Neutered Vegas (day 2)

There wasn't much of an itinerary for last week's Vegas vacation, as proven by our first full day in town. 

My first full day is often a Monday, and it's a real treat to spend the morning relaxing in the room and watching The Price is Right. Monday's are not my fun days at the office, to put it mildly. But this Thursday, Oct. 8, was much like my normal Monday. The morning was spent in bed, relaxing and watching Drew Carey in action. Upon the conclusion of the fabulous, 60-minute Price is Right, it was time to get dressed and grab a meal. 

Despite my objection to eating at Steak 'n Shake in Vegas, I buckled. I had a gift card for Steak 'n Shake a couple of years ago, and went to pay for our meal with it at the former Hooters hotel. I was told that the price-hiked casino location would not accept cash that had already been paid to the corporate headquarters, which I find to be bullshit. I guess that's a concession the Steak 'n Shake corporation had to make in order to get its name inside a lackluster casino in Vegas. I don't get the benefit of that, but I'm not a Wahlberg, so what do I know about running a burger joint? 

I had been to the South Point Steak 'n Shake a couple of years prior, and decided that if I was going to pay for a premium for a burger I enjoy, and can't get in Minnesota, I'd at least do it at a casino I like. So we took the rental car and headed south for lunch. 

We returned to the Orleans after lunch and headed to the pool. It wasn't very busy, and we didn't expect it to be. Despite the mandate that you wear a mask outdoors at pools, unless you're in the water or sipping a drink, it didn't appear that anyone was wearing a mask while relaxing in a lounge chair. A pool boy would occasionally provide a "friendly reminder" over the sound system that masks are required, but nobody seemed to care. I wore mine when I got up to get beers, or visit the restroom, but there was nobody near us while we lounged in our chairs, so masks really seemed unnecessary outdoors. But I'm not a public health expert, unlike most people using Facebook. 

Drinking cheap beer from an aluminum bottle while enjoying 90F weather in Vegas.
I'll take that any time I can get it. 

A long afternoon at the pool ended and it was time to clean up for dinner. Thursday night's dinner was prime rib at Ellis Island. Thanks to 2-for-1 coupons, I end up eating dinner at Ellis Island every year. The prime rib dinner is about $17, and you never know exactly what your cut is going to look like when you show up. This year we ended up with the thickest slab I've ever had at Ellis Island. 

My prime rib was not as rare as it looks.
Yes, there's a little fat on my cut, but not a lot, and it's a thick cut. 

Not the fanciest meal, but a good value if you like a basic prime rib meal without all the ambiance. 

I was able to watch my Chicago Bears prior to departing Orleans and at Ellis Island. I contemplated wagering $20 that afternoon on the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but didn't pull the trigger. The underdog Bears won outright, so it was a win-win for me, despite not wagering. I watched the final few minutes at the bar, running a few bucks through video blackjack while my girlfriend wandered off and played a slot machine she had never played before. 

It took her but a few spins after putting a $50 bill in the machine to turn a profit. 

She cashed out more than $150 ahead after 15 minutes of play.

After Ellis Island we headed back to Orleans, where I dropped off my girlfriend. I was headed to the Sahara. 

Earlier in the day I had received a Twitter message from Chris, who has been hosting his Faces and Aces Las Vegas podcast for years. I've been a fan of his podcast because it focuses on storytelling, not unlike my own, non-Vegas podcast. A few years ago he invited me to discuss Halloween in Vegas, as I had tweeted plenty about my Halloween adventures in Vegas over the years. We discussed Halloween in September, 2017, but that interview didn't turn up until more than a year later. The Mandalay Bay shooting occurred prior to Halloween 2017, and that shifted his podcasting plans for the months that followed. 

Chris was in town, as it turned out, and invited me to join him and a few others that Thursday night. My girlfriend wasn't interested in hanging around a couple of podcasting nerds, so she spent the remainder of the evening at Orleans while I headed to Sahara. In addition to Chris, I met Saul, a real Las Vegas junkie who I had corresponded with occasionally since he oversees the Las Vegas Junkies group on Facebook, and has hosted his own podcast under the same name. I also met two Vegas residents who Chris has known for a while. They are recent transplants in Vegas, and I'm pretty sure I remember both their names, but I'm not positive I can spell both of their names. 

After chatting at Sahara for a short while, where nobody was having luck gambling, Saul departed for the night and the rest of us headed to Westgate. I know all about the SuperBook at Westgate, but I had never set foot in that casino during my 40+ visits to Vegas. SuperBook is impressive, no doubt, but otherwise the rest of the casino is standard Vegas fare. I didn't walk around the property to get a feel for exactly how expansive it is, but driving around it gave me some idea. 

Chris and I chatted a bunch at Westgate, and by midnight it was time to head back to our respective casinos. I did a walk through the Orleans casino on my way up to the room, but didn't stop to play. 

I don't make a habit of tracking people down or meeting up with groups of random Junkies when I'm in Vegas, but the invite from Chris was a nice surprise, and I'm glad it worked out. 

The night before Christmas

I'm sitting alone, 90 minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve, and I have no complaints. Without explanation: I'll be home soon and will spend Christmas with my girlfriend. We had dinner with her family earlier this evening. I'm sitting here alone out of necessity, and it allows me an opportunity to do something I enjoy, yet don't make enough time to do as often as I would like: Writing.

I have vague recollections of Christmas Eve from my youth. Vague, at best. From my earliest days in Indiana to my teenage years in Minnesota, with divorced parents living in two separate states. Like most people, my Christmas memories are faded and dust covered after more than four decades.

I don't remember a lot from my college years earlier. I remember working early one Christmas morning at the local hospital when I was in college. I was paid double and was done working by 2 p.m., that seemed like a great deal.

During the past 20 years I've had memorable and not-so-memorable holiday celebrations. I'm always amazed how, at least here in the Minneapolis area, the world around us nearly grinds to a halt for 18-24 hours. Yes, thousands of people are working in a variety of capacities, both essential and non-essential. And yes, there are stores and restaurants that remain open for one reason or another, both late into the evening on Christmas Eve and during the day on Christmas. But so many things are closed, and for nearly 24 hours my day-to-day life changes, even if there's still Facebook posting happening and televised sports on TV.

I'm thankful I've never had to seek out that random bar that remains open late into the evening on Christmas Eve, and I'm grateful that I've always had family members to share Christmas with. Yet I'm fascinated by the contrast that Vegas provides, and a small part of me wants to experience it for myself. If I was a wealthy, self-employed blogger, vlogger, journalist or podcaster, perhaps I'd experience Christmas in Vegas firsthand. What exactly do I want to see? Allow me to explain.

For starters, I'd want to be able to spend a day or two scouting locations around Vegas, getting a sense of what is and isn't open on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Then I'd get plenty of sleep leading up to Christmas Eve, as I'd start at 5 p.m. and make a marathon session of seeing and exploring Vegas for as long as I could physically tolerate.

I'd love to see who is or isn't hanging around a lot of places. I think I'd start at the Tropicana. It's a sad, sterile casino these days, even with all those hotel rooms and, from what I can tell, decent occupancy. How depressing is it? I'd likely run over to Hooters, as well. Is Steak 'n Shake open? Who chooses an overpriced burger and fries for their Christmas Eve dinner, assuming it is open. Is it a festive environment throughout the casino, or a ghost town?

From there I'd head to Excalibur, New York New York and MGM. Would it be any different than any other night on the strip?

I'd have to check out the Miracle Mile Shops, as well. Are they all closed? How many are filled with last-minute Christmas shoppers and tourists who don't celebrate Christmas?

I suppose I'd have to head over to Bellagio, too. That place is always bustling. What is it like on Christmas Eve?

At some point I'd head down to the Pinball Hall of Fame, as it is open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. They wouldn't be open if there weren't people coming every year on the night before Christmas. So who is there, families looking to go out and do something together, or lonesome singles trying to forget the world is celebrating the birth of Jesus.

After that I'd probably sit out in the parking lot of a 24-hour rub-and-tug massage joint. I've gotta believe those places aren't closing for the holiday, and I'd be curious to see how many people show up in a 30-minute span as midnight approaches.

I'd have to run downtown by midnight to see how sedate the crowd is. I have no doubt it's business as usual, but how does the vibe compare to a typical night downtown? I'd probably bop into a few casinos, as well, to survey the crowd. Would I be surprised by how many people are gambling in the early hours of Christmas? Would Santa hats be the only way I could tell it's the holiday season?

By 2 a.m. it'd be time to take off. I think I'd head north briefly to Jerry's Nugget. I finally had their prime rib dinner earlier this month, and spent an hour gambling there. I'd be curious to see how quiet a locals casino in the middle of the night. How depressing would the gambling masses be early on Christmas morning?

So by the middle of the night It'd be time to head to Frankie's Tiki Room. This might be the first time of the night I indulge in a cocktail. Who celebrates Christmas at 3:30 a.m. with a mixed drink at Frankie's?

I'd have to enjoy in moderation, but from Frankie's I'd stop off at The Mint and the Peppermill. The Mint is a cute, modest 24-hour bar, and I'd be curious to see what kind of crowd it would attract. I've never been to the Peppermill for cocktails after the sun has set, so I'd have no idea what to expect.

From there, assuming I'm safe to drive, I'd drive around and check out a variety of off-strip joints to see what's happening, places that are always open, such as the "Pawn Stars" pawnshop, smaller restaurant/video poker joints and anything else I could identify as a 24-hour business that's not simply a grocery store or gas station. I suppose I'd like to see what the Ellis Island crowd is like after 5 a.m. on Christmas Day.

I'd also want to see how few, or how many, people are gambling at the Orleans. How quiet is the poker room?

I think I'd spend the rest of my day, for as long as I have the energy to do so, checking out the Christmas morning atmosphere mid-strip. What restaurants are bustling on Christmas morning? Are tourists out and about, sightseeing, like any other day of the year? Are people hustling tours, time share presentations and rap music CDs? Are the small, strip mall businesses near the north end of the strip open for business as usual on Christmas morning? Is there a different sentiment among those walking up and down the strip because it is Christmas morning?

Vegas is a 24-hour city, but things get awfully quiet on the strip, and in casinos, after 4 a.m. on a nondescript weeknight. I suspect Christmas Eve/Christmas morning are a bit quiet by Vegas standards.

I'd love to see it for myself. Unlikely I ever will, but damn, I'm curious.