Steve
09-16-2005, 03:09 AM
We also saw Howie Mandel.He is another favorite of Sheryl's and he was fine. I wanted to see George Wallace but he canceled a week's worth of shows while we were there so we couldn't see him. Howie was fine, I liked him a lot, Sheryl loved him. We also went to San Remo and saw "Showgirls of Magic". This is a magic show with some comedy. There are 5 very young, model-type girls who do the magic and for much of the show they're dancing around topless. The illusions were pretty much standard fare magic show illusions. They shoved the swords into the box with one of the girls in it, did levitation illusions, that kind of thing. They were very attractive girls but to my mind the show was just an excuse to have 5 topless girls in a show. I kept hearing people describe it as being in "good taste". Not really. It was quite tacky in my opinion but it had some entertainment value. I'd probably not suggest it due to the cost, it wasn't worth the money.
But keep in mind, I'm a cheap guy. We bought the tickets for "half price" at one of the outlets, paid about $30 each, and I still didn't think it was worth the money. To me, all the Cirque type shows are worth the high price of admission, Blue Man Group is worth seeing more than once as I believe it is the best show in Vegas, I'm sure many of the headliners that appear from time to time are worth the ticket price, but other than those exceptions, I don't think most of the high dollar shows are worth the price of the tickets. I think I differ with most people here so I realize I'm again, in the minority. I just have to be very impressed to spend $80+ for a show. And very few have impressed me that much.
Regarding the cost, we did discover on this trip that the "half price" show ticket outlets really do have pretty good deals on tickets. The box offices won't usually give you a discount so unless you have another means to get a discount, these places are a great source for cheap tickets to Las Vegas shows. We stopped at the little tiny kiosk next to the Riveria. It's next door to Riveria, just south of Riveria, on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd...in the same parking lot with a car rental place. They have an electronic board out front that scrolls the different shows. The best time to go there and purchase tickets is around noon for the same day shows. They do have tickets for most shows, their seating is usually good, and the prices are half the box office prices. We paid $60 for two Howie Mandel tickets, exactly half price. We did the same for the Showgirls of Magic. Half price...good deals.
Now, back to the casinos; we spent some time at the Cannery. We played their poker tournaments twice. We ate in their coffee shop and it was fine except for the coffee. They have the strongest coffee I've ever drank. I thought I was swallowing ether!!! The Cannery is really a nice place, a lot of locals go there. And if you happen to be there, have lunch or dinner at Zapata's. It's the best Mexican restaurant I've ever experienced. It's north of town off the interstate at the Craig Road exit...very close to Cannery. We try to go there each time we visit Las Vegas. As usual,
Harrah's was always crowded so although we spent some time there, not all that much. I don't like crowds. Harrah's has converted their coffee shop into a new restaurant and the prices are ridiculous. It's still a coffee shop type of place, just fancier. I was playing poker and they gave me a coupon for $4.00 off a meal there. Sheryl used it to have a roast beef sandwich and it still cost her over $8.00. That means $12 for a lunch SANDWICH in the COFFEE SHOP! To me that's outrageous. So in addition to no longer honoring our slot club points after six months, Harrah's is jacking up the prices of food. And by the way, we were unable to get Harrah's coupons for the discount on their buffet. In the past we have always been able to get them either online or at Harrah's. Each time we tried we were told they were out. So much for that, we're done with Harrah's.
We played a little at Golden Nugget but like Harrah's, it's always crowded. No doubt it is the class of downtown, the only true 4 star hotel downtown, but I just hate waiting in line for everything and it's very difficult to even walk through their casino so I stay away.
We had a coupon for Klondike which is located way on the south strip, south of Mandalay Bay, so we decided to give it a try. I had eaten there many years ago and remembered it as being just ok. This time it was terrible. The food was not good at all, don't bother going there. If it were free I would not go back. The place was dingy, the carpets had many large places where it was worn to the hard floor, they've probably needed new carpet for years!
Well, that's about it. We stayed 12 days, had a lot of cheap meals, played poker every day, a little blackjack, and a few slots. As usual, it was a great trip. We didn't qualify for the main event in the World Series of Poker but we will try again next year!
John and Sheryl
But keep in mind, I'm a cheap guy. We bought the tickets for "half price" at one of the outlets, paid about $30 each, and I still didn't think it was worth the money. To me, all the Cirque type shows are worth the high price of admission, Blue Man Group is worth seeing more than once as I believe it is the best show in Vegas, I'm sure many of the headliners that appear from time to time are worth the ticket price, but other than those exceptions, I don't think most of the high dollar shows are worth the price of the tickets. I think I differ with most people here so I realize I'm again, in the minority. I just have to be very impressed to spend $80+ for a show. And very few have impressed me that much.
Regarding the cost, we did discover on this trip that the "half price" show ticket outlets really do have pretty good deals on tickets. The box offices won't usually give you a discount so unless you have another means to get a discount, these places are a great source for cheap tickets to Las Vegas shows. We stopped at the little tiny kiosk next to the Riveria. It's next door to Riveria, just south of Riveria, on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd...in the same parking lot with a car rental place. They have an electronic board out front that scrolls the different shows. The best time to go there and purchase tickets is around noon for the same day shows. They do have tickets for most shows, their seating is usually good, and the prices are half the box office prices. We paid $60 for two Howie Mandel tickets, exactly half price. We did the same for the Showgirls of Magic. Half price...good deals.
Now, back to the casinos; we spent some time at the Cannery. We played their poker tournaments twice. We ate in their coffee shop and it was fine except for the coffee. They have the strongest coffee I've ever drank. I thought I was swallowing ether!!! The Cannery is really a nice place, a lot of locals go there. And if you happen to be there, have lunch or dinner at Zapata's. It's the best Mexican restaurant I've ever experienced. It's north of town off the interstate at the Craig Road exit...very close to Cannery. We try to go there each time we visit Las Vegas. As usual,
Harrah's was always crowded so although we spent some time there, not all that much. I don't like crowds. Harrah's has converted their coffee shop into a new restaurant and the prices are ridiculous. It's still a coffee shop type of place, just fancier. I was playing poker and they gave me a coupon for $4.00 off a meal there. Sheryl used it to have a roast beef sandwich and it still cost her over $8.00. That means $12 for a lunch SANDWICH in the COFFEE SHOP! To me that's outrageous. So in addition to no longer honoring our slot club points after six months, Harrah's is jacking up the prices of food. And by the way, we were unable to get Harrah's coupons for the discount on their buffet. In the past we have always been able to get them either online or at Harrah's. Each time we tried we were told they were out. So much for that, we're done with Harrah's.
We played a little at Golden Nugget but like Harrah's, it's always crowded. No doubt it is the class of downtown, the only true 4 star hotel downtown, but I just hate waiting in line for everything and it's very difficult to even walk through their casino so I stay away.
We had a coupon for Klondike which is located way on the south strip, south of Mandalay Bay, so we decided to give it a try. I had eaten there many years ago and remembered it as being just ok. This time it was terrible. The food was not good at all, don't bother going there. If it were free I would not go back. The place was dingy, the carpets had many large places where it was worn to the hard floor, they've probably needed new carpet for years!
Well, that's about it. We stayed 12 days, had a lot of cheap meals, played poker every day, a little blackjack, and a few slots. As usual, it was a great trip. We didn't qualify for the main event in the World Series of Poker but we will try again next year!
John and Sheryl