July 2 to July 10th 2018
Harrah's and the Plaza
Harrah's and the Plaza
I have been to Las Vegas in July two other times, 2005 and 2009. After both trips I said "Never again" and yet, here we are, ready to embark on another searing hot July Vegas vacation.
I normally do a Spring and Fall trip, but there were several serious family health issues that had to be dealt with so there was no Spring trip this year. Because of this I began to mull over the idea of doing a summer trip. I realized that my daughter, Nicky, had not had a REAL vacation in a decade or so. Of course she had had weekends touring distilleries in Tennessee and brief cottage getaways, but an actual week long trip where someone else waits on you is not something she has had in recent memory. Nicky's last day of work was June 28. She has decided to go to the other side of the planet to teach for a year so this trip would be our last hurrah before she leaves the bosom of her loving and somewhat over protective family.
As Nicky's friends got wind of her decision to leave the country some of them expressed the desire to do something with her before she left. One of those friends wanted to go to Vegas with her. Obviously going to Vegas twice in one month would be financially irresponsible so I thought it over and said I was OK with her joining us on our trip. And so it was decided; Nicky and I will be alone at Harrah's for three nights, then we are moving to the Plaza for five nights where Miranda will join us.
The trip
Monday July 2
Our Southwest flight out of Detroit was on time and relatively smooth. I always ask for wheelchair assistance now even though it makes me feel self conscious, however keeping the "ouchies' to a minimum is more important.
We successfully grabbed our luggage and headed out the shuttle doors. I still use shuttles when I first arrive in Vegas because I don't enjoy the whole "try and find your rideshare driver in the parking garage" experience.
I was startled to see only ONE shuttle company available at this point. On my last trip in 2017 there were still a few to choose from. Since there was only Bells Trans available we lined up in the long queue. It was still a reasonable $8.50 per person to a Strip hotel. Uber and Lyft have really cut into their business it seems. We grabbed a shuttle right away and thankfully it was a bus not a van as vans are hard for me to climb into. It was jam packed. There was some kind of air blowing but I wouldn't call it cool. As it often happens there were some newbies on the bus who had a bunch of questions for me once they twigged into the fact that I knew a few things. It helped to pass the time on that toasty bus. They were also headed to Harrah's which was our first destination as well.
We dragged our luggage through the insane wind tunnel that is Harrah's driveway, barely staying vertical. What a relief to enter the cool, quiet of the Diamond check in! Only one other person was present so in a few minutes we were all checked into our new Valley Tower room with a Strip view. I asked if the rooms had fridges and our check in lady said no, but she would send one up. Yay!
I think they did a fantastic job on their room renovations. I like it much better than what the Linq did. I find the Linq rooms jarring and unappealing, while the Valley Tower rooms are classy and elegant. My daughter and I "oohed and ahhed" over the room and then bolted downstairs to the Total Rewards desk.
I wanted to try and secure Tenors of Rock tickets for that night. I did that successfully and was also happy to see that they had moved the Box Office closer to the TR desk. I inquired about my $100 Diamond dinner and was told that they no longer do vouchers. You just tell the restaurant you are using your Diamond Dinner. I also learned that Diamond members get a 50% reduction in price for High Roller tickets. (Yes, yes...I know I said I would never do it again...but my daughter wants to.)
Our next stop was the Harrah's Diamond lounge. I paid the $10 in TR points per person. I was afraid the food would have been put away since it was already 6:15 but no, it was all still there. And it remained there until we left about an hour later. I thought the hot food was only out from 4 to 6 but that didn't seem to be the case. They had a wide assortment of things to try; some good, some not so hot, but it was enough to fill our bellies. We also had some awesome pina coladas.
We went back to the room to freshen up and then headed down for the show. It was handy to have it in the same building you are staying in when you are already tired from traveling. When I booked these activities from home I was always hoping that Nicky would enjoy them, but never entirely sure that would be the case. I was right on the money this time. She ADORED these guys. She even waited after the show to get her picture taken with them, and she never does that!
By this time it was around 9:30 in Vegas time, but 12:30 to our bodies. I would have already been asleep for awhile by this time at home. I decided to do the smart thing, (shocking, I know) and NOT GAMBLE until tomorrow. I could use the money I saved today for tomorrow's adventures! We grabbed some conveniently located frozen yogurt and took it up to bed.
Tuesday, July 3
It's TUESDAY and what does that mean???
Time to go to ROSS for "old people's discount day"!
I was eager to introduce my daughter to the wonder that is ROSS. I was hoping she would like it, I was wrong. SHE LOVED IT. She kept saying "Why did you bring me here, I can't stop shopping!" We literally shopped till we dropped.
The bargains are so fabulous they are impossible to resist.
We staggered over to Peppermill when we were too tired to shop anymore. I had my usual Walnut Creek Salad and she had a Sin City BLT.
Some of Nicky's items....
On a side note, I purchased something called a ZIP SIM card at Staples before I left home for around $40. It was supposed to give me Data and the ability to call and text for 7 days. I have an Iphone but just a "pay as you go" plan. My carrier does not have an out of country SIM card plan for us cheapskates. I was praying this ZIP thing would work. On Tuesday I switched my SIM card for the ZIP one and then I had to text them my current LV zip code and they would activate it. It seemed to work. What I didn't understand was why they gave me a Philadelphia phone number. I called my son to test it and he refused to pick up...lol. He doesn't know anyone in Philly. "It is me...your mother!!!"
My main concern was the DATA because I wanted to be able to use UBER or LYFT no matter where I was. I had to change some settings on my phone. I wasn't sure I had done it right, but I stepped out to the ride share area at Harrah's and lo and behold, it worked!!! Amazing. I also had my little old U.S. flip phone with me and I gave that to Nick so that we could stay in touch.
After eating at Peppermill we Lyfted back to Harrah's and headed for their pool. I have never been to their pool area before. It is not the most attractive I have ever seen and it was super busy, but that cool water sure felt good on our achy joints. I made the rookie mistake of attempting to walk on the cement around the pool. Don't do that. Ouch. I ran for some shade and Nick brought me my shoes.
We cleaned up and headed across the road to Mirage to see LOVE. I had gotten one ticket free from MyVegas and purchased the seat next to it for 76 dollars U.S.. Nicky enjoyed some aspects of the show but not all of it. She said she couldn't understand the lyrics to some of the Beatle's songs.
"He back production, he got walrus gumboot
He's got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair, you can feel his disease"
I explained that no one can...lol. But now she can say she has seen a Cirque.
I wound up buying several MyVegas food rewards that I never had the opportunity to use this trip. I returned them.
We came back to Harrah's Fulton Street food court for a late meal. I had $20 credit to use from TR and refusing housekeeping. We both got ten dollar grilled cheese sandwiches. Tasteless. How do you ruin grilled cheese? Our only bad meal of the trip.
Nick decided to take a walk down to the fountains of Bellagio.
I finally took a stab at gambling. Tried a Quick Hits Rising Bonus and a Buffalo Gold Bonus and did horribly on both. The only bright spot was when Julie from our board found me and we had a nice chat.
I went up to bed right after her visit.
Harrah's wifi seems much improved from my last stay however since their rule is two appliances for 24 hours I wish they would notify you when you have gone over two. We discovered we could connect downstairs and go upstairs and still be connected with my phone, and it was not included in the "two". But somehow we lost track of that and went over at some point. We each had a tablet and I had a phone. I wish they would send a notice that said "Hey we are about to charge you 15 dollars for this" and then of course you would not continue.
Another thing I am thrilled about is that the Valley Tower has none of those stupid sensors that turn off the AC when you are not moving. I hated those. Some people have reported they have gotten rid of them in the Mardi Gras tower too.
Wednesday July 4
Today I had some MyVegas tickets to see the Secret Garden for free. I wasn't sure if Nick would like this. It is a small attraction and it was over 100 F outside but she was game to go. I love how they just give you the tickets now and you don't have to go to the Players club. So I hobbled over to Mirage still hurting from yesterday's shopping marathon. I was stunned by Nicky's reaction to the place. Apparently she has never been up close to dolphins before. We had taken her to SeaWorld as a child but then they were just performing tricks and you watched from a distance. The dolphins at Mirage can swim right over to you and engage. Of course they are looking for treats, not conversation, but it is still thrilling.
Nicky was over the moon about the dolphins and she loved the big cats too.
She took a thousand pictures of dolphins!
Hey...there is a cat sleeping.
Hey, there is another cat sleeping.
Hey............
 |
OMG.....he is awake!!!!! |
Once I could drag her away from Secret Garden we had about an hour and 15 minutes to get next door to Hell's Kitchen for our 1:15 pm reservation. That would normally be more than enough time but I was really in pain so I considered Ubering over. I know it sounds ridiculous to Uber over one property but I gave myself a "talking to". Who am I being a martyr for? Why not just make it less painful for myself? So we went to the North Entrance at Mirage and summoned an Uber. The driver was not annoyed by the short trip.
By now it was about 12:15 and we were very early so the Hell's Kitchen staff told us to sit at the bar. We ordered some over priced cocktails and before we could sip them they shocked us by escorting us to a lovely window table! We both ordered the $60 tasting menu. I do agree with others who have said that it is quite noisy and also that the food comes out so quickly you tend to feel a bit rushed. Everything we put in our mouths was delicious. We had asparagus soup, beef wellington and sticky toffee pudding. (Which was huge!) My Diamond dinner and TR points paid for the meal and Nick got the drinks and tips.
We were all done eating by about the time our of our reservation!
After eating we walked across the bridge to Cromwell. We played for a few minutes but couldn't get anything going. We slowly made our way down the Strip back to Harrah's.
I was exhausted and laid down on the bed and passed out. Nick had a plan to return to the dolphins but sleep won out and she napped too.
When we woke up we freshened up yet again and went downstairs to buy High Roller tickets. Our plan/hope was to be in the air at 9:15 when the Strat's fireworks were supposed to go off. We had some time to kill so I sat Nicky down at a penny VP machine and showed her how to play Deuces Wild. After we lost our buy ins we made our way over to the Linq Promenade. Half of Vegas had the same idea as we did and the line up was huge. We saw some people move a security barrier and blatantly cut the line. Someone spoke to them about it and the woman responded in a snotty manner. I just don't understand people like that. Why do they think they deserve to circumvent the line?
It turned out that the delay worked in our favour. We did not see the Strat's fireworks but we saw hundreds of displays going off all over the Valley. Nicky adores fireworks (as do I) so she was delighted.
It was around 10 pm when we got off of the High Roller and we were hungry. I have heard good things about Yard House so we stopped in there for a late dinner. I really liked that place. It had a huge menu.
My Club Sandwich and sweet potato fries
Nicky's Fish Tacos
The fountain on the Linq promenade.
Thursday July 5
Today was our moving day. We both had to shower which is time consuming with two females. (Especially those with long hair) When sufficiently primped we hopped in an Uber to the Plaza. Check in was a breeze. The timing was perfect because Nicky's friend Miranda was arriving at the hotel at the same time we were. The Plaza staff was kind enough to give Miranda a room one door away from us.
We never used housekeeping at all this trip. I just went in the hallway to the housekeepers and asked for what we needed. We couldn't tell if anyone ever came in our room or not, but Miranda did say sometimes she would leave her TV on and it would be off when she returned.
After getting settled at the Plaza we all walked over to have a meal at Magnolia's and to use my first LVA coupon. The girls headed back to the Plaza to swim but I wandered downtown using bits of freeplay here and there. Then I came back to the Plaza and played there but I wasn't having much luck anywhere.
There have been lots of changes in the Plaza casino since my last trip. The bar near the South Tower elevators is gone and there is a whole wall of new slots. There is still a bar facing the Sports book though. I went and made my son"s usual "Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup" bet. There are tons of new machines everywhere; even ones I have never seen before!
In the afternoon we all decided to take rests. By 7:30 pm I was hungry but it did not look like either girl was going to stir so I went downstairs to the food court and bought a burger and brought it back to my room to eat. I watched TV until 10 pm and fell asleep. I used to be a light sleeper but I guess that is yet another thing that has changed with age. At 11 pm Nick got up, got ready, and went out and I never heard a thing until she came home at 2 am. Apparently they bought slushy drinks and explored and had a meal at Nacho Daddy.
Their Nacho Daddy food....
Friday July 6
Today was THE perfect Vegas day.
We all went to the pool first thing in the morning and it was quiet which is always pleasant. After our swim I took the girls down to the beautiful Main Street Station to have their buffet which they really loved. (LVA coupon)
Next I dragged the girls off in search of Scott Roeben. (of Vital Vegas and Fremont Street Experience fame) I wanted to say hello and give him a Canadian gift bag. He wasn't at his office so I texted him and he was two blocks away. (Why didn't I text him to begin with and save us all some steps?) As always, it was wonderful to see him again and chat for a bit.
At this point the girls went back to the Plaza to prepare for their show tonight.
Nicky has been so excited about seeing BoyIIMen at the Mirage.
I went into the D to play some freeplay. I had to go get a new ONE CLUB card and while I was there the attendant told me about some points I did not realize I had. That morning in the pool my glasses exploded on my face. (No idea why that happened) I went into the D's gift shop and got new sunglasses and some earrings for Nicky and paid with points. Yay!
I sat down at the Buffalo machines I love. The machine I was on hit bonus after bonus and I actually made some money. I played there until 6pm and then moved to my favorite chair at the bar at the Four Queens. Tried to coax some deuces out of it but it wasn't happening. They have pretty much ruined that location. Between the non stop drummers beating on plastic tubs outside and the icy cold wall of air blowing downing on you it is not as pleasant as it once was. I was wearing a top with fluttery sleeves and I flapped like a bird for two hours.
MY chair
I walked back to the Plaza at 8pm and attempted to enjoy a canopy show but they are not like they used to be either. I wasn't familiar with most of the music and the images on the screen overhead just seemed very abstract with no real theme.
I played a few hours at the Plaza and got to try some new machines, but had no wins so I gave up and went to bed.
The girls were thrilled with their BoyIIMen show it seems. Miranda put the Uber app on her phone so that they could get around cheaply.
Saturday July 7
This morning the girls went to ROSS since Miranda heard us exclaiming at how many bargains you can find there and she has never been.They did another marathon shopping session.
I got ready after they had left and Julie from the LasVegas4ever forum was nice enough to walk over to the Plaza to see me and buy me breakfast at Brightside. I love their French Toast panini! We had a long chat until our butts began to ache and then she returned to her hotel.
I went back upstairs and the girls arrived and showed me all their treasures. Then we walked down to Binion's cafe and used my points to buy lunch. Nick has been happy with everything she has eaten this trip except that grilled cheese at Fulton food hall.
Once we were full we went over to the D to get show tickets for Defending the Cavemen that night. I had two free ones and we bought a third. The girls went back to the Plaza pool and I tried to recreate the luck of the day before but the same machines were now as cold as ice.
How does that happen? So frustrating!
We all took a late afternoon rest before the show that night. The downtown shows are not the extravaganzas of the Strip but I thought the girls would get some giggles out of Defending the Caveman and they did.
After the show we walked to Benny's BBQ for a late dinner. It was delicious as always but my tummy was unhappy with me at three AM. It is not used to me eating a big meal so late. I crunched a few Pepto Bismal tablets and that fixed me up.
Sunday July 8
We were off to the pool on again Sunday morning. That pool sure got a lot of use from us this trip. It was nice and quiet again. I always manage to sunburn the part in my hair. I really must remember to pack a hat!
After our swim we got dressed and walked down to the D Grill to use my food credit. We all enjoyed our meals. Miranda had chicken and waffles, I had chicken and pancakes and Nicky had some form of eggs benny.
After eating the girls and I split up. I came right back to the Plaza to give them some more play. Sadly I had no luck. The girls shopped a bit on Fremont and then went to the Plaza bingo room. Every table is equipped with a computer now. Nick bingo-ed for $16.
We had yet another rest and then we got gussied up to go to Brilliant at the Neon Museum.
The Brilliant display was advertised as being 40 minutes long. (It was actually only 20 with a few minutes in which they left the lights on and you could walk around and take pictures of the signs.) I was concerned about all the standing so I asked an employee in the main La Concha building if there was anywhere to sit across the street where the display is held. They said no but they were wrong. There are places to sit both in the waiting area and inside the display itself. The problem with sitting on the benches inside the show is that people park their butts in front of your face and sometimes obstruct your view. I contemplated pushing their butts out of the way but thought that might be considered rude. (Ha) I managed to see most of it from a seated position. I loved the sparkly lights and the music that went with it. I only wish it was longer. The Neon Museum is a great place to visit when you are staying downtown; it is very close.
After the show we came home to the Plaza and had a "snack" at Pop up Pizza. Everything was awesome...the pizza, the garlic knots and the deep fried pickles.
We visited Pop up Pizza twice and Brightside cafe 4 or 5 times. Every time was great except one day when Brightside only had one person on duty to both make the food and take your order. (Just a random staffing snafu I am sure.)
Monday July 9
Our last full day in town
The girls had never been to Dunkin donuts so this morning they walked to the Fremont for breakfast.
I went next door to Golden Gate and played my $10 freeplay. I noticed that they are all done the construction where DuPars used to be and it looks very nice. It is full of slots and VP machines. You can't tell that DuPars/Bay City Diner were ever there.
Sad.
We reconvened and hit the wonderful Plaza pool for our last swim. I am going to miss this. None of us wanted to get out.
We went to Brightside for a bite then we all played for a few hours. I have always heard good things about the Chart House Happy Hour at the Golden Nugget. It runs from 4 to 6 pm on weekdays. We went over there around 4:30 and we all loved the place. The drinks and the appetizers were all fabulous and such a good value. The surroundings are gorgeous. It is an upscale experience for a economical price.
After Chart House we staggered down the searing hot pavement to Container Park to see the U2 Dome Show. ($15) The heat was just wicked at that time of day.
We were relieved to sink into the recliners in the air conditioned Dome. The show is beautiful but the swirling images made Nick nauseous and me dizzy. Miranda felt fine.
The girls went straight back to the Plaza but I took one last stab at gambling. No wins to report. I should have just gone home too. The rest of the night was spent packing up for our trip home the next day.
The girls went out at 9pm to see one more canopy show and it began to rain soon after. I am always amazed when it rains in Vegas. Apparently the storm was quite severe. They played for a bit downstairs and the power went out. Nicky was pretty startled when her machine went black but it came back in a minute. Up in the room I was also surprised when the lights went out for a bit but I was more concerned when the AC went out for about ten minutes! Please come back! Thankfully it did.
Tuesday July 10
Flew home this morning on Southwest with no problems.
Final Thoughts about wheelchair assistance
I have been using wheelchairs at airports for about two years now. I have been surprised at how different the service is every time I use it.
In Detroit Metro on our way out the woman in charge was right on top of things. I was going to get out of the wheelchair when I got to our gate and walk down the gangway but she insisted I stay in the chair. She had 8 of us all lined up and processed and 8 different young people to push us. I also sat in a wheelchair when we arrived in LV but they set you off to the side and you have to wait for quite awhile until someone comes along to push you.
On our way home in the McCarran airport Nick decided to push me herself instead of waiting for them to do it. It was kind of hard on her and we didn't really know where we were going. The really annoying thing was security. I did not have TSA pre check this time so you have to take off all the usual things and stand up and go through the scanner. There was a lot of confusion and we thought someone was going to walk off with our wheelchair (and our purses) which had been pushed through way before us.
When we arrived in Detroit I got in a wheelchair and there was three teenage girls to push about 10 people. One girl decided to do two at a time with me and another woman. I wasn't sure how that was going to work. I braced to be driven into a wall but it turned out ok.
The moral of the story is that you have to be patient and expect different treatment every time.
Final Thoughts about Ride Shares
Once again I used both Uber and Lyft multiple times and they made our trip. Without them I would never have to ability to go to as many places as I do. I would not consider taking a cab one property over when I was in pain unless I knew it would only be a few dollars.
Our only minor issue was the Lyft driver who picked us up at the Neon Museum. His music was blaring. He was under the impression we were going to Palazzo...not the Plaza. He could not remember how to get from the Museum on Las Vegas Blvd. to the Plaza and he did several U Turns. Said his GPS was malfunctioning. I reported those facts on the "rate your trip" page and Lyft gave me a ten dollar credit which meant our trip to the airport on Tuesday was $6 not $16.
The majority of our trips were around $6 except the one from Harrah's to the Plaza was around $8.
Final Final Thoughts
I am so happy that I got to spend this time with my Nicky. It brings me such joy to see her get excited about the Vegasy things I love. I also enjoyed the time to get reacquainted with her friend Miranda.
On every trip now I worry if this will be my last.
Between health issues, finances and other things I always leave Las Vegas praying that I will be able to come back.
Hopefully we can have another trip like this in the future.
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