silverpie
May 24, 00, 11:38 pm
CHA-BNA on the Express Shuttle was the usual uneventful run, as was BNA-LAS (nonstop) on Southwest. Well, almost uneventful--they were oversold and looking for volunteers. But there was no way I was volunteering with a hotel room already on a 48-hour cancellation deadline (therefore too late already) and no confirmed space until the next morning.
Then I make my first error (score it E-AgP) of the trip--buying a Bell Trans ticket to the LV Hilton. The rationale was that I had just missed the CAT, the city bus, which goes right there. However, they kept sending each van with a partial load of either Strip-only or downtown-only. Finally, they sent one up Paradise Road after some people showed up for the Courtyard--by which time another CAT had run. (Remember, in LAS in summer--which this was--the object is to get into an air-conditioned space as soon as possible, not necessarily to reach your final destination as soon as possible.)
Check-in proceeded without difficulty, and they were able to get me non-smoking but not a king. My two nights there were pretty ordinary. The Bounceback rate is a very nice deal if you can get it--it includes the breakfast buffet (on weekends, that's a $12 value!). Be sure to get there early before the line gets too long.
One quick tip there for the low-stakes people--during prime time, there are no $5 blackjack tables in the main casino. However, you can find a few in the Spacequest area.
Surprisingly, despite the somewhat remote location of the Hilton, you don't have to have a car to go elsewhere. The #108 CAT goes to downtown, two blocks from Fremont Street, and a trolley goes to the Strip. Board either behind the sports book.
Then I head to my hotel for the second pair of nights, the Golden Nugget in the downtown casino row. (Why was I splitting the stay? Most hotels there run prices way up during the weekend, but the Las Vegas Hilton does the opposite, as it draws mainly business travelers. Therefore, I got way-lower rates that way.) Downtown is the way to go--you only have to fight Strip traffic if you actually go to the Strip, whereas if you stay on the Strip, you have to fight it everywhere. It also makes it easier to go to other parts of town, especially if you don't have a car. Anyway, the GN lived up to its rep as the nicest downtown hotel. There was an amusing moment at checkout when they tried to charge me $44.66 for incidentals (the room itself was prepaid); I knew the correct total was $13 flat. The rest turned out to be a long-distance call--the day before I checked in! That was removed.
Other observations:
Nothing can quite prepare you for the first view of the Strip at night. Even McDonald's and Walgreens have running light signs!
Of the places I saw, the mose completely over-the-top theme that worked was the New York New York. The cards don't have hearts--the suits are clubs, diamonds, spades, and apples!
Runner-up was the Excalibur (also a strong contender for Official FlyerTalk Casino, for a reason which will be disclosed on request). When I emptied the "Press Your Luck" nickel slot (yes, it's based on the old classic game show), the sign they put on it read "We proclaim this machine to be empty. Will return with more coin of the realm." And they page you as Lord or Lady your-name-here.
Most completely over-the-top theme that doesn't work goes to Paris. Just enough French on the signs that you could tell they were trying, but jarringly inaccurate even when real French would be perfectly understandable to an anglophone.
I had the best luck at the extremes of the city. Got torn up on the northern Strip and at Fitzgerald's (the southernmost downtown casino), and made most of it back further north in downtown and at the far south of the Strip.
Limits vary more by time of day than by location. Even high-end Strip hotels may well offer $1 blackjack and $5 pai-gow poker during graveyard hours, but there's no chance of finding those limits anywhere in prime time.
New York may call itself the City that Never Sleeps, but it has nothing on Las Vegas in the department of municipal insomnia (I wonder who runs that department http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif) You can be walking back to your hotel at 1:30am, and it doesn't seem unusual.
No halfway attractive woman will ever lack for a job in Las Vegas. But contrary to popular belief, not all the waitresses are young'uns--I saw one at the Showboat (where I almost failed to bowl the lane number!) whose name tag indicated she was a 25-year veteran! How someone could stand that job for 25 years... and by the way, always ask for water, especially in the summer. Dehydration comes faster than you think.
Most of my eating was done at chain places. One non-chain I can definitely recommend is the Liberty Café at 1700 LV Boulevard S. in the White Cross drugstore (beyond the Strip, three blocks north of the Stratosphere). An old-fashioned diner with good prices and good portions.
There is a lot of free entertainment in the city. Of course, there are the classics like the Mirage volcano, the Bellagio fountain show, the Treasure Island pirate battle, and the Fremont Street Experience. But there are also simpler ones--the lion cub at the MGM Grand, the jumping water streams at the Stardust, the rail of the poker room anywhere (I found the Horseshoe especially suited to that), and the magic shop demonstrations in the NYNY.
Boulder Highway is the place to go if you want to see real Las Vegans (is that the word?) and still have casinos in the area. I met a very nice local girl (who owes me an email) waiting for the bus back to town.
The trip back was another story. I landed at AUS for the connecting flight back to BNA with 30 minutes to spare, but soon determined that the food offerings were not going to do. They were oversold again, but could only confirm me on a flight that would force me to scramble for a hotel in Nashville.
They later announce that they need three volunteers. I go on the list behind a couple, as they can now confirm an earlier connection through HOU. They then decide they only need one, but as I'm on the jetway out, the call comes back that it's really two, and they take the couple instead. Back I go, and somehow 5D is still available (continuing my string of never getting stuck in a middle seat).
Then they come back on the plane and call for two more volunteers. I'm top of the list, but unfortunately, the next volunteer turns out to be a couple also, so they jump over me, and we finally take off. Just late enough that I miss my shuttle back to Chattanooga.
Now, I have a challenge. The course of action is obvious--go back, get some BBQ and a Coke, and watch hockey until time for the next shuttle. However, the place to do so is in C, and C/D security is controlled by WN, who have a template my checked bag won't get through. Luckily, DL doesn't have templates at A/B security, and they are connected, so I go around and there.
Then another delay, as the shuttle driver decides to wait on a late passenger (late, in fact, by more than I was to the previous run, but it was the last run of the night). He is very grateful and buys us all drinks and snacks at a convenience store on the way home.
Finally make it home well past 1am...
Then I make my first error (score it E-AgP) of the trip--buying a Bell Trans ticket to the LV Hilton. The rationale was that I had just missed the CAT, the city bus, which goes right there. However, they kept sending each van with a partial load of either Strip-only or downtown-only. Finally, they sent one up Paradise Road after some people showed up for the Courtyard--by which time another CAT had run. (Remember, in LAS in summer--which this was--the object is to get into an air-conditioned space as soon as possible, not necessarily to reach your final destination as soon as possible.)
Check-in proceeded without difficulty, and they were able to get me non-smoking but not a king. My two nights there were pretty ordinary. The Bounceback rate is a very nice deal if you can get it--it includes the breakfast buffet (on weekends, that's a $12 value!). Be sure to get there early before the line gets too long.
One quick tip there for the low-stakes people--during prime time, there are no $5 blackjack tables in the main casino. However, you can find a few in the Spacequest area.
Surprisingly, despite the somewhat remote location of the Hilton, you don't have to have a car to go elsewhere. The #108 CAT goes to downtown, two blocks from Fremont Street, and a trolley goes to the Strip. Board either behind the sports book.
Then I head to my hotel for the second pair of nights, the Golden Nugget in the downtown casino row. (Why was I splitting the stay? Most hotels there run prices way up during the weekend, but the Las Vegas Hilton does the opposite, as it draws mainly business travelers. Therefore, I got way-lower rates that way.) Downtown is the way to go--you only have to fight Strip traffic if you actually go to the Strip, whereas if you stay on the Strip, you have to fight it everywhere. It also makes it easier to go to other parts of town, especially if you don't have a car. Anyway, the GN lived up to its rep as the nicest downtown hotel. There was an amusing moment at checkout when they tried to charge me $44.66 for incidentals (the room itself was prepaid); I knew the correct total was $13 flat. The rest turned out to be a long-distance call--the day before I checked in! That was removed.
Other observations:
Nothing can quite prepare you for the first view of the Strip at night. Even McDonald's and Walgreens have running light signs!
Of the places I saw, the mose completely over-the-top theme that worked was the New York New York. The cards don't have hearts--the suits are clubs, diamonds, spades, and apples!
Runner-up was the Excalibur (also a strong contender for Official FlyerTalk Casino, for a reason which will be disclosed on request). When I emptied the "Press Your Luck" nickel slot (yes, it's based on the old classic game show), the sign they put on it read "We proclaim this machine to be empty. Will return with more coin of the realm." And they page you as Lord or Lady your-name-here.
Most completely over-the-top theme that doesn't work goes to Paris. Just enough French on the signs that you could tell they were trying, but jarringly inaccurate even when real French would be perfectly understandable to an anglophone.
I had the best luck at the extremes of the city. Got torn up on the northern Strip and at Fitzgerald's (the southernmost downtown casino), and made most of it back further north in downtown and at the far south of the Strip.
Limits vary more by time of day than by location. Even high-end Strip hotels may well offer $1 blackjack and $5 pai-gow poker during graveyard hours, but there's no chance of finding those limits anywhere in prime time.
New York may call itself the City that Never Sleeps, but it has nothing on Las Vegas in the department of municipal insomnia (I wonder who runs that department http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif) You can be walking back to your hotel at 1:30am, and it doesn't seem unusual.
No halfway attractive woman will ever lack for a job in Las Vegas. But contrary to popular belief, not all the waitresses are young'uns--I saw one at the Showboat (where I almost failed to bowl the lane number!) whose name tag indicated she was a 25-year veteran! How someone could stand that job for 25 years... and by the way, always ask for water, especially in the summer. Dehydration comes faster than you think.
Most of my eating was done at chain places. One non-chain I can definitely recommend is the Liberty Café at 1700 LV Boulevard S. in the White Cross drugstore (beyond the Strip, three blocks north of the Stratosphere). An old-fashioned diner with good prices and good portions.
There is a lot of free entertainment in the city. Of course, there are the classics like the Mirage volcano, the Bellagio fountain show, the Treasure Island pirate battle, and the Fremont Street Experience. But there are also simpler ones--the lion cub at the MGM Grand, the jumping water streams at the Stardust, the rail of the poker room anywhere (I found the Horseshoe especially suited to that), and the magic shop demonstrations in the NYNY.
Boulder Highway is the place to go if you want to see real Las Vegans (is that the word?) and still have casinos in the area. I met a very nice local girl (who owes me an email) waiting for the bus back to town.
The trip back was another story. I landed at AUS for the connecting flight back to BNA with 30 minutes to spare, but soon determined that the food offerings were not going to do. They were oversold again, but could only confirm me on a flight that would force me to scramble for a hotel in Nashville.
They later announce that they need three volunteers. I go on the list behind a couple, as they can now confirm an earlier connection through HOU. They then decide they only need one, but as I'm on the jetway out, the call comes back that it's really two, and they take the couple instead. Back I go, and somehow 5D is still available (continuing my string of never getting stuck in a middle seat).
Then they come back on the plane and call for two more volunteers. I'm top of the list, but unfortunately, the next volunteer turns out to be a couple also, so they jump over me, and we finally take off. Just late enough that I miss my shuttle back to Chattanooga.
Now, I have a challenge. The course of action is obvious--go back, get some BBQ and a Coke, and watch hockey until time for the next shuttle. However, the place to do so is in C, and C/D security is controlled by WN, who have a template my checked bag won't get through. Luckily, DL doesn't have templates at A/B security, and they are connected, so I go around and there.
Then another delay, as the shuttle driver decides to wait on a late passenger (late, in fact, by more than I was to the previous run, but it was the last run of the night). He is very grateful and buys us all drinks and snacks at a convenience store on the way home.
Finally make it home well past 1am...