TR SNIPPET THE ORLEANS

My last two nights were at the Orleans, one of my favorite places.

I arrived at 8 AM and that early they would not check me in without my paying $16. But they had rooms and assigned one to me on my requested 9^th floor (my favorite because both elevators go there.) The clerk told me that I could get my keys for the room around nine.

A $2 tip with the bellman stored my bags and I was early enough to get my required play in for a free breakfast (no point reduction) and a free lunch, and a $4 movie, eat the breakfast, and return to the desk about 10 AM.

People in front of me were being told there were no rooms yet available. I think having the comp status oils the wheels. The clerk does not know how much I play.

In fact, when I arrived at ten, she remembered me and commented that I was late.

I seem often to arrive at Boyd casinos early, but generally not until twelve or one. I can't remember when I had to wait for a room here or at the Gold Coast.

Excalibur had a sign defining their policy. Complimentary early check in after 1 PM. whenever rooms are available.

The rooms are always the same. Plenty of space. A coffee pot. Very clean (I still check for bedbugs) a good television (but unfortunately no Turner Classic Movies) I really love this place. I'd be here more often if I thought my coming would not upset my free nights.

As it is now, the Gold Coast is generally cheaper, so when I pay for the rooms, I go there, where I sustain no gambling comp averages. Their pool is also much better heated.

It is very quiet here, always. It is the quietest casino hotel. I am close enough to the elevator to hear the ding. I rarely hear that.

The Excalibur had colder tap water. This water is warm and definitely needs ice to make it refreshing. I drank mostly bottle water this trip, purchased cheaply, but I've exhausted that resource.

There are more towels here than at any hotel I have stayed this trip. I never have housekeeping, so having enough towels is very helpful. I could to a week on the normall stocked towels.

I don't think that there was this much easy access to electric plugs in past trips. The light on the table I use has two plugs and the light by the bed has four.

While I love this place, everything seemed to break on me in the casino. I missed the Senior drawing because the PA did not announce loud and clear that the drum would be closing. At 7, for the “after dark” Young At Heart” promotion all the kiosks were down. I spent some time in the room and revisited to find them working somewhat, but I could not print my $10 voucher for food that would be good into Thursday. I had to go to the B connected counter and they could print it.

This is the second place where the shower pipes made an annoying noise when showering. This one was somewhat mild, but my neighbors early in the morning could not have been amused. The Four Queens was like a jackhammer.

I was also annoyed by one man playing two machines in the full bank of the one kind of 9/7 progressive nickle triple play VP that I play. He felt justified. I did not try to unseat him because that was at the same time the kiosks were not working.

I am thinking of connecting this casino to a car rental to go to Red Rock casino and canyon, and perhaps Laughlin, or maybe even up to Bryce for a few days. I like Budget car rental and there is one right across from the hotel, so I could start here and end at the Gold Coast just before returning the car.

At the Nite Kings I had a good time talking to Chad, a man who is both local now that he is retired and also living in other houses in California. He and I shared the same love of these older sorts of music and we had a good talk. He told me South Point has similar groups and that he also liked Next Movement soon to come to the Eastside Cannery. He also filled me in on some of the background of the locals. He especially solved the puzzle of this attractive Asian woman who dances every dance by herself and wants no partners. She is married, but her husband does not come to the Nite Kings show. I'll probably see him again.

I did not feel comfortable dancing by myself or asking any of the locals who were mostly coupled. There did not seem to many tourists.

During the performance the Black singer was for the seventh time a grandfather, his daughter giving birth in Utah.

The merlot at $4.25 was a great glass of wine. I ordered a merlot at the machines later, but it was not as good. Two glasses did me for the entire evening. I was there from 4:30 to 8:00 when they stopped and I went to the buffet.

The biggest difficulty at the Orleans was I was alergic to something either at the hotel or encountered outside on the way. My first day there my nose ran constantly, everything was itchy and uncomfortable.

It seemed to pass by the second day, but I walked up to Walgreens anyway and got an inexpensive pill to help dry me up. It was so intense I wondered if I had caught cold, but it was just an alergic reaction.

So I gave myself permission to go swimming in late afternoon of my last full day at the Orleans. The water was very well heated. I was surprised not to be cold after all that cold weather, but the day was was warm again and I guess it and the heating element had done the trick.

I swam for about an hour talking to a woman from California. Then I went in the hot tub where a 12 year old boy was friendly and told me all about coming up with his dad and his uncle for the motorcycle races. He was a great kid. He did not know why the aligator was the symbol of the Orleans casino. I told him about New Orleans, but that was all new to him.

It wasn't as cold as I thought it might be walking back to the elevator, but then I had on a winter jacket.

This is another example of what can be offered by a small casino in terms of ease of access and flexibility. It was too cold out to even think about swimming while I was at the Excalibur, and their pool was closed anyway so I'd have to trek over to the Luxor. But here it was easy enough to duck into the pool at the last minute, find it warm, go back to the room and change and go swimming.

Since my stay I've gotten more two night free offers. The Orleans is one of the few places that will comp me for play nickles. True, I play for many hours at a stretch, but I can do that because the game is near break even and in nickles I can manage the volatility. 75 cents a triple spin.