East Coast Gambler

Legasse Stadium announced on their twitter feed that you can get 25% off your bill after you “check in” three times on Foursquare.

Many visitors can do this on one trip to get discounts of your own.  You can check in from just about anywhere in the Palazzo, so it should be easy to grab this discount.

It’s cool to see casinos use technology as a marketing tool.  It’s also nice to see the offer of a large discount like this.  I’ve easily spent a couple hundred dollars at Legasse Stadium with friends – and that’s with each of us getting drink tickets for our bets.  Hopefully this will bring more business to Legasse Stadium so more places do this.

Foursquare and Gowalla are apps available on smartphones that, in short, let people know where you are.  Foursquare is offers different kinds of rewards and “mayorships” while Gowalla offers badges that you keep on your phone.

Both are competitors and I’ve tested each of them for a while, but will be making the switch to Foursquare on my next trip to Atlantic City.  It seems as if more major corporations are using FourSquare.  I figure if I’m going to use my time on *another* social network I might as well receive something for it.

Connect with me on twitter and foursquare if you’re mobile and inclined.

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My trip in April to Las Vegas was my first alone.  I don’t vacation much alone, bu I decided that this trip was meant to be – friends or not. As it turned out, my buddy bailed on me.

It wasn’t until last year where I realized that solo travel was a “thing”.  I met Gray from Solo Friendly and now vegassolo on twitter and have slowly learned about it.  Gray and I even contributed our solo experiences to each others blog.

My solo trip to Atlantic City
Prepping for a Vegas Adventure

I learned a few things on this trip to Las Vegas alone.  First and foremost, Las Vegas is a great place to travel alone.  I figured that I wouldn’t have a shortage of things to do and i didn’t.  I gambled, napped, ate, laptopped, drank and gambled whenever I wanted.

Sleeping, Gambling & Drinking

Since I don’t sleep much, I’m used to gambling alone to start the day.  However, things got a little more sketchy as the day went on and as the drinks flowed.  I had a pretty awful run at 3 card poker at Planet Hollywood one afternoon, but it didn’t bother me too much as I proceeded to have way too many Grey Goose & Soda’s.  This lead to a “nap” from about 6-9pm.  I wouldn’t normally have done this if I was with friends as we probably would have had dinner planned in that time frame.  Traveling alone made this not a big deal.  I didn’t have to be anywhere and had nobody waiting on me.  That was kind of freeing.

On a related note, Earl of Sandwich is an excellent spot to get a quick bite to eat at Planet Hollywood.  It reminded me of Quizno’s.  Not bad, but not the best sandwiches on the earth.  I’m a New Yorker and nothing beats a New York deli sandwich. I’m a bit of a snob about that.

Eating

I’ve mentioned in previous trip reports that I like to share excellent meals with friends, but when I’m alone I really don’t worry about what I eat and where I eat.  This solo trip proved that as I ate at Grand Lux a lot since it was in the hotel I was staying.  The only trip I made for food was to Burger Bar, where I ate at the bar.  The other meals I had were overpriced fast food.  Never again will I allow myself to fall prey to the $15 hot dog combo at Nathan’s at the Venetian.  Which leads me to…

Planning

I was stoked to have nobody with me which lead to me not planning anything.  I’m not an over planner, but I do like to make sure I maximize a trip.  For example, my trip in December had a night planned at Wynn.  My friends and I planned a night at the casino based around dinner at SW.  Simple plans like this allowed me to get to specific casinos.  I realize that without a plan it’s much easier to be lazy about leaving home base.  For future solo trips I’ll make sure to plan things out a little.  I’m not best left to my own devices.

Twitter

If you follow me on twitter you know that I love to tweet.  I found twitter to be an asset for traveling alone.  I shared tales of where I was visiting or checked out special events at the casinos, stayed in touch with people I had met on twitter that lived in Las Vegas and more.  It also provided me with a fun way to walk the strip.  I stopped at every casino between Palazzo and Planet Hollywood and tweeted.  It was a good excuse to stop and take in the sites.

Overall

Overall, I had a blast solo tripping to Las Vegas and it’s something I see myself doing again.  I’ve learned a little on how to maximize my stay without adding stress.  If you need some time away from the world Vegas is a great place to explore and have a good time alone – whether you gamble or don’t.  Feel free to comment or email or tweet with any questions.  I only grazed over the trip here.

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Yesterday, Disney announced that they would be closing most of the ESPN Zone restaurants across the country.

It’s unclear what has prompted Disney to close the establishments, although the bars may well be a casualty of the recession. A poll released in March by AlixPartners found that 30% of consumers planned to eat out less frequently, and spend less per meal than they did the year before.

I understand why people would shy away from a bar/restaurant that charges a bit more for average bar food and drinks.  I happen to like the ESPN Zone’s that I’ve been to and there’s always something inside me that wants to install a TV in my bathroom after every visit.

Specifically, I’ve had a great time at the Las Vegas location inside of NYNY.  The NYNY sportsbook is almost non-existent, so I have to imagine that MGM will find another name to slap on the ESPN Zone and re-brand it as something similar to Legasse Stadium at the Palazzo.  I’m thinking that MGM’s relationship with the Light Group will come into play here, but I’m not sure how just yet.

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At first, I wasn’t so bothered by resort fees but after my recent trip to Las Vegas that changed.  So, it brings me great pleasure to find an blog that shows how a customer at Treasure Island fought back against resort fees…and won!

Yesterday, he sent me an update:

A letter from American Express stated, “OUTCOME – This dispute has been resolved in your favor. The merchant has not yet provided the information necessary to resolve your claim. Therefore, we have issued credit to your account and removed the previously suspended amount, which will reflect on an upcoming statement.”

Folks, remember this when you encounter a surprise surcharge. The hotel may not see things your way. But your charge card just might.

That’s a great point – if the hotel won’t help go to your credit card company to fight if you feel as if you were unjustly charged.  Resort fees make you pay a bit more attention to the price of hotel rooms now.

In fact, I look at all advertised prices in Las Vegas as lies because there is almost always a resort fee added.  I don’t like thinking about money when I think about Las Vegas.

Resort Fees have potential to backfire on hotels in the long run if consumers become more vigilant when choosing a location.  If the consumer is counting their pennies before they travel they will likely count them while they travel.  That can cause less spending.  In the long term this may bit the hotels in the (insert profanity here).

I encourage you to read the whole article for the full story about undisclosed resort fees.

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It felt as if it was a slow news week in Las Vegas and looking back I can confirm that.  I’m slowly getting through notes from my trip to Vegas last month.  Dragging it out like this has me savoring the memory of the trip.  That’s a good thing. 

We’re getting down to the end of the NBA season as the baseball season is about a third of the way through.  At this point I feel like I have a good grip on the who’s and what’s of the game.  Follow me on twitter if you want to keep up with my picks.

• My Vegas Vacation – Eating at the Grand Lux Cafe
• It’s $3 More To Ride This Cab Baby
• 18 and Life
• Claridge Renovations Begin
• Andy Rooney is Old. Not Funny. Not Nice. Not Beavis.
• Dee Snider In Atlantic City
• Louis Theroux “Gambling In Las Vegas”
• Sammy Hagar Taking Over Bally’s Beach Bar

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I love a good meal, but I like sharing good eats with friends.  As I mentioned last year in a guest blog at Solo Friendly when I travel alone I usually eat more casually.  If I’m hungry, I’ll eat what’s nearby as opposed to planning my meals.

The Palazzo was my home casino so I mostly ate there.  The restaurant with the best variety at the Palazzo/Venetian complex is easily the Grand Lux Cafe.

I had to catch up with a little work when I sat down for my first bite in Las Vegas.  I really just wanted a beer, but I knew I had a full night of drinking ahead of me so I made sure I had something in my stomach.

I was the only person in the bar area and the lone waitress was VERY attentive to me.  She came over about 5 times while I was on a call to take my order.  The fifth time she came over I felt bad for not ordering and just asked for the best burger on the menu because there were so many to choose from.  Of course, no tomatoes please.  Half a beer later this monster came out!

I don’t recall the name and don’t see it on the menu, but it was braised short rib on a bacon cheeseburger.  Whoowee!  This was overload, but it wasn’t bad.  It was very salty and I didn’t finish the whole thing.  Any more I would have gone to my room to nap.

I don’t think I’d ever order anything like this, but it wasn’t bad and I’m happy to have had something different.  Later that evening I started heavy drinking at BNBLV.

For years I’ve told friends that the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian has the best steak and eggs in Vegas.  I still haven’t found any better.  This is the best breakfast after a night of drinking.

The steak is seasoned pretty heavily with salt and pepper.  Most breakfast steaks are pretty bland.  I think that’s what makes it so good after a night of drinking too much.

After a night of less drinking I tried a more traditional breakfast at Grand Lux of bacon and eggs.  The bacon was nice and crisp and this made for another winner.  4 cups of coffee didn’t hurt.

Sitting “outside” at cafe at the Venetian Grand Lux is a nice place to people watch.  They sit most single diners outside, so it’s not awkward if you’re alone.

Sometimes in Vegas I’ll forget to eat if I don’t have plans.  My last night was a night like that.  I was having a good time at the sportsbook and lost track of time and after a losing session of blackjack I realized that it was late and I was hungry.  I rolled up to the bar at the Grand Lux once again and grabbed another quick bite.

The waiter recommended something that the restaurant was out of so I ended up trying the pot roast.  This was another experiment for me.  I can’t remember the last time I had pot roast.

The pot roast was ready for me in just a few minutes.  It was very pretty to look at and it wasn’t bad at all.  It probably isn’t something I’d order again, but it did the trick and I was back out for some more blackjack in no time.

The food at both the Venetian and the Palazzo Grand Lux Cafe’s were both good.  The breakfast was fantastic.  The service was excellent.  The only “complaint” I had was a waitress trying to serve me while I was on the phone.  That’s not a bad thing.

I ate more meals at the Grand Lux Cafe than anywhere else.  This is a good option to have at a casino in place of the traditional coffee shop.  The Atlantic City casinos could use a restaurant like this.

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