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We decided to get in a short vacation in before going back to school, and Biloxi seemed to be calling our name! When I got home from a two day workshop Joe had the car ready and a cooler packed! We left at 5:00 and stopped for the night at Days Inn in Tallahassee. They had some rooms for $38, but only on the 3rd floor … no elevator. That leg of the trip was uneventful except for the VERY HEAVY rain. The next morning we tried to grab a bite at Shoney’s, but headed for Waffle House when we saw the huge family reunion waiting to get in. What a zoo!!! We got to the Grand around 12:30. We were staying in the Island View this time. We couldn’t check in yet, but we were assigned a room. The desk clerk spent some extra time trying to find a room with a good view. As usual, service was great. I think the rooms at the Beau Rivage are nicer, but we always get fantastic service at the Grand. Joe found a Texas Tea nickel machine that had his name on it. He had a good time playing it the entire trip. I played one near-by. We were there about an hour. I was even – Joe up $30. We headed over to the slot club booth to say hi to Lana Brown before going to lunch. She is my favorite Grand employee … always helpful … always friendly! A true Gem! After grabbing a bite at Cuco’s we went back to the Grand to play a bit while we waited for our room. I found a Regis game that I had never played before and decided to give it a try. That was one BORING game. I did make it to the bonus round, but that only made the game slow … and boring! I got in my WOF fix, and then Joe heard his Texas Tea machine calling. He ended up, and I was down a little. We picked up our keys and headed to the room. This is the first time we have ever stayed in the Island View hotel. We were given room 569 overlooking the pool. It was nice, but you can tell that the Bayview is a newer hotel. Now that I’ve stayed at both though, I think I prefer the Island View. It is much closer to the casino, and I felt safer going back to my room alone late at night. The walk from the casino to the Bayview can be a little long and a little creepy late at night if you are alone and carrying more money (hopefully) than you usually do. We played some more slots before trying the Buffet. They were having a special for $12.99. It included beer, wine, and lobster. You are given a coupon for the lobster, and your waitress brings it to you. The ad for the buffet showed a pitcher of draft beer, but you are served a bottle of whatever flavor you so desire. The wine is served in the same glasses that they use in the casino, so you can take it out with you. The food was great, and we’ll probably go back for dinner again. Our waitress was super! I asked her if there was a limit on the alcohol, and she said you were welcome to drink as much as you wanted as long as you behaved. She took very good care of us, and I felt bad tipping her in quarters even though it was a good tip. She didn’t mind though. She said that she was setting aside the tips that she gets in change to help finance her maternity leave. So if Sandy waits on you … dig deep in that coin cup! That night was Ladies Night at Coyotes Bar. The bar is nice, but I miss the slot machines that were there. The ceiling is so high, and there must be a great ventilation system down there. It was a great place for a non-smoker to play. I know there is a large non-smoking section upstairs, but the slots up there always seem tight to me & there just isn’t much atmosphere. It’s kind of … bland. Anyhow … Back to Ladies Night. There were some folks teaching country-dance lessons. I was hoping it would be line dancing, but they were only teaching couples dances. Since Joe wasn’t in a dancing mood, I just enjoyed the scenery along with my free beer. There was one couple there that seemed to be having a real good time. They weren’t the best dancers on the floor, but you could tell they were having fun! I talked to the lady later and mentioned how good they looked together. She just laughed & said that they didn’t really know each other. They just seemed to always end up dancing together on Ladies Night. I thought that was sweet. I had a feeling that we had meet on a previous trip. I think we’ve met playing slots before or something. After a few more slots and a little roulette, we called it a night. After enjoying that wonderful in-room coffee maker (my personal favorite hotel perk), we went downstairs to see what the day held for us. Joe headed to his Texas Tea machine to make yet another withdrawal while I stopped by to see Lana. A warm smile and two breakfasts buffet comps is a great way to start the day! Unfortunately for us, Lana had some well-deserved time off during the rest of our trip. The breakfast buffet was very good. Everything was very fresh and Joe enjoyed his cooked-to-order omelet. We went over to Casino Magic where I turned $20 into $50 at a quarter roulette wheel. Now that’s the kind of magic I like! Then we headed over to Isle of Capri to join the player’s club. It’s one of the few slot cards from Biloxi that wasn’t in my collection. Before we left, we saw that they were about to open a fifty-cent roulette wheel, so we decided to stay. Well, it happened again! I started with $20 and walked away with $50. This day was getting better and better! We went back to the Grand and played a few slots before going to lunch. I had never played a Monopoly game, so I thought I’d put in a $10 and give it a try. I got into the bonus round pretty quickly, and it let me play and play and play … Next thing ya’ know, I’m waiting for a $100 hand pay! Okay … so I’m not looking at early retirement, but so far I’ve had a pretty good day. We decided to give Corky’s a try for lunch. It’s a bar-b-que place next door to the Grand. The weather was finally looking better, so we decided to sit on the deck. It has a nice view of the water and a bit of a pier that you can walk out on. We had the smoked chicken wings, ribs with a dry rub, and pulled pork. Everything was very tasty including the sides. We will go back again, but the next time we won’t order so much food. The portions are pretty large. Since the weather was taking a break from the rain, we gave the Grand yacht ride a try. It cost $15 per person with your player’s card, and it includes a two-hour ride with light refreshments (fruit tray and cheese & crackers) and two drinks per person. I hope they continue to offer this deal. It was a very nice trip and a good little break from the casino. The crew was friendly, and the scenery was great! The trip takes you down the coast, so you don’t go very far out into the ocean. It’s pretty interesting to see the casinos from the view. It’s just amazing to me how they can have those huge casino float on barges. That night I found a roulette wheel that just seemed to beckon me. Who was I to try to hush Lady Luck. I wasn’t there long before I noticed how much it was hitting the outside columns. That is exactly what Joe likes to play, so I talked him into joining me. He wasn’t there long before he doubled his money and headed to the craps table. Before I knew it he was back. When I saw him walking up, I figured that the table must be cold, but he had turned $5 into $75 that fast! He wanted to stop while he was ahead, so he went upstairs to get some shut-eye. I was having a good time, so I stayed put. The cocktail waitress was attentive. I never went dry, and when I decided I’d better to switch to water if I was going to be worth a you-know-what the next day … She understood & brought me two to get me a jump-start back to the world of hydration. Even the pit boss was friendly! I asked him how they kept up with rating players … really just to start a conversation. He explained how they wrote everything on a form. Then he said after he finished bumping my play up, they should take good care of me when I checked out. I thought that was pretty cool! I have NO idea how late it was when I finally went upstairs, but I had been playing a good loooooong & I had $60 more than when I started. We’d had a great trip, but it was time to get back to reality. We wanted to stay another night, but there was a big concert at the Grand that night, and we couldn’t get a room anywhere. The pit boss must have looked out for me, because when I went to check out we had been comped a night. I did play a long time the night before, but my play really didn’t merit that … but hey … who am I to argue! I really do wish that we lived a little closer to Biloxi. The drive was going along just fine until we got to Jacksonville. We ended up in the middle of a thunderstorm that turned very scary very fast. I was driving, and the rain became so heavy so fast that I couldn’t even see where I was! Somehow I got off the interstate & we waited it out. Any way … we got home safely & I can’t wait until the next trip! |
