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#2
11-26-2005, 09:42 AM
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Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Day 4-6
After the morning exercise on the bike, breakfast and the regular
quick visit to the LV Library, the plan was made to travel to the furthest outpost west to see what kind of building explosion Las Vegas was really experiencing. The CAT#206 takes the route directly west and you will find how the desert has been turned into miles and miles of stripmalls and condominiums mostly gated for security. Traffic also in this area has compounded. After lunch the trip back to the strip was directed to the approximate location of the Fashion Show Mall and the new casino complex built by Steve Wynn. After a bit of sightseeing walkaround of this new billion dollar complex and a look at the hoarded Ferarris it was time to sit for a TH $4-8 session. The wait was slightly longer than at the Bellagio the previous day. The room was moderately packed. After a 10 minute wait I got in and was initiated into the most aggressive game thus far on the LV circuit thus far. A mixture of tourists with local Asians who I feared were partners. The elderly tourists in the game were the ones suffering and were the ones who eventually went broke. I held my own in a 2 hour period with a $20+ profit after my 78s improved from two pair to a boat on the river which nailed the Asian who had a flush - Tuff ! The drive back to downtown was less subdued. Dinner was the Hot Stew at the Binions snack bar which is highly recommended. On Wednesday, the bike didn't make it through the day. When I came to the bike rack I noticed that it had a flat front tire. Oh- The shame. A three-cornered-jack had pierced the rubber. With no tools it was unfortunate that I had to abandon this valuable source of transportation. So instead of a ride to the LV Library I had to settle for a brisk walk. I returned for lunch and then a quick session (1 hr) at Binions, which was full of locals who were waiting for 2pm Tournament. A really tough game. Got a AKo and flopped a AKx and managed to hold onto win a pot that was enough to put me into the black. And with that I left for the 2:00pm Poker session that is regular held by the Las Vegans at the Coffee Shop. A good 3hrs session of discussion on varied topics including Legality of Internet Poker, Taxes and the Professional Gambler, and How to Play Several Hands which was brough up by a player who experienced them. Excellent and informative. I must commend Linda Johnson and those who working diligently to avert the forces of the Kyle Bill. After the session I took a brisk walk to Las Vegas Municiple Swimming Pool (This pool is heated while the pool on the 27th floor of Binions was not) - Which is close by. For $2 I had a refreshing swim. 2 lanes were open for the casual swimmer. Returned back to Binions and had a quick bite to eat at the Snack Bar. I found that the food there was fairly good quality and reasonably priced. Then anudder round of $4-8 HE. Here I finally hit a table of superlative players who were priming before the 8:00pm tournament. Binions has 4 tournaments every day including one at the wee hour of 2:00am just in case you can't sleep at night. The 8:00pm one is the most lucrative and I found myself down for the first time on the trip. Nonetheless, I did manage to fight myself back with some nicely suited connectors and a A6s which also hit as a nut flush. So sometimes its not what you win but what you can save. And I was pleased to leave the table only down $20 on the session and up $1 for the day. Hence, on this occasion I'll take that as a big victory! With that, since my budget on this trip diminished only by 10% and that Thanksgiving Day was upon me I decided to splurge a bit and rent a car. I tried to make arrangements at Fitzgeralds (a casino on Fremont St that had Enterprise Car Rentals) but they were booked out and closed on Thanksgiving. However, the Concierge was kind enough to contact the next door neighbour, which happened to be The Four Queens and there, Budget Rental Car was only to welcome to have my business. At a going rate for a Compact Car, I added minimal insurance they duly upgraded the car to the latest Chevrolet Malibu. Believe me you better have some sort of insurance in this city because I saw 4 accidents including some ethnic turn incorrectly into a One Way street and nail a new MAX bus - Two Airs bag inflated a broken windshield and an upset female bus driver. So for a package of about $79 I had Turkey Day planned on the scenic route of Red Rock Canyon in the western area of Las Vegas. On a crystal clear cloudless day this area was profoundly exhilerating to see. A great place for biking, both motorized and not. Had my Turkey sandwich overlooking Red Rock. Joined by some motercyclists. Gave them so good quality chocalate - Ah - The comradary of the ride! Continued on to Bonnie Springs and a look at past life in the neck of the woods - No thanks! Back to Red Rock and went into the area managed by the US Land Management and National Park Service. Bonus - Government workers took the day off and left tourist in for free! 13 mile cruise around some unique desert country. Didn't try any mountain climbing coz I didn't want to be a statistic. Out of the National Park and back to the encroaching urban sprawl. Took the ring road towards the south end of the Strip. Not much traffic on Turkey Day - Lucky, coz enough construction going on to make driving a nightmare around here. Out to the Vegas Outlet Mall for some last minute shopping or early Xmas bargains. Last check of the casinos. Mandalay Bay come on down! Enter the casino from the self park a headless statue of no other than Vladimir Illich to greet me. Bad sign! Wont play poker with such a sight! Go into the Sportsbook. Broncos down to the 6yd line against the 'Boys in OT. Huge eruption in the gallery! Onto the Luxor for some pyramid action. Poker room too small to try anything tonight. So we'll try Excaliber! No HE $4-8 game. So back to the car and one great cruise down the Strip in a maze of traffic and neon lights going nowhere fast! *FANTASTIQUE*! A Thanksgiving to remember! 
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#3
11-26-2005, 12:57 PM
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Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Day 4-6
[ QUOTE ]
*FANTASTIQUE*! [/ QUOTE ] Agreed.
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#6
11-28-2005, 08:43 PM
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Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Return Trip and Grade Report
The last day in Vega$ was over in a flash. The plane was departing
McCarron @ 7:10am. The rent a car became my transport to the airport. Had to get up at 4:45am and in reality it wasn't a problem because I never recovered from the 3 hour time difference to the East Coast. Had to top up the car with gas and get something to eat for the flight back home. Returned the car to Budget located on Paradise and the Shuttle was there waiting to take me to the terminal. Friday on the Thanksgiving Day weekend especially at this time of the day was quiet. Nonetheless, McCarron has got to be close to the busiest airports in the world and the phenomenal growth in the area plus tourists wanting to burn their greenbacks has made it a model of efficiency. Plane departed on time with about 15% occupancy. No problems coming into Pittsburgh for a 40 minute layover and then onto Philly. The same crew did the whole flight and in fact were returning to Pittsburgh where they would stay over. Got into Philadelphia as the sun was setting. Baggage return was quick. Now for the return train ride through 30th Street station and NJ Transit to Atlantic City. Return tickets already purchased. At home 8:00pm and enough time for a sauna and a jacuzzi and ofcourse a Brandy and Coke! Here is my final report card: Las Vegas as a place to visit: A {No doubt about it!} Las Vegas as a Poker destination: A {Great choice and so many options} Las Vegas as a future place of residence: B {Really it has a lot to offer in climate, location, economy. I find it far more promising than Florida or the Gulf Coast - New Orleans or Mississippi especially after the Hurricanes of late. The problem is so much growth that traffic and smog may overbear the delicate environment} Binions as a place to stay: C- {I think I made a poor choice here even though I want something reasonably priced and close to poker availability - The room was adequate but the noise factor from the refrigeration and Fremont St. put a damper on my sleeping ability. Of course I didn't come to LV to sleep but a good peaceful sleep is not available at the hotel} Binions as a place for poker: B+ {Plenty of tournaments and $4-8 HE going on most of the time} Binions as a place to eat: B {Coffee shop wasn't bad and I was please with the snack bar} Public Transportation in Las Vegas: B- {Apart from the Strip the other buses especially those that don't travel downtown could be less frequent than expected. On the outer perimeters of the city expect delays. A good plus for the CAT system is that they do go to McCarron for a cheap $1.25 which is much better than Philly or JFK} Public Amenities in Las Vegas: A {Excellent library with WIFI connectivity and an accessible municipal swimming pool} Bike riding in Las Vegas: B {Too bad my bike got a flat tire. CAT has bike racks - big plus. Excellent places like Red Rock to ride - Just be careful of the cars and traffic} I hope you enjoyed my expose and thoughts of the trip that I had.
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#7
11-29-2005, 11:24 AM
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Re: 30 Years in USA - Trip to Las Vega$ - Day 4-6
[ QUOTE ]
A mixture of tourists with local Asians who I feared were partners. [/ QUOTE ] did anyone else read this and think he meant a partnership between local asians and tourists? thanks for the trip report!
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#8
11-22-2005, 06:32 PM
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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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#10
11-22-2005, 07:48 PM
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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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