Trip Report - A week of off-strip and local places

Hubby and I, workaholics, take a week in Vegas. Our goal is to visit as many off-stip and local places as we could. We also do Valley of Fire, Stomp, Mystere and Downtown.

Will do it as replies.

If you have questions, feel free. Hope you enjoy.

Trip Report - A week of off-strip and local places

Day 1. Saturday. Getting there, Silverton and Stomp.

Got a call at 11pm the night before our trip that our flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Cleveland. Stayed on hold with Continental for half an hour to rebook through Newark and arrived at Vegas an hour later than planned - 1130 Sat morning. We%26#39;re finally in Vegas and the folks on the plane all had pained looks on their faces! I%26#39;m wondering just what parallel universe this is...perhaps a whole plane of folks attending a conference titled ';The Gallbladder and You.'; Quickly learned they simply knew what was ahead at the rental car facility. What a nightmare. We%26#39;re still mentally and financially scarred and it%26#39;s still to soon to re-live that ';deal'; at Dollar Rental Car. With deep therapy and time perhaps I can learn to talk about it.

Finally with car (nearly two hours later) we head off to Silverton - our first stop at off-strip or local casino. If you have a car I highly recommend this place. You walk in and are greeted by the fabulous aquarium. The Silverton is my kind of place with low minimum tables and slots that let me play for at least 20 to 25 minutes per $20 bucks. I swear the cw%26#39;s must have a secret bet to see how many times they can offer you a drink before you scream ';just give me a minute of peace.'; Starving we head to the buffet with 241 ACG coupon. The shrimp are pre-peeled but the crab was served cold. The don%26#39;t have claw crackers but have kind of a knitting needle hook thing to assist digging for that crabmeat. Had a mimosa with lunch just so I could say I did...not a drinker. The food, service and atmosphere was well worth the price.

Around 4pm then headover to the WorldMark timeshare to check in. Not a thing wrong with this place. I%26#39;m not a fan of the brown/black theme. Called back to the front desk to report the previous folk%26#39;s garbage still in the room and the non-functional safe but they quickly took care of that. Nice place and it saved us a fortune by not staying in a casino...where I have a habit of hitting a machine within minutes of waking in the morning. We%26#39;d sure stay again. FYI it%26#39;s a non-smoking place but they have ashtrays on the patio in each unit.

Made our way to Planet Hollywood for our 7pm Stomp Show. Had second row center seats - deal through travelzoo. We always like to sit up close...just our preferance. For this show it was great to see the expressions on their faces...not so great for the dust factor. I really enjoyed this show. I didn%26#39;t realize how funny it would be. I really liked how all the stompers had different looks, personalities, builds and backgrounds. Pre and after the show I lost $20 bucks in 3 minutes on the slots. Had some free play at the Westin so walked over there. $20 bucks equals 30 minutes or more here. I think I left here up $30 bucks. My ';make a wish'; husband played the tables and left even.

Trip Report - A week of off-strip and local places

Day 2 and 3. A bad Gamble, Valley of Fire and Mystere.

Sunday. Met up with my best friend Pook and her husband at South Point - another low minimum casino. This place is nice! It%26#39;s big, it%26#39;s clean..the coctail waitresses are great. Over the week we visit this place nearly every day for at least a little while. We had the buffet; Sunday brunch for $11.98 I think. The food was great! I tried several sweets; my favorite was a pie that had a chocolate bottom, coconut middle and pinapple topping - it%26#39;s a no share find. In the short time here I%26#39;m up $60 bucks. We grab the convertible and head down to the strip to show Mr. Pook the sights. We wondered through the usual places and watched the fountains and ended up in Paris. At all the places before this we would stick a few bucks in a machine just to see how quickly we%26#39;d loose. We all walked away up.

In Paris we separate for a few minutes to see the time factor in loosing 20 bucks. After I lost mine in 3 minutes I find my husband just as some guy offered to sell him some cocaine. Ugh. Bad gamble on that guy%26#39;s part. The good news is that it gave me a chance to loose another 40 and have a great conversation with my friends while my husband rectified that situation. We%26#39;re starving again so we hit Blondies for grub. Waitress forgot it was her table for first 20 minutes then managed to make at least one mistake with every order. No one was pleased. Pook%26#39;s fish and chips said it came with cole slaw but I swear there wasn%26#39;t enough of it for a dna test to confirm its presence. We head back to South Point for more winning and to wind down the evening. On the way out, and on a whim, we put a hundred in a 5 buck machine and walk out up another $200.

Monday. Mr Pook is playing golf so we meet up with Pook at Southpoint. While waiting for her I win another 100 bucks on a Wolf Run machine. Wolf Run and Coyote Moon machines were very kind this trip. We put the top down on the convertible and head to the Valley of Fire. I love this place!!! Pook has some back problems so we were wise in picking and choosing our hikes. It%26#39;s great that you drive to each section and they have sights to tell you how long each hike would be. The best 6 bucks spent ever! Not crowded and you can decide just how long you want to stay! Highly recommend spending a couple hours doing VofF. We stopped at the Black Mountain Grill in Henderson on the way back to Vegas for lunch. I love this place.

We had tickets for Mystere at TI for Monday night. Pre show I manage to lose about $80 bucks on slots and three card poker where my best hand was a 9 4 2. Ugh. So, I%26#39;m super excited about Mystere and again, we have right up front seats. Now, remember....this is just me...I absolutely hated this show! Felt like I was in a Dr. Seuss nightmare with Horton hearing a who with thing one and thing two. The lighting was dark, it seemed disjointed and sure they%26#39;d have lots of ';things'; on the stage but just a few people doing something. Compared to La Reve this was like watching my little nephews put on a show at the beach where you felt obligated to clap every few moments. I was greatful for my small bladder and a true need to leave. I sat in the lobby and waited for it to be over.

On the way out after loosing everything I put on a table or machine I literally stepped on a black chip! Yep...that%26#39;s a hundred bucks recouped. I know many of you would say I should have turned it into the casino. Don%26#39;t judge me....after all...it ultimately did end up at a casino. Even the goldfish machine here was cruel. I got the bonus round and picked the darn turtles first three picks.

Day 4. Tuesday. Sam%26#39;s Town, the Cannery and Gold Coast

Tuesday. We met the Pooks for breakfast at South Point since they were headed on to Phoenix. I think the breakfast buffet is around six buck. Super good. Eggs to order, everything fresh!

Hubby had a deep tissue massage scheduled at South Point - $120 for 50 minutes which he felt was ';adaquate.'; He isn%26#39;t the talker in the family.

While he%26#39;s being rubbed down I played for another couple hours and leaving up about $100 we head over to Sam%26#39;s Town. It was much further than I expected. Played some Texas Hold Em for a few hours. They signed me up for a card right at the table and told me to stop by the players desk for a valuable gift. I did. I could choose a pill organizer, a collander or flashlight...can you say tailoring to an older crowd? The coctail waitresses are even older than I am but I sure give them a thumbs up for fitting into the outfits and their responsiveness. I think they%26#39;d find a kidney for me if I had asked. This is another place you can play forever with very little money. Before leaving we hit the home made ice cream stand where I had a very good milk shake and hubster had an ice cream cone so large he couldn%26#39;t even finish!

Next stop - Cannery. I was expecting a bingo parlor turned into a warehouse of leftover slots. So very untrue. This place is great! It had the newest machines..like the John Wayne, Wizard of Oz and fancy Monopoly just to name a few. The John Wayne and Monopoly have the regular screen and then a screen over it with even more graphics. Great bonus rounds. Got a free T-shirt to boot! The 241 buffet was very nice. In hubby words ';lots of good regular food without too much fancy stuff.'; Another great place if you have a car. Let up about $50 bucks here. Doesn%26#39;t sould like a lot, but you don%26#39;t know just how fast I shove 20%26#39;s into anything...even cracks in the wall.

Last stop; Gold Coast. Why have we never gone here before???? This place is very nice. Played three card poker and got three J%26#39;s and then the next hand hubby got three Q%26#39;s! Oh yeah....we walked away several hundred up. Even the slots are friendly to me here.

Day 5. Wednesday. Grand Canyon West, Hacienda and Fiesta.

Top down on the convertible we head over the Hoover Dam toward Grand Canyon West. We didn%26#39;t stop for a tour of the Dam because in my mind it%26#39;s beautiful but still just plumming. We did stop right past at the top of the hill for the photo op. Music blarring it was a beautiful drive. One thing that really surprised me; you%26#39;re driving in the nothingness that can only be found in the desert then you find little clumps of civilization. But it seems so many places are abandoned. I imagine people like me get hooked on the concept of living there, but a little place and then wake up one day and say ';ok, enough'; and leave.

So with 21 more miles to go we turn off the road to a dirt drive - 14 miles of it. Go early and avoid the dust of other cars. My husband was silently appreciative of how speechless the landscape left me. My jaw dropped for the sights. Finally, we arrive at the little air strip where you park for $20 bucks. To go further you gotta pay. We decided on the bus service with skywalk and lunch option for two (another $159).

The bus driver said before the skywalk they%26#39;d get between 50 to 100 guests a day. Now upwards to 2000 daily. I gotta say something here. In this country people have to be warned that coffee is hot, and of hazards of swallowing tooth paste. So how is it that you can visit Grand Canyon West and there%26#39;s not a single guard rail? I was consumed with the fear of being blown or sucked over the edge. My body felt like it was going through contractions everytime my husband got near the edge. Sometimes I%26#39;d just hit the ground on all fours out of fear...and this stuff doesn%26#39;t normally scare me!

The skywalk in my husband%26#39;s opinion could have been placed somewhere more dramatic. I on the other hand was greatful that my bowels maintained control. We rode further to another point which I felt was one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Now, some will say Grand Canyon West isn%26#39;t really the Grand Canyon but this gal from NC was speechless, in awe and quite content to sit and be still in all the glory. Another highly recommend if you want to spend a half day or more away from the casinos.

On the way back to town we stopped at the Hacienda Casino past Hoover. I had a 241 coupon but didn%26#39;t eat. This place strikes me as a Holiday Inn turned into a little casino. They had a few tables which I suspect double for single senior speed dating and a limited number of slots. I don%26#39;t think it was the place itself but the clientele had the odor of a pair of sneakers my son had gotten wet years ago.

Next stop Fiesta. Another place in Henderson. Warned by pook%26#39;s brother not to eat here we did play for a while. Clean, larger than expected and we both left up over $150 each.

One thing we noticed at the majority of the off-strip and local casino%26#39;s; they usually don%26#39;t have Texas Hold-Em Bonus. We just like that game but almost all do have three card poker, roulette, craps and blackjack.

Day 6. Thursday. Downtown

During the day we did return to a few places and took it easy. Took a nap and headed to Downtown for the evening. We always go downtown for at least one night. First stop Mermaids for a deep fried twinkie which I immediately regretted the black capri%26#39;s I was wearing. In five minutes I managed to transform into what looked to be a victim of a mass white paintball battle. So, since my look was already ruined I decided this would be my drinking day (a once a year event). At the Plaza I quickly downed almost a dozen great bloody marys and became quick friends with the guy playing cards on my right. I can%26#39;t remember what game we were playing but I do recall a live band (was it disco?) and I was having the time of my life and wondering why I don%26#39;t drink more often. So I%26#39;m here I am, winning and this guy and I are laughing too loud, joking, playing and life is good...finally my husband decides enough and drags me away and informs me that the guy is a white supremist. What? Like I know what tatoos and rings mean. I love my husband for always letting me have fun but looking out for me.

We hit a few more places and I%26#39;m amazed how they%26#39;re really cleaning the places up...remodeling and spiffing. I love it downtown and the machines and tables are throwing money into my pocket. I have a pre-determined gambling budget and I%26#39;m back ahead a couple of days worth. Still drunk I leave my husband at a table and I find a slot machine..and then it happened. Da Da Dump....Barry White, is that you? Du Da Du Da Du, Du Du Dump? Oh no...not this song...I can%26#39;t refrain from dancing when I hear this! I can%26#39;t leave the machine and my husband isn%26#39;t here and I%26#39;m about to make a fool of myself! I quickly start telling myself outloud ';April, don%26#39;t start dancing.'; My head starts bopping... my shoulders follow. Where is my husband? ';Take it easy April'; Yeah when I talk to myself, drunk, downtown, I do it in the third person. This could end up with a crowd around me ';Middle aged woman with shirt tangled over her head dancing near wheel of fortune.'; Next thing I know I%26#39;m on my feet dancing at the machine slapping the max spin to the music full out dancing. Oh, thank God husband heard Barry White and found me in the nick of time. He knows me. I love that man. I don%26#39;t remember much other than that.

Day 7 and 8. Palace, Palms, Ellis Island, Gold Cost, South Point and Silverton...Friday and Saturday with no sleep between.

I love Palace Station. Three Card is great here. Straight Flush when I was on my last hand. I gotta tell you...I prefer the off-stip places, low minimums, seemingly long-time play per 20 bucks, good food, not crowded, coctail waitresses plenty! We don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll ever stay on the strip again.

Next we hit the Palms....I had a bad feeling about this place. How could I possibly loose so much money so quickly? We head over to Ellis Island where I have the steak special and hubby has a dip sandwhich so large he can%26#39;t finish. Man that steak was great. Tender, juicy, thick.

Later that day we return to Gold Coast. I have redeemed my budget to the point where I haven%26#39;t even started on my Thursday money and it%26#39;s Friday evening. I better get to loosing. Pit boss offers dinner at Ping Pang Pong and we eat, again as if it was our last meal. Orange chicken, beef noodle spicy soup, chicken fried rice, spring rolls and the waitress says we still have 52 bucks credit do we want something to go? Since in my drunken stupor downtown I forgot to get cheap souveniers for the the folks at work but I quickly decide against food poisoning probabilities and just leave.

We go back to the World Mark about 9pm to grab our bags, hit the CVS for 10 t-shirts (3 for $10) and are at SouthPoint by 10pm. We win more at three card poker and decide to end our trip at Silverton. We played until about 5am, dropped off the rental car and made it to the gate with time to spare. I volunteered to be bumped from the flight and considered trying the 20 buck tip. We were forced to go home on time.

Where are the delays and cancellations when you need them?

What a great trip report. Good info on all of those local casinos that I%26#39;ve been wondering about, with lots of detail. I%26#39;ve never been interested in the Grand Canyon skywalk, but, dang if I%26#39;m not now. Sounds great.

We need to travel together sometime since you hit all out favorite places!!!!

';I prefer the off-stip places, low minimums, seemingly long-time play per 20 bucks, good food, not crowded, coctail waitresses plenty! We don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll ever stay on the strip again.';

We%26#39;ve stayed on the strip or made trips to the strip so many times that we%26#39;ve branched out and prefer to gamble and stay away from the strip most every trip!

I loved your report! I was laughing outloud at parts. Nice read and you sound like so much fun!!!!

Great TR. I love the off strip places too. More gamble than glitz. :-%26gt;