Canadian Buffoon's Hi Low Vacation - South Central Musings

[pkondz]

Did you know there's a Harley Davidson store in the New York New York? But it's not a dealership so maybe it's not a place you would want to go.

No! I didn't know.

But I wonder if they'd have specific chips...
Or just Vegas chips from the dealership.

Shoot.

Wish I'd known.
Yes, I would've gone.

 

[pkondz]

Hey @pkondz we are headed to your part of the country in Sept or Oct can I send you a pm with some questions?

I'll just tag you so you see this.
@pooh'smate of course!

And if you'd like to meet, just let me know.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Well, with my new job I don't get as much free time to comment on things like I used to, but I've been following along with your report when I can. I'm especially interested in reading about Las Vegas. My wife and I have talked about going there for our 10th anniversary...which was a year ago...oops, I didn't do so well on that one. Anyway I know almost nothing about Vegas but maybe I'll get some ideas from you.

I think I saw the Heart attack Grill on one of those food network shows like Man vs. Food or something. It's an interesting idea but perhaps a little too far fetched.

 

[franandaj]

I Triple Dog Dare you to wear that the next time @franandaj invites you to "the club".

Well, I would, but...
If Alison's friend finds out...
Not only would I be banned...

But probably she would too!

No, as long as you had a collared shirt underneath and closed toes shoes, I don't think you would be turned away. Although I do think folks would certainly wonder what the "scaramouche" was going on with you!

 

[pkondz]

Yay, we're back on the road!

Mmm, yip try over a year ago. Only the really special or strange stuff stays in the memory.

Again....
Thank goodness for photos.

That always helps. Although I need to get my brain over to automatic to make the analogy work. I always put mine in neutral when I park.

Ah! Of course.
Am I right to say that
there are more standard
than automatics on your
side of the pond?

This blew my mind when we flew to Vancouver. I think the flight was eight and a half hours and we ended up arriving about half an hour after we left. Very strange!

I ate breakfast 8 hours ago... and it's breakfast time!

Looks good to me.

Wasn't bad!

It would have been silly not to. I love looking round Harley Stores.

You do???

We can be friends.

Isn't that so often the case with hyped places? I find that with a lot of Disney Dining.

Actually... I do too.

Although I've had some very good
meals too.

Some, not so great, though.

I love chocolate but I really dislike Hershey's. In fact I find most US chocolate is not that great. I do like Dark Chocolate Mint M&Ms which we don't get over here.

Ah! You love dark chocolate.
I think that's more prevalent on the continent as well.

I'm more of a milk chocolate fan.


Go ahead. Feel free to scoff.

 

[pkondz]

So glad to see you are doing another trip report. Any chance you'll get to Disneyland? I'm in desperate need of tips

I don't know how much I can help you with.
Feel free to PM me, though, okay?

Very nice! Is that wall paper behind the bed or marble?

Wall paper.

We thought it was marble too, at first.

I absolutely thought you would. Isn't there more than one?

Apparently!

The description almost made me gag.

Not a fan of pounds of meat?

LOL! I wonder if he actually did look?

He couldn't! The boss would find out!
(Pick a boss... any boss...)

Nope, just right.

Aww....

EEK!

Precisely.

So much fun. I would have eaten so much I would have been sick. How did you control yourself?

It wasn't easy!

Having just eaten helped.

Last time I checked you never sleep!!!

Well...

She went to sleep.
I stayed up for a few hours...

Great tip. Do they ever say anything to you? For example, if they don't upgrade you do they still pocket the $20 or do they say, "Sorry Sir, you accidentally gave me $20".

Funny you should ask...

Usually nothing is said.
But one time....
She couldn't find anything as they were completely booked.
She gave me back the $20.
I told her to keep it, but she insisted.

 

[pkondz]

That's pretty awesome!

Not sure if you ever watch US NCAA college football -- but there have been some epic games with similar endings.

Check out USC v. UT 2005 Rose Bowl (UT v. Mich 2004 Rose Bowl is also a great one).

Also -- 2014 TCU v. Baylor has an insane comeback.

http://6abc.com/sports/baylor-erases-21-point-deficit-in-final-11-minutes-stuns-tcu/346721/

Thanks for that.
Watched the youtube this morning
before work.

 

[pkondz]

Football? What kind of football? 12 points for one touchdown? You Canadians are weird!

It was 13 points scored on two touchdowns and one extra point (he said they scored, then got the ball back with an onside kick). Presumably, they scored the last TD as time expired, and therefore, they did not kick that last extra point.

Correct.
1:40 left in the game and down 40-28.
Ball at their own 35.
Marched down the field
and scored a touchdown.
1 point convert.
Score 40-35.
Onside kick recovered by our team.
Ball around the 55.
(Yes. You read that right.)
With the help of a Roughing the Passer penalty,
we got it down to the 2 yard line
with 4 seconds on the clock.
Running back ran it in with 0 on the clock.
They have to attempt a convert,
but all they did was line up for a
two point convert and took a knee.

 

[pkondz]

Well, with my new job I don't get as much free time to comment on things like I used to, but I've been following along with your report when I can.

So, you're saying you're quitting your job?

How is it going, anyway?
Aside from (no... in addition to)
the adjustment of not traveling.

I'm especially interested in reading about Las Vegas. My wife and I have talked about going there for our 10th anniversary...which was a year ago...oops, I didn't do so well on that one. Anyway I know almost nothing about Vegas but maybe I'll get some ideas from you.

Vegas is an interesting place.
Been a few times now.

I'm hoping to get another chapter up
fairly quickly.

Probably won't answer too many
of your questions,
but feel free to PM me.

I think I saw the Heart attack Grill on one of those food network shows like Man vs. Food or something. It's an interesting idea but perhaps a little too far fetched.

Fun to try one time....

But I personally wouldn't go out of my way for it.
And doubt I'll ever go back.

Wayyyyy too many good places to eat there.

 

[pkondz]

No, as long as you had a collared shirt underneath and closed toes shoes, I don't think you would be turned away. Although I do think folks would certainly wonder what the "scaramouche" was going on with you!

Simple. I was in the hospital
for doing the Fandango
and just got out.

 

[franandaj]

Simple. I was in the hospital
for doing the Fandango
and just got out.

Thunderbolt and lightning
Very very frightening.

 

[pkondz]

Thunderbolt and lightning
Very very frightening.

Magnifico

And now for the opposite.
Time for a crappy little update.

 

[pkondz]

O My

Continuing on with our little
foray into the land of sex and greed...


Did you know that in the 90s,
Vegas tried to make itself over
as a family destination?

Legalized gambling was cropping up
in other areas and Vegas suffered
as a result.

In under ten years,
at a cost of $12 billion dollars...

Yes... billion...

...Vegas rebuilt itself.

I remember seeing pamphlets
for the MGM Grand with its brand
spanking new hotel and amusement park.

But the families were spending time
with the kids... and not at the tables.

So Sin City came back with a vengeance.

Pro tip:
If you have kids and want to bring 'em
to Vegas...


Don't.


Oh, sure. There's stuff there for kids...
But the amount of explaining you'll
have to do would be tedious.

"Mom? Why is that man naked?"
(Well... almost. Naked, I mean.)

'nuff said.


As I mentioned last chapter,
I didn't take notes... so details are fuzzy.
And that's putting it kindly.

Plus I wasn't even sure if I was
doing a TR for this
so not a whole heck of a lot of photos.


Some... but not a lot.


We woke up at grble o'clock
and decided to check out
Mandalay Bay's buffet.
We had a $100 resort credit
as part of the package I'd booked.

It was a pretty complicated package.
You could either book a room.
Or you could book a room with
a $100 resort credit for an extra $10 or so.


Um....


If we hit the buffet twice,
we'd use up the credit.
And we'd skip lunch.
Because we would be stuffed.


And that's what we did.


The buffet was huge,
as befits the Vegas standard.
I don't remember everything
we ate, but it was pretty good
with a good variety of choices.


The only problem I have with buffets,
is I always eat more than I should....

and have no room left for dessert.


Tragic.


One of these days I'm going to do
one of two things.
1. Book a dessert party at Disney. Or;
2. Start with dessert and work my way backwards.


Tummies full, we had all of the Las Vegas Strip
at our disposal to work off the calories.
You can walk a lot in Vegas.

And it's very deceiving.
These hotels are huge.

Vegas has six of the world's largest
hotels in the top ten.
Eleven in the top twenty.

So here we are at Mandalay Bay.
We might as well just walk across
the street to the Luxor and check it out...

That's half a mile.
And those two are close.


We learned this the hard way
on our first visit.


Don't get me wrong,
The Strip is great for just
walking along and seeing the sights.
But... when you get to that point
where you've walked your feet off
and you want to head back
to your hotel....


It's wayyyyyy over there.

If you were to walk from one end
of the Strip to the other,
you're looking at about an hour.
That's if you don't go into any hotels
which are mostly set back from the road.


So we grabbed our car from the valet,
and left the strip completely.

Some of you may have heard
of or even watched a show called
Pawn Stars.

We used to watch it fairly regularly,
and I still watch it on occasion.
There's been a couple of spin-offs.
American Restoration, which detailed
restored items ranging from Coke machines
to .... well.... anything.
And Counting Cars, which restores cars.

I actually liked the spin offs better
than the original.

So we decided to go visit them.


We'd been to the Pawn shop last visit,
so that left the restoration and car places.


We arrived at Count's Kustoms
(Hence the name, Counting Cars)
a few minutes later.

There are a few characters that show
up on pretty much every episode.
Obviously Danny "The Count" Koker,
the owner of the shop.
And a few others, including this guy:

Horny Mike.

He's called that for his penchant
for putting horns on... well... everything.

Here's his bus, that was parked outside.

See?

Don't let his looks scare you.
(Or his bus.)
He's actually a pretty nice guy.
He was more than happy to pose
for photos with anyone and everyone.

There's another guy who shows up
on occasion.
His name's Roli.

When I asked him for a photo,
he told me to buy a T-shirt
and he'd sign it.

1. Not what I asked.
2. I don't collect autographs... and I definitely don't want yours.
3. I did buy a T-shirt... and I don't want it ruined by someone scribbling on it.

We spent a little while looking around at the cars on display.
Not long, since this isn't really Ruby's thing.

Truthfully, it isn't really mine either.
I'm not really a car guy.
I'll appreciate a nice car,
but start talking engines and stuff...

Well, the fact that I called it "stuff"
should tell you all you need to know.

And that's just a sampling
of the cars that he has on display.
He has a far larger collection
of much nicer cars
hidden away from prying eyes.
(They've shown it on the show.)

In a corner of the showroom,
they had a couple items
that were topics of the show.

They had a competition
to see who could design
the coolest yet fastest trike.

In another, Roli bought
an electric car
and traded favours
to get it painted.

You can see those here.

I'm glad we went, it was a fun little jaunt.

We left Count's Kustoms and set out
for our next stop.
Well... that last stop was really more
for me, although Ruby was a little interested.
Now it's her turn.

So we went... to the mall.
Just off the strip,
the Fashion Show Mall
houses about 250 stores.

I think we went in all of them.

I don't remember... now.
My memory has mercifully
edited out most of that.

But boy... did we shop.
Well.... Ruby shopped.
I hung around outside
the stores and...

Thank Heaven they had wifi.


We had a show to see that evening,
so we at some point headed back
to our hotel to freshen up.

Somewhere between then and there
we must have had supper...
But I have no idea what it was.

So.... let's say it probably wasn't
anything super memorable.


Eventually (don't you love all the details???)
we wound our way over to the Bellagio.
As we walked through the casino
(something that is virtually impossible
to not do in most Vegas hotels)
I spotted a Blackjack table with low stakes
and empty chairs.
I asked Ruby if it was okay if I played for a bit.

Now, I did wonder why this table was practically empty.
There was only one person sitting there.
And it was a $5 dollar table.

Usually these tables are hard to find
and even harder to sit at.

Well, I won't look a gift table in the mouth.

And then I found out why.
The dealer was a wizened, little old lady.
She must've been a hundred if she was a day.

She dealt the cards... slowly.

If you're unfamiliar with the game,
everyone, including the dealer,
is dealt two cards.
You can ask for more cards,
with the intent to get as close
to 21 without going over.
The dealer then does the same.
Closest wins.

But she dealt one card to the person
on my right....

...


and then...


....



.....


One to me.


....


And....


eventually.......



.....




One to herself...

It must've taken over a minute
to deal out the 6 cards.

I think I played for about 5-10 minutes...
And played a grand total of two hands.

Good news is you won't go bust
very quickly sitting at her table.
You run the risk of dying of boredom...

But you won't go bust.

On the other hand,
of the two hands I did play,
I won one and tied on another.
So I left $5 dollars richer
than when I sat down.
Woot! At this rate,
my winnings will pay for the trip!


I stood up and Ruby asked me
if I was already done.
Yep. Very much so.
My eyes had already glazed over
by that point.


We made our way over to the theatre
and were soon seated.

What can I say about
Cirque du Soleil's 'O'?
It's difficult to describe.

Let's try this...
It's a water show.
And it's a trapeze show.
And it's a dance show.
And it's...

The stage is movable.
And it can be cut into sections.
And it has water.

So.
Imagine this.
A woman walks across what appears
to be a pond.
Shallow, obviously.
She barely gets her feet wet.
Then suddenly a man plunges
one hundred and ten feet from above and dives
into the water where moments before
the woman was walking.
And he never resurfaces.

How?

The stage is set an inch or so below
the water level.
After the woman has walked across,
they lower or remove one section
and the man dives in
to the 25 feet deep, 1.5 million gallon pool.
There he is met by scuba divers
who provide him with air.

I won't say more about 'O'.
Other than to say it was spectacular.

Go see it for yourself.

Vegas Baby! Chapter 3. The End of the Rainbow​

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Cool that Horny Mike was so nice. Roll not so much. From the show you might think the opposite

 

[orangecats2]

<Liesa jumps to the front
of the line in the Harem.>

Hey! I thought I was the best mermaid!

Ever seen Best In Show?

Stupid movie!

I first went to Vegas in 1995 and went to the MGM amusement park. It was ok. Also did the one at Circus Circus. It was a tad better. Need to ride the coaster in Primm, Nevada. Still unhappy I never got to do the roller coaster on top of the Stratosphere.

I've seen the Cirque shows at TI and NYNY. Hoping to do the one at the Mirage this time.

 

[Mac Brew]

Hi Pkondz
Was there a charge to get in to Counts customs.Were all the cars and bikes on sale or were they just for show,it is a show I have not seen on TV but pawn stars is on over here and there is quite a few others on Discovery channel over here.His bus is definitely a looker what size of engine does it have I bet it's not diesel.Atleast you came away from the table a winner even though it took a wee while to get your five bucks any win is a worthwhile wait just think what the hourly rate must have been more than the minimum wage I bet. One thing about Cirque de soul (Jock spelling) there show's are all different to each other.

 

[pkondz]

Cool that Horny Mike was so nice. Roll not so much. From the show you might think the opposite

Yeah, I was put off by Roli.
Mike was really friendly.

 

[pkondz]

Hey! I thought I was the best mermaid!

What are you going to do to top that?!?!?!

Stupid movie!

Tell me what you really think!

I first went to Vegas in 1995 and went to the MGM amusement park. It was ok. Also did the one at Circus Circus. It was a tad better.

Isn't there still one at Circus Circus?
I wouldn't know. Didn't interest me.

Need to ride the coaster in Primm, Nevada.

Been to Primm...
but didn't see a coaster!

Still unhappy I never got to do the roller coaster on top of the Stratosphere.

But there are other rides now.

I've seen the Cirque shows at TI and NYNY. Hoping to do the one at the Mirage this time.

I've heard Love is pretty good, too.

 

[pooh'smate]

My dh watches Counting Cars but I don't. We have only seen the Cirque show La Nouba but I really want to see Love.

 

[pkondz]

Hi Pkondz

Hi Mac!

Was there a charge to get in to Counts customs.

Nope! Free parking on site, too.

Were all the cars and bikes on sale or were they just for show

None for sale per se...
But everything has a price.

it is a show I have not seen on TV but pawn stars is on over here and there is quite a few others on Discovery channel over here.

Then if you've seen the show, you've seen Danny Koker.
In the earlier seasons
any time they had a bike or car
they'd bring Danny in to assess it
and provide a value.

His bus is definitely a looker what size of engine does it have I bet it's not diesel.

No idea.

Atleast you came away from the table a winner even though it took a wee while to get your five bucks any win is a worthwhile wait just think what the hourly rate must have been more than the minimum wage I bet.

Better than losing $5!
I would think the Bellagio
pays fairly well.
It's one of the ritzier places.

One thing about Cirque de soul (Jock spelling) there show's are all different to each other.

I've seen two.
Ka was completely different from O.