For some reason I never sleep well while in Vegas, but I always wake up feeling refreshed. This trip was no different, I would wake up every hour on the hour only to check the time, but every time I woke up, I felt refreshed already, even though I only slept for a few hours.
I set my alarm clock for 7:30, but woke up at 7, ah screw it. I’m waking up now! We were to meet my Uncle down at the lobby at 8:30. I had 2 comped tickets to go see Zarkana over at Aria, courtesy of MyVegas. Since these were comped tickets, I had to pick them up before 4PM; otherwise they would be released and given to others. I purchased an additional ticket for myself, but if I wanted to sit where my parents were sitting, the ticket would cost $150, I didn’t want to pay so much for the ticket since we would all be watching the same show, so the cheapest ticket I could find was $95. Sold!
While my parents are still getting ready, I quickly solo it over to Aria, which is right next door, make my way over to the Zarkana box office, I knew that they wouldn’t be open this early, but I just wanted to go there to find out what time they would be open. (The concierge at my hotel didn’t open till 8). I was hoping that the sign would say they’d be open at 9, that way I could just tell my folks, let’s hang around here for another 30 minutes while I go pick up the tickets, but when I got there, the sign said 10AM.
So that’s wasting too much time, so I’ll just have to cab it all the way back to Aria from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, then make my way back to Freemont. It’ll be costly this way, but I don’t want to lose out on $300 worth of free show tickets.
We wait outside in front of the hotel, where all the taxi and limo’s are coming and going for my uncle, it’s almost 9:30, where could he be? Maybe they over slept? Not likely, but who knows, let’s give them a quick call. Turns out he stopped for gas, which I found odd, since he just got gas yesterday before coming to pick us up again, and we didn’t drive all that much. He says he gets charged for incoming long distance minutes, so that one quick phone call probably negated all the cost savings he endured at the pump.
When he finally gets here, we all hop into the car. We’re headed to Chinatown, I don’t think I’ve ever been there before, Google tells us that its one mile west of Treasure Island. After a short ride, we get there, and I must admit, Chinatown Las Vegas was a lot bigger than what any one of us had expected. We were expecting a small two way street with shops lined up on both sides, where you could see the end of it from one end to the other. It was much larger than that, it spanned about two great plazas, with one of the plazas holding a mini-mall in it.
The restaurant was pretty big for a Las Vegas Dim Sum restaurant, there was only one other table there at the time, so we were instantly greeted and offered a great selection of food. They had their food on the old fashioned push carts, that way you could see exactly what it is you’re ordering. They practically brought out 3 carts worth of food for us to choose from, and for a moment I thought that all the servers there were on commission and trying to sell congee, ‘cause every single one of them asked if we wanted congee.
The food there wasn’t bad, it came out to about $60 for all 5 of us, but we were all pretty full. By the time we settled up the bill, the restaurant was pretty full, guess we were just too early. During brunch I told my uncle about the tickets and he said he’d drop us off back at Aria so that I could pick up the tickets. So after lunch we quickly zip back down the strip to Aria, self-park, walk quickly to the second floor, and I pick up my tickets. Then as we’re passing by the downstairs ticket booth, I decide to ask one of the guys working there if they knew where the Motor Speedway was since I had to be there for 11:30 to partake in my Nascar driving experience. I knew the general direction and which freeway to take, but I wasn’t sure which exit to get off at. The guy at the counter didn’t know, but he said he would look it up, and after looking it up, he told me exit 48.
So we thanked him and made our way to the car. We hop in the car, hop back onto the I-15N find exit 48, pull off. Uhhh, this doesn’t seem right, the Motor Speedway is a major attraction, and for sure they would have plenty of signs directing you to it, but we didn’t see any as we were driving. While my uncle is driving, we’re headed to the nearest gas station to ask for directions, I pull out the map and I locate it, the map says take exit 54. Since we’re already at the gas station, I hop out and ask for directions; both the attendant and the patron inside gave the same instructions, take exit 54. I thanked them and was on my way.
About 2 exits before 54, we start seeing signs for the Motor Speedway; ah this is more like it! After we take the exit and follow the signs, it was still a good 5 minute drive in order to find the correct entrance, since there were other exotic car racing locations there was well, we had to find the Richard Petty one.
If you’re a little lost, let me back track a bit. This was a driving experience that was included in the prize package that I had won, myself and my guest would get to drive a Nascar car around the big oval track, the car has the potential to go up to 165MPH. They purchased what they called a King’s Experience, which meant that we would get to do 18 laps and the entire experience would cost about $900+TAX per person! We were suppose to be there for 11:30 for orientation and training to be followed, the whole experience would last a few hours and should be out of there by 3. (If I didn’t pick up my tickets this morning, I would have had to Amazing Race style it back over to Aria to pick up my tickets or risk out on losing them, see the stress?).
My mom was my guest on this trip, but she didn’t want to do it, so I registered it under my dad. We were the last two people to arrive; it was a group of 7 participants in total. After filing in the forms, they gave us track suits to wear, which to my surprise were pretty comfy. After that’s done, we head into a smaller room where they give us a brief intro, and have us watch a safety video, after the safety video, they recap and re-explain what’s going to happen. Once that’s all said and done, they bring you to the back of the room, have you put on some headphones and watch another instructional video. Once that is over with, they give you a 5 minute washroom break (WTF?) I don’t know, but I utilized it!
Once that quick break is over, we all head on over to the Nascar and take our picture with it. Then we head on over to the pit area, where we are seated and they go over more safety stuff and introduce us to the instructors that will be riding shot gun with us. They explain to us that the instructors won’t have control of the wheel, but they will have control of the speed panel, which the instructor will unlock certain speeds depending on how well they feel we’re doing.
We get to hop in the car “Nascar style”
meaning there is no door and you have to enter through the window. They connect a microphone to your helmet so that you can communicate with your instructor, plug in a usb so that they can record your performance, ask you to smile while they take a picture and they go over some last minute instructions with you.
Basically when you’re driving, the wheel will tilt to the left, since this is Nascar, so when you’re on the straightaway you need to adjust this by steering to the right a bit. Throughout various parts of the track you’ll see painted white lines that are a few feet apart, basically these are “gates” and you want to drive your car through them every time. When you’re rounding a corner there will be an orange pylon on your right hand side, once you reach there, you take your foot off the gas pedal and just coast the corner, as soon as you’re done the corner, there will be another pylon on your left hand side, that is when you can once again put your foot on the pedal and pick up speed once again. The distance between each pylon is about 1.5 seconds.
They have 4 cars on the track, 3 of those cars were reserved for people doing the King’s Experience, which was everybody in our group of 7. The other car was reserved for people who simply purchased an 8 lap right along, which cost them about $99.
I’m not that familiar with stick shift, so the instructor guided me through and switched gears for me. I wasn’t as tall as the other drivers so I needed two “back cushions” in order for me to reach the clutch, but what that did was it shifted me a little too forward so the steering wheel was practically right in my face, so I had to do a chicken wing motion with my arms out to the side in order to drive. Picture an old Asian lady driving the car with her face up against the steering wheel. Who knows you may even have an aunt who drives like that.
There was a “gate” that I kept missing, the reflection of the sun on the ground hid the white paint, but if you knew what you were looking for then you would have seen it. I kept passing through that gate but incorrectly, until I guess the instructor got fed up with it and said “okay, there’s the gate right there” As soon as he said that, I saw it, it was one of those “oohhhh, stupid me” moments.
I think I did alright, I did get to pass somebody, he was just driving too slow. Once your turn is over, you head over to a food truck looking vehicle and you can pick up your time sheet, certificate, with options to purchase the video that they recorded of you for $99, as well as some of the photos that they had you pose for before. I guess they assume you’re a baller since they already had two of my pictures up on this nice looking plaque for another hundred bucks. I wanted to purchase a smaller plaque that was about half the size, but then thought about the weight of it all and how I would have to lug it around all day. So we just ended up purchasing four photos, for $20 each, each with those “fancy” covers.
It doesn’t seem all that fast when you’re only 1 of 4 cars out on the track and it seems like you’re all alone out there since they space you out pretty nicely, which makes perfect sense in case you crash. Looking at my score sheet, I completed laps in about 50 secs and topped out at 129MPH. I was a little disappointed with my top speed, had I had known I was only going that fast I would have gunned it a bit more. Everyone said that was a pretty good speed, but I wanted to go FAST, I guess you could say I was FURIOUS.
My dad was in the third group, and if you’ve been doing your math, this meant that he would be out on the track all by himself, so yes, he was an even bigger baller than everyone else, and he had the whole track to himself. His top speed was about 109MPH.
As soon as he was done the first half of his session, I went back inside and asked them to call me a cab, they said they had a guy named “Eddie” who’s their go to guy and always come out here. According to the staff there he’s pretty much the only cabby that’s familiar with this place and who will come out here when called. So it was safe to say that he gets the majority of the fares, which is pretty smart on his move, since this is out in the middle of nowhere and no one else knows where this is.
As I was running back inside, I see this guy in suit standing next to this nice black looking SUV, I knew that he was a chauffeur, and someone probably hired him for the day. As I come out, he asks me if it’s over, I explain to him that I was in the 12PM time slot and that I was pretty much last. He said his fare asked him to be here for 2PM, but it was almost 2:30 and he hasn’t seen them yet. He asked where I was going, I told him back to Freemont, he says he’s gotta stick around and wait for his fare, but he’s only picking up 3 people, and his vehicle sits 7, so he could probably fit us in and drop us off as well and that he wouldn’t charge me full price. I asked him how much, and he didn’t know, so he asked me how much I paid to get here, I told him forty, he seemed skeptical, so I said it again to reassure him, “yeah, it was forty including tip” He’s like alright, I gotta check with the others, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
I’m thinking, sweet, gonna get to ride in a fancy car. By now my dad is done his race, and his other fare still hasn’t shown up yet. So I run back inside and ask them if they could call the cabby and see where he is, since it’s been almost 30 minutes since we called. They said he was a minute away and that he was picking up someone from Exotic Racing, which is literally just across the parking lot. Wait a minute, I just saw a cab leave, does that mean, he picked up someone first, gonna drop them off and then come back to pick us up? Cabbies will lie in terms of time in order to get the fare, by the time he doubles back for us it could be over an hour. That will be an extra hour that I just wasted sitting in the Nevada desert with no food and water. So I tell the staff that I just saw a cab leave from Exotic Racing (which was true), so is he sending someone else? Or is he coming back? ‘Cause if he was gonna come back for us, I was gonna hitch a ride with SUV dude. That’s when the other staff member chimed in and said their understanding of the situation was that there would be another cab on the way.
Alright, I go back out side, and the SUV’s original fare is here, so they all pile into the car, they’ve must have been talking in the car, ‘cause they roll down the window and open the door telling us to hop in. I tell them one sec, I’ma go tell my parents. My parents didn’t want to go; they said we’ve already got a cab coming. Fine, I run back and tell them, thanks for the offer, but we’ll wait for our cab.
Ten more minutes pass by and our cabbie finally arrives, it’s not Eddie, but one of his friends that was “nearby” so he picked up the fare, he said he was just dropping someone off around the corner from here when he got the call, so he swung by. Bro, you were “nearby” and it still took you 15 minutes to get here? He said he couldn’t find the place. “Sureeee!”
I tell him Freemont, and he’s like Freemont….repeating it like he doesn’t really know where it is, and I’m like yeah, Downtown. Golden Nugget area? Yeah, that’s the one bro. So off we go, man this guy is slow, his cab speed, not mentally. We’re in the middle of nowhere, there are no cars around, and you can over 10 over the limit yano. I make small talk with the guy and say “You’re a strip guy aren’t you?” He admits it and says yeah, that he usually just drops people off from one hotel to the other, but he’s been a cabbie in Vegas for a few years now. After about 20 minutes, we’re almost there, OMG. You’re kidding me right? You just missed the exit. How do I know he missed the exit? He said “Shit, I think I just missed the exit”. Finally we get to the Golden Nugget and the fare is 42 and change, I give him 45 and we all pile out. He’s like 45? I’m like, yeah 45, he takes the money and as he’s walking away, he’s mumbling to himself: “I drove all the way out there for a 2.50 tip?”
Yeah, I know he wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t happy either, you and your cabby friend had me waiting almost 40 minutes for a cab, when it should have only taken about half that, you didn’t know where it was, you were slow and to top it off, you missed the exit. The way I see it, more of that 45 would have been for you, if you got off on the right exit.
Okay, this promo seems decent enough, so I get my parents to sign up and I get a new card issued to me. I sit them down at the machine and tell them that they have to earn 10 points on their card and I’ll help them figure out the rest later. So they’re working hard on earning their points, and I go work my magic to earn my 10 points. I break even doing that, once I’m done that, I go see where they are at, they’ve only managed to get a couple points playing penny slots, okay this could take a while. So I take my dad’s card and go work my magic doing that, I lost $23 getting him those 10 points. Then I go back, switch out my dad’s card for my mom’s card and finish up the 10 points on her card.
We head on over to a ‘Promo slot area’ where we give in our coupons and play the slot machine, of course none of us walked away with real money, but instead we got a voucher to take a picture with $1 Million dollars, you can do this once a day. We were just going to take one photo, but the guy operating the camera ended up taking 3 photos of us, so we walked away with 3 free pictures.
Head on over to the Player’s Desk to redeem out points, match plays and the free ace coupons redeem both of theirs, then I hand them mine, and she says, the system says you’re a member since 2010. Yeah? So? This is only for new members? Oh shoot! I forgot, got caught up in the moment.
So we head on over to the machine to swipe our cards since we each earned the 5 points, My dad walked away with $10 in free slot play, my mom walked away with a free key chain, and I got $10 in table chips.
So we head on over to the tables to redeem their match plays and Ace coupons, my dad wins both of his coupons and my mom loses both of hers, I lose my $10 bet just as quick as well.
Finish up, the rest of the free slot play, and we’re about to leave, but just as I’m about to leave, I put my hands in my pocket and feel something, what’s this? A TITO for $17, OMG. I almost forgot to cash that out, I quickly cash that out.
My dad wanted something to eat so we headed over to Dunkin Donuts, bought a couple doughnuts and a cup of coffee, by the time we stepped back outside, daylight was gone and all the Freemont lights had come on. Snapped a quick pick of the D and saw someone Zipline, even though the lineup for ziplining was rather long, we only saw one person go through.
We continue our trek, not really stopping inside anymore casinos to check out their player’s card promos, since we were a bit pressed for time. We finally make it to the “end” of Freemont, head into a neighboring hotel, one with valet and hail a cab.
We walk inside, and are immediately greeted by majestic Chinese New Year displays, so we start snapping away, once that is out of the way, we start walking towards the Encore, until I spot the Player’s Card booth. So we head there, inquire about their promo’s, still the same for new members and still as shitty for existing members. Once new members hit 300 points, they can spin a wheel, where they can get $10 in free play, free show tickets, room comp, or 2 free buffet passes. Once they hit 750 points, they could redeem for 2 free buffet passes. Not gonna lie, that was my plan, to get the 2 free buffet passes, ‘cause I didn’t have anything else planned for dinner. Like I said, still crap for existing members 1,000 points will get you $10 in free play.
300 points to spin the wheel? Oh sorry, I thought it was 350, oh well, that means I’m already 50 points closer to the 750 milestone. So I go back, increase my bet and grind some more. Within the hour of signing up for the card, I hit the 748 mark. I figured I’d leave the 2 points for her to use her freeplay on.
I cash out $118 up from those points. Let her play through her freeplay until she has the 750, then head on back over to the desk and redeem for the 2 buffet passes. I ask the person behind the desk if this comp could be used at the Society Café and they said no, but if I reach 1300 points, then that comp could be used there. Ugh! Why didn’t you tell me in the first place? Had I had known, I would have worked for that 1300 points since we just had a buffet dinner last night and Society Café would have been a nice change, but I was tired and we were pressed for time.
We still had to do dinner and our Zarkana show over at the Aria was at 9:30. By now, my dad has racked up about 44 points on his card playing penny slots, with his original $10 free play, which wasn’t bad, if we weren’t so pressed for time I would have gotten him the 300 points required in order to do the free spin. Wasted opportunity, I know.
*Side note: If the Wynn/Encore had Platinum or Diamond in a Day, I probably would have tried to do that. I think next time I’m out, I’ll book a whole day off just to spend at Encore and try to earn 10K worth of free points, hopefully that will catch Steve Wynn’s attention and throw some more free nights my way.
Okay, so back over to Wynn, I know, I know, you’d much rather be in Encore for longer, but hey, that’s where the buffet is. I was slightly worried that being Saturday night, the lineup would be really long and it would be packed, but the line was short, we only waited a few minutes to be seated. I knew that charging people $40 a head would not deter people from eating here. Heck, this is Vegas, we pay thousands of dollars per bottle.
The food was a nice change from the Rio, not to mention the lighting, the scenery and the cutlery. They had several different choices of lamb and beef, pasta station, salad bars, and various different choices of Chinese food. We tried the Chinese food and it did not disappoint!
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| I know what you're thinking, check out that cutlery! |
Every time I go to a buffet, I always like to try their prime rib, that night was no different than any other night, I saved room for it, and OMG, the prime rib was so soft and flavourful, it felt like I was eating butter. I remembered that they had a better dessert selection than the Rio buffet, so I saved some room for that too.
Once dinner was over and done with, we hailed a cab and headed back over to Aria, got there at 9:15PM, since we were sitting at different sections of the theatre, we agreed to a meeting spot once the show was over, where else would we choose but the buffet.
I’ve read some reviews about this show and people complained about the pacing of this show that they didn’t like. After seeing the show for myself I still have no idea what they meant. I felt that the show was alright, that it was just any other circus show and not up to the level of Cirque show that I was use to (I’ve seen Mystere, KA and Zumanity). I must agree with some of the reviews that I’ve read that said the best part of the show was the very beginning, the girl who juggled tennis balls. Everything else, I’ve either seen or I could just easily YouTube it, so I wasn’t impressed.
Once the show was we met outside the Aria buffet and walked around the hotel to admire their CNY decorations
Once that was done, we went over to the Bellagio foundations. I knew that the Bellagio had a nice CNY setup over in the observatory; I mean how could they not, when all the other hotels had one. When we finally got there, I must say, I was impressed with their design, after having looked at the Venetian’s, Wynn, Aria and Bellagio’s design, I would say Bellagio, gets my vote for best decorations hands down. They had lively decorations, music, firecracker sounds, it just felt….real.
Once we’re all hydrated, I informed them that this was the end of the tour, they were free to head back to the hotel, roam the strip some more or simply go gamble. They said that they wanted to head back to the hotel, so that they could go gamble in the hotel. So we did that, we started walking back towards the Monte Carlo, walking past right by Cosmo, cutting through the shopping mall connected to Aria and cutting our way across to the Monte Carlo. Once we got back to the hotel, the same regimen happened, we went up to the room, I changed, and we split ways for a bit.
Now I’m calling it a night, since the Monte Carlo doesn’t seem to be the place to gamble for me. By the time I find my bed it’s already 5AM. We’re waking up at 7:30 AM again tomorrow aren’t we?
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