ARIZONA CHARLIE'S BOULDER
Pretty basic as I remembered it from years back. I did not intend to play there, but to use it as a cheap access to Boulder Highway. What I found was parking was very tight late a night. I suspect travelers with children who are not gamblers take advantage of the low rates. The casino was never crowded.
They had some fine late night food specials. That was nice.
My room was near the pool area and I did swim, but it was icy. Only some brave kids were swimming. The jacuzzi was fine.
THE EL CORTEZ
Planting trees in the new entranceway
The new entrance to El Cortez off Las Vegas Blvd allows me to schlep my bags down to the front circle without being asked for money, lighters, or wheeling around assorted old guys on mechanized wheel chairs. Basically, after crossing Las Vegas Blvd this one block is empty of traffic except perhaps for trucks still landscaping it.
Music and video cameras as well as an easy stone walk make this a pretty way to wheel up to El Cortez. It used to be a dodgy dirt parking/garbage area. Quite an improvement.
The Ogden House is getting renovated and once that is done a pool will be installed. It may take a while. Still, the face of the El Cortez is destined to change.
Because of the live poker the El Cortez is still one of my favorites, but was not a good pick for family members who felt uncomfortable in lower middle class settings. Outside the kids' rooms there was a domestic dispute in which a woman was knocked around a bit and it bothered them. One said she felt like she was sleeping in a bar.
In spite of the kids seeking the lowest prices and being late to establish plans, they would have preferred a nicer place. Ironically Hacienda has a last minute sale and they would have been very close to the half iron man they ran at Lake Mead. I did not have a sense of where that casino was relative to the race.
I find that giving room advice is difficult. It is better to just give general impressions like this one along with perhaps the link to cheapo vegas and let people really think through what they want.
Speaking of the Hacienda, I am thinking of staying there next trip if I can get a last minute cheap price. I may be able to do that in August when it is too hot to attract too many. It will make a nice stop over on the way to Laughlin.
I do not often rent a car, but it sure was handy to just go to the El Cortex parking garage elevator and up two floors for access to the room. No casino traffic. No hassle. Since that parking area is way in the back, only staying guests would tend to park there. I'd like to rent a car sometime just for the convenience of it, but first I have to get the insurance snags ironed out so all the while I am renting I am not overly anxious.
I stayed twice at the El Cortez, once with family and then on a 2 for 1 coupon at the end of my trip in order to use the fine, efficient, free shuttle back to the airport. I like the flexibility of dropping downstairs for poker at any hour of the night.
FOUR QUEENS
Great place to get on comps. I had three nights for free and one more for $35 which they said they might comp after play review, but they did not. I payed for these rooms in lost VP money but it is coin in that counts, not how much you lose.
Last trip my Silver Strike buddy had me drop a few hundred in the silver strike machine and that boosted my play. Gradually, I am cutting back on the amount of VP I play because it is so volatile and I don't like the losing swings. I can better depend on live poker to give me much more play for my losses and perhaps, as my game and my table selection improve, I will be able to grind out a steady profit.
That being said, I love the central location of the 4 Queens, love the 10/7 progressive, love the way I am treated, enjoy the wide screens in the rooms. This time I forgot to ask to be away from the Freemont experience noise, but it did not bother me much as I was only in the room one night when it was rocking. I am especially interested in keeping a good relationship with this casino because soon they will be linked with Binions and the two together will be a fine pair for play.
GOLDEN GATE
I knew what to expect, but I wanted to see the old rooms before they get renovated by the new owner. I liked my stay because it reminded me of visiting my grandmother's house when I was quite small.
It would be good to be small in a Golden Gate room. There is not much space to be large.
I had three 99 cent shrimps before they doubled the price. I guess for a while I can still get that price with a player's card. Sorry to see it go as it is a fine meal for me now that I have begun some mild dieting. A free lunch buffet and the shrimp make enough for a day.
I enjoyed the old feel of the place, like being in a cheap hotel in the 1930's. I slept well and then in the morning I awoke to the sounds of housekeeping chattering in Spanish. The walls are very, very thin and the Spanish maids had never learned about quiet voices.
My window faced an inner courtyard and the entire experience reminded me of waking up decades ago in our apartment in Alcala de Henares, Spain to the sounds of the Spanish women talking full volume over the laundry on their back terrazas. These faced a similar inner courtyard that was stung with lines and pulleys to let them hang out wash.
It was a wonderful emotional flashback.
Here at the Golden Gate there was a fine old table and chairs and a coffee maker. The paper was delivered under the door. So I could brew my Earl Gray tea and sip from a fine ceramic cup (Walgreens 99 cents) and write up notes for my coming trip report.
I loved my two mornings there.
I hated the parking. Free valet was mandatory.
I parked twice for only 5 minutes, tipped once, and stiffed the other time. It was crowded there in that small lot and there was no going to your own car. The valet was also the protector against theft.
One time there were just two cars and we waited over ten minutes to get service. That was the time I did not tip.
I would hate to do that in August.
I was happy to be returning the rental car after only one day. I am much happier when I am free of a car in Vegas.
I was sorry that the Golden Gate stopped giving free decks of cards out for ACG coupons. You can get one free deck with a Freemont Experience Coupon when you sign up for a Player's Card.
The piano player late at night when I was returning tired was just wonderful in a Casablanca sort of way. I hope the renovation will preserve that old style Vegas flavor. The old lamps and the wooden doors are wonderfully rich and make up for the tiny bathrooms and the electrical wiring in exterior tubes along the walls. (To plug in my sleep apnea machine I had to give up charging my phone.)
The television was terrible. There were few stations and some were snowy. I'd hate to be stuck in that room with an illness. What a contrast to the flat screen TV at 4 Queens!
But in 1930 no one had television.
And without it, the paper and the Earl Grey and the sounds of Spanish seemed even a greater luxury.
POST SCRIPT
These photos from another person's trip report aer so like my room that I thought I'd post them here. These rooms are all gone now, all "upgraded" and new. No need to go back really:
NEXT TRIP
In August I hope that some of my video poker play at Sam's Town might rate me a room offer there. From there I can wander down Boulder and play a little at Joker's Wild and get a free meal at the Longhorn for the coupon I used at sign up this time. If not, I guess I will stay out at Arizona Charlie's again, but I'd pay a bit to substitute Sam's.
I also heard that if you want to redeem free room offers at Main Street Station and they are booked, you can take a room at California. I may try that next time just to avoid the noise of the Main Street rooms and the lack of ability to block out sunlight. I may be able to get rooms at California just for asking the right people.
I also heard that if you want to redeem free room offers at Main Street Station and they are booked, you can take a room at California. I may try that next time just to avoid the noise of the Main Street rooms and the lack of ability to block out sunlight. I may be able to get rooms at California just for asking the right people.
