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Thread: New Year's Vegas trip

  1. #21
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    The powder room toilet (A Brit might call it the water closet) is running water, but not making much noise. I don't want to deal with maintenance I need to get to the gym and run a couple errands in town before noon.

    Who is staying in these rooms, not complaining about noise and malfunctioning fixtures and appliances? One of the stays at Encore the Alexa device wouldn't work for the drapes or lights, only the music. I called right away to get it fixed, although it took them a few tries I stayed on it.

  2. #22
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    I have a best friend who used to travel with me, and I'd call him "my manservant" and he'd help with stuff like that, and also in the old days I'd travel with a legion of minions, but these days I travel with the wife only.

    Deciding which watch to wear is not exhausting, but making sure they are all secured and safe can be.


    Speaking of minions, Drake was playing at Encore last night, in the high limit pit, according to my red scooter driving friend. I want to follow up to find out if he was playing alone somewhat incognito or with an entourage. I've played in Tahoe at the same table with Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan back when Jordan used to play, and they would play alone. Same with Oscar de la Hoya, Wayne Gretzky, Howie Mandel, and others, I've seen them play alone. I watched Bill Gates play years ago - five dollar red chips only is what he played with, and I understand that he gave even that up eventually, doesn't gamble at all anymore. Gates played alone at a regular table with regular players at the same table, as did these other celebrities when I saw them playing, or was playing at their table.

  3. #23
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    We don't really want to move we have too much stuff, which is part of why we stay in each resort at least a week before moving on. Plus it is NY's eve this is their largest suite short of the Penthouse, and the reason we didn't take that is because that PH floor is a smoking floor, I doubt they even have another suite this size available, and anyway if the sound is like the host says coming from the walls of the hotel, would a different suite be any different? All of the Premier Suites (1300 S/F) at this resort face the same direction, so they are along the same edge of the hotel all on its top floors.

    As you know, I already emailed the host about this and the internet, and then when he saw me in person he told me that the noise was an issue at the hotel itself within its walls, so the Q is whether to follow up or just leave it alone. Maybe the best approach, a la Godfather, is that when I see him next...mention it. Don't insist.

  4. #24
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    New Year's Eve:
    Starting to get pretty busy out there. One side of the strip (LV Blvd.) is very congested. Had to drive take care of a couple errands.

    The parking structure here is almost full, but I found a space. Didn't feel like dealing with the mess pulling in from LV Blvd. to valet.

  5. #25
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    Of course, I forgot something in the car. Have to go all the way back out there. Well, at least that is going to be easier than if I had valeted!

    I have a headache already and it's not even NY's Day yet. Actually we don't even drink, so this is more of a not quite enough sleep or food headache.

  6. #26
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    Just so some of you know, you might have pegged MDawg wrongly. He's not putting on airs, he's keeping it real.

    I just poured the hot water into one of these and opened a can of tuna.
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    Now why would I do that when I could pick up the phone and order about anything and have it comp'ed? It was my wife's idea actually. She noticed that there are times when I am in a hurry, such as to get to the tables, and simply won't eat, because I don't want to hang around waiting for room service. So, here ya' go.

    That's what MDawg's having for lunch.

    We have a water boiler in the room,
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    but actually I didn't buy that, not originally anyway, to make Ramens. It's for this, we are real tea heads - not meaning pot smokers, but
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    especially, she is a real tea drinker. Many of these are organic, or herbal, and not available downstairs in VIP. Plus when you want a hot beverage, again, who wants to wait 45 minutes for the butler or for room service?

    The tea we've been bringing on trips for a long time. The boiler is relatively new, used to just have the hotel rent us one, and bringing ramen and cans of tuna, crab and lobster, trying that out for the first time on this trip.
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    Another important meal, that's easy to miss for gamblers, because we tend to want to rush out the door some mornings to play without eating - breakfast. Which is why we bring liquid yogurt drink, bananas and, for the first time on a trip, instant oatmeal.
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    Last edited by MDawg; 01-12-2020 at 09:25 PM.

  7. #27
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    Yes I like canned fish. As far as the tuna variety for a while we were getting this expensive as hell line caught tuna in the can, but eventually I realized that it was dry and didn't even taste as good as the standard supermarket Albacore in water. The Maine lobster they sell in the cans in supermarkets is costly, but quite good.


    Haven't played yet, might not play tonight, will see.


    Ate lunch, went to gym, then walked across the street to pick up our New Year's Eve party tickets for that party, which just as I walked into the casino my host texted me that he was at the host station and had my tickets, so that saved a trip to one of the ballrooms where they were being distributed.

    The Strip wasn't closed off yet, and wasn't closed off as I walked back either.
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    Once across the street, checked into the room (the one night stay in the standard 750 S/F Encore Tower Suite that we will not be staying in), picked up the tickets, stopped by VIP to wish Happy New Year to the attendants whom I know pretty well I consider them like buddies, have even bought and delivered food to them whenever we were getting outside food for ourselves, grabbed a couple of mango drinks, and headed into the room.
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    Actually don't think it matters but I messed up the bed, threw some towels on the bathroom floor and draped a robe over a chair.
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    Last edited by MDawg; 01-12-2020 at 09:29 PM.

  8. #28
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    The view from this room is nice, but the glass seems spotty probably due to last week's rains here.
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    Or maybe it was just light reflecting off the glass.

    The crowd at Wynn/Encore is definitely far more upscale than across the street where we are staying. Actually we haven't stayed here at Treasure Island in some time, but as I mentioned, this casino is throwing us pretty much their largest suite while across the street they gave us just a standard "suite" during this impacted New Year's week. So, I suppose that over here, we are viewed as a very big fish in that the pond is smaller.

    Over there at Wynn/Encore everyone is more dressed up and the girls, if they are hot, try to look not just hot, but rich. Here at TI, it's like, Hello, how are you, I'm here to have fun in Vegas for New Year's; over there no one wants to look other than as if he or she has already arrived and knows the score. I mean at Wynn/Encore, if you're not Drake, you want to look like you could care less who Drake is, is the impression people seem to want to give.

    It's actually going to be a bit of a chore to attend both parties, but I think we will attempt it - have dinner at the party over here first then head over there for a second dinner (I'll eat again, she won't, she's a very light eater), and then maybe return here just before midnight for the fireworks. My host over there went over the timeline with me and said "I'll see you at the party" (ulp, I guess that means we should at least show our faces). Only way to do it, to attend both events, will be by walking and while not far, I won't be the one in heels. We shall see.


  9. #29
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    Last night we did end up going to both casino's parties.

    The plan originally was to go to Wynn's party first, but at 9pm as we were getting ready to leave the room, my Treasure Island host called the room from downstairs to ask if we knew where the party was. That was something. No casino host has ever bothered to phone to ask why I'm not at an event, so we felt compelled to go to TI's party first.

    TI's party was...nice. Great Old School band, excellent food, if we had gone to only that event we might have had a certain impression of a Vegas New Year's Eve casino party. The theme was a sort of, "Under the Sea" underwater motif.
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    TI Appetizer:
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    TI main course:
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    From the blue hue of the plates, you may gather the underwater lighting motif they were trying to convey.
    They gave us these sparky twinkly rings.

    As soon as dinner was over, we slipped out, luckily while my host's back was turned so that he didn't notice ������ then picked up the gift the casino gave us which was some kind of dashcam.
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    We walked up to the room, dropped off the gift, and headed out to go across the street to Wynn. The Las Vegas Strip was closed off from all vehicles, so it was an easy walk as far as being able to cross the street diagonally, and not have to wait at any crosswalk, but still it was a good ten minute walk just to get inside Wynn, and then another ten minutes or so to get to the ballroom.

    Along the way we saw many police officers, and even one fatigue wearing armed forces guy, more than a few of whom were slinging automatic weapons. Previously, during my walk to Encore to check into our "room" there, I'd seen quite a few Wynn security officers patrolling with Security dogs sniffing the bushes. (One thing I really liked about the Wynn dogs is that they are all now some kind of friendly looking little curly haired dog, no more menacing German Shepherds.) Security was definitely tight they weren't taking any chances. The last time we were in Vegas for New Year's was about five years ago, and it wasn't like this, not nearly as much law enforcement and heavy artillery presence.

    Once at the party, which we arrived around ten PM, it was just clear even before we entered the ballroom that this party, dubbed THE PARTY, was on another level. It was indeed, THE party. It blew TI away, made us feel a little sorry for our host back there. I mean this Wynn party was akin to...a 500 plate Persian wedding at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. The stops were mostly pulled.

    Last edited by MDawg; 01-12-2020 at 09:35 PM.

  10. #30
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    TI menu:
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    Wynn party:
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    These pics don't even do justice to the event, it was pretty high end. A lot of the men were in tuxedos, and those who weren't were dressed like me in a dark sport coat with a collared shirt and no tie. (But they almost universally wore white shirts, I'd like to think that I one upped them with my purplish colorful Gucci shirt. )

    You could just feel the caliber of the crowd. It reminded me of a line from The Great Gatsby, something about being "aware of the easy money in the vicinity."

    Even though we arrived as most of the guests were eating dessert, they did a rewind for us and served us the complete meal.
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    Last edited by MDawg; 01-18-2020 at 12:29 PM.

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