Please ADD your own Las Vegas Trip Report. Date of Trip: July 15, 2008 to July 19, 2008 Hotel Stayed At: ORLEANS Report by: KTINCA <> From: California

TRIP WITH MY DAD JULY 15th-19th, 2008

This trip was to celebrate my Dad’s 80th birthday, and a chance for us to spend some time together. No other family, just the two of us. I welcomed the opportunity to get away and get a little rest.

Tuesday 15th Our flight left OAK after 2pm. I’ll never figure out LV flights. A quiet Tuesday mid-day and the flight was still full. Arrived in LAS and it was very quiet. No wait at all for a cab, and a quick ride to Orleans.
Short line at check-in, and after putting in my request for quiet rooms on the same floor, we were given 1997 & 1998. At the end of the hall, across from each other, perfect for our needs.

This was my first stay at Orleans, and the rooms were exactly what I expected. Decent size, comfortable but certainly not fancy. They remind me of Bally’s. The service was fine, and bathroom products were what you expect from an economy hotel. And of course I loved the fact that the TV, while not flat screen or modern, had 8 channels showing live horse racing. It was very nice for this type of trip, but a step below what we are used to in Las Vegas, and I’m not sure if I will consider it when staying with the wife.

Note to self: I like the fridge here. It is the half size, made of plastic, and fairly quiet even though the fan always runs. Although it had no freezer area, and it never got really cold. But it fits under the sink in the bathroom, which I like.

We took a look around to familiarize ourselves and look for playable VP. There really isn’t too much there for my Dad. He likes to play JOB and Orleans has pulled most of these machines off the floor. They had some at the bars with 8/5 pay tables, but he doesn’t like to play at bars. I was able to find a handful of machines, but there are even 7/5 machines there. I must admit I was disappointed.
Dinner was at Big Al’s Oyster Bar. A place I have been to a number of times and it never seems to change. My Dad had the Jambalaya, which he enjoyed, and I had a shrimp dish. Total cost with Iced Teas $38.47. Good food in a casual setting.

We played a little VP, but couldn’t get anything going so we decided to take the shuttle to Gold Coast. I wanted to see what changes had taken place since my April visit. They finished combining the coffee shop and the buffet, closed Arriva (Italian restaurant) and moved the Cortez Room into it’s spot. While the Cortez Room looks bright and airy, it certainly doesn’t have the charm and atmosphere that it used to have.

We played some 9/6 JOB, and of course we got a lot more play for our money than at Orleans, with thier worse paytables. We also played some Keno in the lounge. The Keno was the same as Orleans, and the lounges were comparable.

About the Keno: Admittedly I don’t play very often, but I was surprised at the low payoffs the Boyd properties had. My Dad & I usually play 8 spot, way tickets. And on this ticket at Boyd hitting 5 numbers out of 8 paid $5. We later played at TI, where hitting 5 paid $8. And as I recall when Wynn had Keno (until about 18 months ago) they also paid $8. It was surprising to find Boyd had lower payoffs, you would think it would be the other way around.

Back to the room about 10:30pm to handicap the next days races, and get some rest.

Wednesday 16th My Dad’s birthday and opening day at Delmar.
Our plan today was simple; spend the day in the racebook.

We grabbed an early breakfast at the buffet. Not much to say about the buffet, it cost $5.99, and you get what you pay for. I had an omelet, some bacon, a banana, and a couple of desserts. It would have been nice if they had a bagel or some berries. And I’m sorry, but the bacon left a lot to be desired. If it cost them more than 99 cents a pound they overpaid.

Belmont in the morning and Delmar in the afternoon. Not for everyone, but this was the reason we were here. The Orleans racebook was perfect for my Dad. Old-fashioned paste-boards, and individual desks with their own monitors.
Nothing very exciting happened, as evidenced by the fact that we spent 8 hours there and I won a grand total of $18. But we enjoyed the day.

For his birthday dinner I chose Casa Di Amore. I had been there a number of times, but it was a first for him. The limo was a little late, but picked us up at 8:20. Casa Di Amore is old Las Vegas at it’s best, and I knew my Dad would love it. From the plush booths, to the pictures of the old Strip hotels and the celebrities of days gone by, to the music and singing of old standards by George Bugatti, Casa Di Amore reminds us of what Las Vegas once was.

We shared an appetizer of sautéed mushrooms, and both had veal dishes. He had the special, which was stuffed veal & I had veal piccata. Dinner comes with salad and pasta. And they brought him a birthday dessert. Two Iced teas, coffees, and a glass of merlot brought the bill to $92.62. But a certificate from restaurant.com reduced the bill by $25 (this covered the tip).

One thing though; for his 80th birthday George led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. I was there for my 55th Birthday, and George felt it was appropriate to sing “Young at Heart” complete with Durante impression. I’m not sure if this indicates anything about my Dad’s youthful demeanor, or maybe it says something about my appearance, lol.

Thursday 17th Breakfast was at the coffee shop---excuse me they call it the Courtyard Café. I’m sure it’s called the café because people don’t mind paying a little extra to eat at “cafes”. I’ve become convinced that coffee shops, or Cafes, are the most overpriced dining options in Las Vegas. It doesn’t matter if they are at Orleans or Wynn. The price difference between a meal at a coffee shop and a real restaurant is fairly minimal, but the difference in the experience can be great.
I was hoping the bacon served at the café was better than the buffet, but alas it was not to be. I had bacon & eggs and my Dad had a lox scramble. With 2 coffees, breakfast cost $22.25.
But they did have a Keno runner and I ended up $6 ahead.

After breakfast we took a cab to Wynn. I wanted to stop by the race book and see about reserving spots for Breeder’s Cup in October. This was my Dad’s first visit to Wynn so we toured the hotel and I showed him my favorite places. We signed him up for the Red Card, so he might get offers for a future stay. We played some 9/6 JOB, both doing well. I made him stop $100 ahead (we all need a win every once in a while) and I had a $140 profit.

He needed to pick up a couple of things so we walked over to the Mall. We went to both ticket outlets but nothing excited him so we passed on seeing a show.
Then we walked over to TI to rest and play a little Keno.

Back over to Wynn for lunch at Country Club Grill. I knew my Dad would like having lunch with a view of the golf course. I was disappointed that the flank steak salad was not on the menu, but had the Cobb Salad and it was very good. My Dad had a burger (too large for him to eat) and with Iced Tea the bill was $52. This has become my favorite place for lunch.

My wife loves the single flower vases on the tables at Country Club Grill, and tried to buy some on a previous trip but they weren’t available. So I went shopping, and fortunately one of the Wynn shops now had a few. So I was able to pick up 3 to bring back as a gift. Price; don’t ask. After all it’s Wynn.

The heat and all the walking wore us out, so it was back to Orleans for a little rest and to start handicapping the next day’s races.

We took the shuttle to the Gold Coast for a light dinner. We ended up in the Monterrey Room, the GC café. A Philly cheese-steak, one fried shrimp dinner and 2 Iced Teas were $29.54. But I think the food was better here than at Orleans.
More VP and Keno completed our night.

Friday 18th We had breakfast at the Orleans Café again. By now I’ve given up on the bacon, and ordered lox & bagel. It doesn’t come with cream cheese so I had to order that separately which cost $1.75 (as far as I know there is no charge for mustard or catsup if you order a burger). My Dad had eggs, so with coffee we got out of there for $25.94.

We spent the entire day at the racebook. On Friday Delmar doesn’t start until 4pm, so we were there 8 hours.
For me it was one of those days where everything seemed to just miss. I had one horse disqualified, and one race I was sure I won ended up being called a dead heat. I went 0 for Belmont, although I did have one 18-1 shot finish 2nd and pay a nice price to place. And of course I don’t bet every race.
I did a little better at Delmar, but the DH hurt and I only caught one other horse at 6-1.

At the end of the day I looked down and shook my head. How could I have lost only $40? I didn’t cash any tickets! Of course I keep precise records and know this was correct, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem right. Sometimes my expectations for myself are a little too high.
But the important thing is that we spent the day together and enjoyed ourselves.

Dinner was at Prime Rib Loft. We both had the small cut of Prime Rib, which comes with salad and potato. The prime rib was excellent, and at $36 a good value.
We didn’t leave Orleans, just played a little more VP and Keno.

Saturday 19th A quick breakfast at the café, and we left for the airport a little after 8 for our 10am flight.

Final Thoughts:
Orleans was a good choice. There were a lot of kids, but I was expecting that.
Plenty of reasonably priced dining choices.
Shuttle service was excellent.
I liked that they rated our Keno play.

The weather was as expected in July, over 100 degrees with a little rain most days. The only time I go to Las Vegas in summer is for a special occasion. This will not change.

This was the first time in many years I had gone to Las Vegas without my wife. It was very different.
She is not just my wife, or even my best friend---She’s the one I share things with. And Las Vegas is not the same unless I am sharing it with her. (Yes she will probably read this)
Las Vegas is special for US, but merely ordinary for me.

This was an unusual trip and I realize this report isn’t very exciting. Our next trip will be in October and I’m sure it will be more typical.




KTINCA <> - California    4294

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