Hi Chipper Nation,

Just got back from 3 nights in Vegas. Here are the highlights/lowlights in case they are of use to you next trip out. Was mostly a gaming and activity trip with my wife and 21 y.o. son. Hoped for a warm respite from winter -- no luck. Combine that with a recent trip to Phoenix when it SNOWED, and next time I will just go to Boston where reliable warmth is provided at Hacienda Splashbar.

We did airline miles, so no idea of how fares are these days. Rent a car was nice and cheap from Payless at less than $90 total for 3 days for a small 4 door.

Stayed at El Cortez downtown. Had stayed there before, and their Tower rooms are nice and big and modestly priced, even on weekends. I got lucky when my record from a past stay somehow got intermingled with another Mark Russell (who gives them good action, apparently). Anyway, got a 3 day comp offer several months back, and since we were due to schedule a trip for my oldest son who turned 21 recently (a family tradition....), El Cortez it was. I paid for my son's room, so they wound up profiting from the comp mixup. In addition to the 'Tower' rooms, they do have a building across the street (cabana?) with more flashy modern rooms. And their 'Vintage' rooms are the original rooms just above the casino -- my son stayed there. Accessible only by staircase, I was afraid that smoke/noise would be a problem. It seemed fine at checkin, and no issues came up.

Speaking of profit, downtown seemed really slow -- and that was Fri/Sat/Sun night. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was in town with some 150,000 visitors. Since that was at the convention center, and the crowd decidedly young, I figure downtown got little pop from that. Fremont street was pretty sedate -- cold weather making the blood run more slowly....

Some casino impressions:

El Cortez: Darkish, and stale smoke in the air. No vibe, and most of the slots patrons looked like they were throwing their retirement down the tube. Usually struggled to get the 3 table poker room up and running -- saw one table going most evenings. Had $5 BJ, $3 10x craps. Table were clean, dealers competent and friendly. Lousy selection of beer/drinks while playing. The cafe off the casino is pretty solid, too.

Binions: A bit of a step up from El Cortez, but was surprised that the headcount at the legendary poker room was light, with just a few tables split between $2/$4 limit and $1/$2 NL holdem. Interesting that there is no max buyin for the no limit. Lousy beer selection, better liquor. Mostly $5 min for table games.

Golden Gate: Food in the back remains solid. Shrimp cocktail (small shrimp) is $1.99. No players card needed. Soups, sandwiches all tasty. Some of the charm is gone since they now have dancing BJ dealers after 6pm, and now have an external bar outside the Fremont entrance. Table minimums $3 10x for craps, $5 for BJ. No Poker.

Golden Nugget: Clearly the pick of the litter if casino going is your thing. Poker room usually at least 1/2 full with at least 10 tables going. Only low stakes limit and nolimit holdem spread, although I think they did have $3/$6 limit for the hi rollers. At least double the amount of table games in the other casinos mentioned. $5 BJ (I think), $10 craps. Clean, with sparkle and some vibe. No worries, Gene, the Palms has uber-vibe.
Had Fri dinner at the Carson Street cafe restaurant in the Nugget. Although somewhat recommended, had a lousy meal. Will not return.
Had Sat dinner at the Chart House seafood restaurant in the Nugget. Highly recommended -- great seafood! Will definitely return and that is coming from a guy living 1 hour from the chesapeake bay.

Other picks/pans:

Sunday dinner was the Hofbrau House, a german festhouse across from the Hard Rock. If you have not gone, go for good german food and beer, and loud live german fest-Musick In fair weather you can sit in the enclosed garden out back which protects you from the loudness of the festhouse. But, since this weekend was cold, we were stuck in the festhouse. And fest we did....

If in the Hofbrau House area, just down the road is the Atomic Testing Museum. That is a good thing to see -- I went several trips back.

One great activity is the indoor sky diving, right next to the old Silver City Casino site, just off mid-strip. They suit you up and you get instruction in a verticle wind tunnel. Very Fun for the whole family.

Went for a run in North Vegas, and saw the progress on the Neon Boneyard. They have the clamshell building up, and a nice gate marquee. Closed for the weekend, I think. Could be the season since it is outside. I went a few conventions ago -- worth going at least once.

Last of all, get out of Vegas and drive 30 minutes west to Red Rock Canyon. We went for a long trail run (fabulous), but it has shorter hikes, a 13mi circuit drive for you touring by car, etc. A similar, but vaster, experience is 1 hour north of Vegas at the Valley of Fire. We hit that on a past trip, and it can be conveniently combined with a trip out to Boulder Dam (I hear the new bridge is great).

Dang - that turned out to be a long report. Hope it helped a person or 2.

Mark