TR SNIPPET BUS OBSERVATIONS

BUS TO EASTSIDE CANNERY FROM DOWNTOWN

BHX

Staying downtown, I get to hear a full four hours of Claudine Castro's Latin music, from 10 to 2. When I stay at the Gold Coast, the last 202 bus is at 1 AM, but there is a BHX heading downtown at 2:20 AM.

The stop going out for the BHX seems fairly established on Ogden just in front of the circle for the Grand. However, one of the fellows waiting said that sometimes on Fridays they don't stop there, but just pass by.

I could always get it at the larger and more lighted stop just North of the Container Park, right on Fremont near where there once was the Western. However, that area can be a bit seedy.

I can always catch one of the buses leaving the Binion's stop, go to the BTC and then get the BHX there, but it adds perhaps 20 minutes to the journey.

The night I went to the Latin lounge act the bus was on time. It was a fairly easy trip, much less crowded than during the day, with fewer stops along the way. It stops right across from Eastside Cannery. I stopped to replenish my cash at the Bank of America drive through.

113 TO MUSEUM

I went first to the BTC to see if I could get my ticket fixed so it would scan. It scanned for her and she said just to show the stamp to the bus driver. It never scanned on any bus for the rest of the trip, but I was waved on when I showed the stamp.

This I did every time.

Next trip I am bringing an extra sleeve like those that they give with hotel keys as I think it was a magnetic problem.

Sometimes the driver at first would not listen to me when I tell him it has not been scanning. He would scan it in the two ways, gets invalid results, and then check the date and wave me back. Eventually I realized that if I put it in the validating slot while and said, “This ticket has not been registering,” the machine would say “invalid” and I could hold the date facing the driver and be waved back.

The 113 bus got me to the Museum of Natural History, the Neon Boneyard, and a library. LINK

It did that in 12 minutes.

GOING FROM EXCALIBUR TO THE GOLD COAST

I found the 201 was not synchronized with the 104 Arville bus. I was going to the Gold Coast and arrived at the Arville stop with a full half hour wait. So, I walked to the Gold Coast. It is an easy walk down Arville. There are sidewalks and no shady folks in the daytime. Sometimes working girls are about at night.

I'm not a fan of the 104. If going from the Orleans to the Gold Coast I guess the free shuttle is the best bus to take, but my wife said it took 45 minutes as it goes first to Caesar's.

THE 201 IS NOT MY CHOICE WITH LARGE LUGGAGE

My final stay was at the Orleans. I have a large suitcase and it never goes well on that 201 bus. It is a pull to get it in the bus and then there is never enough aisle space to easily negotiate my way down to where I can get out the exit door. This last ride there was a stroller and a walked blocking the aisle.

A passenger criticized me for not sitting in the one side seat, but I explained that I would exit the bus in a few stops and needed to position myself for that. It seemed to satisfy. This time I put my bag just behind the first exit doors so that I could get it out of the way of new traffic wanting to pass. I held it against the rail from the seat behind the rail. I did see the doors bumped it a bit, so it can't be too far towards the opening door. However, that worked.

I thought of catching the WAX where the 201 dropped me would be very easy, but I had a half hour wait and had to use the restroom, so I lugged my luggage all the way up and into Tropicana Casino, found the almost hidden restrooms and then lugged everything back.

The bus stop was crowded. There were folks fumbling for change while boarding the 201 and blocking the sidewalk. I tried to excuse my way through, but one woman was still in my way, so I paused for a moment and then took some frustration from the guy who had been behind her. As if the foot and a half I needed to pass was a big issue for him. He complained I was blocking him. I explained I did not want to knock the woman down. People can be idiots.

I knew I wanted a good front seat on the WAX. Luckily, all the inexperienced folks with luggage lined up far behind the bus shelter. I stayed in the shelter until I saw the bus and then wheeled myself beyond the post that holds schedules, well in front of the shelter. I knew the bus would stop there, so I was the first person with luggage on the bus.

At least something worked.

Going 201 to WAX and then to the airport also required quite a bit of time to allow for the remote possiblity of a bus not coming on time due to maintenance. Just going from Excalibur as I had originally planned would have been a good bit easier to schedule, not required a bathroom run, and been just one bus to catch to the airport, one used to luggage.

I think getting from the airport from the Orleans is fairly easy if you have a standard amount of luggage. With 23 days in Vegas followed by a week in Denver and then four days in Chicago, I could not pack light.

So for me I don't think I'll spend my last two nights at the Orleans again. I liked going from downtown because the WAX at that point was never crowded, the bus stop at Binions was very spacious, and I could easily get a good seat on the bus that early in the route.

However, if I abandon downtown in future trips, I might want to stay a free MyVegas night at Excalibur or Palace Station. Excalibur would mean just the WAX to the airport. Palace Station has a fine and easy free shuttle.

I also think that when riding the 201 with luggage I should ask the driver if he is willing to let me off the front door because my bag does not easily pass down the aisle.

THE PLANE

From there it was not difficult. Southwest had a choice of do your own tagging or get “full service” I always want “full service.” I hate those kiosks.

Security was easy because they put me in preboard status again, something most folks have to pay for. One TSA agent was full of herself and would not even listen to me ask if one screening machine which seemed open was working.

She was too busy yelling about “Read the signs. Read the Signs.” and pointing out where they were, so I picked the scanner with one person ahead of me and pushed my stuff through.

As I pushed it, the operator came to life with warnings about metal in the pockets and “Blah, Blah, Blah” I just ignored her and went to through the personal scanner.

Not knowing I was preboard, I had emptied everything from my pockets into a plastic bag, retied my shoes for easy on and off and in general was well prepared for security.