mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Greetings,
Just got back from Las Vegas. My wife has Marriott points, so we stayed at the Marriott Chateau on Harmon just north of MGM. Got into town Wednesday, May 19. My visit centered around my bowling tournament at South Point. I really have come to dislike hanging around the Vegas strip. To me, it has become one giant tourist trap of overpriced meals, crowded with younger people who gets so drunk they can't walk, the smell of weed is everywhere, etc. And not to mention the poor odds like 6-5 blackjack, and poor odds for video poker, etc. I did not hang around any of the strip casinos, or gamble at them. All we did was go for morning power walks. Maybe I have gotten old or something like that, but my views on the Vegas strip have changed, lol.
All the casino/hotels there have dropped all covid restrictions. It actually felt nice to not have to wear masks where ever we went, without social distancing. That being said, you could walk out of a casino, go into a CVS or Wallgreens, and then have to wear a mask! My feeling is it should be all or nothing. We had my wife's son and his fiancée with him. We went to some upscale restaurants, Lago at Bellagio and Mastros at Aria. Great food, great drinks, but very overpriced. I'm a simple guy, and honestly, the best meals I had were from the hot dog cart at South Point. If you ever are there, be sure to stop by and get a dog or two, you won't regret it.
Speaking of bowling, the tournament was at South Point. I saw a lot of friends from Detroit who were also bowling over the weekend. I'm part of a group of 10 who have been going for many years. I was invited a few years ago to fill in for someone and got asked back again. The governing body of bowling is the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). This tournament runs from April to July. Because in April, covid restrictions were still in place, the bowlers were required to wear masks while bowling. Now that things have changed, the USBC said to keep the competition fair and consistent, everyone would be required to bowl while wearing masks for the entire tournament, even though spectators were not required to wear masks. To me, it was hard to breathe while wearing my mask. My teammate got two warnings about not properly wearing his mask, a third time would have DQ'd him from the tournament, so he started wearing it. They actually had USBC officials monitoring for mask wearing. Scores were low at the tournament due to tough lane conditions. The format is 9 games, 3 games bowling as a team, 3 games bowling doubles, and 3 games bowling as a single. For my 9 games, my total was 1666 which was a 185 average. Even with that, I won $545 from the brackets I entered. The bowling was a grind, and it takes a strong mental game to stay focused when you are not doing well. My mental game was weak this time around, simply from not bowling that much over the past year. Instead of trying to beat the lanes, the lanes beat me. Bowling is always a learning experience, and I will take a lot away from this experience that hopefully will help in the future.
While at South Point, I registered for their betting app, and had a source of betting games during my time in LV. Did quite well. Went back to cash out before leaving. The disappointing thing about LV was also the weather. A cold front came through, it was cold and windy. Saturday we were going to hike at Red Rock, it was cloudy, windy, rainy, and 42 degrees. We ended up doing the scenic drive and leaving.
Saturday night we met our friend Spartan Mike who was also in town at Circa for dinner and drinks. Of course we stopped at the sportsbook to check it out. Honestly, I was expecting the sports book to be bigger than it was. We both agreed it did not live up to the hype. The viewing screen is amazing but smaller than what we imagined based on the hype. I couldn't see myself hanging around there to watch games. The seating on the floor, I believe is on a reservation system, with a charge, and if you are not there, then you are standing around with a crowd viewing the action. If I had my choice of watching games between Circa and Westgate, I would choose Westgate. We parked at the Garage Mahal of Circa (next to the Plaza Hotel), at a price of $6/hr with a $40 max. No one under 21 is allowed and they check ID for every single person who walks in. If you did not have ID you were not allowed entry, even if you are 70 years of age. We went to Barry's Steakhouse for dinner. Another buddy was in town for his birthday, we had a party of 11 there. The food was excellent. Barry himself came out to see how our food was. I ordered the 8 oz filet. I would highly recommend the restaurant for a wonderful dining experience. It was very upscale and reminds me of an old time steak house. The prices are what you would expect for LV, with tip, it averaged to about $150 per person. Afterwards, Spartan Mike, myself and our wives went to the Legacy Club for drinks, which is on the 60th floor. The outside deck was closed due to the weather. It was very nice up there and you are greeted with pictures of LV Casino legends, with their bronze busts as well. Some of the legends included Sam Boyd, Kirk Kevorkian, and even Bob Stupak. There were about 20 or so. It was like a mini hall of fame! You walk further by the hostess stand, and you are greeted with a display of 500 2 oz gold bars worth about $1.8 million, plus a fantastic birds eye view of all of Las Vegas. We never made it down to see the Stadium Swim, but you could see it from the Legacy Club. Derek Stevens & Co really did it up nice at Circa.
We heard people complaining about the lack of Taxi's and Ubers as LV is trying to catch up with being fully open. Stories of 2 hour waits at the airport for ubers was common, as well as trying to get around the city. We had rented a car, so it was not an issue for us. Vegas will fully open June 1 with shows, buffets, etc. The buffet at South Point had a wait that was over an hour. Caesar's buffet was open too. The weekend was very crowded. I prefer it without the crowds, which made Wednesday and Thursday more enjoyable. Finally, on Sunday, we met friends of ours who live in LV somewhere in Summerlin at a mall area called Tivoli. It was nice to pay a normal price for a meal and had an enjoyable time meeting up with our friends who was a former co-worker of my wife. So that was how my time in LV was. If your travels happen to bring you to LV, good luck and safe travels to you.
Just got back from Las Vegas. My wife has Marriott points, so we stayed at the Marriott Chateau on Harmon just north of MGM. Got into town Wednesday, May 19. My visit centered around my bowling tournament at South Point. I really have come to dislike hanging around the Vegas strip. To me, it has become one giant tourist trap of overpriced meals, crowded with younger people who gets so drunk they can't walk, the smell of weed is everywhere, etc. And not to mention the poor odds like 6-5 blackjack, and poor odds for video poker, etc. I did not hang around any of the strip casinos, or gamble at them. All we did was go for morning power walks. Maybe I have gotten old or something like that, but my views on the Vegas strip have changed, lol.
All the casino/hotels there have dropped all covid restrictions. It actually felt nice to not have to wear masks where ever we went, without social distancing. That being said, you could walk out of a casino, go into a CVS or Wallgreens, and then have to wear a mask! My feeling is it should be all or nothing. We had my wife's son and his fiancée with him. We went to some upscale restaurants, Lago at Bellagio and Mastros at Aria. Great food, great drinks, but very overpriced. I'm a simple guy, and honestly, the best meals I had were from the hot dog cart at South Point. If you ever are there, be sure to stop by and get a dog or two, you won't regret it.
Speaking of bowling, the tournament was at South Point. I saw a lot of friends from Detroit who were also bowling over the weekend. I'm part of a group of 10 who have been going for many years. I was invited a few years ago to fill in for someone and got asked back again. The governing body of bowling is the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). This tournament runs from April to July. Because in April, covid restrictions were still in place, the bowlers were required to wear masks while bowling. Now that things have changed, the USBC said to keep the competition fair and consistent, everyone would be required to bowl while wearing masks for the entire tournament, even though spectators were not required to wear masks. To me, it was hard to breathe while wearing my mask. My teammate got two warnings about not properly wearing his mask, a third time would have DQ'd him from the tournament, so he started wearing it. They actually had USBC officials monitoring for mask wearing. Scores were low at the tournament due to tough lane conditions. The format is 9 games, 3 games bowling as a team, 3 games bowling doubles, and 3 games bowling as a single. For my 9 games, my total was 1666 which was a 185 average. Even with that, I won $545 from the brackets I entered. The bowling was a grind, and it takes a strong mental game to stay focused when you are not doing well. My mental game was weak this time around, simply from not bowling that much over the past year. Instead of trying to beat the lanes, the lanes beat me. Bowling is always a learning experience, and I will take a lot away from this experience that hopefully will help in the future.
While at South Point, I registered for their betting app, and had a source of betting games during my time in LV. Did quite well. Went back to cash out before leaving. The disappointing thing about LV was also the weather. A cold front came through, it was cold and windy. Saturday we were going to hike at Red Rock, it was cloudy, windy, rainy, and 42 degrees. We ended up doing the scenic drive and leaving.
Saturday night we met our friend Spartan Mike who was also in town at Circa for dinner and drinks. Of course we stopped at the sportsbook to check it out. Honestly, I was expecting the sports book to be bigger than it was. We both agreed it did not live up to the hype. The viewing screen is amazing but smaller than what we imagined based on the hype. I couldn't see myself hanging around there to watch games. The seating on the floor, I believe is on a reservation system, with a charge, and if you are not there, then you are standing around with a crowd viewing the action. If I had my choice of watching games between Circa and Westgate, I would choose Westgate. We parked at the Garage Mahal of Circa (next to the Plaza Hotel), at a price of $6/hr with a $40 max. No one under 21 is allowed and they check ID for every single person who walks in. If you did not have ID you were not allowed entry, even if you are 70 years of age. We went to Barry's Steakhouse for dinner. Another buddy was in town for his birthday, we had a party of 11 there. The food was excellent. Barry himself came out to see how our food was. I ordered the 8 oz filet. I would highly recommend the restaurant for a wonderful dining experience. It was very upscale and reminds me of an old time steak house. The prices are what you would expect for LV, with tip, it averaged to about $150 per person. Afterwards, Spartan Mike, myself and our wives went to the Legacy Club for drinks, which is on the 60th floor. The outside deck was closed due to the weather. It was very nice up there and you are greeted with pictures of LV Casino legends, with their bronze busts as well. Some of the legends included Sam Boyd, Kirk Kevorkian, and even Bob Stupak. There were about 20 or so. It was like a mini hall of fame! You walk further by the hostess stand, and you are greeted with a display of 500 2 oz gold bars worth about $1.8 million, plus a fantastic birds eye view of all of Las Vegas. We never made it down to see the Stadium Swim, but you could see it from the Legacy Club. Derek Stevens & Co really did it up nice at Circa.
We heard people complaining about the lack of Taxi's and Ubers as LV is trying to catch up with being fully open. Stories of 2 hour waits at the airport for ubers was common, as well as trying to get around the city. We had rented a car, so it was not an issue for us. Vegas will fully open June 1 with shows, buffets, etc. The buffet at South Point had a wait that was over an hour. Caesar's buffet was open too. The weekend was very crowded. I prefer it without the crowds, which made Wednesday and Thursday more enjoyable. Finally, on Sunday, we met friends of ours who live in LV somewhere in Summerlin at a mall area called Tivoli. It was nice to pay a normal price for a meal and had an enjoyable time meeting up with our friends who was a former co-worker of my wife. So that was how my time in LV was. If your travels happen to bring you to LV, good luck and safe travels to you.
house (Echo & Rig) that has a butcher shop with only only grass fed meat! Too bad you did not eat there... great restaurant
