Saturday, January 24, 2015

An Ode to the Western Strip Hemisphere

I am a huge fan of the Strip. The ease of movement, the liveliness, the energy....ahh (although I lost my favorite property Imperial Palace :cry: ).

I am a lover of downtown. I am a fan of classic and old-fashioned things (although I am not as excited about staying downtown).

Each property on Boulder Highway, taken separately, I adore (although the space in between the properties and the seediness of that area keeps me away).

But there is something very special about the West-circuit-that-has-no-name.


This illustrious territory has several redeeming qualities, making it my favorite area altogether in Vegas (although I prefer to stay on strip). Though Rio and Palms enjoyed some popularity years ago, they are not viewed the same way anymore. I find this fact extremely beneficial to those who are willing to take advantage of it. These are still top-notch brands. Unlike Rio, however, Palms continues to refresh itself with fresh, new carpets, clubs, rooms, etc.  Nevertheless, despite some deteriorating upkeep over the years particularly in the way of rooms, it is important to remember that Rio was still built with class, style and flair...and that remains. The entrance alone will tell you that this is a property in a class of its own. Worn carpets, shut-down restaurants, closing clubs, outdated rooms, tight slots and other miscellaneous things may tell you different about Rio, but you can still appreciate this gem for what it is, and I will tell you why in a minute. Gold Coast is the stepcousin of the bunch, but the little-casino-that-could, basking in its own humility, may be making more waves than Palms and Rio. It is basically a real locals joint closest to the strip. So right next to larger-than-life, has-been casinos is Gold Coast, buzzing and brimming with life even though skewing more towards an elderly population. Gold Coast has the most beautiful casino carpeting I have ever seen--one reason being that it is not a disorienting, psychedelic collage of splatterings like most carpeting but a clean, smooth, beautiful pattern of crimson and gold. A quite cozy property--the carpet takes it up a notch. Palms, Rio and Gold Coast, on the western side of the strip, deserve far more attention than they are currently being given.

Though Palms is definitely less of a tourist trap now and more of a locals joint, it is still a gorgeous and worthy property that is easily competitive with the likes of many on the strip. Boasting multiple clubs and pools with good music and a good scene, it still has a "youthful" feel to it even though it has now been taken over by older locals. Each club has its own character, and few properties on the strip can compare or compete with Palms on the uniqueness and sheer volume of clubs. It is too bad that they are no longer enjoying the same patronage of years past. The pools are great and lively yet accommodating of all. The added benefit is that since there aren't a crazy number of people like places on the strip, you can enjoy a calmer experience...with the good music and good-looking. The slots in this joint are still hot, having been voted several years as the best slots in town. The layout of the casino is nice and classy, with recent refreshes. A food court off to the side includes Mcds, Nathans, Sbarros, TastiDlite, etc. There is also a huge movie theater with IMAX and there are special days with promotions on the ticket prices. The buffet is solid and are often low-range comparable to Gold Coast buffet prices with a card. I have not eaten at some of their restaurants yet because I would be more inclined to try them if I stayed there. I have yet to stay at Palms or Palms Place (the sister all-suite property next door) but the new tower rooms look excellent and Palms place rooms look great on tripadvisor.com. The property is missing life though. It is quiet, and if you like that plus the added advantage of a luxurious feel, it's great! To have so many great points, Palms is in need of an energy resurgence.

Rio, on the other hand, is closing up shop left and right. And with every reason to leave Rio alone, apart from the poker world series, it remains an important piece of the Western semi-circle strip...for me. I used to go to their wonderful Carnival World buffet for breakfast, and every year the price would go up and yet the quality would not improve. Last year, they shut down breakfast at the buffet and now only start at lunch. At this point, I have given up on the buffet at Rio. You have to wonder...all that I have said about Rio so far is negative. Why do I still visit? Well, they have my favorite pool in town. For most pools in town, ladies are complimentary and I am so glad they are! There are multiple spa tubs and they are all secluded with excellent landscaping. They have a sand beach, a hot and a cold pool, as well the dayclub next door that has great music. Similar to Palms, it is a quieter experience though because there are fewer crowds than the strip. Even though the rooms are outdated, for the price the Ipanema tower standard "suite" (large room) is cute, cozy and well-appointed. And certainly a great value. I am not as much a fan of the Masquerade rooms because I do not like the color scheme. But all rooms come very large and spacious with a fridge. Even though there is not so many people around, there are certainly more people here in Rio than at the Palms it seems. The vibe of the place is still edgy. And if you are into heights, the VooDoo restaurant/club elevator boasts great views. The sky show at Rio is sadly gone and probably hurts them. I know that my first time coming to see Rio was actually for that show. Though Rio continually shifts out entertainment acts and newer clubs, it has kept the MJLive, Michael Jackson tribute show (which is $35 bucks on Groupon) which is solid (and I hope it moves to the strip), and after 7pm or so reps on the floor have given out free club and comedy show passes for the evening. For what it's worth, I do enjoy Rio.

In between them both lies Gold Coast. With new carpeting, great playable table games, popular dining choices, refreshed rooms, plenty of daily promotions, and great rates, she is not taking anything for granted. The new rooms are sleek and chic. And for $35 or so bucks, it can not be beat. The resort fee has risen up dramatically but it is still lower than most properties at $12.99 (compared to Palms and Rio in the $25+ range). Gold Coast offers a frequent shuttle to the strip (and also to their sister property The Orleans, which also rocks your socks) and stops on the side of Ballys. So, staying at Gold Coast is not so far away from the strip. Nevertheless, the 24 hour Deuce that you can pick up from the side of Caesars or dropped off near Ballys can get to Rio, Gold Coast and Palms in a couple minutes. (Palms and Rio also have a shuttle that are less frequent). The popular chain TGIFs is in Gold Coast with excellent late night specials, as is the infamous Ping Pang Pong restaurat. The buffet is cheap and solid for breakfast, starting at $7.99. I consider their table sections my hands down favorite tables in the town because the energy is great, odds are good, rules are fair, and minimums are reasonable. It also happens to be very pretty to me. But for the life of me, I can never get a pit boss to rate me correctly. I play here only when I am playing just to play. The slots are horrendous but you can find a few playable ones. What I like about their machines are the low-roller 5cents/10cents VP and penny keno. I can play on penny keno for hours (I know, strange)! Another great point about Gold Coast is that their pool (and gym) is small, basic, solid and even more calmer than the others...the way a hotel should be if you want to relax as opposed to party. GC also has lounge singers, other cool restaurants and a bowling alley, which I have not had the pleasure of seeing. Gold Coast is just a solid property.

So all in all this is my favorite section for several reasons. Everything I love most is just a skip away. For a long time, Carnival World buffet was my favorite buffet. Gold Coast Ports o Call buffet was a solid, cheap, just-need-breakfast buffet. Palms had my food court goodies if I needed a late night. I could club it up at Palms in some of the most epic clubs. Watch an IMAX movie at Palms or see a good show at Rio. I could pick between my favorite beautiful pool at Rio, a club-like-see-and-be-seen pool at Palms, or a can't-be-bothered pool at Gold Coast. I could stay in a glorious room at Gold Coast or a sensible "suite" at Rio for a great price. I could hit the slots at Palms or play a penny at a time across the street or shoot an awesome, lively game of $5 great-odds craps at Gold Coast (my favorite pit)! And my lovely Strip is not too far away, with this section closest to the legendary Bellagio and the grand Caesars hotels. As you may know, I like moving around in Vegas and I have not had a "home" casino in a while. But I would call this section of Vegas the place that feels most like "home".

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Frugal Tactics

Ever spent $65 for a plush suite on a weekend night? $20 for a room in the city's center of the action? Ever eaten a world-class meal for free? Did you ever want to go to a place where you could see and be seen but were not ready to fork up the price? The options for frugality are endless in Vegas. You just have to know your way around. And frugalness can get you the best of the best if you know how to get it. I have compiled a list of the most frugal things that I do in order to have a blast on a budget in Vegas.

Flights

1. Use my credit cards to build airline miles

2. take advantage of oversold cabins in Southwest for flight credits

3. search all sites for the lowest flights (even if I have to do one-ways or multiple layovers)

4. I will take other forms of transportation such as a car, bus, or train to travel to a lower city to flight out from (also makes for mini-vacays in other cities)

Bonus.  I use megabus to travel to Los Angeles or San Francisco as other mini-vacays when i get to Vegas. In advance, these buses are truly $1.
PS. I never have but would take a bus from the east coast to get to Vegas if the price was right


Accommodations

1. I also stay 3 weeks typically in order to make the value of the flight stretch

2. But I am so frugal that I will stay in multiple places for the best rates (but this also ends up feeling like multiple mini-vacays....although this is starting to get to be a real hassle with all the resort fees/incidentals and other crap I have to take care of nowadays)

3. I love hotwire, priceline for their secret rates/bidding to get rock bottom prices

4. I am a huge fan of myvegas and have gotten so many great deals through them over the years

5. I am not above staying at a motel, particularly if it's a crazy weekend that I can not afford. I adore Days Inn Wild Wild West although the area can be quite seedy. The rooms are basic and clean. And the casino is cute and playable. A 24/7 Dennys on-property and laundry doesn't hurt. It also has a superb Dennys breakfast [I]every[/I] morning *complimentary*. There are also places like Baymont Inn off-strip (which is actually very very nice, better than most CET properties). Then there are places like Rodeway Inn near Riviera or Howard Johnson near Hooters that feel much seedier, but I would not be against staying for a night if I really want to go and everywhere is charging $300/night. I am sure this is where most people would draw the line. But then other folks stay for 3 nights and if I was only staying for 3 nights, unless I was staying for a festival or huge once-in-a-lifetime concert during a high-rate weekend, there would be no way I would stay there either. because my trips are long and I stay multiple places, this works out. They usually turn out not to be that bad. I will let you know when it gets bad.

6. Like motels, I am not against staying at lower end properties. Your Circus Circus, Rivieras, Excaliburs, Hooters, and at a point Imperial Palace. I actually quite openly LOVE these places. They take me back in time, they transport me. They are old classics or just plain fun. They make me *happy*. Perhaps they are run-down. But they are enchanting to me. There, I do feel like I am in a Disney World. People often say that "oh it's just a bed", but to me I would actually never want to stay in a place that does not make me ecstatic and feel like "I'm in Vegas baby!" These properties fall into the "just bed" category for most but for me they are sacred. Their prices make them jewels to me. I can stay at these places for a full vacation, no matter how short or long.

7. I stay at higher end properties too but only if they comp me (or severely discount the rates)...and strangely they do! In order, I love Wynn, Mandalay, Caesars (not the rooms), Cosmopolitan, VP! Ahhhh. I am ready to go right now! And with my handy dandy research skills I have not spent too much on them. I use my lower rates to offset my higher rates.

8. A Diamond TR friend of mine once helped me book a room at IP or now Linq for $10/night with the friends and family rate. Sooooo score.

9. In the past, I used to stay off-strip as a rule on the weekends to save money but then I realized that I just do not like staying off-strip (even though i do love so many off-strip prices). Lucky for me I have been able to stay on the strip with nice deals. Occasionally still I will use a downtown comp to cover a weekend. Otherwise, hotwire is my favorite website to cover a weekend on the strip, because I do not often get comped on weekends on the strip. Also, during the winter, especially in dead week before christmas, weekends on the strip are so doable, you can find excellent rates on regular websites.

10. I will tip for an upgrade!


Shopping

1. Ross--end of story

2. Souvenir shops downtown or at Circus Circus

3. Window shopping at Forum shops/fashion show mall (buy most things online)


Attractions

1. Free circus acts at Circus Circus or free midway games from the fun booklet, also free adventuredome rides in the booklet

2. Free and discounted rates in the fun booklet for food and fun at Excalibur and Luxor

3. 3 for $57 deal at Luxor

4. LVA/ACG coupons

5. Costumes everywhere downtown and on the strip is a free attraction for me

6. People-watching of course

7. Hotel arcades

8. Walking the strip, taking photos, selfies

9. Entertainment on the strip like dancers and dancing fountains


Entertainment

1. Groupon, goldstar, halfpriceshows.com, vegas4locals, travelzoo, bookit.com to get discounted rates on shows (sometimes offered as a package with the hotel...ironically never used tix4tonight because I usually find better deals and far in advance)

2.  $1 Tuesdays at Tropicana Cinema, $5 Mondays at Palms, $5 Tuesdays at orleans for movies

3. Free coupons for shows on the strip like ACG Riviera comedy, Marc Savard, Divas, Nathan Burton, Mac King

4. Timeshare presentations

5. TV previews (some offer cash or gift cards, discounted rates on things) and taste testers at Ballys, Hard Rock cafe, Twin Peaks, and most importantly MGM Grand

6. Hotel discounts on big production shows like Le Reve, LOVE, Mystere, KA and myvegas of course

7. Local entertainment such as Onyx Theatre, Cockroach theatre, Smith Center, Las Vegas Little Theatre

8. Guestlist passes on line for dayclubs and nightclubs (sometimes comes with free drinks for ladies)

9. Free cover nights at bars, ultralounges and karaoke citywide

10. Free drinks in the Excalibur/Luxor booklet

11. Free time at the pool! (Ladies are complimentary at most pools)


Gaming

1. I can buy into a $3 table with a $6 buy-in...enough said.

2. I can exclusively play penny slots with a minimum of a 9 cents max line the entire time. For what I like, I am certainly getting my entertainment's worth (or play exacrly 1 cent at a time on a penny keno machine--lots of fun!)

3. I try to play for as many hours as possible with $100 when I am "really" playing

4.  I hop slots and I call this a frugal move because I hop them as soon as I have played 3-5 measly units of a few cents a spin to see if it likes me!

5. I can have $20 bucks for a session

6. I can take out only $40 from an atm (from an atm that is charging me $5.99 plus other charges...I guess this part is not so frugal--rather care free) when I want to play more and I do not want to leave the casino

7. I can walk a far distance to get to a $1 atm at Casino Royale when I am in the mood

8. Win cards

9. $1 and $3 BJ at Riviera

10. I have traveled to the ends of Vegas for gaming deals, lower limits and better odds including downtown, boulder highway, henderson, summerline, the water area, and even outside in laughlin (free bus ride out here with several deals)


Food

1. Fun booklets

2. restaurant.com

3. LVA and ACG coupons

4. comps, dining credits, free buffets with hotel packages

5. myvegas

6. Eating downtown and off-strip (cheaper), particularly $6 buffets, $4 pancakes and eggs, $11.99 ribs and chicken, etc

7. arriving between breakfast and lunch for the buffet (I do not mind paying the lunch price and gladly will/do but I do this more to get more bang for my buck---i get breakfast and lunch dishes...and usually do not eat for the rest of the day)

8. $1 dollar menu at Mcds, $1 fried oreos/twinkies and $1 hot dogs at Mermaids, $1.99 footlong hotdogs at Casino Royale and other chains

9. food courts

10. stocking up on snacks from stores

11. Order-in food

12. Sign up for the "clubs" at chain restaurants and use their free coupons (they also offer one for your birthday and other discounts throughout the year)

Transportation

1. Shuttle or wax from the airport

2. Deuce everywhere  ($34 for 15 days at 7-eleven or Walgreens...taxi only in extreme cases) or hotel shuttles

3. Walking mostly (and I have walked from the strip to downtown a number of times)


Miscellaneous

1. I not only budget my money, I budget my time and space. I do advance planning to make sure I take full advantage of the area I am staying in so that I do not have to use the deuce or taxi as much. I can a lot more things, cover a lot more ground. Where you stay is also where you get more discounts. Each area has their own frugal gems. It also saves me time. By budgeting my time, I am able to fit in as much low-cost things into a day as possible. Ultimately receiving more bang for my buck not only through budgeting money but also through budgeting time and space.

2. I play for comps. Yes, I do not believe I would play for anything more than $20 at a time if not for the possibility of comps. Gaming is fun (like an arcade) but it's not my main source of entertainment like shows, pools...and even hotels. So if I can game  a little (totally way within my budget) and get a nice hotel in the future, why not? I gain entertainment within the time of playing and in the future with staying at a nice place. Ultimately me playing for comps is a bargain because I keep my play under a certain condition.