Day 103
I was up at 4 AM, but considering I went to sleep at 8 PM the night before, that was a good night's sleep considering all the Fremont Experience going on outside. I picked up my car from the valet and headed for Mandalay Bay but with a stop at a market to buy a couple of bananas for breakfast.
I parked and began the walk. The plan was to make the Mandalay Bay to Stratosphere first on the west side of the Strip then come back via the east side. I was in no rush and walked through as many casinos along the way checking out remodels or new displays or machines. Considering I've been walking for over a hundred days now, I didn't expect any leg or feet issues. I started at 7:30 AM, so most of the shops along the way were closed.
I was surprised to see just how far down the Slots-of-Fun has come. Now it's more like a dive bar than a casino. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say I must have passed a Starbucks every two or three blocks. They are everywhere. Circus Circus was pretty much the same as it's always been. I would have thought a little remodeling would have been done by now. Almost every casino now has some kind of food court. I don't know why anybody plays at the TI, they had the worse pay schedules of any place on the strip.
On the walk back, I noted that the SLS was all but empty. Good luck to the new owners. By the time I made it all the way to Harrahs, it was 11 AM, and I was hungry, so I stopped at the Outback Steakhouse just as they opened and had the BBQ chicken with broccoli. I knew I'd be paying a little more, but they prepare the chicken perfectly and the BBQ sauce, which I also poured on the broccoli is fantastic. It was nice to take a break for that half hour or so.
I did walk through both the Forum Shops and the Mile of Shops at Planet Hollywood. As I was checking out all the stores at the latter, I came across one restaurant (and there are many) where a lot of people were waiting in line. It seemed a nice place with tablecloth tables, silverware, nice atmosphere and wondered what the deal was. Then I saw it, EVERYTHING on the menu was $5. I browsed some of the dishes that people were eating, and these were not skimpy, weak servings. I will certainly check this out again one day. I attached a picture.
All the casinos were pretty much the same as I remember with a few things perked up and redone, but the one with the biggest difference was the Tropicana, which really did a major remodel inside. It really did a good job as it looks nice.
Another thing I couldn't help but notice was all the buffet prices in all the casinos. Everything started in the $20s for breakfast and went up from there. The good old Vegas prices are long gone, on the Strip anyway.
Needless to say, I was fried by the time I got back to my car at Mandalay Bay. I went back downtown to the D valet and then walked (hobbled) over to the GN to play poker. There was plenty of seating and I played for the next three hours and left with a $32 loss. My table was a lot of fun with chatty people and laughter, but I was tired and hungry.
My offer included a $25 food voucher, so I went to their cafe and had the salmon and veggies. It was okay to good and then I sat down at the Vue bar to try my luck at the 8/5 progressives once again. The royal was at $1164 and the straight flush at $96. Damn if I didn't catch the straight flush again. I never had a sniff to the royal and thought I got as high as $250, I got on a bad streak and cashed out at $150 and quit for a $50 profit. I wanted to have a good feeling on my last gambling in Vegas.
It was a monster steps day as I walked over 30,000 (15 miles).
Food intake: 2 bananas (200); chicken and broccoli (750); salmon and veggies (500).
I parked and began the walk. The plan was to make the Mandalay Bay to Stratosphere first on the west side of the Strip then come back via the east side. I was in no rush and walked through as many casinos along the way checking out remodels or new displays or machines. Considering I've been walking for over a hundred days now, I didn't expect any leg or feet issues. I started at 7:30 AM, so most of the shops along the way were closed.
I was surprised to see just how far down the Slots-of-Fun has come. Now it's more like a dive bar than a casino. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say I must have passed a Starbucks every two or three blocks. They are everywhere. Circus Circus was pretty much the same as it's always been. I would have thought a little remodeling would have been done by now. Almost every casino now has some kind of food court. I don't know why anybody plays at the TI, they had the worse pay schedules of any place on the strip.
On the walk back, I noted that the SLS was all but empty. Good luck to the new owners. By the time I made it all the way to Harrahs, it was 11 AM, and I was hungry, so I stopped at the Outback Steakhouse just as they opened and had the BBQ chicken with broccoli. I knew I'd be paying a little more, but they prepare the chicken perfectly and the BBQ sauce, which I also poured on the broccoli is fantastic. It was nice to take a break for that half hour or so.
I did walk through both the Forum Shops and the Mile of Shops at Planet Hollywood. As I was checking out all the stores at the latter, I came across one restaurant (and there are many) where a lot of people were waiting in line. It seemed a nice place with tablecloth tables, silverware, nice atmosphere and wondered what the deal was. Then I saw it, EVERYTHING on the menu was $5. I browsed some of the dishes that people were eating, and these were not skimpy, weak servings. I will certainly check this out again one day. I attached a picture.
All the casinos were pretty much the same as I remember with a few things perked up and redone, but the one with the biggest difference was the Tropicana, which really did a major remodel inside. It really did a good job as it looks nice.
Another thing I couldn't help but notice was all the buffet prices in all the casinos. Everything started in the $20s for breakfast and went up from there. The good old Vegas prices are long gone, on the Strip anyway.
Needless to say, I was fried by the time I got back to my car at Mandalay Bay. I went back downtown to the D valet and then walked (hobbled) over to the GN to play poker. There was plenty of seating and I played for the next three hours and left with a $32 loss. My table was a lot of fun with chatty people and laughter, but I was tired and hungry.
My offer included a $25 food voucher, so I went to their cafe and had the salmon and veggies. It was okay to good and then I sat down at the Vue bar to try my luck at the 8/5 progressives once again. The royal was at $1164 and the straight flush at $96. Damn if I didn't catch the straight flush again. I never had a sniff to the royal and thought I got as high as $250, I got on a bad streak and cashed out at $150 and quit for a $50 profit. I wanted to have a good feeling on my last gambling in Vegas.
It was a monster steps day as I walked over 30,000 (15 miles).
Food intake: 2 bananas (200); chicken and broccoli (750); salmon and veggies (500).
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