I recently re-visited the Suncoast, one of Boyd Gaming’s local casinos (along with Sam's Town, Orleans, and Gold Coast).  Granted my opinion is biased by having won almost $200 on a slot machine but the casino area is nicer and more friendly than I remembered.  Also busier but staffed well enough that there was room to join $5 minimum table games and walk into the buffet without waiting.  They don’t give out gifts like the Palms or have as many promotions as Station Casinos but judging by the number of people Boyd’s formula seems to be working.

The buffet was nothing special and average-priced.  There wasn’t much for vegetarians (although I didn’t go hungry).

This is the second time I’ve been in Israel during the Xmas season - It’s wonderful to see menorahs everywhere instead of wreaths and trees.  The malls play Hanukah songs and instead of bell ringers hanging around the shopping areas, young men with black hats and peyot are handing out sufganyot (filled donuts, which in Israel substitute for latkes as the holiday treat).

The economy seems to be doing very well.  Stores are busy and most had signs to hire.  Few sales and a strong dollar put a damper on my shopping as well as apparently discouraging tourism from the U.S.  That didn’t stop me - and you shouldn’t let it stop you either!

For this trip, we stayed in the Tel Aviv area (with a couple of drives up around Haifa) visiting with friends and relatives.  There haven’t been any attacks in Israel for a while, making a relaxed atmosphere.  No call-ups of reserve troops and the kids doing their regular service get weekends off, so we got to see everyone.  The icing on the donut was a marriage proposal and engagement announcement while we were there!   

You wouldn’t think Vegas would have a lot to offer kosher customers but there are actually a lot of good options.  The Jewish community in town is approaching 200,000, concentrated mostly in Summerlin and Henderson (i.e., several miles west and south of The Strip, respectively).  There are two supermarkets with extensive kosher selections in the former area and one in the latter.  For tourists (or busy residents) all have good, ready-to-eat carryouts.  If you prefer, there are four certified meat restaurants (the one closest to the Strip delivers there), one pizza joint, and an Israeli dairy cafe.   

I recently visited Bellagio, crowded with tourists but not mobbed.  The latest conservatory installation is a lovely celebration of spring - I found myself eagerly snapping pictures like everyone else.  I watched the water show from ground level for the first time - I still don’t get it.  The music is nice but I guess it’s just not my thing.  Also visited the salon, which is bright and cheery rather than the relaxing atmosphere I prefer.

And finally got around to visiting the M Resort in Henderson (south of the Strip). Too late for opening month incentives but still moderately busy.  It’s a neighborhood casino with some of the classy appearance of Station’s Red Rock, ruined by old-fashioned, dark, busy carpeting.  Table games are scattered, making it a bit difficult to locate what you’re looking for (at least the first time) but you can find $5 tables if you keep looking.  Serve-yourself soft drink kiosks scattered around in addition to the usual circulating cocktail waitresses are a convenience no one else offers.  There’s a great, reasonably priced buffet, draft beers and assorted wines included (a nice, unique touch).  They have a good baker too - big variety of breads and marvelous desserts (including gelatos).  Although the meat was overcooked the food is good enough and offers a broad enough selection of dishes to make us wish we lived closer (and glad we don’t since we’d be overeating there often).  I’m eager to go back and do wish they’d built it in the far northwest area of Las Vegas where I live!

I was surprised on Friday to find no $10 tables at the Palazzo.  It was before noon and maybe a third of the blackjack tables were open, about evenly divided between $15, $25, and $100 minimums.  So I fed some money into slots instead (losing most of it) while I waited to meet a friend for lunch (at the Grand Lux Cafe - lousy service even though it was not as crowded as expected).  After a leisurely, chatty meal, all the tables were working and there were plenty for $10.  Same thing Sunday afternoon.  And I thought they raised their prices for weekend crowds!  Maybe they used to, but not any more.  Now I know - If you want a bargain, go when the crowds do.

We’ve been back to Aliante several times since our first visit.  The buffet has improved - practice hasn’t made it perfect (yet) but everything is the temperature it should be and choices are adequate.  We’ve also had good breakfasts at Original Pancake House. MRKT (their steakhouse) has a nice atmosphere plus good food and service.  I wasn't impressed by PIPS Cucina but my less fussy husband enjoyed it.

The staff doesn’t seem quite as thrilled to be there as they were when the casino first opened but they’re still pleasant and friendly.  As expected, a bingo parlor will open soon (and I’m sure they’ll have senior specials).  The movie theater is comfortable (with good buttered popcorn).

All in all, it’s a nice, relaxed neighborhood atmosphere, still playing my music (at a more tolerable volume or maybe bigger crowds and less sensitivity on my part just make it seem better).

is aptly named - There’s no question it’s a continuation of the original, on a  more intimate scale.  Maybe Annex would have been better, since it doesn’t seem as classy.  The gaming area has a more comfortable feel and - at least on the weekday evening we were there - $10 (!) tables.  Crowds were noticeably absent and the staff didn’t appear happy to be there either.  The Cafe for dinner tries for upscale and only succeeds in being overpriced and feeling stuffy.  The young, inexperienced waitstaff were pleasant but self-absorbed - requests were taken with a smile and promptly forgotten.  We might have overlooked that since they had a “pre-theater” (5-10 p.m.) special the night we were there that was priced well, if the food had been good.  Both our appetizers (one tomato soup, one Caesar salad) had too much vinegar.  It was good quality but I expect (and like) lemon juice on the Caesar - and not so much pepper, please.  I had to specially request bread (several times) to counteract the seasoning; it arrived after the main course (good but not exceptional enough to outweigh the firsts) had been served.  The included dessert - a bag of donut holes with dipping sauces - was first-rate, as was the coffee.  All in all we weren’t unhappy but neither were we impressed.

Vegas is often referred to as the adult Disneyland, so we decided to try the kiddie version.  It takes a little over four hours to drive there from town, during the week.  The road has lots of changes in altitude, so if you’ve a tendency toward motion sickness (like me) it’s good practice before hitting the park.

This was definitely the time of year to go - no waiting.  We had only one day of less than ideal weather (chilly and heavy rain) so on balance that was a fair tradeoff, I think.  During the week when school is in session you’ll find mostly families with young children - no unsupervised teenagers running around hogging the better rides.

I’d say this year’s promotion offering free admission on your birthday is a great success - At least every tenth person wore a button with their name and Happy Birthday, soliciting smiles and good wishes from more than half of the staff and quite a few other guests.  And of course the others in the party paid to get in so I doubt Disney is losing money on the deal.  As you’ve probably guessed, one in our party was celebrated.  Since we bought a multiday pass, a $69 gift card (two golf shirts, one mug, and a cookie) replaced the free admission.  If the management has any sense, they’ve amply rewarded whoever had the idea and plan to continue it indefinitely.

Still the buffets are the best bargains.  As locals, we get such good deals at Station Casinos that it’s often cheaper than eating at home.  We’re also fond of the small buffet at Palms, since the casino frequently lures us in by offering gifts.

We keep hearing from out-of-towners and reading in the national media how hard Vegas is being hit by the current downturn.  It doesn’t seem that way on the ground.  There are more bargains - everyone is offering deals for locals these days.  But the Strip seems just as crowded with excited tourists and traffic is as bad as usual.  It’s true no new projects have been announced but a new locals’ casino debuted recently, the volcano at the Mirage is scheduled to restart in a couple of weeks, and Wynn’s Encore will open next month.  If this is bad times, I can’t wait for the next up period!

We tried out the latest Station Casino, Aliante in North Las Vegas.  The crowds that poured in for the opening weekend were noticeably absent - The place seemed empty and we had no trouble getting seats at our favorite new machines.  The management keeps comparing it to Red Rock but it reminded me of Green Valley (which is the only other Station casino co-owned by the Greenspun group) - nicer than some but not comparable to anything on the Strip.

Despite being brand-new, Aliante seems drab.  And the buffet is small, missing some of my favorite items (but with first-rate pizza).  Staff seems happy to be there - service is excellent.  And they played my music (oldies from the 60s, mostly), which would have been nice if the volume wasn’t so high.  (Would someone please point out to management that not all seniors are deaf?)  Besides the buffet, there’s a nice mix of restaurants, including TGI Friday and Original Pancake House, and good choices for the food court.

My favorite place to play the slots is Wynn.  The seats are comfortable, and if you don’t think that makes a difference you obviously don’t play much.  The atmosphere is classy and the service is good - drinks, anyone?  Even when management was fighting with the dealers, staff was uniformly helpful and friendly.  I was there once when several blackjack tables had unusually high minimum bets (and one player seated at each) and didn’t feel out of place or unwelcome looking for a $10 or $15 table (which I found).

The restaurants are good there too - except for the Zoozacrakers deli off the casino floor (no service and unexceptional food for the same price as the very pleasant Terrace Pointe Cafe).  Red 8 (Asian) is nice and Daniel Boulud is excellent if you don’t mind slow service (try to get a table with a view of the twice hourly pool show to pass the time).  They do have a pre-show deal, which got us fast service and the same great food.  I wasn’t as impressed by the SW Steakhouse, but that was a while ago and we couldn’t see the pool from where we were seated so the service felt painfully slow.  The buffet has good food, priced on the high side.  (More about buffets another time.)

The stores make for fine window shopping - I particularly enjoy looking at the luscious jewelry.  The only place I’ve actually made purchases is Wynn LVNV, which has an interesting, eclectic selection of items, including knick knacks for under $20.  Parking is easy to approach, and they’re one of only two casinos in town (the other being the Palms) where you can call ahead to have your car waiting at whichever entrance you prefer.  Not sure why we don’t go there more often.

We've seen Le Reve twice, taking advantage of 2fer locals deals.  I enjoyed it more when it first opened - the latest reworking seems more nightmare than dream and left me feeling depressed.  It doesn't usually get billed as a Cirque show but it is, similar to O with water and diving but a smaller, more intimate theater that makes for better viewing.

For more information, here's the link to their website (not nearly as friendly as the resort): http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/index.cfm#homepage/

Not that I have anything much to say that anyone who knows me hasn't already heard.  It would be nice, I suppose, to have a wider audience but I can't help feeling that no one will read this, that it's a waste of my time and an exercise in futility.