rje
09-23-2005, 09:06 PM
I thought I would post a report from July of this year:
Getting there:
Flew out of Chicago O'Hare on American Airlines, non stop. Got a great price ($178 RT). Both flights were uneventful. The plane on both legs were MD-80s, if I recall. (They had 2x3 isles.) My biggest gripe would be a lack of an inflight movie. It made the 3.5 hour flight seem a bit longer.
Hotel:
Treasue Island Tower Deluxe room.
This was my third time stating at TI. I enjoyed it and would stay again. Rooms are nicely appointed and we landed a pretty good summer rate ($89/nite on average- Friday to Wednesday). Our room had a great view of the strip. The only draw back is that the room had the "fake balcony" in front of the window so the view was blocked while lying in bed or slumping down in the chair. If i were to stay there again, I would ask for a room with an unobstructed window.
Dining:
The dining highlights of the trip were:
Delmonico:
The first time I ate at Delmonico was on my first trip to Vegas in April 2000. The purpose of this trip was for my b-day, so I wanted to goto at least one really nice place. Delmonico did not disapoint. Great food, great service, great drinks. Yes, it is a bit pricey, but highly recommended for a memorable, special meal.
Steak House at Circus Circus:
This restaurant is the only reason any of us should wander into CC. If you are looking for a great "old school" steak house with great food with reasonable prices, and a great martini, this is the place. The decor is kind of like an old English lodge... hunting prints, dark green walls, dark wood, dim lighting. Very cozy.
Wynn Buffet:
We ate here for lunch. Although a bit expensive at $19.99, the food was excellent. Plus it is a beautiful room. The decor rivals some expensive restaurants i have been too before. The only drawback to this meal was the service...our waitress could have been more attentive with drink refills and clearing plates.
Dishes-Treasure Island Buffet:
I enjoyed this buffet. The food was good. A few things I recall were cotton candy for dessert, and great gourmet salads, in small portions. I tried a chicken ceasar which was one of the best I had.
Shows:
Jubilee- If you are looking for the classic Vegas show, this is it. Great dancers, great costumes, great sets. The theater in Ballys is not huge, so just about any seat in the house is good. If I recal, the tickets were about $72 each, and I felt they were well worth it.
Splash (Riviera):
We bought tickets for Splash at Tix4tonight in the Fashion Show Mall. At half off (about $30), it was worth it. It is basically a chessy production stage show with dancing showgirls (not Jubilee calibur), musical numbers, ice scating, a comedian, and a motorcycle act to end the show. If you go into this show expecting a great production, you'll be disappointed. If you get tickets 1/2 off, and are just looking for an entertaining, cheesy show... grab a drink and enjoy!
Wayne Newton:
We saw Wayne at the LV Hilton. Again, we got 1/2 off tickets ($35 or so). He was great. In all my times to Vegas, I had never seen him on stage. I enjoyed myself. His guest star for this gig was Delisco...someone who won some reality show contest on E!, which I never knew existed until Wayne mentioned it on stage. He was OK, but I could have done without him.
Gambling:
I usually prefer tabloe games, but the friends I went with prefer slots so I mostly played the one armed bandits. I had one good hit playing a Monopoly machine at the Riviera to the tune of about $600. The rest of the trip was very drive. I could not hit anything else. In the end I did come home with about $300 of that $600, so it was not all bad. A few days after my return I went to Circuit City to get an ipod, which I have been wanting for a while.
That is about all I remember for now. I have 2 more trips coming up this year, October and New Years Eve.... Can't wait!
Getting there:
Flew out of Chicago O'Hare on American Airlines, non stop. Got a great price ($178 RT). Both flights were uneventful. The plane on both legs were MD-80s, if I recall. (They had 2x3 isles.) My biggest gripe would be a lack of an inflight movie. It made the 3.5 hour flight seem a bit longer.
Hotel:
Treasue Island Tower Deluxe room.
This was my third time stating at TI. I enjoyed it and would stay again. Rooms are nicely appointed and we landed a pretty good summer rate ($89/nite on average- Friday to Wednesday). Our room had a great view of the strip. The only draw back is that the room had the "fake balcony" in front of the window so the view was blocked while lying in bed or slumping down in the chair. If i were to stay there again, I would ask for a room with an unobstructed window.
Dining:
The dining highlights of the trip were:
Delmonico:
The first time I ate at Delmonico was on my first trip to Vegas in April 2000. The purpose of this trip was for my b-day, so I wanted to goto at least one really nice place. Delmonico did not disapoint. Great food, great service, great drinks. Yes, it is a bit pricey, but highly recommended for a memorable, special meal.
Steak House at Circus Circus:
This restaurant is the only reason any of us should wander into CC. If you are looking for a great "old school" steak house with great food with reasonable prices, and a great martini, this is the place. The decor is kind of like an old English lodge... hunting prints, dark green walls, dark wood, dim lighting. Very cozy.
Wynn Buffet:
We ate here for lunch. Although a bit expensive at $19.99, the food was excellent. Plus it is a beautiful room. The decor rivals some expensive restaurants i have been too before. The only drawback to this meal was the service...our waitress could have been more attentive with drink refills and clearing plates.
Dishes-Treasure Island Buffet:
I enjoyed this buffet. The food was good. A few things I recall were cotton candy for dessert, and great gourmet salads, in small portions. I tried a chicken ceasar which was one of the best I had.
Shows:
Jubilee- If you are looking for the classic Vegas show, this is it. Great dancers, great costumes, great sets. The theater in Ballys is not huge, so just about any seat in the house is good. If I recal, the tickets were about $72 each, and I felt they were well worth it.
Splash (Riviera):
We bought tickets for Splash at Tix4tonight in the Fashion Show Mall. At half off (about $30), it was worth it. It is basically a chessy production stage show with dancing showgirls (not Jubilee calibur), musical numbers, ice scating, a comedian, and a motorcycle act to end the show. If you go into this show expecting a great production, you'll be disappointed. If you get tickets 1/2 off, and are just looking for an entertaining, cheesy show... grab a drink and enjoy!
Wayne Newton:
We saw Wayne at the LV Hilton. Again, we got 1/2 off tickets ($35 or so). He was great. In all my times to Vegas, I had never seen him on stage. I enjoyed myself. His guest star for this gig was Delisco...someone who won some reality show contest on E!, which I never knew existed until Wayne mentioned it on stage. He was OK, but I could have done without him.
Gambling:
I usually prefer tabloe games, but the friends I went with prefer slots so I mostly played the one armed bandits. I had one good hit playing a Monopoly machine at the Riviera to the tune of about $600. The rest of the trip was very drive. I could not hit anything else. In the end I did come home with about $300 of that $600, so it was not all bad. A few days after my return I went to Circuit City to get an ipod, which I have been wanting for a while.
That is about all I remember for now. I have 2 more trips coming up this year, October and New Years Eve.... Can't wait!