APAT - Vegas Vengeance: Thursday, 17th November 2011
This not sleeping right is really starting to hack me off big time but perhaps a change of scenery will do me some good...luckily it’s moving day. I pottered around the room packing and policing up the room to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind before making my way down to the front desk to check out around noon.
I took a cab over to Harrah's and got checked in in pretty short order and trekked up to my room on the 14th floor. I’d deliberately asked for a quiet room, I need to maximise my opportunities for a good nights kip.
I unpacked and set-up the IT kit as per usual but, for some reason, I couldn’t log on to the wi-fi. The screen kept saying I couldn’t apply charges to my room even though I had specifically enabled this on check-in. This was a little annoying as it meant I would have to trek down to the front desk and get it sorted.
These little things are sent to try us I suppose.
I’d already planned to get some lunch at Toby Keith’s so I took the opportunity to make my enquiries at the front desk as I passed. On doing so I was informed that Harrah's DOESN’T HAVE WI-FI in it’s standard rooms...only in it’s suites.
WTF!? Even the friggin’ Imperial Palace has wi-fi in all it’s rooms! I looked at the woman behind the desk as though she’d told me that beer was bad for you.
Apparently, they only have cabled connections in the standard rooms. I’d noticed a cable in the top drawer of the TV cabinet when I was unpacking but I’ve seen this dozens of times in other hotels...it’s an emergency thing, not an actual necessity.
Sorry folks, a ‘Travel Guru Fail’ on that one...who knew? I guess I’m supposed to know but it still boggles my mind that they don’t have this basic functionality.
Well, there it was, nothing I could do now, so I went to eat. A few beers and a plate of chicken fingers later I’d fed the body and soul and a text arrived from Richard Baker telling me he was in Carnaval Court. It was only 2pm by this time, a little early but why not?
I walked the short distance outside and found Rich, Andy & Deb planted at a table. Rich had one of those 4 foot drink things full of alcohol wrapped around his neck and was obviously in a party mood.
Figuring that I had a long night ahead I just contented myself with a few Bud Lights while we watched a great band called “Wonder Boogie” get the smallish crowd fired up with disco music and audience participation bits. They’ve been doing this for a long time and have it down pat. It’s a whole lot of fun to watch.
Rich and I sat there for a fair while (Andy & Deb had gone off to eat I think) just having a whale of a time just watching the crowd belly up to the bar for free shots of alcohol every half hour or so. It’s just cheap booze and fruit drinks mixed up in a pouring bottle but it’s a great way to get people involved.
Finally the rest of the APAT contingent started to arrive and we got stuck in. I can’t say everyone made the choice to turn up but the usual hard-core were in attendance so I think we did it up right.
Buckets of beer for $25 seemed popular once I’d spread the word...’Travel Guru Redeemed’.
To be honest I had expected us to just be there until fully liquored up and crashing but it seemed that a lot of people wanted to play the 8pm tournament at Harrah's. I honestly can’t see the attraction...It’s a crappy room and the tournament has, as is the way with these things, a horrible structure...but I was willing to go along with the majority.
Along the way, I’d been trying to get hold of my brother. He should have landed about 2pm but I hadn’t heard a peep out of him. I’d called, texted and emailed but nothing.
On my way to the poker room, detoured for a pee and as I’m washing my hands and on the way out, in he walks. I meet him in some funny places.
It turns out he’d gone out to an AT&T store to buy a sim immediately after checking in but for some reason his phone still wasn’t getting data. That explained the lack of contact. I took his new number and he went back to his blackjack I headed over to the poker room.
We’ll catch up later...it’s that sort of relationship. We don’t feel the need to be in each other’s pockets all the time. He’s not into poker and I’m pretty much over long spells at the blackjack tables....been there, did that during the nineties.
Naturally, every move I made was the wrong one and I was out in about 2 hours, probably less...in fact almost certainly less.
I sat outside the poker room for a while and found myself nodding off...I mean literally, doing the head jerk thing when you pull yourself back from the edge of sleep. This sleep deficiency thing is kicking my backside.
I played some slots for a while to rack up a few lousy Total Rewards points before heading back to the room to try and get the internet working.
That was a real palaver too. Firstly, I couldn’t find anywhere to plug the cable into. I searched for quite a while before finding the router attached to the back of one of the nightstands. Success I thought. Nope, the cable wouldn’t reach to the table in the room. Ok, move the table...that’ll cause problems with housekeeping, I’ll lay odds...I’ll have to leave a note asking them not to move it back.
Are we there yet? Nope, no signal. It’s surprising that something didn’t drop the 14 floors out of the window. The answer....they hadn’t plugged in the router to a power outlet. Once I’d twigged that it was plain sailing but, sheesh, sorry Harrah's you don’t get any more stays out of me.
So that was that. They’re here.
I’ll let them tell they’re own stories over on the APAT forum. I have little doubt they will be doozies.
