Tuesday, May 13, 2014

2014 - Vegas May 7 - 10

Day 1 - 07-MAY-2014

Flew Southwest out of CMH and arrived at LAS around 8:30 am with a very smooth flight and no one sitting with us (first win of the trip).  

Downtown Columbus

  
Ohio Stadium



Fun with the flight tracker





Rocky Mountains

Fun Crop Circles






Our traveling companions - Vanilla and Fulgencio


Lake Mead water line



We wanted to take advantage of our early landing and get in some travel and sightseeing time.  No line at Budget and we were in the Ford Focus in no time and heading to the Hoover Dam, but first we had to stop at the Peppermill.  I have heard nothing but good words about the food and the portions so we just had to try something new.  The food was awesome and the price was right.  As my wife said "Old Vegas portions at Old Vegas prices". 

Peppermill 
Mine - Country Fried Steak w Gravy, 3 eggs and Hash Browns.  Hot sauce to taste







Once we horked down the food we decided to take a quick walk over to the Riviera to look around the place and for me to give the girls out front a smack on the ass. 



Try as we might we weren't really able to pin point the escalator they come down from in the Hangover.  Oh well.  Back into the little car that could and on our way to Hoover Dam.


Hoover Dam

Even though I thought it would be bigger, the dam was impressive but also very sad as you can see how the water levels have drastically declined.













After that I told the wife that I wanted to take the scenic route to the Valley of Fire and she was on board with that as she likes to take drives.  5 minutes into the drive and she was passed out and I was travelling the back roads of Lake Mead for the next hour and 45 minutes. 

The Valley of Fire was amazing.  It started to rain on us a few times and it was getting later in the afternoon and we still had an hour trip back to Las Vegas to check in so we did a few quick highlights.

Valley of Fire

Elephant Rock




Atlatl Rock










 Arch Rock



After the Valley of Fire it was time to head back to Vegas to check into the Aria.  Check-in took about 10 minutes as there was no line and we were off to our room which was about 1/4 mile away from the elevator.  Seriously.  It was the 3rd room from the end.  It took forever to get to our room.  

After reading reviews on Aria's rooms, I knew what was going to happen before she did when she opened the door so I got a good smile to myself when I heard her mutter a 'oooh that's nice' when the blinds began to open and everything was turning itself on as we entered.






 The boys enjoying the view 





On our previous trip 3 weeks earlier I introduced the wife to Secret Pizza in the Cosmopolitan.  I had never been there but had read about it and told her I'd like to try it.  It has now turned into my wife's drug of choice.  So for dinner we were heading up the escalator to the 3rd floor for some pizza when out of no where she looks at me and says she wants some fried wonton's.  I stood mute for a second and calmly asked "Where the hell did that come from?".  Well when the wife says something like that then you have to get her some fried wonton's.  We immediately got back on the down escalator to the 2nd floor and went over to China Poblano to request a menu.  She got her pizza fix the next day for lunch as she smuggled some into the Aria pool for us :)  

Unfortunately she couldn't have the wonton's as they are pork mixed with shrimp (she's allergic to shellfish stuff) and chose the fish taco instead and some fresh made guacamole and fresh made tortillas.  I chose the traditional Siu Mai and shared the guacamole.  We did not regret going here instead of Secret Pizza.  We will definitely be back for more.

China Poblano


After Dinner I got in a quick slot session in the High Limit room in the Monte Carlo but not hitting for anything and then sat at a Black Jack table but nothing to report as I broke even after being down, cashed out and left.

Day 2 - 08-MAY-2014

Still being on East Coast Time we were up at 6:30 am and ready to head out the door by 7 and head to breakfast.  We decided to use a MyVegas reward I had cashed in for one free Buffet and we decided on the Bellagio's buffet.  We are not normally buffet fans but this hit the spot.  Nothing we chose to sample disappointed us at all.  We would definitely go back.

Bellagio Buffet courtesy MyVegas Rewards

Today was spent walking the strip and getting some exercise in and then spending the rest of the day at the pool before dinner.  Not a lot of gambling or shenanigans to report, just pure relaxing.

A must visit every time we are in Las Vegas or Chicago is Lawry's.  We first ate there on a trip in Chicago and were both immediately floored by the customer service, the decor, the old school feel of the place (the uniforms haven't changed since it opened) and not to mention that they wheel out a stainless steel cart full of amazing prime rib.  If you are a hard core carnivore and love prime rib and you've never been to Lawry's or even House of Prime Rib in San Francisco (we have and it's left wanting compared to Lawry's) then you really need to go the next time you're in a city that has a Lawry's (Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, and Las Vegas).

They begin by giving you a spinning bowl salad which is very cool to see and tasty to eat as well and then they bring in the showstopper. 


They ask you the type of cut you like and within seconds this dude is cutting slabs of prime rib for your enjoyment, along with mash potatoes and creamed spinach or corn.  Then to top it off they bring out a delicious Yorkshire pudding to sop up all the au jus and gravy. 

Lawry's Prime Rib
Hers - California Cut with Mash Potatoes and Creamed Spinach

 Mine - Lawry Cut (Bone-In) with Mash Potatoes and Creamed Corn


Day 3 - 09-MAY-2014

Started out this morning with her getting a quick bagel and hot chocolate as I put in a $100 in the Ruby Slippers 2 slot machine.  She came over as I was finishing up the Yellow Brick road bonus for the first time ever was able to make it to the Wizard.  I picked for $100 and should have gone with my gut as that was the $500 reward.  Oh well, I was still able to cash out at $288.  She of course got that $ and put it in her purse and we began our morning routine of walking around 5 miles before 10:00 am. She likes the Fitbit I got for her and keeping track of how many steps/miles she's done and how it monitors sleep as well.

After our walk she went to the pool while I took some cash to the Monte Carlo for some blackjack.  We normally stay there and I tend to have better luck at the table games there.  Plus they have some of the best table rules going for blackjack.  As I was wanting to play $25 I was unable to find any and the $15 table was packed full so I stuck my head inside of the high limit room and found a $50 2-deck table waiting for me all by myself.  So I bought in for $500, saving the other $500 I brought with me in case I needed it.  Luckily, I didn't as I played for close to 3 hours and was able to turn the $500 into over $3k at one point but being greedy I ended up cashing out at $2500.  Best part of my day was the reaction I got from my wife when she sent a text asking how I was doing and I sent her the picture below telling her the ones on the left were $100 and the greens on the right were $25.  


She didn't really get it because she said if I was saying it was $100's then it must be ok.  So I sent her back a simple text.  You can see her reaction below.  :)


Sharing a smile with the dealer and pitboss at her reaction I continued to play down to $2500 before cashing out and meeting her at the pool.


 My final tally for the morning


Dinner Friday night was at Scarpetta and it was easily one of our best meals we've had when dining out.  The polenta was creamy and amazing and the duck/foie gras ravioli was amazing.  The spaghetti was very nicely done as well and the house made pasta cooked al dente was spot on.


(Unfortunately we both left our phones in our room on chargers when we went here for dinner so the pictures are some that I pulled off the internet.  We had a lovely view of the Bellagio fountains as well)

Creamy Polenta with Truffled mushrooms


Spaghetti


Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli

Day 4 - 10-MAY-2014

Departure Day.  We again walked the strip up to the Wynn and stopped by the fun Walgreens by the Venetian/Palazzo to pick up a few snacks for the flight home.  Once returning I was graciously allowed to go play some more Blackjack at the Aria tables so I sat at a $25 table by myself and played for a few hours before turning $1k into 500.  I just could not put together a run of more than one win in a row.  It was brutal.  I was never up over the initial buy in and hovered around $800 for the most part until about 5 losses in a row finally convinced me to leave.

At this time I had her come down to meet me so we could do a bit more walking.  I wanted her to see the high limit table room at the Monte Carlo and see if she'd let me play some more and she was kind enough to let me.  So I cashed in the Aria purple chip at the MC cage and proceeded to buy in at a $50 table hoping I could string together a few wins and double downs to double up the buy in.  Didn't happen.  I was just happy that I was able to last long enough for the two waters to arrive that we ordered.  I said I hope she enjoyed the most expensive water she ever had as I got felted 2 hands after the water arrived. 




After getting my ass handed to me we decided to finish packing and head for the airport and leave with more $ than we landed with.  The flight home was uneventful as we had a tail wind that got us to CMH in 3 hours and we watched the Wolf of Wall Street which made the flight go by rather quickly.  

Final Thoughts:
  • Wondering how many people take the guy with the "kick me in the nuts for $20" sign  up on that offer
  • Amazed at how many times I had to say "eyes up" or "heads up" to people who were getting ready to run into us because they were texting and walking
  • Really enjoyed the laid back vibe at the Aria pools
  • I find that the more times I go there I enjoy being in bed earlier than 11 and up before 7.  It feels like we have Las Vegas Blvd to ourselves early in the morning before the place beings to wake up.
  • Enjoyed using the MyVegas rewards for some free Jean Phillipe chocolates and the one free Bellagio buffet.

No comments:

Post a Comment