Day 1:
Since I've had some bad experiences with local taxi services arriving late or not showing up at all, I decided to make advance reservations with Echo Limousine Services to get to Chicago's O'hare airport (ORD). Echo is a bit pricy, but I've used their services on a few occasions for business trips and they are very reliable.
On the morning of my trip, the Echo driver arrived at my home about 15 minutes early in a late model Lincoln MKX and we were off to the airport! The morning rush hour traffic was starting to build, but we arrived at O'hare with plenty of time before my flight on American Airlines. The self-service kiosks were not crowded, so checking in my luggage and printing a boarding pass was a breeze. The security lines were also moving along pretty quickly, so it only took a few minutes before I had to go through one of those body scanners. Oh, and I'm happy to report that there were no airline delays!
The flight was uneventful (which is always good ...LOL). I spent most of the flight watching videos on my iPad. I arrived at McCarran (LAS) close to 12:30pm.
After picking up my luggage and taking the shuttle to the McCarran's Rent A Car Center to pick up my rental car from Enterprise, I drove over to the In N' Out Burgers near the UNLV for lunch. That location is usually not as crowed as the one on Tropicana. This is sort of a tradition which I do practically every trip. I love In N' Out Burgers, but we don't have any here in Chicago, so the only time that I get to have one is when I visit Nevada.
I was surprised that the weather was much cooler than I had expected ...LOL. It was cold when I left Chicago and it was just as cold in Vegas!
View from my deluxe room at the Orleans
Another view form my deluxe room at the Orleans
Orleans parking lot: My Chrysler 200 rental car
Days 2-5:
Since I didn't keep detailed notes ...LOL ...I decided to just summarize some of the things that I did over the next 4 days.
I went casino hopping to see all of the new places and changes that have occurred, since my last trip. This was the first time that I've seen City Center, since it wasn't opened during my 2009 trip. I thought Aria was sorta bland ...LOL ...but then again, I'm one of those who loved the big themed hotel/casinos that were popular in the early-mid 2000 era.
I met up with a couple of local friends one evening and we had a quick bite to eat at Firehouse Subs. It's located near the UNLV. I had one of their barbecue beef subs which was excellent. Afterwards, we drove over to the LV strip, valet parked at Planet Ho, and spent a few hours hanging out at various places on the strip.
I drove out to Red Rock Canyon and stopped at the Red Rock Casino on my way back. I usually stop by for lunch whenever I visit Red Rock Canyon. I decided to give Fat Burgers another try, but I still prefer In N' Out Burgers ...LOL.
Dining:
Courtyard Cafe@Orleans - I used my food credit for breakfast on both days. The first morning I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown potatoes, toast, and coffee. The next morning, I ordered a cheese omelet with hash brown potatoes, toast, and coffee.
Koji's@Orleans - They serve both Chinese and Japanese cuisine. I like their sushi bar and it's not too crowed if you dine early. I stop by for sushi whenever I'm staying at the Orleans and their food is pretty consistent.
RA Sushi@Fashion Show Mall - One of my favorite places for sushi on the LV strip when I'm traveling "solo" and looking for a casual place to dine. They have a nice sushi bar in the back of their restaurant.
Kahunaville@TI - I had dinner with a friend one night. We both ordered the Kon Tiki Coconut Shrimp. It's one of my favorites at Kahunaville. I like their tropical drinks (the ones with the little umbrellas ...LOL), but I was driving, so this was a Diet Coke night for me.
Gambling:
I didn't come home with any W2-Gs. I haven't seen one of those for a long, long time ...LOL. I had some luck playing the multi-wheel WOF at the Orleans and Mirage. I was ahead by $300-400 at the Orleans and cashed out before feeding it all back. That was early in the week, so I added the winnings to my bankroll. The evening that I saw LOVE at the Mirage, I won another $200, so that off-set some of my losses for the week. I had absolutely no luck playing the slots at Harrah's, Monte Carlo, Planet Ho, and the Luxor. I often have good luck at the Monte, but not this trip.
I used my $150 in free play from the Encore playing the $5 3X4X5X slots. I found a bank of 3 machines in high rollers area. I only play those high denomination machines when I have free play. I started out having pretty good luck. I turned the $150 in free play into $800 within a couple of spins, but in the end I ended up feeding most of it back into to those machines.
Anyways, I netted about $250 in losses at the end of my trip, but I had fun in the process ...LOL. So, the damages weren't too bad.
Planet Ho
Photos of the Fall/Halloween Display at the Bellagio
Some Night Photos on the LV Strip
Views from my Panoramic Suite at the Encore
Unfortunately, this is the only "Food Porn" pic I have from my trip.
(Coconut Gelato, Sugar & Spice at the Wynn)
Day 6:
This is my last full day in Vegas ...geeeezzzzz, the time flew by so fast that I can't believe this week was almost over already.
Oh well, I was planning to spend some time downtown, but I decided to stay on the LV strip. I didn't feel like eating a full breakfast, so I had coffee and a croissant at that small cafe' at Encore which is located near the elevators.
The weather was rather cool for my entire trip, so walking the strip was rather comfortable, unlike some of my previous trip when the temps were +115°F. Anyways, I spent most of the morning and afternoon walking the LV strip, people watching, taking in the sights, and playing a slot or two along the way.
The weather was rather cool for my entire trip, so walking the strip was rather comfortable, unlike some of my previous trip when the temps were +115°F. Anyways, I spent most of the morning and afternoon walking the LV strip, people watching, taking in the sights, and playing a slot or two along the way.
Thanks to MyVegas, I redeemed some on my LPs for a standard ticket to the Beatle's LOVE for that evening. The seat was located on the top level (the cheap seats ...LOL), but the view was surprisingly good. I have to say that this is one of the best Cirque shows that I've seen in Vegas, so far! If I get the chance, I would definitely see it again (hopefully closer to the main stage).
After the show, I wasn't sure where I wanted to have dinner, so I walked back to the Wynn/Encore and ended up dining at Wazuzu. They serve Pan-Asian cuisine. I decided to try the Panang Chicken Curry which is a coconut curry with Thai basil, veggies, and chicken. It's served with Jasmine rice and I also ordered Thai Iced Tea. If you like Thai dishes, this one is very good.
Day 7:
The worse day of my trip ...I don't wanna go home! I love this town and I don't want to leave! LOL!
I had an early afternoon flight, so I did a final cruise down the LV strip before heading to the Rent A Car facility to return my car. I arrived at McCarran around 2 hours before my flight and the security lines were rather crowded, but at least they were moving at a steady (but slow) pace. My flight was fully booked and I didn't see an empty seat on the plane.
Anyways, another uneventful flight home ...LOL ...and another Vegas trip is now history!
