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Day 25 in Las Vegas
Starbucks, Cheyenne at Hwy. 215

It's a beautiful morning in Summerlin, light cool breeze and mild temperatures. I know this will change as Summer arrives. I grew up in North Texas, so I can handle the heat. I bet 110 degrees here is easier to take than those 110-degree days I spent as a kid in Wichita Falls. At least here the humidity won't kill you.

The talk around the coffee shops this morning is about the unexpected death of local entertainer Danny Gans. Currently appearing at The Encore, he was only 52. No news yet on the cause of his death. He was a big draw on The Strip and well known for his show. His death is another reminder to keep things in perspective. Taking one day at a time, and living each day as if it were your last, is not the worst advice I've taken.

I'm really beginning to like it here, for whatever reason. For now, anyway, I'm looking forward to building a life here. In a city built on the bad luck of others, I feel I'm right at home. It's been my bad luck (or timing) to settle down in a city being slaughtered by the worst economy in decades. Maybe that's one reason I'm drawn to this place. We both are being kicked in the groin by unemployment, a sagging real estate market, and politicians who can't get their act together. Maybe Las Vegas and I have a common goal: arise from the ashes and come out stronger on the other side of the misery currently besetting us.

Vegas Traffic a Nightmare

Spent three days this afternoon navigating the nightmare traffic east of downtown. Every street is under construction or being widened or is just too backed up with traffic. Seems like traffic east of town is far worst than west of town, so I intend to avoid the area north and east of UNLV.

There's also construction near downtown and of course the area around CityCenter is horrible. For a city that's crumbling beneath the boulder of an economic depression and shrinking tourism base, it seems like a lot of people still live here. Why don't some of you people move to Laughlin?
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There's an outside chance that CityCenter will halt construction, putting thousands more out of work. Oh joy. What a mess that would be. That's why the powers-in-charge are doing their best to keep the payments coming so construction on the megabillion dollar complex will continue. Dubai World, half owner of the monster, is balking on the deal and causing MGM Mirage all kinds of fits. Will MGM and Dubai work out their differences and see CityCenter completed next fall? Some say it's doubtful, given the current economic mess. But MGM Mirage seems empowered to move ahead and feels Dubai World will eventually come around.

There's so much at stake, I'm sure the deal will get done between these two behemoths. A lot strutting and pawing will commence during negotiations, but both sides will eventually cave in and come to an agreement, each side claiming its own victory. Should CityCenter shut down, it'll become the largest casino property for rats and homeless people in the country.

Day 5 in Las Vegas

The Coffee Bean, near Red Rock Casino

I have discovered I like it here, so far. The area around Town Center and Summerlin Parkway is especially nice. Close your eyes and you could be in northern Tucson, Scottsdale, or any number of nice suburbs around the southwest. Out here, you can easily forget that The Strip is located a few miles east. Look west toward Red Rock Canyon and the mountains and forget you are in the world's biggest playground.

I've met a few locals, including a Keller Williams real estate broker, a entrepreneur who sells DVDs and books online and is a distributer for SendOutCards.com. I've met a photographer/mountain climber/trail guide from Seattle who has a Nikon D300 I covet. Plus a few business owners who I've met while looking for a job. Looking for work in this economic recession is a challenge, but one I enjoy. Looking for a job helps you learn the city, meet some locals, and you get a sense of what's happening in the local market and economy.

Whenever I've entered a new city, knowing that I'm going to stay awhile, I immediately begin looking for a job. In Las Vegas, as in many cities, the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. But jobs are still available; it just takes some footwork and patience to find them. If you haven't hit the job-hunting trail in a while, understand this: most companies now take applications online and it can be a real pain in the neck. Many sites use questionaires to test your personality type and work ethic, and these drawn out sessions border on the ridiculous.

I long for the old days when you could walk in for a job interview on the spot, fill out an application, get hired or not, then leave. While many small retail stores in shopping strips may post a Help Wanted sign, most franchise companies will simply send you to their web site.

I've been in Las Vegas before, but never for five days straight. I'm beginning to develop some impressions of the place and people who live here. It's no mystery that the health of Las Vegas is tied to the gaming industry.

For reasons I can't comprehend, many leaders in the casino industry were unable to see the current economic crisis coming. As a real estate broker, I attended meetings in 2000 that predicted this very situation. The signs were all there. A housing and credit crisis was coming. (We were told in our meetings in 2000/2001 that the crisis would hit in 2010. Evidently the 9/11 attacks pushed the timetable forward a bit.) So I'm really amazed when I read in the local press that no one saw this downturn coming, or that they are shocked to see a drastic decline in tourism and gaming. The old myth was that gaming and entertainment here was "recession proof."

The MGM Mirage, for example, is near bankruptcy. If it were to fail, the effects on the local economy would be devistating, says the newspaper. So here comes help, probably a bail out of some kind, to help a leading employer stay afloat. The MGM is developing a new complex, CityCenter, and the timing of such a project was always in question. Now with the current ecomomic atmosphere, the MGM is in trouble. But since they are "probably too big to fail", help is likely on the way.

Harrah's on the other hand, may have been the smart ones by holding off on developing their own new toy, the so-called "Epicenter." Back in 2006, they may have seen the writing on the wall and felt the timing wasn't right. They slowed down on their development plans. For MGM, however, it was "if we build it, they will come."

So now we find Las Vegas a little shaky, and more than a little nervous about the coming months. Signs are good that things will turn around, probably next year. But until then, I get the feeling the local business owners and residents are going to be holding their collective breaths to see what continues to happen on The Strip.

As for me, I'll keep pounding the pavement to see what job I can find.

Day One in Las Vegas

Day 1 in Las Vegas
Starbucks, near Red Rock Casino

Made a long drive to Las Vegas yesterday...525 miles. I don't think I've ever driven that far in one day without stopping before. I felt relieved it was over, but dog-tired. I left Carmel at 9:30 a.m. and arrived last night at sundown in Sin City, around 7:30 p.m. I made the drive with just two stops to stretch my legs and grab a Quarter Pounder.

Ten hours is just too long to stay on the road without a significant break. I was proud to average 52.5 miles an hour, though. Not bad when you consider the two-lane road across central California that slowed me up a bit. The drive across the Mojave Desert was maddening, too. When I see places like Mojave, it makes me wonder about the so-called overpopulated planet we live on. Looks like we have plenty of room to grow if you don't mind high winds, sand storms, and a hot blazing sun.

I'm hanging out mainly in the Red Rock Canyon area of west Las Vegas. The Spanish Trail area has an abundance of million-dollar homes, plus a very nice country club. Now if I could only come up with a million dollars.

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I visited the campus of UNLV today. But it's Spring Break so not much was happening. The Lied Library was all but empty, just a few students working on computers. The campus was a ghost town. I spoke with a nice girl in the Fine Arts Advisors office about the art department. She was just filling in for the regulars who were gone for the Break, so she didn't have much to say. She had a nice smile, though. (I know what you're thinking...but I'm old enough to be her father...which shouldn't be a problem now that I think about it.)

Fear and Loathing on the Way to Las Vegas

I'm about ready to leave the Monterey Peninsula. After 275 days enjoying paradise, it's time to get back to the real world. I'll be heading east toward Las Vegas, and should be there next week if all goes according to plan.

I've enjoyed my time here. But California just has too many problems. The state is all but broke, and they figure to get back in the black by adding more taxes on top of the mountain of taxes they've already heaped on the consumer. This is probably (since I'm not going to waste the time to try to prove it) the most taxed citizenry in the country. A recent "temporary" sales tax increase is just another example of a state government gone wild.

And it's no comfort that many of President Obama's advisers are from California. If you want to yourself in a few years, visit someone living in California. Overtaxed, underpaid, stressed and not able to afford the highest cost of living in the country. Unless, of course, your Paris Hilton.

I really want to spend some time in Las Vegas. After reading a lot of Hunter Thompson lately, I want to experience "Sin City" as an observer, an outsider looking in on the mayhem and weirdness of the city that never sleeps, and write about what I see. Plus I want to play some poker.

So, I'm packing up my small art studio, Sola Sendero, and taking my palette to Nevada.

The WSOP at the Rio

Day 294 on the road.

Starbucks, Boca Park Shopping Center, Charleston at Rampart, west Las Vegas

After running a few errands in Laughlin, I drove in to Vegas yesterday and checked into my room at the Palace Station Casino Resort. I will be here two nights before moving on west.

I spent the afternoon at the Amazon Room at the Rio Casino Resort Hotel watching Event 2 of the World Series of Poker. (Photo on left,I took from the rail.) Event 2 is a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Holdem tournament that registered 3,929 players and offers a prize pool of over $3 million. Today, the final table will conclude with the winner taking home around $831,000. I watched for about an hour as some of the greatest players in the world tried to survive an onslaught of aggressive online players.

When I left Texas last year, my goal was to visit the Rio and watch the pros play at a World Series of Poker event. If nothing else, I have at least accomplished that goal! (Photo right, I took of pro Ted Forrest and others while watching the action.) The tournaments are held in the enormous Amazon Room at the convention center attached to the Rio Casino Resort. Hundreds of poker tables were lined up as far you could see. I played in a cash game located in a section dedicated for games like $10/$20 Holdem and $75-$150 Omaha Hi Lo Split.

(Photo left, is Doyle Brunson, the "god" of poker and a fellow Texan. Texas Dolly is perhaps the best known poker pro in the world.)

The WSOP tournament events will continue throughout the next six weeks or so. The Final Event, the big momma of all the events with a $10,000 buy-in, will be held the first week of July. The Main Event will take a week to narrow the field down to the final table. The players who make it the final table of the Main Event will not play for the championship until November. This is something entirely new, giving the players time off to regroup and give ESPN time to hype the shows that will be aired throughout the fall. ESPN will air the results of the final table in November on the same day it concludes, via tape delay.

If you would like to sponsor me for the Main Event, feel free to contact me. I only need $10,000 plus expenses for the week. If I win, I'll have about $8 million to share with you!

The final table production site for ESPN broadcasts.

Vincent, the Fiesta, and a Horseshoe Trip

Day 280 on the road.
Firehouse Coffee Company, Laughlin
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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.
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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.
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(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.
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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.

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

Las Vegas Revisited

Day 273 on the road.

Firehouse Coffee Company, Laughlin

I'm back in Laughlin for another week. Last weekend's trip to Vegas was a successful. I played poker at the Bellagio, Mirage, and Red Rock casinos. I also utilized the monorail system on the Vegas strip to get around.

On Saturday I left Laughlin for the 90-minute drive to Vegas. I arrived at the Sahara Hotel and Casino on the northside of the Strip and checked. My room wasn't available until after 3 p.m., so I had about some time to kill. I decided to visit the Bellagio poker room for some afternoon gaming.

The Sahara has a Monorail Station at its location, so it was an easy walk to the rail. I paid $9 for a 24-hour unlimited ride ticket, and took the monorail to the Bally's Station. Bally's casino is located across the street from the Bellagio.

(Photo right: the Monorail at the Sahara.)

Once you depart from the train at Bally's you have long walk through the casino to a monorail walkway that provides an easy standing-ride to the street. From the front of Bally's, an escalator takes you to the bridge that crosses the street. After walking across the bridge, you enter the Bellagio and have an easy walk to Caesar's Palace.

(Photo left and below: the monorail walkway to the street from Bally's.)

I left the Sahara just after 12 o'clock noon, and it took about 30-40 minutes to arrive at the Bellagio using the rail system. The longest walk was making my way through the Bally's casino after exiting the monorail.

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(Photo left: looking south from the bridge crossing the street from Bally's to the Bellagio.)

(Photo above: The Bally's Monorail Station.)

Once inside the Bellagio, it's a nice stroll through their retail mall before entering the casino itself. The poker room was busy, not unusual for a Saturday afternoon. I waited about 30 minutes for a seat to open up for a $4-$8 Limit Holdem game.

I played poker at the Bellagio until 5:30 p.m., then cashed out and headed back to the Sahara via the monorail. I picked up my key at the Sahara and checked into my room for the evening. I stayed on the 23rd floor of the Alexandria Tower, giving me a nice view looking west over the city. The room itself was spacious, but outdated. The furniture was old, vintage 1970s, and well-worn. The carpet was clean, but stained and just about worn out. The bathroom fixtures worked, but were below average in condition.

The Sahara is an aged, musty, smelly, crowded, and nostalgic casino dating back to the vintage days of old Vegas when the Rat Pack performed and Hollywood stars walked the floor. Old photographs throughout the property reflect its history: there's Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performing in the nightclub, and a photo hanging behind the registration desk shows Cary Grant and Alan Ladd with their wives standing in one of the Sahara's courtyards. Elvis also performed here.

While the Sahara has a history and nostalgia that permeates the place, and I'm sure many ghosts and old Hollywood spirits live throughout the place, the hotel needs a facelift. The rooms are cheap enough on certain nights, especially condsidering its location on the Strip. But the condition of the place is below average.

After resting for a while, that night I took the monorail to the Mirage for dinner and some late night poker. I ate at the California Pizza Kitchen located inside the Mirage, next to the poker room. After playing cards for a couple of hours I was ready to return to the Sahara for some sleep. The view I had of the Vegas skyline at night was the best feature of my room at the Sahara. (See photos below.)

(Above: Day time view from my room at the Sahara.)

(Above: Night time view from my room at the Sahara.)

(Above: View from the bed.)

On Sunday morning I moved about a mile west, off the Strip, to the Palace Station. The Palace was the first casino that began the Station Casinos empire, being built back in the 1970s. The Palace is a nice hotel and casino, a definite improvement over the Sahara in condition and amenities. I stayed in the Courtyard, which is an area surrounding the pool. Although these rooms are among the oldest at the hotel, my room was remodeled and updated to an above average condition. The bathroom had ceramic tile and new fixtures. The TV and furniture were all new, and the king-sized bed was comfortable. The room was small, but that was no concern.

After checking in Sunday at noon, I left the Palace and drove west toward Summerlin and the Red Rock Casino. The Red Rock is another Station casino (like the Palace and Green Valley Ranch) and it's a great place. I'll be back to the Red Rock for sure. I played poker until 6 p.m., then ate a Mother's Day dinner at the Feast Buffet, located inside the casino. I "feasted" on BBQ, turkey and dressing, shrimp, mashed potatos, corn, macoroni and cheese, green beans, salad, soup, breads of all kinds, apple cobbler, ice cream, and pecan pie.

After a peaceful night at the Palace, I checked out and drove to Boulder City for a quick visit before returning to Laughlin.

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

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Fine Arts Festival and Wine Walk, Green Valley Ranch

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.