thePlayland

left las vegas

Vegas this weekend was a lot of fun. Not just because the hotel was free. The hotel was a bit of a drive off the strip, but a cab to MGM was only about $12 with tip. Which is where we went first. As I said in my last post, the first night was the most profitable. All other attempts to win big were thwarted by the evil machine that is Sin City.

Ate at the Flamingo buffet for brunch on Saturday. The food was pretty good. Especially for the cheap price. Had some champagne and filled two plates with yummy breakfast. Noticed there were some birds outside, so checked them out after brunch. Was very happy to discover a penguin habitat in the middle of everything. I have some pics that I will post soon. The penguins were too cute. Swimming around, walking on the white beach, swimming on their backs to show off to the crowd and eating sardines given to them by the nice lady were their favorite pastimes.

Briefly visited Imperial Palace and Venetian to get an idea of what they are like for my return trip next month. Imperial Palace’s casino floor was weird and cramped. Highlight of the walk through there was the blackjack tables where the dealers were Ryan Seacrest and Elvis lookalikes. Otherwise, it was kinda warm and crowded in there. Venetian was huge inside. Didn’t get a good look around, but it seemed like a very cool place.

Hit up the New Frontier for some $2 blackjack only to discover that they no longer have $2 tables. The lowest they have is $5. I figured I’d try my luck with the $40 I had for BJ. I lost all $40 in about 10 minutes. It was pathetic. After that loss, lost about $20 more on slots. I have learned my lesson, New Frontier is a terrible place to gamble. Checked out Treasure Island briefly before heading back to the hotel.

Fremont Street was on the agenda for the evening. What a huge mistake. The Fremont Street Experience (with Viva Vision) was the worst goddamn shithole in Vegas. So awful. The people there were all ugly and lame, which is funny because so was Viva Vision. I was very disappointed by it in every way. That’s not just because all they played was country music set to really bad computer animations. The only good thing that happened there was the pair of knee high moccasins that I got (which I have been wanting for over 10 years).

Bellagio Buffet was the destination for Sunday morning (afternoon, really). Waited in line for 45 minutes before finally getting inside. Food was great, but maybe not $30 great. Stuffed myself with shrimps, breakfast and dessert before heading out to the casino for a last ditch effort to win some money. Lost $15 to slots and then lost $20 to video blackjack. Wound up sitting at the bar with a $1 video poker game. I wasn’t going to gamble, as I didn’t want to lose my last $20, but I went for it anyway. Played until I lost and then came back to breaking even when I cashed out. I couldn’t resist, though, so I dropped the $20 ticket back in. Played a few hands and was starting to think I was going to lose it all when I was dealt a full house! Walked away with a $45 ticket.

The little win at the end made me feel better about my losses throughout the weekend. So, full of good food and oversaturated with the city, we headed home. Overall, a really great weekend spent in Vegas. There’s a lot to be said for going with one other person instead of a large group. I just wish I hadn’t been so sleepy for a lot of it.