Please ADD your own Las Vegas Trip Report. Date of Trip: February 24, 2006 to February 28, 2006 Hotel Stayed At: Imperial Palace and Residence Inn Convention Center Report by: Big Lee <> From: Baltimore, MD

Just returned from another memorable trip to Vegas! This was my tenth trip to LV, and the third one in the past calendar year. This vacation also marked my first non-holiday day off in almost nine long months. Wow, a lot happened in four nights:

My friend J and I left BWI and 30° weather Friday morning on one of Southwest’s non-stops to Vegas. Flight left on time and we arrived at the Mac and temps in the mid-60s. Gotta love that! Picked up a Ford Taurus at Hertz and we were on our way to my “home away from home,” the Imperial Palace. We checked into our standard room near the back bank of elevators. Room was fine as always: comfy king sized bed with a floral bedspread, wicker dresser, table and chairs, tv which was never turned on, ample hot water in the bathroom, nice view from the 16th floor, and the a.c. cranked just fine. One comment I’ll make, it had a “Ladies Friendly” toilet seat. We guys understand what I mean by that; the seat needed to be held up…Never had a problem waiting for either the main or the back elevators.

Changed into my Ben Roethlisberger jersey and we hit The Strip. Or The Strip hit me. Lost fifty bucks too damn quickly. Since it had been hours since we had a real meal, that Southwest snack box of Ritz Cheese Crackers, Wheat Thins, and a Fig Newton Bar just didn’t satisfy me, we headed to Big Dogs on Sahara. A little more of a dive than we expected, but their microbrewery does produce some good beer. Huge servings of above average food. Good sweet potato fries. Must be a Southern Thang, I love those puppies.

Friday night in Vegas, there’s only one place I want to be: Karaoke at Tequila Joe’s back at the IP. L, a dealer at one of The Strip resorts, joined us for drinks and a few of the performances. This 20-something guy notices my jersey, walks up to me, and asks if I’m from Pittsburgh. “Maryland,” I tell him, “but I’m a huge Steelers fan.” He informs me that several Steelers players have been spotted at Caesars. He also tells me that his sister is a mega Roethlisberger fan. Guy said he promised his sister he’d take a picture standing next to Big Ben if they were to meet. I couldn’t help but accommodate this request; considering that I’m 5’2” and weigh 135 pounds, I kind of don’t look like an athlete of any sort, let alone the stud quarterback of the Big Game winning team…maybe it was the brown hair and goatee…LOL!!!

Did a killer version of Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone,” played a few more slots, lost another fifty, and J and I called it a night. It’s a night. (-$100)

Saturday morning, we woke up too early and hit the IP’s Emperor’s Buffet. Not bad, definitely worth the price of admission since it was free with a coupon. Today was a day to hit many casinos new and old, and for J and I to pick up cards from casinos that may not be long for this world. Started at the new (to me) Hard Rock, Hooters, then Terrible’s, and the Tuscany. After a quick sammich at Hamburger Mary’s, we headed to the Gold Coast. Had some damn good luck at most of the off-Strip properties, and, at the Coast, I found a Leopard Spots machine that was en fuego. We then crossed over to The Palms. J had her card from there, so I headed to the Club Palms booth. When walking back to find J, I see this guy in a Roethlisberger jersey. I tell *him* that I’m a huge Steelers fan, and he tells me that Ben, The Bus, and Joey Porter were seen shooting craps. “No way,” I think, thank him, and head for the craps pit. I see The Bus and Porter, but no sign of Big Ben. Wander over to the High Stakes room, and, no sign of him there either. You gotta understand that Ben is my hero and idol. I totally want to meet this guy. In a few minutes I see a very attractive young lady wearing a Hines Ward jersey. I ask her if she’s seen Ben Roethlisberger, and she tells me that he signed her jersey, shows me the autograph, and that he headed to his room five minutes ago. Story of my freakin’ life. I tell J that I want to stick around and camp out by the bank of elevators leading to his room, waiting for him. No, I didn’t do that. Dang it!

We headed over to the Rio, then to the Riv so that J can pick up a card, then make the short drive over to the Wynn. We have a great dinner at the Terrace Point Café prior to “Avenue Q.” What a hysterical show, and a bit politically incorrect, too. What a hoot! After the performance, we hit the Stardust and the New Frontier so that J can get cards to add to her collection. Played a few machines, and lost a few more bucks. After a few Baileys on the rocks at the IP and making an additional contribution to the Harrah’s Corporation, we called it a night. It’s a night. (-$160 for the trip.)

Sunday morning, after breakfast at the Emperor’s Buffet, we check out. Good bye the IP, my beloved friend! I hope that you’re still up and running on my next visit! We drive over to L’s for another day of casino hopping. First stop, Lake Las Vegas and the Montecito, I mean Montelago. Got my Club Uno card and had some good luck on a Super Cherry machine. Cruised over to the Sunset Station and had lunch at Hooters. Watched Nascar while eating at Hooters in a casino with two beautiful women by my side. God bless America! The Sunset Station was good to me, and I hit a pretty nice jackpot on a new Cleopatra II machine. Go Miss Cleo, save my sorry butt once again! After playing for a few hours, we were dropped off at our hotel for the next two nights, the Residence Inn on Paradise near the Convention Center. Very spacious accommodations and very pleasant hotel, it’s the perfect place to stay if attending an event occurring at the Convention Center.

After freshening up and changing, L picked us up and we drove to The Silverton. Had a nice hit on a Little Green Men Family Reunion machine, enjoyed a Mermaids show (a little shorter than I thought it would be, but fun to see), and I spent 45 minutes wandering around the Bass Pro Shop while the ladies played slots. The three of us rendezvoused and L drove through bumper to bumper Sunday night traffic to Caesars. We tried to get seated at the Cheesecake Factory, but we were told it was a half hour wait. Don’t care how good the cheesecake is, I ain’t waiting that long to eat it. We walked back to Café Lago at Caesars, and were seated immediately. Very nice room, very soothing décor, and the Jazz duo was a nice touch. Dinner was fantastic, and not that expensive either. This will become a regular haunt. Spent some time at Caesars, at the Bellagio, and at Bally’s and Paris. Since I was up for the day, I didn’t play a single machine after dinner. Exhausted, L dropped us off back at the hotel. (-$132.00)

Monday morning, we enjoyed the hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet and L picked us up for the day’s adventure. Road trip, road trip, road trip! First stop, Jean. I kind of liked the Nevada Landing, it reminded me of the way casinos used to be, though all of the machines are coin pay. Just like they all used to be. D’oh! Saw a guy hit a dollar machine for $2400.00. Lucky bastard. I’m still waiting for my first W2-G… I’ll have to continue waiting. After a few more minutes play, we drove south on the I-15 to Primm. The rest of the morning and early afternoon were spent at the three casinos and the outlet mall there. L drove us back to The Strip and to the Aladdin. The magic genie didn’t come out of the lamp. After a quick visit to the Venetian, then the Sahara, the two ladies introduced me to another Vegas Classic, the Peppermill. I can’t believe I’ve never hit this joint before. Holy Stuck-in-the-70s, Batman. LOVED the Pink Flamingo stained glass lights, one of those bad boys would look great in my tiki bar, and the fire pit is just too cool. Servings were incredible, the food was tasty, and the drinks were immense. This will become another regular spot on my Vegas Circuit. L left us at our hotel, and we parted ways. See you soon, L!

Since the night was still young, J and I headed to the Hilton, then to the skankiest, snake pittiest, most disgusting place on the face of the earth, the Greek Isles. I was actually scared there, and I live in Baltimore. I’m a Steelers fan who lives in Baltimore, so I am a pretty courageous dude. Sorry folks at the Greek Isles, tear it down, tear it down NOW. J drove to Terrible’s then to the Tuscany. Had some nice luck at those spots and ended the day up a very small amount. Beats being down. (-$127.00)

Tuesday morning came too early and too soon. After breakfast and a quick visit to the Tuscany, we headed to the Hertz lot and back to the Mac. Our WN return flight left around a half hour late, which caused me to participate in my own version of “The Amazing Race” when driving home to make it there in time for the premier episode of the latest season of that very show. Pulled into my driveway with ten minutes to spare. Whew! As I pulled in, the next song the local cowboy station dj started to play: Kenny Roger’s classic “The Gambler.” You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…How appropriate, eh? Finished the trip down $122.00, which is a record for me. Had MUCH better luck at the Off-Strip and out-of-town casinos. I’m already looking forward to my November trip and do not plan to spend one dime gaming on Las Vegas Boulevard. I’d rather stay and play Off-Strip where I did much better.

Thanks for reading this, y’all, as writing it brings back many happy moments. Viva Las Vegas!


Big Lee <> - Baltimore, MD    2892

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