Vincent, the Fiesta, and a Horseshoe Trip

Day 280 on the road.
Firehouse Coffee Company, Laughlin
.
I'm back in Laughlin for the week, after spending the weekend in Boulder City, Henderson, and Las Vegas. Mid-May weather in the area has become very hot. Today's temperature in Laughlin is expected to be 112 degrees. But a cold front is moving in mid-week and will drop the heat back to a more humane 82 degrees.
.
This past Saturday morning I drove to Boulder City hoping that Vincent had an available room. I had reservations at the Fiesta Casino Hotel in Henderson for Sunday night. So when I left Laughlin I was hoping to get lucky and find a room in Boulder City for Saturday night.

Vincent owns a 16-room hotel in downtown Boulder City called the Western Inn. Each room has a small kitchen and the beds are comfortable enough. It's also a really quiet and easy-going place. When I first met Vincent a few weeks ago, he said, "I keep it quiet around here. Since I'm the owner, I can say who stays here and who doesn't." Guests also get free Internet access. For me it's a no-brainer to stay at the Western Inn unless I find a special at a casino and receive a nice room rate.

When I arrived in Boulder City I stopped for gas and then drove to the Western Inn. The office was closed and Vincent was nowhere in sight. So I left my business card on his office door with the note, "Vincent, if you have a room available give me a call. I'll be down the street at Starbucks." I had been at Starbucks for about 20 minutes when Vincent gave me a call. "Hey, Mitch, I've got a room for you. If I have to, I'll kick someone out."

So I checked into the Western Inn about 1 p.m. on Saturday and began thinking about where to play some poker for the evening. I decided to drive to downtown Las Vegas and play in the historic poker room at Binion's Gambling Hall and Casino, formerly Binion's Horseshoe Casino.


The Horseshoe is the place that first hosted the World Series of Poker in 1970 and was the birthplace of modern day poker, at least in Las Vegas. Harrah's Entertainment bought The Horseshoe, including rights to the WSOP. Harrah's subsequently sold the downtown casino hotel to MTR Gaming in 2004 but retained ownership of the "Horseshoe" name and all rights to the World Series of Poker. Thus, the WSOP main event and the series events are now played at Harrah's properties around the world.

(Photo right: I took this picture of the "signature board", containing the signatures of famous poker players and WSOP champions, etc. The "Poker Hall of Fame" is in another exhibit nearby, but I wasn't sure about taking photos in the poker room.)

But the old gambling hall still stands and is now known as Binion's Gambling Hall. It is coming under new ownership once again. This time, the new owners are promising upgrades and an expansion plan.

When I first walked in to the poker room at Binion's I immediately was struck by the history of the place. For one thing, the poker room was the sight of the final table for the World Series in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker won the Championship and became the catalyst for the so-called "poker boom" that has seen the game explode in popularity around the world. It was a very cool place to play poker.
.
(Photo above, from left to right: Johnny Moss, Chill Wills, Amarillo Slim, Jack Binion, Puggy Pearson, at the 1974 World Series of Poker at The Horseshoe.)

I played at Binion's until 9:30 p.m., about 7 hours or so. I then walked out into the "Fremont Street Experience" to check out the country and western bands who were playing concerts. The Academy of Country Music Awards was scheduled for it's live broadcast from Caesar's Palace Las Vegas on Sunday night, but on Saturday night on Fremont Street many of the bands were scheduled to play. The crowd was enormous. The Freemont Street Experience is weird and crowded enough on a regular night with tourists and hookers. But when you add the bands, concerts, and celebrities on this particular night, what you get is a mass of humanity that is unbelievable. (See photos of the mayhem below.) I didn't stay long.
.

On Sunday I moved from the Western Inn in Boulder City over to the Fiesta Casino Hotel in Henderson, about a ten-minute drive west on Hwy. 93 toward Las Vegas. I spent the afternoon playing poker at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson.

My room at the Fiesta was okay, but noisy. The bed was compfy and the plasma flat-screen TV was a nice upgrade. However, my room had a door leading the room next door and it was not sound-proofed at all. I could hear every movement from the family staying in the room beside me. Plus the AC fan was cutting on and off (no way to keep the fan on at all times...a real dumb design flaw) all night. So I doubt I'll be back to the Fiesta. The hotel and casino itself are topnotch. I watched "Iron Man" at the cinema (great movie) and ate at their buffet (not bad). But I didn't get much sleep.

On Monday morning I checked out at the Fiesta and drove to downtown Boulder City. I drank coffee and read the paper at the little country cafe in the downtown historic district and really liked the small-town environment. The small cafe was an old-style diner, complete with locals sitting on stools at the counter eating pancakes.

.

I was back in Lauglin by 1 p.m. and playing poker at the River Palms, earning another free room comp.

Day 267 on the road.
Firehouse Coffee Company, Laughlin

The drive to Laughlin from Boulder City last Sunday afternoon was uneventful. It's a quiet trip going south on Hwy. 95, with little to see but mountains and flatlands which follow a straight course as you make your way to the cutoff going east to Laughlin.

The drive to Laughlin is beautiful once you veer east from the cutoff at the intersection of Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 163. The highway cuts through a mountain range to enter the Colorado River valley and the towns of Bullhead City and Laughlin.

As you can tell from the photo above, I'm back to work on my blogs, and doing some writing. The posting of video clips and photos to this blog and elsewhere is time-consuming. I invest a couple of hours downloading the photos from my Cheap Nikon Camera, editing and resizing them so I can post them online. The video clips take time, too. I edit the clips, add the transitions and title slides, then select and edit the music and sound.

My plans for the rest of the week: poker at the River Palms to maintain my free room and board, a movie or two at the nearby cinema, and maybe a nice dinner at the Outback Steakhouse located inside the Golden Nugget Casino Resort just down the block from the River Palms.

This weekend I'll be back to Las Vegas. I've booked a room at the Sahara Las Vegas Hotel and Casino for Saturday night, and Sunday night I'll move over to the Palace Station Hotel and Casino . I'm "casino hopping" in order to review the various hotels on the Strip. I'll return to the River Palms on Monday. For the month of May I'll be staying Monday through Saturday in Laughlin, and Saturday and Sunday at various locales in Las Vegas.

I'm also going to drive around Boulder City this weekend. I may settle down there some day. I'd love to take advantage of the real estate values there. I can see nothing but good things for Boulder City in the next ten years, and property values are almost guaranteed to keep going up.

A Weekend in Boulder City, Vegas, and GVR

Day 265 on the road.
Starbucks, Boulder City, Nevada

I'll be driving back to Laughlin this morning after spending the weekend here in Boulder City. After checking in at the Western Inn (thanks, Vincent, for the nice room), I saw that a festival of some kind was underway in the park near downtown Boulder City.

The Annual Jamboree in Boulder City was underway on Saturday, so I spent time walking around town and the park. The Jamboree is a big festival with an art sale, antiques, classic car show, food and entertainment. After a couple of hours I was ready to make the 30-minute drive to Las Vegas. I wanted to return to The Orleans and play some Omaha.

After playing cards at The Orleans Saturday afternoon, I went to The District at Green Valley Ranch where they were having an art festival and "wine walk." The District is an upscale mixed-use development similar to The District at Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. Both developments have an outdoor mall, commercial sites, office space, and condominiums. The District at Green Valley Ranch is connected to the GVR Resort and Casino, making the entire development a must-visit when you come to Las Vegas.

As you can tell, Saturday was a full day. On Sunday morning I worked a while at Starbucks, then returned to the poker room at Green Valley Ranch and played cards for a few hours. I really like the place and I think it's among my favorite places so far. The Station Casinos are all pretty nice, and are owned privately by the Fertitta brothers who inherited the business from their dad. Founded in 1976, the Station Casinos franchise includes eight major gaming and entertainment complexes and five smaller casinos.

Below are some photos from Saturday and my visit to the Jamboree in Boulder City and the art festival at Green Valley Ranch.

Old Town, Boulder City

The Annual Jamboree in Boulder City

.

Fine Arts Festival and Wine Walk, Green Valley Ranch

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

April, 2008

A video clip of Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead, looking north, in Boulder City driving toward the Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead and the RV and camping area, far in the distance. A road leads to a guard shack, where you pay for an overnight camping spot.

The walkway at the entrance to Hoover Dam. A restaurant is atop the dam, along with a gift shop and visitor's center.

A new bridge is being built crossing the Colorado River just south of the dam. The bypass bridge will allow more traffic to wind it's way through the mountain without having to cross the dam itself. Traffic is horrible and will remain slow until the new bypass is completed.

A monument dedicated to the workers who built the dam between 1931 and 1934, many who died during the construction.

Looking south from atop the dam.

Notice the pillars of the new bridge in the upper left corner of the photo. Once the bridge is complete, it will have a beautiful view of Hoover Dam and the Colorado River.

The dam is built in the middle of a mountain range, the Colorado River being at the bottom of a huge valley.

The visitor's center, and the new bypass bridge under construction in the background. It cost $12 to enter the Visitor's Center and get access to the concrete overlook for a "photo oppurtunity."

Looking north from atop the dam, toward Lake Mead.


"The Hoover Dam construction crew's mascot was found as a puppy by workers at the construction camp. This dog traveled to and from the damsite with them and spent his days visiting the many work areas. On February 21, 1941, the life of this devoted animal came to an end when a truck under which he was sleeping rolled over him. The grave below was completed by workers that same day."

The mascot's gravesite and plaque.

Finally, an Update on My Weekend in Vegas

Day 263 on the road.
Starbucks, Boulder City, Nevada

It's been a wild and wacky week since my return to Laughlin from Vegas last weekend. I find myself today, Saturday, in Boulder City, 20 miles east of Vegas.

I spent last weekend at The Orleans and on the Strip, with the goal of getting to know the place. It was my second trip to Sin City, the last time being over 10 years ago. This time around I took the time to look around.

In fact, I spent 26-hours straight on the Strip without any sleep (dumb idea, but it was fun). I checked out of The Orleans on Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. and didn't check back in until Saturday afternoon. Below is a snapshot of my 26-hour marathon on the Strip.

My 26-Hour Marathan Tour of the Strip

Friday, 10:30 a.m. - Checked out of The Orleans, drove around downtown Vegas, headed toward UNLV, stopped at Starbucks near the campus.

2 p.m. - I left Starbucks and drove toward the Strip.

2:30 p.m. - Arrived at the Bellagio parking lot. Visited the Poker Room, but did not play. Walked around the casino for a while.

3:25 p.m. - Drinking coffee at the Cypress Street Market, in Caesar’s Palace, after walking there from the Bellagio.

4:30 p.m. - Walked down the Strip from Caesar's, went across the street to the McDonald’s located across from the Mirage. I ate a Caesar salad and a grilled chicken wrap. I watched a homeless person who was asleep on the patio, and was wondering if that was going to be me in a few years.

5:15 p.m. - Walked to the Wynn Casino, toured the place, then stopped at The Café for some iced tea.

6 p.m. - To the shuttle bus from the Wynn to the monorail station located at the Convention Center, just a few minutes from the Strip. This is a good tip: the Wynn has a free shuttle that runs to the monorail and back, around the clock. You can actually park at the Convention Center, then catch the shuttle to the Wynn or any one of the six other stations located along the Strip.

6:10 p.m. - Arrived at the monorail station at Convention Center, and purchased a 24-hr unlimited ticket for $9. A one-way, one-time ride is $5.

6:45 p.m. - Arrived back at the Bellagio. After taking the monorail to the Bally’s station located across the street, it was a short walk back to the Bellagio.

7:40 p.m. - I walked to the Poker Room at the Bellagio to play some poker. The room was too busy and the wait too long, so I left. On the way out, I watched Sammy Farha play blackjack at the $300 minimum-bet table. I departed the Bellagio parking garage, having decided to drive to Green Valley Ranch in Henderson.

8:12 p.m. - Arrived at the GVR Casino Resort parking garage. I was familiar with the Green Valley Ranch Casino after watching the entire series of television shows featuring the staff of the place. American Casino, a reality television series for the Discovery Channel and Travel Channel based on the daily tasks of various casino employees, was filmed there in 2004. Several episodes of the hit show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have also been filmed on site.

8:45 p.m. to Saturday morning, 3:45 a.m. - I played poker at GVR poker room, mainly $4-$8 Limit Hold'em.

Saturday, 4:03 a.m. - Departed the GVR parking garage.

4:30 a.m. - Arrived at the Mirage parking garage, back on the Strip in Vegas. I hung out in the Mirage and visited the poker room, the retail shopping mall, etc. I almost fell asleep in the sports lounge, and was warned by security that "no sleeping is allowed in the casino." I told the security guard I was just "resting my eyes." He didn't smile.

5:15 a.m. - Departed the Mirage. I was getting very sleepy and tired. I could hardly hold my eyes open. Therefore, I made the decision to drive to a Starbucks for a pick-me-up.

5:30 a.m. - Arrived at the Starbucks on Flamingo, near The Orleans. I surfed the Internet, read the local papers, and tried my best to stay awake by drinking lots of coffee.

6:30 a.m. - Arrived at The Orleans for a breakfast buffet. I received a free breakfast for becoming a club member, so I feasted on eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, cereal, fruit, and orange juice.

7:45 a.m. - Arrived at the Starbucks on Tropicana, one block west of The Orleans. I had to kill some time before I could check back into my room.

12, Noon - Left Starbucks.

12:30 p.m. - Checked into my motel room.

1 p.m. - Finally went to bed and got some sleep.

I woke up at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. I visited the Strip for a couple of hours, mainly checking out Hooters and the MGM Grand. I stopped at a CoCo's restaurant and bought a cheeseburger, which I took back to my room. After eating dinner I went back to bed. On Sunday morning I checked out and then prepared to drive back to Laughlin.

Photos from the Strip:

(Above and below: photos taken at the Bellagio, in the garden area.)

(Above: the fountain at Caesar's Palace.)

(See the homeless man? I'm on the patio of McDonald's eating a salad and trying not to feel guilty.)

(Above: at the Venetian.)

A video clip of my walk along the Strip is below, and is posted on YouTube.

On my way back to Laughlin Sunday afternoon, I took the 15 mile detour to Boulder City to see Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. It was great fun to see the dam, though the traffic was horrible. It took a while to wind my way through the mountains to the location of the dam.

Once I recovered from the all-night tour, and a side trip to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, I drove back to Laughlin and checked back into my room at the River Palms. I spent last week at the Palms playing $2-$6 Spread Limit poker and hanging out with my new friends in the poker room (Tim, Steve, Adrian, Terri, Marilyn, and the gang). Yesterday, Friday, I decided to come back to Vegas for another road trip. This time I've decided to return to Boulder City, near Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, just 20 miles east of Vegas.

I met Vincent a couple of hours ago, the owner of the Western Inn, here in Boulder City. He's a retired military veteran who purchased the small 16-room motel near downtown about six years ago. The value of the property he's sitting on has more than doubled, and he told me when he reaches 60 years old in a few years, "I'm going to sell and live in an RV and travel the country."

My room is spacious, has a kitchenette and breakfast area, with appliances, and has the best rate in town. So, I told Vincent I've found my new weekend home whenever I come to Vegas. He also has an affordable weekly rate.

I drove to downtown Boulder City and immediately liked it . Boulder City was basically created to house the workers who built Hoover Dam. Now, it's a small and friendly community with a thriving antique and art district. Almost half (48%) of the population is retired, according to Vincent. No gambling is allowed within the city limits and the police run off all homeless people and drug addicts. I like this place very much. (Do I want to move here? Anything is possible.)

In Boulder City this weekend is the 23rd Annual Spring Jamboree, so I lucked out and found the park area in the center of town full of tourists checking out the events: antique show, car show, art show, music, food, and all kinds of fun stuff. I'll post some photos and video clips as soon as I can.

In the meantime, my plans for the rest of the weekend include visiting The District at Green Valley Ranch and playing some Omaha Hi Lo Split at The Orleans in Vegas. I'll be back in Laughlin on Monday.