VEGAS - OCT 19th - Jimmy Buffett

[Road Guy]

So we are thinking about going to Vega first weekend in October -  Really just want to escape the kids and go someplace that has a pool.

i also have to be there that Monday for a meeting so going to drag the old lady along...

Plan would be to maybe stay off the strip at a place like MGM Signature or something? But it sounds like all of Nevada you have to wear a mask outside even if you are sitting by the pool? Which sounds about as dumb as the Karens that manaed our pool in our HOA....

You can get some crazy nice rooms with balconys for ultra cheap right now.

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, have to wear a mask at the pool, and I've heard the big resorts are definitely enforcing that, because they could risk losing their gambling license if they don't.

MGM Signature is really nice.  We stayed there a few years ago.  Get a one-bedroom balcony suite and make sure you request a high floor.  That same room right on the strip would probably run $400/night, but it's a looooong walk from there to anywhere else.  There's a tiny little restaurant in the Signature that is pretty crappy so you'll be going a long ways to eat.  If you're renting a car it used to be valet-only parking, but I'm not sure what they're doing with the pandemic since most other places ended valet due to Covid exposure.

Used to be Signature guests could use the Signature pool and the MGM Grand pool, but I just checked and now can't use the MGM Grand pool.  That may be due to reduced pool capacity during the pandemic led to hours-long waits to get into the MGM Grand pool.

The Signature pools are really small and not impressive at all.

If you're looking for a balcony there aren't a lot of options in Vegas (the try not to publicize it, but too many jumpers.)  But another off-strip option with a balcony might be the Platinum.  I've never stayed there but it looks nice.  For a non-balcony room the Elara is pretty nice and it's closer to the strip.

Wife and I used to go to Vegas three times a year, but aren't planning to go back any time time soon.  I've heard the clientele has changed a lot (very much a low-class vibe from what I've read) and all the entertainment is shut down and all stand-alone bars are shut down too (can only serve alcohol if they also serve food) but hopefully that will change by October.  So really not much to do other than gamble and sit by the pool.  We're not big into pools, but if that's your thing then it's probably a great time to go.

 

[Road Guy]

The rooms have a decent kitchen in them so the thought was to get a car ( free self parking) & get stuff to make in room for breakfast and lunch - basically only go out for Dinner.

& yeah only the small pools at the signature are available, but you can get a small cabana really cheap - so that was our plan. We heard that all the big resort pools are really being ridiculous about the pool mask thing, we were just hoping for maybe a small crowd off site. 

Its funny all the resorts make a point to mention that you can take off your mask only for "smoking' drinking or eating.. But it seamed like the emphasis is on smoking!  But our friends that live there said you dont have to wear a mask at the gym like here in CO?

If its bad at the pool plan B is to rent a boat at Lake Mead for the day- 

I work with several people  who live in Henderson we have become friends with (before the pandemic we all went to some breweries here in Denver) so were plannig to do some outdoor dinning with them somewhere in the Henderson area - but we really dont plan to do the strip or even visit a casino.  We tried to find something either in New Mexico or Arizona or just somplace that might still be a little warm to hang but we ended up with Vegas once I had the work meeting set for that Monday - But we can basically fly somewhere and stay cheaper than I can drive to Breckenridge and stay.

But the room rate for these at the sig are right at $100 bucks a night with her nursing rate - flights are free ( SW Points for the wife) - kind of a no brainer - & Ive got a fresh N95 mask for the plane & airport.

 

[mudpuppy]

I forgot that the Signature had kitchenettes, but it makes sense since they also have privately-owned condos in the buildings.  In fact you can find some of those for rent on airbnb and the like.  Every time I suggest something like that my wife is like "I'm not cooking on vacation!"  Let me know if your Henderson friends have a tip on groceries in that area.  There's a Vons on Tropicana just east of the airport but it's kind of seedy.  And there's a Whole Paycheck on the Blvd. just north of 215.

Boat rental on Lk Meade sounds like fun in any case, especially if you're going out to Henderson anyway....

 

[Road Guy]

We can be low maintenance - coffee and basic stuff for breakfast and frozen pizzas at lunch if were just mainly day drinking.

Thats actually the one thing I dont like at Vegas is that is sometimes becomes a chore to get something to eat, even if you are staying at the casiono hotel and paying their $$$$ - at least the Cosmo had coffee in your room! 

We would always make a habit of going to the Egg and I -off of Saraha but its usually super crowded and it will depend how much outdoor seating is there and how hot it is - 

Will give yah a report when we get back to see how much low life is there (which is usually 50% of Vegas whenever we are there) lol 

What actually started us down this road is that we were going to stay this past weekend at the Gaylord near DIA, but rooms are still expensive and you have to "reserve" pool time - with a max of 3 hours so we just figured that would sort of be a fun sucker  (& its not really that nice of a hotel for what they charge)

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, I hate the no coffee in the room part.  Who wants to get up and get presentable just to go grab some coffee.... or pay for room service.  We'll do that every once in a while but you end up paying $80 for two people to eat a usually cold, mediocre breakfast.  We've actually looked into getting a small coffee maker to take with us.  Not that we're uber cheap, I just want some damn coffee before I have to leave the room!

I didn't realize Gaylord was a chain hotel.  The one at the Opry is a Gaylord too.  Seems like you have a good plan, the weather will likely be warmer in Vegas than Denver in October anyway, and it's a short flight for you, what like an hour?  Probably won't catch Covid on the flight.  My main concern with traveling is littler stuff like the bus to the car rental place, or the plane train at ATL.

 

[Road Guy]

that’s brilliant! I’ve got a small keurig I used to take to the field office I could slip in a suitcase!
 

normally my real problem in the mornings / afternoons at Vegas is did I buy enough Powerade and leave in the room to flush out the system...

 

[Road Guy]

so flew in last night for a field meeting today, I skipped out on the diinner with the rest of the group - I made up an excuse cause I wanted some Inn -n Out Burger.

you (mp) are right about the clientele here, this is the grungiest I have ever seen this place.  We are staying a little west of the strip, I ended up driving over to the back of Caesars (free parking) and walked around a little - lots of leather tramps (urban wanderers / wannabe homeless whatever you call them) you could tell people were walking back through the casinos as much as they could to avoid them - they need to let the mob come back and clean this place up..

Pretty heavy on mask enforcement in the casinos, sit down places for poker had plexi glass dividers, craps and bj tables didnot-  poker tables were packed everything else was pretty dead.  The lilttle e-craps game like we played at PH that time was broke at Caesars   - I wasnt really wanting to play live craps just because there was only enough action for one table and it was pretty full..

New Radiers stadium is awesome looking though - didnt grab a pic while driving but its really cool looking. looks like a gigantic space ship at night.

Flying back to Denver tonight and then back here late Friday with the wife, defin not going to hit the strip - will stick to the plan of pool and chil - sort of wishing we had jsut went to the beach or something...may defin do the boat rental thing if the pool at mgm suites sucks..

 

[Road Guy]

Hotel check in dude told me 500K people here are out of work  

 

[tj_PE]

Hotel check in dude told me 500K people here are out of work  

i believe it. shows don't just have the people on stage. at a minimum double or triple that per show, plus reduced casino staff in general, reduced hotel occupancy therefore staff, etc. 

 

[mudpuppy]

@Road Guy Sorry to hear the work trip was sucky.  Hopefully the weekend is turning out better!

I don't have much desire to got back anytime soon, especially with your confirmation that things are kind of bleak.  Not worth the 4-hour plane ride each way.  Kind sucks 'cause we used to go three times a year on average.

 

[Road Guy]

We ventured out Friday night, not far, just to the Taco Bell Cantina - and then headed back to the Signature (which is just across the street)

We mostly stayed at our place and avoided the strip per plan, but man I have serioulsy never seen so many disgustig people - thankfully they were not into the pool scene - but man - I dont know if it was just the almost free room prices but it was pretty junky..

It cleared out Sunday afternoon, almost had the place to ourselves - the pools at the MGM were dead - they let us in because they ended up closing the signature pools - and it was a bummer that the bar was closed so we had to BYOB (not!) - actually that part was terrific!

Probably going to skip that place for a while..

 

[mudpuppy]

We mostly stayed at our place and avoided the strip per plan, but man I have serioulsy never seen so many disgustig people - thankfully they were not into the pool scene - but man - I dont know if it was just the almost free room prices but it was pretty junky..

In addition to this, what I've heard is the crime rate is going up.  Anecdotally, recently there was a shooting in the Aria valet area, a stabbing on the Deuce bus right in front of Paris, and a big fight on the floor of the Encore casino (something like 20+ people arrested.)

 

[Road Guy]

Yeah we distrubed a large homeless camp under a bridge we were looking at right off the interstate- they made no bones about it that they would "fucking cut us" & this was a large group of fatty contractor types..

I talked with the hotel manager (wwere I stayed for work) and he told me that its a double whammy because the people who are here are "bad customers" cheap, non tippers, rude, semi violent, always drunk etc, and that results in the better employee talent leaving town for work, says it will probabaly be 2 years before they are back to normal in his opinion

- Interesting travel story - 

So I flew back Thursday after the work trip so the wife didnt have to fly solo ( and god that flight was so bumpy I thought I was going to hurl) but anyways..  we get to airport Friday too early, get to bar and have a few drinks and wife cant find her license, she thinks she left it at security - were both pretty buzzed and she tears off to try and get back to security to find her license- she was worried she woudlnt be able to get back from Vegas without ID - she text me to dig through her backpack while she goes to security.. were like 45 min from wheels up.. I go to the gate attendant and ask what time the doors close, she was a total Bitch, rolled her eyes at me and just said they close when they close, i tell her the story, she gives no F..

Anwyays, wife gets to security, they dont have her license. but she steps over the line, has to go through security with no ID, no wallet (I have it al) somehow they let her through (I guess they can pull your license up online and see if its you).. im sitting by myself as all the passengers have boarded for at least 10 minutes - gate attendant is acutally grinning thinking I am going to miss the flight. dont know how but she makes it back.. so were those people as we board, the flight attendant jokes through the intercom 'and here are the people who delayed your flight" - luckily its a vegas flight and most people are chill

and you know how when you go through security you sometimes put stuff in your shoe? well guess where the license was! - not sure how she didnt feel it but we found it once we got to vegas

I held on to her license the rest of the trip!

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I actually lost my wallet in Dallas one time and had to fly home with no ID.  I got "randomly selected for additional screening" twice, once at TSA and again at the gate.  But they let me fly...shockingly enough.

 

[Road Guy]

it is defin a lessons learned for  us for sure!

She said the security folks were pretty cool they pulled her to side, pull up her Colorado License on the computer and then asked her some questions (who is your mortgage with, name someone who llives with you, etc) surpised it was that easy to be honest..

Id imagine if the airport was as busy as normal times we would have missed the flight..