Weathering the Storm

My recent 4-day trip (1/25-1/28) to Vegas was quite eventful. I thought it might be a bad omen when my plane was making the final approach to McCarran Airport and I saw smoke coming from the Strip. It wasn't the Mirage volcano - as I later learned, it was the Monte Carlo. Fortunately, it didn't result in tragedy as the Clark County Fire Department really stepped up and took care of the blaze quickly.

After I managed to avoid the Strip traffic and navigate to the Strat, I quickly checked in and hit the blackjack tables. Well, my session didn't get off to a hot start, but I did almost get burned. There I was, sitting at the table, drinking my rum & Coke and minding my own business, and all of a sudden, a recessed light fell out of the ceiling and missed hitting me by about 2 feet! That should've been a sign - but I kept playing until I lost about $30.

I was hoping my luck would turn after I picked up my faithful friend, Steve, from the airport. But it turned out that it only got worse. I lost another $60 before dragging my tired, sorry butt to bed.

Saturday turned out to be a much better day, but we had to work hard for it considering the elements we had to battle. We like to gamble here and there when we go to Vegas, so we took the rental car and hit mid Strip. We tried to find a $5 blackjack table. Here's what we found:

• The Red Hat Society was trying to break a World's Record for most amount of women wearing red standing around and acting goofy. I think they broke it in a line stretching from Bill's Gamblin' Hall to God knows where. It was over 17,000 people, but as Steve pointed out, it seemed like 17 million. Plus, everyone on the Strip beeped at them... just what the Strip needed, more noise. My head hurt, and I found a new definition of Hell.
  


• Bill's Gamblin' Hall, usually a site for low-limit blackjack and craps, had few tables and very little fanfare. Thanks, Harrah's, for turning the fantastic Barbary Coast into a bland, uninteresting casino. I hope you plan to rebrand it and make it something fun soon!
  


• Imperial Palace also had no $5 tables, which was quite surprising. If this place didn't have low-limit blackjack, who would? We tried Casino Royale, only to find that they had 6:5 payout on blackack. No way!!! Don't ever play at a table with these horrible odds. The dealer told us, "No one on the Strip has 3:2 blackjack." That's a flat out lie. There are plenty of places that have 3:2 blackjack, you just have to ask!

Well, we gave up on finding low limits on the Strip and headed downtown. We stopped at the Fremont and found what we were looking for. As a bonus, we found a drunk dude who tried to tell stories about puppies and also attempted to serenade us at the table. When we had about enough of that, we decided to take a break and eat lunch. Or at least tried to. Steve and I had the worst lunch we'd ever attempted to eat at Lanai Express. After a few bites, Steve gave up. I was much more adventurous; I ate about 1/2 of my plate, and decided that I could take no more of my sweet & sour chicken. Yuk.

Did I mention Saturday was a good day? I guess it doesn't seem like it so far. But our luck was about to change. We saddled down to the Golden Nugget and cleaned up at blackjack. What a blast! Then we headed back to the Strat and won at blackjack and craps. It was quite a day. We topped it off with a nice dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant - Battista's Hole in the Wall (behind the Flamingo on Audrie Street). Great place.

By this time, Steve and I were both in the black for the trip. This trend continued for Steve, but it stopped for me on Sunday. By Monday morning, I lost the last little bit of my profit, but it was fun and breaking even in Vegas isn't such a bad thing. Especially considering we got some meals comped, our room was comped (from action on a previous trip), and I had some good stories to tell. Among the other notable strange things I saw/heard/said:

• More than one blackjack dealer told me 2 is the most dangerous card the dealer can have. Really? 2? I mean, it's no 6, but it's no ace or 10, either.


• One dealer sang "That's Life" (not well, either) while we were getting crummy cards at blackjack. We switched tables.


• Another dealer, the strangest dealer I'd ever met, made monkey-calling noises, dealt poorly, and generally made no sense while dealing. In Vegas, the bizarre is commonplace, and she was no exception.


• When asked at Battista's if we had any questions, I replied with my usual corny "about the menu or life in general?" response. The waitress did not find me charming and very, very quickly said "the menu" in a deadpan tone while she rolled her eyes. This amused Steve to no end, who repeated the story to his friends and loved the idea that she wanted no part of my tomfoolery.


• A few of the boxmen at the Strat were ornery fellows. Lord knows their job ain't easy, and they seemed to take pleasure in giving the craps dealers quite a hard time. "We're not keeping you from anything, are we?" one of them asked a new dealer. Apparently his pace wasn't quite up to snuff. It was amusing, but I'm glad I'm not a dealer at the Strat.


• One fellow who played blackjack, according to Steve, "had to tell a joke every six seconds or he'd explode." He kept telling the same ones over and over, too. The old "where are the 22 tables?" came up more than once when he hit and busted just enough to lose.

So, this short Vegas trip turned out ok, even though it looked like I might have to borrow money for vending machine crackers after that first night. Hey, it's Vegas, and as long as you know your limits, you can always have fun if you remember that you can weather any storm. Until next time...Mike

Back in Sin City

I have been back from Las Vegas for about 2 weeks now, but I was sick last weekend and busy at my day job (which feeds my Vegas trips) so this is the first chance I've had to report.
I was accompanied by my lovely wife Martha and my best friend Steve. I'm always amazed at how much fun we have on our trips and also how much we do! In 6 short days, here's what we accomplished:

• Gambling: Had fun trying to decipher drunk dudes making idiot moves in blackjack. Also convinced my wife to play craps for the first time. She had very little idea of what was going on, but after several rolls she made a $70 profit and decided she loved craps.
  
  


• Day trip: Drove to Los Angeles, did a Hollywood tour, saw a Dodgers game, and drove back to Vegas in 1 day
  
  


• Sights: Shot up to the top of the Stratosphere at night... I love seeing the lights in the city
  
  


• Shopping: Martha loved Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood, the Canal Shops at Venetian, and of course the Forum Shops at Caesars. Truth be told I enjoyed it too because I got to see the Exotic Car show at Caesars (worth the $5 entry fee in my opinion).
  
  


• Venetian art gallery: Very cool Picasso, Chagall paintings
  
  


• Show: Martha and I saw Jubilee! - a classic Vegas showgirls review
  
  


• Ate Free food: Martha had over $35 worth of comps on her Strat card from playing (mostly) penny and nickel slots. Steve and I had bupkis after spending hours playing $5 blackjack and craps. Go figure.
  
  


• Fremont East: drove downtown for a few minutes, got some great pix of the new Fremont East section near the Fremont Street Experience. Very cool.
  
  

This is not even a complete list, but I'd say that's not bad for arriving in Vegas at about 10pm Sunday night and leaving Friday at about noon.

Crowded House - How I Survived a Jam-Packed Weekend in Vegas

My recent trip to Vegas was kind of a last minute idea. My buddy Steve usually visits me in Charleston, SC during President's Day weekend because he's a government employee and like a lot of fortunate bums does not have to work that Monday. However, this year he came up with a better idea - why not go to Vegas?

Little did we know at the time that it was also NBA All-Star weekend at the Thomas & Mack Center and Chinese New Year. Steve booked the room before knowing all of this in mid-January, but we still got a decent deal at the Riviera. I then decided to get a rental car because we like the freedom to go when/where we please when in Vegas, and I was surprised to get a great deal on vegas.com's website with Budget ($60 for 3 days, on a weekend/holiday no less).
We had heard horror stories about how crowded and overpriced Vegas would be that weekend, so flying into the city, we held our breath and hoped for the best. All things considered, we got the best!

Our flight landed in Vegas about 6:00pm, and we scurried to hop on the shuttle bus to Budget (no wait!). I expected long lines at Budget, but there were only about 3 people ahead of me, and it only took about 20 minutes to get my car. They were out of compact cars, so I got a free upgrade for one of the last cars they had available, a Dodge Caravan.

Next, I expected Paradise Road to be packed with people trying to avoid the Strip on a Friday night. Nope. We had smooth sailing to the Riv, and even the registration line was not too long.
After scarfing down some dinner, we were ready to gamble by about 8:30 or 9:00pm. We wanted either $5 or $10 blackjack tables, and the Riv had plenty of $10 BJ open, so we settled in.
I could hardly believe it - with all of the stories of crowds and lines for an extremely busy weekend, we had no problems at all. So, was my experience unique? Maybe, but here's what I learned.
If we had made different choices before going to Vegas, we might have had a more frustrating weekend. Here's why:

I have booked rental cars from Alamo on Sunday afternoons, which is one of the busiest times at that location. Had I booked with Alamo this time, I'm sure it would have been packed on the Friday night we arrived (there was a line waiting for their shuttle bus at McCarran, so I can only imagine how long the wait was for a car!)

If we had stayed at the NY NY or Harrah's or Caesars, we would have paid a lot more money and would have been in a more popular area of the Strip. Getting around would have been more difficult.

If we had decided to gamble at any of the above places or Wynn, Bellagio, or the Venetian, we might have encountered higher limits and more crowded tables (we avoided these places so I cannot say that with certainty, it's just a hunch).

So sure, we avoided Mandalay Bay with all of the NBA activities going on there. And yes, we stayed away from the Venetian, the Palms, the Hard Rock, and Bellagio. But we didn't see any celebrities, either, and we didn't attend any super cool parties.

So, as is my usual sermon about Vegas, it's all about preparation, knowing what you want before you go, and balance. Steve and I wanted to gamble, get free drinks at the tables, eat at relatively inexpensive places, stay in a room that didn't have rats in it, and have the flexibility to drive where we wanted (when we weren't enjoying free drinks, of course). So it worked out well for us. You may have had a different experience. If so, please join in and let me know!

Coming soon - true tales of the 3 days I spent in Vegas. Well, I may make some stuff up.

$aving Money in Vega$

At home, I'm somewhat of a spendthrift. Ok, maybe more than somewhat. I cut coupons, look for deals, and even wash and reuse Ziploc bags. It's not that I don't like spending money. On the contrary, I really enjoy it! But I like to save a few bucks here so I can spend a few more bucks there (in Vegas).

Once I'm on vacation in Sin City, I usually don't worry about shelling out a few dollars more than I would at home. The trips to Vegas are what all the penny-pinching is for, anyway. But, since I do like to save money, I make sure that if it's convenient and if it's worth it, I'll save some dough. Here's how:

First, and most importantly, remember the most important 3-letter word in Las Vegas - ASK. If you don't ask, you won't get. Ask nicely, and you might even get some more. Once you join a slot club or "rewards program" or whatever they call it at any casino, they track your play so that you can get comped (receive complimentary items). I join all of these, because even though I usually don't qualify at most places for free comps, it's still worth holding on to the player's card in case they're having a promotion or something. For most table games, a lot of places expect you to shell out $25 per hand or roll to get comped. That's too rich for my blood. However, if you're a slot player, it doesn't matter if you're playing nickels or $500 per pull, insert your card into the machine and it will keep track of your play. The longer you play, the more points you accumulate for free stuff. Easy as pie - or cherry cherry cherry if you're playing slots.

In addition to the casino's club, take advantage of your hotel's coupon book (sometimes called a "funbook") if it offers one. They only give them out to hotel guests, so it's kind of like a "thanks for staying with us" gift. Usually, they'll have good coupons for food, shows, night clubs, and gambling. Make sure that you look at the restrictions on the coupons. You don't want to try to use a 2-for1 buffet on Saturday for a coupon that's only good Sunday through Thursday. Been there done that.

Many Vegas publications have coupons, too. Check out the Las Vegas Visitor Information Center (it's at the corner of Paradise and Desert Inn) for lots of good newspapers and magazines, including What's On and Showbiz. Mostly their coupons are for shows and attractions, but you'll find some good restaurant deals, too.

The internet. You can save a bundle of green before you even get to Vegas if you plan properly. The world wonderful web is a good place to start. When you plan your trip, check out internet deals because they often beat travel agents' and hotels' best prices. Package deals (especially ones offered by airline companies) are usually a good way to save a lot of cash because they bundle services (flight + hotel + rental car or a combination of these items). But even if you're not bundling services, if you deal with a reputable site and read the fine print before you put your money down, you might be surprised at how much you can save.

You can also save some money with internet coupons. Just enter "free vegas coupons" in your favorite search engine. I wouldn't mess with services that ask you to pay for coupons, even if it's just a few dollars, unless you really know what you're getting and you're sure you're going to use them. There are plenty of free coupon sites out there, so why bother paying for them?

That gives you a good starting point to saving money. At least until you blow all that cash when you hit the big jackpot!

Itinerary Begins with "I"

Ever notice that you seem to spend more time in Vegas getting to where you want to go than doing what you want to do? Especially on the Strip, where traffic can come to a crawl?

If you plan your day carefully, you can do all of the things you want to (and then some!) if you group like things together. Here's what I mean:

I get emails from the online form for a free itinerary where people check a bunch of items on the list... let's say: see a free show, go shopping, eat at a good restaurant, and gamble. Obviously you can do all of these things all over the Strip. However, with a little preparation, you can cut out your travel time and increase your fun time. For example, let's say your hotel is on the south side of the Strip (MGM Grand, Luxor, Hooters, etc.) and you are staying in Las Vegas just for two days. I would suggest the following itinerary for the criteria above:

Day 1: See the lion habitat at MGM Grand, have lunch at Backstage Deli or La Salsa at the Luxor, shop at Mandalay Bay, have dinner at Aureole. The gambling part is easy - anywhere you feel lucky and comfortable.

Day 2: Take the monorail (or car, bus, etc.) to Aladdin to shop at the Desert Passage. While you're there, see the Merchants' Harbor Rainstorm. Grab a bite anywhere at Paris. See the fountain show at Bellagio at night, have dinner at Olives. Again, gamble anywhere you like.

Simple, right? But when you get to Las Vegas, it's so easy to go from one end of the Strip to the other that you wind up exhausted from running around. If instead you go from MGM to the Luxor to Mandalay Bay, you've covered 3 properties easily and have saved considerable time, especially considering you can use the free tram when going from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor!

The same holds true if you are staying at or traveling to the outskirts of the Strip or downtown. If you're in Vegas for more than a day or two, chances are you're going to venture out beyond where you are resting your head at night, even if you think it's the best hotel in the world. The more you group like things together, the more time you'll have to do the fun stuff that you came to Vegas for in the first place.

So give those tired feet a break, plan ahead, and save time!

Tips on Tipping

As a top tourist destination, Las Vegas thrives on tips. It's sometimes difficult for outsiders to remember that tipping is not really "an extra" for the folks who work in this town - it's an expected part of their income. But how much is enough? How much is too much? What's the average Joe to do???

I think of it this way. Las Vegas is my escape from the real world, and as such I am happy to help out the people who make that escape possible. Now, I don't go as far as Steve Martin's character Vinnie in My Blue Heaven when he said "it's not tipping I believe in. it's over-tipping." But I probably spend a few extra bucks in Vegas than I would in other places.

Now for the details:

Who should I tip? And How much?

Well, it's never an insult to tip anyone, so in theory you could tip everyone from the costumed characters at Caesars to Steve Wynn. But, here's a basic list of folks you should always tip provided they give you good service:

• Valet - $1 to $2



• Casino employees who assist you with gambling (dealers, slot attendants, keno runners, etc.) - $1 to $2 regularly, especially if you're winning. If you're losing, tipping dealers and such is not expected, but still tip cocktail waitresses if you're getting drinks. If you hit a big jackpot, tip much more.



• Waiters/waitresses and other food services folks - 15 to 20%



• Taxi/service car drivers - 15 to 20% for taxis, $1 or $2 per bag for other service car drivers



• Hotel employees who assist you (Concierge, bell hop, maids, front desk people, etc.) $1 or $2 and up for special services



• Tour guides - depends on the tour, but for the average tour a $5 or $10 tip is nice.
  

If you think you should tip someone, do it! If employees can't accept tips for some reason, they'll let you know. What if I get really bad service? I've been fortunate enough that I've almost never received bad service in Vegas. I'll tip less if the service is sub-par. If you feel an experience is not worth a tip at all, it probably means that you should talk to a manager. I've never had that happen.

When I'm on vacation, I don't like to hassle with people for small things because I do that enough in the real world. If a dealer is unpleasant, I move to another table. If the guy who drives the van from the airport doesn't get my bags for me, he doesn't get a tip. For me, it's gotta be something pretty big for me to get upset about it. Your mileage may vary, but remember that tips are such a huge part of what drives Vegas, you should include them in your budget for your next trip.

Viva la tip!

Mike

Taxis and Other Transportation

I talk about the cost of cabs in my book, and while it may seem like I'm bashing the taxi industry, I'm really not. I just consider it expensive to use them, especially considering the alternative methods. Here's why:

This information is taken directly from the Nevada Taxi Cab Authority website (http://taxi.state.nv.us/FaresFees.htm): To get into a cab in Vegas, it costs $3.20 (initial charge), plus $2.00 per mile, plus $.25 per every 41 seconds that the the cab is moving less than 8-12 mph. If you're getting a cab from the airport, tack on another $1.20. Then, don't forget the tip.

So if you're looking to take a taxi from the airport, here are approximate costs:

• To the South Strip (MGM Grand, NY NY, Excalibur, etc.) $10



• Mid Strip (Caesars, Barbary Coast, etc.) $13~$13.50



• North Strip (Riviera, Stardust) $14~$15



• Downtown $18.50

Let's say you're staying at the Flamingo for three days. You've decided to fly into Vegas and not rent a car. You know you want to play in a blackjack tournament at the Sahara one day, but other than that, you are going to stay around the Flamingo area and walk most of the time. Here are your options and costs for getting around:

• Taxi: $26 (round trip to and from airport) + $15 (round trip to and from Sahara) = $41 + tip



• Bus (CAT - Citizens Area Transit): three all-day bus passes (one for each day of airport travel, one for the trips to and from Sahara) at $5 each = $15



• Shuttle from airport (roundtrip): $9.50 + tip



• Monorail (to and from Sahara): $9



• Strip Trolley: $1.75 each way
  

So looking at these approximate costs above, you have a lot of less expensive options than just taking a taxi. Of course, you can share a taxi between 5 people to make it more cost effective, but chances are you won't be doing that all the time. But you could easily combine some of these options to create a balance between convenience and cost. Because, let's face it, you don't always want to wait in the blistering sun for a strip trolley or a bus. Just consider your alternatives and remember that tourists do not have to live by taxi alone.

A few other things to consider... you can't get a taxi directly on the Strip because it's illegal for taxis to stop there (for various reasons). So, remember that you'll have to get a cab from a hotel entrance on the Strip. Also, while Las Vegas is pretty liberal in its laws about drinking alcohol, it's also strict (rightly so) in its punishment for drunk drivers. Something to keep in mind even if you or your traveling companions rented a car and have been partying... sometimes a taxi just makes more sense. Me? I like to rent a car when I fly into Sin City. It may cost me a few sheckles, but it gives me the most bang for my buck when I want to go to California or I get the sudden urge to go to Fremont Street at 10:00 at night. Again, it's all about the balance between cost and convenience.
--Mike