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  #1  
Old 11-21-2005, 02:52 PM
Brudder Andrusha Brudder Andrusha is offline
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Location: Atlantic City & East Brunswick & Kyiv
Posts: 40
Default 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

On 12th November, 2005 I marked what I felt was an important milestone
in my life. It was 30 years to the date that I first arrived to the USA
for Australia. My parents decided to uproot their family and pursue
a different lifestyle from the one they had in Australia. However, all but
I returned back Down Under.

I decided to mark this occasion with a celebratory trip to Las Vegas through
Thanksgiving week.

Left Atlantic City on NJ Transit train to 30th St. Station in Philadelphia.
$7.25 one way ticket, $2 Jitney ride to the station. Train half packed.
Went past one of my old hunting grounds - Graden State Park. Grandstand now
demolished. Not far from the train track a discarded statue of 2 horses.
I'm not sure if this the one of Spend a Buck.

Packed lunch at 30th Street Station downed with a hidden Guinness - Brilliant!

Layover 30 minutes and the #1 SEPTA train @ $5.50 OW gets me in Terminal E @
Philly International Airport. Checked in one bag and squeezed through security.
Southwest departs with 15% capacity to Pittsburgh. Non eventful flight but I'm
definitely not used to stewardesses wearing khaki pants - Much prefer to see
a knee once or twice from seat eye level - But what do you expect from a cheap
flight!

45 minute layover in Pittsburgh. More passengers "deplaned" than boarded for
Vegas. 5 hour schedule flight - Steward announces no Jet Stream interference
so might get there in 4 hours. Crackers and peanuts from Southwest
supplemented with good sandwich from home. Got some snooze as leg stretched
across 3 unused seats!

Arrived Las Vegas McCarron Airport Saturday night 55 minutes earlier with
perfect landing. Thanked pilots - Whooppee!
40 minutes wait for check baggaged - Duh! Found a trolly during intermission.
Saved $3.

Followed signs to Ground Zero. This traveller is going use Public
Transportation not pricey Ground Transportation. CAT #108 bus arrives as I
get to Bus Stop. $1.25 and a rolling ride to Downtown Fremont Street.
100 yards and checkin' at Binions formerly The Horseshoe - Poker's shrine!

Up to the 15th floor - Huge bed but on the Fremont St. Side
Quick shower and down to the Sports book to see who won during the day.
College Football that is. Californians in Vegas going beserk as Fresno
State takes the lead against #1 USC. No avail. USC wins. Spread loses!

Get in the $4-8 TexASSSSSS Holdem Game. 15 minute wait. No cards to
bluff. Get AJo. Flop J-Crep-Crep. AK bets. NP bets. I raise. Bet to river
and collect. Up for an hour - Nothin' else and too tired to play
coherently. So time for beddy-bye!
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  #2  
Old 11-21-2005, 03:06 PM
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Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

That was one of the strangest trip reports I've read.
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  #3  
Old 11-22-2005, 01:51 PM
Brudder Andrusha Brudder Andrusha is offline
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Location: Atlantic City & East Brunswick & Kyiv
Posts: 40
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Day 2

One of the plans of this trip was to buy a cheap bike or rent one.
However, the suggestions proposed on some lists indicated that rental for
a bike might be more than the room I was renting @ Binions.
So, some research indicated that a Flea Market could be the best place
to get a bike.

And on the next day, Sunday after a healthy breakfast @ Binions Coffee Shop
I headed on the CAT#113 to Nth Las Vegas Blvd to BroadAcres Swap Meet.
The bus packed up fairly quickly at the DTC Bus Terminal more than any other
that was standing waiting for passengers and it was quite obvious that about
90% of the CAT cliental were heading to this bazaar.

It took a couple of minutes but scene was quite obvious that I was heading
across some hidden border because 5 minutes into the ride I felt like I was
in Tiajuana and not Las Vegas. The Latinas were dressed up in high heels
with their beaus (in Cowboy boots and hats). Surely these folks didn't
get dressed for a bazaar but to some church mass. Not to be!

20 minutes into the ride the bus detoured onto Pecos and 95% of the
passengers "debussed" and headed to what looked like a massive garage sale.
Kind of reminded me of the old bazaar that use to be held close by the
Respublikanskyj Stadion (Olympic Stadium) in Kyiv in those early days of
YKPAIHIAH Independence. $1 entrance fee - And you're definitely in a different
country.

The Mexican music was blaring. A festival of some sorts to be shopping for
goods in the good ol' USA. For those interested in soccer, as I am - There
were more booths selling Cruz Azul, Tecos, Chivas and America (not Yankeeland)
shirts and souveniers than anywhere I had seen. Do you think these folks
will be cheering for the Red-White-n-Blue come next June when the World Cup
roles around in full force???

Anyway, after a fairly long walk around I found the area where most of
sellers were flogging the used wares and I spotted a Beachcruiser no
different to the one I had recently had stolen on The Broadwalk. $30 and a
deal was made. The market was worth the visit and the buying experience.
Good prices and plenty of cultural alignment.

The CAT buses in LV are excellent in that they have bike racks up front.
Something NJ Transit should have on ALL their buses. The Atlantic City
area does support bike racks because of the touristy locale but other
areas are not so bike friendly. I wonder if $5/gallon gas will force
some city planners to think about this.

Back to Binions for a bit of a rest and then into a session of $2-4 TH
and then a move up into $4-8 which quickly turned into a route when I
got pocket 5s - Flop came 2-3-5 rainbow. I was ready to call "Presto"
but the turn came anudder 5 - So I had to play as if I had nuthin'.
Nice collection - after 3 more hands and I left with a smile went to
the Sportsbook which was packed with every mug shouting at the NFL games.
I don't know about the Raider fans but they know how to cause a
riot in a casino. A couple of old guys had their eyes on the feature @
Hollywood Park. - Why bother????

Went to the bike, which had its own park spot in the Binion garage with
security observations. Took it for a cruise. Got to the supermarket known
as Albertsons. Don't look for it in the downtown area coz it ain't there!
Supplemented my hotel room with plenty of goodies and went out onto
Fremont Street to feel "The experience".

Enough with that and more later!
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  #4  
Old 11-22-2005, 02:52 PM
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Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

[ QUOTE ]
That was one of the strangest trip reports I've read.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats what I thought until I read his second one.
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  #5  
Old 11-22-2005, 03:16 PM
StevieG StevieG is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Posts: 157
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That was one of the strangest trip reports I've read.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats what I thought until I read his second one.

[/ QUOTE ]

The way this is going, I expect to learn what Thanksgiving dinner is like at a LV soup kitchen.
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  #6  
Old 11-22-2005, 06:27 PM
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That was one of the strangest trip reports I've read.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats what I thought until I read his second one.

[/ QUOTE ]

The way this is going, I expect to learn what Thanksgiving dinner is like at a LV soup kitchen.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have to admit, though, it is different!
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  #7  
Old 11-22-2005, 06:32 PM
cardcounter0 cardcounter0 is offline
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Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,370
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

Next time you go to Vegas let me know, I want to hang out with you!
[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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  #8  
Old 11-22-2005, 06:36 PM
cardcounter0 cardcounter0 is offline
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Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,370
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Day 2

Something tells me a trip to the Western Hotel and Casino is coming up quickly!
[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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  #9  
Old 11-22-2005, 07:27 PM
swede123 swede123 is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 366
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

These are tremendous reads. If this is actually all true it suddenly becomes a hundred times better.

Swede
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  #10  
Old 11-22-2005, 07:48 PM
TheMetetron TheMetetron is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 92
Default Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$

[ QUOTE ]
These are tremendous reads. If this is actually all true it suddenly becomes a hundred times better.

Swede

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure it is. Wow this is like 1000 times different from how I do Vegas. Kind of freaky.
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