The Who

Been having an Email debate about the Who with some family members. If you aren't doing an air guitar windmill by the end of this, you are a corpse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjkGHn8_Z2c

Petty Complaints

It has been awhile since I got some things off my chest. So, without further adieu, here are some more petty things that bother me.

Parents who blather on about their Kids – Is there anything more boring then having a conversation with an adult who does nothing but talk about their kids. Listen, there is nothing wrong with mentioning your child’s accomplishments. However, don’t forget that you are a person as well. Please stop trying to live your life vicariously through your offspring. Quit showering them with over attention. I know I harp on parents a lot but, someone has too as we keep raising more and more pussy kids.

Snoring on the train – You are sitting on the train trying to relax after a long day of work and then suddenly it sounds as if someone is trying to start a lawn mower. That is because someone oaf has fallen asleep on the train and is snoring his or her ass off. The strange thing about it is that no one will do anything about it. It is like all the other passengers have collectively made an agreement to ignore that someone is pulling a rip cord in the train car. Well, I ask all Metra mouth breathers, if you know you snore try to stay awake on the train because your sleep apnea is annoying the rest of us.

Not bathing before working out – Now, I know that some have the philosophy of, why bathe before working out when all I am going to do is get sweaty again. Well, let me tell you why, because when you sweat and you haven’t bathed you produce an odor that is worse then as my brother would say, garlic, gas and old folks ass. I was on a treadmill the other day and this guy next to me was sweating and literally everyone else in the same zip code was gagging. So, for the benefit of the rest of society try to maintain some semblance of personal grooming.

Women who drive SUV’s and don’t know how to park them – You know the scene. You are in the mall or grocery store parking lot. There is a woman who is barely five feet tall and she is driving a Cadillac Escalade. She can barely see over the steering wheel and she is attempting to park the thing. It takes her like three tries to do so. And then when she leaves she has no idea how big the care is or how much room she has so it takes her a half hour to back out of her spot. You should have to obtain a special drivers license if you are going to drive one of these cars. I’m sorry.

Nancy Grace – I don’t know what I hate more about this woman. Her hillbilly nasally voice. Her, know it all, I’m better then you attitude. Or is it her badgering cross examination that she calls an interview. I can not stand her, even when she is in the right simply because of her ugly personality which can’t help but come across the screen. Go back to chasing ambulances in Tennessee or wherever ass backward place you came from.

Guys with too much chest hair exposed – As my brother would say button it up. Do you really think any man, woman or child really wants to see your matted sweaty chest hair? Buy an undershirt and then put it on and remove the gold horn chain that went out of style in 1978 Really, it is for your own good.

Jim Belushi – On behalf of all Chicagoan’s I have to ask, why is this guy our spokesman? Every time the Bears play on a Monday night, they trot out old Jim. He is about as talented as an organ grinder. I’ve seen actors in community theater with more skill. If not for his brother no one would give this guy a job. We have cool celebrities that are from Chicago, like Jeremy Piven, John Cusack, and Bill Murray. Please stop associating us with this no talent ass clown.

Airports or hotels that don’t offer free WI-FI – This has become a pet peeve of mine. If I am staying at a hotel there is no reason that I should have to pay for internet access. If you are that cheap, then I will choose to stay somewhere else. As for airports, for as bad and illogical as they can be, you would think they would offer something to passengers so, we can kill some time. The funny thing is some airports like Midway, do offer it while others like O’Hare don’t. Just another reason to avoid flying out of O’Hare whenever possible.

Garfield – Really, the comics section in the paper as a whole is brutal. I find Garfield to be its biggest offender. How many stale fat jokes can one person take? Anyone who reads this comic and thinks it is funny needs some serious medical attention, because you are brain dead. Its wit is about as sharp as a spoon. That comic was never funny, but to have sustained the life that it has is beyond me.

Shamrock Shuffle

Well I ran the Shamrock Shuffle yesterday. I completed the 5K but I realized I could have handled the 8K as I was still raring to go as I crossed the finish line. I ran the 5K in 45 minutes which is like 15 minutes a mile. Considering when I was in high school I could run a mile in 5-6 minutes I have a ways to go. (Of course that was twenty years and many, many Miller High Life’s ago.)

Still, not to suck my own dick here, I was still happy with myself. Considering where I came from when I started training for this, I can’t help but feel that this is a step in the right direction in that I was just able to finish. I am a little sore today but not nearly as bad as I thought I would be.

I was talked into it, and as much as I bitched about having to go to the gym all the time, yesterday as I was running along Lake Michigan, I really felt like I had accomplished something. I plan on doing an 8K run in the Fall and then eventually get to where 10k doesn’t bother me. Hopefully, as I keep running more and more of my gut will shred into oblivion.

I'll Miss Them Both

Two events have happened this week that caused me some small bits of sadness. The one had nothing to do with the other but they both reminded me that time is moving on and yet another part of my youth is gone.

One was the passing of Calvin Deforest A.K.A. Larry “Bud” Melman. As a kid growing up in the 80’s, Late Night with Davis Letterman was one of those shows that defined us. It was ours. We got the comedy. Carson was for my parents, Letterman was the young persons show. With the brilliant writing of Chris Elliot and his staff, Letterman was doing edgy and groundbreaking things in the form of a stagnant medium late night television.

There were so many memorable skits and characters on that show. Chris Elliot’s The Guy under the seats and the Fugitive Guy. Or Letterman jumping in a vat of water with an alka seltzer suit on. Or when he used to drop things from a 5 story building, all of it was funny. And then there was Larry “Bud” Melman. As I was youtube’ing him yesterday I was reminded of just how great that character was.

Letterman would put him in a bear suit and have him try to go around and get change for a ten. Or he would send him out to interview ordinary people out in the street. It was funny because Melman, was just being himself. There was no act to it. He was just a sweet older guy who was so innocent and honest that you couldn’t help but love him.

In an age were everyone is vain, Deforest, accepted his role as the butt of the joke. Sure, he profited from it but it takes a certain personality and certain amount of self-realization to be able to play that role. He was not talented in any comedic way, but there was something about that character (along with the others he played on the show like the long forgotten “Kenny the Gardner.”) that with Letterman’s nudging the audience just loved.

I know it gets lost nowadays with the current Letterman show a shell of its former Late Night edgy self, but his original NBC show is one of the main sculptors of my sarcastic personality today. Larry Bud Melman played a role in that. Even, though I did not know him and he lived a full life, I was still sad to hear about his passing.

The other thing that caused me some sadness was that I noticed as I drove by 87^th and Roberts Road that the White Hen there had closed. My Uncle owned that store form 1980 until late 1986. It was a fun six years and it was my first job. I started out there as a minor stocking the candy aisle and the cooler. I would mop the floor and make the papers. (I believe now the papers are already filled but back in the day the Sunday papers would come in two sections and you would have to fill them.) I was paid under the table until I got a work permit when I was fifteen.

I still have my first paycheck from the Hen. For a first job it was kind of cool. I was a sophomore and all of the money I made there I used to buy tapes (this was before the CD boom) or junk food. It afforded me personal freedom. If you were 15 in 1985 and you had 50 bucks in your pocket you were king. It was a great time in my life. My Aunt and Uncle still have friends to this day that they met while they owned that store.

My primary job was that of a cashier. I also was running the lotto machine, slicing meat, and making a ton of turkey sandwiches. As well as still filling that cooler and taking the bottle returns to the cage in the back. Filling the cooler was a favorite job of mine particularly in the summer. I would ride my bike in the hot sun to the Hen and be drenched with sweat. The first thing I would do when I got in was fill that cooler which was set at a beautiful 38 degrees. It basically consisted of making sure all the milk and soda was filled. Making sure the milk with the closer date was in the front. Nothing to earth shattering. I liked it because it was a nice break from dealing with customers.

The one hazard besides the deli slicer at the Hen was the bottle cage. It was only a danger in the summer months. Back in the day Pepsi and Coke would come in returnable bottles. So, people would come in and get their deposits back when they returned their finished soda. They would put it in this cart. When the cart got full it was my job to bring it out to the locked bottle cage in the back of the store. Well in the summer months all those bottles there that were once filled with the sugary delights, made it a perfect place for bees to converge. I had to put on a bee keepers outfit just to go in there. I mean I can’t tell you how many times I was fighting them off. I had never been stung by a bee before I worked there. After I was stung so many times, that I stopped worrying about it.

I rarely if ever went in to the old White Hen anymore. As a matter of fact even though I really don’t live that far from it, I can’t remember the last time I stepped foot in the place. Still, it was nice knowing it was there. I would drive past and tell my wife every time some story about when I worked there. I am sure she got sick of hearing them but she indulged me. I can’t do that anymore and that makes me sad.

So, these two un-related events happened and for that my life is a little less bright. I mean, in the overall scheme of things neither of them are a big deal. Neither of them had any effect on my day to day life. But, just knowing that Larry “Bud” Mellman is no longer with us reminds me just how long ago those memories were from. And, just knowing that the Hen is gone cements in my head just how much time has gone on since I was a fresh faced young lad who had his whole life ahead of him. Well, maybe next week will be better.

Nick's AL Picks

Here are the rest of my baseball picks

AL East

1. Boston – I like what the Red Sox have done. They have a rotation that could be seven deep. The lineup is solid as always. The only real question is the 9^th inning. Something tells me they will figure something out and will go on to win this division.

2. New York – The Yankees are still the Yankees but they are beginning to show some kinks in their armor. Their pitching staff has some question marks. Mussina and Pettite are old, and Wang and Igawa are just average. They can still hit and they will score runs so they will be in the mix but I’m not sure they have enough to hold of Boston.

3. Toronto – The Jay’s quietly had a nice second half last year but may have taken a step back. The rotation is nice at the front but suffers at the backend. They have a couple of nice hitters but with Boston and New York ahead of them I don’t think they can compete

4. Tampa Bay – This could be the year Tampa climbs out of last. The Ray’s have a number of very good young hitters. But of course the pitching is very weak. Scott Kazmir is a very good pitcher other then that they have next to nothing. That makes it hard to compete.

5. Baltimore – If there is one organization that continues to make moves that baffle me, it is the Orioles. Other then Tejada no one in that lineup scares me. Pitching wise they have some nice arms but and maybe if Bedard and Cabrera finally pitch to their talent they might surprise but too much would have to go right for them to challenge.

AL Central

1. Detroit – The Tigers look like they have an even better team this year then the team that went to the series last year. Adding Sheffield’s bat to an already potent lineup is scary. They have six legit starters and a deep bullpen. Best team in the AL from top to bottom which is saying something from where they were in 03.

2. Cleveland – The Tribe is very good. If they get any pitching at all they will give Detroit a hell of a run. Their offense is that good. Other then LF this team has legitimate stars. You may not have heard of them but you will. Sabathia and Westbrook head the rotation. They need Cliff Lee to stay healthy and Sweaty Joe in the 9^th scares me a little but this team is very dangerous.

3. Chicago – The White Sox on paper do not impress me at all. Of course on paper the 05 Sox didn’t scare me. For the life of me I don’t understand their moves. Trading Garcia and McCarthy made little sense. But, who knows with this team. Middle of their lineup is still solid and if they were in the AL West I would pick them but I just like the Tigers and Indians a little more.

4. Minnesota – The Twins are another team I can’t get a read on just yet. I love Santana but that is all they have in their rotation. Bullpen is still solid and they have a lot of nice hitters but I don’t think they have enough to finish any higher in a tough division.

5. Kansas City – Of all of my picks I have the most faith in this one. I guarantee the Royals finish last. I say that for two reasons. One, they are just in a very difficult division and secondly they just don’t have the talent to compete on an everyday basis.

AL West

1. Anaheim – This division no one stands out so why not pick the team with the best pitching staff. The Angles rotation is deep, if it can stay healthy they could be dominant. They still have Vlad in the lineup but there are still some holes which Garry Matthews will not fill. Still, in a race where no team is very good, I will take the team with the best pitching and that is Anaheim.

2. Texas - The Rangers will score runs. The question is will they get enough pitching to keep them near the top of the division? In Millwood and Padilla the Rangers have two nice starters after that it gets a little gray. They also need to hope that Eric Gagne is back to his old form, if he is they could win this thing.

3. Seattle – The Mariners are one of those teams that are hard to get a read on. I like a lot of their parts but am not sure the sum of them is enough to get them over the hump. Ichiro, Sexton, Beltre and the best player you never heard of Raul Ibanez make up a nice lineup. The pitching is decent and is really dependent on the progress of Felix Hernandez. If he pitches like the ace he is touted to be they could win this thing as well.

4. Oakland – The A’s could leave me with egg on my face. I could see a scenario where they win the division. But that would take everyone on this team being healthy and there is no history of that with this team. Rich Harden is as good as any pitcher in baseball, when he is on the mound. Sadly, he has been hurt more often then not. The lineup will miss Frank Thomas but could still score some runs. Losing Zito was huge and someone is going to need to step up for this team to contend.

Playoffs

NL

Arizona over New York in 5

Philadelphia over Milwaukee in 4

Philadelphia over New York in 6

AL

Detroit over New York in 4

Boston over Anaheim in 3

Detroit over Boson in 7

World Series

Detroit over Philadelphia in 5

Nick's NL Picks

With the season about to start I will as I do every year make my foolish predictions on the upcoming baseball season. Last year, I made some good picks (Like picking the Cardinals to win the World Series) and some bad one’s (Detroit finishing 4^th and Milwaukee winning the wild card.) I will start with the NL first and post my AL picks in my next post.

NL East

1. Philadelphia – The Phil’s have some holes (Like RF and 3^rd base) but, I like the overall makeup. They have the best and deepest pitching staff in the division and I will always take pitching over everything else.

2. New York – While you have to love the lineup that pitching staff scares the hell out of me. Tom Glavine is their ace and his days of being an ace are in the rearview mirror. Starting rotation is very suspect. But they will score runs so they should be up there all year.

3. Florida – The Marlins played much better then anyone expected last year. The question is will all their great rookies last year have sophomore slumps this year? They have the makings of a great staff but already health is a concern. Plus they have no proven closer. They do have a very good young lineup so, expect them to be competitive again.

4. Atlanta – The Braves after 14 years finally felt how it was like to have to sit and watch the playoffs. They are in re-building mode. They still have some nice pieces in Chipper and Andrew Jones but pitching staff after Hudson and Smoltz is young. They do have a lot of nice players and if they all blossom at the same time they could surprise.

5. Washington – Well, they are a complete mess. Their rotation is a joke. They have John Patterson and four retreads. I love the left side of their infield with Zimmerman and Lopez but they have way too many other holes. Looks like a 100 loss season.

NL Central

1. Milwaukee – Ok, maybe I was a year early in declaring my Brewers love. I really think they have the making for a very good team. They have four quality starters and a deep bullpen. They finally gave Bill Hall a position and with Weeks and Fielder this young team could jell and win this thing.

2. Chicago – Ok, maybe I am drinking the Kool-Aid but to me if they play to their talent they win. With the lineup you know they can score runs, so it all comes down to the pitching. Zambrano is an ace and the parts behind him are nice. This division is theirs for the taking as no one has really improved from last year in what was a weak division.

3. Houston – A confusing team. I love Oswalt and Jennings at the top of their rotation but after them it gets interesting. Bullpen also has holes. Lineup has two mashers in Berkman and Lee but other then that it is very ordinary. Even Rodger can’t save them this year.

4. St. Louis – No team in all of baseball has taken more hits in the off season then St. Louis. Other then Carpenter their rotation is in shambles. Sure they still have Pujous and Rolen but that is about it. Rest of the lineup is average at best. Also, they may have lost some of that hunger after winning it all last year.

5. Cincinnati – The Reds surprised the hell out of me last year. This team is very hard to gauge. I actually think their rotation has the potential too be decent as does their bullpen. The lineup has some glaring holes and too many hitters that are the same. In the end I just feel they got every break in the world last year and still couldn’t seal the deal.

6. Pittsburgh – Ahh, the Pirates. What a complete mess this team is. Their management has no clue. They have some nice hitters in Bay, Nady and Sanchez. Their pitching is another matter. With no clear number one their rotation has a whole lot of questions. The bullpen also is suspect which all leads to a last place finish.

NL West

1. Arizona – I am going out on a limb here but I really like what the D’ Backs have done. Quietly they have a nice rotation in Webb, Johnson, Davis, and Hernandez. If their young hitters all come together this team will be very dangerous. They are young but there is a lot of talent on this team.

2. Los Angeles – The Dodgers have some nice parts but I am not sure they work as a team. They have a nice rotation and bullpen but health will be a concern. As for the lineup well, I have some questions. They had no need for Juan Pierre when you already have Furcal. They have no legitimate power bat in the lineup. But, in this division they will be in the hunt.

3. San Diego – The Padres have taken a step back in my opinion. Their biggest mistake was letting Bruce Bochy go. He was a very under-rated manager and will be missed. Rotation is decent and Hoffman is always there at the end. They just don’t have enough difference makers in their lineup to be a threat.

4. San Francisco – The Giants were old last year. So, instead of backing up the truck and getting some young guys some playing time they went out and over spent on Zito. He is a solid pitcher and so is Cain. But that it is it for their rotation. Lineup is way too dependent on number 24 and I just think he will be more of a distraction then he is worth.

5. Colorado – I like a lot of the parts of this team. Hawpe, Holiday, Tavaras, Helton and Atkins are all good ballplayers. I just don’t trust any of their pitchers. They have no one that I trust on the entire staff. While I know that they will score runs they have don’t have the arms to be competitive.

Just Wondering

What did people do to kill time at work do before the internet?

Why Corner Bakery charges 10 bucks for a soup and sandwich which both taste like shit?

How anyone who makes less then a million dollars can still support George Bush? (Stole this one from Patton Oswalt, but it is true.)

Why anyone would willingly enter a Wal-Mart?

Why any man would think honking his horn at an attractive lady would endear him to her?

Why Jim Belushi still has a show on the air and Arrested Development was cancelled?

Why anyone would drive a Hummer?

Why they made a sequel to Baby Geniuses?

How anyone can spend any amount of time sitting at home watching cars go around and around in circles and kid themselves that it is a sport?

How anyone could take anything that comes out of that horse’s ass Ann Coulter’s mouth seriously?

Raining on a Parade

Yesterday was the Southside Irish parade. I didn’t go. This would have been newsworthy in my little world if it had happened ten years ago. Now, that I am settled and in my late thirties it is no longer such a big deal.

As a matter of fact, to show just how out of the loop I have become, I forgot it was even parade day. I didn’t realize it until I went to get a paper in the morning and I ran into a bunch of twenty-something girls all decked out in green on their way to the parade.

St. Patrick’s Day used to be something I looked forward to all year. It started in High School when I would ditch and head downtown for the parade in the loop. Coincidentally, I would park myself on the corner of Monroe and Dearborn (The exact corner I now work on) and would watch the floats and high school marching bands move on by. One of my favorite memories was of seeing some high school band blaring out Twisted Sister’s Were Not Gonna Take It.

I went to that parade for a number of years until I found the Southside Irish parade. That parade was just an excuse to get hammered and ogle young women. Both of which I was very much into in my twenties. So, every year my crew and I would head down to Western Avenue and eat some corn beef and cabbage and pound as many green beers as we could. I saw many sights and sounds in my years on Western.

I also had some great St. Patrick day memories outside of the parade. The year Wally and I went up to P.J. Flaherty’s and met up with some friends and wound up closing the place. The problem was that I had a final at DePaul I was due to take the next morning. I called my instructor who, I somehow talked into letting me take a make-up exam.

The next year I also was at Flaherty’s as Rob, Dell and I went there for one beer and again wound up closing the place after running into some friends. I somehow made it in to IRI the next day and for that I deserve a medal. I think I got one hour of sleep the night before. Then, we had the year where we got the one-eye.

Dell, who to be fair had driven my ass pretty much everywhere in 1986 and parts of 87 was without a car. His Impala had ceased to run and therefore, whenever we went out, he did not have to be the designated driver. Well on this particular St. Patrick’s Day, he had borrowed his Mom’s Tempo and Rob, Wally, Tony and I were prepared to tie one on. The problem was that it was a Sunday night.

All the bars on Western were closed for some reason. We wound up having a couple of beers at Oak Forest bowl and then had Dell drive us from there to Kenny’s in La Grange, where we had a couple more. It was kind of a downer. There was also the time we spent it at Joe Bailey’s where it was Dell, Rob, I and the Deacon. That was a memorable night for other reasons. (I won’t go into specifics as I wasted a whole other posting on the events of that night.)

At some point as people got older and our lives became more complicated St. Patrick’s Day became less important. Suddenly seeing a bunch of drunken twenty something Irish Sox fans getting drunk wasn’t as much fun as it used to be. Maybe I just got old.

Either way, this year St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday and I am not even sure I will have a beer. I have to go to a St. Joseph’s Day feast in the afternoon and depending on how long that takes, I may or may not go out for a cold one. It is just funny how different I view the day now then when I used too.

Another Vegas Review

I had another very fun trip to Vegas. This one was very different then the other trips I have had there in that I didn’t spend very much time on the strip. Since I was staying downtown, I gambled there and at other places off of the beaten path. Also, I did something I had never done in Sin City before and that was rent a car. It turned out to be a very good idea and opens up that city in a big way. Here is a quick summary of all the casinos I visited. I can not remember exact gambling wins and looses for this trip. I mean I know if I won or lost at a place but that was it.

The Four Queens – This was where we stayed so this was where I did a majority of my gambling. On that front it was a mixed bag. My first night there I lost. Then I sat in on some tables and proceeded to slowly start winning some of my losses back. All in all I finished a little down there but all the dealers were really friendly.

The casino itself is a little small but serves its purpose. The room was very basic. Two beds a tv and a bathroom. The bathroom was tiny but since I really don’t spend a whole lot of time in my room, it was fine for what I needed. Their parking garage is a little small but, that would be my only complaint about the place.

Freemont – This place is right across the street from the Queens so, I hit it a number of times. All in all I left this place up in the gambling department. I mostly played blackjack there and wound up doubling a $50 investment there on Saturday.

The casino is rather old and the clientele is as well. We ate at Tony Roma’s Steak house on our last night in town, based on a recommendation from my Uncle. They had a $10.99 steak and lobster tail special, which wasn’t very. We got a fatty steak and a rubbery lobster. I guess you do get what you pay for. Still, the place has a certain charm and I would go back.

Circus Circus – My brother-in-law and Mother-in-law were staying here with our nephew AJ. I guess if you are coming to Vegas with kids Circus Circus is the one place I can’t bitch about having children at. The place was a complete zoo, with people running around everywhere and it was noisy as all hell. They do offer a nice free parking garage so that was nice. I didn’t gamble there as other then when we met up with the in-laws I didn’t want to spend much time inside the place.

Wynn – As I mentioned in my previous Las Vegas trip, Wynn is a wonderful casino. A tad on the pricey side but still a nice place to check out, not necessarily gamble at. We wound up eating brunch there on Saturday. Their buffet in my book while very pricey is damn good. I put it right behind Bellagio which is still my favorite. They had a bunch of stations and wonderful desert selection. Again, it will hit your pocketbook pretty hard but it is a very good meal.

Gambling wise, I foolishly put a ten in a 25 cent poker machine and lost it in about five minutes. I didn’t see any table games that were less then $25 bucks a hand so, I bowed out. One day I am going to gamble there just to say I did.

Suncoast – The party we were attending was being held there, so we got to see the lay of the land. It is located off of the beaten path but it is a place you should try and check out if you are ever in town. The place itself is huge, with a movie theater, bowling alley and bingo hall inside. We were in a banquet hall that was very nice. There we ate and had a decent meal.

The casino itself was very colorful. I found out from my wife’s family that the Suncoast is one of those places that the local’s go to gamble. I sat down at a blackjack table and was met with some very friendly faces. I was the only male or person under 75 sitting there. Still, I had a good time with the older women as when they they found out I was from Chicago, were asking me all kinds of questions about our fair city. I wound up putting down $40 bucks and left there with over double that. All in all I really give a big thumbs up to the Suncoast.

Binion’s – On Saturday night, after we left Suncoast and headed downtown for the night I hit Binion’s. On my few other trips to Downtown Vegas every time I have gambled at Binion’s I have lost my ass. Sadly, this time would be no different. I was at a single deck blackjack table and lost my investment in record time. While the people there are always friendly I just don’t have any luck there. The place itself is decent but, with my luck there I may have to start avoiding it at all costs.

Fitzgerald’s – Also, hit this place on Saturday night for some reason. I had also never had luck there and after getting my ass kicked at Binion’s I figured to try my luck somewhere else. I really don’t like this place as it has unfriendly dealers and a somewhat sketchy clientele. I sat at a table with a man who was extremely drunk and kept making very bad decisions. I should have got up but didn’t and it cost me as I wound up after being up early losing like ten or eleven consecutive hands. Finally, I just got up and left the place vowing to never come back.

The Golden Nugget – The Nugget is located across the street from the Queens so, I hung out there a little as well. I really like this place and not that I didn’t like the Queens but if I were to stay downtown again, I would like to stay here. I consider it the jewel of the area. We had brunch there Sunday. It was a decent buffet for the money.

One plus is that when you sign up for a player’s card there, you get $10 in free slot play. I sat in on a poker machine and turned that free ten into a nice $21 dollar profit. Nothing spectacular but it was still nice. The tables were very crowded when I was there, so I didn’t get a chance to hit them. I really like this place and would like to spend more time there on my next trip.

California – Joyce and I decided to take a walk down Freemont Street and see some of the other casino’s off of the beaten path. One of them was the California. It is located a block off of the downtown strip and I had heard it was a decent place. I sat down at a blackjack table and played for a while there. I was doing OK, before running into some bad luck and leaving there down. Joyce sat at a poker machine and lost some as well. The place itself is alright for sawdust joint. I can’t say I need to come back but, it wasn’t the worst casino I stepped in either.

Golden Gate – The Double G is located at the end of Freemont Street. While we walked by we decided to step in and play a little there. I wound up losing there, but I still had a good time. This place is much like most of the other casinos downtown. Could use a facelift but is nice for what it is.

Red Rock – Now, this place is the shit. Just a wonderful casino, and should be a model for every new place that opens in town. It is off the beaten path so, you have to make a special trip to go there, but I highly suggest you do. The casino itself is just beautiful with hardwood floors and spacious areas. It is gigantic and offers a little bit of everything no matter if you are a big spender or a small timer. The dealers I had were overly friendly and I sat in at a really good table. I played there for awhile and I wound up winning some coin. This place really impressed me and I am going to make it a point to go back on my next trip into town.

The Palm’s – While this place is nice, avoid at all costs the buffet. Joyce and I on Monday our last day there, were going to hit the Paris buffet but, decided since we liked the Palms so much the last time we were there, to try their buffet. That would be a mistake. In hindsight, I should have figured it was not there thing. I mean with Rio right there anyone going to a buffet is going to eat there. So, the Palms put no effort at all into theirs. It was one of the worst meals I have ever had in Vegas. We made a huge mistake going there instead of Paris.

So, in the end I figure I lost a little more then I won. (Even after I actually won for the first time in my life at the airport) but it was still a nice time. I wound up liking downtown a lot more then I thought and I would stay there again. I think alternating between the strip and downtown is an idea. Again, I would highly suggest renting a car as thins way you are not beholden to cabs or the Vegas public transit which sucks.

Vegas Bound Again

Well, I am off to Vegas once again. Joyce has some family in Sin City and we are heading there for a function with her kin. Since her Aunt lives near downtown we decided to stay in that area. I have never stayed in Downtown Vegas but am looking forward to it.

I have spent a lot of time in Las Vegas on the strip. While I love the strip it can get a little stale. In all my trips to the home of Wayne Newton, I have only made two stops to Downtown. On my first vacation there, I was just so in awe of all the sights and sounds that I didn’t get much past the Strip as far as where I went. It wasn’t until my second journey to the desert that I hit Downtown.

On that trip I did the standard Downtown thing and played some blackjack at the Golden Nugget. I thought Downtown was a little seedier then the strip and had a little more of a common folk felling to it. I only headed back to downtown one other time in all my journeys to Vegas and that was to guide some family members who had never seen it.

But, with her family living so close to the area, we figured why not stay there and see what it is like. So, we booked a room at the Four Queens. The Golden Nugget, my first choice wasn’t offering a very good rate so, after looking around online I found a deal at the Four Queens with airfare.

So, I am off to Sin City once again. We are arriving late Friday and we have the party Saturday and are leaving Monday so that really only gives me one day to gamble. Plus I plan on hooking up with my cousin, Kevin who moved to Vegas a couple of years ago. Having just been there in December and with two more trips planned in the upcoming year I might start to get sick of Vegas, then again I don’t know if I could ever get sick of that city.