In December of 2016 I had the opportunity to return to Las Vegas with four of my boys.  I was unfortunately without the lovely Miss Dahl on this trip, but I would find a way to make due.  Luckily I was traveling with four of the funniest people I know, so the trip was a laugh riot.  I won’t give away anybody’s material, but lets just say that mocking a surly old cocktail waitress for giving Sinatra a hand job back in the day, is always good for a laugh!

The Hotel

We stayed at Ceasers Palace which was aptly named as the elevators were bigger than apartments I’ve lived in the east village.  It was a more of a compound made up of many buildings with food, gaming, shopping a spa and more.

Gambling

While we could have stayed at the hotel all weekend, we didn’t.  We hit the tables immediately and let me tell you, they were not hot that night!  We did however play craps with a few members of a big time College football program, and while I won’t name any names, I will say that they did not cover in the Las vegas bowl that weekend.  Caesars was centrally located and we spent some time gambling at the LINQ as well which had louder more raucous atmosphere which was perfect for the tenor of this trip.  With live music 20 feet from the blackjack tables we had a great time yelling things like hit that hard twelve with a Herman Cain, nine, nine, nine!!!  The craps table is probably where we had the most fun because its not gambling, if you have a system!  Caesars also has an amazing sports book where we wagered on a bunch of football games and watched games on and off all weekend.  I always say you are lucky if you leave Vegas even and this trip all five of us managed to win money.  Needless to say this was a huge positive, because on my first trip out there about 15 years ago, I had to listen to a grown man tell his wife that he needed her to deposit money in there account!

The Sites

We spent the next day visiting Tenaya Creek Brewery where we were given the red carpet treatment!  A friend of a friends brother in laws friend knew the head brewer so we got the hook up. We got a tour of the facility, drank delicious beer and played corn hole against some rough looking bikers who we handled with ease.  I wouldn’t have felt threatened by them if my playing partner wasn’t yelling “give me some more!”, every time he sank a shot!  Tenaya Creek also wins the award for best beer name with their Hauling Oats Oatmeal Stout .  It combines two things I love, beer and Yacht rock.  A big thank you to the guys there and I hope I can return the favor if you ever make it to Ithaca!

Gentlemen

While our adventure seems like a crude guys trip, I will remind you that we are all gentlemen.  Later that night we wanted to meet some like minded individuals so we attended a gentlemen’s club named Crazy Horse.  Wow, this was a spectacle if I ever saw one.  While trying to take pictures I was met by a mountain of a man who “explained politely” to me, that they had a no camera policy.  No big deal, I was due for a phone upgrade anyway!  I met what seemed like a nice girl named cinnamon, who explained to me that she was a single mom saving up for college.  Unfortunately I have no pictures of that nights events, but trust me when I tell you that this artists rendering of what happened is very accurate.

Old Vegas

I will say my favorite part of the trip was our visit to old vegas. The original “strip” has an amazing gritty feel that is in no way matched by the huge modern hotels on the new strip.  We started that journey exactly where the old strip started, at Atomic Liquours.  This bar is at the beginning of where Freemont street becomes the strip and is the oldest bar in vegas. Apparently it got its name because Frank Sinatra and others watched the atomic testing in the Nevada desert from its rooftop, but that was folk lore we heard.  There is more information about Atomic Liquors on their web site.  We progressed up Freemont and had an amazing time playing Black Jack at the Golden Gate Casino where the table minimums were low and the drinks were plentiful.  According to a sign, I was standing at the corner of the bar where Frank, Sammy and Dean drank.  Unlike now, Cannabis was then illegal in vegas and obviously no one was allowed to fly with it.  Again I’ll mention no names, but one of our members was particularly interested in recreational use.  It was here in a casino bathroom, where he met a nice man in sweat pants who helped him find his “golden nugget”.

Leaving Las Vegas

Well this was one for the ages and I’ll say for a bunch of guys turning 40, we killed it!  Remember be careful of what you do in sin city, because what happens in Vegas, will end up on someone’s blog post!