Trip Report 7-21 to 7-25

I would like to preface this trip report with a bit of information on the room I had at the Mirage. In a previous post I had referred to the condition of the one bedroom suite I had. Please keep in mind I’m a property director myself, so things I notice are with a critical eye to that effect. I will notice things the average person may or may not notice. This is entirely for informational purposes. And having checked in late in the evening, under low-light conditions, some of these things did not come to “light” until the next morning.

With one exception, I found the room to be pristinely clean. Housekeeping staff was very friendly, and did their job extremely well. Housekeeping is NOT an easy job on any property, and when you figure over 2,000 rooms per day, that is a huge undertaking. The exception to the cleanliness of the room was in the tiled shower. Tile is difficult to keep clean under the best of circumstances, but the grout definitely could have used some Peroxy II to get it white again. And the drain cover wasn’t screwed down, which posed not only a slipping hazard, but a cutting hazard as well. I did let them know about this as well as the slow running drains and the toilet (had to hold down the handle while flushing, otherwise it wouldn’t flush). They sent someone to fix the drain cover, but the drains and toilet were not addressed during my stay. Fifty dollars was taken off one night’s stay for the inconvenience, and no other rooms were available.

I had mentioned the wallpaper having seen better days in my previous post. Yes, there were tears here and there in the wallpaper, but there were also large cracks in the walls. No, not cracks in the wallpaper, cracks in the walls. One in particular ran from the ceiling to the vanity in the bathroom. While not a deal breaker, it does indicate a lack of general care on the part of the maintenance staff. Along the same lines, carpet had been laid on top of carpet the last time the rooms were renovated. This was evident as the armoire was sitting a bit off and a good 4” of the previous carpet was showing along with the newer carpet. Again, not a deal breaker, but a lack of attention to detail.

When you’re paying premium rates, you expect premium conditions. For some people, this room would not have fit those premium conditions. For me, the room was clean, the staff was delightful, so the things I observed were not a huge deal. Others might think differently.

And by the way, I do spend a lot of time in my room while in Vegas. I know that’s different from a lot of you, but my vacation time is spent pampering myself, sleeping in and dining out. Yes, I gamble and have fun, but I’m there to relax, not run myself from one end of the strip to the other or try to wedge all the things I can into a few days. I know there’s always another trip on the horizon when I can see something else. Why wear myself out? I’m there to relax and enjoy!

Trip Report 7-21 to 7-25

Now on to the fun stuff!

Tuesday I started slow with a little breakfast from room service. Relaxed over coffee and watched a little news before heading down to see the new babies in the Secret Garden. What a trio of dolls they are! I got some wonderful shots of them in the nursery. I’ve decided that’s the job I want when I retire…spending the day playing with little tigers in their nursery.

Slots and shopping were next on the agenda for the day. I’ve always heard the slots at the Mirage are tight, but I didn’t find that to be the case. I did rather well there, actually. I noticed there were a lot of reel machines there as well as a lot of VP machines. Think it kind of points to a trend? I will say there were a lot of “mature” workers there. Not the cocktail waitresses, but the other staff. Just my opinion, but I think this made the customer service side of the property exceptional.

I shopped my way down the strip, finally ending up at Slots-a-Fun. (Love having a rental car!) I hadn’t been in there in years, and it hasn’t changed a bit. If you’re looking for the old Vegas sound of nickels and quarters hitting the bin, then Slots-a-Fun is the place for you. Spent a nostalgic couple of hours there and even indulged in the 99 cent hotdog with all the trimmings. (Oh, I highly recommend GasX strips! *LOL*)

Back to the Mirage for a bit of a soak in the jetted tub before going out for the evening. I have to admit this turned into a little nap! Like I said, I’m here to relax.

I had dinner at Kokomo’s tonight. Superb! I ordered the coconut shrimp appetizer with mango chutney. Spicy, sweet and delicious. Main course was prime rib with a side of baby carrots. I swear, they dropped half a cow in front of me! OK, more like an entire roast. Way too much meat for little ol’ me, but being a Wyoming girl I gave it a helluva try. Extremely tender and delicious, as were the 3 different choices of horseradish.

While passing through the casino I was given a free pass to the Revolution Lounge. I figured what the heck and went. First, let me say that I’m at least 15 years older than the oldest people in there. Personally, I wasn’t impressed. Yeah, I like the music (I have teens at home, remember? And spent way too many years in radio!), but the place was very small and nothing to write home about. I hung out for a bit and had a couple of Margaritas before heading back out to the casino floor.

Turn down service was terrific. Two little boxes with chocolates in them (which were delectable! And yes, I ate them in bed!), and two stems of baby orchids, which were lovely.

Off to sleep and on to another day!

Trip Report 7-21 to 7-25

Little did I know when this day began that my children (14 %26amp; 19) would be jealous of their mother before it was through. And I didn’t know this “old broad” still had it in her! *LOL*

I truly love spending time downtown away from the hustle and bustle of the strip, so today’s agenda started with Fremont street. I always do well down here and feel really, really comfortable, even by myself. The Fitz was good to me this trip, Binion’s, not so much. I always enjoy the Nugget, just because of the lighting in there (silly, I know, but its that old Vegas thing again).

I think the trouble actually started when I wrapped my fingers around that first slushie of the day. *LOL* (I knew I’d be drinking downtown, so I’d planned ahead and took a cab rather than driving the rental car down.) I’m not normally a big drinker, but when in Vegas….maybe it’s the sea level type altitude compared to my normally high altitude….but I can drink quite a bit before the silly girl comes out.

Well, I hit the silly girl stage! I’m back at the Mirage and chattin’ it up with some young, tattooed guys in the elevator. No, I have no idea who they are, but they remind me of my son and the kids he hangs with, so I wasn’t shy. (Yes, my kids would have been horrified!) It gets worse…or better, depending on your point of view….

So we all get off the elevator on the same floor, and we’re laughing about a “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” thing (get your mind out of the gutter! We’re talking tattoos!), and next thing I know these kids are handing me an all access pass for Slash’s birthday party. Yep, the Slash of Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver fame. One of these kids is with a band called Jane’s Addiction (had to check it out with my son) and another one is one of the crew for the Black Eyed Peas. The party is at Jet with after-party to follow.

Yes, my kids are jealous of their mother. Got to meet Slash at the after-party, Jason Bonham (he’s huge, by the way), Fergie….was way too much fun. I did have to laugh, though…guess I was an oddity because I’m from Wyoming. I swear, nobody in the room had ever met anyone from Wyoming. *LOL*

At 4:00 am I stumbled my way back to my room for some much needed sleep!

Thursday, my last full day in Sin City, and what an ugly morning…or should I say early afternoon it is! I hung pretty well with the young crowd last night, but I’m paying for it this morning.

Not feeling like doing much today I grab the camera and head out to take pics around town. Paris, Bellagio, just a few of the sights. All in all, a nice, relaxing afternoon doing something that I really love…photography and people watching.

Another little dip in the jetted tub and I’m ready for another night. I had reservations at Stack at 8:30. Now normally, I don’t really enjoy eating by myself, even in fine restaurants, but I was mellow, in a relaxed mood, and thoroughly enjoying a delectable filet mignon and their twice baked potatoes are to die for! Four large tables were reserved at the center of the restaurant and around 8:45 Slash and the rest of his birthday guests arrived. The people in the tables next to me looked at me rather funny when he was making his rounds of his guests, saw me and actually came over to say hi. What a nice guy. Finished dinner with those “Munchkin” donut holes, which were warm and heavenly.

Took a few rounds of the casino before heading to bed. I’ve found “Triple Your Monkey” is fun and did really well on one of the Monopoly games. Of course, finished the night with my favorite, “Goldfish”, adding a little cash to my purse.

All in all, this was my favorite trip to Vegas in a very long time. I’m relaxed and rejuvenated and ready to meet the weeks ahead. You see, the manager for the other property we own is in very poor health and my supervisor has told me I need to get up to speed on it as I’ll be having to take over the second property soon. I really needed this time to myself to prepare!

Meeting Slash, Janes Addiction, and Fergie? How cool! What a great trip and an awesome Vegas story!!!

Wow....what a blast you had! Good trip report. Sounds like you packed in alot in your short 4 nights.

OMG!!!....I can understand why your kids were jealous. I%26#39;ll bet they%26#39;ve been telling all their friends who mom partied with in LV. You are probably known as the coolest mom in Wyoming, if not in the USA!!!

Sounds like everyone you met was pretty sincere...a lot of celebrities would not have acknowledged you in the restaurant even though they had met you the previous evening. What an interesting evening!

Enjoyed your report!!! Thanks!

What an awesome time you had. I am going Sept. 8-12 andam so looking forward to it. I noticed from your posting that your from Gillette WY. My son is moving there soon to work at a radio station (not sure which one ). If you could give me some tips on places to live Etc. i%26#39;d love to hear from you. Rock on!

I am glad you had a fun trip. I stayed in a Tower Suite at Mirage in 1995 and they are very roomy.

Very good TR glad you really enjoyed yourself in Vegas.

What a fantastic report! You write extremely well and I am very impressed that you drafted your ';chapters'; before posting....gotta love that copy and paste function =D

I am so looking forward to meeting those baby tigers at the Mirage next week - I also would like to take care of baby animals in a nursery when I retire (maybe we can be co-workers some day...lol).

Hangin%26#39; with the Slash-ster....total awesome! I met him, Duff and Axl back in the days of the original GNR - I hope he%26#39;s sobered up a bit since then since he%26#39;s getting to celebrate another b%26#39;day.

Thanks for sharing your trip details with us!