Trip Reports - A Very Vegas Christmas

Lucky lion

I needed to go to Vegas to further my career as a professional gambler so I booked an A7 fare on National, First Class for the price of coach. Hunnybear drove me to the airport in the shiny black Cabrio with the top down. It was December 20 but it had been over 80 in Marina del Rey the last couple days so I called a couple friends on the East Coast and asked them how the weather was. I gave Hunnybear a passionate belly-hug goodbye and went to the First Class checkin for National Airlines to wait for a spot to open up. I jumped right in when an agent became free because I remembered from last time that they don’t explicitly have anyone to serve the First Class line and you had to be aggressive. We determined that I hadn’t inadvertently brought any incendiary devices on board with me and I headed for the Red Carpet Club to sip coffee and think happily about not having to fly United Shuttle.

We boarded on time and I headed for seat 2F, where I relaxed for an hour while we waited for the crew to get some paperwork in order to please an FAA inspector. I practiced my Jacks or Better video poker because I had been playing Deuces Wild lately and didn’t want to make too many costly mistakes when I got there. Halfway through the flight my battery died and I read the abbreviated in-flight magazine and enjoyed the warm breakfast breads provided by the smartly dressed stewardesses. We landed about an hour late and I took the free shuttle to baggage claim where my chauffeur, Dave, was waiting with a sign with my name on it. I said, “I’m Dr. Galakowitz,” and he made me verify my mother’s maiden name before he would let me in the car let alone give me a Bud Light.

After my prodigious losses last trip they set me up in a penthouse suite decorated in classy Victorian style, or at least as close to that as Vegas can get. I said not a word but went straight down to play video poker where I experienced the luckiest three hours of my life since I met Hunnybear and got a cheap First Class ticket on Thai Airways the same afternoon. I could not lose. I hit two dealt Full Houses, a dealt Quad, numerous single Quads including three on consecutive hands, and when I held the Ten, Jack, and Queen of Hearts the King and Ace settled right in on the big bottom line for the top jackpot. I played out the credits in the machine and decided to call it a day and savor the win.

I strolled over to Bernini to see if the had any tuxedos big enough for me to wear for New years Eve and tried on a nice Zegna but decided to wait for Hunnybear approval later in the week so they held it for me. I took the limo over to Caesars Palace to check out their renovation and it looked very nice from the outside. They had some nice video poker inside too, with numerous 9/6 Jacks or Better in high denominations and multi-play but I did not find the rumored full-pay Deuces Wild, only the short-pay version. I walked through the Forum Shops to Mirage and Treasure Island but didn’t find anything new there so I took the limo over to Golden Nugget downtown.

I’d always liked the Nugget because it was so down-home and friendly. This time was no exception. I enrolled in the slot club and sat down at a three-play machine, getting a dealt Full House before I realized it only paid eight instead of nine coins! I cashed out and it spit coins all over the floor but the slot tech, dressed like Santa with a full-length white beard, helped me pick them up. I needed to put on 100 points to get a comp gourmet dinner so I played just a few hands at the $25 machine since I was way up for the day anyway. Wouldn’t you know it, I hit quad sixes on my second hand! I cashed out and asked for dinner so they escorted me to the 24-Karat Club and called up a comp to Lily Langtry’s for me. They also gave me a voucher for $50! I had been told the Nugget had a very generous comp policy and now I saw it.

Dinner was superb at this Chinese steakhouse named after an Edwardian ingénue. My waiter, Paxton, was simply the best as he kept my martini glass filled and suggested some wonderful dishes. I started with a large order of crabcakes, then a Caesar salad with anchovies tossed tableside, and finally a two-inch-thick filet mignon with a side of grilled onions and mushrooms. I couldn’t finish it and threw up my hands in surrender as I told Paxton as a rule I didn’t eat dessert. I signed the $69 check into oblivion and left a nice tip.

During dinner the slot host had come up to say hi to me and invite me to their New Years Eve party. I thanked him but told him I was going to their sister hotel’s party at MGM Grand. He said to let him know if my plans changed and offered me a limo ride back so I took him up on it. On the way out I passed a couple women playing video poker and puzzling over whether to hold a pair of Tens or three to a Flush. I helped them decide and soon three twentyish girls came by and joined us. They followed me out and I asked if they were going to the Strip. They said yes so I offered them a ride in the limo and dropped them at Bellagio. Two of the girls were here for a college basketball tournament they had just won. I congratulated them and let them know that coincidentally I used to ref girls basketball. One of the girls immediately pointed to the other and said, “She got a technical foul today!” and asked me if I thought the sweet thing deserved it, describing a situation in which she did nothing but raise her left eyebrow. I’m not sure I got the full story but I told her you always have to be careful when you’re out of your home turf because you don’t know how short the ref’s fuses are. I let them off at the Bellagio fountains and returned to MGM as the driver complimented me on my pick-up artistry.

I had been lucky at craps on the cruise so I decided to play some tonight but I got hoovered. The woman standing next to me turned out to be the mother of an 11-year-old who was entered in the cheerleading competition so I asked if they needed any judges for the 18-and-older division and she said yes, she thought so. I was losing too much money though so I called it a night, went up and checked my email, and went to bed.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

QuietLion, I'm sure you hear this all the time, but I loveyour TR's... It's nearly as fun as being there myself! Keep it up!

Nothing like specific and accurate references to obscure Anheuser-Busch commercials. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

QuietLion, great trip report as usual. It's a shame I missed you in Vegas, but I'll be back in April! Perhaps we can meet then. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Nothing like specific and accurate references to obscure Anheuser-Busch commercials. This was quite possibly one of the funniest I have ever seen.

Originally posted by QuietLion:

I had been lucky at craps on the cruise so I decided to play some tonight but I got hoovered.

(Emphasis mine.)

I love etymology. When systems crash at my gazette, we bandy about terms such as hosed and vacuumed. But of course it applies to one's wallet as well, given the context. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I am going to be in Vegas for Xmas too - maybe we can meet up QuietLion?

QL, I missed you by a week. I had to overnight in Vegas on the 14th to take advantage of a cheap AA mid-week fare instead of paying $2300 to fly ORD-SFO. Saved the company $1600 and I got a work-paid night in Vegas for my troubles. I only wish I cleared $1600/day in salary, so they were happy to have me take an extra afternoon to come home as part of the deal.

I called the MGM when I got to LAS to see if you were there so I could just wander in and surprise you, but c'est la vie...

I went with the Nugget for $39 as I was on a marketing trip and not a client trip, and wasn't disappointed. The room was on the 19th floor of the South Tower and was very nice, far nicer than my room at Treasure Island in October. I didn't get there until after dinner, so I didn't take advantage of their slot club offer. Besides, the idea of $25 instead of 25c poker machines gives me the shakes... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I will be in Vegas too, from Friday night until Monday morning. Reachable via e-mail & staying at the Mirage.

Fear of spaing

It was still dark as I awoke in the loft of my penthouse suite at MGM Grand but I could see the lights of New York New York through the two sets of windows, one in the bedroom and another double-high set in the living room below. The room had three or four television sets, each of which got different channels. For some reason the one in the master bathroom, facing the giant whirlpool bath, got four different porno channels unfiltered.

I went down to play a little video poker and my luck was still running, although not to the degree it was yesterday. A man with an interesting-looking machine, accompanied by an entourage of slot techs and security guards, was pushing it around on a cart through the high-limit room and putting buckets of slot tokens on it. I asked what he was doing and he said he was counting the inventory of five-dollar tokens by weighing them. If they added it all up and it came out to more than they expected, they had a counterfeiting problem. They said once they caught a Russian jeweler with a large amount of counterfeit hundred-dollar tokens in his room. I thought it unlikely that anyone would go to the expense of counterfeiting $5 tokens though.

Hunnybear called to say she was coming down a day early so roared with delight and arranged a limo to take me to the airport to pick her up. I went down to the spa to work out. Last trip I bought a pair of shorts to work out in because I forgot to bring them. This time I forgot again but Gary had told me they have loaner shorts and T-shirts in the spa so I overcame my fear of spas and went down there. The MGM Grand Spa was like a super-deluxe health club, the kind people pay hundreds of dollars a month to belong to. The only thing missing was squash courts. It’s $20 a day for hotel guest to use any or all the facilities, and free if you’re getting a spa treatment as well. I saw they had peppermint pedicures on sale so I signed up for one for later in the day. Meanwhile I changed into my shorts and T-shirt and went up to the fitness center to exercise. My goal was to transition into a fitness program from my recent eating program. As I discovered on the last trip, they had Netpulse machines with Internet terminals so you could surf while you sweat. I chose the recumbent bike and read FlyerTalk while I pedaled. When I was done I tried out the excellent Jacuzzi and shower and then used the hot-shaving-cream dispenser to shave with their complimentary disposable twin-blade razor. Ambient music wafted throughout the spa and I looked forward to returning for my pedicure.

I was still full from cruising with Arnie so I skipped both breakfast and lunch and didn’t eat anything all day until I went to play some craps, and then I only had clear broth, single malt. I won a bit at craps and then went back down to the spa. I changed into my complimentary robe and waited in the lounge, watching the projection TV. Soon Sabrina came in to escort me to the pedicure room where she spent the better part of the hour bathing, massaging, and filing down my feet before putting on a peppermint masque. By the time it was washed away, along with all my cares and woes, I was ready to pick up Hunnybear at the airport.

There was weather everywhere, even in LA, so her flight was an hour late. While I waited I played the Elvis and Wheel of Fortune slots in the airport. On the Elvis slot I finally got him to play a song after about an $80 investment and he only sang for about 10 seconds so it wasn’t worth it unless you were a real diehard fan like Kevin. On Wheel of Fortune I kept hitting small stuff and then I got to spin but didn’t hit any big ones. It was almost time for Hunnybear’s plane to arrive so I tried to play off my credits but I inadvertently hit five half peaches for 1100 nickels and had to cash out. By the time the machine finished spitting out 1305 nickels Hunnybear was waiting at the gate for me so I rushed over and gave her a passionate belly hug before we went back to Ground Zero to find Johnny, the limo driver waiting patiently.

We were already 10 minutes late for our reservations at Mark Miller’s Coyote Grill Room so I asked the host to let them know we were coming, dropped Hunnybear’s smart blue Briggs & Riley in the suite, pried Hunnybear away from the suite, and rushed to the restaurant since they were about to close. With the holidays there were fewer people than usual in this hidden gem. We asked Sean, the sommelier, for a wine recommendation and he suggested a Lebanese cabernet, which was quite nice with more than a hint of grapefruit. We shared a grilled-antelope appetizer which was wonderful and Ronnie the busboy brought some of the Serrano cornbread nibbles hot from the oven. For the main course we each had a cowboy steak rare, which neither of us could finish. As a rule we don’t eat dessert so we just got the check, added a generous tip, and retired early.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

Old friends

Despite the early evening I slept in till almost eight before going down to play a little video poker. I might as well have slept later though because the vacuum cleaner was on high suction all day, erasing a good chunk of my winnings from the first day. Hunnybear and I went to the spa to work out and I used the Netpulse stair climber to check my FlyerTalk. This time I tried the eucalyptus steam room before enjoying the Jacuzzi. A shower, hot lather, and shave and I was ready to go upstairs and write.

After Hunnybear finished her workout we went for a nice walk up the Strip in the gorgeous Las Vegas weather, sunny and 60 in midwinter. We cursed Aladdin for putting stairs in the sidewalk in front of their second-rate hotel and got all the way to Bally’s where we walked through the scruffy garden, admired the scruffy topiary hunnybears, and then turned around. Hunnybear had a spa treatment scheduled for the afternoon so I played a little video poker but the beating continued. When she returned we walked out of the high-limit slot room and ran into Hunnybear’s old friend Paul and his wife Susie. We made plans to have dinner with them tonight at Emeril’s.

Meanwhile I still needed clothes for New Years Eve. My efforts to get the casino to comp the tuxedo for me at Bernini’s were met with a stone wall so I told the salesman he’d have to come down on the price since I was paying for it myself. They shaved off another five percent and I picked up a nice shirt too. I told my host I’d order a few extra bottles of Opus One at dinner to make up for the tux.

We got seated right away at Emeril’s and decided not to have the tasting menu this time. Instead, we ordered a bottle of my absolute favorite Oregon pinot noir, the Willakenzie “Pierre Leon,” because why would you drink white wine with fish? I had a great peanut-crusted shrimp salad to begin while I envied Paul’s huge portion of steamed pork-and-shrimp dumplings. For the main course Hunnybear and I both had a Florida Pompano cooked en papillote with sweet crabmeat, enoki mushrooms, and baby squash. It was wonderful and light, which was a good thing because despite my admonition that as a rule I don’t eat dessert, everyone else at the table wanted one and I had to share just one piece of coconut cake with Hunnybear just to be polite, with a little scoop of peanut-butter-chunk ice cream. The bill for the four of us came to just over $300 before tip.

Susie wanted to learn how to play craps so I showed her. She played for an hour and a half and broke even while I lost my shirt once again. Alan, the dealer, kept us entertained by predicting rolls with amazing accuracy and giving us pivotal advice which we ignored to our detriment. It was close to one when we broke up the party and sent Paul and Susie home to Bellagio.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

QL,

Another great trip report, thanks.
If we should ever meet up in LV, and you decide to join me at a blackjack table, please leave your vacuum cleaner hose at home. Don't like gettin' hosed.
Happy Holidays--Wish we could could be in Vegas to join you guys, but this time, it's just not in the cards.

bj-21.



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'Tis better to have played and won, then never to have played at all.

Aqua man

I got up and went down to play a little video poker while Hunnybear slept late. We were both tired today so we skipped the workout despite several efforts to stand up and walk to the spa. I had the worst hoovering yet in video poker and craps were no better. It was as if the games somehow knew I had won my first day and were cranking up the suction to make sure I lost it by the time I left.

Security was tight on the penthouse level because superstar Jackie Chan was staying here to perform a concert tonight. We didn’t see him, though. Instead we had lunch at Rainforest Café with RichG, in town on a mileage run. Hunnybear and I got there first. We sat down and our server, Autumn, came up to us and said, “Are you ready for a couple Budweisers?” I allowed as how I didn’t think I’d be that ready for those for some time and perhaps she could bring us some iced tea. She happily complied. Just then RichG came by and I asked Autumn if she thought he would be ready for a couple Budweisers. “No,” she said. “Bloody Mary.” Now I knew RichG drank Bloody Marys but I didn’t know how Autumn knew. After that we accorded her new respect and took her food recommendations. Both RichG and I ordered the enormous mixed grill while Hunnybear had a Cobb salad. We munched on ribs, chicken, beef, and shrimp while monkeys swung and elephants bleated in the tropical rainforest.

Hunnybear went to the spa to have her body painted with a hot liquid parrafango while I played a little video poker. The only consolation was I didn’t get as badly hoovered as this morning. After she was done we both needed a rest so we lounged around the penthouse suite and discovered Honeymoon in Vegas was on TV. We watched the first hour then prepared to go for dinner, stopping by the craps table for a quick but painful loss first.

The house limo took us to Bellagio for our reservations at Aqua, reputed to be the best restaurant in Las Vegas. My host had called ahead and authorized a comp for us. We entered Bellagio underneath the stunning Chihuly ceiling piece and walked through the conservatory to Aqua. The host showed us to the best table in the house, overlooking the pool. We had a choice of the tasting menu or à la carte and we decided on the menu, accompanied by a single flight of reserve wines to accompany, which arrived with each course split into two glasses. They had Sevruga caviar so we started with that before the five-course dinner. Little did we know that there was a surprise taste of mushroom soup waiting for us as a complimentary starter, nor that the caviar arrived with complimentary sparkling wine or chilled Belvedere vodka. At $55 an ounce including two premium drinks, the Sevruga was quite a bargain.

Our first “real” course was a very thin slice of hamachi (yellowtail) with a rice cake and fried mirugai (geoduck) and avocado—absolutely superb. It was accompanied by the crisp, dry, fruity 1997 Loire Pouilly Fume from Baron L. Next came a wonderful lobster cake with breaded panko served on a bed of root vegetables, with a 1996 Chablis, Grenouille GC, La Chablissionne. It had been a while since I had tasted Chablis and I must admit to a bit of infatuation. They then brought two half-glasses of the 1997 Chardonnay, Robert Talbot Diamond T, Monterey, which I thought was just OK until I tasted it with the next course, an amazing sake-marinated sea bass. The combination was magical. Next came an ahi steak on a potato latke with a very flavorful pinot-noir reduction. The 1997 Shiraz, Clarendon Hills, Brookman Est., S. Australia, was well-balanced and delicious but the food overpowered it. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but they brought a tray with every dessert in the place and told us to eat them all. With it came the last wine, a nice 1996 Gewürztraminer, Ernest Pouen, Goldert GC, Alsace. Then came a tree of petit fours with the check, which I signed away into the night after leaving a generous tip. It would have cost $310.

Hunnybear browsed the 10-carat diamonds in the lobby jewelry store while we waited for the limo to take us back to MGM Grand and bedtime.



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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

IMHO the tasting menu at Aqua in Vegas -which one can order with regular wine or all Grand Cru's - is much better than the tasting menu at Aqua SF.

That said, can you get two more into your New Years Eve party? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

(I would love an excuse to visit Vegas and since you are there I won't even yell obnoxious comments across the street to Honneybear. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif )

A Mirage Comp

My luck finally turned as I didn’t have a single losing session in video poker or craps today. Not that I won much but it was a nice change. We were getting into the routine of working out before lunch so we did that again today. I read FlyerTalk on the recumbent bike for a half-hour, then I discovered the correct sequence of pampering was Jacuzzi before steam, not the reverse because if you do the steam first the Jacuzzi feels cold.

After the spa we had lunch at Coyote Grill, the casual adjunct to the Mark Miller Coyote Grill Room. The guacamole and chips were as great as always but the carne asada was stringy today. Nevertheless we left a generous tip and then called RichG to see what he was up to. We made plans for dinner and then went for a walk.

First stop was New York, New York. The interior really had a New York flavor and of course the façade depicting several separate skyscrapers was one of the most interesting sights in town. We looked around the casino to see if there was any good video poker but the only really good game was the dismally boring Pick ‘Em, which has a tiny house advantage of 0.1% when played perfectly. We continued next door to Monte Carlo where we encountered many clueless employees who couldn’t answer any questions about the slot club even though they were advertising it in full-page ads in gambling magazines. We decided once again that there was no real reason to set foot in the place.

We returned to MGM and played a little video poker, just barely making a profit. Before dinner we played a little craps and once again won a little. Then we had the limo take us to Mirage to have a comp dinner at Mikado on RichG.

I had eaten at the Japanese restaurant at Mirage several times before and always found it excellent. Since I had been there before, I knew they had scallops even though they weren’t on the menu so Hunnybear and I each ordered shrimp and scallops from the teppan yaki chef. We watched as he made a trademark Mirage volcano out of an onion and applauded when he put on a repeat performance on request. It was a much more social table than usual. Two boys from Phoenix and their wives were drinking Miller Lite and engaging everyone in the restaurant in animated conversation. The food was superb as always and we left a generous tip as RichG signed the check.

RichG was leaving in the morning so we gave him a passionate belly hug goodbye and took the limo back to MGM, where we played just a little more craps before retiring. I won a little more and wondered if Christmas day would see continued good luck or a return to the desert as I drifted off to sleep.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

yeah, but did you eat dessert?

Rumor Control, Rumor Control....This just in...

It's being wildly reported around Las Vegas that head LockerGnomie (http://www.lockergnome.com) Chris Pirillo will be joining QuietLion for New Years festivities.

All casinos have been put on full alert and will be hiding their computers from the geek squad a.k.a. The Gnomie-Banditos.

They are to be considered very dangerous and armed with Palm Pilots and video poker games at all times. If you apprehend them, use caution. They are said to get very excited and flail their appendages widely about when they win large sums of cash.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled trip reports. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by JetTroop (edited 12-25-2000).]

I trust Chris will be accompanied by the lovely Gretchen?

I trust Chris will be accompanied by the lovely Gretchen?

Yes, no doubt that Gretchen and Hunnybear will keep the boys in line. Which line? Probably the comp/VIP line I'm sure. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by JetTroop (edited 12-26-2000).]

I'm on my way to Las Vegas tonight, insprired by all the Quiet Lion tales of the city.

Here's hoping I'm not offered a spot at the Hoover Institute...

Christmas presents

Two thousand years ago a boychild was born to a nice Jewish couple living in a suburb of Jerusalem. That event is celebrated today as Christmas, a joyful time when all are reminded of the spirit of goodwill present in all humankind. With that in mind, I got up early and went down to play a little video poker. Hunnybear soon joined me and started playing the machine next to me with my money every time the machine I was playing locked up for a hand pay or I needed to feed more bills into it. She played exceptionally well, hitting lots of quads and two pairs, and soon drew the Jack of Diamonds to the Nine, Ten, Queen, and King for her first Straight Flush. No sooner were we paid for it than I held three Hearts and hit the Royal. We were nearly out of money so the timing was good: a couple nice Christmas presents for us.

We decided to go for a long walk today all the way to the end of the Strip. We popped into Venetian to say hi to the hosts there but they were off for the holiday so we crossed the street to Treasure Island and played a little video poker there to get on their list of high rollers. Then we walked all the way up to Sahara. It looked pretty nice since the renovation but it was definitely low-roller territory. They had a double- and triple-points promotion all month but there weren’t any playable high-limit machines so we left.

Since we were almost there we decided to check out Stratosphere. The casino there is quite nice and they still had some great games including “crapless craps,” where every number becomes a point. They had several banks of extremely favorable video-poker machines in quarters, including 9/7 and 10/6 Jacks or Better, each of which have about a 0.75% player advantage when played perfectly. In addition to that they have a slot club with cashback and comps so I don’t know why a quarter player would play anywhere else on the Strip. At the dollar level and above, though, there weren’t any great plays. We took advantage of their 110% cash back offer and each lost almost the maximum $125, so we should be getting checks for 10% more than that in the mail.

We called the MGM limo to take us home and Hunnybear worked out while I wrote and then went down to play a little Deuces Wild but Alan, the craps dealer, saw me coming and coerced me into playing for a little while. I did a roller coaster and cashed out even. Then I went over to the duck pond to play Deuces five play, I cashed out ahead for $800, which triggered a hand pay (thankfully). The slot attendant brought seven $100 bills and five twenties. How rude! Did they expect a twenty-dollar tip just for cashing out my credits? I asked if they were out of hundreds but the attendant didn’t have an answer ready so I just went upstairs to change for dinner.

Tonight we had dinner at Gatsby’s, Hunnybear’s favorite. It was a special Christmas Day four-course menu from which we got to choose one dish for each course from several selections. With dinner we ordered the $340 1994 Gaja Barbaresco again, possibly the best wine I have ever had. Hunnybear started with a salad while I had a very tasty quail. Next came a delicious sea bass for Hunnybear and a yummy salmon Wellington for me. Those were full entrée-sized dishes, but so was the next course. We both had the filet mignon with a side of braised rib meat, a wonderful dish we had eaten last time we were here. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but it was included so Hunnybear had the lemon sampler, a mélange of yummy lemon confections, while I had a novel treat: mulled apple cider with a scoop of ice cream in a coffee cup with a doughnut-shaped spice cake beside it for eating or dunking. With the check came two gift-wrapped boxed of Christmas cookies from the pastry chef. I left a generous tip using my new policy of a maximum tip of $20 per bottle of wine and signed the meal away as an offering to the casino gods.

We brought the two boxes of cookies to the slot hosts who had to be on duty Christmas night and went to bed sated.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

the casino gods have met the retail gods to deliver you the perfect christmas -- the only thing to top it would be a visit from the dessert gods -- but as a rule you don't.....

Being the forgetful person that I am, I forgot to bring QuietLion's # with me to Vegas. Fortunately, he called while Danielle and I were having lunch at Circo at the Bellagio. After our lunch, we drove to MGM and had the pleasure of meeting RichG for the first time and seeing QuietLion, and Hunnybear again at the Rain Forest cafe. More important, I got the chance to see the video poker terms described in the Lion Tale in action! I also assume QL has already let the Mirage management know that he prefers UA instead of AA miles? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

BTW, QL, we did go see the Jackie Chan concert although we left early so as to have a decent dinner at 10:30 (Shintaro @ Bellagio).

A moral victory

Vegas weather continued stunning—sunny and 60—as the days of 2000 waned. The hotel population transitioned from the Chinese and Persian crowds here to see Jackie Chan and Googoosh at Christmastime to the more eclectic group of partygoers arriving for New Year’s Eve. I got up early and went down to try the Ducks again but had an incredible hoovering on the five-play so I switched back to the high-limit room where I ordered a bagel and lox platter to be wheeled in. Hunnybear slept late then came down to help. Her luck continued good on the auxiliary Triple Play machine but I still got hoovered, putting back a bit of the Royal winnings before we called it quits. Hunnybear got dealt four to the Royal twice but did not complete it.

We had breakfast at Studio Café, where the invited-guest line was almost as long as the peon line now that the rollers were filling up the hotel. We got seated next to a huge three-family party with screaming children and were pleased to be in and out of there in half an hour. We both had yummy Cobb salads. We played just a little more video poker and won a small amount, then went to the salon for our pre-New Year’s Eve haircuts. Al the barber was there talking and cutting hair and did a nice job cutting around my cowlick. I left him a generous tip and went up to the suite to write.

There was still time to play a little craps and I was determined to have just one winning session as a moral victory over the evil bones. I guessed wrong a few times but then came to a guy who looked full of Sevens. I bet on the Don’t Pass and sure enough he threw two sevens and an eleven, losers for me, before hitting a point of Nine. I pressed the odds up full and on the next roll he threw a Seven for a big win for me. I counted my chips, quickly saw I was ahead by a bit and cashed in.

My host was at his station, dressed smartly in a striped gambler’s suit. I told him there had inadvertently been some non-zero amounts added to my bill so he picked up the phone and made them go away. We confirmed our future arrangements, went upstairs to pack, checked out with the penthouse con-see-AIR and grabbed a limo to Ground Zero.

Hunnybear got selected for a random baggage sniff at Terminal D security but she passed. We went to the National Club and checked in. The host there checked us in, made us a drink, and showed us to the computer room before discovering that the A7 fare we were on didn’t include club access, only full F did. That was news to me but I dug around and found a coupon to give to him. He wanted us to join the club for $250 but I told him my policy was not to pay for things that I actually had to pay for myself.

The flight was on time so we made it to the Jetway and turned left. We had seats 2A and C. Preflight service included drinks in real glasses and small plastic cups of premium mixed nuts. After takeoff we got more to drink and a cheese-and-cracker plate with apple compote. The cheese selection had worsened, substituting Swiss for Gouda. There was no hot towel. Once again a uniformed United pilot was sitting with us in First Class. He said the loads were so heavy on United that it was impossible for him to fly his airline to get to work.

We landed on time, got towed into the gate, and waited five minutes for a taxi to whisk us home to Marina del Rey, where we would have a brief respite before the next adventure.
The end.

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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

<<He wanted us to join the club for $250 but I told him my policy was not to pay for things that I actually had to pay for myself.>>

this is an EXCELLENT policy!

In the same spirit as Yogi Berra: "You can find out a lot about a book just by reading it." http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif