What's In My Camera Bag For 2021?

It's been awhile since I posted any updates to my blog, so I decided to do one on "What's In My Camera Bag For 2021?".  I thought about doing this as a vlog and posting the video to my YouTube channel, but I'm not an experienced talking head so for now I prefer this written format. Perhaps, I might give vlogging a try during my next trip to Las Vegas. LOL

Photography has been one of my hobbies, since I was in grade school.  My first real camera was a Kodak Instamatic camera.  If you're old, you may remember those point and shoot cameras that used film cartridges and disposable flash cubes on top.  This photo of the Kodak Instamatic 104 was taken from the internet.

As I got older, I started borrowing my dad's Minolta 35mm SLR which I pretty much took over until I was able to buy my own camera gear.  

During my college days, I bought a used Nikon 35mm SLR with a 35mm lens from a local camera shop.  It was one of the Nikon FG models like this one.

I used that camera all through my college days, until I graduated and joined the work force full-time.  Eventually, I ended up owning 2 other camera bodies including a Nikon F4s and Nikon N90s, several prime lenses, as well as a couple of zoom lenses, not to mention all of the accessories (flash units, filters, tripods, etc.).  At one time, I actually thought about converting my hobby into a business, but I was already on track with my career as a chemist so that never came to reality.  Although, I surprisingly won a few photo contests sponsored by one of the companies where I was employed.  I also shot photos for a couple of my friends weddings.  They were too cheap to hire a pro, so they asked if I would do the honors. LOL  Both weddings were rather small, so they were not much different than taking family photos at a party.

Fast forwarding to today, I sold most of that old camera gear when film cameras started becoming obsolete and digital equipment became more popular (and less expensive).  I slowly started switching over to more modern gear.

So, what's in my camera bag for 2021?  

I actually have 2 bags, a smaller one for everyday carry and a backpack that serves double duty as a carry-on when I'm traveling by air.

The Everyday Sling Bag (above) is made by Peak Designs and has a capacity of 10L.  It has enough room for a full size camera body, 2 or more lenses (depending on their size), and a few accessories.  It's compact in size so it doesn't draw a lot of attention like lugging around a backpack.  I have the Peak Design Capture Clip attached to the side of the bag, so I can easily attach a camera to the outside of the bag via the quick release mount for easy access.  That also creates more room inside the bag for more junk. LOL

The backpack is the 21L Prvke made by Wandrd (above).  The top section of the bag also unfolds and is expandable which provides an additional 5L of storage space, so the maximum capacity is 26L total.  It's weather resistant so my stuff inside won't get wet, if I get rained on.  Inside is a padded camera cube with removable dividers for storing cameras, lens, etc.  There is also plenty of space for other stuff too.  On one side there is an expandable pocket for a water bottle and on the other side is a quick access compartment for removing your camera without having to open the entire backpack.  There are also 2 compartments inside which can fit an iPad and my 13" MacBook Pro fits inside with plenty of room to spare.  This backpack also fits nicely under the airline seat which is convenient.

My main camera is the Sony Alpha 7C (above) which is a compact full-frame 24 megapixel mirrorless camera.  Lenses include the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G lens, FE 50mm f/2.5 G lens, FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, and the FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS G lens.  Also pictured is the Deity V-Mic D4 Duo connected to the camera and the Mantispod Vlogging Tripod.  I recently sold my Sony Alpha 7 III which was my first digital full-frame camera and have the new Sony Alpha 7 IV on preorder which is due to ship in late December 2021.

The Sony Alpha 7C is a very nice camera for traveling, since it's compact and weighs less than a full size mirrorless camera.  Sony's E-mount lens system is standard across all of their Alpha series cameras, so all of my older Sony lenses work on their current and future models.

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GMaster lens is a great all around wide angle zoom lens for vlogging, as well as for photos/videos requiring a wide angle lens.  Although, it's a heavy lens so I often opt for the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G prime lens when I want to travel light.  It's a compromise, but it is a nice wide-angle lens for vlogging, as well as for shooting photos/videos in low light conditions with it's f1/8 aperture.

The Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G series prime lens is also light weight, compact, and a nice all around lens for shooting street photography, landscapes, and even some portraits.  Along with the 20mm prime lens, this is a nice combination for when I want to travel extra light.

If I only want to carry one lens, the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS G lens is a nice all-around wide angle/mid-range zoom lens.  It's my "go to" lens in many situations, except for shooting in low light situations.

My other cameras include the Sony ZV-1 (pictured above on the far left) which is a compact camera designed for content creators.  I also added on the Small Rig Cage so I can attach additional accessories and it has additional mounts on the bottom to attach a tripod which doesn't block the battery/SD card door located on the bottom.  Without the cage, the tripod would block the door making it inconvenient to swap out batteries quickly.  It has a 20 megapixel/1 inch sensor, a fixed 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens, along with a variety of features for shooting both videos and photos.  The ZV-1 is small enough to fit in a coat pocket so it's convenient to carry around practically anywhere.  I originally bought it to take along on my trips to Las Vegas instead of bringing my Sony A7C, then the pandemic hit and everything was shutdown.  So, I've only been using it around town until the travel industry gets back to normal and I start traveling again.  The Sony bluetooth vlogging handle works seamlessly with the ZV-1 with buttons to start/stop video, control of the shutter button for taking photos, operate the zoom lens, and a programable button which corresponds to the C1 button on the camera.

The DJI Pocket 2 (pictured to the right of the Sony ZV1) is a tiny, but versatile video camera which also takes pretty good photos.  It is also good for vlogging or shooting any videos, since it has a built-in gimbal for creating smooth/jitter-free videos, especially when walking around.  Both my Sony A7C and ZV-1 has built in stabilization, but neither is as smooth as when shooting with a gimbal which unfortunately adds extra weight and bulk.  The Pocket 2 is small so you don't stand out in a crowd like when shooting with a full size camera on a gimbal.  The only weakness of this camera is the tiny sensor, so it doesn't perform well in low light situations which is similar to a lot of camera phones.

The Insta360 One R (pictured to the right of the Pocket 2) has the Ulanzi cage attached to it.  This camera is modular, so you can swap out lens modules for shooting in different formats.  It currently has the Leica one inch module attached which makes this a high resolution action camera like the GoPro.  It also has a 4K module which can be used similarly.  The 3rd module turns the One R into a dual lens 360 degree camera.  The One R replaces my ancient GoPro Hero 3.

The Insta360 GO2 which is shown in it's charging/battery case (pictured on the far right above).  The GO2 is a mini-action camera.  It only weighs 26.5 g which is less than an ounce and its dimension is only 52.9 x 23.6 x 20.7mm.  It also comes with several accessories including a magnetic pendant that you can wear around your neck, then the camera attaches magnetically to the pendant.  There's a clip that can attach the GO2 to the brim of a hat, as well as other mounts that you can attach to other surfaces.  It's good for shooting short video clips as high as 2K resolution.  You can capture 10 - 30 mins of continuous video on a single charge depending on the quality and mode being used.

Pictured above are 2 of my 360 cameras.  On the left is the Insta360 One X2 (I also have the first generation One X which is no longer being sold).  This is my primary 360 degree camera.  It shoots both photos and videos in 360 degrees, so you can capture everything surrounding you unlike conventional cameras.  It has a video resolution of 5.7K, although that resolution is spread out over 360 degrees so when viewed, it will not look as sharp as a standard video which is only capturing videos/photos in one direction within a small field of view.  That's probably the only drawback of the current generation of 360 consumer cameras.  To get the ultra high resolution in 360, you need the professional cameras that shoot in 8K resolution or higher which will set you back thousands of dollar and a super high-end computer is required to process those massive video files.  I'm not a professional photographer making money from this, so the consumer grade cameras are good enough for me. LOL

The camera on the right is the Insta360 EVO which was my first venture into shooting both 360 and 180VR photos and videos.  In its current configuration it can capture photos or videos in 180 degrees 3D.  This camera also folds so that when each lens is facing in opposite directions it converts into a 360 degree camera similar to the One X2.  This camera is also no longer being sold, but the manufacturer is supposably working on a 180VR module for their current Insta360 One R.

Both 360 and 180VR/3D photos and videos appear as flat 2D media when viewed on a computer or mobile device.  So if you really want to experience the most out of this type of content, you need to view them from within a VR Headset like the Oculus Quest 2 (above).

Some of my other gear include the DJI Mini Drone (pictured above on the far left) along with its controller and extra batteries.  The Zhiyun Crane-M2 Gimbal, a couple of tripod bases, monopod used with the 360 camera, a smartphone mount, and a suction cup mount.  I have various other accessories including extra camera batteries, lens filters, miscellaneous cables, power banks, etc. which aren't shown.  

Links to most of the products mentioned in this blog...

Peak Design - Camera Bags, Camera Gear, and Accessories

Wandrd - Camera Bags and Accessories 

Sony - Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories

Insta360 - 360 Cameras, Action Cameras, and Accessories

DJI - Drones, Cameras, and Accessories

Deity: Deity V-Mic D4 Duo

PGYTech:  Mantispod Vlogging Tripod

Zhiyun - Camera Gimbals

Oculus - Quest 2 VR Headset

Ulanzi - Camera/Video Accessories

Anker - Power Banks, Chargers, Hubs

Bushman Panoramic - Monopods and 360 Camera Accessories

Manfrotto - Camera Accessories

Random Thoughts - What I've been doing during the 2020 pandemic...

Normally, I would be blogging about my trips to Las Vegas, Reno, or some other local destinations, but needless to say, the Covid-19 pandemic put a hold on all my travels. My last trip was to Las Vegas for Halloween, back in October/November 2019 which seems like a lifetime away now. Being cooped up at home with nowhere to go, since the shelter at home restrictions went into place has been surreal. Although being an introvert, I'm probably having an easier time being secluded from other people, then those who are extroverts that thrive on being around other folks.

Anyways, I'm still alive and healthy as of this posting. In all my life, I would never have dreamed that I would be celebrating my 64th birthday being sheltered at home due to a world wide pandemic. Yeah, my birthday was this past May 27th and it was a pretty uneventful day, to say the least. I would have liked to have spent my birthday in Vegas like I've done in the past, but I guess I should be thankful that I have not contracted Covid-19 at least to my knowledge. Covid-19 testing is still only available for those who are symptomatic. Hopefully, a vaccine will be available in the near future and things will start getting back to some normalcy again.

So, what have I been doing to keep occupied for the past couple of months? Other than my normal routines like cleaning house, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking/baking, and a few other boring tasks, I've pretty much turned into a couch potato. I've been watching a lot of shows/movies on cable TV, as well as on a few streaming services. I have Amazon Prime and I've also signed up for trial offers for CBS All Access and Disney+.  I've binge watched Star Trek Discovery and Picard on CBS All Access, but I decided not to renew the service, after the trial period was over.  My Disney+ is free for 1 yr with my Verizon iPhone plan, so I have plenty of time to decide, if it's worth continuing before the trial ends. Although, I got hooked on season one of the Mandalorian which is much better than I had expected.

I've been spending way too much time online checking my social media accounts, participating on a few Las Vegas travel boards, as well as following various Vloggers on YouTube. I've actually thought about giving vlogging a try, so we'll see. LOL

I also have a few indoor hobbies that keeps me busy including playing guitar (I managed to learn a few new tunes), photo/video editing, and VR gaming (I have an Oculus Rift S and an Oculus GO).  Actually, playing Beat Saber on the Oculus Rift S can give you quite a workout when playing at the higher levels, so it's one way that I've been getting some exercise.

Luckily, I've had self-control and haven't gone on any shopping sprees over on Amazon and other online stores which could prove tempting during the shelter at home restrictions, especially when my stimulus check is sitting in my bank account. LOL  Although, I did buy myself a birthday present and ordered a DJI Mavic Mini drone with the Fly More Combo.  I've been testing it out by flying it around inside my condo.  It's a cool little drone with an onboard camera that's stabilized on a gimble and shoots 2.7K HD videos/12MP photos. I thought about getting the Mavic 2 Pro which is a full featured drone that shoots 4K videos, but it's a bigger investment, not to mention that it also comes with more FAA and local restrictions when it comes to where it can be flown.

Being under 250g in weight, the Mavic Mini doesn't have to be registered with the FAA unlike it's big brother the Mavic 2 Pro, but it's still subject to FAA and local flying regulations.  Since the airspace where my condo is located is in a restricted air zone, I can't fly it outside. So, I have to wait until these shelter at home restrictions end and everything starts to open up again before I can get out to areas with unrestricted airspace to fly and shoot some aerial videos/photos.  I'm hoping to take the Mavic Mini along when I travel, since it's pocket size when it's folded down and everything fits easily into my backpack, along with my other 360 cameras and whatnot.

So, what other stuff looks tempting to buy? A couple of things. I've been reading some good reviews of the new Sony ZV1 camera which will officially go on sale in a week or two. One thing that's nice is that it's pocket sized so it's ideal for traveling. I've been reluctant to bring my full size digital SLR along, since I like to travel light, but the smaller ones on the market didn't have all of the features that I wanted. This new Sony is loaded with some good features including a one inch sensor which is great for low light shooting, a fixed 24mm-70mm zoom lens with a 1.8W-2.8T aperture rating, incredible auto-focusing, both lens and digital stabilization, on-board microphones that rival most high quality add-on mics, and a good number of other perks which makes it a tempting alternative for shooting videos/photos. I currently shoot most of my videos/photos with an iPhone X and on Insta360 360 cameras which can generate some nice media, but often sucks in many low light situations, since they have much smaller sensors.

A few negative things about the ZV1 is the battery life which is only rated for about an hour and it's located at the bottom of the camera. So, you'll need a few spares if you'll be shooting throughout the day.  Also, if the camera is mounted on a tripod for example, you will have to remove the tripod in order to swap out the battery. It has a fixed zoom lens, so it's not as versatile as a full size digital SLR with interchangeable lenses. The widest angle is 24mm which may not be wide enough for some vloggers. The 1.8 aperture rating only occurs when the lens is set at 24mm and increases as you zoom in.  So for low light situations, you'll may have to shoot at 24mm.

The combo set which includes the vlogging handle/tripod/remote and a 64GB SD card is currently on sale for the next 3 weeks, so I have to decide whether to pull the trigger and purchase one, if I want to save an extra $50.

Apple has also been dangling a carrot in front of my nose, since they came out with their latest 16" MacBook Pro. My current iMac is a few years old now and the CPU/GPU doesn't have quite enough processing power for editing 5.7K and higher 360 videos using Adobe Premiere Pro. Currently, I have to create lower res proxy files for my videos before I can edit them and rendering out the completed edits takes forever, literally several hours for just a 30min 360 video. Although, I don't think that I want to spend close to $5000 on a fully decked out MacBook Pro right now, so I'm going to stick with my current iMac for a bit longer. LOL

Anyways, our state/city are starting to loosen the restrictions on non-essential businesses and our governor has ended the statewide shelter at home mandate the other day. So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope that as things start to open up again that there isn't a second surge in Covid-19.

October 27 - November 2, 2019: Halloween In Las Vegas

Sunday, October 27, Day 1:

I guess "Mother Nature" was being nice to me, since the major storms that passed through our area on Saturday moved out by early Sunday morning.  So other than some cloudy skies, there were no weather related delays at MDW and my SWA flight to Vegas took off on schedule.

I booked my ride to the airport with Echo Limousine service which I've used many times in the past.  The cost is a little more than taking a taxi or Uber/Lyft, but it's way more convenient when I want to get to the airport on time and they've been very reliable.

Returning home, I don't mind using taxis or Uber/Lyft, since I'm not on any schedule. LOL  Although, I've noticed that the cost of Uber/Lyft at Chicago's airports are not a big cost savings vs. taking taxis, since with the airport surcharges (as well as surge pricing during busy times) the rates for the ride share services are pretty high.

Arriving at LAS

My SWA flight was completely full and uneventful (which is always good!).  We touched down just before noon and after retrieving my checkin bag, I headed to shuttle bus for the rent-a-car center.  I originally reserved a Mustang or equivalent from Hertz, but all of their sports cars were sold out.  Oh well, I didn't want to splurge and go for a luxury car/SUV, so I settled for a Mazda CX3 which is a compact SUV.  I could have gotten a free upgrade to a gas guzzling full size SUV for the same price, but I didn't want something that huge.  I also used my Hertz rewards points for this rental, so I received 3 free days off of the weekly rental rate.

I should note that the weather in Vegas was bright and sunny all week, BUT the temperatures were below normal for this time of year.  Daytime temps were in the 50F-60F and in the 40s at night.

The Orleans Hotel/Casino

It was still too early to checkin at the Orleans, so I stopped to pick up some supplies at the Albertson's which is located on Tropicana, just west of the Orleans.  I checked in at the Orleans around 2pm without any problems.  I was staying for 2 nights in a Premium King room on a comp offer that included $150 in freeplay and $100 in food credit.  The offer was for up to 3 nights, but I only needed 2 nights, since I couldn't fly out on Saturday like I originally planned.  The Orleans still gives you a coupon booklet for discounts too, but I usually only make use of a couple of them at most.

Premium King Room On The 20th Floor

The 3 photos below are 360 degree interactive photos of the Premium King room at the Orleans.  You can use your mouse/trackpad to click/drag the photos around in different directions to see different views.  I took these photos on an Insta360 OneX camera which can take 360 photos and 360 videos.


I was planning on shooting more 360 photos and 360 videos during my trip, but I ended up shooting most of my pics (other than the room photos) using my iPhone X mainly for convenience.

Dinner At The Medley Buffet

I've had dinner at the Medley Buffet during my last trip and it was pretty good, so I decided to head there for dinner.  Since I had $100 in food credit, this was a freebie.  There were a couple of more plates of food, but I forgot to shoot photos of those, so I only have these two.  

The Prime Rib was really good this time around and I went back for seconds, as well as for more shrimps, boiled crayfish, and a second round of desserts (more ice cream).

A Winning Night

After dinner, I ended up spending several hours in the casino playing slots to my surprise. LOL  I normally play VP, but with the changes they've made to their players club program, Boyd properties are no longer VP friendly.  

Anyways, I found a Buffalo Grand machine which kept producing.  I didn't get any huge jackpots, but the smaller wins kept adding up and I netted around $1600 before I turned in for the night!  Since the bonus rounds weren't huge, I didn't bother to take any photos of the screens.  I also racked up close to 2000 tier points in just one night, so I'll remain Sapphire through 2020.

Monday, October 28, Day2:

Breakfast At The Copper Whisk Cafe

I've dined at the Copper Whisk on several occasions in the past, as well as it's predecessor which was the Courtyard Cafe.  Everything I've tried has been pretty good and it's one of the few places that is opened late at night when I lose track of time and the other restaurant are closed. LOL

Wandering Around Mid-Strip

I often decide what I'm going to do during the day while having breakfast.  So today, I planned on hitting the LV strip starting at Paris to shoot some photos and to give CET some play.

Bellagio And The Conservatory

I played some Slots/VP at Paris and Caesars, but didn't have much luck.  Caesars is such a huge property that I got tired out from just wandering around the place. LOL  So, I decided to head back to the Orleans to relax for awhile and then figure out where to have dinner.

Back At The Orleans And Dinner At Ondori's Asian Kitchen

Ondori's specializes in both Japanese and Chinese cuisines.  It's one of my favorite restaurants at the Orleans.  This time, I ordered the Won Ton Soup and Honey Walnut Shrimp which comes with either steamed or fried rice.  Both the soup and shrimp were very good.  In fact, I like the Honey Walnut Shrimp at Ondori's better than the version that they serve at Ping Pang Pong over at the Gold Coast.  As you probably noticed, I always seem to remember to take a photo, AFTER I've start eating. LOL

Since I already accumulated enough tier points to remain Sapphire, I decided to play some VP.  Deuce Wild is my go to game, but it wasn't hitting so I found a bank of 9/6 DDB and BP and gave them a try.  These were the best hits of the evening.

Tuesday, October 29, Day 3:

After having a breakfast sandwich at Fuddruckers in the Food Court, it was still too early to check out for my move to the Luxor, so I went back to those 9/6 DDB machines and played for awhile.  My luck was still holding out and I cashed out, after this hit.

My total bill for those 2 nights at he Orleans when I checked out was $0.  They also comped the resort fees and I still had about $25 in food credit leftover.  Gambling wise, the Orleans was very good to me this trip.  I netted around $1900 give or take a few dollars, over those 2 days.  For the remainder of my trip, I was playing with my winnings and I didn't have to dip into my regular bankroll which doesn't happen very often. LOL

The "New" Sahara

It was around 11:30am when I left the Orleans and it was too early to check into the Luxor, so I headed over to the "New" Sahara to check things out.  I parked in their self-parking garage which is free and they were still doing some construction work on parts of building where you enter the casino from their garage, so it was a bit of a maze to get through.

Overall, the casino looks nice inside and modern, but I thought it felt sorta bland.  The casino wasn't very busy, but it was still early in the day.  It may have the Sahara name (the same with the new Casbar Lounge), but it doesn't have the old Sahara theme like the old days.  

I stopped at the players club desk to sign up for a new card, but I found out that the players club hasn't changed after the takeover. It's the same players club that carried over from the SLS, so my account was still active and they just printed out a new card that now has the Sahara name on it.  For new members, they were offering some freeplay, but I didn't qualify for any, since I wasn't considered a new member.  I did give their slots some play, but I didn't come out a winner.  It'll be interesting to see, if I start received room offers from them, since I never received anything from the SLS.

The Luxor

I think it was around 2pm when I drove over to the Luxor to see if I could check in early.  At the Orleans, I never have a problem trying to checkin 2-3 hrs before checkin time.  Although at the Luxor, I was able to checkin, but they wouldn't assign a room until 3:30pm at the earliest.  I was told that I would receive a call when my room is ready, but in the event that I didn't get a call back by 3:30pm to stopped at either the mobile checkin desk or the VIP desk.  I was staying on an MLife offer which included up to 4 comped nights (Sunday-Thursday), but since one of my nights fell on a Friday, it wasn't comped.  My Pearl rate for the one night was $61 + $35 resort fee + taxes, although the resort fee was included as part of the comp offer for those first 3 nights.

Anyways, I didn't receive a call back so I stopped at the mobile checkin desk and the lady assigned a room right away.  I was on the 21st floor in a Premium King Pyramid room.  It's one of the remodeled rooms which is nice, but they could have done a better job with the remodeling.  They neglected to put outlets near the bed stand or even have table lamps with outlets like most other properties have done.  In the bathroom, there wasn't a separate switch for the exhaust fan, so whenever you turned on the bathroom lights, the fan would turn on too which was annoying, since the fan was rather loud. LOL

The 3 photos below are 360 degree interactive photos of the Premium King Pyramid Room at the Luxor.  You can use your mouse/trackpad to click/drag the photos around in different directions to see different views.

View From My Room

I was way up on the 21st Floor in the Pyramid and had a mountain view.  In the photos, you can see the Delano over to the far left, as well as the new stadium construction.  Way out in the distance to the right, you can also see the Orleans.

View Of The Atrium From The 21st Floor

These photos were taken early in the morning, so the Atrium was pretty much void of people.

For dinner, I didn't feel like anything fancy so I went to the Food Court and had a burger and fries at Johnny Rockets (of course, I forgot to take a photo ...LOL).  This was the first time I ate at Johnny Rockets and their burgers are pretty good.

Afterwards, I spend a few hours playing Slots/VP.  I found a bank of 9/6 BP tucked away in a secluded area of the casino which was surprising and I cashed out with $125.  Although, Buffalo Stampede ended up taking back that $125 and a bit more before the night was over.

Overall, the VP areas were deserted and most of the folks were playing slots.  Actually, I had better luck on slots this trip, then on VP.  Although, I didn't have even one hand-pay this trip on slot or VP.

Wednesday, October 30, Day 4:

I was going to try the Pyramid Cafe for breakfast, but the place was packed by the time I arrived.  I didn't feel like walking all the way over to Mandalay Bay for breakfast, so I opted for Nathan's in the food court.  I had one of their breakfast specials that included eggs, hash browns, bacon (or sausage), and 2 pancakes which was pretty good for a fast food place.

The Aliante Hotel/Casino

I've been trying to visit at least one property that I've never been too before during each of my trips, so it was time to check out the Aliante which is a local Boyd property in North Las Vegas.  It's about 24 miles north of the Luxor, so it's not close to the LV strip.  They have a nice casino and the property is pretty similar to most of Boyd's larger properties.  The Aliante seem to be smaller than the Orleans, but I like the atmosphere inside.  I played some slots/VP while I was there and ended up donating about $300 to those machines.  For someone who likes to stay at off-strip properties and doesn't mind being far from the strip, the Aliante would be a nice place to stay.

Fremont St. and the LasVegas4Ever Board Meet

After leaving the Aliante, I spent the rest of the day downtown, since Bonnie's LasVegas4Ever board meet was scheduled for 4pm at Oscar's Simpatico Room over at the Plaza.  Instead of valet parking at Main Street Station like I've done in the past, I decided to use the self-parking garage at the California which is free for Sapphire and above.  All you need to do is take your ticket to the BConnected desk and have it validated as soon as you are ready to leave.

I was getting hungry, so I stopped at Pop Up Pizza at the Plaza for a slice of pepperoni, then I roamed around Fremont St. for awhile.  I needed to get a replacement players card at The D, so I spent some time playing slots while I was there.  I discovered the new Buffalo Gold Revolution machines which has become my new favorite Buffalo version.  The machine I was playing kept hitting and I recouped the $300 loss I had at the Aliante and came out a little ahead by $50 when I cashed out.

I've attended a few LasVegas4Ever board meets in the past and it's always nice to see some familiar faces from past meets, as well as meeting some new folks who attended this year.  There were 19 of us at the meet including Me (SMG), Bonnie, Nicky, Otto, Ian, DM Jewel, Linda, Booker, Gary, Trawnajack, BBKing, Pebbles, Tony, Kelly (a fellow who used to write for Vegas Bright), WelshBlonde and her husband (from VMB), BubbaKitty and his wife (from VMB), and William (from the LV4E Facebook group).

I didn't take any photos at the meet, so I "borrowed" the group photo that Nicky took of most of us (some of the late attendees aren't in the group photo).  Bonnie posted a lot of photos of the meet in her live trip report on the LasVegas4Ever board, so for those interested in seeing more of the meet photos, click on the link and check out her report.

Thursday, October 31, 2019, Day 5:

I had a quick breakfast at Johnny Rockets in the Food Court.  Egg, cheese, and sausage on an English muffin with a side of hash browns.  I decided to spend some additional time mid-strip and to give CET some additional play.  I self-parked at the Mirage.  Their garage is a lot nicer than the one at Harrah's/Linq and they are just across the street, so it's convenient too.

I played some VP at Harrah's, Linq, and Flamingo, but lost more than I won.  I played a little at all of the CET properties this trip, since I was planning to migrate over to CET next year, due to the changes that Boyd made to their players club.

Dinner At The Aria Buffet

With all of the restrictions they've added to MyVegas, I was only able to get the Aria Dinner Buffet this trip.  Most of the other MyVegas rewards that I liked were sold out, so only one freebie this time.

This was the first time that I'm trying the Aria dinner buffet.  The regular price for the buffet is $40.99.  I got there at 4:00pm and it was just starting to get busy.  Being Pearl, I was able to get into the VIP line where there were only 2 people ahead of me.  The buffet was pretty good and they had a nice selection to choose from including Seafood, Asian, Italian, Indian, the Carvery (brisket, ham, chicken, turkey, but no prime rib), etc... and of course desserts. LOL  I was rather surprised that they didn't have Prime Rib.  I also noticed on the receipt that they suggest a dining time of 2 hrs, but I doubt that they enforce the rule.

Seafood Chowder with corn and Shrimps, Bake Cod, Lasagna

Potatos Au Gratin, Roll, Steamed BBQ Pork Bun, Smoked Brisket

Caramel Custard, Chocolate Ice Cream

There were a couple of more plates of food, but I forgot to take photos of them.  They include more BBQ Pork Bun (those were really good), some Sushi Rolls, and some additional desserts.

After the buffet, I needed to work off some of those calories, so I walked around the strip for awhile.  I stopped at the new Eataly at the Park MGM, since it was still under construction during my previous trip.  Their prices are just as high as the one we have here in Chicago.   

I also stopped at the Cosmopolitan.  I've only been to the Cosmo once on a past trip, but I didn't sign up for their players card during that visit, so I signed up this time and gave them a little play.  They also included $20 in freeplay for new members which only lasted about 10 mins playing one of the Quick Spin slots.  Of course, I did donate more to their machines before I moved on.  I wouldn't mind staying at the Cosmo at least once to see what it's like, so we'll see if I start receiving some offers.  LOL

A Few Miscellaneous Photos From The South End Of The Strip

Back at the Luxor, I found a new Star Trek slot based on the original series, "Star Trek The Final Frontier".  It has some cool bonus rounds.  I was ahead at one point, but the machine eventually took everything back (and more).  I should have taken some screen shots, but I didn't think of it at the time.  I also found 3 Buffalo Gold Revolution slots that I missed earlier in the week.  I wish I had found them sooner. LOL

Friday, November 1, Day 6:

Du-Par's At The Suncoast

This is my last full day in Vegas before returning home on Saturday afternoon so I drove out to the Suncoast Hotel/Casino, since I wanted to have breakfast at Du-Par's.  Their only location is at the Suncoast in Summerlin, since they closed the one at the Golden Gate downtown.

Pancakes is one of my favorite breakfast foods and Du-Par's has some of the best pancakes in Vegas.  As usual, I always forget to take a photo BEFORE I start eating. LOL  I ordered a short stack with a side order of bacon and I paid with my BConnected points.

I also played some Slots/VP while I was at the Suncoast, but those machines were like vacuum cleaners and kept taking and not giving back.  So after awhile, I decided to drive over to the Strat.  When I arrived, there was a line up of cars trying to get into their self-parking garage.  When I pulled up, the attendant who was directing traffic was telling everyone that a special event was going on and that there is a $20 parking fee for special events.  So, I decided to leave and will try and visit the Strat on my next Vegas trip.

R.U.N, The New Cirque Show At The Luxor

I purchased a ticket to the new Cirque show, R.U.N, when I received an email promo for a free 2 seat upgrade.  I was able to get an aisle seat in the second row just behind the 1st row VIP seats for Friday November 1.

The show opened on October 24th with some technical issues in which I heard that a performer was injured doing one of the motorcycle stunts towards the end of the show.  A few days later, I started seeing mixed reviews of the show and not all of them were very positive.  Being a long time Cirque fan who has seen a good number of there past productions, I was hoping that R.U.N would be better than what was being reported.

The show is 90 minutes long and is very different from any Cirque shows that I've seen before.  It's sorta hard to describe, since they use a combination of videos, live video feeds, and live action scenes to tell the story of the main character who is a member of a rival gang and is on the "run" for his life throughout the show.  There are a number of violent fight scene with lot of acrobatics and special effects (fire, laser lights, etc.) and motorcycle stunts.  In one scene, the main character and one of his fellow gang members are being tortured which would probably not appeal to some.

Also like most Cirque shows, there is action not only going on the main stage, but also on the sides, overhead, and from behind the audience throughout different parts of the show.  For those of us sitting in the front rows, we had to keep turning around to see what else was going on to the sides and behind us.

Overall, I though the show was okay, but they could have done much better.  Not only with the story line, but with how they put the whole show together.  They used a lot of videos, both recorded and live feeds in between the big stunt scenes to tell the storyline which is broken down into several chapter.  I though the use of so much abstract videos was sorta overdone.

Although, I enjoyed the motorcycle stunts which were cool.  The final motorcycle stunt scene was probably the best part of the entire show.  They were even riding down the stairs in the aisles where they had ramps setup so they could jump on and off of the main stage.

So is R.U.N worth seeing?  If you're expecting to see a family oriented Cirque show, you will be disappointed.  If you like live action fight scenes, motorcycle stunts performed on stage, and the gangland storyline, then you may like R.U.N.

Also, a tip on seating.  As I mentioned, I was in an aisle seat in second row.  The VIP seats in the first row seats have very high backs to them, so if you are seated directly behind them, you may have a problem seeing over the tops of them.  I really don't understand why they made the backs of those seats so high.  If I wasn't seated on the aisle, I would have had a problem seeing the stage, if I were seated behind them, since I'm not a tall person.  If I were to see the show again (which I probably won't, unless it's comped), I think sitting further back would be much better.  That way, you can see the entire main stage and not get a twisted neck trying to see stuff going on to the far sides and behind you.

After the show, I ended up in the food court for pizza.  It seems like I spent a lot of time eating in the Luxor food court this trip.

More Photos At The Luxor

Saturday, November 2, Day 7:

Unfortunately, I had to fly back home today which is always a bummer.  It alway seems like my Vegas trips are way too short, no matter how long that I've been in town. LOL  Since my flight was at 1:30pm, I did have a few hours of Vegas time before departure so I had a quick breakfast in the food court and played some Buffalo Gold Revolution in the casino before checking out.

There were no delay at LAS and this was the quickest that I've ever gotten through the TSA PreCheck at LAS.  Only 2 people ahead of me, so there was no wait time at all.  

Although when I arrived at MDW, it took them forever to unload our checkin luggage.  I ended up taking a taxi from the airport to get home, since the Uber/Lyft area was too crowded and there was no line to get a taxi.

Some Random Thoughts...

*This was a winning trip.  I returned home with my gambling bankroll in tack, along with an extra $800 which will be added to my Vegas fund for a future trip.

*Boyd properties (and the Orleans) were good to me, both for gambling and customer services, despite the negative changes in their BConnected program.  I made Sapphire for another year, so as long as they continue to offer comped rooms, I'll be staying at their properties in the future.

*I have mixed feeling about MGM Resorts, after staying at the Luxor.  Their customer services had a number of glitches on checkin and checkout.  They didn't give me a call back when they had my room ready, their express checkout terminal kept giving error messages when I tried to checkout, as well as the MGM app on my iPhone.  So, I ended up waiting in a long line to checkout in person.

*I noticed that the Luxor attracts a lot of younger folks which isn't too surprising.  Would I stay here again?  Only if I receive a good comp offer.

*The Slots/VP machines at the CET properties weren't nice to me and I suffered the most losses at Paris and Harrah's.  

*I still haven't hit a Royal in Vegas, so my record is still in tack. LOL