Never Enuf Vegas
10-21-2005, 07:53 PM
Okay, after 12 hours of much needed sleep upon returning from 4 nights in Vegas last night, I've got a trip report about my friend's Greg and Paula's wedding. This might be kinda long, so I'll split the week into two threads.
There were a total of 19 family and friends from the Minneapolis area who made the trip for the wedding - Greg and Paula had a gorgeous suite at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay (their newer all-suite property), me and Greg's and my friend Mark (Best Man) were at the Luxor next door, along with the bride's father and the groom's mother and two sisters. His 3 brothers were split between the Golden Nugget and the Tropicana. The bride's two brothers and spouses were at MGM, and several other friends were at the San Remo and the Westin Casuarina.
Everybody got into town on Sunday the 16th and after checking in and getting settled at the Luxor (pyramid room, 24th floor facing the Strip - basically an airport view with the San Remo, Tropicana and MGM off to the left), Mark and I went over to see Greg and Paula's suite at THE Hotel. It was just beautiful - very striking, modern/contemporary decor - two bathrooms, three flat screen TV's (including one in the master bath), wet bar, floor to ceiling windows, etc. Felt like a NYC condo!
G&P (I'll try and abbreviate from now on - G&P is Greg and Paula the wedding couple), wanted some more time to unpack and unwind so we agreed to meet at the Sports Book bar at the Luxor in a bit. The walk between the 2 hotels is easy and nice - through the upscale Mandalay Place shopping area. We were joined at the bar in Luxor by our friend Shelly and several of G&P's brothers and sisters. Had a few drinks and played some VP for awhile and then decided to cab downtown.
Arrived downtown and everyone wanted dinner, so we just went to Magnolia's coffee shop in the Four Queens. Greg's sister Annette won $400 on a nickle machine while we were eating. Paula's brother and sister-in-law joined us mid-dinner and then hung out for the rest of the night. After dinner we walked Fremont Street, saw a light show, and bought the biggest daquiri's sold at La Bayou. You know the daquiris are gonna be strong when the entire place smells like barf! Almost saw a girl heave while in line for them but of course that didn't deter us!! Didn't hang out in La Bayou though - it really does reek - come for the drinks and get out!!
Walked over to Main Street Station and gambled a little and then crossed over to the California and gambled some more. I had my first good Pai Gow Poker session at the Cal - the first of many this trip which I'm happy about!!
The Cal had $2 beers and mixed drinks so those not gambling hung out and got loose. Eventually it was getting late, and with the time difference (body clocks still being two hours later for Minneapolis time) we had to call it a night around midnight. Mark, our friend Shelly and I cabbed back to the Luxor for (of course, only ONE more) a nightcap and talked into the night. At 2:30 am we spot the groom's 70 year old mother and 2 sisters just getting started in the casino!! They don't drink much, but man, they stayed up all night most of the week gambling into the wee hours. His sister Debbie didn't sleep at all the night before the wedding! We finally put Shelly into a cab to the Westin and rode the inclinator up to the room for the night.
Monday morning it was kinda overcast and sprinkling (more on the weather later) and so Mark and I took the tram to Excalibur and then crossed over to the MGM to take the monorail to Bally's to connect with Shelly. We wanted to buy some advance multi-ride passes for the monorail which we would need to transport everyone to dinner later that night. Crossed Flamingo Road at Bally's back side entrance in the shopping arcade to get to the Westin side of the street. By the way, Bourbon Street closed THAT DAY. Shuttered with police tape sealing the entrances. Harrah's bought it recently and it was no secret they would probably tear it down, so that looks like it's moving forward sooner rather than later.
Picked Shelly up at the Westin and cabbed to the Peppermill for breakfast. This is the greatest place. It's such a time warp to classic 1970's Vegas - dimly light interior with neon and silk flowering trees, the ultimate lounge with totally retro flaming fire pit and slinky cocktail waitresses working the coffee shop floor for bloody mary and mimosa orders - a real hoot!! The food is excellent too - 12 egg omlettes!! and the best chicken fried steak and eggs I've ever had.
From here we walked to Wynn, it was starting to sprinkle but not bad. I had visted Wynn in June shortly after it opened and I have to say I liked it better this visit. When it first opened I didn't think it surpassed the hype or Bellagio but I was also there on a real crowded Saturday night and it was so packed it was annoying. Now, on a rainy Monday morning I could actually see the details of the hotel and it is stunning. We walked around and took it all in and then found a nickel machine that we took turns playing (last of the high rollers here!!) but it was a fun machine and we left $75 up after an hour of play.
From there walked to the Venetian and had a drink in the La Scena lounge - one of my favorite places to hear live music in town. Too early for a band to be playing today but we still had good bloody mary's and conversation. Then walked to Harrah's for the Carnival Court. All I can say is, Carnival Court did not fail to disappoint once again. At 1:00 pm on a Monday the place was still rocking!! Everyone is there to party and you can't help get caught up in it!!
Knowing that we had a big family dinner that night we forced ourselves to leave Carnival Court to get back to our hotels to clean up. The plan was to meet in the Zuri Lounge in MGM between 5-5:30. G&P, Mark and I, Shelly and Jackie, Maid of Honor Lynn, the parents and the brothers and sisters made it and took over several big tables at Zuri. This is an upscale cocktail lounge in the heart of the casino and it was packed - both times we went. The MGM could double this place in size and it would still be busy.
We had 7:00 dinner reservations at the House of Lords at the Sahara (picked specifically so we could take the monorail to get there), so after a few happy hour cocktails, I proceeded to lead this entrourage of 19 through the MGM to the monorail station. It was really raining by now, so it was great that we didn't have to try and mess with cabs. Monorail ride was smooth and dropped us off at the Sahara, end of the line.
I had done all the arrangements for this dinner in advance and to be honest I was a little worried that it come off without a hitch. The HOL (House of Lords) offers a pre-set menu for groups this big, which was $42.95 per person that included shrimp cocktail, House of Lords Salad, choice of 4 entrees (petite filet mignon, prime rib, sauteed gulf prawns, and stuffed free-range chickne breast) and chocolate cake. Greg was paying for it all and I really wanted it to be special - and $42.95 was at the VERY top of his budget, so this was about the only option I could find that he could afford that still offered some sembalnce of a gourmet dining experience.
Okay, now I'm gonna rave about the HOL!!! From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. The Sahara is older and a little worn around the edges in some places, but the HOL is beautiful. Quiet, intimate, warm setting, and we were in a semi-private room by ourselves with pre-printed menus that said "House of Lords welcomes the Greg & Paula Nowak Wedding Party, This 17th Day of October, 2005".
The room manager, Bob, was as professional and attentive as any I've expericenced in Las Vegas. Service was top-notch. You would have thought we were paying Bellagio or Wynn prices for the way we were treated. ( I was totally breathing sighs of relief at this point!!) The "Shrimp Cocktail" was no Golden Gate shrimp and cocktail sauce number, it was a gourmet presentation of mixed greens, HUGE fresh shrimp, fresh cocktail sauce and a mild horseradish sauce, crispy flat bread cracker, etc. etc. The moment that was served, I knew the food was going to far exceed my expectations, and it did. The salad course was also artfull and delicious and everyone's entree was fantastic ( I had the filet mignon which was flawless). The dessert was the best chocolate cake with fresh whippped cream I've ever eaten.
The entire group raved about the evening and thanked me for making all the arrangements. Coordinating the HOL and meeting at the MGM's Zuri lounge before the monorail turned out to be a good call on my part. But I was still apprehensive about how the post-wedding ceremony I had also been asked to plan for tomorrow would come off....
Okay, more later in Part Two!!! Thanks for reading!
There were a total of 19 family and friends from the Minneapolis area who made the trip for the wedding - Greg and Paula had a gorgeous suite at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay (their newer all-suite property), me and Greg's and my friend Mark (Best Man) were at the Luxor next door, along with the bride's father and the groom's mother and two sisters. His 3 brothers were split between the Golden Nugget and the Tropicana. The bride's two brothers and spouses were at MGM, and several other friends were at the San Remo and the Westin Casuarina.
Everybody got into town on Sunday the 16th and after checking in and getting settled at the Luxor (pyramid room, 24th floor facing the Strip - basically an airport view with the San Remo, Tropicana and MGM off to the left), Mark and I went over to see Greg and Paula's suite at THE Hotel. It was just beautiful - very striking, modern/contemporary decor - two bathrooms, three flat screen TV's (including one in the master bath), wet bar, floor to ceiling windows, etc. Felt like a NYC condo!
G&P (I'll try and abbreviate from now on - G&P is Greg and Paula the wedding couple), wanted some more time to unpack and unwind so we agreed to meet at the Sports Book bar at the Luxor in a bit. The walk between the 2 hotels is easy and nice - through the upscale Mandalay Place shopping area. We were joined at the bar in Luxor by our friend Shelly and several of G&P's brothers and sisters. Had a few drinks and played some VP for awhile and then decided to cab downtown.
Arrived downtown and everyone wanted dinner, so we just went to Magnolia's coffee shop in the Four Queens. Greg's sister Annette won $400 on a nickle machine while we were eating. Paula's brother and sister-in-law joined us mid-dinner and then hung out for the rest of the night. After dinner we walked Fremont Street, saw a light show, and bought the biggest daquiri's sold at La Bayou. You know the daquiris are gonna be strong when the entire place smells like barf! Almost saw a girl heave while in line for them but of course that didn't deter us!! Didn't hang out in La Bayou though - it really does reek - come for the drinks and get out!!
Walked over to Main Street Station and gambled a little and then crossed over to the California and gambled some more. I had my first good Pai Gow Poker session at the Cal - the first of many this trip which I'm happy about!!
The Cal had $2 beers and mixed drinks so those not gambling hung out and got loose. Eventually it was getting late, and with the time difference (body clocks still being two hours later for Minneapolis time) we had to call it a night around midnight. Mark, our friend Shelly and I cabbed back to the Luxor for (of course, only ONE more) a nightcap and talked into the night. At 2:30 am we spot the groom's 70 year old mother and 2 sisters just getting started in the casino!! They don't drink much, but man, they stayed up all night most of the week gambling into the wee hours. His sister Debbie didn't sleep at all the night before the wedding! We finally put Shelly into a cab to the Westin and rode the inclinator up to the room for the night.
Monday morning it was kinda overcast and sprinkling (more on the weather later) and so Mark and I took the tram to Excalibur and then crossed over to the MGM to take the monorail to Bally's to connect with Shelly. We wanted to buy some advance multi-ride passes for the monorail which we would need to transport everyone to dinner later that night. Crossed Flamingo Road at Bally's back side entrance in the shopping arcade to get to the Westin side of the street. By the way, Bourbon Street closed THAT DAY. Shuttered with police tape sealing the entrances. Harrah's bought it recently and it was no secret they would probably tear it down, so that looks like it's moving forward sooner rather than later.
Picked Shelly up at the Westin and cabbed to the Peppermill for breakfast. This is the greatest place. It's such a time warp to classic 1970's Vegas - dimly light interior with neon and silk flowering trees, the ultimate lounge with totally retro flaming fire pit and slinky cocktail waitresses working the coffee shop floor for bloody mary and mimosa orders - a real hoot!! The food is excellent too - 12 egg omlettes!! and the best chicken fried steak and eggs I've ever had.
From here we walked to Wynn, it was starting to sprinkle but not bad. I had visted Wynn in June shortly after it opened and I have to say I liked it better this visit. When it first opened I didn't think it surpassed the hype or Bellagio but I was also there on a real crowded Saturday night and it was so packed it was annoying. Now, on a rainy Monday morning I could actually see the details of the hotel and it is stunning. We walked around and took it all in and then found a nickel machine that we took turns playing (last of the high rollers here!!) but it was a fun machine and we left $75 up after an hour of play.
From there walked to the Venetian and had a drink in the La Scena lounge - one of my favorite places to hear live music in town. Too early for a band to be playing today but we still had good bloody mary's and conversation. Then walked to Harrah's for the Carnival Court. All I can say is, Carnival Court did not fail to disappoint once again. At 1:00 pm on a Monday the place was still rocking!! Everyone is there to party and you can't help get caught up in it!!
Knowing that we had a big family dinner that night we forced ourselves to leave Carnival Court to get back to our hotels to clean up. The plan was to meet in the Zuri Lounge in MGM between 5-5:30. G&P, Mark and I, Shelly and Jackie, Maid of Honor Lynn, the parents and the brothers and sisters made it and took over several big tables at Zuri. This is an upscale cocktail lounge in the heart of the casino and it was packed - both times we went. The MGM could double this place in size and it would still be busy.
We had 7:00 dinner reservations at the House of Lords at the Sahara (picked specifically so we could take the monorail to get there), so after a few happy hour cocktails, I proceeded to lead this entrourage of 19 through the MGM to the monorail station. It was really raining by now, so it was great that we didn't have to try and mess with cabs. Monorail ride was smooth and dropped us off at the Sahara, end of the line.
I had done all the arrangements for this dinner in advance and to be honest I was a little worried that it come off without a hitch. The HOL (House of Lords) offers a pre-set menu for groups this big, which was $42.95 per person that included shrimp cocktail, House of Lords Salad, choice of 4 entrees (petite filet mignon, prime rib, sauteed gulf prawns, and stuffed free-range chickne breast) and chocolate cake. Greg was paying for it all and I really wanted it to be special - and $42.95 was at the VERY top of his budget, so this was about the only option I could find that he could afford that still offered some sembalnce of a gourmet dining experience.
Okay, now I'm gonna rave about the HOL!!! From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. The Sahara is older and a little worn around the edges in some places, but the HOL is beautiful. Quiet, intimate, warm setting, and we were in a semi-private room by ourselves with pre-printed menus that said "House of Lords welcomes the Greg & Paula Nowak Wedding Party, This 17th Day of October, 2005".
The room manager, Bob, was as professional and attentive as any I've expericenced in Las Vegas. Service was top-notch. You would have thought we were paying Bellagio or Wynn prices for the way we were treated. ( I was totally breathing sighs of relief at this point!!) The "Shrimp Cocktail" was no Golden Gate shrimp and cocktail sauce number, it was a gourmet presentation of mixed greens, HUGE fresh shrimp, fresh cocktail sauce and a mild horseradish sauce, crispy flat bread cracker, etc. etc. The moment that was served, I knew the food was going to far exceed my expectations, and it did. The salad course was also artfull and delicious and everyone's entree was fantastic ( I had the filet mignon which was flawless). The dessert was the best chocolate cake with fresh whippped cream I've ever eaten.
The entire group raved about the evening and thanked me for making all the arrangements. Coordinating the HOL and meeting at the MGM's Zuri lounge before the monorail turned out to be a good call on my part. But I was still apprehensive about how the post-wedding ceremony I had also been asked to plan for tomorrow would come off....
Okay, more later in Part Two!!! Thanks for reading!