all the other Aladdin Restaurants -- was right in the casino. Since it was obvious there were no coupons for P. F. Chang's, I decided to have the Emperor's Feast at Zanzibar. It was quite good, although I think I learned that you aren't supposed to pop the whole ball of wasabi in your mouth at one time.
That evening, we went outside to catch our tour bus for the "Neon Night on the Town" tour. The bus was very comfortable, and the driver very accomodating in getting my friend's scooter on and off. The bus picked us up at 5:30 p.m., for what was advertised as a 4-5 hour tour, starting at 6:30. We visited the Rio for the Mardi Gras Parade, which was probably the best part of the tour. I danced with one of the clowns and got free beads. Then, we were taken to the Bellagio, where we stood along the railing and watched the fountain show, then took a quick walk through the rainforest. Next, we visited the Tropicana to see the aerial acrobats in AirPlay. The performers were good, but the Tropicana looked kind of run-down and had a peculiar odor. Our next stop was supposed to be a 2-hour stop downtown to see the Freemont Street Experience and have dinner; however, the tour guide only allotted us 45 minutes, and we ended up having to grab a quick burger at McDonald's. The overhead digital light show was cool, but we didn't care much for Downtown, particularly since we couldn't find anywhere to eat. (It was after 10, and all the buffets were closed.)
After being driven around the Downtown area and "wedding chapel row" -- a waste of time, since many places were closed and dark -- we arrived at the Stratosphere after midnight. After being told there would be an hour wait to go to the top, my friend decided she didn't care to go. Since I've been to the top of plenty of tall buildings, I said that was fine, and we got the bus driver to take us back to the Aladdin. All in all, I would not particularly recommend this tour. The Rio and Bellagio were worthwhile, but it was quite tiring getting on and off the bus so many times. The bus driver couldn't have been any nicer, but it kind of bothered me that the tour guide ran off with the rest of the tour, and left me and my mobility-impaired friend behind at every stop. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it would have been nice if she had waited the maybe 3 minutes it took to get the scooter off each time, so we could have gone in with the rest of the group.
Although we didn't get back to our room until almost 1:00, I changed into my comfortable clothes, and headed back to the casino for a couple of hours. I also did a little window shopping in Desert Passage, even though everything was closed, and decided to recommend we have breakfast at Cheeseburger at the Oasis.
Tuesday morning, we headed to the mall for breakfast. Next to "Cheeseburger" was La Salsa Cantina, advertising breakfast for $2.95. We opted to go cheap and try LSC, which was a mistake. Breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs, 2 tortillas, a tablespoon of "Southwestern" potatoes, and the mildest salsa I've ever tasted. After returning the menu, I ordered coffee ($2.25) and pineapple juice ($2.35). My friend's more expensive breakfast had 2 slices of avocado, so I asked for a little avocado (1 slice, cut into 4 pieces for $2.00) and a little cheese ($1.00). We had to ask for a second bowl of salsa, because there was a hair in ours, but that was free. My $2.95 breakfast came to a little over $11. I wish we had gone with our original plan and eaten at Cheeseburger at the Oasis, plus seeing the guy waiters in grass skirts would have been a hoot.
We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon shopping in Desert Passage. I can't say enough good things about this mall. There were many unique shops, interspersed with lots of art galleries. I could easily have spent days there, and I would highly recommend Desert Passage for people of all ages. (My teenagers would have loved it.) There were lots of affordable clothing and gift shops, sports and music memorabilia, including a Nirvana guitar for $7450 that my son would have loved, but the slot machines didn't cooperate. The atmosphere and visuals in the mall were very pleasant, and the hourly rainstorm was interesting.
After a final hour in the casino, and collecting my slot club bonus, we caught our shuttle back to the airport. Check-in was much faster than I expected, although we again got searched pretty good. The security agent seemed puzzled by the ukelele in my carry-on. He never asked what it was, but ran it back through the x-ray machine a few times. After a sandwich and fries at the Cheers Bar in the airport, we boarded our plane for the flight home.
Our seatmate was a graduate student/businesswoman from Arizona, with whom we had a very pleasant conversation. When I asked for a refill on my tea -- to go with the Cinnabons we bought in the airport -- the flight attendant brought another cup and a whole can, plus extra peanuts and snack mix for the whole row. The flight went quickly, and we were back in Dallas before we knew it. On the way home, we stopped at Czech Stop in West for kolaches and big fat sandwiches. I was a little disturbed to discover a $26 Cashout Voucher from the Aladdin in my purse. (It reminded me of the time I went to Canada, and brought back $30 worth of Canadian money.) My friend dropped me off at home a little after 1:00. I checked 3 things -- (1) to make sure my son was at home/asleep (he was, although he was late 2 school both days I was gone), (2) to make sure all the cats were inside (they were), and (3) Fodors. Then, I headed off to bed to get 4 hours' sleep, before getting up for work the next morning.
Nice trip. (I'm going to be watching the mail for an offer from the Aladdin, since I accumulated 192 points in the slot club.) I can't wait to go back.
Donna
Oct 27th, 2004, 09:39 PM
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Thanks to you kind souls who dug out my long trip report and read it this late at night. I hope it will help someone with their Las Vegas trip planning.
Seetheworld: Based on the smiley faces in your reply, I'm not sure if you're teasing or not. Regardless, a kolache is a wonderful Czechoslovakian pastry made at many bakeries in Central Texas. They are square, with a sweet dough that is soft like bread, made into kind of a cup-like shape, filled with fruit, cream cheese, cottage cheese or poppy seeds. (Think of an inside-out jelly donut.) Others have an enclosed sausage, often with cheese and sometimes sauerkraut. (Yum, sauerkraut for breakfast.) My favorite place to buy these treats is at Czech Stop, a 24-hour bakery on I-35 in West, Texas, that is widely known for its homemade baked goods, sandwiches and candies.
The ukelele in my carry-on was a trip souvenir for my teenage son, who thinks he has to take a guitar everytime we go out of town. More than a few times, I've been whapped in the side of the head by the neck of his guitar while driving, so I am hoping he'll take the ukelele sometimes instead.
Donna
Seetheworld: Based on the smiley faces in your reply, I'm not sure if you're teasing or not. Regardless, a kolache is a wonderful Czechoslovakian pastry made at many bakeries in Central Texas. They are square, with a sweet dough that is soft like bread, made into kind of a cup-like shape, filled with fruit, cream cheese, cottage cheese or poppy seeds. (Think of an inside-out jelly donut.) Others have an enclosed sausage, often with cheese and sometimes sauerkraut. (Yum, sauerkraut for breakfast.) My favorite place to buy these treats is at Czech Stop, a 24-hour bakery on I-35 in West, Texas, that is widely known for its homemade baked goods, sandwiches and candies.
The ukelele in my carry-on was a trip souvenir for my teenage son, who thinks he has to take a guitar everytime we go out of town. More than a few times, I've been whapped in the side of the head by the neck of his guitar while driving, so I am hoping he'll take the ukelele sometimes instead.
Donna
Oct 28th, 2004, 05:52 AM
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I enjoyed your trip report, Donna. Sorry I missed it the first time around. My in-laws are from Vegas, so I've always enjoyed spending time there, as well.
I wish I could have partaken in the kolaches. I've always missed them ever since leaving Texas and manage to get one with jalapenos every time I go back. I'm also a fan of breakfast burritos, but can at least make them to my liking here.
So, did Elton have a "dog" like Robert Blake? Just kidding. I'm sure he put on a great show.
Glad you enjoyed your trip and are anxious to return. We'll look forward to your next report!
I wish I could have partaken in the kolaches. I've always missed them ever since leaving Texas and manage to get one with jalapenos every time I go back. I'm also a fan of breakfast burritos, but can at least make them to my liking here.
So, did Elton have a "dog" like Robert Blake?
Just kidding. I'm sure he put on a great show.Glad you enjoyed your trip and are anxious to return. We'll look forward to your next report!
Oct 28th, 2004, 03:31 PM
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No, I wasn't teasing Donna. I always put smiley faces on posts at 12:30 in the morning! Actually, the poppy seed and fruit filled kolache sound very tasty.
That was sweet of you to give your son a ukelele. My son plays the trumpet and I once gave him a kazoo
(Actually he's a very good trumpeter)
That was sweet of you to give your son a ukelele. My son plays the trumpet and I once gave him a kazoo
(Actually he's a very good trumpeter)
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