Crazy Superbowl weekend TR

[boykster]

wow - what a trip and where to start? The beginning, I guess:

day 1 - friday

I leave work after lunch and fly down 1st class - I hit 3 or so bacardi and cokes to get in the Vegas mood and am feeling it when we land. Get a cab to the Excalibur (slumming it this trip) and wait for the rest of the team to arrive - its about 7pm. 3 guys (myself included) - I know one guy Jack pretty well, and the other guy Russ is one of his old friends from way back. They're in their early 40's and I'm late 30's. They don't arrive until 930 or so, so I drink 4-5 'free' beers and play craps. As it always goes, I was up big, but ended up losing a bit. Finally they show up, so we decided to grab some food at Dicks Last Resort - it was fun, but wouldn't recommend it really. Yes, the service sucked (on purpose) and they have 'fun' with their jobs, but the food wasn't very good and it was expensive!

Anyway, we're in the mood for some MILF/cougar hunting, so we head over to Cleopatra's Barge at Ceasars. Right off the bat we get some drinks and we're chatting with a group of very attractive women in town for a birthday celebration. About 20mins later, I'm chilling with Russ at a table and a girl sits herself down in my lap - we start talking and end up spending the rest of the evening together dancing and making out with some serious action. She's in town with a friend who is obviously looking out for her, and she's pretty drunk. My buddies take off - Jack fell asleep (he flew in from east coast) and Russ just turned down a working girl's offer for company. Those 2 head back to the Excalibur to gamble some more, but I stay to hang out with my found friend. I try to convince her that we should go get something to eat, but she just wants to keep dancing. We end up parting ways at about 2am - me being the nice guy and not taking advantage of the super drunk (and very attractive) girl. Of course, I didn't get her #/email or any info about her other than she's british and her name is Zoe.

At this point, I'm tired, but not ready to go, so I decide to cruise by PURE and see how things look - still a line at 2 or so, so I pass on it, do one more lap at the barge and dance with a few other ladies before heading back. I had the guy drop me at MGM so I could walk a bit - by this time I'd been drinking for 12 hours straight and was hitting the vodka / red bulls for the last 2 hours or so. I decided to stretch my legs and go MGM ---> NYNY --> Excal --> Luxor --> Mandalay and back to Excal. I'm not looking for anything in particular, but get propositioned at least 4-5 working girls on my trip. I decline, but did see quite the pimp daddy decked out in his plaid suit, hat, and walking stick checking out some of the groups of girls wandering around at that time of night.

I head back to the room, curse myself for not getting more info on my hot and heavy dance partner and go to bed

[boykster]

day2 - saturday

We get an early (LOL) start at 11am and decide to get a quick breakfast at the cafe at excalibur - HORRIBLE! Slow service, bad food, overpriced - everything was bad. Strike 2 on the food.

We decide to head downtown for some gambling and drinking. We were going to ride the deuce, but some friends told us about their horrible experience (smelled bad, crowded, etc) we decided to just cab it. We wander around a bit, get some beers at Mermaids and play nickel slots for a while, and then Jack and I settle into some craps at Binions (I think) while Russ went and played some slots. It was one of those tables where the dealers are dressed sexy, so we chose based on entertainment value rather than anything else. Also, the drinks were flowing pretty well there and the waitresses were attentive. We must have played for a good 2-3 hours on our initial buy in of $100, so we had a good time. We grabbed some Nathans dogs to tide us over, then we decided to head back to the Excal and think about the evenings entertainment.

I felt like a GOOD meal after the major food letdowns so far, so I suggested we go to Mirage and check out the restaurants there. I had eaten at Fin and Japonais, and the other places looked good too. We settled on Fin, and ordered a bunch of tasty food and some chinese beers. The sad (awesome) thing is that our dinner at Fin cost exactly the same price that we paid at Dicks Last Resort - but this food was GOOD!

We were still MILF/cougar hunting, so we decided to wander over to Harrahs Carnival Court - we had a couple of beers and watched the dancefloor, but it wasn't as hopping as we'd hoped it would be. Russ and Jack got into a disagreement over something (don't remember what) and Russ headed off on his own (beginning of a trend). Jack and I decided to shoot more craps at O'Shea's, then headed back over to Cleopatra's Barge - why not, it was fun friday, why not saturday! We get there and Goss has just finished up his set, so they're getting into nightclub mode. One of the groups of women from friday night is there (not my friend though - diff group) and they remember us and we party with them for an hour or so. They had a new addition - a friend that flew in for saturday night only, so we gave her a lot of attention. They were all married, but it was a fun time all around. I danced with a few other very attractive ladies but no sparks like the night before. Again, I send Jack home at midnight because he fell asleep at the club. I get bored and wander off and play some more craps, then I run into a guy we shot craps with over at O'shea's. He seemed like a nice guy so we start chatting and hang out for a bit. I get that 'oh shit' feeling and realize that he's not just being nice, he's totally hitting on me! I feel him out and ask him if he 'likes the ladies', and his answer is 'sometimes'. Uh, yeah right. By this time it's 2am or so, so politely excuse myself (RUN!) and am feeling like the night was a bust, so why go home? Keep partying! I decided, what the fuck, I've never been to Drais - and I'm solo so I can likely get in - so why not.

I go across to IP (stupidly thinking that's where Drais was, duh!) and ask a guy how to get to Drais. He starts chatting with me (no, not gay LOL) and eventually tries to sell me coke, weed, and hookers. He was a nice guy otherwise heh since he got me going the right way, so I tell him to have a good night. I get to Bill's and the line is pretty crowded and the hosts are working the line pulling groups of ladies, etc. They tell us that the tables are all sold out, and that the line is probably an hour or 2 for GA entry. I start chatting with one of the hosts and give him a $100 handshake and he takes care of me. I'm IN!

Feeling a little tired, I decided to switch from beer to vodka redbull again to keep things going, after a couple of those things are going cool on the dance floor. Its just a fricking huge party and everybody's dancing etc. I end up hooking up with a group that was trying to get into the VIP section, so we pool some cash and grease our way in there as well. Even more intimate setting - we chill for about 30-40 minutes and this absolutely stunning blonde joins our table. Of course she's super into me - I think I'm in love....and then she tells me love isn't free and that it will cost me $600. At this point, I'm so drunk I don't care so I haggle. I offer her $300 and she just turns up her nose. $400? No deal. I wasn't really looking to 'hook' up, but man oh man sometimes booze makes your brain do funny things. I don't remember much more after this other than leaving the club and it was daylight. Somehow I got my way back to my room - I woke up fully clothed on the bed still hammered at about 130pm. I know it was 730am when I left Drais....good night!

[boykster]

day3 -

woke up sometime after 1pm still pretty drunk from the night before - kickoff was in a couple of hours, so we got over to Cabo Wabo to get seated and watch the game. The venue was fun - we were upstairs in their party room with a full bar, buffet food, etc. Game was fun - we had some $$$ on things - the over, lead at halftime, etc, but nothing on the outcome, so it was fun to just cheer for points. We were seated mostly with Steelers fans, so despite the exciting near-comeback finish they were disappointed but everyone had fun.

Drama time - midway through the 3rd quarter, Jack and Russ get into another disagreement over something dumb, and Russ takes off again. No biggie, we enjoy the rest of the game and drink some beers. As we're leaving, its clear that Jack is drunker than me, but seems OK. We decide to walk back to Excalibur since we're pretty close - bad idea! Jack starts to get wobbly and nearly falls a couple of times. I start looking to see if there's anywhere to get a cab, but no luck - this is the strip and we're in no-hotel land so no cabs to be had. Jack doesn't want a cab anyway, he wants to walk. Yeah right. We take it super slow, me holding him up as best as I can. He stumbles and trips and rolls, gets up and laughs it off. Still no cabs in sight and he won't stop and sit, he wants to keep going. Dammit. We don't get much further - we're in front of Gameworks - and he stumbles again and this time faceplants the sidewalk, breaking 3 of his front teeth and bloodying his nose (not broken). Security comes over and asks if there's anything they can do and I tell them I NEED a cab - as close as they can get one. I go over and buy a t-shirt from the stand at GameWorks and give it to Jack to stop the bleeding. I really wanted to get an ambulance but Jack refused - best I could do was a cab.

A cab rolls up on the side street and he doesn't want to pick us up - I offer him $40 to get us over to the Excalibur and promise that Jack won't puke or be any trouble. Finally get him in the cab and get him back to the room. The entire way Jack is saying 'so we're going to go party after this?' Yeah right Jack....we're going to go party...mind you, this was all at about 8pm or so....

I needed to get my wits back, so I go to the room and take a power nap. Wake up at 11pm, shower, take a 5hour energy shot and head over to Jacks room. Russ was in the room next door so he had finally come over to find out what was going on. Jack was asleep and everything was cool. I headed out to take my mind off of the evenings messed up events - I needed to get my mind on something else so I decided to hit a strip club - I've been to Sapphires, OG, Crazy Horse, and the Rhino before, and I wanted to try somewhere new. I went to Little Darlings - it was interesting....I got a very intense dance that was just what the Dr. ordered....

I headed back to the hotel and crashed

[boykster]

day 4 - monday

Bound and determined not to let the previous day's events ruin my vegas trip, I set out alone on monday. I had lunch at NYNY pizzeria and decided I was going get some exercise, see some of the new stuff the strip had to offer, so I decided to 'walk the strip'. The Stratosphere is way to far to go, so I set my goal on Circus Circus. I headed out and spent some time at Aria / City Center. I hadn't yet been in there, and it was worth the time to wander around. That chandelier lounge is impressive! I do have to say it's utterly confusing as hell though getting out of there. I followed signs that said 'escalator to Bellagio' at least a half dozen times and every time I ended up back on the casino floor! I finally said screw it and just exited onto LVB and started walking again.

I wandered through the Bellagio and admired the conservatory that they had all decked out for Chinese New Year (as did many other places), got a gelato, and saw the exhibition. They're currently displaying art about the human shape - it was an impressive display if you're interested in that sort of thing. I pushed on northward passing by pretty much everything else until I reached Circus Circus. I've spent a lot of time in Ceasars / Mirage / TI so I didn't think I needed to re-visit since I was just at Mirage in early december.

I decided to take a break at CC - I'd never gambled there so I figured, what the hell, I might as well play craps at as many casinos as I can! I broke out a couple of hundred and played for a couple of hours. Drink service sucked, but the dealers and other gamblers were fun so it was worth it. I also heard people talking about the steakhouse at CC and how good it was, so I decided I would book a table for later that evening. I headed out, crossed the street, and started back down the strip.

I hadn't ever been in Encore, so I had to stop and wander through - very nice and strangely a different feel than Wynn, despite being sister properties. Again, I played some craps for a while and out of the blue the girl I had met on friday evening strolls over and re-introduces herself! What are the odds! Anyway, she felt really bad for being so drunk friday and exchanging any contact info, but wants to hang out some more. Turns out she and her friend were staying at Circus Circus but they spent more time at Encore. She remembered I was staying at Excalibur (don't remember telling her that) and that they had wandered through a couple of times hoping to see me, but I was almost never onsite - go figure. She and her friend we're going to a show that evening, but wanted to go dancing later. I knew that XS was usually a good bet on mondays (thanks JC!), so we setup a rendevous for midnite at XS!

By this time it's dusk, and I wanted to walk the strip with the lights coming on so I head out back down the strip. I've done Venetian/Palazzo/Paris so I mostly just enjoy my stroll down the strip, drinking beers as I go and enjoy the early evening. I considered the monorail, but decided to stick with my idea of walking the whole strip (my lame attempt at 'exercise' while in vegas) and make it back to my room at about 530. I decide to take a short nap before my dinner reservation, take a shower, and get ready for the night.

I cab back to CC, play craps for another 30mins or so (same group of dealers, and even a few of the same players) before my dinner, and then had an outstanding dinner at The Steakhouse at Circus Circus - I highly recommend it if you're a steak person. I've even at Smith and Wollensky, Delmonico, CUT and Prime and this was on par with those houses. The atmosphere wasn't as 'top shelf', but the quality and preparation of the beef was some of the best I've had and the prices were reasonable (for a quality steak house).

Well, I've got a few hours to kill before heading to XS, so I wander down strip to watch the Sirens of TI and the volcano at Mirage erupt. I then head over to Harrah's and play some craps right outside the piano bar - fun time. The crowd was really into it inside the bar, and we were all having fun at the table. Nearly midnight, so I head back up to Encore (taxi).

I head to XS expecting a huge line, but its pretty reasonable. I get there right at midnight and meetup with with the rest of my party (the girls - my guy friends were still not invited). We get in no problem and head to the bar. Cool place - like the layout. Lots of tables but the flow is nice. They had the patio partly open too - it looks like when it's warm they open up a lot more, but it was nice to have a cool spot to go every once in a while. We danced and drank and got to know each other until about 3am and then the girls had to leave. They were flying out at 6am(!) heading back to england and had to go change, grab their suitcases, and get a cab! Talk about partying until the end! Anyway, we exchanged email addresses and promised to keep in touch....

Not quite ready to go, and feeling pretty good about the evening already, I decide to hang around for a while longer, toss back another couple of drinks and hit the dancefloor with a few other ladies. 4am rolls around and things are winding down. Its serious desperation action now with guys hunting the floor to hookup. That's not my scene, so I say goodbye to the people I hung out with and headed out. I'm strolling down the hallway towards the Wynn taxi line and a very attractive 'cougar' stumbles over to me and asks me where I going. I tell her I'm headed to my room and ask her, where is she going? She tells me that she's in vegas with her brother, but he's up in the room with a hooker so she doesn't have anywhere to go (sure, sure). We chatted for a while and she flat out asks me 'who are you sleeping with tonight'? I tell her 'nobody, but that's for the flattering offer'. We chat for another 10mins or so after I guided her over to one of the casino bars so she could sit down, and then I say goodnight, give her a hug and head off.

I hit the sack at about 5am.....

[boykster]

day 5 -

flight was at 120pm, so I slept until 1030, showered and headed to the airport still a tiny bit drunk but not too bad.

[BiqJosh]

Great read! It's unfortunate that your buddies couldn't hang with your partying ways.

[IRockNvegas]

Loved the trip report, u think jack and Russ were having lover spats? craps and steak at the CC , on my list!

[boykster]

Yeah, so the story about Jack and Russ are that they are old friends from WAY back - like 8th grade way back. They used to party down when they were in their 20's. I also learned from Russ that the main reason they're still friends is that they live 1/2 way across the country from each other and only see each other a couple times a year....otherwise they drive each other nuts.

Next time I'm headed to Vegas with a crew that can hold it together and party - eff these lightweights that get drunk and crash early or bail because they got their 'feelings hurt'. Good thing is that it's pretty easy to have a good time in vegas solo as long as you've got the right attitude. I met a ton of cool people and had a great time.

[jayredm]

Nice TR man seems like u had a good time.

[nel167]

Dude nice trip report! I finally left myself after 7 days of nonsense. You should've recruited me for your team my I have a player option this season. I'm gonna coordinate another trip again this year. I am going to work on my report asap.

[boykster]

I tried to capture as much of the detail as I could, but i know I forgot tons of stuff. Like, I think I went to PURE on sunday before I went to the strip club, but I'm not 100% sure..LOL

I'd very likely be down for a SB trip next year - this time I'll recruit a different team....I meant to PM / contact some JCers while down there, but got caught up in the madness and magic that is vegas!

[phan]

Thanks for taking the time to put this trip report together, great read, definitely a crazy weekend.

[YellowandNavy]

Great TR man. Sounds like you had the most fun on your solo day.

[Moxie000]

Wow that trip sounds awesome!! Great read

[Rescuediver]

Just goes to show, you're never really solo in vegas. Nice read man.