random_skeins (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} random_skeins) wrote,@ 2005-09-26 16:49:00 |
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Vegas!
Last weekend a bunch of us went to Vegas and stayed at The Orleans , the place where we've stayed the last 3 or 4 times we've been in Vegas. It's a great casino even though it's off the strip with good rooms, inexpensive tables, a nice arcade (including 2 DDR machines), a bowling alley, and cheaper prices because it's not on the strip.
Here are some of the highlights of the trip:
PT Cruiser
We used Thrifty this time, which I haven't used in about 10 years. The way they work is you buy a tier (in our case mid-size) and then you went to the lot and took whatever car you liked within that tier. We arrived late at night, and there were only two choices -- a mundane looking sedan, and the PT. So of course we took the PT.
After driving it around, I have to say I wouldn't buy one. It looks nice, but it feels heavy and the acceleration wasn't great. Of course, we got the Touring Edition, which seems pretty low-end, so maybe another version would have been better.
$3.90 for two entrees
Even though I had eaten a CPK personal pizza while at San Jose Airport, I was still hungry. By the time we had checked in and said hi to everyone, it was after midnight. The Orleans' Courtyard Cafe has a deal from Monday-Thursday from midnight to 5 or 6 where they have 5-6 entrees for dirt cheap. Being hungry and not sure what I wanted, I decided to just order two different entrees since they were so cheap: biscuits and gravy, and 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, and hash browns. Each plate was $1.95.
Not unexpectedly, I finished both entrees.
Port of Subs!
None of my California friends except Suzy likes Port of Subs, a submarine sandwich shop, for various reasons. I like it a lot for a couple of reasons: usually their bread is fresh as they make it the same day; the meat is cut when you order it so it's not been pre-sliced and then refrigerated; and I like the oil and vinegar and other spices they have as options.
I will admit that I generally order only 1 sandwich, the Ham-Salami-Capicolla-Pepperoni-Provolone (option #1), so it's possible their other sandwiches suck and I just never knew since I've never had them. In any event, Suzy and I went to eat lunch there.
I busted first at the poker tournament
We had our second annual hedgehog poker tournament on Friday, and I was the first to bust out. It's good to be first at something, I guess.
The Aladdin Buffet
You know, I was going to link to the Aladdin Buffet, but since the whole Aladdin site is in Flash, I can't do that. Flash is nice for some things, but this is a great example of one of the biggest problems with it.
We went to the Aladdin Buffet Friday night and asked them if it would be a problem for our group of 13 to eat there. After some misunderstanding over what we were going to get in exchange for being charged a 17% gratuity (on a $24 meal), we all sat generally in the same section and played our usual musical chairs and didn't get charged the 17% fee.
At first glance, I was a little apprehensive, since the layout reminded me of the Rio's buffet (which is highly overrated). But close up, the food did seem to be higher quality, and it tasted great. I would have no problems recommending it to anyone.
Bowling and Beer
After dinner we went bowling, where I averaged a bottle of Corona every three frames. Luckily we only played one game. For some reason, I don't really remember my score.
Blackjack
"Easy come easy go..." is that the expression? I cashed in for $100 and cashed out about an hour later at $310, and then lost $200 in about 2 hours later that weekend to be net +$5 (subtracting out the tips).
An expensive Coke
We had lunch on Saturday at the Wynn at some deli. It was very nice, except Mike's Coke was $3. I got the Ruban, which was only $10 or $12... the same price I pay for one at Sydney's Restaurant so that was fine. I really like the one at Sydney's, and this one was about as good.
Karate Forms?
I've been to a few Karate tournaments now, and I have no idea what they judge forms on. Regardless, Katy got 4th place in forms, and barely lost 3-2 in her first round of sparring. No matter how she did though, we're all pretty sure she will always be able to kick Jason's ass.
Italian at the TI
A few of us had dinner at Francesco's, an Italian restaurant at the Treasure Island. Unfortunately we were in a hurry since we had a show to catch so we didn't have a chance to get appetizers or dessert, but we all liked our entrees a lot. I hope to go back there next time we're in Vegas.
Avenue Q
Suzy wanted to go to a show, Mike got all the information, and I fronted the money, so I guess it was a collaborative effort to see Avenue Q. Ok, not really. Mike did most of the work, including pretending to be me on the phone to pay for the tickets, and making us make a commitment to the show.
We decided on getting 3rd row center balcony tickets for $88 instead of 20th row right orchestra tickets for $100. When we got there, we found out the show hadn't been sold out (which, since we had gotten tickets about 6 hrs earlier, should have been self-evident). One of the ushers exchanged our tickets for seats at... 20th row right orchestra. Well at least we saved some money.
The musical was excellent, and had me laughing almost the entire time. While I think few people would agree with all the messages in all of the songs, I think most people will find some gem of truth or realization in many of the songs. And we got to make fun of Mike for wishing he could go back to college and then actually doing it.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to see it. Who knows, maybe you'll even find your purpose in life when you see it. If you miss it, it sucks to be you. Anyways, there's a fine fine line between subtly dropping lines from songs and trying to hard... and I'm pretty sure I've gone too far. That will have to do... for now.
Comp'ed meal
Jason had played blackjack the entire time from before dinner to after we got back from the show and had accrued free meals for up to three people. A number of people were still hungry after midnight, and the only thing open was the Courtyard Cafe. Five of us went to eat there, figuring we would split the cost of the extra two people.
The waitress there was way cool though and basically worked the system so we all ate for free. Whee! It's cool to get free stuff (yes, we did tip her very well).
Lots of random other stuff went on too, but those are some of the highlights.
Last weekend a bunch of us went to Vegas and stayed at The Orleans , the place where we've stayed the last 3 or 4 times we've been in Vegas. It's a great casino even though it's off the strip with good rooms, inexpensive tables, a nice arcade (including 2 DDR machines), a bowling alley, and cheaper prices because it's not on the strip.
Here are some of the highlights of the trip:
PT Cruiser
We used Thrifty this time, which I haven't used in about 10 years. The way they work is you buy a tier (in our case mid-size) and then you went to the lot and took whatever car you liked within that tier. We arrived late at night, and there were only two choices -- a mundane looking sedan, and the PT. So of course we took the PT.
After driving it around, I have to say I wouldn't buy one. It looks nice, but it feels heavy and the acceleration wasn't great. Of course, we got the Touring Edition, which seems pretty low-end, so maybe another version would have been better.
$3.90 for two entrees
Even though I had eaten a CPK personal pizza while at San Jose Airport, I was still hungry. By the time we had checked in and said hi to everyone, it was after midnight. The Orleans' Courtyard Cafe has a deal from Monday-Thursday from midnight to 5 or 6 where they have 5-6 entrees for dirt cheap. Being hungry and not sure what I wanted, I decided to just order two different entrees since they were so cheap: biscuits and gravy, and 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, and hash browns. Each plate was $1.95.
Not unexpectedly, I finished both entrees.
Port of Subs!
None of my California friends except Suzy likes Port of Subs, a submarine sandwich shop, for various reasons. I like it a lot for a couple of reasons: usually their bread is fresh as they make it the same day; the meat is cut when you order it so it's not been pre-sliced and then refrigerated; and I like the oil and vinegar and other spices they have as options.
I will admit that I generally order only 1 sandwich, the Ham-Salami-Capicolla-Pepperoni-Provolone (option #1), so it's possible their other sandwiches suck and I just never knew since I've never had them. In any event, Suzy and I went to eat lunch there.
I busted first at the poker tournament
We had our second annual hedgehog poker tournament on Friday, and I was the first to bust out. It's good to be first at something, I guess.
The Aladdin Buffet
You know, I was going to link to the Aladdin Buffet, but since the whole Aladdin site is in Flash, I can't do that. Flash is nice for some things, but this is a great example of one of the biggest problems with it.
We went to the Aladdin Buffet Friday night and asked them if it would be a problem for our group of 13 to eat there. After some misunderstanding over what we were going to get in exchange for being charged a 17% gratuity (on a $24 meal), we all sat generally in the same section and played our usual musical chairs and didn't get charged the 17% fee.
At first glance, I was a little apprehensive, since the layout reminded me of the Rio's buffet (which is highly overrated). But close up, the food did seem to be higher quality, and it tasted great. I would have no problems recommending it to anyone.
Bowling and Beer
After dinner we went bowling, where I averaged a bottle of Corona every three frames. Luckily we only played one game. For some reason, I don't really remember my score.
Blackjack
"Easy come easy go..." is that the expression? I cashed in for $100 and cashed out about an hour later at $310, and then lost $200 in about 2 hours later that weekend to be net +$5 (subtracting out the tips).
An expensive Coke
We had lunch on Saturday at the Wynn at some deli. It was very nice, except Mike's Coke was $3. I got the Ruban, which was only $10 or $12... the same price I pay for one at Sydney's Restaurant so that was fine. I really like the one at Sydney's, and this one was about as good.
Karate Forms?
I've been to a few Karate tournaments now, and I have no idea what they judge forms on. Regardless, Katy got 4th place in forms, and barely lost 3-2 in her first round of sparring. No matter how she did though, we're all pretty sure she will always be able to kick Jason's ass.
Italian at the TI
A few of us had dinner at Francesco's, an Italian restaurant at the Treasure Island. Unfortunately we were in a hurry since we had a show to catch so we didn't have a chance to get appetizers or dessert, but we all liked our entrees a lot. I hope to go back there next time we're in Vegas.
Avenue Q
Suzy wanted to go to a show, Mike got all the information, and I fronted the money, so I guess it was a collaborative effort to see Avenue Q. Ok, not really. Mike did most of the work, including pretending to be me on the phone to pay for the tickets, and making us make a commitment to the show.
We decided on getting 3rd row center balcony tickets for $88 instead of 20th row right orchestra tickets for $100. When we got there, we found out the show hadn't been sold out (which, since we had gotten tickets about 6 hrs earlier, should have been self-evident). One of the ushers exchanged our tickets for seats at... 20th row right orchestra. Well at least we saved some money.
The musical was excellent, and had me laughing almost the entire time. While I think few people would agree with all the messages in all of the songs, I think most people will find some gem of truth or realization in many of the songs. And we got to make fun of Mike for wishing he could go back to college and then actually doing it.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to see it. Who knows, maybe you'll even find your purpose in life when you see it. If you miss it, it sucks to be you. Anyways, there's a fine fine line between subtly dropping lines from songs and trying to hard... and I'm pretty sure I've gone too far. That will have to do... for now.
Comp'ed meal
Jason had played blackjack the entire time from before dinner to after we got back from the show and had accrued free meals for up to three people. A number of people were still hungry after midnight, and the only thing open was the Courtyard Cafe. Five of us went to eat there, figuring we would split the cost of the extra two people.
The waitress there was way cool though and basically worked the system so we all ate for free. Whee! It's cool to get free stuff (yes, we did tip her very well).
Lots of random other stuff went on too, but those are some of the highlights.
