Day 3 – Just Throw it in the Bag…
I slept in a little today and eventually made it back down to the cainso to chase the Royal. Again, I was disappointed (though to tell you the truth, I kept cashing out with what I started with, so I was not really too disappointed). Today we were switching hotels.
Originally all 4 nights were booked at MGM, but I got a killer deal from Planet Hollywood that I could not resist (free for me and $69 a night for my sisters with a free bottle of liquor per night) and I carefully planned the move to minimize any disruption or wandering about without a room. Plus, I thought it would be fun to show my sisters a different hotel since it was their first Vegas trip.
Many people on this forum ask whether it is worth it to switch rooms during a Vegas trip. Here’s my answer: I would usually not do it on a short trip like this – too much work, but it can be done with relative ease if it is planned right. It’s easiest if you have a car to leave your bags in and something to do between check-out and check-in so you don’t feel “homeless”. We had both.
So we left MGM around 11:00 and made our way up to Bellagio, where we parked the car and left our bags. DW and I were looking forward to showing my sisters the wonders of the champagne brunch. S22 declared that “today was her drinking day” - it was on! As we approached the buffet, the line stretched on forever. I whipped out the line pass and we went straight to the front. My sisters were amazed (how did I know so much about Vegas???) – Thanks again TA!
We stayed for a long, long time - drinking, laughing, joking, making friends with our server, taking pictures, laughing more, and drinking more. There is this song by rapper Fabolous [sic] called “Throw it in the Bag”. The previous night, it became a joke, as I kept asking S22 to put souvenir junk in her bag (plastic Miller Light cups so we could make drinks in the room, a plastic beer pitcher from Bill’s, etc, etc.) By the end of brunch we were so slap-happy that I was jokingly telling S22 to throw the artwork from the Bellagio brunch in the bag, or one of the chairs from the table next to us in the bag, or that little kid sitting over there in the bag, and so on. I know it may not seem funny now, but we were crying and hyperventilating with laughter…I guess you had to be there.
And then, I am embarrassed to admit, S22 really started throwing stuff in her bag. I even pitched in by jokingly throwing a breakfast potato in the bag (she did not appreciate it). I will not fully confess the extent of in-the-bag throwing that went on here, but I will tell you that it made Lantana_UK’s Wynn napkin episode appear minor – I am sure the Bellagio would have rather had Lantana_UK pocket a napkin/snack than the stuff S22 threw in the bag!
TIP: If you have not read any of Lantana_UK’s trip reports, you need to go find them and read them immediately! They are, in my humble opinion, among the best I have ever read, and they put anything I could ever write to shame. I imagine most of you have read them, but if you have not, you will not regret following my advice on this one.
We eventually stumbled out of the buffet like 4 drunken sailors (large glasses of champagne in hand), but not before first profusely thanking our server, giving her a $50 tip (really not too much for the excellent service we received), telling her she had made our day, and having her say the same to us (she genuinely meant it, I can tell, so it made me feel really good to tip her so well and help make up for some of the paltry tips the tables around us left).
As we left, I looked at the line, and remarked to my sisters that we would still be standing in it if I hadn’t gotten the line pass. S30’s response: “What are you taking about? S22 and I would still be standing in line to check in at the MGM Grand if we weren’t with you - Father Vegas!” Uproarious laughter ensued, and my heart was warmed knowing that S30 appreciated my planning.
After grabbing our bags from the car, we stumbled across the street to PH to check in. Driving was not an option for us, and truth be told, the Bellagio parking garage is really not any further from the PH check-in than the PH parking garage…It may even be closer.
I did the $20 pre-tip because I wanted up to get fountain views. We got great views on high floors (29 and 33). PH has some great fountain view rooms and if you open the little air vent, you can hear the fountain music. I love this casino – fun vibe. The rooms are pretty nice too (large bathrooms, big-screen tv’s, modern décor). As with MGM, not the fanciest, but definitely worth the price I paid (free :)
S22, drunk as can be, went straight to sleep, while DW, S30, and I explored the casino. We played blackjack (no real luck), and I tried to teach S30 how to play video poker. She kept asking “where is the bonus round?” Clearly, we were not on the same wavelength…
After a brief rest, it was time to go downtown! Too bad S22 has chosen this as her drinking day – it cost us $30 (including tip) each way for a cab downtown. I thought the first guy long-hauled us by going down to Tropicana and getting on the highway, but after forcing the cabbie on the way back to take the most direct Strip/Koval route and having the exact same fare, I was not as mad at the first guy.
As a side note, the construction on Harmon and Koval is one of the biggest cluster%u#k$ in Las Vegas right now. I hate it. That will be the most negative thing you will hear me say in this TR (I strive to maintain a positive attitude, but traffic brings out the true demon in me!)
We were all hungry, so we went straight to dinner at Tony Roma’s (DW loves this place from her childhood – good ribs). Unfortunately, at dinner, S22 began complaining of illness and said she needed to get DayQuil and sleep NOW (Seriously WTFFF??? I am scared now...surely I am next!) We had only been downtown for an hour and we weren’t leaving (and I was not sending her back to the hotel alone under any circumstances), so I came up with a Brilliant plan!
If you read my last TR, you may recall that the Golden Nugget pool area is my favorite place to play Blackjack in all of Vegas. They have $5 tables if you get there early, the dealers are beautiful and friendly, the waterfall is awesome, the scenery is spectacular, the cocktail service is USUALLY great (read on…), and it is always a great time overall! There are also lots of comfortable, cushioned loungers surrounding the relaxing pool that are free for the taking at night. Indeed, I have dozed off and taken a cat nap on those loungers on more than one occasion…which helped me formulate my Brilliant plan.
So DW and I found a lounger for S22 where we could keep an eye on her from the blackjack tables, covered her with a towel, and told her to go to sleep (Don’t judge us – it’s not like she’s a little kid or anything!!). We drank and played, and she fell asleep immediately. We invited S30 to play blackjack with us, but she was jonesing for a bonus round, so she meandered into the casino, leaving us outside to watch over little sister.
When the young and, my best guess, brand new cocktail waitress came back to us after the first round of drinks and our drinks were empty, she looked at us with genuine surprise (no smile) and matter-of-factly said something to DW and me that I have honestly never heard a Vegas cocktail waitress say: “Wow... you two drink fast.”
DW looked at me and telepathically transmitted the following: “Oh - NO she didn’t!”
My telepathic response: “Wow, I think she did…Please don’t say anything to her – I will handle this one.”
The identical rant that ensued in both of our heads: “WTF…you make more tips the more we drink; Don’t judge us! How long have you been doing this anyway? If you think that was fast, you’ve got another thing coming, cause our drinks been empty for 10 minutes! Where the h#ll have you been? Most good cocktail waitresses would be giving us a big smile and running back for another…remember, tips! Why are you still standing there with that dumb look on your face??? Go get us some more drinks! And please stop saying stupid $h*t like that to your customers…it will only result in your demise. You have got to be kidding!!!!!”
My verbal response to the cocktail waitress: “Indeed we do drink fast. May we please have another round?” It took some energy to muster up that positive attitude, but I never like to bite the hand that is feeding me drinks, even if she is a dumb floozy.
A little while later, S30 came out with a $200 dollar ticket – she found her bonus round and it was kind to her! Since it was 5 minutes to 10:00, we cashed out and made our way out to Fremont Street – DW and I really wanted to show my sisters the light show. It was the Queen tribute (that is a really good one). S22 was still feeling really crappy (as were DW and S30, though they were on their 3rd and 2nd days of illness respectively and it was getting better as time wore on). As such, we cabbed it back to PH. S22 went straight to bed, but the rest of us had some birthday business to take care of.
I managed to convince S30 to go back over to the PH Sports Book video-poker bar (probably my favorite bar in Vegas) so she could get fast drink service, and the 3 of us hung out for about an hour, drinking fast and playing slow.
Oh yeah, “Drink Fast, Play Slow” is my Vegas motto, and it is what keeps me inebriated 90% of the time in Vegas without really losing an unreasonable amount of money gambling. That is the best advice I can give if you, like me, just want to drink, have fun, and dabble in the gambling without ever risking enough to make you nervous about losing money (not a comfortable feeling for me, and one which both DW and I, thankfully, both have the discipline to avoid).
At 11:45, DW and I grabbed S30 and marched her across the street to the Bellagio fountains. She was turning 30 at midnight, and we wanted it to be the most memorable birthday moment ever for her. (As a side note, if you are from the East Coast, Vegas is a great place to spend a monumental birthday…We wished S30 a “Happy Birthday” every hour starting at 9:00 (midnight Eastern time), and so on. There is just something cool about being 30 at home and 29 in Vegas, all at the same time! I know personally because I did it for my own 30th birthday (and I plan to do it every decade until I turn 150!)
As the Bellagio fountains usually do, the last show of the night started early (5 minutes prior to midnight), and it was the Star Spangled Banner. Phenomenal, Extraordinary, Breathtaking!
It was over just prior to midnight, and I was drunk, so I was boisterously informing strangers in front of Bellagio that S30 would be 30 years old in 2 minutes…then it was 1 minute, then it was 30 seconds, and by the time we got to the corner where you can cross over to PH, I had about 50 strangers doing a New-Year’s Eve style countdown to her 30th birthday…
Collectively: "…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!"
Then a really cool Aussie shouted out: “Lead us in song, and we’ll sing along!” So I did, and we all sang Happy Birthday to S30 on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Bellagio Drive. I’m pretty sure this was the type of send-off S30 was looking for to leave her 20’s behind (and the reason she wanted her brother – the SECOND funniest person she knows, to be there for it!)
As soon as the song was over, the “Walk” signal came on. I handed my beer, wallet, and cell phone to DW, and she simultaneously chuckled and rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next. I ran out in front of the crowd and did an Olympic-sized cartwheel/round-off in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd.
Though I have asked DW on numerous occasions to prevent me from doing this (I have been injured doing this), she knows there is no stopping me at this point! When I am drunk and happy, I think I am a gymnast (though in real life, I am a little chunky, a lot un-coordinated, and nothing like a gymnast!) I have done this in many locations in Vegas – including the West Wing Bar (where made a grand "surprise" entrance and over-rotated and fell on my unsuspecting friends and a few strangers) and all over the Monte Carlo Casino (where I was asked to leave by Security.)
When we got back to PH, we celebrated S30’s arrival into her 30’s a bit longer. None of us wanted this night to end! In spite of the “swine flu” that both DW and S30 were still grappling with and our collective over-the-top intoxication, we were pumped-up and having a ball!
As it must always be, we eventually succumbed to our exhaustion and staggered our way over to the elevators. A few big birthday hugs later, we were all back in our rooms dreaming about the marvelous Vegas lights, not quite ready to face the fact that tomorrow would be our last night of the trip. We were all pleased with the way S30’s midnight had gone down…it had been a Good-Good night, and a night the three of us will always remember (parts of it, at least!)
