TR SNIPPET FOUR QUEENS

FIRST NIGHT

I parked in the Four Queens parking lot. They charge now but not for hotel guests. I liked being able to unload all my junk. I still had a good bit of water and filled the refrigerator that came with the room.

They gave me an old North Tower room that the clerk said would work to keep the noise away. Well, he was wrong.

I could hear the bands.

The room was specious and comfortable, but the shower sounded like a jack hammer.

The window view was great.

The room was too hot when I arrived, and I opened the window for a while and propped open the door too. I called, but the heat is all centrally controlled. It did not seem that the air was coming in this room. Opening the window cooled the room down, and I left it open for the stay to keep fresh air circulating.

There was a refrigerator here that I did not order or pay for. It was very wobbly, but it kept all my water bottles cold and delicious. I don't know if it is always here.

There was no Do Not Disturb sign for the door. I carry some from other places and put one in the key slot until the next day when the maid put a new one on the door.

I immediately had a good five hour nap. I did not mean to sleep that long, but it worked fine to keep me awake for Golden Nugget poker.

The room was a bit unusual. It is larger than most. It had two desks and a counter over the refrigerator that was separate and in the corner. This was a great place to make the coffee. Nice to have a coffee pot in the room again. Nice too to have a TV with a clear image. I wish they offered Turner Classic Movies.

There were two desks here, a large one and a small one. Perfect for me to spread out my junk.

I had a good view from the window. The noise of the boxing match the first night did not bother me.

I slept through the band noise the next night.

But it was not quiet.

There is really no way to ensure quiet at the Four Queens anymore or in any downtown room. That, and the constant crowds of people and the sleazy folks under the canopy and up the side roads, has me pretty much done with downtown as home base.

LAST NIGHT

I'm annoyed that I did not learn of the “Go Green” program when I booked. $10 a day food comp for not using Housekeeping. I only got the benefit the last night. I have canceled it every day, but to get the deal I had to ask at the desk before canceling housekeeping.

The maid tipped me off. I could not get comped for the nights I had canceled.

Very shady deal.

There is just no quiet in this casino. The bands could be heard every night.

However, getting a higher floor did perhaps help. That was a tip from someone on a discussion board. At least I was less annoyed this trip and sometimes slept through the sounds. It did not seem to affect my rest as much as other trips.

The second to last night I had trouble sleeping. I napped for a few hours and went out for food and a trip to the museum in the morning. LINK

I then tried to nap again in the afternoon, and I could have had a fine sleep, but the maids woke me up shouting at each other up and down the corridor for two and a half hour.

This Vietnamese maid never shut up.

She bantered with the other workers, talked long to any guest, and when that is impossible, she talked loudly to herself. She was always complaining about being too busy, being tired, and having to pick up after folks who leave big messes.

She had been very helpful to me by giving me coffee and telling me of the Go Green promotion, but sleeping in the room with her in the corridor was impossible.

That “go green” promotion had me going to Magnolia's for prime rib for supper. The meal was not bad, but the salad was sparse, the broccolini was just two slender lengths and the medium rare was actually medium.

I quit eating at Magnolia's because some of the meals I would get were not very good. I could always trust the prime rib, however, and I did enjoy the meal, but I would not want to pay more than the $2 it cost me with the $10 Go Green comp.

On the other hand, I was not overwhelmed with the prime rib at Dupar's either and I paid $17 for that one.

And that is a reason I like the buffets. I can taste the food and see if I like it. I can tell the guy cooking eggs to leave them just a bit if he has the Western US understanding of “over easy” and leaves the whites a bit runny, or to pull them out if he leaves it all too long.

I don't try anymore to get them to melt cheese on top of fried eggs. That results in overcooked eggs. One once argued with me when I asked hm to add cheese to an over easy egg, until I said, “Look, I cook these all the time at home. Trust me, it can be done.”

Actually, at home I add much more than cheese. I put an array of cheese, onion, peppers on top of over easy eggs. I melt the cheese first on top of the peppers and onions and add it tot he over easy eggs just before serving.

So, if I can't sleep in the afternoon because of the help, and I can't sleep in the evening because of the music, when exactly can I sleep?

I certainly won't come back to this floor again.

Perhaps I'll avoid this whole tower.

I was going to stiff the Four Queens on the gambling, but when they gave me the two weekend nights, I thought I'd seed again for next year. I'm sorry I did that.

When the recent mailing came there were no free nights included, just casino rate. I think the Four Queens and I are done. Actually, I think downtown and I are done.

That decision cost me because my luck in the gambling went sour. I played Double Bonus without a single premium quad: no Aces, no Fours, Threes, or Deuces. It killed me, and I quit trying early in my stay, with perhaps not enough played to keep my offers unless the loss offsets the smaller coin in.

This had been the toughest gambling trip in a long while.

But it was a good deal on the rooms for those four days.

I had two comped weekend nights and then Sunday and Monday at $29 total each which I reduced by $16 in comp dollars and the Go Green gave me $10 in a food comp. So overall a fine deal.

A good part of me is just ready to pay higher hotel rates and gamble less. Red Rock can be had some nights for $100 a night. I might just bite for that and end my frugal quests. There I can find the quiet I crave, have an amazing room, have a place to swim and an early spa experience everyday. Also the food is inexpensive and very good.

Or if I do want to stay frugal, I might go for the Arizona Charlie's $38 dollar two room “suites” and spend more time on Boulder, playing dime full pay deuces at Sam's Town and seeing the Eastside Cannery show. Downtown is just too crowded, too noisy, too unpredictable on buses with too many festivals, parades, and hoopla.

And this trip even the Golden Nugget poker did not work for me.

I was actually all set to move on and then the Four Queens moved from 2 for 1 to the two comped weekend nights. and it caused me to play again in hopes of a future deal that could cover a weekend. I do think that I'll just book two weekend nights if they give those to me, but that is all the downtown I expect to book next trip.