Ok, skim as suits you ... you know it's gonna run long 
- 3-night 7* trip to Caesars LV, followed by 2 nights at Wynn. We
looked forward to one of the best NY trips ever and weren't
disappointed. Arrival 12/30, 1/4 return.
- Scored a high floor Augustus Tower room that again overlooked the
Bellagio fountains. Once again forgot the directional mikes to feed
the lake music into our room. Great view, despite the abomination
that's City Center.
- Took advantage of Bev's a/c to book a 2nd room at Paris for her
niece/nephew (Beth/Corey) in SF (originally of NC until 2 years ago).
It was exciting to be able to treat a getaway for them for the
holidays -- they're both far from family.
- In case it should come to mind, I'm not one to stiff a casino ...
especially when a 7* trip F&B credit and the celebration dinner credit
are on deck (not to mention the airfare). I put in sufficient play to
be able to hold up my head with my gracious LV-based host who set the
trip up, but nothing that would impress in the least. (I take some
comfort that in referring an unusually strong player to her recently,
I have a chit in hand as back up We took a harsher than desired
$1800 play hit the evening of the 30th, then cruised through the next
couple of days care free.
路路路
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- Booked into Bradley Ogden for NY Eve with a 10:30p seating. Special
prix fixe menu, but no New Year's festivities (a bit disappointing).
Joined by two good friends formerly of PA, but who we haven't seen
since they moved away 2 years ago.
Watched the Paris NYE motorcycle jump before going down to dinner with
fascination, eyes split between the TV and the distant view out the
room window of the "Arc" over at Paris which of the landing for the
jump. A disjoint between the two views make clear they weren't taking
any chances on airing possible carnage.
Dinner was a convivial and joyful event; time flew. Our waiter was
uptight to begin with ... every sign he'd had a difficult party or
two. We loosened him up -- our good humor and the immense pleasure we
take in our food and wine always sends out good vibes all around. We
closed the restaurant out about quarter of 2a.
- Bev and I were apparently quite the amusement for Beth and Corey as
we laughingly careened our way back to our room (where they had
dropped a couple of things they needed to pick up before returning to
Paris). "Strong armed" into a tia maria coffee after a very generous
wine flight pretty much tipped us over the edge ... I think Bev and I
were determined to see who could make the other pee their pants first
with laughter. Our more straight-laced juniors followed us to the
room with questioning glances. A raucous attempt to enter a guest
room, where it turned out one of us had punched the wrong floor
button, didn't improve our standing
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- After a late lie-in on the 1st we met up over at Paris for
croissant and other indulgences. Afterward, we wandered the Strip for
awhile and then split up. The plan was for Bev and I to rate her at
Wynn and score some promo buffets.
- We put through 1700 pts over the course of a couple of hours, only
to find later that the 2 earned "new member" buffets were frozen until
after the holiday. That left us with 1 on tap earned at the 1250 pt
mark. We might have gone back to round out another 300 pts to score a
2nd, but were satisfied that the $200 positive finish on her play
effectively comped the tab.
As earlier noted, the card desk came through with a line pass after
some friendly banter -- a do or die proposition that night. We sailed
into the buffet in record time and took care not to excessively elate
too over bypassing the hour plus line.
The buffet was as fine as ever -- an amazing variety of offerings.
But what the heck is up with the dessert selection. You'd think
they'd want to leave you with the finest impression of all. Instead,
the layer cake I selected was worthy of the freezer case.
- Beth & Corey headed back home on the 2nd ... immensely satisfied
with the trip in all respects from appearances. (Corey was far from
quietly pleased in having run into a senior manager from his firm at
the Wynn Buffet, confident that the unexpected meet would pop him up
more strongly on the radar at work.)
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- At Wynn check in, were very gratified to talk our way into a high
floor Encore "Panorama" room on the 56th floor. The view was
exquisite. Every aspect of the casino and hotel suits our temperament
to a "T", the room was no exception.
The configuration is novel; the photos on the website don't give a
true sense of it. The bedroom section opens up on the right as you
enter, the outer living room area follows, separated from the bedroom
by a partial wall with large opening, within which is a flat panel TV
that swivels in both directions.
The exterior is a full wall of windows that, in our case, looked out
across to the original tower and provided a broad vista over the Strip
and surrounding valley. It was awesome!
20% larger than the over-sized Augustus room we enjoyed at Caesars
(roughly 700 vs 600 sf), this really was an indulgence ... as was our
continental breakfast we took in the room the next morning, running to
over $70. Cost notwithstanding, it was worth every penny --
especially when contrasted with the breakfast we took at Caesars in
our room on check out.
Harrah's dilution of the quality of the Caesars properties is most
apparent when it comes to the basic food and beverage operations. The
fare at Caesars was once among the best. The baked good we received
that morning were little better than store bought.
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- Hitting the casino around 4p, we had a 24-hr period slated for our
play, desiring to pack it in before meeting up off-Strip for dinner
with friends early Saturday night. We looked to score about $70K on
$1 Jacks -- sufficient to meet expectations for 2 nights room, but we
looked for food and beverage to be on our dime (we weren't
disappointed ;).
Unlike the Harrah's play, this was a matter of "slip slidin' away".
Play was gentle as a lamb. When Bev broke away a little after 3p
Saturday, we were down just $1500. I was admonished to be in the room
at 4p.
My machine held steady over the balance of the hour and at 4p the
thought of leaving it was torturous. Nonetheless, I set a cash out
point when my credits rounded at the nearest 100. Ten minutes later I
hadn't hit either mark and knew Bev would be getting antsy ... then,
as you likely guessed, I hit.
It had been over 4 mo since my last RF; that's tempered by the fact we
took 7 weeks away from play during Sep/Oct, but that was good for over
a 3RF setback during that time. We looked to net only $800 from the
hit give trip losses, but even that prospect left me giddy the balance
of the night.
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Aside from the room service breakfast and a buffet on checkout day, we
did just two meals at Wynn.
- We had a late lunch on Saturday at Wing Lei. I was disappointed we
didn't get our act together in sufficient time to enjoy Dim Sum, but
we did just fine nonetheless. Soup, dumplings and a shared entree
were a delight. The entree specifics escape me ... I was too
captivated by the hot and sour soup, which was so finely and
delicately seasoned that each key ingredient came through distinctly
on the palate -- what a change from the typical hodgepodge in which
vinegar and spice smother any other ingredient.
I would thrill at the opportunity to have dinner here ... but make no
mistake about it; it'll be one of the most expensive Chinese dinners
we'll have eaten.
- Dinner late that night at Daniel Bouloud (the "d" is silent, FWIW)
was memorable not so much for the food (it was quite fine, mind you)
but the service we received from the sommelier.
I've come to have a modest distaste for wine stewards. There are some
exceptional ones to be found outside of the very finest restaurants.
But all too often we've found recommendations to reflect more what's
on their own personal "top 10" list than what will best compliment the
food we order.
After having indulged heavily at New Years, we weren't quite in the
mood for a full bottle of wine and I spent a little extra time
perusing the list. When he stopped by the see if I was ready to
order, he told me to take my time and then poured a generous sample of
a Riesling that he thought we might enjoy a taste of. It was exceptional.
When he returned, I confided I hadn't found something that quite
suited our mood, but complimented them on having an unusually strong
selection of half bottles -- I considered getting a split of champagne
and a half bottle of a red to go with our beef order. He encouraged
me to let him select a few glasses for our meal. Intrigued by the
Riesling he offered up, I accepted. Always cautious, I set a price
limit of $120 ... wanting not to tie his hands in case he should have
something exceptional in mind, but not wanting to suffer sticker shock.
I wasn't prepared for what surfaced. A much better suited glass of
champagne than the Veuve Cliquot split I had considered -- bright and
yet soft; the perfect way to ease into our meal. He then brought
something to compliment our shared salad, and then for the appetizer
after that. He followed with an extraordinary Pinot Noir that vied in
complexity and strength with any Cabernet. He returned with a refill
for our glasses, noting it was late at night and the bottle would
otherwise go to waste. When we begged off of dessert, he poured a
port to finish things off in the most decadent manner.
When the check came, I shuddered to take a look, although I figured we
were clear on the $120. The wine tab came to $80; "bargain" doesn't
even come close to calling that one.
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In preparing for our return home Sunday am, I broached the idea with
Bev that I might volunteer as a bump. I had the flexibility to return
a day late. We had them tag a bag for the possibility and sure enough
getting the free ticket at the gate was a no-brainer ... at least
until I got a call from Bev after she boarded asking me if I knew
where her house keys were!
Well, that produced a bit of a stir because it was possible I had
zipped them into the bag being returned to me (and indeed they were).
My keys had been left in Philly with a friend who was to check on our
cats, and who at the last minute couldn't find their extra set.
So, it was a bit of corundum for Bev -- not much to be done since the
bag wasn't retrievable before she departed, but had already been
removed from the plane. The friend left town for a few days on
Sunday, but was to have returned the keys. The question was whether
he dropped them out of reach through the door mailslot, or if he
returned them to our car where he picked them up (touch combo door
lock) ... or neglected to return them (not out of the realm of
possibilities).
I fretted the day, fearful Bev was in a tight spot for which I
couldn't sidestep all responsibility. I was very relieved when she
called back that evening to say they had been in the car and all was well.
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Once the bump was confirmed, I called over to South Point to see if I
could line up a room comp. I was only rated for minimal play there
(it turned out it was Bev's card on which we rated an hour's play each
at $.25/$.50 after having dinner there with a friend in April.
I was fortunate to latch onto a real nice guy who set up the comp. I
caught there shuttle from the airport and enjoyed a fine stay before
returning home Monday.
Out of idle curiosity, I asked the gate attendant if they were looking
for volunteers again. She offered up that it was a fine week to get
daily bumps into the following weekend, if you were so inclined. Had
they had something later in the day (this was a 9a flight) I would
have gone for it, but they could only offer the same 9a flight for the
next day. Time to come home to the real world.
- Harry