Here is the proof! Read more… »
Archives for Travel category
We do not go on a cruise to gamble, especially not to play video poker. The paytables on the NCL Pearl machines, as on most cruise ships, are so bad I can’t look at them without becoming “see-sick.” Besides we live in Vegas and we could play VP, and on good paytables, every day if we wanted to (which we don’t). This cruise was a time to spend time with our family and enjoy with them the Alaskan scenery and visit interesting ports. Read more… »
No, none of us ever learned to travel light – although Brad has been trying to teach me that for 26 years! Seattle Airport was the rendezvous point, with the Frugal Princess family flying from Atlanta and Brad and I, from Las Vegas.
I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow account of our 9-day adventure. However, since this blog celebrates all things Vegas and gambling, I will give you some details that may be of interest. Read more… »
The comment by Kevin Lewis on August 4 brings up an interesting issue, which is how to decide when picking up free play is a good use of one’s time. I appreciate all input here and Kevin often gives valuable information, i.e., his comments on July 19th and 22nd.
However, his recent comment shows the danger of making assumptions when you have incomplete information. Read more… »
What a great cruise we had with our family – it will remain as one of our fondest memories forever. However, Brad’s and my old bodies can only take so much fun and we are glad to be back home in our own bed. Read more… »
Next week Brad and I will be on the Norweigan Cruise Line ship the Pearl, sailing July 25th to Alaska. Read more… »
The reservations for ziplining on our Alaskan cruise are now made – yes, for Brad and me as well as for Angela, Steve, Kaitlynn, and Zachary. Read more… »
I want to tell you about a new “frugal” book. No, it isn’t about gambling or casinos. And, no, I didn’t write it. But it is one on which I would have been proud to have my “trademark.” (Jeffrey, I would have let you borrow it!) I am talking about the new Huntington Press release Arts America, compiled under the leadership of my good friend Jeffrey Compton, Executive Editor.
I really thought I wouldn’t be very interested in this book, no matter how good it was. The subtitle was “Enjoying the Best Art Museums, Theater, Classical Music, Opera, Jazz, Dance, Film, and Summer Festivals in America” – and I am not really an avid “arts person.” I don’t live in or rarely visit any of the 20 cities covered in the book. But when I picked up the book at the Las Vegas Advisor office and began leafing through it as Brad and I were driving home, I realized once again you can’t judge a book by its cover – or in this case, by the title on the cover. Just during the quick scan in the car I was intrigued with sections like “Begging a Free Ticket” and “Cutting Down on Travel Costs” and “Googling Your Way Around.”
Once we got home, I immediately had to sit down and read the introductory chapter with the right-down-my-alley title of “Saving Money and Enjoying the Arts – At the Same Time.” So many frugal hints, many of which could be used even by those who aren’t “art persons.”
Then I perused the chapter on New York City, where I have visited off and on over the last 45 years or so. (Back in another lifetime, during military-family poverty, my first husband and I had been fortunate to be the recipients of many free Broadway show tickets offered to airmen when he was stationed at Newburgh Air Force Base.) Reading this chapter made me want to start planning a trip back to NY City right away. This is not your common dry “guidebook.” The writing is fresh and chatty, like a friend is trying to help you get the most bang for your buck. I like that style – maybe because that is the way I write! Easy-to-read is always good.
The book covers the “big five” art cities in depth: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Then they cover Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Hartford/New Haven, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Seattle. I am going to presume that anyone who lives in any of these cities and/or visits even one of the major cities or several of the smaller ones will easily get back the price of this book – and be able to save hundreds of dollars – even thousands over time – if they really work at it.
If you want more information about the book, plus updates, you can go to the companion Web site, http://go-artsamerica.com/. Here you can also check out the cultural arts in more than forty additional cities not in the book and read the latest art news.
Sounds like the perfect holiday gift for your art-lovin’ relatives and friends! You can order at http://www.shoplva.com/.
Back From New Orleans
Posted on Apr 04, 2009 under Harrah's New Orleans, Health, Slot Clubs, Travel, Video Poker | Comments are offJust spent 3 nights at Harrah’s in the Big Easy. Some people we talked to on our trip thought it was pretty funny that people who lived in Vegas would make a trip to New Orleans to gamble. One joked about carrying coals to New Castle and a busman’s holiday. Although we do just like the atmosphere in New Orleans, to tell you the truth, we went this time because Harrah’s made us an offer that we just couldn’t refuse, one to the tune of $2100.
Brad is regaining his strength, albeit slowly, but took the travel very well, his first trip since he “died.” It was his first time to cope with security measures since he got his pacemaker. Although he can go through the security arches (just no security wands), on his way home they insisted on a hand pat down instead – but they didn’t find any weapons except a big fat bankroll with which to fight casinos. This was thanks to his 20k dealt royal on a $1 Five Play machine plus two more singles. 7 royals in two days – I guess he has his game back on!
However, I am sad that I must bring some bad news from Harrah’s New Orleans. On April 1 they changed the Reward Credit redemption schedule for their partner restaurants. Although you can redeem your RCs on a one-to-one basis for all the restaurants in the casino and in the hotel (Gordon Biersch, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Grand Isle), the redemption for other partner restaurants is now on a two-to-one basis. That means it takes $2 in Reward Credits to pay for every $1 you spend at “outside” restaurants.
Reducing benefits is a sign of the tough times casinos are facing. And don’t be surprised if there is going to be a lot more of this. On the other hand, some casinos are ramping up the promotions to get more customers into their properties. So, cherry-picking is the name of the game, as it always is whether good times or bad!
A New Year
Posted on Jan 06, 2009 under Casino Promotions, Family News, Travel, Video Poker | Comments are offWell, I'm finally back here in Blogville after surviving the last three weeks:
A Wii-filled holiday with the Frugal Princess family in Columbus, GA. The Wii game Brad and I gave as a family gift this year was a wonderful way to bring together family and friends of all ages, not only for group fun but healthy exercise at the same time – I can't believe how winded you can get virtually bowling! (I read that Wii is becoming THE thing in nursing homes and I can see why.) Below is a photo of grandson Zachary and me giving Brad some encouragement in virtual baseball.
The backyard trampoline didn't get as much action as the Wii, but Brad and I wanted to show the young whippersnappers that we still had some adventure and energy left!
A family reunion in New Orleans, where I arranged hotel accommodations, meals, and/or entertainment options for up to 13 people, from babies to seniors. It kept me so busy I forgot my shock and dismay at turning 70. Besides people said I didn’t look that much older than my 60- and 65-year-old sisters, left to right, Starr and June.
When Brad and I flew back to Vegas on the 30th, we hit the runway at top speed, phoning to make plans before we even deplaned and organizing to be sure none of our bounce-back expired, stopping at Ellis Island to collect some on the way home from the airport. On the 31st there is no time to unpack completely or unwind. In the morning free play awaited us at NYNY and Hard Rock, and we did some play at the former. Then the annual New Year’s Eve Huntington Press party was our next stop in the afternoon. By 5 o’clock the Strip was being closed so we had to use the Desert Inn Arterial under it to get to the Eastside and pick up more bounce-back cash at Ellis Island, an every-year extra offer for after 4 p.m. to lure customers to spend New Year’s Eve in their casino.
However, we were bushed so picked up our $25 apiece and immediately headed back to our west-side-of-the-Strip condo, again via the DI Arterial. There will be plenty of time to play at EI another time when it is not so crowded and smoky! And then it was to bed early to sleep the new year in as we were still suffering major jet lag. We had invitations to parties at almost every casino we had ever played in during the last 10 years or so (casinos are desperate for warm bodies so are digging very deep in their databases). However, we had tired of that comp long ago after we had our own place in Vegas and weren’t staying in casinos very often anymore. At our ages sleeping in our own bed is high on our Best Activity in Vegas list.
January 1 didn’t bring a rest day – holidays in Vegas never do for us. Bonus point promotions are still one of our best techniques for extracting money from casinos. We don’t have the stamina to play as many hours in one day as we used to do but we managed to max out the 9x points at Silverton (they only gave the bonus on 10K earned points) and do the 10K points at South Point that would be doubled and qualify us for the $30×4 mailer in March. There is a higher mailer there - $50×4 –that requires 45K points, but we usually opt for the second level down because we like the more comfortable playtime length. And it does have a higher EV.
The busy schedule continued on January 2 and 3rd: To the Palms to use comps in the Salon – haircut and style, fill for acrylic nails, pedicure – so I looked presentable at the infamous Blackjack Ball on Friday night. A tournament at Excalibur, with free play pickup and some major play. Pickup and play at NYNY. Bounceback pickup and play for 5x points at Hard Rock. Pickups at Palms and Green Valley Ranch.
On the 4th and 5th we crashed, the first days in a month I didn’t have to comb my hair, put on makeup, get dressed, and go out among people – I call them my nightgown days . We finally got completely unpacked and I could attack the stack of paperwork that had accumulated while we were out of town.
Today, after I finish this blog entry, I am reviewing all our past-year casino play, double-checking the EV (game plus extras), and looking for casinos to drop since I am resolving – for the umpteen time – to cut down on our busy schedule. Although all of our plays are over 100% – that’s what being an advantage player means – I am going to drop some where the edge is lower and step up play where the edge is better. I will take other things besides EV into consideration: whether I like the game we have to play or it seems more like a duty, or whether the casino has good air circulation or is very smoky.
A big issue is travel time. Although we like to play Multi-Strike at Green Valley Ranch, our January mailers (Brad and I just can’t get the same one although we play about the same amount of time on the same machines) require 14 trips to do all the play on bonus-point days and pick up all the free play. 14 trips of 25 miles round trip. Even with gas prices down, the expense of this play and the time involved cut down the hourly rate and/or EV to an unacceptable level. So out it goes – and I feel more relaxed already!
