Vegas Trip Report – July 11th – July 14th

I had a fantastic trip! While I didn’t get to do everything I had hoped to do, this was the first 4-day trip where I was not ready to go home because I had overdone it (or ran out of money!). My mom and my cousin had been out since Saturday the 8th, and they stayed for a week (which I choose to neither afford nor wish to attempt), while I merely invited myself along to complete their trip.

I missed the meet at Barbary Coast on the 12th because I came down with a killer migraine. I was not prepared for this, as I had not had a migraine in almost a year, so I had no medicine with me. Big mistake on my part, and I apologize profusely to YahtzeeinCA, MarkG, NormLV, CarolWILV, and all the others that I hoped to finally meet in person.

Flights

If I had taken my flight out as a sign, I would’ve just stayed at the airport and taken the next flight back to San Antonio. I flew Southwest as I always do, but this was this was the first time I have ever had a bad flight. The flight originated in Houston, and was 30 minutes late getting to San Antonio for us to board. The A/C was not working properly on the plane, so it would only cool slightly until we got up to 33,000 feet. Besides that, I had a hyperactive, diabetic neighbor who had to keep two ice chests full of food at her feet (the soft-sided kind, but she had to put her feet on top of them and OVER the armrest of the window seat of the person in front of her—I’m sure they were very happy about that). I counted the number of times she had to rearrange herself to be able to open either of the chests and get out a sandwich – 14 times during a 2-hour, 25 minute flight. I have another cousin who is diabetic and I understand the need to keep your sugar levels up, but this poor lady was doing herself no favors by re-packing the other half of her sandwiches each time (yes, she had 7 total) for so short a flight. The guy in the middle seat (I will not call him a “poor guy”, because he deserved no happiness in my mind) was what I would call a “playboy fiancé”. He told me when he sat down that he was on his way to see his fiancé in San Diego, but that even though he wasn’t even married to her yet, he already wanted a divorce! So why go see her? He was already two sheets to the wind, and was swaying when the plane took off, so I knew I was in for a lovely flight. He proceeded to tell me (even though my body language said “I do NOT want to talk!”) about his girlfriend, how she’s evil, how I should drink with him, and betting me $200 that the puzzle I was working on was wrong, even though he couldn’t figure out how I was doing it. I did manage to put an end to his conversation by saying something sarcastic, but I can’t remember exactly what it was. I should’ve given him Chitownbrown’s “stink eye”, but I didn’t want any eye contact with him. He did manage to order four Jack and Cokes during drink service, and he was really swaying while sitting straight up-ASLEEP-as we came in for a VERY bumpy approach and landing. The winds were bad and I swear to Bob we BOUNCED when we landed! A sweet little old couple I had met at the airport were seated across the aisle and they were crossing themselves and praying – they were on their way to celebrate their 57th anniversary, and were hoping they would make it to 58. When we landed, we sat on the runway for about 15 minutes while they found a gate for us. The drunken playboy guy had to run to catch his connecting flight to San Diego, which was supposed to leave only 30 minutes after our original arrival time – I hope he missed it.

The flight back was the exact opposite – smooth as silk, quiet, and cold. Of course, I had much better neighbors in my mom and cousin. The only problem was that our flight left Vegas at 9:05 p.m., when it was scheduled to leave at 7:20. We landed at 1:20 a.m. San Antonio time, and I got home around 2:30.

Hotel

We stayed at Imperial Palace one last time. I got an upgraded room – 244 – and I was a happy camper. I like the upgraded rooms because they’re not so busy with the tropical theme. They have the nice, understated bedspreads in cream and white, and everything looks much calmer in these rooms. Two double beds and a view of a Harrah’s wall – I was only in my room to sleep and was gone from about 9 a.m. until about 2:30 a.m. every day (except Wednesday, when I took a nap in an attempt to kill the migraine-the quiet darkness and lots of Extra Strength Tylenol finally did it). For the record, the new shower heads in the upgraded rooms are seriously strong. They have placed them higher, as the main complaint previously was that you had to be under 5 feet tall to fit under them (I’m 5′ 4″, and they would allow my 6′ 1″ husband to fit under easily). The water pressure in the shower will now take your skin off! Made for a good neck massage on Wednesday when I got rid of the migraine. Check in on Tuesday at 4 p.m. took 3 minutes and check out on Friday took less than 1 minute via the TV. Not really crowded on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday and Friday saw more crowds and lots of cars at the valet with California plates.

Food/Meals

Battista’s Hole in the Wall – We had a 2 ½ hour dinner here on Tuesday night with my Vegas cousin and his wife (they live in Henderson). Dinner for 5 people came to $175 with the tip. One had steak, one had shrimp scampi over linguine (both looked great), and three of us had the linguine with clam sauce (two with the white sauce and one with the red). We drank about ½ of each carafe of the white and red wines with dinner. Salads were good, the garlic bread was yummy and very buttery and garlic-y (just the way I like it), and we shared a great appetizer of calamari. Some have said they don’t like the cappuccino, but we liked it. To me it was more like hot chocolate than anything else, but I liked it.

Wynn Buffet – Oh…my…God! This was my favorite meal of the trip! I talked my mom and cousin into doing this for lunch on Wednesday because I offered to pay (not enough points on their Red cards at that point). We got there about 5 minutes early, and I asked the hostess if they were seating for lunch yet. She looked at her watch, saw the time and said, “If you hurry, you can get lunch for the price of breakfast!” and winked. I practically threw my credit card at her! So, we paid for the $14.95 breakfast and got the $19.95 lunch. So many stations! Asian, American, Italian, Soups and Salads, Sushi, Seafood, Breads – I know I’ve forgotten some. And a separate room for desserts – be still my heart! I love desserts and the portions were the right size to allow you to try several without wasting anything, or stuffing yourself into complete gluttony. I tried the Kobe meatballs (delicious), curry chicken (not too spicy), mashed potatoes (garlic-y and yummy), white pizza (very good), peeled shrimp (huge and nicely chilled), basil ravioli (good), green beans, zucchini, carrots (all crisp and well seasoned), and the potato leek soup (absolutely wonderful). I only had very small portions of each because I saw the desserts when we walked in! For dessert, I tried the lemon tart (very tart!), carrot cake (moist and delicious), tiramisu (heavenly), an oatmeal cookie (great with coffee), and a strawberry smoothie (very berry). The total for 3 with tip: $59.56 (the waitress, Margarita, was great).

Harrah’s Café – We had a late night meal here on Wednesday because of the buffet earlier in the day. Mom and cousin had the Clam Chowder in bread bowls (which is very good), and I had a club sandwich and fries (huge) because I had been craving one for weeks. With coffees and the tip - $33 (I left a $5 tip and mom paid).

Imperial Palace Teahouse – Two breakfasts here (Thursday and Friday). We are so predicable! Both days, all three of us had what I call the “cholesterol breakfast” - 2 eggs over easy with bacon (mom and cousin changed to sausage and ham on the 2nd day), hash browns (I only eat the crusty top), and toast, coffee and milk. Total for all three of us came to $28.46 each day, which we paid with our IP comp dollars.

Jean Philippe Patisserie – I had a cappuccino gelato, but I don’t remember what flavors my mom and cousin had. Total for three scoops was $16.16 (I had a waffle cone), but they were delicious! As we were finishing, we saw a beautiful young bride coming down for photos in the Conservatory. All brides are beautiful, but this young lady was a gorgeous young Japanese woman in a traditional Japanese wedding ensemble. She was absolutely glowing, and everyone was giving her best wishes. I should’ve taken a photo of her, too—very graceful and poised.

Mon Ami Gabi – Wonderful as always! We always ask for seating on the patio to watch the fountain shows, and we walked up at 7 p.m. and were seated immediately. First three fountain shows: Viva Las Vegas (Elvis), Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra), and My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion). Three of my favorites! The crusty bread and carrot appetizer was quickly devoured (we hadn’t eaten since 9 a.m.), and we all three ordered a glass of house wine (two reds and a rose’ – I don’t care for true red wines). Dinner for all three of us was the Steak Classique (cooked medium) with pommes frites. Mom and cousin had the Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert – I was stuffed, but I did try a bite and it was great! It just melts in your mouth. Dinner was my treat – the total came to $135.68 with the tip. Our waiter, Carlos, was very cute and sweet. He was a joker and was teasing my mom about her wine selection (I forget what she said, but he thought it was funny). She told him he didn’t look old enough to serve it, anyway, so he’d better find another waitperson to help him (he was maybe 21). That started a dinner-long silly session between us and the waiter, but it was great fun. My 11-year-old daughter called during dinner, and I told her about the cute and funny waiter. She promptly asked for me take a picture of him for her, and he was gracious enough to pose for one AND he talked to her on the phone. She was giggling when I got the phone back from him. Great time!

Gambling/Casinos

Let me begin by saying that I am low roller at heart. I am here to have fun, not win a fortune. I start out by trying each slot with $5. If I like it and/or I’m winning, I stay. If I quickly lose the $5 and don’t get any play or see any sort of fun, “interactive” stuff, or accumulate any additional credits at all, I move on and try something different. I go back to my favorites again and again, and just because I find one machine that’s losing, if I like the theme or the interactive-ness, I’ll just find another to see if it’s hitting. This works more times than not. Blackjack stays at $5 per hand, but I didn’t play any this time. Roulette has me sticking with the minimums because I enjoy the fun atmosphere and just feed off of others having a good time. So goes my spending on gambling.

Barbary Coast – We were here on Tuesday night, and it wasn’t overly crowded. There was a band playing in Big Elvis’ Lounge, and they were okay. I played the Jackpot Hunter slots and was able to get the Platypus Bonus ($17.08 bottom-level bonus on a penny per line bet) on my second spin. No other wins there. The big Wheel of Fortune game was packed with tons of onlookers (as it was everywhere). You couldn’t get near it to even see the screens. Drink service was missing – I never saw a CW there.

Flamingo – They are in the middle of replacing the carpeting, so a lot of machines are turned off or roped off. I will say that the new carpeting is very cushy and comfortable to walk on. I hardly played at all here – I just couldn’t find anything I wanted to try. The only thing I DID want to try was the Gold Fish, machines, but of the six they had, five were marked “Out of Order”. This was the case for Gold Fish at a lot of casinos we visited – most of these machines showed a blue screen and had “Out of Order” on them. The ones I did see in play were hitting very well (except, of course, for the one I played at Wynn, and hit nothing). Drink service at Flamingo was also bad – I saw one CW in two hours. Crowds were fair – not too busy. Did go to Margaritaville to get a shirt for my husband, as I do for every trip since they’ve opened (he’s got quite a collection going!).

Imperial Palace – Since this was our home base, we came back and played here every night (until about 2:30 a.m., when I began to see double). On the first day, my good hits were on Star Wars: Dark Side (several bonus rounds), and Milk Money. On the second day, I hit good bonuses on Frog Prince and Money Storm (re-triggered the bonus 5 times in one session). On day three, I had great luck on a Lobstermania slot that hit lots of bonus rounds (while a woman lurked me for more than 2 hours), and a heckuva run on The Apprentice after my mom talked me into trying it (cool “Boardroom” bonus round). I turned $5 into $210 when I finally cashed out from The Apprentice. I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else. If you play these, be sure to play the bonus lines (marked “30+ bonus”) for a total of 40 lines if you want to be eligible for the Boardroom Bonus. On this one, there is also a “Wheelionaire” bonus that pops up randomly, and you pick spots to win one of 5 bonus level progressives – Amethyst, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, or Diamond. You are only eligible to try for the Diamond progressive ($1 million) if you play the max bet. I hit the Sapphire progressive for $42.56 the only time it came up for me, and mom got the Amethyst for $10.13 when it popped up for her. On the last day, I played The Apprentice again, and turned $5 into $90 in about an hour. Mom was jealous. No “Wheelionaire” bonuses, though. CW service was good on nights 2 and 3. None to be found on the first day, and we weren’t really looking on day 4. FYI – for those that care (I have a good friend at work who does) – the old CW uniforms are back, although they are now pink instead of blue. I didn’t like the black “tuxedo” look, because it didn’t fit with the casino. The Oriental silk dresses do. My friend will be very happy when he visits IP in three weeks.

Wynn – Frog Prince kept me playing for awhile here before the buffet lunch. It was also one of the few places I found any Monopoly slots anymore. We tried a couple of those, but hit only one bonus round between the three of us, so we moved on. CW visited a couple of times, but we didn’t play all that long. Window-shopped and took my cousin for a tour of the entire casino floor/shops and Parasol Up/Parasol Down. We also admired the view of the waterfall for quite awhile. If I get another offer from Wynn, I’m staying there. (Brian Fey-I’m hooked!) It was such an all-around great experience to visit there again. Everyone was super-nice and helpful, and every employee I chatted with had a smile and was very engaging. Really nice!

The Frontier – My mom wanted to visit, since we were pretty close by (we had just left the Wynn buffet), and we crossed the Strip and walked along the front of the Fashion Show Mall to get over there. The place was quiet, dead, and a bit depressing. This is when my migraine really started to kick in. I managed to play for awhile (I had actually found a Jackpot Stampede slot, which are hard to come by these days), when I finally felt too ill and was ready to leave ASAP. It didn’t help that the place was too warm. I thought it was just me because I wasn’t feeling well, but my mom and cousin both thought it was too warm. Because I wasn’t doing too hot, we cabbed back to IP so I could get some relief. This was my first and last time at The Frontier. Don’t remember seeing any CW’s, and really didn’t care.

Harrah’s – I tried Rapid Roulette for the first time on Wednesday night after the Elton John concert, and I enjoyed it. The reason? The dealers/croupiers or whatever you call them were two very funny ladies, and there was a group of 5 women seated on one side who were hilarious and were hitting constantly. I bought in for $20 with a $2.50 minimum bet and played for almost 2 hours before I finally cashed out the $2 I had left. If you haven’t played this, try it. No reaching over others, and the dealer’s/croupier’s assistant takes your money on a clear acrylic tray and gave it to the dealer/croupier to “buy in”, and when you “cash out” she gives you your chips in a clear acrylic chip tray (all for the cameras, of course). You could spread a minimum of $2.50 using chips in denominations of $0.50, $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 and up anywhere on the board, inside and out. When you won, the assistant would give you a high five and yell out, “Winner! Winner over here!” If you lost, she’d sympathize and say, “You’ll get it next time!” I wish I’d gotten their names – they were great fun. The dealer/croupier had short, blond hair and the assistant had long, black hair and glasses. One note: a man sitting to my left didn’t appear to speak much English, but he bought in for $200 and was tapping his finger on his screen as quickly as possible, placing bets all across the board for about $100 on each spin. He lasted about 30 minutes when he finally lost all his money. No CW’s near the Rapid Roulette, although I’m sure one would have been summoned if I had asked.

MGM – I found the Monty Python slots here, and I hit the bonus round for 78 free spins after my 4th spin. I played on the winnings for almost an hour before I cashed out my original bet and moved on. My Rich Uncle let me play for awhile, going up and down, but no real bonuses. CW was a frequent visitor. Lions were very playful when we first got there, but were ready for a nap shortly.

Tropicana – We walked over from MGM because mom and cousin wanted to visit again (they hadn’t been in there in about 5 years), and discovered all the slots are coin only! I did find Monopoly here, and I played for about 5 minutes before I hit a bonus round. I completed the bonus, turned my $5 to $20, and when I went to cash out I heard the “clink, clink, clink” of actual silver hitting the tray! This is where I learned to really appreciate TITO – my hands looked nasty! I cashed the nickels in and washed my hands quickly. We walked around the entire casino looking at the machines to see if any were TITO, and discovered none were. Funny moment: my cousin was playing VP, and while mom and I waited, I sat down at a Sally’s Shrimpmania machine nearby and played 9 lines at a penny on a single dollar to wait for her – I didn’t think I’d hit anything, because I hadn’t hit anything on these machines so far this trip, nor did I relish the thought of carrying hundreds of pennies to the cashier. First spin, I hit the bonus round. After the bonus, I hit 1,000 pennies for some winning combo, then another 500 pennies. My mom starts laughing, and I told her it was NOT funny to hit on pennies when no TITO is available! I did manage to lose it all back, though. (I think it paid in nickels, though, because all the combos appeared to multiples of five. I didn’t want to find out.) Glad when my cousin finally lost her buy-in, we quickly left. I didn’t care for the casino – the ceilings were too low, and even though there were a lot of people in there, there were no sounds of celebration and fun. I didn’t even try to find a CW here. I did win a free Extreme Magic Show ticket on my free slot pull out front, but I gave it to another lady who was walking in when we were leaving.

NY, NY – Every time I go here, I like this casino more and more! I didn’t really win much here, but I loved the fun atmosphere. The place was fairly crowded, but I found the games I wanted to play and was able to have a good time. I played Keeping Up with the Joneses and tripled my money, and I was able to find four Jackpot Stampede games still there – no wins on them this time, though. I had never noticed the smell of green apples before, but I did this time. Maybe someone on this board mentioned it and I kept it in my mind? It smelled great. I walked around for quite awhile, just checking out the “buildings” and noting the small details in the “windows” before I finally settled down to play. Mom joined me for Sally’s Shrimpmania slots near Nine Fine Irishmen, and we played for quite awhile. We mostly people watched, though. There were lots of interesting characters in NY, NY this time. I gave Sea Monkeys a second chance here, and I still didn’t hit anything. I had tried them at Venetian in October and hit nothing there, either. I won’t be doing that again. CW visited frequently.

Bellagio – Before we gambled, we checked out the Conservatory. I managed to take over 50 pictures for one of my aunts, and my mom was in awe. She initially didn’t want to walk over because her hip had been hurting her, but she was really glad she did. I heard nothing but “Look at that! And look at THAT!” over and over again. They still had the miniature monuments/buildings on display, and the trains were on the go! I counted 4 trains (including the “Ladybug” trolley) going through the whole Conservatory. Maybe there were more, I don’t know. It was absolutely beautiful! I also showed my mom and cousin the chocolate fountain, and we ordered some gelato from Jean Philippe Patisserie to eat by the windows. When we finally got to gambling, I found the new Elvis progressive slots. My cousin and I had to play these, and there are different levels of winning possibilities depending on how many coins you bet. 1-20 is the first tier, 21-50 is the second tier, and 51-75 is the third tier (I think-I know the first tier for sure). Say you bet 25 coins – you must have a winning combination on the first bet to be eligible for a “spin” on the second tier. If you bet 75 coins, you must have a winning combination on the first and second bets to be eligible for a “spin” on the third tier. There is a free spin bonus round, and an “Applause-O-Meter” bonus where you get to select the song you think got the most applause for the most points. Played for awhile, but only hit the “Applause-O-Meter” bonus once. CW visited twice during our 1 ½ hour stay.

Paris – Found the Get Nuts slots everyone has been mentioning on this board. Did not hit a single bonus round or any good points at all, and I tried 3 different machines. I did have quite a bit of luck on the Denver Duck slots. I played before and after our dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, and I turned $5 into $75 the first time, and $5 into $60 the second time. I played for almost 3 hours between the two sessions on the same Denver Duck slot machine. I love this game! I used to see it at O’Shea’s, but I don’t think it’s there anymore. We also spent about an hour at Napoleon’s listening to the dueling pianos. They were very entertaining, but when it started to get really crowded my mom and cousin were ready to get the heck out of there.

Caesars Palace – I played the Dancing Dolphins Jackpot Party slots near The Red Piano shop for quite a while, but didn’t hit any big bonuses. Mom did, though—she re-triggered her bonus spins 4 times for a total of 35 free spins. Also played the Lighthouse Loot Jackpot Party slots, but I never hit a single bonus. Again, my mom hit several bonuses, but I can’t remember which ones. They’re easier to remember if you’ve hit them yourself! Did a little souvenir shopping in the Forum Shops, and I walked the entire thing twice just looking around and people-watching. I stopped in Elton John’s shop to find a t-shirt for my daughter (she’s a big Elton fan). I found a black one that reads “ELTON ROCKS VEGAS”, and she loves it. My other choices included several versions of “The Bitch is Back”, which is not appropriate for an 11-year-old, yes?

Shows

Elton John-The Red Piano (Caesars Palace) – Since Elton John has been filling in for Celine Dion during her vacations, his visits have coincided with mine (July and October), and he has been tempting me to go. I finally caved in and bought a ticket through Ticketmasters two months before my trip. Single seats are easy to come by. I was in Orchestra Row J, on the right side, and was about 35 yards away. Looking around, there is not a bad seat in the place. I paid $125 for my Wednesday night ticket, and it was worth it. I could see everything going on, I had a clear view of expressions on Sir Elton’s face, and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. There were plenty of single seats to be had in the first 10 rows, but I would’ve had to pay over $200 for those and was not willing to do so. I did not buy a program (they were $25 at the show, and $21.68 in the gift shop), but I did buy a $5 bottle of water (!) before I went to my seat. I was apparently paying for Wolfgang Puck’s name, as I’m sure that the label was very expensive to put on that bottle of plain old water. Ah, well. About the show – Elton did 15 songs, beginning with “Benny and the Jets” and ending with “Your Song”. He kept up a stead stream of banter and comments throughout the show, poking a little good-hearted fun at Celine along the way. He said she was away fulfilling a childhood dream: filming a Krispy Kreme commercial, and he also called her a “singing Q-tip”. They are good friends, though. He made me want to see her, show, too. I guess I should before she’s replaced with Cher. The giant screen behind the stage usually had video clips on it during the songs, and during “Rocket Man” and “The Bitch is Back” they really fit. The video I hated-absolutely HATED-was for “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”. Ewwwwwww. The weird blonde chick with the puffy lips, black eye makeup, and nothing but a white garter was distracting, especially when her, ahem, crotch caught on fire in the electric chair! What the heck was that about? I kept looking over at her and thinking, “Why? She’s scary looking enough already!” Other than that, it was a great show.

Legends in Concert (Imperial Palace) – I saw this show with my mom last year, and wanted to go again before it went away. This time the performers were Jay Leno (doing an opening monologue – very funny!), Tina Turner, Prince (both were spot-on, and Prince can MOVE!), then Jay Leno does another comedy bit, followed by The Temptations and the Elvis finale (the cutest Elvis so far), including the showgirls with big headdresses and all. The tickets would have been $49.95 + tax, but we paid with our IP comp dollars, so they were free. I tipped $20 to get booth seating again, in first booths behind the long tables, right next to the center aisle. Can’t beat that deal with a stick! I didn’t buy a program here, either, as I had bought one last year and the performers were the still the same. I hope they get picked up by another hotel/casino when IP closes (if Harrah’s doesn’t keep them in some way, shape or form). One drink is included with the ticket price, and there are $3 off tickets everywhere, but I didn’t care since I wasn’t really paying for it with cash!

Transportation

Cabs - My cab from the airport to IP was $18 including tip. No cab line at the airport – quite a difference from last time, when we waited almost an hour in a snaking line. I walked right up and was placed into a waiting cab, but traffic on both Flamingo and Tropicana was bad. That’s where I sat the longest. Cab fare from Frontier to IP was $7 including tip. It was worth it for my migraine. Cab fare back to the airport was also $18 including tip. Our driver attempted to use any shortcuts, but we were heading back right about rush hour, and everyone knows there is no “rushing” traffic down Koval with all the streets coming in from every direction behind IP.

Monorail – We bought a 10-ride pass which we shared on Thursday. Cost: $35. The three of us rode from the IP/Harrah’s station down to the MGM station, then from MGM to the Paris/Bally’s station, then from the Paris/Bally’s station back to the IP/Harrah’s station all on Thursday. Not cheaper than 3 cab trips, but safer! We gave the final ride to a lady who was just coming up the ramp at the IP/Harrah’s stop when we were walking out.

Final Thoughts

This was not a winning trip for me, but I only lost about $200 total for the four days and nights. I’ve had better, and I’ve had worse.
The weather got hotter every day – it started out Tuesday at about 102, and ended up Friday at about 110.

The smoke from the California wildfires was the worst on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

The sidewalks were not overly crowded, but the Strip was always congested. I did not hear a lot of people hitting anything big (or if they did, they certainly didn’t make any noise!), but the craps tables at IP and Caesars seemed to be having the most fun.

The employees at IP say that they have been told there will be a big meeting of Harrah’s executives sometime in August to determine if they take down Bally’s or Imperial Palace first. That sort of surprised me. As much as I like IP, I know lots of people don’t, so I assumed Harrah’s would be taking it down first without question. The actual word is that Bally’s is much more expensive to maintain, and IP is making money. What will finally happen, I don’t know. I do know that I like the smaller casino for my home base, especially when staying with someone who doesn’t always play what you play and go where you go (my mom OR my husband) and you don’t always want to be glued together but want to be able to find your party without having to break out the hiking boots.

Things I didn’t get to do: I did not get to the LVTalk meet at Barbary Coast, as I said before, and I really wish I had felt up to it. We also did not get downtown, which is something we all wanted to do, but there just weren’t enough hours in the day to get all our stuff in. I also wanted to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, but we were too stuffed from breakfast to even attempt it when we were there on Friday. Our flight was supposed to leave at 7:20, but my mom thought we’d be cutting it too close if we went for a late lunch/early dinner. Since our flight didn’t leave until 9:05, we would’ve had plenty of time.

I had a great time, but I don’t know when the next trip will be. I’d like to go in October, when the weather is perfect, or we will try to arrange a trip for my mom’s birthday in March if that doesn’t work out. Otherwise, it’ll be next July before I get back to my favorite place!

Okay, this is 10 pages in Word, so I think that’s enough. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it! Ciao!

Imperial Palace - Las Vegas - Jan. 22-25, 2006

I’m going to start with gambling since this was the 1st trip out of 7 in the past 4 years and we actually won something.

We arrived an hour later then scheduled thanks to Southwest Airlines, so was unable to place a bet on the Denver/Steeler game, which in hind sight was good, since we were going to bet on Denver. Placed a bet in Ballys sports book on Seattle to win over Carolina and collected $200.00. After the game, we went to Ballys VP area and played Progressive Double, Double Bonus Poker. DH hit 4 of a kind in 2’s and collected $238.00. Then I hit my first Royal Flush for $1,060.00. Over the next 3 days, DH hit 4 more 4 of a kinds at Ballys, 1 at MGM, 1 at Circus, Circus and 1 a Slots of Fun all for around $100 a piece. I hit a 4 of a kind at Ballys and 1 at the Rivera. Also played Keno at Harrah’s, Ballys and Imperial Palace. Didn’t win anything there. The IP still has $1.00 keno tickets, so we liked that. Played roulette at Casino Royal. Hit 19 twice and 36 once, but didn’t win any big money. Cocktail service was great everywhere we went. There were several times, I was just sitting next to DH watching him play VP and they brought me cocktails also.

Imperial Palace - We booked a Southwest Vacation package about 4 weeks out and got a great deal. On arrival, our plane was delayed in Albuquerque due to the toilets in the lavatories being frozen and wouldn’t flush. When we finally arrived at the IP, we just dropped off our bags curb side and checked in later that afternoon. We asked for a King, but was told they were sold out. They gave us a 2 Doubles on the 9th floor over looking the pool area. Room 9119. Room was fine. Bathroom small and the sink area a little scratched up and cracked. The sink also had a slow drain. The balcony over looking the sparse pool area and the back of the Flamingo was fine. The location of the IP was terrific and for the price, we would stay there again.

IP Spa - Made reservations for a Vanilla Sugar Scrub and Swedish massage. Upon arrival, was informed that they were in the process of changing their product line and services, so was offered either a Green Tea pumice scrub, Chocolate scrub or Champagne/Rose salt scrub. I chose the Champagne/Rose salt scrub. This was the first spa treatment I’ve had that once the scrub was complete, I didn’t have to get up and go to the shower to rinse off. They has a 6 sprayer head to toe shower spray that rinsed the scrub off while on the table. It was so nice and relaxing. The lady doing the actual scrub could have been a little more attentive, but over all it was a nice treatment. The Swedish massage was fabulous. So good, that I asked if I could add on a foot massage and they did so with no problem. Each treatment was $60. Included was a optional clothing whirlpool, sauna and steam shower. After my treatments, I spent time in the steam shower. They offered ice cold towels at the entrance to the shower. They also had 3 separate showers with their line of products: Citrus, CocoMango and something else I can’t remember. I chose the CocoMango and loved it. I ended up buying the shower gel, but they were sold out of the lotion. Too bad. I would book treatments there in the future.

Dining -

IP’s Tea House Restaurant for breakfast - Not bad. We chose the hueves rancheros and they were fine. The french toast was a little too thick and not enough egg batter for my taste, but the syrup was good. No powdered sugar. Service was fast and friendly.

IP’s Emperor’s Buffet for breakfast - We were disappointed that the advertised daily champagne buffet brunch in the Tea House was cancelled the week before, so we went to the Emperors Buffet. The cost was $10.99 p/p. I don’t particulary care for buffets in Las Vegas, but this was good for the money. The food was actually tasty and not stale/dry tasting. We went at 9:00am and a line started forming once we got in. Selections included scrambled eggs, omelette station, spinach quiche, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast. A variety of breads, muffins and pastries and a fresh fruit/canned fruit bar. It was about the same level of AI hotel food we’ve had in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Commander’s Palace .25 Cent Martini Lunch - We made reservations for 11:30, there was only us and 4 other tables occupied in the dining room. There were others in the bar area. There is a 3 course pre-fixed menu for $18.80 and a separate 3 course menu which you could apply substitutions for $29.00. All are either soup/salad, entree and dessert. DH chose the pre-fixed menu. He had the navy bean and duck soup, pork etufee and the banana cake. All was very good. Other choices were Caesar salad, blacken grilled catfish and chocolate bread pudding. I chose the $29.00 menu, which offered the turtle soup, fried catfish and chocolate souffle. I didn’t like the options of the turtle soup or the chocolate souffle, so they substituted with the gumbo and the creme brulee. All was very good. The waitress tried to talk me out of the creme brulee as she said she didn’t care for it, but I was glad I held my ground because it was very good. We had the Commander’s Palace martini x 2, a lemon drop martini, raspberry martini, French martini and a Butterscotch martini with dessert for .25 cents each. Check came to $53.00. This was our second trip and we would definitely go back again.

Circus, Circus Steakhouse - This was also our second trip. We decided to share an entree, since their steaks are huge. We chose the Porthouse. I was given an extra plate with 1/2 of a baked potato and a side of steamed asparagus. All was perfect and plenty for the both of us. DH doesn’t really care for asparagus, but this was so good he ate all of it. They only charged me extra for a salad. Had creme brulee for dessert and was very good. Also had 2 Coronas for $4.50 a piece. Never seen a Corona for less than $6.00 at a nice restaurant. Check came to $63.00 Would definitely eat there again.

The Range Steak House at Harrah’s - Big disappointment. I chose the Escargot with puff pastry. Was OK. They could have skipped the huge puff pastry and substituted for Provolone cheese. Also had the lobster bisque. Was served barley luke warm and was too thick like it had been sitting out awhile. DH has the roasted chicken breast. The portion was quite small. We shared the creme brulee for dessert and they torched the top table side. Burnt it to a crisp. Check came to $63.00. Not worth it.

Ballys Sterling Champagne Brunch - This was our second trip here also. We love this brunch. The all you can eat lobster and champagne is totally worth the $65.00 p/p charge. Also had sirloin steak, shrimp cocktail, crab claws, and lobster ravioli. For dessert, creme brulee, flan, and chocolate covered strawberries. There were plenty more selections to choose from including different kinds of egg dishes, fresh omelettes cooked to order, salad bar, sushi bar, carving station and full dessert area. Definitely make a reservation. There was a line of people without reservations and I didn’t see anyone of them get in. Our reservation was at noon. We got there at 11:30 and the place was packed. We had to wait until a little after noon to be seated. They do provide champagne while you wait, which is nice touch.

I Love This Bar and Grill - We went for dinner around 8pm. The place was full, but not packed. Plenty of empty tables, but not enough wait staff to cover them. DH had the fried catfish. Had to be one of the best we ever had. Chicken fried steak was good also, but the gravy was a little funky. Not the typical cream gravy, but more like a turkey gravy. It was OK, but would have preferred cream gravy. Their side dishes were also off. The coleslaw was dry and tasteless and the turnips greens need more seasoning and pepper sauce. Couldn’t flag down a waitress. At 9pm they have a live band. This guy was terrible. Mutilating rock hits from the 70’s and 80’s. It’s a country bar. We were looking forward to listening to some Country music. We left, but would try them again in the future.

Margaritaville - We love their tortilla soup. Also ordered the Volcano nachos, which was good. Huge portion that a family of four could eat. I asked for a side of salsa and they brought me a cereal bowl full of it and then charged me $1.99. Our waitress apparently was not having a good day. Bad attitude and then brought us the wrong check. Enjoyed the Wildberry Colada, but the Margarita DH had was pretty bad.

Entertainment -

Splash at the Rivera - We were not interested in $100 p/p show tickets this trip, so we settled on Splash. The show was good and entertaining, The in between acts and comedy troop was really good. We had terrible seats. On the 2nd row to the far right. Was just too close to the stage and we couldn’t see what was going on to the left of the stage. The performers went out into the audience several times, so we couldn’t see that either. The theater is quite small, so we would have preferred seats in the back section so we could get a good overview of the entire show.

Dueling Pianos at Harrah’s - We didn’t get there in time to get a seat inside. The place is rather small. There were 2 men at the pianos instead of the Twins as advertised. We stood outside the open window area for a while. It was entertaining and we would go back again, but will probably try the new dueling pianos at the Paris first.

Carnival Court at Harrah’s - Nice bar area. Was afraid it would be too cold to sit out there, but they had heaters going. It was not full and nobody was dancing. We stayed awhile and enjoyed the music at the bar.

Caesar’s Forum or Shoppes/Aquarium/Fountain Show - Haven’t been in Caesar’s since 2002. If they keep adding on, it will be a city within itself. The place is huge. The Aquarium and Fountain Show was the same as we saw before in 2002. However, the sound quality was pretty bad as we could barley hear/understand what the characters were saying. Couldn’t pass up Bath and Body works. Was able to buy some coconut lotion to go with my CocoMango bath gel.

This was our 3rd trip in January and it had to be the best weather. Sunny and cool with only a slight breeze. The other two times it was very cold and windy. Would have to say that January is the best time for low crowds and good prices on package deals. We’ll be back.

Pictures at: http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn