Back from Vegas...

Hi Vegas fans,

Well, the four-day stint in Vegas is now a memory. I had a great time, even though the hungry blackjack and craps tables put me a few dollars down. It was well worth it. My friends also had fun, and as usual fared better than I did! I am like a cash register for them when it comes to gambling.

A few notes and observations:

- Harrah's properties are making life difficult for low-limit blackjack players. You can't find a $5 table with good rules (i.e. 3:2 blackjack). Keep raising those prices and paying out 6:5 on blackjack, Harrah's, and see where your customers go...

- There are still a few places on the Strip and beyond where you play low-limit blackjack with good rules. We played at Excalibur and the Stratosphere. The Strat is my favorite place to play these days. It's a little far North (and it you don't want to say it's on "The Strip" that's true, technically, but hey it's close enough). But, consider this: the atmosphere is fine (albeit a little smokey), the table games have low limits, the dealers are good (most of em), and the cocktail waitresses are very nice and bring me my rum & cokes at a reasonable rate (yes, I do tip them). I really like this place and highly recommend playing there!

- I was surprised to see a very crowded Golden Nugget downtown on Sunday night. They also only had $10 blackjack, but they typically do have $5 tables. This was also a fun place to play, but the spacing is not great (hard to get in and out of pits), and some dealers leave a little to be desired. Recommendation: smile. I know your job is not fun and standing on your feet all day is a pain, but you'll find that a lot of guests will be happy to chat with you and not be annoying if you have some fun with it.

- We stayed at the Flamingo. On the plus side, the lobby, shops, and casino were all very nice, clean and accessible. At first it felt a little like a labyrinth, but after a short time we got very used to the layout and had an easy time getting from place to place. My favorite part of the Flamingo was the Wildlife Habitat. Saturday morning, I strolled out to see the beautiful pink Flamingos, pheasants, ducks, swans, and more. And the koi were huge! The setting is quite relaxing, especially if you've been in a noisy casino for a while. There's a good deal of shade, and there are a few nice waterfalls in the area. This is a really great spot and I highly recommend it.

Ok - now for a few complaints. The hotel room was nice enough, but nothing special. I don't expect a lot when staying in a room in Vegas. As most people will note, how much time do you actually spend in the room? Very little. But there are a few things you have to do, assuming you will be around other people. That's right - shower. Ours was sub-par; the water pressure was low, probably because the water shot out of the spout and the shower head at the same time. Even with a great deal of pulling on the diverter knob thingie, I couldn't get it to work right.

And, Monday morning, I noticed we had no shampoo. I guess the maids confiscated what was left in our bottle and forgot to give us a new bottle. At least I hope they forgot and were not trying to use it as currency. Sheesh. As it was close to checkout time, I just didn't want to deal with it, so I didn't call down to the front desk or complain. But these are the basic things you expect a hotel to get right.

- As usual, I reserved an economy car but they were all out. So, I got a minivan. That's right. We cruised down the Strip with the hottest car a soccer mom could ever want. Trouble is, none of us are soccer moms. The last I checked, anyway. Usually I don't mind a bigger car in Vegas, but this was a Town & Country the size of a large town... or small country. And yes, I'm used to driving a smaller car and can't park a large one worth a damn. But this thing was really a beast. At least it had an iPod jack and we were able to listen to tunes the whole time.

- The most fun/nerve-racking part of the trip was betting on and watching our beloved Va Tech Hokies vs. the Miami Hurricanes in men's basketball. We had just come off a huge win vs. then #1 Wake Forest, and we were 6.5 underdogs at Miami. The game was back-and-forth and went into overtime, which just about killed us. Fortunately, the Hokies pulled it out in OT by 4 points. We all breathed a sigh of relief and high-fived to victory!

- We saw Ka at MGM Grand. It was elaborate. The acrobatics were very good. The story was confusing. I like my shows a little less cerebral, but that may just be me...

Well... I guess I'm sad now that the trip has come and gone. Back to my real job and real life, which is much less exciting than doubling-down on 11 with a dealer 10 showing, only to get an ace, but then watching the dealer bust to win $10. Yep, that happened... maybe once, and maybe I lost most of my double-downs, but ya can't win if you don't gamble. So, go to Vegas. That's what I do...

Pictures to follow soon on my Flickr group. Oh, also don't forget your chance to win a free bag tag. Saturday is the January deadline.

Until next time.
Viva,
Mike

I'm so there!

Friday morning I depart for Las Vegas at 7:20 am (yes I owe my wife big time for taking me to the airport early in the morning). I can't express how much I'm looking forward to this trip, how much I need a vacation.

Aside from the usual (gambling, partying, etc.), here's some of the stuff on my agenda:

• Check out Encore, Steve Wynn's new toy. Looks plush, so I'll probably touch some stuff I'm not 'sposda. I've heard that there's some cool memorabilia outside of the Sinatra restaurant, so I'm gonna try to get a few pictures of it.


• Check out the Palazzo. I went there last year when it had just opened, so it wasn't really fleshed out yet. This is another place that's too rich for my blood (and other parts of me), so I'll be a poser, take some pictures, and gawk at the pretty people with money.


• Visit Fremont East at night. Las year, I took some groovy pictures of this hip district, which is located very near the Fremont Street Experience. But I want to take it all in at night and maybe visit a bar or two. Or three. You get the idea.

We're staying at the Flamingo, so I'll have to let you know what I think of it. And I don't know if the birds will be out there (it'll be pretty cold during my stay), but if they are, I'll take some pictures of them.

And speaking of pictures... my Flickr group has grown a great deal. Check it out when you get a chance, there's tons of fab pictures on it.

I'm curious to see all the changes in Las Vegas. What's the skinny on new construction? How crazy is traffic now? How has the economic downturn changes things? Will we get good table games (probably not at Harrah's properties, from what I understand)? So much to explore, and so little time!

Wish me luck.
Viva,
Mike

Folies Bergere to Close

Hi Vegas fans,

I usually don't make a point of posting a blog about a show closing, but I thought this was kind of sad news and wanted to take a moment to discuss it. Since 1959, Folies Bergere has graced the Tropicana on the Las Vegas Strip. Because of the economy, the show will fold in March. Folies was produced in-house at the Trop, so it will not be showing anywhere else.

I saw Folies several years ago, and I'm glad I did. You'll see reviews of the show, and some people will say Folies was way past its prime, that it's a good thing it's closing, that it's about time. Not me. Now don't get the wrong impression. I'm a big fan of the new shows in Vegas, and I'm not one of those people who's convinced that Las Vegas was better off during the Rat Pack era than the Wynn era. But I liked Folies.

I remember it vividly...

In 2002, my girlfriend (now wife, Martha) had never been to Las Vegas, and I had not been in several years. I booked our stay at the MGM Grand, and we had such a great time in Vegas! One night we decided to take in Folies. Martha wanted to see classic Vegas, although she was a little hesitant about seeing a topless show. But, she agreed to go... when in Rome, you know.

We sat at one of those long tables they position at the front of the stage. Our seats were at the very front of the table, practically touching the stage. We chatted very briefly with the couple who sat across from us, and then the show started.

We really enjoyed it. The numbers were fast, vivid, fun, and unique. For one set, the showgirls sat on large swings that swooped across the stage. They seemed to swing dangerously close to my head, although I'm sure those high heels cleared me by a safe distance. Some of the feathers from their boas flew off as they swung, and I joked with Martha that they were tickling my nose. She was worried that I was going to have to marry one of them - if they got any closer on those swings, I would probably become intimately involved with them. 

About half way through the show, they brought on the comic relief, typical of the classic Vegas experience. Wally Eastwood - Fast Wally. I'll never forget him. He juggled (really fast, not your typical juggling act), told a few jokes, and played the piano with bouncing balls (targeted as a hoax on YouTube because the piano is apparently pre-recored, but who cares? It looked real enough and was still fun to watch). Great entertainment. What more could you ask for?

I typically stay away from musicals and big number type shows. They're just not my thing. But there was something about Folies that I really liked. Can't exactly explain it, but I think it has more to do with my memory of our time in Vegas than the actual show. 

These days, Las Vegas hotels focus a lot on providing big, all-inclusive experiences in a one-stop-shop. They want to provide top-notch entertainment at a reasonable price for the consumer without costing them a lot of overhead. That means that your favorite show, slot machine, club... or casino may not be there next week.

So it's particularly impressive that Folies has been a Vegas mainstay for 50 years. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so if you're in Vegas before March. You won't be disappointed. 

It isn't big. It isn't extreme. It isn't built in a theater with high-tech acoustics. It is just good, fun entertainment. And I'll miss it when it's gone...

Viva,

Mike

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Hi Vegas fans,

First, the Good. 10 days till Vegas. It will be such a blast. And, the weather looks great to boot (60/40 for the high/low temps). We're staying at the Flamingo, and it looks fab. Have any of you been there? Lemme know...

Ok, now the Bad - I don't know if I can make it till then! Every day I wake up I think it's a day later than it is... today I swore it was Thursday until I saw the newspaper. If you have a time machine, please move me forward 10 days, then freeze it. Unless I lose all my dough playing blackjack and craps next Friday.

As for the Ugly, I'm going to include some of Andrew Yoelin's 50 years of Vegas memories. When I say "ugly" I mean stuff that Andrew does not like (shows, people, etc.). You may find that your mileage varies greatly. That's one of the coolest things about Vegas. I love the Fremont Street experience, but you may think it's pure cheese. That's the reason I came up with Simplifying in the first place... pick categories of stuff that you like, and find out for yourself what it's really about.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Here's Andrew's take on the Ugly in Las Vegas:

Let me just say, up front, when I walked out of the Danny Gans show, about 2000, I was pissed. In 50 years of visiting Las Vegas, only one show sticks out as the worst show in the history of Las Vegas shows: Danny Gans. Call me discriminating, call me viscous, call me ripped off. His musical ability is average, his ability to imitate anyone is arguable. He acts like he’s a talent people pursue. I’m convinced that no one attends this show except that it IS in Vegas, they had nowhere to go, stumbled onto it or it was comp’d, free. HORRIBLE! NO TALENT. Likes to show off his big Ron Burgundy guns (arms)...who cares? No talent. One hundred dollars per ticket, it is the worst show and the worst value of a show in 50 years.

...I saw Siegfried and Roy in 1998, and it was horrible. The whole act was this sado-masochistic mess, like a Broadway musical-gone-terribly-wrong; both were outfitted in black costumes that highlighted their groin areas. One of the them, Siegfried or Roy, would get “captured” by a bunch of chorus boys and the other would rescue him. I kept saying to my friends, “I just wanna see a tiger disappear.” Again, like the horrible Danny Gans, it was horrible.

One night, if it wasn’t my 5th birthday trip, it was soon after, the whole family walked out of a Judy Garland show. I think this was at The Sands. If I knew who she was at the time, I might have recalled more, but I was a little kid, unimpressed; she didn’t look a lot like Dorothy in Oz, but she was so blitzed, slurring her words, so out of her mind that my Dad said, “Let’s get the hell outta here. She’s a mess.” And she was. Bad night for Judy.

... I saw Liza at The Sands. The upholstery on the seats was torn and stained; the curtains were falling down and ripped. Liza was a joke. She was horrrrrrrrrible! Horrible!

Worse, Luci Arnez was the opening act. She was worse than Liza. And while she was singing, “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” I started thinking, ‘this is the best she can do?’ The entire time she isn’t performing she can look for material to perform and this is what she came up with? What a horrible trip and a horrible show.

I might have accentuated the “horrible” here, but Vegas is all about extremes and has been all my life.

Indeed! Thanks, Andrew, for your candid comments.
NEXT WEEK: See Mike's head explode in excitement two days before his Vegas trip.
Viva,
Mike

Two weeks!

Hi all,

Two weeks till my next trip to Vegas. I'm jumping outta my skin. I have dreams about my trip - driving the Strip, gambling at various places, seeing the sites, etc. It can't come soon enough... I need my Sin City fix! It's been a year since I've been there, and it's really hard to go that long without seeing the city. To compensate, I do plenty of writing about it, but it's not the same. I need to be there and hear those slot noises in the casinos, see those lights and the fountains at Bellagio, sniff the lobby at MGM Grand (it's got a specific scent... kinda like coconut). Yes, I miss all that.

I miss the early morning, when many gamblers are asleep, and I get up and drive down the uncrowded Strip, park in a garage with day-old beer lingering in a few cans and bottles near the entrance to the casino, and just take it all in. I like to take pictures in the morning, when most of Vegas is not awake, not quite ready for the day's activities. It's like an old car in the winter - it takes a little while for it to warm up. Vegas in the morning is really different than Vegas in the mid-to-late afternoon, and much, much different than the pace of Vegas when the sun goes down. It's much more deliberate.

So, I encourage you to wake up early at least one day the next time you are in Vegas. Look out over the mountains from your hotel room and see how the sun hits them. Enjoy the shade on the Strip before the blazing sun bakes everything in its path. Get the first cup of joe from a coffee shop before it sits on the burner for so long that it tastes like motor oil. Then, get some more rest so you'll be ready for another full day of fun.

Two weeks... yep, I can't wait!
Viva,
Mike

Next time: more stories from Andrew Yoelin's 50 Years of Vegas Memories