Brad and I don’t visit casinos just to play video poker; casinos provide most of our entertainment choices and many of our meals. So here are some notes I took on non-gambling activities in Vegas while we were tooling around town.
Shows
We don’t go to casino shows as much as we used to even though we could get many of them comped. Is it a sign of old age that we prefer to spend our evenings at home? Perhaps, but another factor is that we have already seen most of the major shows down through the years. Then there is the reality that we don’t appreciate much of the more modern music offerings. We are definitely stuck in the “oldies” category. This is borne out by a couple of our recent show choices.
Engelbert Humperdinck – Still sexy at 77 despite a growing waistline, his voice has lost very little of its power even for a demanding almost-two-hour show. The audience was filled with fans in our age group that refused to let him go, their applause keeping him coming back for multiple encores. He was perspiring profusely by this time, and I was afraid he would faint right on the stage. The last time he came out, he was in a sexy red satin bathrobe, shaking hands with the fans who poured into the space in front of the stage. I’m not that crazy of a fan, but I left in a very uplifted mood, with happy thoughts of this trip down memory lane. Although these show tickets were comped, I think we would have gotten our money’s worth if we had paid for them.
Louie Anderson – This was not a musical choice but definitely an “oldie.” Usually shows that feature stand-up comedians don’t particularly appeal to us, but we received an offer from Showtickets4locals for his first show at the Plaza (his new venue after moving from Palace Station) and we were going to be downtown anyway, so we signed up for the free tickets. I’m glad we did. We hadn’t laughed this much in one hour for years. I recommend this show for those who enjoy humor that doesn’t depend on trash talk and staccato delivery, but features leisurely but well-timed punch lines on difficulties everyone faces sometime in their life. Louie just turned 60 and has faced numerous medical problems so his subject material will really resonate with senior citizens, although I saw that the younger people in the audience were laughing as hard as we were.
Million Dollar Quartet – This was in the category of we-have-coupons-for-a-free-show-but-do-we-really-want-to-go. But we had four tickets and we had friends who were interested so we went – and we were really glad we did. An enjoyable evening – again with “oldies.”
Buffets
Caesars Palace – Have you wanted to try the Bacchanal Buffet there but were put off by the long lines that faced people who did not have Diamond or 7* tier status that would allow them in the shorter lines. Well, in September, IF you are a local and IF you can go on a Wednesday, you are in luck. They are offering a free line pass if you show a local ID on that day. (This is a pass that usually costs $15.)
Another frugal option at this buffet for anyone – go there for a lower-priced breakfast or lunch on Monday through Friday instead of dinner. (One of my all-time favorite frugal hints for buffets that do not have long gaps between various meals during the day.) Lunch is especially a bargain if you go just before the 3 p.m. cut-off time because you will have the option to choose the more-expensive dinner menu items that come out at 3. Just don’t wait too long to get in the lunch line, however, because you pay the price in effect when you get to the register, not when you enter the line!
Silverton – Mondays are Senior Days and those with a 50+ sticker on their players card can enjoy 50% off the buffet. On Thursdays the whole month of September all card holders can get a BOGO (Buy-one-get-one-free) buffet. This is one of our favorite buffets in town. Do try to go off-times when they are running specials – the lines can get pretty long during prime-time hours unless you have a higher-tier players card that allows you to use the VIP line.
Suncoast – Continuing there is the long-running buffet special, good Monday through Thursday. Earn 300 points and get a free breakfast or lunch buffet. Earn 600 points for a free dinner buffet or $10 off at the coffee shop.
You need to see Finis Henderson at Red Rock on Sept 21 Saturday at 8 PM. He is like Danny Gans, but with better dance moves and he has great singing voice – former Motown artist. Tickets are $25 plus tax and fees, people can use their Station points and Red Rock chairman and probably and Station chairman can get comped with no points through a host for this.
http://finis.com
http://lasvegastoppicks.com/finis-henderson-singing-impressionist/
You didn’t mention the quality of the buffet at Suncoast. When they first opened, we took the whole family there all the time, and it was quite good, especially for the price–on a par with the Gold Coast Ports of Call buffet (back then). I went there about two years ago and was stunned by how bad it was. Everything was low quality and/or dried up. Rarely have I ever asked for a refund at a buffet. Silverton, by contrast, I had always regarded as mediocre at best, so I haven’t eaten there in a couple of years. So it seems like Silverton might have improved–but I wonder if Suncoast has; IMHO nobody would ever go there a second time, even if it was free. It was in quality below Circus Circus $2.99 (“cheaper than food”) back in the day, which is really saying something. So I would have expected it to have improved in the interval. So many buffets have spiraled downward due to cost-cutting; most Stations (esp. GVR; waah), Palms, and other local’s buffets have gone completely in the dumper. CET properties buffets, by contrast, have proved surprisingly consistent and of good quality, at least in my recent experience.