Texsox Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 First major stop will be the Katy Bike Trail in St. Charles, Mo. for a week or so. Then following the Mississippi north to the headwaters in Itasca State Park. From there east into the U.P. and boondocking in some national forest land for a couple weeks along the big lake they call it Gitche Gumee. Then over to St. Germain Wisconsin to see family before dropping down to Illinois to see more family. Not certain yet if we’ll just head home or maybe slide west to Colorado for a week or so. I kept hearing how difficult it has been to find campsites this summer but we haven’t been having any troubles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentralChamps21 Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 We did a family vacation to New England. Flew into Hartford, rented a car and drove around all six New England states. Wasn't really going to go on any more vacations with my parents but they paid for it and they really wanted my help with driving so I went along. Highlights were Nantucket, Provincetown, Boston, Kennebunkport, and the Ben & Jerry's HQ (tour still closed though). I wanted to go to Cooperstown but my mom didn't care to go and my dad has been there (though not since Frank or Harold's induction). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 The Kennebucks are cool. We played spot the secret service when we went through. Everyone in town knew "they" were at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scs787 Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 Alright gang, I'm sure a lot of you have gone. L.... I need any tips on Vegas vacation deals! Me and the fiancee are doing the whole Vegas wedding thing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted August 1, 2021 Author Share Posted August 1, 2021 Schedule a non gambling event everyday. Limit your gambling sessions to 60 to 90 minutes then get outside for a while. Fatigue is your enemy at the tables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 (edited) On 7/30/2021 at 9:00 AM, scs787 said: Alright gang, I'm sure a lot of you have gone. L.... I need any tips on Vegas vacation deals! Me and the fiancee are doing the whole Vegas wedding thing! Good place to stay is Mandalay Bay which has a beach vibe pool, sand and a wave area. The Pool has a lazy river and it's on the far south end of the Strip so you are kind of alone out there. Still yet it's just a 10 minute walk to a batch of casinos like MGM, NYNY, whatever the old Monte Carlo is called now, Excalibur, Luxor. Probably a 20-minute walk to Planet Hollywood and Ballys and Paris and 30 minutes to Bellagio and Caesars and Harrahs and Mirage and Treasure Island and Wynn and Venetian. I don't know if there are any "deals" in Vegas per se. anymore. Hotels charge resort fees to jack up the price. Ripoff. Cabs and ubers are expensive now and casinos charge for parking if u are not staying there. Just check vegas.com for hotel prices or any of the other hotel sites. If you go during the week you may find something reasonable. If you don't want Mandalay and its great pool and wide open spaces out south strip, I'd recommend Caesars or Wynn. Wedding suites obviously will be big bucks at the nicer hotels like those. There's a big area by Harrah's that has many fast food options including a Chicago pizza place and In N Out Burger. Expensive steakhouse at Circus Circus believe it or not that is supposed to be great steak. Pieros for Italian dinner for two down by the Convention Center. If you want budget sitdown dinner go behind Ballys to Ellis Island and get the steak dinner with salad, potato and large beer for 10 bucks. It's still not on the menu. You ask for it. Buffets in Vegas are 80 bucksish now; I won''t pay that out of principle. Yeah it may have crab or ribs or some such but it's still just a buffet. Downtown Fremont Street has live music now for free and Circa downtown has a great sportsbook and food options in there. If you are going low low budget, stay downtown and get a suite at the El Cortez. Sounds sickening but it's remodeled and acceptable. Sites: I hear the mob museum downtown is good; Hoover Dam is an OK tour; a short drive to Henderson and Green Valley Ranch casino is nice with good food. Also LV has minor league baseball dis time of year. For nirvana, however, stay at Mandalay or Caesars or Wynn. Be careful, too, Vegas is changing like most big cities. You will get pickpocketed and it's not out of the question your room could have valuables swiped. Use the safe. Times are changing regarding safety of cities and you don't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in LV. I'd take ubers after midnight for sure. Edited August 2, 2021 by greg775 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonxctf Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 Been to Vegas 20 times in the past 15 years. Most recently this past March. Here's a few, non gambling suggestions. Never had any safety issue, including walking from Strat to the Monorail at 11pm at night. Use your Chicago Street Smarts and you'll be fine. 1. Neon Sign Museum (super cool for old time Vegas stuff) Its in a weird neighborhood, so either Rent a Car or take a Uber/Lyft. (i hear wait times are long for them now) Not sure Taxi's go regularly in that area. 2. Check out the Bellagio Garden as well as the Murano Glass in the lobby. Of course the fountains outside. 3. I hear the Pinball Museum and their new location is pretty sweet. I haven't been there myself. 4. Grab a show, but check the Discount Tickets booths that are nearby or online. The shows never sell out and last minute deals are to be had if your schedules are flexibile. 5. Best Pools I've been too... Caesars, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Bellagio. 6. Dolphins at the Mirage. 7. New $4.2 billion resort called Resorts World Las Vegas. Most expensive resort ever built in Vegas. 8. Everything is further than it seems, walking wise. Familiarize yourself with the Monorail and buy a multi day ticket. Your feet will thank you. 9. Take a gondola ride thru the Venetian. Madame Tussauds is there too. Have a ton of fun. Vegas is the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 And if you gamble in Vegas, table game minimums are up. Bring a stack of bills for your initial stake especially in craps. Downtown may have some lower minimums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentralChamps21 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 On 8/2/2021 at 4:56 PM, greg775 said: And if you gamble in Vegas, table game minimums are up. Bring a stack of bills for your initial stake especially in craps. Downtown may have some lower minimums. If you gamble in Vegas, you're bad at math or hate money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted August 5, 2021 Author Share Posted August 5, 2021 1 hour ago, WhiteSoxFan1993 said: If you gamble in Vegas, you're bad at math or hate money. If you watch a movie in a theater, you're bad at math or hate money. If you go to a baseball game instead of watching on TV . . . If your losses stay in entertainment levels it doesn't seem any different to me than any other nights out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Mite Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) Not really a summer vacation but we are big lovers of cruises, we've taken 62 of them. Because of Covid it's been almost 2 years since our last one. We finally decided its time to test the waters ( no pun intended) and have booked a cruise for Nov 28 with Princess Cruises. Protocols are in place, you must be vaccinated and have a negative Covid test dated no earlier than 48 hours before boarding the ship, masks are required indoors except when dining or in your cabin, if you are out on deck no masks are required. Cabins are being sold at 60% of capacity. Princess started sailing again in June and have had no incidents of Covid cases on their ships so it's all aboard in 8 weeks. Edited October 2, 2021 by The Mighty Mite 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScootsMcGoots Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Northern Michigan, specifically the Lelanau Peninsula by Traverse City, is absolutely stunning, and it is SO much fun. Go in the Fall to get the colors of the changing trees. One of the most beautiful parts in the country. Highly recommend 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 On 8/4/2021 at 6:24 PM, CentralChamps21 said: If you gamble in Vegas, you're bad at math or hate money. If you gamble in Vegas there's always that one trip you finally get hot and/or hit it big on either craps, roulette or blackjack. Maybe even a slot though I won't play them. I won't tell any stories of nice wins but it's happened 2-3 times of all the times I've been to Vegas. The key then is to finally enjoy the amenities that come with the rare wins. I bet some people on here have stories of a trip or two in which they had significant wins. Overall, if you go many times, obviously Vegas will beat you down way more than you'll beat LV IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.