Warning: the following TR has been rated PG-13 by AA, GA and WW due
to its underlying theme involving alcohol, gambling and binge
eating. Parents should exercise caution before allowing their babies
to read this TR or grow up to be cowboys.
On the road again
Like a pair of gypsies we go down the highway
The Westies are the best of friends
Insisting that the world be turnin' their way
And their way
Is on the road again
(Willie Nelson)
Once again the Westies have decided to follow the money and head to
Las Vegas. We were booked on Southwest Airlines using Rapid Rewards
credits for Ms. Westie's flight while I paid full freight. Ziggy-the-
Cat was staying in the "La Garage Suite" at our neighbors while Max-
the Schipperke secured advance reservations for a king, nonsmoking
room on "Alligator Alley" at the Cromwell Vet.
'Twas the night before Las Vegas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
Our slot cards and coupons were packed with much care,
In hope good fortune we would continue to share;
Max was all snuggled in his own little bed,
While visions of Ziggy and bones danced in his head;
Ms Westie in her nightie and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When to my dismay an alarm went off in my head.
`Twas time for me to leave our warm and cozy bed.
12/05 I awoke early as is my custom and reviewed several Las Vegas
related discussion boards before printing our final trip notes. This
was Ms. Westie's birthday so she was allowed to sleep in until around
7:30AM. We departed from home at 10AM dropping Max off enroute to
Bradley International Airport. Bags were checked, security cleared
and we were soon seated waiting for our plane to arrive. Ms. Westie
needed a booster shot of caffeine so I purchased a hazelnut coffee at
the adjoining Einstein's Café. ($2.32, 3 Forks out of a possible 5)
As time for departure approached an announcement was made that our
plane would be delayed 50 minutes due to snow in Chicago. We decided
to consume the ham and cheese sandwiches I had packed earlier in the
morning while waiting for the skies to clear. Not at all surprising,
a second announcement was made that the storm had taken up residence
and our flight would be delayed an additional hour. We were finally
allowed to board and the flight went smoothly until the pilot
announced that we were being stacked over Chi-town for 30 minutes
until a runway would be available, but not to worry since all flights
were being delayed and we all would likely make our original
connections sure, when pigs fly.
We finally landed only to discover our connecting flight had been
cancelled and were directed to another flight scheduled to depart at
3:50PM. Passengers were boarded on time, but this saga continued
when we were told there would be a delay because 20 bags waiting to
be stored on the plane had been carted off to parts unknown.
Following another long delay, the captain announced those were not
our bags, but we were going to be further delayed in order to add
1,000 gallons to the fuel tank as well as to de-ice the plane. He
assured us our bags were safely on board, but I again thought when
pigs fly.
We went directly to the baggage carrousel upon arrival, but after
watching the same bags circle round and round we concluded our
luggage had taken an alternative route. The Westies with a combined
80 years of flying experience have learned two valuable lessons.
One, do not get your skivvies in a knot over flight delays,
cancellations or lost luggage because nothing you do is going to
amount to a hill of beans. Second, always put a pair of skivvies and
other necessary items in your carry-on luggage. On this trip our
skivvies remained wrinkle free, but neither of us was toting a pair
in our carry-on.
After completing the necessary form to have our luggage delivered to
the hotel, we caught the shuttle to the consolidated rental facility
(CRF). As Quicksilver members we bypassed the desks at both the
airport and CRF and headed directly upstairs, but on arriving at the
kiosk, were told the contract was downstairs. Yet another delay as
the attendant printed out our contract. I selected a 2007 black
Saturn and exited stage right on to Gillespie followed by another
right on Warm Springs Road and a final right on Las Vegas Boulevard.
We arrived at McCormick & Schmicks, after yet another right on
Flamingo, approximately an hour after our 7:15PM reservation, but
were greeted with Happy Birthday wishes and seated in a booth as
requested. http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/ A bountiful mixed
green salad with bleu cheese and candied walnuts in a light
vinaigrette dressing was shared. Ms. Westie's entrée was cashew
crusted tilapia with Jamaican rum butter and tropical salsa which
came with crisp green beans and white rice. I ordered the pecan
crusted catfish with Cajun remoulade sauce that was served with
mashed potatoes plus a mix of crisp green and yellow beans. Service
was attentive and the food delicious. I used a $25 gift certificate
received after joining this chain's Preferred Guest program.
($26.18, 4 Forks)
We stopped at a nearby Walgreens to pick up mouth wash and toothpaste
before checking in for 14 nights at the Gold Coast. The desk clerk
was out of funbooks and told us to check back later in the week
yeah when pigs fly. We did score a couple of cheap toothbrushes. We
were both exhausted and just falling asleep at 2:15AM EST when we
received a telephone call that our luggage had been found and was
currently in transit to our hotel. We decided to not wait up for
its arrival.
12/06 I woke up around 2AM local time and drove to the Fiesta-Rancho
for an extended and very unprofitable video poker (VP) session on the
full pay deuces wild (FPDW) slant tops. On my return I checked with
the bell captain who was reluctant to release the luggage because Ms.
Westie had completed the airport paperwork and both baggage tags had
her name on them. He finally relented after I retrieved a copy of my
driver's license from a bag and he confirmed the room was in both our
names.
Breakfast this morning at the Gold Coast buffet consisted of OJ, skim
milk, baked ham (dry), a blueberry pancake (dry), a piece of French
toast (dry) and grapefruit sections. ($5.33, Las Vegas Advisor
(LVA), 1 Fork).
I previously printed a coupon for a $44 massage at Massage Nirvana
located on Fort Apache from the City Search website so we made the
short drive to check it out. http://www.massagenirvana.com/ Ms.
Westie talked to the attendant and made an appointment for Tuesday of
the following week. Our next stop was the Las Vegas Premium Outlets
where I purchased 9 pairs of much needed athletic socks and a T-shirt
at Nautica. Meanwhile Ms. Westie found a jacket at Chico's that she
had priced back home at $99, marked down to $69 and then subject to a
further reduction to $49. The clerk questioned the price and called
over a supervisor to confirm, but the coupe de grace came when Ms.
Westie pulled a 25% off coupon from out of her purse. I suspect there
will be no year bonuses awarded at this location.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent resting in our room though
Ms Westie managed a short VP session while I primarily napped. Since
this was her birthday month, she was credited for a bonus of 7,500
Club Coast points.
Being the last of the big spenders, I decided to treat Ms. Westie to
drinks, dinner and a show as a belated birthday gift. We started off
with merlots at the very quiet west bar of the Gold Coast using drink
coupons from a pair of Orleans funbooks. Note: all drinks mentioned
in this TR were free courtesy of coupons.
We next drove out to Patsy Grimaldi's Coal Fired Pizza on Eastern.
This rapidly expanding pizzeria franchise originated in Brooklyn and
currently operates 6 restaurants in Arizona and Las Vegas.
http://www.patsygrimaldis.com/ Prior to departing for this trip I
signed Ms. Westie up for their e-newsletter and she subsequently
received a certificate for a free large one item pizza as a birthday
gift. We chose the white pizza with fresh tomatoes. The place was
very busy so it took a while for the pizza to be served and we
immediately noticed a piece was missing. The manager accidentally
dropped a piece on the floor while slicing our pizza. Rather having
us wait for another pizza to be prepared, they served us the original
and offered to prepare a personal pizza. I protested and told him we
probably wouldn't be able to finish the pizza anyways and couldn't
take the second pizza with us since we were on vacation. The pizza
was very good, but the crust was not quite as crunchy or tasty as
those prepared on Wooster Street in New Haven. Just as we were about
finished a personal pizza arrived that we were encouraged to take it
with us. ($5, 3 Forks)
The entertainment portion of this evening's package was the Henderson
Symphony Orchestra's "Sounds of the Season" at the Henderson Events
Plaza Amphitheatre. This was the kickoff for the city's annual
Winterfest weekend.
http://www.hendersonlive.com/special_events/winterfest/ A number of
classic pieces were performed, but the highlight followed the
intermission when the orchestra was joined by both the Silverado High
School choir and Schofield Middle School's Madrigal singers. ($0,
3.5 Claps)
Prior to returning to the room we stopped for a case of water and a
12-pack of Pepsi at Wal-Mart. In the elevator on our way to the room
a gentlemen remarked on seeing the water and soda that someone,
presumably Ms. Westie, had a cheap date, presumably me. He obviously
did not know that earlier in the evening I treated Ms Westie to a
night of drinks, dinner and entertainment.
The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction
A real big spender
(Peggy Lee)
12/07 I mistakenly thought the Fiestas were offering 5 times points
this day so I drove over to the Rancho location via Valley View for
my early, 4 AM, VP session. It was better than yesterday's session,
but still unprofitable though maybe I can make it up in volume?
Breakfast this morning was at the Le Village buffet at Paris. My
plate(s) was soon filled with fresh berries, Lyonnaise potatoes,
assorted cheeses, egg Benedict, poached pear, bacon and scrambled
eggs with peppers. Most of the dishes were overcooked and left
uneaten. The problem with the buffet since the Harrahs' takeover is
food is now prepared in large batches beforehand and kept warm until
served. ($10, Las Vegas Advisor (LVA), 1 Fork)
After breakfast we drove to the Mandalay Bay convention center to
take in the Cowboy Marketplace. It turned out to be a total waste of
time with nothing of interest. On returning to the room I spent the
remainder of the daylight hours snoozing. Ms. Westie's afternoon
proved a bit more productive when her #1 quad deuces of the trip was
registered. For those unfamiliar with full pay deuce wild (FPDW),
quad deuces pays a total of 1,000 coins.
Prior to dinner we returned to the west bar at the Gold Coast and I
ordered a Wet Pearl, but John the bartender was clueless. We each
ended up consuming a pair of merlots before departing for the Agave
on Charleston Boulevard. http://www.agavelasvegas.com/ We first
dined at this gorgeous Mexican restaurant on our September trip.
Warm blue and white corn tortilla chips were served with a pair of
salsas and a warm bean dip. Ms. Westie ordered the blue corn chicken
enchiladas and a soda. I opted for the taco sampler again, this time
receiving what I ordered, namely birria (goat), rock shrimp and
carnitas (pulled pork). In order to meet the $35 minimum purchase
requirement on our restaurant.com (R.com) gift certificate we were
forced to order a coffee flan. Our bill exceeded the requirement by
a mere 81 cents before tax and gratuity were added. ($18.59, R.com,
4 Forks)
It was a short drive to the Suncoast where we saw the Clint Holmes
and Friends Celebrate Christmas show. Clint is my favorite Las Vegas
entertainer and he did not disappoint us this evening.
http://www.clintholmes.com/ His friends included his sister Gayle
Steele, his mom, best buddy and accompanist Bill Fayne, the Las Vegas
Tenors and wife, Kelly Clinton. As expected, Clint and friends put on
an exciting show with just the right mix of holiday and original
music. ($0, 4.5 Claps)
The ticket stubs are good for a free drink at any of the Coast
Casinos bars so I managed to score a few that had been left on tables
as we departed the showroom. Since this was my wife's birthday month,
she played a little in order to qualify for the bonus points, but the
points failed to register. We went to the club booth and were
informed that the birthday promotion was no longer being offered
though locals would probably receive some form of bonus via a mailed
coupon.
12/08 This was the day the Fiestas were offering 5 x points so I
trekked over to Rancho for my morning session. This turned out to be
my first profitable VP session of the trip after I hit quad deuces #1
and #2.
That's the way, I like it
That's the way, I like it
Ah-ha, ah-ha
(K.C. and the Sunshine Band)
Today's breakfast provider was the ever so beautiful Ellis Island
Casino on Koval. http://www.ellisislandcasino.com/ We ordered the
cinnamon vanilla French toast which was cooked to perfection. ($6,
ACG, 2.5 Forks) Ms. Westie needed a few more points on her Amigo
card so it was off to Fiesta-Rancho where she hit her #2 quads of the
trip and I hit my #3. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in
our room reading, napping and counting our money.
In the late afternoon we drove to Ellis Island and each ordered nog
on the rocks followed by a glass of merlot.
http://www.ellisislandcasino.com/Restaurant.htm The 2007 nog was
smoother than 2006's, but not quite as up to the standard set by the
highly acclaimed 2005 vintage. The entire casino was relatively
quiet throughout our trip so getting a stool at the bar was
relatively easy.
We then drove out to Henderson to dine at Gaetano's on Eastern.
http://www.usmenuguide.com/gaetanos.html This restaurant is very
much a family affair with the wife serving as maitre d, the husband
reciting the night's specials and the son serving as our waiter. We
shared a Caesar salad that was disappointing, but our pasta entrees
saved the evening. Ms. Westie ordered ravioli do zucca al burro e
salvia - homemade ravioli stuffed with roasted butternut squash,
topped with brown butter and sage. I ordered the mezzaluna di
vitello con Porcini - homemade half moon pasta filled with veal,
served with peas, prosciutto and porcini mushrooms in a light cream
sauce. Both pasta dishes were bursting with flavor and I rated mine
as the best entrée of the trip. We used a coupon for 50% off a second
entrée that I located on the Las Vegas Review Journal's (RJ) website:
http://tinyurl.com/2lawza ($40.89, 4 Forks)
The night concluded at the Gold Coast lounge where we watched a rerun
of the evening's National Final Rodeo (NFR). Ms. Westie chose Kaluha
and cream while my beverage of choice was Sambuca straight up.
I grew up a-dreamin' of bein' a cowboy,
and Lovin' the cowboy ways.
Pursuin' the life of my high-ridin' heroes,
I burned up my childhood days.
(Willie Nelson)
On returning to the room I poured each of us a glass of milk, but
accidentally spilt mine all over the night stand and carpet. I yelled
and screamed, but I did not cry.
12/09 In the early morning hours I drove to the Tuscany Suites &
Casino to check the VP inventory and to play off $25 in bounceback
cash while earning 5 x points. http://www.tuscanylv.com/ I took my
$20 in winnings and made the short drive to Terrible's in order to
bolster my slot club point balance, but became bored after about 20
minutes playing the 9/6 JOB (jacks or better) machines.
http://www.terribleherbst.com/casinos/lasvegas/ It was still too
early to return to the room so I drove once more to Fiesta-Rancho
where I hit my #4 quad deuces.
Breakfast on this Saturday morning was at Bonito Michoacan on
Decatur. http://tinyurl.com/2695y6 We have enjoyed a few dinners at
this Mexican restaurant in the past, but breakfast this morning was a
disappointment. As one of the first to arrive, we were promptly
seated and provided menus. The complimentary chips were commercial
grade and both salsas probably originated in a factory. We ordered
the breakfast of champions, huevos rancheros, but both dishes were
slightly overcooked and unremarkable as were the accompanying
frijoles refritos, salad and rice. My disappointment was only
nominally tempered by the use of another 2/1 coupon found on the RJ's
website: http://tinyurl.com/2lawza ($12.21, 1.5 Forks)
We were both tired so we returned to the room and spent much of the
remainder of the morning reading the Sunday paper and dozing. In mid-
afternoon we took a drive out to Boulder Station in order to keep our
slot cards current, but I soon tired so I went to the sports book and
watched the Patriots versus Pittsburg game.
On our return to the Gold Coast Ms. Westie played a little more FPDW
managing to hit quads #3 of the trip before it was time to visit the
Orleans for drinks. Ms. Westie continued her assault on the merlot
grape crop while I opted for a lemon drop martini and a Stella
Artois. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Artois
Dinner was at Hummus Mediterranean Grill on Durango.
http://www.hummusmediterraneangrill.com/ This small unassuming
restaurant was virtually empty on this Sunday evening. Ms. Westie
ordered the chicken shish kebab that was served sans the kebab, but
included rice pilaf, a grilled pepper, grilled tomato, sumac onion
and Greek salad. The rice pilaf was very bland and the grilled items
had been prepared hours in advance. I ordered the chicken sharwama
an enormous serving of what was billed as sliced, but looked like
pulled dark meat chicken that had been marinated in special shawarama
spices and served with hummus, Greek salad and garlic sauce. The
latter was a solid mass of something that I have never seen and only
mildly hinted of garlic. The entire dish was visually unappealing
and not particularly flavorful. In the restaurant's defense we dined
on a Sunday night only an hour or so before closing time. ($16.98, R
com, 1 Fork)
Our next stop was the Orleans to attend the Lee Greenwood Tennessee
Christmas show. http://www.leegreenwood.com/ This show was almost
100% Christmas music with the exception of the obligatory God Bless
the USA. Lee's voice was never very strong and it has not improved
with age. (1.5 Claps) After the show, Ms. Westie earned a few
points playing 8/5 bonus poker and received the 7,500 point birthday
bonus before we departed.
12/10 Today was seniors' day at the Fiestas so I drove to the
Henderson location for 3 x points, but the slot card reader kept
flashing that the system was attempting to verify my card. I decided
to leave and went to Boulder Station, but the system there was down
as well and it would not even accept money so I exited quickly, too
quickly, because my head bounced off the roof of the car a few times
as I hit one after another of those ^%$# speed bumps. I concluded
the morning session playing at Sam's Town where I soon hit my #5 quad
deuces of the trip.
The Orleans buffet received the nod this morning OJ, skim milk,
grapefruit and orange segments with strawberry yogurt and an
eggbeaters' spinach omelet. ($0, comp, 2.5 Forks)
We had advance computer reservations at the Green Valley Library so
we checked our email before making the short drive to the Fiesta-
Henderson. An hour of uninspiring play was completed before we
departed for The Cupcakery on Eastern Avenue.
http://www.thecupcakery.com/location.html Ms. Westie chose a
chocolate passion while I settled on a mocha, mocha. These moist and
tasty morsels were consumed in our room with a glass of milk
immediately on our return to the room. ($2.50, LVA, 3.5 Forks)
I spent the remainder of the afternoon hibernating before we drove to
Ellis Island for drinks, nog straight up for each of us followed by a
glass of merlot. We departed reluctantly for our early dinner
reservation at Origin India on Paradise.
http://www.originindiarestaurant.com/ I have said before and I will
say it again, this is the best Indian restaurant in Las Vegas. We
were served housemade papadum with mint and tamarind sauces followed
by a complimentary sweet potato salad that managed to be both spicy
and cooling. Ms. Westie ordered the lamb chop masala - small tender
chops that had been cooked in masala sauce. My entrée was chicken
makhani, aka butter chicken, - melt-in-your mouth pieces of chicken
cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. Both entrees included basmati rice,
a black lentil dipping sauce, naan and an unadorned salad. I signed
up online for the restaurant's VIP club and used a 2/1 entrée coupon
that was emailed to me shortly before we departed for this trip.
($30.86, 4.5 Forks)
On returning to the Gold Coast we watched the end of the evening's
NFR telecast and listened for a very short time to the group
Broadband in the lounge. This 5 female member country band played in
the lounge each night during the NFR, but was way too loud for us to
enjoy. http://www.thebroadbandgirls.com/ (1 Clap)
12/11 I drove out to the Fiesta-Rancho this morning to take advantage
of the 5 x points being offered. After a few hours of play I was
dealt Jack and Queen of spades and quickly filled in the Ace, Ten and
King of spades for a royal! For those unfamiliar with video poker, a
royal pays 4,000 coins and occurs, on average, once every 45,282
hands in FPDW. Approximately 5 minutes later I hit my #6 quad
deuces of the trip.
On my return we went downstairs to the buffet where I enjoyed
grapefruit segments, OJ, skim milk, bacon and, to a lesser extent,
Lyonnaise potatoes. One adverse change, are there any other, that
occurred today was Club Coast members using a 2/1 coupon will no
longer receive the $1 off member discount. This effectively increased
the cost of the breakfast buffet by $2 since in the past the cashiers
accepted both of our cards. ($7.49, LVA, 2.5 Forks)
I drove Ms. Westie to Massage Nirvana on Fort Apache for her massage
and then continued on to Ararat Bakery on Sahara.
http://tinyurl.com/373uzw This small bakery is owned by an Armenian
couple, but the desserts are made by a Brazilian man who was trained
by a world famous French pastry chef. The choices were mind boggling
and Ms. Westie wasn't available for consultation so I winged it by
ordering a white chocolate mousse and an Armenian Napoleon.
I hastily drove to the Riviera to pick-up tickets for the Barbara and
Frank: The Concert That Never Was show, but discovered the box office
was did not open until 3PM because of the reduced number of shows
currently being offered. I left the car in the back parking lot of
the Riviera and, taking life in hand, crossed Paradise and entered
the LV Hilton to purchase tickets to the Hitzville show.
The clock was ticking down so I jogged back to the car and put the
pedal to the metal to get back on time to pick up Ms. Westie. On
entering Massage Nirvana ($44, 3 Claps) I was told my wife had
already left and was likely prowling around the shopping center.
After checking out a few possibilities, I found her having her hair
done at a recently opened hair salon. Ms. Westie exited some 15
minutes later looking relaxed, limber and great.
On returning to the room we shared the Armenian Napoleon, a light,
layered concoction with custardy cream in phyllo dough that was pure
heaven. The white chocolate mousse, consumed the day following, was
not as successful being more like a cheesecake with hard pieces of
chocolate throughout. ($5.50, 5 Forks for Napoleon, 2 Forks for the
mousse)
Ms. Westie spent the remainder of the afternoon reading, exercising
and playing a little VP while I conserved energy by napping. In the
late afternoon we stopped by the lounge to listen to the Las Vegas
Classic Jazz Band. ($0, 2 Claps)
When the chimes rang signaling the official beginning of the drinking
hour we departed for the Orleans. I requested Stella (Artois), but
she was not available this evening so I settled on a Fat Tire amber
ale draft while Ms. Westie stayed with a more dependable merlot.
http://www.newbelgium.com/beers_ft.php
Dinner tonight was at the Food Express on Decatur. Neither the name,
location in front of the Fantastic Swap Meet nor physical appearance
would suggest fine dining, but fine dining is what we enjoyed.
Unlike many Asian restaurants, service was both cheerful and
attentive. We shared orders of sautéed shrimp coated with mayonnaise
with honey walnuts, Singapore rice noodles and pea leaves with
garlic. The latter was not on the menu and relatively expensive at
$11, but delicious. It is going to be hard to believe, but I had no
discount for this restaurant, but I suspect we will be returning on
our next trip. ($35.68, 4.5 Forks)
We next drove to Fiesta-Rancho where Ms. Westie hit a ROYAL on a
progressive FPDW machine. This represented a first for us, both
hitting a royal in the same day albeit some 19 nineteen hours apart.
On returning to the Gold Coast we celebrated by enjoying a Kaluha and
cream (Ms. Westie) and Wet Pearl (me) while listening to the band
West of Nowhere in the showroom. ($0, 2 Claps)
12/12 Only a little pain, no gain this morning at my pre dawn VP
session. We had reached the half way point of the trip so the first
order of business was to visit our favorite wash and fold before
breakfast at Ellis Island. Ms. Westie ordered the pancakes while I
went for the Full Monty by ordering the eggs, home fries, bacon and
sourdough toast special. ($5.75, American Casino Guide (ACG), 2.5
Forks)
We drove to Palace Station and attended a health and wellness
exposition. It was more than a little presumptuous to bill this as
an expo since there could not have been more than two dozen
exhibitors. While Ms. Westie enjoyed a chair massage, I was busy
picking up bottles of water, pens, pillboxes and anything else that
wasn't nailed down including 2 cookies.
Next stop was Fiesta-Rancho where we experienced a financially
painful VP session. On returning to the room we devoured the white
chocolate mousse previously purchased at the Ararat Pastry shop. In
the late afternoon, we picked up our laundry and returned to Ellis
Island for pre dinner libations of nog and merlot.
Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime
But old dogs and children and Ellis Island's nog and wine
(Tom T. Hall assisted by Westie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgaDhMg62jI
We made yet another cross town trip to dine at Paymon's Mediterranean
Café on west Sahara. We shared a flaming saganaki appetizer served
with pita bread a slice of Kefalotyri (Greek) cheese that has been
sauteed and then flambéed with rum and finished with a sprinkle of
fresh lemon juice. This dish was not flambéed tableside as is
customary, but it was quite tasty though very filling. Ms Westie's
entree was moussaka - a layered casserole of sliced eggplant, onions,
potato and ground beef topped with a bechamel sauce. It was
accompanied by a small cup of Mediterranean vegetables and plain
basmati rice. I ordered fesenjan, a Persian dish pieces of
boneless chicken slowly cooked with crushed walnuts in a tangy semi-
sweet pomegranate sauce and served with a large mound of plain
basmati rice. In order to meet the minimum dollar amount required
under the terms of our restaurant.com certificate I was forced to
consume an order of Athens fries as well. Overall we were under
whelmed by this dining experience. ($21.66, R.com, 2 Forks)
The traveling show continued with us driving to South Point to put on
a few points so Ms. Westie would earn the 2,500 bonus point birthday
bonus. This night's live NFR broadcast had just concluded so we
joined another couple at a table in the beautiful and intimate
showroom and listened to Blaine Gray for one set. His voice was
somewhat reminiscent of fellow Texan George Strait which means he was
real good. (3.5 Claps) http://www.blainegray.com/biography.html
12/13 Terrible's was offering 3 x points this day so I mossied on
over in order to earn enough points to qualify for a $75 McCormick &
Schmicks (M&S) gift certificate. When I reached the required 10,000
points I quickly switched over and started using Ms. Westie's card.
On my return to the Gold Coast we went downstairs and enjoyed the
breakfast buffet. ($8.49, LVA, 2.5 Forks) After reading the
newspaper in the room, we decided to take in the Cowboy Christmas
Show at the convention center. I dropped Ms. Westie off at the front
door and parked in the frugal lot at the Riviera. This show is much
bigger and better than the one held at Mandalay Bay so we decided to
split up and meet back in an hour.
On exiting the show we continued south on Paradise and confirmed that
Jersey Mike's would be open early enough for us to pick up a couple
of subs on our way to the airport next week.
Next stop was Terrible's where I redeemed a LVA coupon for a free T-
shirt and purged my slot club balance for the aforementioned M&S
certificate. I was very much surprised to discover the certificate
was set to expire within one week, not a problem since we were
planning on dining there two more times on this trip. I also
redeemed a pair of discarded free drink certificates, probably from
someone cashing a paycheck, that I found earlier in the day for 2
bottles of water.
Later that afternoon, Ms. Westie hit her #4 quad deuces of the trip
during an abbreviated VP session at the Gold Coast while I added a
few more points on her Terrible's card. We continued our holiday
tradition of enjoying nog and merlot at Ellis before departing for
dinner at M&S. We shared a spinach salad with fennel and
cranberries tossed with a basil dressing that sounded much better
than it tasted. We each ordered the seafood fettucine rock shrimp
and bay scallops in a garlic cream sauce. This dish was very tasty,
but the bay scallops were the smallest I have ever seen. ($27.90,
R.com, 2.5 Forks)
We next drove to the LV Hilton to attend Hitzville in the intimate
Shimmer Cabaret. This show features Jin-Jin Reeves and a group
called Fair Play.
http://www.lvol.com/bios/e314.html The latter have appeared in the
Legends in Concert show as both the Temptations and Four Tops. Jin-
Jin was clearly the star of the show performing tributes to Gladys
Knight, Diana Ross and Tina Turner. The Shimmer Cabaret was
freezing, but the performers were hot. I used a 2/1 coupon received
via email from the LV Hilton. ($43, 3.5 Claps)
12/14 The "Last Thing I Need First Thing This Morning" (Willie) was a
VP session like the one I experienced today. On returning to the
room Ms. Westie was not ready to greet the day so I departed for the
bar downstairs because "It's a Bloody Mary Morning" (Willie),
Breakfast at the Orleans buffet was the same old the same old. ($0,
Comp, 2 Forks) We then drove to the Clark County Library to check our
email and also viewed a small photography exhibit titled FAUX - art
and architecture in the new Las Vegas. ($0, 2 Claps)
Next stop was Bill's Gamblin' Hall where we parked and walked over to
Bellagio. The Christmas display in the Conservatory and Botanical
Garden was wonderful with Emperor penguins assisting Santa including
one that was teetering on a tall ladder, flying reindeer finished in
pecans and thousands of poinsettias. We also window shopped at the
Chihuly store as well as the patisserie. ($0, 4 Claps)
We returned to the room and spent the remainder of the day relaxing,
reading and napping. Tonight's beverage dispenser was John at the
west bar at the Gold Coast. We discovered that when I previously
ordered a wet pearl, he thought I said a wet poodle. In either case,
John did not know how to make the drink, but I provided the formula
and he dispensed the drinks.
We drove downtown where we had reservations on this Friday night at
Binion's Ranch Steakhouse.
http://www.binions.com/dining/steakhousemenu.pdf On being seated at
a table overlooking the downtown area I pulled out my 2/1 ACG coupon
and read the small print. Oops, valid Sunday Thursday only. I
apologized to the maitre d' as we exited. Time was growing short and
I started to panic fearing I would have to pay full price for another
meal, but remembered I had a coupon for Binion's deli in the car. We
rushed back to the car and read the coupon not valid weekends. Not
to worry, I must have a coupon for the Golden Gate nope, didn't
bring that sucker with me. Resigned to defeat we returned to
Binion's and went to the deli where we shared a corned beef sandwich
on a Kaiser roll with pickles and a side of potato salad plus 2
sodas. The corned beef these days is nuked prior to serving which is
yet one more example of the continuing decline of Binion's. ($8, 1.5
Fork)
While seated at the deli Ms. Westie pulled out our certificate for 2
tickets to the Country Superstars show at Fitzgerald's and discovered
it expired two days prior, not at all surprising given the way my
luck has been running today. We decided to take it to the showroom
box office anyways and it was accepted by the clerk with nary a
glance phew! http://www.lvol.com/bios/e344.html
I pity those who paid $100-$200 to see Brooks and Dunn at the LV
Hilton this evening because unbeknownst to them the duo were
performing an early show at Fitzgerald's for a fraction of the
price. In addition, Shania Twain, Willie Nelson, Faith Hill, Toby
Keith and Tim McGraw were on the bill. Everyone was very good, but
the individual impersonating Ronnie Dunn was just exceptional. ($24,
KSHP, 3.5 Claps)
On exiting Fitzgerald's we walked about three yards and watched the
8PM performance of the Bright Lights on Ice show. There were
probably 10 ice skaters plus 2 acrobats performing on a very small
stage. It was well worth 15 minutes of our vacation time. ($0, 2
Claps)
Continuing up Fremont Street we stopped to enjoy the music of
Carl "Safe Sax" Ferris, one of the FSE light shows and one of the
spray paint artists. ($0, 3 Claps)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IGUlZh1MgPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYNpOCcAHvg Our last stop was the
Golden Gate where we enjoyed a pair of 99 cent shrimp cocktails while
waiting for the piano player to return from break. ($2, 1.5 Forks)
We were hoping to see Barbara, but she had the night off and by the
time this night's performer was ready to play we were on our way out
the door.
Oh, the night life ain't no good life
Oh, but it's my life
(Willie)
12/15 At this morning's VP session I was dealt my #7 quad deuces of
the trip, but managed to give it all back plus some over the next 2.5
hours. I stopped at Smith's for a pair of apple fritters ($1.50, 1.5
Forks) which we enjoyed in the room.
First stop this morning was the Reed Whipple Cultural Center in North
Las Vegas in order to view the Meta-Morph' art exhibit. This exhibit
featured the works of two local photographers, James Cho and Atsuko
Parker, who captured the natural and artificial landscapes of the Las
Vegas. ($0, 2 Claps) http://tinyurl.com/2f8t34
Since we were in the immediate area, we made the short drive to
Jerry's Famous Coffee shop at Jerry's Nugget. We ordered a bread
pudding and a piece of chocolate swirl cheesecake to go. We had to
wait a few minutes because the bread pudding was not quite ready.
The cashier seemed confused on how to handle my coupon and when I
suggested she just deduct the cheaper item she grew a little testy.
Instead of deducting the cheapest ($2.50), she deducted the most
expensive ($4.50). Maybe this is what makes Jerry's Cofffee shop
famous? ($2.69, ACG, 4 Forks)
Our next stop was Boulder Station for a short session of FPDW before
departing for lunch at Origin India. We were the only customers this
Saturday afternoon so I suspect luncheon hours may be curtailed in
the future. We each ordered chicken kebab roll grilled tandoor
chicken wrapped in a Romali roll. Lunches include a choice of ice
tea or soda, we chose the ice tea. The flavor was truly amazing, but
the amount of food was more than we needed. The cost of the meal is
net of a $10 coupon received after I provided feedback on our
experience in September. ($11.62, 4.5 Forks)
We returned to the room and rested before heading to Mandalay Bay for
the 6PM performance of Mama Mia. http://tinyurl.com/69jf I parked
in the convention center lot and we arrived at the events center to
find we were the only ones in the immediate area. Initially we
thought this night's performance was cancelled, but why weren't signs
posted or other ticket holders in the immediate area? Finally a
light came on and we realized we were in the right church, wrong
pew. On arriving at the theater, we found the remainder of tonight's
audience and then quickly located our seats 2 rows from the stage and
almost dead center. This was our second time seeing this show, but
previously we were seated one row from the back so we missed the
actors' facial expressions. Though I have never been, nor will I ever
be, a fan of ABBA, this show was a blast from start to finish.
Tickets were purchased at 50% off retail on a fall special sent out
by Mandalay Bay. ($117, 4 Claps)
We both were a little hungry on exiting the theatre so we drove over
to Pho Kim Long on Spring Mountain Road.
http://www.usmenuguide.com/pholong.html Ms. Westie ordered bun tom
thit nuong, also known as old #43 - charbroiled shrimp & egg roll
with rice vermicelli served cold. I ordered pho tai, #10 rare
steak noodle soup with basil, sprouts and lime. I requested the
steak on the side and cranked up the spice level through a liberal
application of hot chili sauce. I shudder to think of the battle
taking place in my stomach that night having consumed Indian for
lunch and pho for dinner though I slept like a baby. ($17, 4 Forks)
12/16 Terrible's was offering 3 x points and Ms. Westie's slot card
balance was a few thousand points south of 10,000 so I put in a few
hours this morning playing 9/6 JOB. No loss or gain was registered
though hitting natural quad deuces made me feel like I had lost
money. It was still too early to wake Ms. Westie so I drove over to
the Orleans to play some low denomination blackjack (BJ). The
Orleans has installed a large screen video BJ game that offers decent
rules though it shuffles continuously. I did not receive the 7 x
points that began today, but after an hour of play managed to walk
away with an extra $30.
We read the Sunday edition of the RJ before driving to Orchids Garden
on Sahara for dim sum. http://www.usmenuguide.com/orchids.htm We
were one of the first to arrive this morning, but the room filled up
over the next hour. I failed to write down what we ate, but 5 of the
7 dishes we tried contained pretty much the same ingredients of
ground pork and shrimp. The best dish was the egg tarts with the
worst being the barbecued pork bun which was all bun, no pork.
($16.40, 1 Fork)
Next stop was the tickets4tonight outlet in the Peppermill parking
lot only to find out tickets to this evening's Las Vegas Tenors' show
were not being offered. We then drove to Fiesta-Rancho for a short
VP session where I won, but less than Ms. Westie lost.
At 4PM we met Buddha and his wife Nancy at the west bar at the Gold
Coast for drinks and a very enjoyable conversation. The time went by
quickly and they departed for the South Point while we lingered and
had a second drink. There was a table of appetizers set out for
people who were registering for a 3-day slot tournament. I received
the same invitation so I felt compelled to check out the freebies.
We decided to dine tonight at Chapala's on Decatur after I found a
2/1 coupon in the print edition of the RJ. We dined at the Tropicana
location approximately 4 years ago. It took awhile for anyone to
wait on us after being seated, but we eventually were served
industrial taco chips and two bottled salsas. Our cheese enchiladas
were accompanied by the usual refried beans, dried out Spanish rice
and iceberg lettuce salad. The enchiladas were tasty, but everything
else was very mediocre. ($12.70, 1 Fork)
Our last stop of the evening was the Riviera to see the Barbara and
Frank: The Concert That Never Was. There was no notice advising the
audience that stand-ins would be performing, but having seen the show
previously we knew the B team was on stage. ($24.67, ebay, 2
Claps)
On returning to the room we shared the bread pudding previously
purchased at Jerry's Famous Coffee shop. Ms. Westie gave a qualified
two thumbs up, but I thought it was worth a least 2 thumbs, an index
finger and two toes. IMHO Steve Wynn's mom cannot hold a candle to
Jerry's mom.
12/17 I would sooner pass a kidney stone than endure another VP
session like I experienced this morning. The Gold Coast buffet was
pretty much the same though turnover was more of a problem now that
the NFR was over. ($7.49, LVA, 1.5 Forks)
As we were departing the buffet, I thought I recognized someone from
across the room. He had a broad face and a little round belly that
shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. Oops, that was my
reflection in the mirror.
I had a short chat with Buddha and Nancy as they were heading out to
the Cannery for 5 x points. Ann and I played a little, but were
beaten to a pulp so we retired to the room to lick our wounds.
Later in the morning we drove to Fiesta-Rancho for an additional
licking, but the Westies kept on ticking. As Bob Dylan said "you
don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind is blowing, so
cut our losses and drove to UNICA on Dean Martin Drive. The road was
in process of being repaved so the driving was painfully slow. We
mostly window shopped, but did purchase two Chilewich placemats.
http://www.chilewich.com/non-flash_index.html
On our return to the room we shared the chocolate swirl cheesecake
from Jerry's excellent. After a long rest, we ventured once again
to Ellis Island for nogs and merlots.
On arriving at Origin India this we were served complimentary papadum
with mint and tamarind sauces. Orders of chicken Chettinad - boneless
thigh pieces cooked with pounded southern spices with a hint of
coconut and lamb Rajwari - boneless lamb cooked with spices,
tomatoes, yogurt and a touch of cashew. Both dishes included a
vegetable dish, naan, rice and salad. We used a printable 2/1 coupon
that had been emailed to members of the restaurant's VIP club.
($25.65, 4.5 Forks)
12/18 I only lost a few dollars this morning, but realized it has
been 3 long days since my last quad deuces. Breakfast was at the
Orleans. ($7.49, ACG, 2 Forks) Our next stop was the Liberace Museum
which we toured in approximately 1.5 hours. We enjoyed reading about
his career as well as seeing his vehicles and furniture, but the most
interesting part for us was his outrageous costumes. ($8, KSHP, 3
Claps)
We then drove to the Clark County library to return books, check our
email and checked in online. Our next stop was Fiesta-Rancho where
we put in an unproductive hour before retiring to the room.
This was our last night so we drove over to Ellis Island for nog and
merlot before making the short hop to M&S to use our $75 gift
certificate. We started off with the fried calamari appetizer with
three sauces which were light and flavorful. Ms. Westie ordered the
swordfish "au povre" which was finished in a pomegranate demi glace,
chanterlles, asparagus and a truffle potato cake. I ordered corvine
devon port, similar to seabass, which was roasted in pecan honey
butter and accompanied by Brussel sprouts and fingerling potatoes.
Both dishes were excellent though on returning home, I googled
corvine devon port unsuccessfully. We finished the meal by sharing a
gingerbread crème brulee. The total bill pre tax and gratuity after
deducting the gift certificate came to 75 cents. After this meal you
could have trussed me up because I was already stuffed.
($17.61, 3.5 Forks)
12/19 My early morning session was quite unique with (7) wild royals
and (6) 5 of a kinds during the first hour. Just before quitting
time, I was dealt my second quad deuces, 8th overall, of the trip.
We enjoyed a bountiful breakfast at the Gold Coast before checking-
out. ($7.49, LVA, 2 Forks)
On the way to the CRF we stopped at Jersey Mike's on Paradise for (2)
Italian subs to go ($6.41, Entertainment, 2 Forks). The car return
process went smoothly, our plane was on time and our flight was
stress free.
The stars were again aligned for Team Westie as we defied the odds
and beat the houses that Gaughan and Maloof built for the 8th
consecutive time. Ms. Westie led the way with an Estimated Hourly
Wage (EHW) of $25 up from $19 on our last trip. My EHW also improved
from the pitiful 62 cents registered last trip to just over the
minimum wage at $9.13.
Thanks again for taking the time out to read this TR and expect the
sequel, "O Westie, Where Art Thou" in May, 2008.
Addendum: Shortly after returning home I began experiencing
dizziness and a high grade fever. My doctor's diagnosis is that I am
going through nog withdrawal,
TR Credits
Producer and Director Ms. Westie
Author: Westie
Editor: Max-the Schipperke
Lead Mouser: Ziggy-the-Cat
Casting by: the Big Dude Upstairs
Musial Score by Waylon, Willie & the Boys
Ms. Westie's wardrobe furnished by Chico
Westie's fashion consultants: Levi Strauss and F. O. Loom
Legal Services provided by: Law firm of Dancer, Prancer, Comet &
Vixen
Cast Nutritionists: Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sprat
Staff Physicians: Drs. Ernest and Julio Gallo