Vegas 2020
Mar. 6th, 2020 09:20 pmI was invited to join some friends for a weekend in Las Vegas. It was somewhat last minute, but we managed to get moderately inexpensive rooms and flights for the leap-weekend.
Saturday
The flight was mostly uneventful, though my wardrobe decisions earned me the back of a hand to my crotch during the security theatre. I will often grab some clothing from my going-to-charity pile so that I'll have more room in my luggage on the return flight. This time, that included some fleece-lined jeans that I wear during the winter months, and had replaced with a smaller waist. This threw off the nude-o-scope so I had to be hand inspected because they couldn't make out my genitals. On the plus side, I was gifted with the best waffle I've ever had. Note: these events were not related - the border guard did not buy me breakfast after groping me.
Once in Sin City, we quickly checked into our rooms, then went to the nearest mall to indulge in some base consumerism.
Because I was travelling with![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thebrucie we had to go to Frankie's Tiki Room. This place exceeded my expectations. Mostly because they were low, since this is in a sketchy neighbourhood, and street view indicated it was a big concrete square of a building. Now that's not damning with faint praise, Frankie's was a really good tiki bar, and only lacked in cocktails with coconut milk in them. The rum was plentiful though. Also, it's dark with lots of nooks and crannies, making it an ideal place to go if you and your date want to make out. Which we saw.
(Me, Allison, Bruce, under two of many boobies)
I did notice something, and that was the ratio of shrunken heads/boobies in the decor was near 1:1, which I think is good. Boobies do have an advantage though, since mostly they come in pairs. While we didn't do an exhaustive survey, I think we were pretty close.
After Frankie's, we went to the Downtown Container Park, which is pretty much exactly what it says on the box - a city block surrounded by intermodal containers containing shops. It was all very hipster and I liked it. We ate some BBQ, browsed around and enjoyed the ambiance. And by ambiance, I mean the THIRTY FOOT TALL FIRE MANTIS!
Built on a dump truck chassis, and sporting a big sound system, this baby is street legal, and ready to fuck some shit up. Also, the dude who built it, did so as an anniversary present for his wife. Reportedly, she loved it, indicating that they were a match well made. Anyway, here is some more of it:
Next up was a quick walk east to Vegas' oldest bar: Atomic Liquors. How old? Their liquor license is #00001. Again, not as sketchy as I would have guessed. If you go, do so on a warm night and sit on the patio. That's what we did, even though it was kind of chilly. The decor inside is standard issue dive bar, aside from the historical plaques describing the history of the joint. Why "Atomic"? Among its others claims to fame, Las Vegas was the closest major city to America's numerous A-bomb tests. People would sit on the roof to watch the blasts.
It was a pretty good crowd there. I think it was a 50/50 mix of tourists and locals.
Meanwhile, across the street was this sign for the Ambassador Motel. Note, the Motel is long gone, but the well-maintained sign remains. As for the llamas, that part of the sign post-dates the motel's removal. Too bad really, because you know someone would have tried it.
We rounded out the night with a probably unnecessary trip to Triple 7 brewery's wares. Favourite beer: Black Chip Porter, but that's because most everything else ranged from yuck to meh.
Sunday
We met in the afternoon and had lunch at a forgettable pub in The Linq, and then spent our time and quarters at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Of note, they had Monaco GP and Crazy Climber. I got high score on Joust.
After this, we went to the Miracle Mile to sample Sin City Brewery's wares (Favourite: Weisse, but everything was head-and-shoulders above Triple 7). Along the way we accidentally fell on some cookie dough at DoughP. Given future events, this was a mistake, albeit a delicious one.
Allison looked at her watch at this point and realized that we were rapidly running out of time to get to our show: Le Rêve at the Wynn Resort. We managed to get back to our hotel, change into presentable clothing, and walk (rapidly) across the street to catch the show, with about two minutes to spare. Phew. Le Rêve is Steve Wynn's attempt to out-cirque, Cirque de Soleil. It largely succeeds, and is in my top three Cirque-like shows in Vegas, tied with KÀ for second place, ever so slightly behind The Beatles Love. It was really good, and I'm glad she talked me into going, since I was pretty meh about a water-based show. Well worth seeing.
Afterward we went and had possibly the most expensive meal of my life. It was certainly in the top five for most delicious. It was Bazaar Meat by José Andrés. Overwhelmed by the choices, we opted for one of the tasting menus, and also an ounce each of Kobe beef. Over the next two hours, the professional servers fed us some of the best tapas ever, along with some surprises.
While waiting for our food to arrive, Bruce waxed eloquent about some cured meat - Jamón ibérico - that they'd had in Spain a few years ago. He described it in loving terms, going over how it was made and what it tasted like, and added that it should be on my bucket list of things to try if I'm ever in Spain. Note: This was not on the menu, and our server was not anywhere near us when this tale was being told.
Five minutes later, our server brings us a plate of it. "I thought you might like this", he said.
It was very good.
A bit later we got our Kobe Beef. And while we ordered three ounces, we apparently got four. Our suspicion was that since we were late diners, and the restaurant was rapidly emptying out, we were gaining the benefit of them having to jettison some of their daily stock. This was super high end, so I doubt they served leftovers the next day. Might as well serve it to guests who aren't assholes.
Kobe beef is also very good, but so overwhelming that I'm happy I only had the ounce and a bit of it. More would be a waste.
The rest of the meal was equally good, with a wonderful variety of stuff. Finally we were done, full, sated, satisfied. That's when dessert appeared. And once again, I think we got more than we asked for, seeing as how we got ten items. Woof. I wasn't hungry again until the next afternoon.
Monday
I gamble, and my game is roulette. I also collect casino chips from all the casinos that I visit. Since neither Bruce nor Allison care that much, and because they're late sleepers compared to me, I decided to grab some chips in the morning, and I made a circuit of the various west-of-strip casinos before noon. These included Orleans, Palms, Gold Coast and the Rio.
(A few other chips included, because I did some drive-by bets around other places)
I met up with the others and we went and visited the Arts District, which is the most Portland part of Las Vegas. I'm happy we went, because it gave me a whole new reason to visit. Antiques! Thrift stores! Craft beer! It was wonderful
We started with beer and wings at Able Baker brewing. Best beer: Upshot-Knothole Imperial Porter.
(the essentials)
Then it was off to Tatyana's boutique, which I love, even though the mens wear section is microscopic. I just want to take the future Mrs. Cyr there and play dress-up doll.
Next up was Main Street Peddlers, with assorted weird stuff. I bought a few gifts, and the O'Shea's chip (pictured above), because I gambled there, but they use Linq chips now.
(Your welcome)
(I need a few of these)
Our last brewery of the day was Crafthaus, which had a nice selection and some decent appies. Best beer: Zitrone, a sour gose.
(this mural was at Crafthaus, and was a tribute to the old Jubilee show that closed a few years ago)
After an aborted attempt to have dinner at 18Bin, but apparently their chef was in a car accident (we were reassured that he was uninjured) so wasn't coming in. Plan-B was me taking the others to China Poblano, which entailed going back to the Strip. It wasn't as good as I remember, but that's probably because of the lingering memories of the previous nights meal. Of note. Both Bazaar Meat and China Poblano are Jose Andres restaurants.
(A very Shpely-esque statue at the Cosmopolitan)
Bruce was starting to run out of spoons, but luckily there was something guaranteed to recharge his batteries: Tiki! Off we went to The Golden Tiki.
(From a new show that I fully intend on seeing next time)
Now the reason we ate at China Poblano was we couldn't find an online menu for the Golden Tiki. Turns out they have a really good menu of Tiki standards. Also, the drinks were filling.
This ended up being a nice cap to our final evening in Vegas. The drinks were good, the decor was extensive, and confirmed my 1:1 shrunken head/booby ratio hypothesis. I fell in love with one of the servers and a random woman sitting at the bar (she was a redhead who looked like she shopped at Tatyana's). The only downside was that the bathrooms had attendants. Nothing like having some random job it is to stare at you while your standing at the urinal to freeze your pipes.
*Walks into bathroom*
"Hello sir, how are you doing today."
"I'd be doing better if random strangers didn't talk to me in the men's room."
*finish up my business, head to sink*
"Have some soap, sir."
*Holds a squirt bottle of hand soap out for me without giving me an option to do this on my own*
It was all super creepy, especially since it wasn't an especially large bathroom (one urinal, one stall). I'd have liked to have looked at the decor, but just wanted out of there as fast as I could. He had a tip jar, but since negative tipping is frowned upon, I refrained from helping myself to make up for the creepiness.
Tueday
Bruce and Allison's flight was somewhat earlier than mine, so we met for breakfast at the hotel's cafe. Afterward I killed time by wandering around the strip. I ended up having a flight of beer at Trustworthy Brewing (in the Palazzo). Best beer: Emilia's First Farmhouse Ale. Then I had lunch at Gordon Ramsey BurGeR.
The flight home was uneventful aside from me seeing other planes nearly miss my own (OK, they were another level below us, so no danger of colliding, but it was still a shock since I've never witnessed it before, and this flight I saw it twice).
A few thoughts:
(I just wanted to share this picture of 80s TV stars)
Saturday
The flight was mostly uneventful, though my wardrobe decisions earned me the back of a hand to my crotch during the security theatre. I will often grab some clothing from my going-to-charity pile so that I'll have more room in my luggage on the return flight. This time, that included some fleece-lined jeans that I wear during the winter months, and had replaced with a smaller waist. This threw off the nude-o-scope so I had to be hand inspected because they couldn't make out my genitals. On the plus side, I was gifted with the best waffle I've ever had. Note: these events were not related - the border guard did not buy me breakfast after groping me.
Once in Sin City, we quickly checked into our rooms, then went to the nearest mall to indulge in some base consumerism.
Because I was travelling with
thebrucie we had to go to Frankie's Tiki Room. This place exceeded my expectations. Mostly because they were low, since this is in a sketchy neighbourhood, and street view indicated it was a big concrete square of a building. Now that's not damning with faint praise, Frankie's was a really good tiki bar, and only lacked in cocktails with coconut milk in them. The rum was plentiful though. Also, it's dark with lots of nooks and crannies, making it an ideal place to go if you and your date want to make out. Which we saw.(Me, Allison, Bruce, under two of many boobies)
I did notice something, and that was the ratio of shrunken heads/boobies in the decor was near 1:1, which I think is good. Boobies do have an advantage though, since mostly they come in pairs. While we didn't do an exhaustive survey, I think we were pretty close.
After Frankie's, we went to the Downtown Container Park, which is pretty much exactly what it says on the box - a city block surrounded by intermodal containers containing shops. It was all very hipster and I liked it. We ate some BBQ, browsed around and enjoyed the ambiance. And by ambiance, I mean the THIRTY FOOT TALL FIRE MANTIS!
Built on a dump truck chassis, and sporting a big sound system, this baby is street legal, and ready to fuck some shit up. Also, the dude who built it, did so as an anniversary present for his wife. Reportedly, she loved it, indicating that they were a match well made. Anyway, here is some more of it:
Next up was a quick walk east to Vegas' oldest bar: Atomic Liquors. How old? Their liquor license is #00001. Again, not as sketchy as I would have guessed. If you go, do so on a warm night and sit on the patio. That's what we did, even though it was kind of chilly. The decor inside is standard issue dive bar, aside from the historical plaques describing the history of the joint. Why "Atomic"? Among its others claims to fame, Las Vegas was the closest major city to America's numerous A-bomb tests. People would sit on the roof to watch the blasts.
It was a pretty good crowd there. I think it was a 50/50 mix of tourists and locals.
Meanwhile, across the street was this sign for the Ambassador Motel. Note, the Motel is long gone, but the well-maintained sign remains. As for the llamas, that part of the sign post-dates the motel's removal. Too bad really, because you know someone would have tried it.
We rounded out the night with a probably unnecessary trip to Triple 7 brewery's wares. Favourite beer: Black Chip Porter, but that's because most everything else ranged from yuck to meh.
Sunday
We met in the afternoon and had lunch at a forgettable pub in The Linq, and then spent our time and quarters at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Of note, they had Monaco GP and Crazy Climber. I got high score on Joust.
After this, we went to the Miracle Mile to sample Sin City Brewery's wares (Favourite: Weisse, but everything was head-and-shoulders above Triple 7). Along the way we accidentally fell on some cookie dough at DoughP. Given future events, this was a mistake, albeit a delicious one.
Allison looked at her watch at this point and realized that we were rapidly running out of time to get to our show: Le Rêve at the Wynn Resort. We managed to get back to our hotel, change into presentable clothing, and walk (rapidly) across the street to catch the show, with about two minutes to spare. Phew. Le Rêve is Steve Wynn's attempt to out-cirque, Cirque de Soleil. It largely succeeds, and is in my top three Cirque-like shows in Vegas, tied with KÀ for second place, ever so slightly behind The Beatles Love. It was really good, and I'm glad she talked me into going, since I was pretty meh about a water-based show. Well worth seeing.
Afterward we went and had possibly the most expensive meal of my life. It was certainly in the top five for most delicious. It was Bazaar Meat by José Andrés. Overwhelmed by the choices, we opted for one of the tasting menus, and also an ounce each of Kobe beef. Over the next two hours, the professional servers fed us some of the best tapas ever, along with some surprises.
While waiting for our food to arrive, Bruce waxed eloquent about some cured meat - Jamón ibérico - that they'd had in Spain a few years ago. He described it in loving terms, going over how it was made and what it tasted like, and added that it should be on my bucket list of things to try if I'm ever in Spain. Note: This was not on the menu, and our server was not anywhere near us when this tale was being told.
Five minutes later, our server brings us a plate of it. "I thought you might like this", he said.
It was very good.
A bit later we got our Kobe Beef. And while we ordered three ounces, we apparently got four. Our suspicion was that since we were late diners, and the restaurant was rapidly emptying out, we were gaining the benefit of them having to jettison some of their daily stock. This was super high end, so I doubt they served leftovers the next day. Might as well serve it to guests who aren't assholes.
Kobe beef is also very good, but so overwhelming that I'm happy I only had the ounce and a bit of it. More would be a waste.
The rest of the meal was equally good, with a wonderful variety of stuff. Finally we were done, full, sated, satisfied. That's when dessert appeared. And once again, I think we got more than we asked for, seeing as how we got ten items. Woof. I wasn't hungry again until the next afternoon.
Monday
I gamble, and my game is roulette. I also collect casino chips from all the casinos that I visit. Since neither Bruce nor Allison care that much, and because they're late sleepers compared to me, I decided to grab some chips in the morning, and I made a circuit of the various west-of-strip casinos before noon. These included Orleans, Palms, Gold Coast and the Rio.
(A few other chips included, because I did some drive-by bets around other places)
I met up with the others and we went and visited the Arts District, which is the most Portland part of Las Vegas. I'm happy we went, because it gave me a whole new reason to visit. Antiques! Thrift stores! Craft beer! It was wonderful
We started with beer and wings at Able Baker brewing. Best beer: Upshot-Knothole Imperial Porter.
(the essentials)
Then it was off to Tatyana's boutique, which I love, even though the mens wear section is microscopic. I just want to take the future Mrs. Cyr there and play dress-up doll.
Next up was Main Street Peddlers, with assorted weird stuff. I bought a few gifts, and the O'Shea's chip (pictured above), because I gambled there, but they use Linq chips now.
(Your welcome)
(I need a few of these)
Our last brewery of the day was Crafthaus, which had a nice selection and some decent appies. Best beer: Zitrone, a sour gose.
(this mural was at Crafthaus, and was a tribute to the old Jubilee show that closed a few years ago)After an aborted attempt to have dinner at 18Bin, but apparently their chef was in a car accident (we were reassured that he was uninjured) so wasn't coming in. Plan-B was me taking the others to China Poblano, which entailed going back to the Strip. It wasn't as good as I remember, but that's probably because of the lingering memories of the previous nights meal. Of note. Both Bazaar Meat and China Poblano are Jose Andres restaurants.
(A very Shpely-esque statue at the Cosmopolitan)
Bruce was starting to run out of spoons, but luckily there was something guaranteed to recharge his batteries: Tiki! Off we went to The Golden Tiki.
(From a new show that I fully intend on seeing next time)
Now the reason we ate at China Poblano was we couldn't find an online menu for the Golden Tiki. Turns out they have a really good menu of Tiki standards. Also, the drinks were filling.
This ended up being a nice cap to our final evening in Vegas. The drinks were good, the decor was extensive, and confirmed my 1:1 shrunken head/booby ratio hypothesis. I fell in love with one of the servers and a random woman sitting at the bar (she was a redhead who looked like she shopped at Tatyana's). The only downside was that the bathrooms had attendants. Nothing like having some random job it is to stare at you while your standing at the urinal to freeze your pipes.
*Walks into bathroom*
"Hello sir, how are you doing today."
"I'd be doing better if random strangers didn't talk to me in the men's room."
*finish up my business, head to sink*
"Have some soap, sir."
*Holds a squirt bottle of hand soap out for me without giving me an option to do this on my own*
It was all super creepy, especially since it wasn't an especially large bathroom (one urinal, one stall). I'd have liked to have looked at the decor, but just wanted out of there as fast as I could. He had a tip jar, but since negative tipping is frowned upon, I refrained from helping myself to make up for the creepiness.
Tueday
Bruce and Allison's flight was somewhat earlier than mine, so we met for breakfast at the hotel's cafe. Afterward I killed time by wandering around the strip. I ended up having a flight of beer at Trustworthy Brewing (in the Palazzo). Best beer: Emilia's First Farmhouse Ale. Then I had lunch at Gordon Ramsey BurGeR.
The flight home was uneventful aside from me seeing other planes nearly miss my own (OK, they were another level below us, so no danger of colliding, but it was still a shock since I've never witnessed it before, and this flight I saw it twice).
A few thoughts:
- Treasure Island is good option for inexpensive, mid-Strip, accommodations.
- I ate way too much (I'm up six pounds, which is kind of insane), but I enjoyed all of it. I need to remember that I have a monk-like existence the rest of the time precisely so I can do stuff like this occasionally.
- Discovering hipster districts in Vegas has given me a whole new reason to explore. I was getting jaded on the normal touristy stuff, but now I'm looking forward to bringing other friends here to show them what I (or rather, Allison) found.
- There's been some discussion of going in the fall. I hope we do.
(I just wanted to share this picture of 80s TV stars)
