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12/03-17/08 and beyond
Some may question why the Westies returned to Las Vegas so soon after their last trip so I have compiled our Top 10 reasons:
10. Alternative involved dishes, cooking and house cleaning.
9. Dollywood price increase.
8. Enjoy making new friends on Ogden Street.
7. Fine dining at Battista’s.
6. Listen to Viva Las Vegas one more time.
5. Another opportunity to view the tunnel.
4. Comped tickets to the Sirens of TI show.
3. Cowgirls/cowboys in “tight fittin’ jeans”.
2. Just learned of the $20 check-in trick.
1. Expiring monorail ticket.
We departed Harford at 12:15PM via a nonstop SWA flight and arrived in Las Vegas at 3:30PM local time. After retrieving our luggage, we proceeded to the consolidated rental facility via shuttle and picked up the first of our (2) one-week economy car rentals. Although returning one vehicle and picking-up another is a hassle, I felt it worth the effort because it allowed me to use a $25 Alamo online coupon for each rental plus receive double, total of 3, Rapid Reward credits.
The total cost of the first week’s rental was $62.66 which is the lowest I have paid in years. The Alamo lot attendant upgraded us from an economy car to a 2009 PT Cruiser, but refused to accept a gratuity.
We were quickly on our way to the Eastside Cannery (Eastside) where we were booked for the following 14 nights, including weekends, at a rate of $29.95. The Eastside is a new hotel/casino having opened in August and we managed to secure the last available room with a king sized bed. Room 1208 was adjacent to the elevator which proved to be noisy on occasion, but we decided to stay put rather than move to another room the following day.
The quality of the room was very good and, as a bonus, the view from our floor to ceiling windows included not only the Stratosphere and distant mountains, but Sam’s RV Park.
We were hungry, but not starved, so we decided on dining at the Oyster Bar at Sunset Station. We each chose the cioppino - a spicy tomato based seafood stew that included ample portions of clams, snow crab, whitefish, green lip mussels and scallops. The cioppino came with a side of rice which we did not feel was needed. I was able to apply both a restaurant.com gift certificate and Fiesta points. ($7, Points, Restaurant.com (R.com), 4 Forks) Note: all dollar amounts shown for dining include the cost of any certificates and the gratuity.
12/04 As usual I was unable to adjust to the time zone change and found myself sitting at the FPDW (full pay deuces wild) machines at 2AM. After a few hours of play and my #1 quad deuces of the trip, I returned to the room for a few additional hours of sleep.
There are times in our lives when we embark on a course of action that we know we will likely regret. Such was our experience this morning at the recently renovated Boulder Station buffet. The new room is quite nice, but there has been little, if any, improvement in food quality. I chose 2 easy over eggs, ham, ambrosia, watermelon, and unripe cantaloupe. “Putting lipstick on a pig” pretty much describes our feelings about the “new” buffet. ($3, LVA, Points, 0.5 Forks)
We needed to keep our Boarding Passes (slot cards) current so we played a little 10-coin, 5 cent FPDW. While playing, I recognized an Asian man who sat down beside me from the Fiesta-Rancho. This guy’s schtick is playing $1 at each FPDW machine in the casino and then shakes his hand and curses the machine when he loses.
We made a short stop at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets in order for me to pick up some much needed shorts and socks. We then returned to Boulder Station for the free mystery gift promotion and received a set of wooden placemats (me) and $5 cash (Ms. Westie). I offered to sell my placemats to her for $5, but she refused – go figure.
On our return to the Eastside, I checked the promotions calendar and realized I qualified for a gift. I joined the long line at the slot booth which has been a continuing problem since it first opened. A second slot booth recently opened, but it was never staffed during our stay. After a several minute wait, a staff member announced gifts could be picked up at a table set-up on the other side of the casino. In quick order I was walking off with a ceramic spoon holder.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the room either reading or relaxing. Tonight’s drinks were provided by the South Point Casino courtesy of ACG coupons. We ordered mojitos, but the bartender warned us off because they are now using an inferior mix rather than making them from scratch as in the past. We decided to forego the experience in flavor (sic) of glasses of merlot (2.5 Sips).
This trip coincided with the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) so all casino bars and the lounge were fully occupied by cowboys and cowgirls. Sitting at the bar nursing merlots while watching the NFR held a certain appeal, but we opted for dinner at Vox Wine Lounge.
On our arrival the bar was reasonably active, but the dining room virtually empty. Since our September visit, the owners have attempted to reinvent the restaurant and the menu is now less adventuresome (read appealing). VOX Wine Lounge We began with what was described on the menu as a grilled Caesar salad, but I pulled out a magnifying glass and could detect no grill marks. The salad dressing was flavored with a tinge of smokiness and the overall salad was satisfying. Ms. Westie ordered Angel Pasta which was penne and chicken tossed in a tomato vodka sauce. My garlic noodles with prawns entrée was excellent though I suspect the crustaceans were actually shrimp. We also shared a delicious butter scotch crème brulee. Our waiter, the only waiter, informed us that he and pastry chef would soon be departing. I used a $50 gift certificate purchased from a local radio station. ($45.83, 3.5 Forks)
12/05 I managed to hit my #2 quads this morning, but walked away a loser. On returning to the room, I discovered Ms. Westie was sleeping in late on her birthday, so I quietly closed the door and walked the casino floor for another half hour.
After freshening up, we departed for the Green Valley Ranch Resort for the breakfast buffet. There was a sign posted at the entrance advising patrons that points and coupons could not be combined, but the cashier allowed me to tender a LVA coupon and use my Fiesta points. My breakfast included runny OJ, skim milk, cheese quesadilla, grilled veggies, 1/8th of a dismal pancake that I accidently drenched in melted butter instead of syrup plus fresh fruit with strawberry yogurt. (Points, 1 Fork)
As we prepared to depart from our table we saw an elderly, defined as anyone older than us, lady at an adjoining table stuffing 3 bananas and a pear into her pocket book. It was sort of embarrassing for us because Ms. Westie was only able to fit one banana in her pocket book.
On departing we made the short drive to the Henderson Multigenerational Center. The center includes numerous activity rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a basketball court and jogging track. We were visiting in order to see an exhibit by local artist Sharon Menary. (2 Claps)
After viewing the exhibit and touring the facility we returned to our room, but discovered it was not maid (sic) up so were forced by circumstances beyond our control to return to the gaming floor. My game of choice was 1 cent, 10-line 9/6 JOB where I lost substantially more than 1 cent.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent mentally preparing ourselves for the evening’s activities. We departed the Eastside in time to catch rush hour, but arrived at the South Point in time to secure prime seats at the bar. While we waited for the bartender to fill our glasses with merlot, I scampered upstairs to make reservations at the Primarily Prime Rib restaurant for 7PM. Las Vegas Hotel–South Point Hotel Casino Spa
After reviewing the menu, we each settled on the South Point cut of prime rib. All dinners include warm artisan bread and a choice of either salad or split pea soup. The blue cheese dressing on our salads was bland and most likely from a bottle and our baked potato was at least an hour past done. The prime rib was served medium rare and was accompanied by side dishes of a sour cream based dressing and fresh horseradish. The meat was tough and was in weak in flavor. Given the many favorable reviews, we were disappointed by the quality of our entire meal. The one positive was the South Point was running a ½ point special on all food. ($8, Points, 1.5 Forks)
Ms. Westie put a few points on her slot card in order to qualify for the 2,500 point birthday bonus before we departed.
On our return to the Eastside we played (2) $10 MPs at the craps table for a net $10 win and then listened to local country singer Tony Marques in Marilyn’s Lounge. (1.5 Claps) Tony Marques Band
12/06 This morning’s VP session was notable for the number of wild royals I hit, but I basically broke even.
Breakfast was at the historic Golden Gate’s Bay City Diner. http://www.goldengatecasino.com/Asse...yDinerMenu.pdf
The sole reason for us dining at this restaurant was for the French toast stuffed with cream cheese and fresh strawberries featured in the online menu, but we were told by the waitress that it had been discontinued. Ms. Westie ordered hot cakes with whipped cream which proved to be both overcooked and grossly over priced. I ordered eggs Florentine – poached eggs with spinach over an English muffin and topped with Hollandaise sauce. The eggs were very close to being hard boiled, the previously frozen spinach was stringy, Hollandaise sauce too heavy on the lemon and the English muffin not sufficiently toasted. Otherwise our meals were perfect. ($12.52, ACG, 0.5 Forks)
On exiting we joined the masses heading down Fremont Street for the Great Santa Run. Once again Siegfried and Roy participated along with thousands of runners and walkers dressed in Santa Claus outfits. We enjoyed the pre race activities, but did not have enough time to watch the start of the run because of our computer reservations at the Clark County library.
Our next stop was Bon Jour Euro Bakers on the west side of town.
http://www.bonjoureurobakers.com/ Prices are very reasonable compared to comparable Strip bakeries such as Bouchon, Jean Phillip Patisserie or Payard. After much discussion, we walked out with a beautiful and equally delicious Marquis – a vanilla and chocolate mousse concoction. ($3.75, 4.5 Forks) My original intention was to do a taste comparison with a similar dessert purchased at Normandie Country Bakery, but we could not locate the latter.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and snoozing while Ms. Westie played a little VP. In the late afternoon I went to the slot booth and picked up a Pin Ups calendar that I earned during the morning session. We also participated in a free slot tournament and scored well below respectability.
I realized this afternoon that this was day 4 of the trip and we hadn’t visited Ellis Island yet. On entering I felt a rush of adrenaline and proceeded directly to the bar where we ordered a pair of eggnogs and a Partridge in a pear tree. The eggnogs were delicious, but Ellis was temporarily out of partridges. (4.5 Sips)
We next navigated our way to Frediani’s Ristorante in Henderson for dinner. Frediani's Authentic Italian Cuisine - Henderson - Las Vegas We shared a more than credible Caesar salad and ordered crab cakes with roasted red pepper tartare sauce as our entrées. The crab cakes were very light on filler and accompanied by crisp asparagus spears and sautéed potatoes. We also shared a pana cotta with raspberry sauce. The staff was incredibly friendly and we enjoyed talking with the owner, no longer Frediani, and the executive chef. I used a $50 gift certificate purchased for $23.75 and thought our bill of fare would approximate the balance, but our dessert was comped. ($30.95, 4 Forks)
On our return to the Eastside we played a pair of $10 MPs at the craps table – net win $10. Ms. Westie returned to the machines while I listened to Jeff Allen at Pin Ups and Tony Marques in Marilyn’s Lounge before joining Ms. Westie. Shortly before the stroke of Cinderella hour, I quickly hit #3 and #4 quad deuces of the trip and retired to the room singing Joy to the World (Hoyt Axton version). Hoyt Axton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Some may question why the Westies returned to Las Vegas so soon after their last trip so I have compiled our Top 10 reasons:
10. Alternative involved dishes, cooking and house cleaning.
9. Dollywood price increase.
8. Enjoy making new friends on Ogden Street.
7. Fine dining at Battista’s.
6. Listen to Viva Las Vegas one more time.
5. Another opportunity to view the tunnel.
4. Comped tickets to the Sirens of TI show.
3. Cowgirls/cowboys in “tight fittin’ jeans”.
2. Just learned of the $20 check-in trick.
1. Expiring monorail ticket.
We departed Harford at 12:15PM via a nonstop SWA flight and arrived in Las Vegas at 3:30PM local time. After retrieving our luggage, we proceeded to the consolidated rental facility via shuttle and picked up the first of our (2) one-week economy car rentals. Although returning one vehicle and picking-up another is a hassle, I felt it worth the effort because it allowed me to use a $25 Alamo online coupon for each rental plus receive double, total of 3, Rapid Reward credits.
The total cost of the first week’s rental was $62.66 which is the lowest I have paid in years. The Alamo lot attendant upgraded us from an economy car to a 2009 PT Cruiser, but refused to accept a gratuity.
We were quickly on our way to the Eastside Cannery (Eastside) where we were booked for the following 14 nights, including weekends, at a rate of $29.95. The Eastside is a new hotel/casino having opened in August and we managed to secure the last available room with a king sized bed. Room 1208 was adjacent to the elevator which proved to be noisy on occasion, but we decided to stay put rather than move to another room the following day.
The quality of the room was very good and, as a bonus, the view from our floor to ceiling windows included not only the Stratosphere and distant mountains, but Sam’s RV Park.
We were hungry, but not starved, so we decided on dining at the Oyster Bar at Sunset Station. We each chose the cioppino - a spicy tomato based seafood stew that included ample portions of clams, snow crab, whitefish, green lip mussels and scallops. The cioppino came with a side of rice which we did not feel was needed. I was able to apply both a restaurant.com gift certificate and Fiesta points. ($7, Points, Restaurant.com (R.com), 4 Forks) Note: all dollar amounts shown for dining include the cost of any certificates and the gratuity.
12/04 As usual I was unable to adjust to the time zone change and found myself sitting at the FPDW (full pay deuces wild) machines at 2AM. After a few hours of play and my #1 quad deuces of the trip, I returned to the room for a few additional hours of sleep.
There are times in our lives when we embark on a course of action that we know we will likely regret. Such was our experience this morning at the recently renovated Boulder Station buffet. The new room is quite nice, but there has been little, if any, improvement in food quality. I chose 2 easy over eggs, ham, ambrosia, watermelon, and unripe cantaloupe. “Putting lipstick on a pig” pretty much describes our feelings about the “new” buffet. ($3, LVA, Points, 0.5 Forks)
We needed to keep our Boarding Passes (slot cards) current so we played a little 10-coin, 5 cent FPDW. While playing, I recognized an Asian man who sat down beside me from the Fiesta-Rancho. This guy’s schtick is playing $1 at each FPDW machine in the casino and then shakes his hand and curses the machine when he loses.
We made a short stop at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets in order for me to pick up some much needed shorts and socks. We then returned to Boulder Station for the free mystery gift promotion and received a set of wooden placemats (me) and $5 cash (Ms. Westie). I offered to sell my placemats to her for $5, but she refused – go figure.
On our return to the Eastside, I checked the promotions calendar and realized I qualified for a gift. I joined the long line at the slot booth which has been a continuing problem since it first opened. A second slot booth recently opened, but it was never staffed during our stay. After a several minute wait, a staff member announced gifts could be picked up at a table set-up on the other side of the casino. In quick order I was walking off with a ceramic spoon holder.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the room either reading or relaxing. Tonight’s drinks were provided by the South Point Casino courtesy of ACG coupons. We ordered mojitos, but the bartender warned us off because they are now using an inferior mix rather than making them from scratch as in the past. We decided to forego the experience in flavor (sic) of glasses of merlot (2.5 Sips).
This trip coincided with the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) so all casino bars and the lounge were fully occupied by cowboys and cowgirls. Sitting at the bar nursing merlots while watching the NFR held a certain appeal, but we opted for dinner at Vox Wine Lounge.
On our arrival the bar was reasonably active, but the dining room virtually empty. Since our September visit, the owners have attempted to reinvent the restaurant and the menu is now less adventuresome (read appealing). VOX Wine Lounge We began with what was described on the menu as a grilled Caesar salad, but I pulled out a magnifying glass and could detect no grill marks. The salad dressing was flavored with a tinge of smokiness and the overall salad was satisfying. Ms. Westie ordered Angel Pasta which was penne and chicken tossed in a tomato vodka sauce. My garlic noodles with prawns entrée was excellent though I suspect the crustaceans were actually shrimp. We also shared a delicious butter scotch crème brulee. Our waiter, the only waiter, informed us that he and pastry chef would soon be departing. I used a $50 gift certificate purchased from a local radio station. ($45.83, 3.5 Forks)
12/05 I managed to hit my #2 quads this morning, but walked away a loser. On returning to the room, I discovered Ms. Westie was sleeping in late on her birthday, so I quietly closed the door and walked the casino floor for another half hour.
After freshening up, we departed for the Green Valley Ranch Resort for the breakfast buffet. There was a sign posted at the entrance advising patrons that points and coupons could not be combined, but the cashier allowed me to tender a LVA coupon and use my Fiesta points. My breakfast included runny OJ, skim milk, cheese quesadilla, grilled veggies, 1/8th of a dismal pancake that I accidently drenched in melted butter instead of syrup plus fresh fruit with strawberry yogurt. (Points, 1 Fork)
As we prepared to depart from our table we saw an elderly, defined as anyone older than us, lady at an adjoining table stuffing 3 bananas and a pear into her pocket book. It was sort of embarrassing for us because Ms. Westie was only able to fit one banana in her pocket book.
On departing we made the short drive to the Henderson Multigenerational Center. The center includes numerous activity rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a basketball court and jogging track. We were visiting in order to see an exhibit by local artist Sharon Menary. (2 Claps)
After viewing the exhibit and touring the facility we returned to our room, but discovered it was not maid (sic) up so were forced by circumstances beyond our control to return to the gaming floor. My game of choice was 1 cent, 10-line 9/6 JOB where I lost substantially more than 1 cent.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent mentally preparing ourselves for the evening’s activities. We departed the Eastside in time to catch rush hour, but arrived at the South Point in time to secure prime seats at the bar. While we waited for the bartender to fill our glasses with merlot, I scampered upstairs to make reservations at the Primarily Prime Rib restaurant for 7PM. Las Vegas Hotel–South Point Hotel Casino Spa
After reviewing the menu, we each settled on the South Point cut of prime rib. All dinners include warm artisan bread and a choice of either salad or split pea soup. The blue cheese dressing on our salads was bland and most likely from a bottle and our baked potato was at least an hour past done. The prime rib was served medium rare and was accompanied by side dishes of a sour cream based dressing and fresh horseradish. The meat was tough and was in weak in flavor. Given the many favorable reviews, we were disappointed by the quality of our entire meal. The one positive was the South Point was running a ½ point special on all food. ($8, Points, 1.5 Forks)
Ms. Westie put a few points on her slot card in order to qualify for the 2,500 point birthday bonus before we departed.
On our return to the Eastside we played (2) $10 MPs at the craps table for a net $10 win and then listened to local country singer Tony Marques in Marilyn’s Lounge. (1.5 Claps) Tony Marques Band
12/06 This morning’s VP session was notable for the number of wild royals I hit, but I basically broke even.
Breakfast was at the historic Golden Gate’s Bay City Diner. http://www.goldengatecasino.com/Asse...yDinerMenu.pdf
The sole reason for us dining at this restaurant was for the French toast stuffed with cream cheese and fresh strawberries featured in the online menu, but we were told by the waitress that it had been discontinued. Ms. Westie ordered hot cakes with whipped cream which proved to be both overcooked and grossly over priced. I ordered eggs Florentine – poached eggs with spinach over an English muffin and topped with Hollandaise sauce. The eggs were very close to being hard boiled, the previously frozen spinach was stringy, Hollandaise sauce too heavy on the lemon and the English muffin not sufficiently toasted. Otherwise our meals were perfect. ($12.52, ACG, 0.5 Forks)
On exiting we joined the masses heading down Fremont Street for the Great Santa Run. Once again Siegfried and Roy participated along with thousands of runners and walkers dressed in Santa Claus outfits. We enjoyed the pre race activities, but did not have enough time to watch the start of the run because of our computer reservations at the Clark County library.
Our next stop was Bon Jour Euro Bakers on the west side of town.
http://www.bonjoureurobakers.com/ Prices are very reasonable compared to comparable Strip bakeries such as Bouchon, Jean Phillip Patisserie or Payard. After much discussion, we walked out with a beautiful and equally delicious Marquis – a vanilla and chocolate mousse concoction. ($3.75, 4.5 Forks) My original intention was to do a taste comparison with a similar dessert purchased at Normandie Country Bakery, but we could not locate the latter.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and snoozing while Ms. Westie played a little VP. In the late afternoon I went to the slot booth and picked up a Pin Ups calendar that I earned during the morning session. We also participated in a free slot tournament and scored well below respectability.
I realized this afternoon that this was day 4 of the trip and we hadn’t visited Ellis Island yet. On entering I felt a rush of adrenaline and proceeded directly to the bar where we ordered a pair of eggnogs and a Partridge in a pear tree. The eggnogs were delicious, but Ellis was temporarily out of partridges. (4.5 Sips)
We next navigated our way to Frediani’s Ristorante in Henderson for dinner. Frediani's Authentic Italian Cuisine - Henderson - Las Vegas We shared a more than credible Caesar salad and ordered crab cakes with roasted red pepper tartare sauce as our entrées. The crab cakes were very light on filler and accompanied by crisp asparagus spears and sautéed potatoes. We also shared a pana cotta with raspberry sauce. The staff was incredibly friendly and we enjoyed talking with the owner, no longer Frediani, and the executive chef. I used a $50 gift certificate purchased for $23.75 and thought our bill of fare would approximate the balance, but our dessert was comped. ($30.95, 4 Forks)
On our return to the Eastside we played a pair of $10 MPs at the craps table – net win $10. Ms. Westie returned to the machines while I listened to Jeff Allen at Pin Ups and Tony Marques in Marilyn’s Lounge before joining Ms. Westie. Shortly before the stroke of Cinderella hour, I quickly hit #3 and #4 quad deuces of the trip and retired to the room singing Joy to the World (Hoyt Axton version). Hoyt Axton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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