Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Emily Trott, post: 7057210, member: 447977"] I am a world class procrastinator who believes in not putting something off until tomorrow, that can be put off until the day [I]after[/I] tomorrow. I guess I’ve put off this report for way too long as I’ll be taking my 2025 trip in three months. I’m just going to cover what was new this year and have linked my two posts from the 2023 trip (one on eating and drinking, and one on tournaments) at the bottom of this post. After a flight that took nearly nine hours I checked in at the Flamingo (3555 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV). I am very happy that I chose to stay there this time because not only were the décor and service excellent, it is also very convenient to some of the tournaments I’d planned to play. It’s on a corner and across the street on one side is Caesar’s Palace, and on the other side stands the Horseshoe. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Flamingo-Old-and-New.jpg"]374215[/ATTACH][/CENTER] There were also two things that made my stay at the Flamingo extra enjoyable. The food court had an Auntie Anne’s pretzels, so I got to take some mini pretzel hot dogs to snack on in my room. Their nature preserve was so beautifully relaxing to visit. In my younger days I was very outdoors oriented but I hadn’t seen a wood duck in years, let alone so close, and here they were staying at the Flamingo same as me. 😊 [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Flamingo_Wood-Ducks-and-Flamingos.jpg"]374216[/ATTACH] I’m not sure what those big pink birds are, but they appear to have some sort of a connection to the hotel. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Horseshoe_Ellis-Island-and-Breakfast.jpg"]374222[/ATTACH][/CENTER] After a good night’s sleep, I took a look out my window to see the beautiful day. That is the Horseshoe and the reddish glow in the distance on the left is the sign for the Ellis Island casino (4178 Koval Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89109), my destination for breakfast. It was an easy walk down the hill from the Flamingo, and I bought a paper to read from the convenience story kitty cornered from the casino. They have a cozy little dining area with both tables and booths just off of the casino floor. I like booths because even in a crowded room they give me a feeling of privacy. 😊 I especially liked how they brought my coffee in a carafe and, without my asking for it, placed a glass of water on the table. The homefries were delicious, they didn’t skimp on the onions, the poached eggs were cooked perfectly, and the prices were very reasonable. The sausages were excellent too, but I forgot to move their plate into the picture. 😊 You’ll notice that they have a sign for “$5 Blackjack”, and I saw in the casino that they had craps at that price too. Haven't seen that in ages. I really wanted to shoot some craps for a little while but I didn’t have time before the tourney at Ceasar’s Palace was going to start. I’m going to make sure that I have time next year. 😊 I had originally planned to walk back up E Flamingo to Caesar’s after eating, but I took an Uber instead. The reason was a group of men who had been sitting on the edge of the sidewalk about 100 or so feet from me while I was waiting for the light to cross Koval to the casino. Suddenly a couple of them started saying something very loudly and, not sure of whether it had something to do with me, so I said the heck with the light, and at the first break in the traffic I speedily walked across the street and into the casino. I was probably just being over cautious but you never know. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Black-Bear-Diner_Storefront-and-Breakfast.jpg"]374218[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Black Bear Diner (7680 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV) is a large chain in the west with at least three locations in Vegas. I chose this one because it was on the way to South Point casino where I was going to play a tourney. The décor is very nice, and the servers are attentive. They have their story on the menu, which gave me something to do other than stare at the smartphone while I waited for my meal. 😊 If you’ve read my other reviews you’ll know that homefries are what I judge a breakfast by. At least for most places, but not Black Bear Diner. Here the spicy Italian sausage patties are the stars of the show. 😊 They more than made up for the lackluster potatoes, though the eggs were perfectly cooked and delicious. 😊 [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" width="488px" alt="1733718662438.png"]374214[/ATTACH][/CENTER] On my last full day in town I slept in a bit, got dressed, went downstairs to catch the monorail, and headed for the Sahara (2535 S Las Vegas Blvd)to play a late morning tourney. The walls of the hallway leading to the lobby were a photo gallery of celebrities who had visited and/or performed at the Sahara. It was wonderful seeing pictures of people who I could remember as far back as long long before I was old enough to walk through the doors of a casino [CENTER] [ATTACH type="full" width="352px" alt="Jim-Nabors-and-Clint-Eastwood-at-The-Sahara.jpg"]374224[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" width="353px" alt="Beatles-Playing-Slots-at-Sahara.jpg"]374225[/ATTACH][/CENTER] When I arrived in the lobby I asked a nice young man, I think that his name was Manny, where I could find the poker room. He was born to do customer service because instead of just giving me the directions to it, he escorted me all the way there. That impressed my so much that I decided then and there to stay at the Sahara on my 2025 birthday trip. I can’t wait to explore the hotel. 😊 [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" width="478px" alt="Sahara-Poker-Room.jpg"]374223[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Their poker room is very comfortable and cozy due to it’s small size. It reminded me of the casino in Concord, New Hampshire where I loved to play before the owner found himself having some legal problems. It will be nice being able to play an hour or so in the evening before heading upstairs to my room for the night. 😊 [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" width="479px" alt="Caesar's-Palace-Lobby-Bar.jpg's-Palace-Lobby-Bar.jpg"]374226[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" width="203px" alt="Caesar's-Palace_Joe-Louis-Statue.jpg's-Palace_Joe-Louis-Statue.jpg"]374227[/ATTACH] Joe Louis had been a greeter at Caesar’s Palace, and it was nice to see he was still on the job. He was a great fighter, and also a very nice and generous man. When he was in the Army he fought a number of fights and donated his winnings to military charities. Sadly he got a raw deal from the IRS, but that's for another time.[/CENTER] After the Sahara I returned to my room at the Flamingo. I freshened up a bit, then walked across the street to Caesar’s in order to cash in a voucher I had for my winnings at the slots during breaks in a tournament a few days before. After leaving the cage I decided to have a drink at the Lobby Bar, and play a little video poker. So I pulled out a chair and sat down at the end of the bar. The bartender was a good looking man who reminded me of Delroy Lindo the actor. He asked me if I was playing, meaning the machines, so I said yes and he asked me what I’d like to drink. I asked for scotch and soda, so he brought a glass of Glenlivet and said it was on the house because I was playing the machine. 😊 I ended up with a ticket for the same ten dollars I’d come in with so I left it as a tip and wished him a great day. That wraps up my new experiences on my 2024 birthday trip to Vegas. Links to the 2023 trip are below. [CENTER][B][I][COLOR=rgb(147, 101, 184)][FONT=times new roman][SIZE=7]Good Cards[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][FONT=times new roman][SIZE=7]![/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/CENTER] Diners and Restaurants: [URL]https://www.cardschat.com/forum/live-poker-75/where-stay-play-eat-in-vegas-264725/page-25#post-6632427[/URL] Poker Tournaments: [URL]https://www.cardschat.com/forum/live-poker-75/where-stay-play-eat-in-vegas-264725/page-25#post-6647470[/URL] [/QUOTE]

Verification

Search

Reply to thread

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site

Follow us

Language