A day around town and our first sunrise

We got to our room after a very quick check-in. A brief moment to catch our breath, claim a horizontal surface as an altar (including the trouble making candles), pottie breaks and we were ready to hit the casino floor. Thankfully our room was not too far from the action. If you ever go to Vegas and plan on doing some gambling I suggest requesting a room closer to the casino floor. These places can have multiple room towers and some rooms can be a hike to get to where you want to go.

A walk around the casino gave us a decent lay of the land and after a stop at the player's club so those that didn't have current cards could start earning comp points we searched for and found three video poker machines side by side. I was a little surprised at the number of people. I thought by Monday afternoon Vegas would has settled down after the rush of the weekend but it seems more and more people have found the beauty that is Vegas mid-week. Alas we didn't stay very long at these machines as drink service seemed non-existent. A stop at the Let-it-ride table was next on the list and after winning $20 I felt it was a good time to leave a table a winner to set a hopeful tone for the week. Being low rollers the three of us decided it would be more comfortable gaming downtown so we grabbed a cab and headed for the Golden Nugget.

I hadn't been in the Golden Nugget since their remodel and we were all pleasantly surprised at the decor and general state of the GN. We realized that with the gaming and drinking ahead of us some food was probably a smart idea so we found the buffet and had ourselves some dinner. While the buffet wasn't too bad it was $20 for dinner, fairly standard for Vegas now. I informed everyone that the next buffet would be at the Mirage and although $2 more the quality and variety would be well worth the extra cash. After food was procured and consumed, it turns out one can live on prime rib and multiple desserts, it was finally time to get in some serious gambling action.

We found ourselves three seats at a lovely bar in the Golden Nugget, sat down, popped in some $20s, placed our drink orders and let the buttons fly. Video poker at a bar with friends is one of my favorite Vegas activities. With a decent bartender there is seldom a wait for one's next cocktail (bourbon and 7 was my standard drink of the trip). Video poker is more casual then a table game because one can take their own pace without the pressure of holding up others, unlike the action at a table game. It's also fun to take a moment and watch a friend try for the flush or some other nice hand. After a couple of hours we felt the need for a change in venue though probably the same type of activity. A cab right back to the hotel for an evening refresh and it was time for more fun.

One of my long time Vegas standards is a little casino on Las Vegas Bldv. Yes LVB is The Strip but this place is closer to the airport then other strip casinos and nobody would ever call this place a Strip Casino. It is a serious hole in the wall, very smoky, very small just like their table limits. It's called the Klondike and it's right across from the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. The last trip two of us made it to the Klondike while the third needed some time to herself with the porcelain goddess. $2 Blackjack and $0.10 roulette have brought me back time and again. Since one of us hadn't been there the Klondike was THE place to spend the evening having fun and waiting to see our first Nevada desert sunrise. We caught a cab and headed for there. Imagine my surprise when we arrived to find the place boarded up and fenced in. The Klondike has closed! And we aren't talking the closed for remodel here. This was 100% not coming back kind of closed. I guess the ground the place sits on is worth more then any action at a $2 BJ table would ever bring. With hearts filled with a bit of shock, horror and sadness a new locals oriented casino needed to be found ASAP.

One of the things I had done to prepare for this trip is track down places that still have serious value breakfasts during the wee hours of the morning. One place was called Terrible's. While not the most promising name for a gambling establishment the breakfast deals sounded good and being focused on the Las Vegas residents instead of tourists I knew the video poker odds would be favorable and the table limits a better fit for our bank rolls. Good bye Klondike hello new favorite local's casino! Terrible's was a perfect fit for us.

While nowhere near as large as Strip and Freemont casino it was plenty big enough for us and we quickly located video poker machines together and picked up where the action left off earlier. Drink service at Terrible's wasn't bad though the kick to the drinks were not quite what we were use to at the GN. As has become the pattern after a few hours of VP it was time for a change in play. By now the casino had thinned out a bit and we were able to score three seats at a $5 blackjack table.

Oh the fun that was had! The three of us had somehow managed to avoid playing BJ at the same time until now and we made up for lost time in grand style. We found our group poison and drank deep from the cup. We sat at the table for hours drinking, staying on 13 when appropriate and hit 16 when needed. By 4am it was time for a break and although nobody was really hungry we knew food was required none the less. This clearly called for one of the bargain breakfasts that had first attracted us to the place. While nothing overly special it was good and at $7 for steak, eggs and toast it was just what 3 Vegas junkies needed. While our moods and energy were still quiet high and we could have picked up where we left off at the BJ table we decided it was still our first day in town and maybe a few hours of sleep before day two would allow us to continue to make the most of our trip so it was a cab ride back to Harrah's.

Stepping out of Terrible's we were greeted with that wonderful twilight sky as dawn breaks. Almost as incredible was that it was warmer outside at 5:00am then the high temperature in Seattle would be that day. Hours of gambling, drinking, being up at 5:00am and the sunrise all combined into a wonderfully surreal moment. We had achieved a mental place where reality was very different for us then our normal lives would allow. It was a mix of the power of nature as the color of the sky changed by the minute, an intense calm before the city awoke to the beat of thousands of tourists, an altered state of being from more alcohol then any of us will ever admit to and disbelieve that although we hadn't slept it was the beginning of our second day in Vegas.


Next post.... Day 2