Another fantastic week in Las Vegas has come and gone. This time out we were joined by Mr&Mrs; Boom and Prof Xomox and wife (protecting the names of the guilty, of course). We all stayed at New York, New York which has really become our usual destination – this being D and I’s forth stay with them. NYNY is a good midrange property, with a good location and rooms that aren’t too pricey. It’s certainly not the glitziest or trendiest place to stay, but has gotten to feel like a home away from home. The casino is decent sized – almost a little small as far as the tables go, but easy to get around and scan the usual areas for friends when you need to. The casino was remodeled over the past year. Some of the changes I like a lot (the central bar and new pit layout) and others not so much (removing the leafy Central Park theme from the pits). I’m growing less impressed with their rooms with each stay, but for the money they aren’t bad.
Sunday started out good (besides running to catch both of our flights!). We got in fairly late, but checked in, met up with everyone, and enjoyed some drinks and games. Toward the end of the evening I decided I needed to make my first trip to the blackjack tables and made a nice $175 in fairly short order.
Monday was one of those days that Vegas was made for. The guys started with a craps lesson followed by a craps beating. Then the ladies appeared all wearing sparkling and flashing tiaras, and we knew there would be trouble. The NCAA final was that night so I placed (and lost) some big bets at the sports book. Meanwhile, we had taken up our now infamous perch on the balcony of the Irish pub. This spot is a little known area which affords you a nice view of the strip and some quiet for conversation (well, until the drinks start taking effect). We noshed out on a nice spread of appetizers, but it was too late; too many free drinks had already gone to our heads. I remember a lot of laughing, some cowering, and a nice conversation with a film engineer and family from California.
Tuesday and Wednesday brought more gaming (including a slot tournament which we all tried), more huge meals (like the MGM Grand’s pricey, but awesome buffet), more stiff drinks, and our usual visits to Red Rocks and the Ethel M chocolate factory and cactus garden. Catching Red Rocks at sunset was as awesome as ever – as the sun sank behind the mountains the distant lights of the strip came out with the stars.
When Thursday rolled around, our companions had gone, and we were left to our own sick selves – D and I had both come down with bad colds by then. But Vegas has a way of helping you forget your ailments. We started with winning a few bucks on some penny slots. Next we went to the MGM Grand and had a great time on the craps table with our dealer Teddy. We had to leave after only making about 20 bucks though so we could get back to NYNY for another Slot Tournament. D racked up a nice score this time around and finished in 6th (out of something like 70 players) and scored fifty free slot bucks. We spun the slots for a while more and did well – but not as well as the guy who hit the 100 free spins on the machine next to us (he snared about 300 bucks off that bonus). Then we headed back to MGM for more craps. The same table was still hot and I pulled in another $250. Next I played in a Texas Hold’em tournament and finished well, but that’s the topic of the next post. In all, Thursday brought me back (and then some) from the past three days of gradual losses.
D and I headed home on Friday and spent the next three days on the couch sick. Not the best ending to a vacation, but it was a great trip anyway.
