The Run For The Roses
Our trip began May 5, Cinco de mayo, baby! & The Run for the Roses! We left Detroit at 9:00am and arrived in Vegas at 10:15am, I love the flight out! Got the bags and grabbed the shuttle I got suckered into paying for at the travel agent. Next time it's the LVL! Weather was perfect! About 90 when we landed. We got to the "hotel", the world famous (?) Westward Ho! And of course our room wasn't ready, you can't check in till 3pm (what a crock!). We checked our bags and waited for my wife's daughter and son-in-law to meet us. They drove in from California to see mom and me, mom was excited because she hadn't seen her baby for a year. After meeting it was off to the Strip! We headed south towards TI, the wife and I were really hungry so we tried the buffet at TI, not the best food, but satisfying anyway. Word to the wise- if you do this buffet, do not accept the "free" champain (I meant to spell it that way), it tasted as if it had been filtered through a dirty, smelly sock! After our lunch, we high-tailed it over to the Sportsbook to lay some money on the Derby. Then on to showing the "kids" around town. We were married in Vegas in May '99, so this was our turn to show someone the wonders of Vegas! And they loved it! We bopped in and out of casinos all day. We wandered the Forum Shops ( a must) and saw the fountain shows. When I looked at my watch- holy moly, almost post-time! We boogied over to Bellagio to watch the run for the roses, the sports gambling room was packed! You could feel the energy in the room as they ran the last race before the big one! Post time! The crowd was screaming, and I was having a hard time following the race, when oh no, my horse was broadsided and knocked out of contention! Yes, I had Dollar Bill . Anyway, I highly recommend watching a major event like this in Vegas, the NRG in the air is incredible! Well, it was time to check in to our room and get some rest before heading out for the evening. We got to the Ho, got our keys and took the shuttle right to our door. I know, alot of people think the Ho is a dive, but I'd say it is 3 steps above a dive, and two steps below a good hotel. My wife and I like the Ho for these reasons: 1. The price is right for us. 2. Its location is adequate. 3. The staff are the most friendly we have encountered anywhere in Vegas. 4. After a long day of hiking up and down the strip, you can take a shuttle to your room, and not have to walk that extra mile that you get in some of the Mega-hotels. After some rest (I highly recommend a middle to late afternoon nap to beat the heat!) We got dressed and went to dinner at Phil's Steakhouse at the Frontier. This place is a sleeper! Great food, huge portions, reasonable prices, and great service! We will eat there again. Then it was off for the Pirates, Fountains of Bellagio, and the Volcano! The kids loved it! (& of course we did too) And by then we were all pretty much worn out, we headed back to the hotel for the night. casino games