I missed the Indy 500 for this Vegas trip

[IndyColtsGal]

We originally planned a Vegas trip for NY weekend but hubby (h) was unable to make it , so I went and met my lil bro out there. Link to that TR. http://forums.jackcolton.com/showthread.php?t=2528&page=3
So we still had airline credit available and found our best rates to be MMD w/e if you can believe it.
May in Indy is a blast and usually our MMD weekend plans revolve around the Indianapolis 500. We had no tickets to the race this yr. and figured etleast in Vegas we can watch the race live (it’s blacked out in Indy and is aired later that night). So our plans included getting in front of a TV A.S.A.P. once in Vegas. Unlike the title suggest I really would rather be in Vegas then at the race.

Early boarding bonus
H is a large man so I purchased a second seat so that he/we could be comfortable on the flight w/o squishing another passenger. While waiting at the gate I ask the gal manning the desk about h’s two tickets and that I would hate for there to be any confusion at the gate during boarding and for him to be embarrassed. She promptly combined the two tickets into 1 boarding pass and gave us first boarding yeah bonus…even though I did pay $10 extra for h to get Early bird boarding, etleast now we are first on & get front row seats with all the leg room. Flight out of Indy left early. Tried to get drunk on plane with Heinekens but H. had to close out my bar bill while I was in the loo (he wasn’t drinking). Keep myself entertained by watching The Hangover for the 4'th time on my IPod (still cracks me up). Arrive in Vegas 10 min early and find the first tv available to find out that Franchetti is in the lead. Cab it too Mandalay Bay and wait in a ridiculously long line 45 min’s. Come on man don’t you guys know I have a race to watch. I know I could have sat in a bar and checked in later.

Sweet Suite
Rt. Hand high for Aria who posted a great Travel Zoo rate on these boards. I was able to book a room at Mandalay Bay w/ a free suite upgrade for $139, $70, $70, $76, sweet deal. After waiting in line behind every person checking in w/o a credit card I finally make it to the desk clerk. We soon discover that M.B. has no suites available until Tue’s and she ask me if THE Hotel will be OK…..HELL YEA. With out a second thought I grab that deal and ask if she has a rm on a high floor and with a strip view available sure enough she does and the vacation gods are smiling down on me. I have now stayed @ THE Hotel 3 of my last 4 trips. We make the forever trek across M.B. & casino to our room, with a stop at the gift shop for a few Heinekens for the room. Watch the last of the race and down a couple of the beers. Then it is time to go hit the town.

We are starved and h likes my description of the Burger Bar in Mandalay place so we head there. Find out the wait is 45 min, h grumbles but knows he isn’t getting food any faster anywhere else at this time. Our 45 min turns into a 5min wait because nobody had the patients to wait . We each had another beer and a plate of various sliders…which were just ok. I would not recommend it as some have.

Meltdown=? ER trip
After lunch we walk through the Luxor and out their front doors to go across the street and hit up the gas station (another hint I learned from these boards) for more Heineken, coke, & water. The temp was low 80’s in Vegas this day and we had just left Indy w/ 90deg days. You would have thought that I asked H to cross the desert w/o water. OMG what a baby. So we make it back to our room just before H is ready to collapse. (Note to self for remainder of trip H will whine if outside...avoid outside by all cost. Damn this is going to be a rough trip.)
After h is done with his meltdown and decides that he doesn’t need to be rushed to the ER. We decide to walk around MB and check things out especially the pool area as this is where I planned to spend most of the trip (I was surprised h was willing to do this since it’s outside). They have a new poolside casino I wanted to check out. The casino wasn’t anything to write home about but a note to you guys that like the flesh. They have a window that overlooks Moorea Beach club and yes I did see titties.
Tried to reserve an Opium Day bed at Moorea beach for Tues, but cabana rental office was closed.

Another boring first night in Vegas
On my last Vegas trip for NYw/e I got sick my first day and was in bed early. This first night wasn’t much more fun, but etleast I wasn’t puking. After touring MB we head to room to change clothes for dinner and to have a few more beers. Then head down to casino & dinner. Play a few slots with no wins and head over to Noodles for dinner. Good food & decent prices. After dinner we hit up Eyecandy sound lounge and have several more beers. I should have just started doing shots because I couldn’t even get a buzz 10pm & we’re going to bed. Damn I should have left the old man at home.

Sleep????who needs sleep in Vegas
Our room is 3 floors down from Mix lounge and we could hear it clearly, along with all of the sirens down on the strip. Now the vacation gods are laughing at me because they gave me exactly what I asked for. The next morning we discover that the vent at the bottom of the window is open and that was why everything was so loud last night.

[IndyColtsGal]

Day 2 MMD



Day 2 Monday MMD
WTH no Luxor lights
Forgot to mention that for some reason Luxors lights weren't on last night. I wonder if this happens often and why? Very weird seeing it this way.

Too hot for the pool
So after very little sleep we are up and h turns on the weather channel to discover that temps are on the rise. Temps for Mon were to be 95, Tues 90, Wed 95, & Thur ^95. So h decides today would be a better day for casino hopping instead of at the pool. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it being cooler to walk the strip then to go to the pool but tired of arguing so I go with it.
Hit the hotel coffee bar and then catch a cab to Planet Hollywood. I loved the atmosphere of this casino in January and wanted h to check it out. H also loved it. Now things are looking up something he likes. We walk out to the strip take a million pics and proceed up the strip, of course staying in the shade as much as possible and heaven forbid we come across an escalator that’s not working. After walking up the first set of stairs h see’s an elevator and bitches as to why I didn’t mention it.
Step into Wild Bills gambling hall never been before. They had a new table game called Backgammon craps or something like it. Looked like fun. But didn't try it. They are the first to have it. I won't be surprised to see this become popular.
Walk next door to the Flamingo another place I've never been. They have a bird conservatory that was cool for more pics. This is another old school casino that could be fun to gamble in.
Next we enter Casino Royale h has always had good luck here & really wanted to play. I would swear it is larger then the last time I was there but it still stinks. We sit and play video poker and drink as much free beer as possible in two hours.

Damn tourist
Start getting hungry so head over to the Grand Luxe at Venetian. As we are walking through the canal shops I look up to see a statue wink at me. H and I were so engrossed in our conversation we didn't realize that we walked in front of bunch of ppl trying to get pics. Hehe, my bad. So h throws a $ down and poses with the statue. Now I can't believe we are being so touristy....god I'm getting old.
Grand Lux had no waiting. H ordered a club & I ordered Orange chicken or something like it. Both were very good and large we should have just split one of them.

I almost slapped that bitch upside the head
After lunch we went into the casino, h wanted to see if he could see any poker players from TV. We discovered a huge poker tournament going on. I went to play slots while h went to find Daniel Negreanu. As I was checking out the payouts of a double diamond machine an asian girl comes and sits right down as I’m getting ready to sit. You don’t know what it took for me to not slap her upside her head. Instead I just stood hovering over her until she left (really her man showed up so she was done). I promptly lost my $20 and started hunting down H, who didn’t recognize anybody.

Why not Frank Sinatra dr
I really want to try Up parasol lounge at Wynne and when we left Venetian I told h let’s walk out to the curb and see if it’s in walking distance. Walk out to the curb and can’t even see it do to a bend in the road. So there is no way I’m asking h to walk to it. At this point I say let’s cross the street to Mirage a catch a cab back to The Hotel (it will be cheaper being on the same side of the strip, of course this walk was also too hot for h .) Unbeknownst to me a lane of traffic southbound is closed because they are taking power poles down in front of Ceasars So after the cabby fights this traffic he takes the phone away from his ear just long enough to ask if back roads are OK. We agree. Frank Sinatra Dr. is the west side of the strips version of Koval ln and is quicker then the strip so a word of advice for those trying to safe $ on cab fare.

Finally get my Bloody Mary’s
Get back to the room and change into our swim suites and head down to the pool finally, thinking it will be cooler since it’s past 4pm…..yeah right. We end up at a smaller pool that has few kids and plenty of shade. Enjoy this spot for a few hours and few Bloody Marys.
Head up to the room and shower up and head back down to find a place for dinner. Eat at Red, White, & Blue and sit in the patio are overlooking the inside of MB. Had another Bloody Mary (yum).We both had open face Turkey sandwiches, again huge servings and two of us could have split it. Service sucked but food was fine. End up at Eyecandy Sound lounge again. H orders a cabernet and I’m sticking with my bloody’s, humm this bartender puts lemons in it instead of lime WTH. A few of these down and not much going on in the casino so we decide to call it a night.

There’s more then one thing to do in bed
On the walk back to The Hotel we are about 20 feet behind two 20’ish couples. The girls had on short skirts and h was enjoying the view. We had to LOL when a custodian saw them and turned around and started following them with his dust mop . We all hopped on the same elevator and h had to tell them the story about the janitor following them w/ the mop. Of course the girls were embarrassed. So one of the guys asked if we were going to bed and we said yes. They laughed and said it was way too early. I normally would agree but instead said there’s more then one thing to do in bed. We all had a great laugh as they got off the elevator and we proceeded to our room to finish our second day in Vegas.

Day 3& 4 to come

[Koot]

Ha excellent. I was expecting you to say that the slot stealer ended up hitting it big. You never said if you were satisfied with the end of the race.

[IndyColtsGal]

Yes I enjoyed the end of the race I root for Scott Dixon but like all of the racers with the exception of Milka Duno (she's too dangerous for pitcrews). When Mike Conway went airborn I must say my stomache flipped over it was a wicked crash. Glad he came out uninjured though it didn't look possible.

[IndyColtsGal]

Tues

Tues
Again I wake at the butt crack of dawn. Just can’t get adjusted to the time changes Leave H in bed and decide to go over and check out the 4 Seasons and had a great breakfast in the Veranda café out by their pool. Beautiful location and just perfect temps.

We were originally going to rent a car today and go up to Lake Mead and take a lake cruise. Followed by a trip to Red Rock, however Michelle Obama was going to be at Red Rock and the visitor center and some roads were to be closed. So I decide since temps weren’t too bad it would be a great pool day instead.

With h still in bed I get us a good spot at one of the pools before it get’s to crowded. H joins me about an hour later and I’m already into the Bloody Mary’s. I know I’ve got a problem. hehe. Several hours later and a hefty bar bill we decide to go shower and grab some lunch somewhere We decide to try Raffles café inside MB for lunch. We both order club sandwiches, which were so large you couldn’t fit it in your mouth.

After lunch we played a few slots at MB and then head off up the strip. We cab it to Monte Carlo. I will say that it wasn’t a long trip but the cabby was a very opinionated old man that wouldn’t stop slamming the Reagan administration. I don’t think he was even at a complete stop before I jumped out of that cab. Lost more money on slots at Monte Carlo and then take the tram up to Bellagio. Take a zillion pics of the spring time display in the conservatory, and then onto my favorite place at Bellagio, Fontana Lounge. We arrive early enough that there is still outdoor seating available in front of the fountains. We proceed to sit there for 2 ½ hr’s and drink 3 glasses of wine and watch about 6 fountain shows. Hat’s off for the show that featured Lee Greenwoods Proud to Be An American perfect for MMD week. Pay our bar bill and stumble out of Fontana lounge and walk around the casino, then head across the street to Planet Hollywood.

At Planet Hollywood we finally start playing our favorite game craps. Had a ball for a couple of hours, which is a long time on one craps table. I should have walked away when I was up $165, but I was enjoying myself too much to quit.Of course the free wine played a part in that decision When we left I was only down $35 and h was up $65. At this points it’s 10:30pm and figure even if we’re not hungry we need to eat something . Head out into the mall and find a place I think it was Ocean One Bar & grille. H had a pizza I think was under cooked and I had a shrimp cocktail and spinach artichoke dip. Both were good. Call it a night and head back to home base. This was by far the funnest day of the trip.

[IndyColtsGal]

Wed & Thu & observations

Wed
Awake w/o a hangover which I am surprised about. Of course I can’t remember when I have drank as much water as this trip to Vegas. Throw on a swimsuit and head down for a cup of joe and take it with me out to the pool. I have now accepted the fact that H is not going to be up for a daybed at Moorea so I settle by my usual pool. After about an hour h is awake and calls, he is to sunburned from yesterday to get out in the sun today. I tell him it is just as well since it hotter then yesterday and absolutely no breeze, but I’m staying for awhile. I stay and enjoy myself more then if he had been there. More guys will talk to me w/o him there hehe.. A few hours later when I hear the sweat from my brow sizzle as it hits the sunscreen oil on my shoulder, I decide I’ve had enough sun and head in & shower.

We head over to NYNY and go to ESPN Zone for lunch, this is another first for me and I like this place. Go to M&M store after lunch and fight the crowd inside. Thought M&M’s would be a great gift for our dogsitter but I’m too smart to pay $12.95 a lb. Come on man as h would say , you would think the cheapest M&M’s on the planet would be found in a M&M store. Walk out totally disgusted and go to the Tropicana to gamble. They are in a remodel and have now painted the casino white. Yes it looks newer but it clashes with the beautiful stained glass ceiling, and it’s too bright. Win some lose some and walk out even an hour later.

Walk through MGM and it’s many children and see that the lions are sleeping as usual.

Go to the casino @ NYNY and play video black jack. After about an hour of staying even lack of sleep get’s the best of me and the numbers are blurring together. I leave h at his slot and I walk around the casino finding a $1 Deal or No Deal slot. Play $6 worth of credits hit it for $195 and walk away. I could of walked away up $495 with the first offer but because I was tired I forgot it is $1 & not quarters. Oh well live and learn.

Head back to hotel and attempt to drink some of the Heinikens we bought for the room. Beer not tasting good so we get dressed up and go up to Mix lounge for some wine. After a few glasses and watching the lights come on up the strip we head to Charlie Palmers for our reservations.

Charlie Palmers, what can I say I just loved, loved, loved this place (thanks NYC2 Vegas for recommending). Service is an 18 on a scale of 1-10. We started with Foirgras & beef pot stickers which were out of this world and Truffle Risoto cakes which were also delicious. Besides our Fillets we had a side of fried rice w/ lobster which was the only thing not perfect with the rice being a little mushy.
I have free tickets to go up to The Foundation room but h doesn’t want to go. Instead we try to win a Camaro on slots. No luck so it looks like we are still flying home tomorrow.

Thur
Are flight out isn’t until 12:45pm that gives me time for the pool for one final hour of pure Vegas sun.

Cab it to the airport. Discover my cell phone is missing while in the cab. Once at airport I refuse to check in until I see if my phone is in my luggage or I left it in the hotel room. It would be a long flight just wondering. I really wasn’t to concerned as I’m on Verizon and am eligible for a free phone I was trying to wait until they got 4g service then I was going to get a Droid. So I find my phone in my shorts pocket in my luggage and am slightly relieved.

H decides he is not waiting in the long line for check in inside and we head outside to check in where the lines are shorter. Once up to the counter I hand our boarding passes to the guy and he says that h’s boarding pass is a fake. In my head I’m thinking WTF. I explain that we have 3 tickets for two passengers and that the gal upon departure from Indy had combined two into one. He takes us over to his sister in law who is working a couple of rows over. She explains she doesn’t know how to do what ever he is needing either. So I’m thinking great we’ll be stuck here forever. I don’t know what they did but a couple of key stokes later we are done and on our way.Yeah.

Make it through TSA very quickly. I must interject here that the TSA agents in Vegas are some of nicest and always seem to be having fun. They almost make it enjoyable.

We make the long ass trek to our gate to get an early boarding tix, just like Indy. No problem and now we have 11/2hr’s before departure. Oh what to do? So I decide to get my last Bloody Mary of the trip so I’m out hunting down a bar. H isn’t too happy about this but I told him he was more then welcome to wait for me to come back. He decides to come with, I can only guess to try to keep me out of trouble.

Got the hell out of dodge before the 100+ temps arrived on Fri.

Had an uneventful trip back to Indy in time to rest up with the colds we both caught in Vegas.

Observations

Positive
No more porn slappers
Vegas was clean for a change
Being able to sit in bed and look down the strip
Less ppl then NY weekend taxi’s cheaper
Discovery of Frank Sinatra Dr.
You won’t get an upgrade if you don’t ask
MB does have a younger crowd, it wasn’t until we hit mid strip that we started seeing folks older then us (mid 40’s)


Negative or as H says come on man
Kids in casino, I have never seen as many kids as I did @ MB and MGM Comeon folks why would you want to expose your kids to sin city and all of the naked billboards etc.
Leaving 8 Heinikens for housekeeping
Luxor lights off Sunday nt.
Escalators still not working since NY. Come on this town isn’t broke.
Hot, hot, hot temps
Don’t ask for a strip view if you want to sleep at night.
No Moorea Beach visit.
I’m old as f**c and can’t party like I use to. Enjoy your youth while you can.

[WarreN]

Great TR Indy.

Seems like you still have the party mentality going at least! haha Sounds like you and your hubby do a bunch throughout the day and see a lot.

I honestly want to do some touristy things in Vegas next time. I love how your TR is different than most, just shows how much variety Vegas actually has to offer.

Good read.

[chrisl84pia]

thanks for your TR
sounds like you guys were all over the place... awesome

[BritishV]

Great TR as always Indy :-D glad you had a good time!!

[Charles~]

Sweet report.

Thanks for the heads up on the tits.

[Cisco419]

Finally got around to reading your TR. Sounds like even though you wanted to do so much more partying you still managed to have a blast! And that just shows how Vegas can satisfy anyone!

[DJ Ran]

Great report, I finially got over my depession of having to cancel that weekend. After speaking to my contacts at the clubs, they said I'd be better off coming out another time anyway because is was just way too cazy & over crowed. Did it seem that way to you?

[IndyColtsGal]

Sweet report.

Thanks for the heads up on the tits.

I knew someone would appreciate that tit bit.....oh I mean tid bit.

[IndyColtsGal]

Great report, I finially got over my depession of having to cancel that weekend. After speaking to my contacts at the clubs, they said I'd be better off coming out another time anyway because is was just way too cazy & over crowed. Did it seem that way to you?

I'm sorry you had to cancel. It was busy but not as much as NY weekend was. Cabs were much faster getting around town plus the strip was much cleaner w/o trash laying all over the place at all the street corners. Can't speak for the clubs though.