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This is the first trip that we've booked by online. In February, I was goofing around on the net & found a really good deal on a hotel room. Joe agreed that if I found a good price on plane tickets we should go ahead and book it. So... after a few hours of searching .... I was typing in that credit card number for a four-night trip to the Flamingo Hilton. Joe was impressed with the cost. I checked the Funjet price for the same hotel, flight, etc., and they were charging twice as much! The trip down to Jacksonville Airport was pretty smooth. We made a little detour to help a guy who had run out of gas, but we still got to the airport in plenty of time to enjoy some curly fries and libations at the Budweiser Brew House. I wish the leg from Houston to Las Vegas had been as easy. After rushing to get on the plane, we sat on the runway for 1 1/2 hours waiting for thunderstorms to pass. To make matters worse I was seated next to one of those doom-and-gloom people who seem to enjoy fussing. The airline did comp headsets for the movie because of the delay & I enjoyed the selection. Just think - I hadn't even landed in Vegas & I was already being comped! We took Las Vegas Limo to the Flamingo Hilton. The driver was really good, and we met some nice people. One of the passengers turned out to be 57nomad who posts on a Las Vegas forum. We ran into each other three times during the trip, and we weren't even staying in the same hotel. What a small world! Vegas nuts are really kindred spirits! Thanks to some good advice from another person on that same board, our check-in was VERY fast. I went to the Hilton site and signed up for their H-Honors Club Card. This card entitles you to VIP check-in at all Hilton Hotels. It was a huge help because we were soooo tired & the line was soooo long. (The Flamingo is now a Park Place property, and this service is no longer available.) Ten minutes later we were in our room, and the view was FANTASTIC! The card also entitled us to an upgrade, so we had a strip view room on the 23rd floor. The room wasn't the swankest we've ever stayed in, but it was clean, big enough to suite our needs, had a good location, and the price was right! We pushed the chairs up to the window, and enjoyed the lights and sights of Vegas. I think I videoed about four Bellagio fountain shows from this spot. We headed out to take a look around, and Joe found 1/2 a roll of nickels just sitting in a machine. There was no one around so I played them and ended up ahead. It is amazing how careless people are with money. We found machines with credits on them and change left in them. Joe even found a $5 token in one machine! We played a little roulette at Imperial Palace. They had a low limit table with a very nice dealer. After about an hour we were even and decided to head back. We quickly lost that money trying to find one of those loose Flamingo Blazing 7's we have heard so much about. We never did find one, but we did see a man win over $1000 on one and then hit it again for another $1000 just five minutes later. The next day I walked to Bellagio to take some pictures and try to find Yvette's lucky machine. The "Run for the Money" is still in the same spot, but Yvette must have used that one up! I did give it a good try though........ I walked over to Paris for my first look there. It is a VERY nice casino. I'm a non-smoker, and I thought the air quality was great. I signed up for the slot club, and asked for a line pass to the buffet. She told me that she wasn't supposed to give me one unless I was staying there or at Bally's, but she did. It never hurts to ask for what you want in Las Vegas. By the way, the buffet is very good. We went the next night, and I really enjoyed the crab legs and shrimp. I met back up with Joe at the Flamingo and played a little while before heading out to the pool. The pool at the Flamingo is WONDERFUL! There are waterfalls, fountains, caves, and trees everywhere. There were crowds of people there, but it really didn't feel crowded. They were not checking for room keys, but you did have to show one to get towels. I know that Harrah's recently won many of "The Best" awards according to Casino Magazine. While I don't agree with some of the awards, IMHO they should win an award for best free entertainment. I did not walk over there at night, but during the day I heard three really good bands. There was a good female band playing at the La Playa Lounge one afternoon, and I just LOVED the Carnival Bar. It is outside and has a heavy duty fan and air conditioning system with misters all around. We heard a country band there one day. I don't normally like country music, but this group was great. We also heard a beachy reggae band a couple of times. Very fun & very festive. During the breaks a Harrah's employee was having contests to give away prizes. You should have seen this lady running to the bar for the free two night stay. She was hustling! We did eat there once, and the food is fairly good. We just split the appetizer sampler, and I had no complaints about it. This place is now on my "Must do" list when I'm in town. That night I hit enough on a dollar machine at Bellagio to cover the cost of dinner at the Monte Carlo Brew Pub. We took the tram over there and had a good meal. The clams were excellent as usual, but the service left a lot to be desired. I signed up for the slot club and asked about the slot tournament. They have one every day, and it costs $10 if you are not a guest. I meant to go back the next day, but I never did make it. We walked to the Venetian for our first look at the Canal Shops. That section wasn't open on our last visit. The gondola rides look like fun, and I got a picture with two of the gondoliers. Very friendly guys. The shops were nice, but when I'm ready to buy something for the kids - I'll still be heading to the Forum Shops. I found everything I wanted there, and it was all on sale. Wahoooo!!! I never made it to the Elvis-o-Rama, but we did go to the Auto Museum at the Imperial Palace. Joe really liked it, and had a good time taking lots of pictures. I found a few cars I wanted to buy, if I hit a progressive. Oh well, maybe next time.... On our last night we took a cab to the Holy Cow for a really good burger. I like this place. It is small, and a good spot to get away from the crowds and hustle of the strip. We walked over to the Sahara, and Joe hit enough on a slot machine to pay for the cab and dinner while I was signing up for the slot club. I don't know what the rooms are like, but they have done a great job renovating the casino. It is a very pretty place, and I wished that I had the camera with me. Before calling it a night , we went to the Fontana Lounge at Bellagio to hear Jimmy Hopper. This place is very nice and cozy. The view of the fountain shows is fantastic, and we took a lot of pictures. It is now an addition to my "must see" list. However, I would not go out of my way to hear Jimmy Hopper again. He has a great voice, and his female back-up singer is wonderful, but...... It kinda irritates me when someone takes a really good song, and rewrites all the lyrics. He makes it a habit of doing that. Joe summed it up best when he said, "He has a good voice, but why does he have to be so goofy." This is the first trip that I have given video poker a serious try, and I really like it. I played jacks-or-better most of the time at machines that were at the bar. After factoring in the comped drinks, I found I was breaking even almost the entire time. I did get VERY close to a royal flush, so now I have the VP fever. I was playing at the Carnival bar and had all spades - king, ace, queen, ten.....and then the three of hearts came up. AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!! I can almost see the serious VP players rolling their eyes at me. I know that I should be looking for full pay machines, but I'd rather sit at the bar so I don't have to wait too long for a cold one. The trip home was long, but uneventful. Although the airport in Jacksonville is easy to get to for us, we decided in the future we'd rather drive to Atlanta and get a non-stop flight. Changing planes like that is for the birds. We did luck out dodging thunderstorms on the drive home. So, home again.....poor, but happy. I added a few things to my "must do" list, and I still haven't completed my "want to do" list. Maybe next time...... |
