First off, one of the biggest savings is, of course, the fact that I don't really get into gambling much. In fact, I spent only about 20 minutes total at just two video poker machines before my loss of a whopping $14.75 became too much for me to bear. I cashed out and never looked back.
Another big savings was airfare. I went with Spirit Airlines and got a great rate by dealing directly with them; better than all the aggregators like Orbitz and Priceline. What's more, I saved an additional $30 by buying the tickets at the airport rather than online.
The cost of accommodations were dirt cheap! The aggragators were all touting Imperial Palace as the cheapest (other than way off the strip) at around $45 a night but I went directly through the hotel site and got rates at around $25 a night! Now the room was definitely not luxurious and opulent. The hotel is big and located in the heart of the strip but it's seen its better days come and go. Very dated and kinda grungy but not too bad. Better than Motel 6.
Now what wasn't cheap on this mini-vacation were the things people all say are a great value in Vegas: food and drinks. I guess if you're a gambler and use your Player's Club cards you get discounts, but for plebs like me, we pay full price. I paid an average of $7-$10 per drink and food was twice the restaurant prices here. Even fast food joints...Subway sells foot-long subs for $10!
I got in late Sunday night after an evening flight from Orlando via Dallas-Ft. Worth. (A vending machine at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport dispensed gold-colored Statue of Liberty dollar coins as change. First time I've seen them.)
After a short ride from the airport in Vegas, I checked in and even though I was tired from flying (in very uncomfortable seats) and it was 1:30 in the morning Pacific time, I got my second wind and went down to the Strip to check out the late night vibe and energy. Reminded me very much of Bourbon Street, only much, much bigger!
While I was walking and gawking, some lady walking in front of me jokingly asked me if I was stalking her. She said that it was usually the other way around in her case. I giggled thinking she was just being friendly, then she said "So where are we staying tonight?" I realized that she was actually a hooker and she was propositioning me. I must have blushed as I walked faster to pass her and leave her behind. Thankfully, she didn't pursue me. Yikes!
The next morning (my birthday) I up woke up around 8:30 and went down for breakfast. They have a great looking home-style breakfast joint in the hotel but after being put on a waiting list and checking out the prices, I decided to skip it and got a egg muffin at a nearby food court concession.
I had a plan to walk the south part of the Strip as much as my feet would allow and though it took me the better part of the rest of the morning and early afternoon, I was proud that I'd done it.
I walked through the gardens in the back of the Flamingo hotel. I could see that the gardens of the Aces casino in "Fallout New Vegas" were modeled after this. Also, if I ever come back with Ric, he'll no doubt be thrilled to see that they just opened up a "Carlos and Charlie's" here.
From the Flamingo I made my way meandering through casino floor after casino floor, shop area after shop area through pretty much each of the hotel casinos heading south. (Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Paris, MGM Grand)
At Excalibur I was starting to feel the burn so I made my way back, this time trying to hit the hotels I missed on the way down. (New York New York, Monte Carlo, Bally's, Caesar's Palace)
Once back at home base (Imperial Palace) my dogs were screaming so I grabbed a $1.99 foot-long hot dog and a tiny $1 margarita and went up to my room to soak my feet. I'd bought a 12-pack of Coors soon after I checked in the night before and still had several of them so I got a bucket of ice, chilled them off and sipped a few while enjoying the live band music from the outdoor bar below.
Yeah, another reason the room was so cheap...there was always booming music playing 'till 3:30 am each night and, during the day, construction noises from an ongoing demolition of old shops...right below me. I loved it but I'm sure some guests didn't.
Later that night I went to my first Vegas show, "Legends in Concert" an ensemble of celebrity singer impersonators. There was Dean Martin, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Elvis. Talk about a motley crew! They all did a fantastic job too, especially the Michael Jackson. I got pissed though when they wanted 35 dollars for a posed photo they had us take with the Elvis guy. I knew it would cost extra (Hello, I'm from Orlando and know about these type of photos) but not THAT much. I offered $20 but he wouldn't take it so I declined. It looked cool though. Bummer.
After the show I decided to start exploring in the north direction and went to Venetian where I saw the famous shops on an artificial interior Venetian canal, complete with gondolas. There I saw the shop Michael Jackson spent tens of thousands of dollars at for very gaudy home decor pieces.
As I was leaving the Venetian, I lucked out as the Volcano at The Mirage was just starting one of its shows.
I was still a bit pooped from all the days walking so I headed back towards home base and decided to go to the bar that I could hear so blaringly from my hotel room balcony. It was mostly a young, raucous crowd that didn't mind plunking down lots o' cash for drinks. (my one Corona cost $7) The bartenders had this shtick where they tooted whistles and performed acrobatic feats of flashy liquor pouring (ala the Tom Cruise classic "Cocktail") It was interesting to see their skill but now I knew why they were over-priced...it's all about the theater. That was Vegas, in my opinion...all about the theater.
The next morning I munched on the leftover half of a Chipotle burrito I'd ordered the night before and washed it down with some more of my ice chilled beers. Drinking at 7 am? Yup. It's Vegas. (Well, like I need that as an excuse.)
At about 9:00 I pocketed a couple of cans for the road and trekked northward. I got to Wynn and decided that the blisters on the bottom of my feet were large enough so I bought a bus pass and took the double decker bus to the Stratosphere. Here I spent a good half an hour gazing down from my lofty tower at the vast sandy-colored landscape of the wide, flat Las Vegas area. In the distance, huge craggy mountains framed the valley insulating the city from the rest of the world.
The rest of the trip was just more wandering and discovering. I had lunch at Harrah's buffet...it was good but not much better than a Golden Corral...I don't know what all the hype is about Vegas buffets. Went souvenir shopping and rode the crowded bus some more.
Late that night I flew back home by way of Chicago, took a cab home from OIA since I felt too tired to wait for the bus and crashed in order to be ready for work that evening.
Overall, I'd say I had a blast. My three wishes for the trip I mentioned in the previous post held up. I was able to walk an estimated 2 to 3 miles without collapse. I didn't lose too much gambling. And I survived the impact of almost non-stop drinking. Actually, I guess 'cause I didn't drink a huge amount at once, I sipped it throughout the day and night so I never got drunk and had no hangover. Woo hoo!
There it is, my little Vegas vacation. Nothing very scandalous and juicy I'm afraid.
Oh well, there's always next time!