Life in Vegas

Of all the gin joints in all the world, Phil had to book us in for our first night in Los Angeles at the Tradewinds Airport Hotel. It was awful and if you don’t believe me, check out the reviews on TripAdvisor http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g32525-d630507-Reviews-Tradewinds_Airport_Hotel-Inglewood_California.html. Being a conscientious traveller I always try and review the good and the bad but Tradewinds was just plain ugly. I felt really sorry for Jeanne the lady next door from Tahiti who had left her husband and her son who beat her with a broom. She was trying to get to New Zealand to see her daughter and was having trouble getting her bank to transfer funds to the USA. I helped her complete a fax to her bank with the scant details that she gave me but there wasn’t much else I could do to help. It wasn’t the best introduction to LA but never mind I’m sure we will get to explore some of the nicer sights when we head back to catch our flight home.

We decided to stay away from the main strip when we first got to Vegas which I’m not really sure was the right thing to do. But it was getting late when we hit the city and we weren’t sure if we’d park the car okay. As it turned out, it was no problem and we have been quite happy staying at Treasure Island. You really need to stay on the strip to pick up the vibe of Vegas. Luckily we got a good deal, and we are right in the heart of things, just across the road from The Venetian. The Trump is just behind us and The Mirage is next door. All of the main hotels are simply spectacular but Caeser’s Palace is the one that took my breath away. A real WOW factor with a capital ‘W’. I can’t believe that we have been here for 4 days and Phil hasn’t been tempted to place a bet at one of the many tables. To be honest, I think we both feel intimidated by this place, it has overwhelmed us.

Yesterday was indeed a grim day. I can’t tell how awful the time share experience really was. When Phil spoke to the lady about cheap tickets we both thought that all we had to do was a tour of the Venetian. Of course, we hadn’t read the small print and it was only when we got to the sign up desk to fill out a personal questionnaire and pick up our name badges that we knew we were in trouble. Unfortunately Phil had already handed over 106 bucks which was non refundable so we had no choice other than to get on the courtesy bus along with a load of other suckers which took us to the time share place, which was about 5 miles from the strip.

We got off the bus and were asked to sit in the lobby where we were assigned our own personal salesman. Scott was friendly enough but after getting a sandwich and a coffee and going in to a conference room to await our presenter saleswoman, I knew it was serious shit. Unfortunately the sales presentation was interactive with the audience with some really bum wincing American stuff. It was friendly enough but after 2 hours of sales talk and a PowerPoint presentation, it started to get tough. I told Scott on introduction that there was no way in the world that we would be buying a timeshare and were simply there for the cheap theatre tickets but he insisted on doing his stuff. It was hard to get cross because he had a huge smile stuck to his face for the whole 5 hours we were with him. The apartments were cool enough and we asked a few questions just to be good sports but the financial stuff was tedious and there was no way we were going to sign. Scott didn’t really put the pressure on but his boss had to sign us off and he was quite direct and was quite rude to us in the end. Before we get on the courtesy bus we had to be interviewed by another cop like guy who after the interrogation offered another low offer. What bit of “no” did they not understand??? We finally got our vouchers for the box offer and got dropped off outside our hotel. Needless to say, it was straight to the bar for happy hour for a few drinks to relieve our stress!

I am sorry to repeat Phil if he’s already said all this but it really was a horrible day and certainly not worth the agony for the cheap tickets. We met a charming couple in the bar from the mid west and swapped our LV experiences. Brad introduced his wife to Phil who promptly insisted on giving him a hug because she thought he was cute! Phil, not used to such praise was in his element but later on I had to explain that she thought he was cute because he reminded her of her dad who was 63! We went back to the room to freshen up and then went back down to the casino but Phil had to go to the reception and we lost each other for nearly an hour. A bad ending, to a bad day.

It may sound like we aren’t enjoying our time here, we are, its just so much to take in. Las Vegas in not like anywhere else in the world. Neither of us are city folks but if you get the chance, you must come and visit and see for yourself. That said I won’t return by choice. I can’t believe that Phil hasn’t been tempted to have a gamble at one of the tables but between you and me, I think that he is a little afraid. Friends and family tell me the snow is back in the UK so I hesitate to mention the weather in Las Vegas. It’s cold and as ill prepared as we were in Oz for the changing temperatures are even less equipped here. Phil isn’t feeling it so much although he’s coughing and wheezing like a man twice his age, but after the climate in Queensland, I am freezing!

We had a good day today and after a Starbucks breakfast from the café in the lobby we did a 3 hour walk of the strip stopping off at the big hotels that we hadn’t seen inside. A tip from Tom was to have a drink at Margaritviaville and we went there for lunch. We both had fat juicy steaks with chive mash; Phil tried a margarita which was brave of him because it was very strong. It’s the first decent enjoyable meal that we have since we left Australia. I can recommend it but guess it’s probably got a more lively buzz if you go in the evening. After lunch we ambled downtown and ended up in the Circus Circus casino where we placed a few dollars on the slot machine. I guess we spent around 10 dollars in total, not much, which as just as well because we lost it all.


The wind was up when we came out and we walked straight to our room to freshen up for the theatre. I would have liked to dress up but a) I have nothing suitable, and b) its way too cold out there. Phil has already gone down to the casino for Happy Hour and I must publish this post and join him before going across the road to the theatre to see our first Las Vegas show