Steve
09-16-2005, 02:34 AM
Hi All-
Haven't done one of these for awhile and this one will be one of the
bullet point variety:
Flight- Southwest to/from Oakland- free ticket from too much travel for
work- uneventful- both flights left on time and were a few minutes
early. Oakland airport was empty on the flight out (it was the Sunday of
Labor Day weekend).
Transportation- took a shuttle from the airport- I forget which one-
two stops before mine- IP, which turning into that little area is a mess-
then the old Ramada- I think it is called the Summer Bay Resort now-
both fairly close to Harrah's, so no big deal- for $5, it was hard to
beat. Rode the monorail from Harrah's to the Convention Center to go to
Wynn. Not as smooth as I would have thought it should be. Taxis- rode
them about 3 times- no problems.
Hotel- Harrah's. Wow, what a nightmare. So you all know, I have
stayed at Harrah's too many times to remember and have enjoyed most of the
stays (you know, winning or losing affects enjoyment some), but this was
by far the worst stay.
Arriving at 7pm on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend was not my idea- I
was invited to the Millionaire Maker Video Poker Tournament- hey, for
the possibility of million bucks, I'm there- so when the desk person told
me the room wasn't ready, then went on to say it is difficult when you
arrive in the middle of a holiday weekend to have rooms ready, I
pointed out to this "gentleman" that I was invited for a video poker
tournament and maybe they should have thought that out better. After dinner at
Toby Keith's, I came back to the front desk as the "gentleman" said the
room should be ready- surprise- it was not. So I went and got a new
Total Rewards card and played a little video poker. Of course, over the
last few years their video poker inventory has been reduced to
something worse than many of the Indian Casinos I used to play at in San Diego-
very poor pay tables. But I was just playing $20 while I waited for my
room to be ready. After the $20, which went pretty quickly, it was
now just before 9 pm, so I went back to the front desk to check on my
room- still not ready. I asked the person to call housekeeping to
verify this, but she said the computer is kept very up to date. She refused
to give me keys, saying they cannot give keys to a room that is not
ready. Pissed off at the lack service- but not pissed off enough to wait
for the manager who was on dinner break, I left to go gamble. At 2 am,
I made it back to the front desk and was told my room did not show
ready! Luckily, the manager on duty said that was because the date had
changed on the computer and it showed not ready because I was now
officially checked in. I get to the room- of course- it was hot, as they have
these sensors that shut off the a/c when the room is not occupied. Now
the fun begins- the alarm clock is not plugged in- so I move the bed
out of the way and plug it in. I try to turn on the TV- it helps put me
to sleep normally- it isn't working. So I sit there and sweat for half
an hour or so, trying to find a radio station to wake up to on the
alarm. Finally get to sleep some time after 3:30. Did I mention the
missing picture over the toilet? Maybe I am looking for things that are
wrong now.
Try the TV the next day- can turn it on on the TV, but it won't change
channels. Call maintenance and they come up and confirm it is not
working properly (jeez- really? The maintenance guy was nice enough- I'm
sure he was just doing his job) and say they will be back to replace the
TV. On Monday, while trying to register for the tourney, more fun-
registration was between 2-4, with the suggestion from staff to come later
as most folks would probably show up early. I checked out the line at
3 pm- it was very long, so I decide to come back at 3:45. At 3:45 the
line is longer! I get in line and finally make it into the room for
registration at 5:30. While in line talking with the folks around me, it
was mentioned that there were 1000 players in this event- so, let's
see- even if there were only half that many (we weren't sure if the 1000
was for both Harrah's and The Rio or just Harrah's, as the offer was for
either), that would mean 250 players an hour, or, rounding off, 4
players a minute. Now, since they only had two places to check in,
that meant each location had to handle 2 a minute- but by the time they
checked ID, found your name, had you pull a slip for your time and
machine, wrote that down, issued dinner and gift tickets, it took at least a
minute each. Gee- I wonder why they were still registering people
almost 2 hours after they were supposed to stop? For a company that makes
it's money off knowing the numbers, seems that somebody should have
done this math...........
Monday night- room seems fine, but since my schedule gets out of whack
while in Vegas, I get back to the room at about 4 Tuesday morning- did
they bother to warn me that construction- remodeling of rooms or
something, was to begin at 9am? No...so after listening to hammering and,
even more fun, roto-hammering (kind of a drill like thing) for about 2
hours, i got up and got ready- guess what- the new TV is out- it turns
on, but no channels. Call the front desk- did they know TV is out- well
yes, because of the construction the system is out on some floors- and
since they are working right below you.......and it would have been
nice if they had told me about the construction- oh, sorry sir, we are a
big hotel and always have some construction going on......
There is more, but enough whining for now. I think I'll be sending an
e-mail to the GM and maybe the old GM- Tom Jenkin- who is now VP in
charge of Laughlin, Las Vegas and the Rio. Wonder if it will do any good.
The place seemed to be better when he was in charge.
Okay- on to Gambling- played at Harrah's, Mirage and Wynn. Mostly vp
and quite a bit of live poker (played in the Limit Hold'em tourney at
the Mirage on Monday night- finished 8th out of 57- they only paid 5
places though- some craps and some Caribbean Stud Poker for fun. Best
gambling was at Wynn- yes, they really do have full pay vp as I played
quite a bit of it on Tuesday- earned a couple of free buffets (used 1) and
$50 in free play which got me back to even for the last day of my stay
(even for the day- still down for the trip)
Food- Toby Keith's- Had to try the Fried Bologna Sandwich, which was
very good- the folks at the table next to me seemed to like their food as
well. Big portions. But be warned- the place is noisy.
Cafe at Harrah's-had late breakfast there- the omelet wasn't bad, but
the potatoes were cold. They used to have great late night Steak and
Eggs specials at the old cafe, which is what I was looking for, but not
at this new one.
The Buffet (Wynn)- Good buffet- lots of crab, shrimp, prime rib and
lamb chops- but if I was paying $31.95, not on a comp, not sure I could
say the same thing.
The great Pastrami Hunt- all right, I admit it, I love Pastrami- and
since moving to the Bay Area, I can't find a good place for it. So I
decided to hit The Stage Deli in the Forum Shops every chance I could.
Monday for lunch- cup of chicken noodle and Pastrami with Swiss on
sourdough. I'm in heaven. As I played in the poker tourney that night, I
didn't get to eat dinner (had the registration fiasco), so I hit the
Carnegie Deli after busting out. Pastrami with Swiss on white with an
order of fries. Too much meat- I know, sounds strange from a pastrami
lover- but the sandwiches there are over done. Tuesday- lunch at Zooza
Crackers (sp?) in Wynn- deli next to the sports book. Fantastic pastrami
and Swiss on white- tender, tasty and warm enough to melt the cheese
slightly. Wednesday, lunch back at The Stage before my flight out-
Pastrami with Swiss on sourdough. Yes, if you are counting, that was 4 out
of 5 meals (buffet at Wynn between the last two) with a Pastrami
Sandwich.
And, in a surprise victory, Zooza Crackers wins the award for best
Pastrami Sandwich of the trip. While The Stage is still very good and will
continue to be a regular stop, Zooza Crackers was simply the best I
have ever had. And since that was the third meal in a row for a Pastrami
Sandwich, it really must have been good!
And finally- the VP Tourney- I did terrible- no shot at the Million
Dollars. Double Double Bonus and never got 4 of a kind in anything, so,
what a surprise, Harrah's beats me up again- kind of appropriate for
this trip!
Last thought- Wynn- very nice- nicer than Bellagio? I don't know- too
similar in mind view, although the full pay vp makes it better for now.
The slot club- Red Card- is easy to use though.
Sorry it ended up so long- needed to get that Harrah's stuff off my
chest!
Thanks for reading- Lee.
Haven't done one of these for awhile and this one will be one of the
bullet point variety:
Flight- Southwest to/from Oakland- free ticket from too much travel for
work- uneventful- both flights left on time and were a few minutes
early. Oakland airport was empty on the flight out (it was the Sunday of
Labor Day weekend).
Transportation- took a shuttle from the airport- I forget which one-
two stops before mine- IP, which turning into that little area is a mess-
then the old Ramada- I think it is called the Summer Bay Resort now-
both fairly close to Harrah's, so no big deal- for $5, it was hard to
beat. Rode the monorail from Harrah's to the Convention Center to go to
Wynn. Not as smooth as I would have thought it should be. Taxis- rode
them about 3 times- no problems.
Hotel- Harrah's. Wow, what a nightmare. So you all know, I have
stayed at Harrah's too many times to remember and have enjoyed most of the
stays (you know, winning or losing affects enjoyment some), but this was
by far the worst stay.
Arriving at 7pm on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend was not my idea- I
was invited to the Millionaire Maker Video Poker Tournament- hey, for
the possibility of million bucks, I'm there- so when the desk person told
me the room wasn't ready, then went on to say it is difficult when you
arrive in the middle of a holiday weekend to have rooms ready, I
pointed out to this "gentleman" that I was invited for a video poker
tournament and maybe they should have thought that out better. After dinner at
Toby Keith's, I came back to the front desk as the "gentleman" said the
room should be ready- surprise- it was not. So I went and got a new
Total Rewards card and played a little video poker. Of course, over the
last few years their video poker inventory has been reduced to
something worse than many of the Indian Casinos I used to play at in San Diego-
very poor pay tables. But I was just playing $20 while I waited for my
room to be ready. After the $20, which went pretty quickly, it was
now just before 9 pm, so I went back to the front desk to check on my
room- still not ready. I asked the person to call housekeeping to
verify this, but she said the computer is kept very up to date. She refused
to give me keys, saying they cannot give keys to a room that is not
ready. Pissed off at the lack service- but not pissed off enough to wait
for the manager who was on dinner break, I left to go gamble. At 2 am,
I made it back to the front desk and was told my room did not show
ready! Luckily, the manager on duty said that was because the date had
changed on the computer and it showed not ready because I was now
officially checked in. I get to the room- of course- it was hot, as they have
these sensors that shut off the a/c when the room is not occupied. Now
the fun begins- the alarm clock is not plugged in- so I move the bed
out of the way and plug it in. I try to turn on the TV- it helps put me
to sleep normally- it isn't working. So I sit there and sweat for half
an hour or so, trying to find a radio station to wake up to on the
alarm. Finally get to sleep some time after 3:30. Did I mention the
missing picture over the toilet? Maybe I am looking for things that are
wrong now.
Try the TV the next day- can turn it on on the TV, but it won't change
channels. Call maintenance and they come up and confirm it is not
working properly (jeez- really? The maintenance guy was nice enough- I'm
sure he was just doing his job) and say they will be back to replace the
TV. On Monday, while trying to register for the tourney, more fun-
registration was between 2-4, with the suggestion from staff to come later
as most folks would probably show up early. I checked out the line at
3 pm- it was very long, so I decide to come back at 3:45. At 3:45 the
line is longer! I get in line and finally make it into the room for
registration at 5:30. While in line talking with the folks around me, it
was mentioned that there were 1000 players in this event- so, let's
see- even if there were only half that many (we weren't sure if the 1000
was for both Harrah's and The Rio or just Harrah's, as the offer was for
either), that would mean 250 players an hour, or, rounding off, 4
players a minute. Now, since they only had two places to check in,
that meant each location had to handle 2 a minute- but by the time they
checked ID, found your name, had you pull a slip for your time and
machine, wrote that down, issued dinner and gift tickets, it took at least a
minute each. Gee- I wonder why they were still registering people
almost 2 hours after they were supposed to stop? For a company that makes
it's money off knowing the numbers, seems that somebody should have
done this math...........
Monday night- room seems fine, but since my schedule gets out of whack
while in Vegas, I get back to the room at about 4 Tuesday morning- did
they bother to warn me that construction- remodeling of rooms or
something, was to begin at 9am? No...so after listening to hammering and,
even more fun, roto-hammering (kind of a drill like thing) for about 2
hours, i got up and got ready- guess what- the new TV is out- it turns
on, but no channels. Call the front desk- did they know TV is out- well
yes, because of the construction the system is out on some floors- and
since they are working right below you.......and it would have been
nice if they had told me about the construction- oh, sorry sir, we are a
big hotel and always have some construction going on......
There is more, but enough whining for now. I think I'll be sending an
e-mail to the GM and maybe the old GM- Tom Jenkin- who is now VP in
charge of Laughlin, Las Vegas and the Rio. Wonder if it will do any good.
The place seemed to be better when he was in charge.
Okay- on to Gambling- played at Harrah's, Mirage and Wynn. Mostly vp
and quite a bit of live poker (played in the Limit Hold'em tourney at
the Mirage on Monday night- finished 8th out of 57- they only paid 5
places though- some craps and some Caribbean Stud Poker for fun. Best
gambling was at Wynn- yes, they really do have full pay vp as I played
quite a bit of it on Tuesday- earned a couple of free buffets (used 1) and
$50 in free play which got me back to even for the last day of my stay
(even for the day- still down for the trip)
Food- Toby Keith's- Had to try the Fried Bologna Sandwich, which was
very good- the folks at the table next to me seemed to like their food as
well. Big portions. But be warned- the place is noisy.
Cafe at Harrah's-had late breakfast there- the omelet wasn't bad, but
the potatoes were cold. They used to have great late night Steak and
Eggs specials at the old cafe, which is what I was looking for, but not
at this new one.
The Buffet (Wynn)- Good buffet- lots of crab, shrimp, prime rib and
lamb chops- but if I was paying $31.95, not on a comp, not sure I could
say the same thing.
The great Pastrami Hunt- all right, I admit it, I love Pastrami- and
since moving to the Bay Area, I can't find a good place for it. So I
decided to hit The Stage Deli in the Forum Shops every chance I could.
Monday for lunch- cup of chicken noodle and Pastrami with Swiss on
sourdough. I'm in heaven. As I played in the poker tourney that night, I
didn't get to eat dinner (had the registration fiasco), so I hit the
Carnegie Deli after busting out. Pastrami with Swiss on white with an
order of fries. Too much meat- I know, sounds strange from a pastrami
lover- but the sandwiches there are over done. Tuesday- lunch at Zooza
Crackers (sp?) in Wynn- deli next to the sports book. Fantastic pastrami
and Swiss on white- tender, tasty and warm enough to melt the cheese
slightly. Wednesday, lunch back at The Stage before my flight out-
Pastrami with Swiss on sourdough. Yes, if you are counting, that was 4 out
of 5 meals (buffet at Wynn between the last two) with a Pastrami
Sandwich.
And, in a surprise victory, Zooza Crackers wins the award for best
Pastrami Sandwich of the trip. While The Stage is still very good and will
continue to be a regular stop, Zooza Crackers was simply the best I
have ever had. And since that was the third meal in a row for a Pastrami
Sandwich, it really must have been good!
And finally- the VP Tourney- I did terrible- no shot at the Million
Dollars. Double Double Bonus and never got 4 of a kind in anything, so,
what a surprise, Harrah's beats me up again- kind of appropriate for
this trip!
Last thought- Wynn- very nice- nicer than Bellagio? I don't know- too
similar in mind view, although the full pay vp makes it better for now.
The slot club- Red Card- is easy to use though.
Sorry it ended up so long- needed to get that Harrah's stuff off my
chest!
Thanks for reading- Lee.