Jan. 12-16, 1995
Larry and Cheryl went with us. We were looking forward to having a good time and watching the Cowboys play the 49ers for the NFC Championship.
Golden Nugget...$175.00 (rack rate $350.00)...two bedroom suite
Although there was no one in line at the check-in at Golden Nugget, it did take 10 to 15 minutes for them to complete the check in process. It seems to me that if they knew we were coming, it should only take a minute or two to do this.
We felt very safe and secure inside the Golden Nugget casino and lobby areas. Its very clean and changed my opinion about staying downtown. No kids running around either (We left our kids at Grandma’s and appreciated the mostly adult atmosphere)
Mystére” was fantastic. It must be included on any trip to Las Vegas. I called about 10 to 14 days in advance for reservations and had excellent seats. Section 203 is the best. SUGGESTION: Call in reservations as soon as early as you can. An hour before showtime, walk right past everybody standing in line to BUY tickets and go to the will call window. Saunter in to section 203 and have a great time.
After Mystere, we met Larry and Cheryl at Caesar’s Circus Maximus Showroom to see Tony Bennett. It’s a good place to get one of those “Las Vegas” types of pictures made of your group in a booth and it’s a cozy way to end the day. Make sure you get the pictures tho.
Sunday morning, we went over to the Las Vegas Hilton for the Sunday Brunch. I think it was about $13 per person and it was very good. Comfortable atmosphere. While walking thru the Hilton casino after the brunch we encountered an unplanned bonus. We went by the sports book, which is a gigantic room with big, big screen tvs mounted high on the walls all over the place. The room was almost full, but we found a place to stand to watch the AFC Championship game between the San Diego Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The is the most exciting way to watch a football game that you can imagine. Everyone in the room has money riding on the game and it's pretty evenly split. Half for the Chargers and half for the Steelers. Every play one of the groups is hollering for their team. It was great. If you ever get a chance to watch a game in a sports book, go for it. (The Chargers won)
Later in the afternoon, the four of us were joined by Jed Dugan in our room and we watched the Cowboys play the 49ers. I can remember Troy Aikman getting sacked and throwing a few interceptions, but he kept getting back up. The Cowboys lost that day. This was the year between their two superbowls with the Bills and the next year they beat the Steelers in the superbowl.
Afterwards Sharlette and I walked across the intersection to the Fremont Hotel and their Seafood Fantasy buffet. Lots of shrimp and I thought it was pretty good.
Sunday night, Sharlette and I went to the Hacienda to see Lance Burton. The Maitré D is a very friendly fellow and after I slid him 10 bucks, we got a table halfway back, dead center. Another nice couple was seated at our table with us. He said he tipped 10 bucks also. The show of course, was a nice, intimate evening of old fashioned magic. The Hacienda Hotel is no longer there. I think it was blown up to make room for Mandalay Bay. (Be sure to see my seating comments for trip 4)
We then took a taxi to see “Penn & Teller” at Bally’s Celebrity Showroom. We called about a week in advance for reservations and got to sit very close to the stage. It was a good show.
As for the stay at the Golden Nugget, it was a really nice room and a classy place to stay.Sharlette really enjoyed the facial and pampering she received at the Golden Nugget salon. We had a good time and even got Larry and Cheryl to go down to the Luxor with us and we rode the motion machines. They left and Sharlette and I took a ride down the Nile River and ate a sandwich at a shop there.
The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio will appeal to most women and men who like a large variety to choose from. Not a meat and potatoes kind of buffet.
The Carson St. Cafe (Golden Nugget) has very good tasting, plain old American food. To me its a nice, clean coffee shop. Excellent for breakfast.
The Steakhouse on the top floor of Binions Horseshoe was very romantic. Its dark, high up, and very good food. I don’t know what it cost since my brother bought with his craps winnings!