We stayed in the West Bar until everyone arrived. The "West Bar" is somewhat deceiving. It's not just a bar but a room full of slot machines that has a bar on one side. But it was a convenient place to meet - especially in Circus Circus, which was packed with people and rather large.
By around 5pm we had Joe, Barb and Roy, Howie and Deb, Ron and Colleen, Ed and Ann, Arden and me. We decided to go to dinner in the hotel and make plans for the next day. We went to a restaurant called Rock and Rita's - a sports bar type restaurant around the corner from the bar. There were TV's everywhere with different sports events. One of the screens was at least 10 feet across. They pushed several tables together so we could all sit in a group and we had a nice, if noisy meal.
After dinner everyone went their separate ways for a while. Arden, Howie and I walked down to the local CVS a couple of blocks away to buy a few things we needed. Joe entered a poker tournament in another casino and the rest of the gang went to various casinos and hotels.
After returning from CVS Arden and I went to the room to relax a bit. We'd been on the go for four days and just needed to rest. Unfortunately, our room was across the hallway from a bank of elevators. Every time one of the elevators stopped on our floor we could hear the bell ringing. And people getting off the elevator were often loud and unconcerned about other guests in the hotel. We began hearing all of this after we turned off the television to go to sleep. Within about half an hour Arden was wanting to change rooms. But it was late and we decided we'd rather wait until the next day. She pulled out her trusty ear plugs that she carries with her and finally went to sleep. It was a long night.
The next morning we made coffee in the room using our own pot and our own coffee. Like most casino hotels, there was no in-room coffee maker because they want you downstairs in the shops and casinos so they can relieve you of your cash. We are spoiled anyway when it comes to coffee. We like our own so much we take it with us everywhere we go. Once we were showered and dressed for the day we headed out to - you guessed it - the West Bar. As we waited for everyone to arrive and we discussed what we were going to do for breakfast, I bought a cup of coffee from the snack counter. As soon as I tasted it I was glad we had brought our own. Their coffee was awful!
Someone had bought a box of doughnuts. Arden had one but I wasn't interested. I wanted real food. When all had arrived we headed upstairs to a bagel shop that sold breakfast. It wasn't Denny's, which was just down the street, but I had an egg and sausage sandwich on an exceptionally good cheese/spinach bagel. The egg was OK, the sausage was one small patty centered in the bagel but the bagel itself made up for it. Arden had the same bagel with butter and cream cheese and said "Can I have this every day?" Apparently I have competition now.
After breakfast we split up again - some going to other hotels and casinos, some going exploring. Arden and I went for a walk down Las Vegas Boulevard then had an appointment at 11:30am. When we arrived at the hotel the day before, after we checked in, we were greeted by someone we thought was a hotel employee who asked us if we had received our free gifts yet. I should have known what was going on but we replied "No, we haven't," thinking maybe the hotel was going to comp us something. It turned out to be a time share presentation, of sorts, for which we would receive $100 in food coupons and a free three day, two night vacation if we only listened to their presentation. Since the food in the hotel was expensive we decided to do it. It was supposed to take about two hours and they would provide transportation and food.
We got on a bus at 11:30 and went to a resort down the strip called "Polo Towers". It was a high rise condominium building, fairly new, that sat right on Las Vegas Boulevard across from the Bellagio and New York, New York hotels. We sat through a brief presentation in which we were told how we simply could not afford to pass up this deal, then got a tour and a pitch. I suppose the deal they were offering wasn't terrible but having just bought a new home with our old one still on the market we were in no position to purchase anything. We told them that up front but they tried several times anyway. Funny how the sales people always seem disappointed when you don't make that purchase - even though they know going in it's not going to happen.
Three hours later we got our gifts and a ride back to Circus Circus. The weekend trip will either be used for Lake Tahoe, Willliamsburg, Virginia or Branson, Missouri. We haven't decided yet. And our food coupons bought us a breakfast buffet Sunday and Monday and bought Ron and Colleen breakfast Monday morning. So we got our money's worth. (We could have used the $25 coupons in the Steak House but the lowest priced steak on the menu was $47 - and that was for a New York Strip. For that price they better be the best steaks I've ever eaten!)
We got back from the presentation in time to change rooms. They initially tried to put us in another room across the hall from the elevators but I wouldn't let them. Instead they moved us down the hallway and the room seemed much better.
We all met in the West Bar at 4pm Saturday afternoon to go to dinner at the Hofbrau Haus - a large German restaurant down the strip about a mile. We were going to take a taxi but there was a limo in the valet parking area and the driver agreed to take us all there for $45 - which was about the same as we'd have paid for three taxis. There were 10 of us needing transportation since Joe was playing in another poker tournament.
The Hofbrau House was a very traditional German place - large dining room with long tables that seated 8-10 people. It had high ceilings painted with various German symbols and musicians playing traditional German songs. They didn't play the chicken dance, at least while we were there, and we were a little disappointed. But they did play one during which everyone stood on their chairs and raised their glasses, which is a tradition.
The food was authentic and very good. Arden and I had a sampler plate which had a pork chop, a wurst and a piece of sauerbraten, along with sauerkraut and potatoes. I had talked to Joe, who was arriving a little late, and ordered him a jaeger schnitzel - a piece of fried veal with a mushroom gravy and spatzle - a very good German noodle dish. And of course they had authentic German beers in 1 liter mugs.
The food, beer and entertainment were excellent. We all ate (Joe showed up in time for the food) and then went back to the hotel to await the next round of entertainment - a limo that took us to see all the sights. We went to a couple of hotels, the water fountains near the Bellagio, Freemont Street and then to the famous Las Vegas sign at the edge of town. We took pictures and partied in the limo and everyone had a great time. Except for Howie and Deb. They had entered a 5K run on Sunday morning and they were disciplined enough to go to their room and go to sleep early so they could get up early the next morning and participate. I think the next morning some of us wished we had been with them instead...
Arden and I got back to the hotel and went to get something to eat. We took it up to our room only to discover some things were missing. But by then we were tired and didn't want to go back downstairs. So we made due.
We went to bed expecting a nice, quiet, restful night. But it was Saturday night. The hotel was packed and there were many people moving about throughout the night. People walking down the hallway at three in the morning had no consideration for anyone, talking and laughing and generally making a lot of noise. We thought about going to the door and yelling at them but that would only have contributed to the clamor. So we waited them out and went back to sleep.
We slept late the next morning and had our coffee before heading downstairs. Everyone had already left the bar so we went to the buffet for something to eat.
The buffet was a disappointment. The bacon and sausage were good but the eggs were microwave stuff, the biscuits were previously frozen, the corned beef hash was awful and the gravy had no taste. Arden didn't want breakfast so she had a salad that wasn't very good and some potato salad she said tasted like it came from a grocery store. I realize the restaurant serves a very large number of people every meal but they should really serve food that is worth $14 per person. Of course, buffets in other hotels cost far more so maybe they're simply trying to keep the cost down.
When we finished we walked up to the midway area of the hotel where they have carnival games and a different circus act every half hour. We didn't play any games - just wandered around and watched a couple perform on a long rope. Then we went back up to the room to relax for a while.
The previous evening had taken its toll on several of us. Joe was in another tournament and the rest of the gang was out sightseeing at some of the other hotels. Arden and I took a short nap then went down and met everyone at Rock N Rita's for the Cowboys/Redskins game. Joe is a big Dallas fan and Ed and Ann are from the DC area so they had to watch it. I didn't care one way or the other. Arden and I split a lettuce wedge with blue cheese and bacon. It was nearly an entire head of lettuce. It was good.
That evening some were going out again, others were taking it easy. We had to drive back to Arizona the next day so we wandered around for a bit then went back upstairs. Neither of us are big gamblers and the casinos are loud and full of smoke. So we decided to simply relax, get on our computers for a bit, and get some rest. Neither of us had slept well since our arrival.
Everyone had decided to meet for breakfast the next morning. We had an extra coupon for the buffet for 2 and some of the others had their own. Joe was comped so he didn't have to worry. Even though the buffet wasn't the best food in town - it was free. So we all thought that was a good idea.
Many of the hotel guests had departed that day so it was really quiet in the hotel. We finally got some much needed sleep.
The next morning saw us meeting in the West Bar again. This time it made sense - it was right next to the buffet. Some people were leaving that day and others were departing on Tuesday. So this was our last full group meeting. We divided up the coupons so everyone could eat free and headed for the buffet. It was rather popular - we had to wait in line for about 15 minutes.
Finally we all got in and got several tables pushed together. The buffet has pretty much anything you want - even first thing in the morning. They had a full breakfast bar, omelettes to order, lunch and dinner bars, burgers and fries, desserts, breads, fruits... and I think they even had pizza. Pretty much anything you could want. Not gourmet but free. I think we all decided on breakfast. (The day before I had seen a guy eating scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy and washing it down with a beer.)
We ate and talked, made plans for the next get-together in 2015, and eventually has to say our good-byes. Howie and Deb were headed for the airport. Barb and Roy were supposed to head in the same direction as us but had changed their minds and were going back to California. Ron and Colleen were flying out a little later and the rest were staying. Joe was meeting his father-in-law at another hotel for yet another big poker tournament.
We gave hugs all around and headed back to the room to get our things and check out. The bellman came to get our things and I filled our ice chest for the road. Yes - I filled it from the hotel ice machine! We got down to the valet parking area about the same time as Howie and Deb so were able to tell them good-bye one last time. They live in San Antonio so we get to see them a couple of times a year anyway.
As we drove away from the hotel Arden said she needed to stop at a store for something. There was a 7-11 just around the corner so we stopped there. I realized I probably should check out the men's room while I was there so I went over to it first. There was a sign on the door that said "Please ask clerk for key" but the door was open and the room was empty. So I went in and closed the door. When I emerged a few minutes later the female clerk, who was standing nearby, said to me (with a foreign accent) "Next time you ask me first."
I was a bit surprised but replied "You don't have to worry. The door was unlocked and I will never be back here again."
"OK," she said, and that was the end of it. I bought a bottle of water and Arden went into the bathroom behind me. I waited for her to come out and as soon as she did - the clerk hurried over to lock the door. I realize Las Vegas is a large city and they probably have a huge problem with homeless people coming into the store to use the facilities but I thought it was pretty funny.
We got on the freeway and headed to US 93, the road out of town that went by Hoover Dam. We had decided to stop and see the dam and the bridge so we got off the highway on the old road that goes right over the dam itself. There is a Department of Agriculture security checkpoint about a mile before the dam. Mostly they look in your car to see if you look like terrorists and wave you on. I felt much safer after that.
We drove out onto the dam and it was quite a sight. The road is narrow and there were a lot of people walking around. Parking was $7 so we decided just to drive across and back, taking in what we could. The architecture was pretty impressive for a dam and I noticed one thing in particular. In 1997 a movie was made starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek called "Fools Rush In." It was filmed mostly in Las Vegas but there was a scene at the end where Salma Hayek was returning from Mexico on 93, across the dam. As I drove across the dam myself I realized that in the movie they had filmed her driving South, from Nevada to Arizona rather than the other way around. Funny the things you think of.
The new bridge is built with a high wall so you can't see the dam at all from the roadway. I'm sure they did that to keep traffic from stopping for photo ops and it makes sense. You can walk across it if you're adventuresome and don't mind a climb. We opted to skip the new bridge and cross the old one.
The water is fairly clear and deep near the dam. All in all it's an impressive sight.
After looking around for a few minutes we got back in the care and headed South toward Kingman, Arizona and Interstate 40 again. It was about a five hour drive back to Chuck and Gayle's home in Prescott Valley - and we had dinner waiting. After a very unremarkable drive we arrived back at their home around 5. Gayle wasn't going to be home until 8 so we talked to Chuck and had a late dinner of those wonderful leftover enchiladas. Let it be here noted that Greasy normally does not serve leftovers to guests. But this was different. The enchiladas were excellent and we were family. So we happily had leftovers and loved every bite!
We watched some news and chatted after Gayle arrived, then went to bed ready to continue our trip the next morning. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had funded the opening of the Grand Canyon (since it had been closed due to the government shut down) and the President had finally approved it. So we were going to get to see it after all. I like to think she opened it just for us but I could be wrong. Either way - we were headed there the next morning. So it was off to sleep.
To be continued...
Everyone had decided to meet for breakfast the next morning. We had an extra coupon for the buffet for 2 and some of the others had their own. Joe was comped so he didn't have to worry. Even though the buffet wasn't the best food in town - it was free. So we all thought that was a good idea.
Many of the hotel guests had departed that day so it was really quiet in the hotel. We finally got some much needed sleep.
The next morning saw us meeting in the West Bar again. This time it made sense - it was right next to the buffet. Some people were leaving that day and others were departing on Tuesday. So this was our last full group meeting. We divided up the coupons so everyone could eat free and headed for the buffet. It was rather popular - we had to wait in line for about 15 minutes.
Finally we all got in and got several tables pushed together. The buffet has pretty much anything you want - even first thing in the morning. They had a full breakfast bar, omelettes to order, lunch and dinner bars, burgers and fries, desserts, breads, fruits... and I think they even had pizza. Pretty much anything you could want. Not gourmet but free. I think we all decided on breakfast. (The day before I had seen a guy eating scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy and washing it down with a beer.)
We ate and talked, made plans for the next get-together in 2015, and eventually has to say our good-byes. Howie and Deb were headed for the airport. Barb and Roy were supposed to head in the same direction as us but had changed their minds and were going back to California. Ron and Colleen were flying out a little later and the rest were staying. Joe was meeting his father-in-law at another hotel for yet another big poker tournament.
We gave hugs all around and headed back to the room to get our things and check out. The bellman came to get our things and I filled our ice chest for the road. Yes - I filled it from the hotel ice machine! We got down to the valet parking area about the same time as Howie and Deb so were able to tell them good-bye one last time. They live in San Antonio so we get to see them a couple of times a year anyway.
As we drove away from the hotel Arden said she needed to stop at a store for something. There was a 7-11 just around the corner so we stopped there. I realized I probably should check out the men's room while I was there so I went over to it first. There was a sign on the door that said "Please ask clerk for key" but the door was open and the room was empty. So I went in and closed the door. When I emerged a few minutes later the female clerk, who was standing nearby, said to me (with a foreign accent) "Next time you ask me first."
I was a bit surprised but replied "You don't have to worry. The door was unlocked and I will never be back here again."
"OK," she said, and that was the end of it. I bought a bottle of water and Arden went into the bathroom behind me. I waited for her to come out and as soon as she did - the clerk hurried over to lock the door. I realize Las Vegas is a large city and they probably have a huge problem with homeless people coming into the store to use the facilities but I thought it was pretty funny.
We got on the freeway and headed to US 93, the road out of town that went by Hoover Dam. We had decided to stop and see the dam and the bridge so we got off the highway on the old road that goes right over the dam itself. There is a Department of Agriculture security checkpoint about a mile before the dam. Mostly they look in your car to see if you look like terrorists and wave you on. I felt much safer after that.
We drove out onto the dam and it was quite a sight. The road is narrow and there were a lot of people walking around. Parking was $7 so we decided just to drive across and back, taking in what we could. The architecture was pretty impressive for a dam and I noticed one thing in particular. In 1997 a movie was made starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek called "Fools Rush In." It was filmed mostly in Las Vegas but there was a scene at the end where Salma Hayek was returning from Mexico on 93, across the dam. As I drove across the dam myself I realized that in the movie they had filmed her driving South, from Nevada to Arizona rather than the other way around. Funny the things you think of.
The new bridge is built with a high wall so you can't see the dam at all from the roadway. I'm sure they did that to keep traffic from stopping for photo ops and it makes sense. You can walk across it if you're adventuresome and don't mind a climb. We opted to skip the new bridge and cross the old one.
The water is fairly clear and deep near the dam. All in all it's an impressive sight.
After looking around for a few minutes we got back in the care and headed South toward Kingman, Arizona and Interstate 40 again. It was about a five hour drive back to Chuck and Gayle's home in Prescott Valley - and we had dinner waiting. After a very unremarkable drive we arrived back at their home around 5. Gayle wasn't going to be home until 8 so we talked to Chuck and had a late dinner of those wonderful leftover enchiladas. Let it be here noted that Greasy normally does not serve leftovers to guests. But this was different. The enchiladas were excellent and we were family. So we happily had leftovers and loved every bite!
We watched some news and chatted after Gayle arrived, then went to bed ready to continue our trip the next morning. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had funded the opening of the Grand Canyon (since it had been closed due to the government shut down) and the President had finally approved it. So we were going to get to see it after all. I like to think she opened it just for us but I could be wrong. Either way - we were headed there the next morning. So it was off to sleep.
To be continued...
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