Stockbridge Traveler heads to Las Vegas!!

My traveling companion and myself headed out to Las Vegas last month. Here is a play by play of what happened, whose happening, what's not happening, what was awesome, and what was not awesome. I hope you enjoy it, and I sincerely appreciate any comments you have!! Cheers!

Our much anticipated trip got started on April 17th. We headed to the nearest Amtrak Station to hop a train to Boston for the night. When we arrived at the station, a janitor informed us that the train we wanted would not be picking us up at this station because of some track maintenance. We were thankful for his advice, and we did not get notified from Amtrak about the station change. We grabbed a cab and headed across town to the temporary station. It happens to be right across the street from Teo's, a local hot dog place that is well known. We thought to go and have a few dogs while we waited for the train to come. We sat down at the bar and I got us a few scratch tickets. I won $20! I thought if this was a prelude to what Vegas will be like, then sign me up!! We paid our tab and headed back across the street, luggage and all. Once the train arrived, we got seated with a cocktail and off we were.

Arriving in South Station, we took the T to the airport where our hotel shuttle picked us up. We got to hotel, and went downstairs to the Mexican themed restaurant  and enjoyed a nice dinner and few drinks. We were getting excited about the big trip ahead of us! 

The next day we go to the airport early and sat down for a snack. By the time our plane was ready, we were in line ready to head to Philly as our connecting city. Because we were seated in the back the plane, we were called last to board the plane. Although we both had just "carry on" luggage, the airline insisted on stowing our luggage and sending it to Vegas a head of us. We weren't happy about this, but really, what can you do? The flight from Boston to Philly was quick and easy. Our lay over was long, so we had a cocktail and walked around a bit. We saw that we could take an earlier flight out to Vegas and approached a ticketing agent as ask if we could do so. He said although the earlier flight has plenty of room, he couldn't allow it because we had "checked" bags that were not traveling with us. I knew we should have been able to keep our carry on bags!! We waited and waited for our next flight, to be told that the flight attendants that were needed for our flight had not arrived from their previous flight. So the gate was full of people waiting to get on the plane and it didn't take off for about 45 minutes after the scheduled time. Finally, off we were, to sunny Las Vegas!! 

We landed in Vegas around 8:45 PM on their time. Our hotel said they have a free shuttle that will pick us up and drop us off at the airport. They do have a shuttle, it runs from 10 AM to 6 PM. Into an airport  shuttle bus we went for $7 per person. The shuttle did not leave for about 20 minutes after we were in it and we were just itching to get to the hotel and check things out. 

At last, we were at the Luxor. As we climbed the stairs to the main floor, we were tired but excited. It was a long day to to get here! Right at the top the the stairs, we were face to face with a small Asian woman who was very friendly and nice. She wanted to sell us a time share. There we were, on the outskirts of the casino, with all of our bags (both carry on and checked)  and this woman wants us to go to an 8AM breakfast tomorrow to show us a new hotel being build. "We will refund your money!" she kept saying.  I was not going to go to a breakfast for $50 outside of my hotel at 8 AM the next day. These timeshare sellers are all over the hotels, day and night. Once you see one, typically you turn and go the other way. What a hard and boring job that must be!

Anyway, we waited in line to check in for about 20 minutes. We got to a clerk named Alex who was happy to "upgrade" us to a room with a "view of the pool" . Great! Upgrades already!! He also gave us a coupon booklet and a handful of free drink coupons to use both at the Luxor and The Excalibur hotel that is connected Luxor. Cheerfully, we headed to the elevator that was about half a mile from the check in place. 

We get to our room, and it's ok. I am not sure what kind of upgrade they gave us, but it's clean. It's night time out, so we obviously can't see the pool. We unpacked our stuff, and head back down stairs to check things out. The thing about Vegas, is that is is so smoky. The bar, the casino, everywhere. It feels like you can't find a place for a breath of fresh air. We walked around for a bit, getting a feel for the place. Using a drink coupon here or there. I was tired and headed back up to the room, but my traveling partner stayed up to check out the other hotels.

The next day we open the curtains to find a view of the side of the building and a parking lot. in the far distance, we could see some mountains. No pool view. The sun was shinning and not a cloud in the sky. We thought that if we can't see the pool from our room, we might as well go to the real thing. The pool was closer to us, in the West wing. (We were not placed inside the actual Luxor Pyramid, but in one of two huge towers that are connected to it. It was kind of a bummer not to be in the Pyramid, but what can you do?) I packed a backpack of sunscreen, beers, magazines, and a change of clothes. Off to the pool we were! The Oasis Pool at Luxor is pretty good. We got a few towels and headed to the side of a pool that was roped off. There are three main pools at Oasis, and three hot tubs too. The pool that we always sat next to was closed. Everyday. Even on weekends. I couldn't understand it! The pool area was full, and everyday, one big pool was off limits!! There is a bar at the pool. Expect to pay $10 for a 10 once mixed drink or $7 for a large can of beer or a Mike's Hard Lemonade. It can add up, so keep in mind to swing by the 24 hour  store before hitting the pool. Nothing is cheap there either, but you can get a 24 once Rolling Rock for $4.50. Too bad I don't drink beer. :( We met a few fun couples at the pool and another woman that was an opere from London. her name was Jody, and I really wish we exchanged information, she was great!! 

For the first two or three days, we both ate the buffet. Luxor has a deal with the Excalibur that you can dine in both of the hotel buffets all day and until 10:00 PM for $32 per person. The food is ok, and you can always make a good salad. But you get kind of sick of it after while.  So, on the second day we were there, I read about a Third Thursday Pub Crawl. You pay $20 per ticket and that gets a drink at 6 different bars and half off appetizers too. I couldn't wait to do it! It's over on Freemont Street, you will need to take a cab or a bus to get there. The Third Thursday Pub Crawl is manned (womanned?) by this fun girl who wearing a captain's hat, and she is so organized and fun!! Everyone meets at Hennessy's and fills out name tags. These aren't your typical name tags. People were named MILF, Swallows, Anita Vibrator, and other fun and raunchy names. There were about 75 people that started the crawl with us and we met quite a few of them.  By the third bar, Hogs and Heaffers, I was on the bar dancing with three other girls. Great times!! Your $20 can not go father in Vegas! I highly recommend this pub crawl!! (eat something too, would ya?!) 

On day three on or trip, my traveling buddy was already down at the pool and I slept in. I had just gotten out of the shower and was standing at the foot of my bed with a towel in my hair, naked, packing up the back pack. There was a fumble at the door and I thought my buddy had forgotten something. In walks the maid. Yep. Without a knock, or a "housekeeping!" yell at the door. Great Times! I finished getting ready as soon as possible and walked out the door. The maid was cleaning the room across the hall and came out to tell me in her old lady Italian  accent how sorry she was. And she was sorry. She kept bowing to me and saying how so sorry she was. I let it go, but I still felt kind of uncomfortable about it. I shared this information with my traveling partner and he was not very impressed. With that or the weird plumbing our room seemed to have. The toilet kept running and the tub wouldn't drain. After that day at the pool, my traveling friend went back to the front desk and demanded a room upgrade with adequit plumbing and privacy. We were moved to a "Players Room"  I felt this room was an upgrade, but was very worn down. The highlights were the wet bar and desk. The furniture was really out dated and chipped. I noticed throughout my stay, that is pretty much how the Luxor rolls. Anyway, I headed to the pool and I was there for a few hours when I got a phone call from my traveling friend. He said the plumbing was again not working and he demanding a room change AGAIN! I was shocked and kind of sick of moving my stuff around, but never the less came back up stairs to re pack and head to the front desk with him. He has dealt with a woman named Julie who gave us each a free buffet. Downstairs we talked to the general manager and told him all of our greivencess. He bumped us up to the best room they had, seemingly. We were on the 22 floor of 22 floors in a master suite. Great! A huge suit! I couldn't wait to get up there! In the elevator, it was funny to see some people look at us differently when we asked for the 22 floor button to be pushed. Maybe they thought we were high rollers! Ha! We entered the tippity top floor where here were only 3 other rooms in the same wing. I opened the door, and was almost knocked backwards with the rotten stench of old cigarettes. I am not a smoker. I pretty much detest smoking. My traveling partner (this is getting really old, with the "Traveling Partner" stuff, can we just call him Ben? Ben it is!) is a smoker and even he was disgusted with the stench of the luxury room. So to the phone Ben went. We were told that all the rooms are smoking. So I sucked it up in my luxury suite.

During these days, we met a family friend of Ben who took us back to Freemont Street. We had a very affordable dinner in an old hotel and walked around the street for a bit. Ben chose to take a zip line from the top of the street to the middle of the street over looking all the people and vendors and hotels. And there were some very interesting people to check out!! Men dressed as women, woman dressed as cow girls and show girls, and many people decked out in costumes of Elmo, pirates, Transformers, you name it, people were dressed like it! There are also bands and live shows all the way down Freemont Street. We were lucky enough to catch a country song and dance and then a crazy light show too. I high recommend The Freemont Experience!!

We were also welcomed to the Mirage pool as guests from Ben's friend. The Mirage pool totally blows both the Luxor and the Excalibur pools out of the water! (Pun intended!) It's full of waterfalls, fun and beautiful people! We met a nice couple that were locals and we hung out with them all day. Drinks are much more pricey at this pool. Expect to pay $20 for a 32 ounce drink in a souvenir cup. I had one of these delights and that's all I needed all day long! The Mirage also offers a topless pool called Bare. We did not have the opportunity to check it out, but it does cost around $40 per person as admission. Ben keeps telling me now that we are home that he wishes we did go to Bare. I have my own breasts to stare at any time I wish, so I don;t feel like I missed out.

After the pool, Ben's friend treated us to the buffet at the Mirage. It was fabulous!! I had a huge salad with all the fixings of my choice, and it was prepared my a salad master! he did everything right and put my salad together beautifully! I moved on to prime rib and sushi after that. As far a buffets go, this was the best one! I think it cost about $32 per person for dinner and they do have waiters to get you whatever you need.

When we finally made it back to our hotel, I made a reservation at the Luxor's Rice Company Restaurant. it is on the second floor of the entrance. You will also find a few shops, The Titanic and Body Exhibit, and a Mexican Restaurant up there as well. This is also the easiest place to get to the Mandalay Bay entrance. The Rice Company has a good ambiance and a friendly staff. it was a little pricey, with my glass of wine at $10 and Ben's Sake at $16. We didn't order any appetizers, just went in for the dinner. Ben got a "sushi deluxe" for around $45 that included more seafood than he could eat. I choose to have one order of maguro sushi and Pad Thai. The sushi bar had a few customers and everything came out delicious and good. We spent about $150 including tip.

The day we were to check out of our fancy room, I was ready to get in the shower and when I turned it on some sewage can up from the shower drain. I have mentioned the plumbing problems before, but this was such a shock and so disgusting. I quickly ran and got my phone to take a picture of it. At check out, I presented Julie (yes the same one!) with my masterful photo and she was appalled. She again got the manager and her was happy for us to have lunch on him at the cafe.He gave us a gift certificate, we checked our bags back at the front door as we weren't taking off until 10:30 PM and went to Mandalay Bay. This hotel is also connected to the Luxor. It's weird how the hotels set everything up for you so you never have to go outside. (i'm quite sure this is on purpose.)

Mandalay Bay is beautiful and clean. It is totally different than Luxor or Excalibur. Everything seems to be better organized and nice. There are many places to eat and drink and even the casino was cleaner. I felt it had fresher air for some reason. After looking around for a bit, Ben and I went to the Shark Reef, an in house aquarium. We each paid $18 admission and headed down a path into a rain forest. We saw lizards, snakes, turtles and then moved into the aquarium. The tanks are huge! Sharks everywhere! They also had a small open pool full of sting rays that you could touch. I found them to be a bit slimy, but the three year old girl next to me loved them!

Later in the day we headed back to The Cafe for dinner. It is a little boring and right inside the casino. We had a few bites of food and then hit the casino for the last time. I had been frequenting a small bar next to the casino call Playbar for a few nights. I made friend with the bartender, Ken. All the seats at the round bar have a screen in front of them with all sorts of games to play. Poker, keno, slots, whatever you want. So, I thought to throw in $10 and play a $.25 slot game. After three times, I won $160.25!! I was thrilled! Whoever wins money on a slot machine?! I went and found Ben and showed him my big winnings. Then I thought I would try my luck at Black Jack. The Luxor has many gaming tables and most are a $10 minimum. I gave the dealer, Moui, a crisp $50 and got started. Moui was more than a dealer, she was a teacher. She kept giving me little tips and soon enough I had turned that $50 into $105! I tipped her, thanked her and won't forget her kindness. She had been working as a dealer at Luxor since it opened, about 17 years ago. Before that she was at Circus Circus and said how much she loved meeting new people. I loved meeting you Moui!! Thanks for the tips!

Finally, we headed to the airport for our 10:30 departure. We were both tired and ready to head back to the Berkshires. Clean air and clean water had a lot to do with it! We got to Philly around 7:30 and then boarded a flight back to Boston. It was very full of business travelers. It again was a quick and easy flight. Up arriving in Boston, we again got on the T to take us to South Station. We waited there for about 3 hours until our train came. That was a long wait! Finally, we boarded the train that was smooth sailing into Pittsfield, We got dropped off at the same station, right across the street from Teo's. No hot dogs for us. I called a cab, and coincidentally, it was the same guy that dropped us off there a week ago! It was a cold, wet rain upon us when he arrived. We got back to the car and headed to Stockbridge, happier than ever to be home.

Vegas Must Do's:  Third Thursday Pub Crawl!! The Freemont Street Experience!! The pool and buffet at Mirage! Insist on upgrades or comps if anything is not to your liking! Limit your daily spending! Make friends with people! Stay somewhere mid-strip, Planet Hollywood, Mirage, Treasure Island. Bring comfy sneakers!

Vegas Don't Do's:  Stay at the Luxor!! Timeshares! Drink water out of the tap!

I appreciate your comments and suggestions! This is the first Blog I have written! But stay tuned, The Stockbridge Traveler will be headed to Connecticut and Deerfield, Massachusetts later this month!