Check-out at Plaza is at 11. We leave our luggage at the bell desk and grab a classic American Breakfast at the Golden Nugget. One wonders how obesity can be an issue in the country… After our healthy breakfast we take the sunny 15 minute walk towards the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop that is famous from it’s TV series Pawn Stars.
Now, every trip has to have an absolute fluke. Last trip the Kiss Miniature Golf took care of that part and now the Gold and Silver Pawn shop takes care of business. I remember VDH wanting to visit this place last time but I didn’t know back then what it was all about. I’ve seen several episodes last year and it’s pretty funny television. I don’t think we were inside for more than a minute. 95% of the products inside are Pawn Stars merchandise. It has nothing to do with a real pawnshop anymore and we are out asap.
We visit one other pawnshop on our way back that gives a way better perspective of what it’s really like. Back on Fremont we try to watch the Ajax – Feyenoord soccer match in an Irish pub but it’s nowhere to be found. Hugo and I head for the Neon Museum. I collect vintage Vegas stuff so visiting this museum is a must.
Iebus and Bozzie are not interested and Baars goes to the Shoeseum. Baars has a 250 piece sneaker collection but some guy is supposed to have a billion or something and he displays them in downtown Vegas. Unfortunately the place went out of business and I’m starting to think Baars’s run good Tequila misunderstood it’s purpose earlier this week.
I checked the road to the Neon Museum with Google Streetview and it looked fine. However, the scenery keeps getting more sketchy as Hugo and I walk towards the museum so much that I decide to hide my watch. I’m wearing a oversized Kyboe watch that is easily mistaken for a very expensive one and don’t want to get my hand cut off by some bum.
We’re at the Museum around 12:15 and one tour started at 12. The next one starts at 13:00 but we can’t take that one because we’ll be playing the Binions 2PM once more. We had a blast yesterday and the level of play is too tempting not to play. We don’t have tickets for Santana yet but Baars went to the Mirage to take care of his LA flights and he will try to get tickets later. Santana starts at eight so we probably busted the tourney by then, if not, it’s probably worth staying.
Anyway, we just want to take a couple pictures of the signs and even offer to pay the tours fee to do so but for some reason that’s not allowed. Hugo doesn’t surrender that easily and climbs on a fence but when security is called we hit the road. We stop a the new Downtown Grand casino but I don’t spot anything that makes this a must visit so it’s in and out.
After registration for the 2PM we brick the 14, 11 & 8 for while until we start the drinking grind at the slots. I go with Rum Coke this afternoon as I liked them last night but after about seven of them I don’t even feel slightly drunk and switch to Budweiser’s. Again Binions gets 90+ runners but my tourney is a quicky. I call it of with tens in a blind battle when and old dude goes all-in for about 75 big blinds in level three. I wanted a serious stack and besides that I thought I was ahead. I loose the flip against AK and do not reenter because I wasn’t feeling it.
I collect Vegas stuff so I made a round trough all the Downtown casinos and score a one dollar chip in each one for my collection. After that I join Bozzie and Iebus in the cash games. Around 18:00 Hugo is all-in with Q8 vs AQ and AT so I’m walking towards the cabs already when Hugo binks two eights and now has a stack. Sigh.
Baars calls at 18:45 that he’s at Mandalay and there are still Santana tickets available. Hugo is still in with an average stack so I have a decision to make. Bozzie is to old for this sh*t and Iebus is not interested. I decide to f*ck it and just go. This night is going to set me back 4 c-notes easily but there are a some good reasons for going. I couldn’t name you a Santana song if my life depended on it but everyone I told we might go and see Santana in Vegas was super enthusiastic. Also, last trip we went to Rod Steward and I liked that a lot more than I would have guessed but de biggest reason is Baars. The dude been having a rather rough week.
He was on the phone calling the bank for funds all week and when they helped him he burned the cash as if it was going out of fashion. The passport situation is besides expensive (~ 1.5k for the hole charade), stressful. Baars has been raving about Santana for months so I would hate it if he had to enjoy the show alone so I hop into a cap at 07:10 and tell the Hungarian cabbie to step on it. I take a power shower at the Mirage and jump into clothes that suit a fine Clubbin’ night in Las Vegas. Back into a cab and I arrive at Mandalay at 19:55.
Walking into The House of Blues I know I made the right decision. It’s pretty small and cozy and I just feel the night is going to be epic. Baars and I have the cheapest tickets available (~ $ 120,-) but they are the best seats in the house. We’re both toll so we look over anyone easily and we are within touching distance of the bar. We just have to wave at the bar chick and two new Corona’s come flying in.
I expect to be back on the Casino floor by 21:30 as your average Vegas show doesn’t last to long but Carlos is highly motivated tonight. He starts pounding that guitar at 20:05 and basically doesn’t stop until 23:00. I don’t know any of his titles but of course I recognize a lot of the songs and sing along in fluent Spanish as you can hear in the "Oojee Kommo Vaaa" movie below.
At one point I see Baars hanging over the bar talking to the bartender. That can only mean one thing; Tequila. Now, tequila is supposed to a shot, right? So without giving it much thought I lick the salt and throw this bad boy in the back of my mouth. Little did I know Baars ordered a BUCKET of Tequila. I have tequila all over my face and running into my eye’s. My mouth is so full that I have to swallow three times before it’s all gone and we don’t drink tequila for it’s lovely taste as Jim Jefferies explains below. The horror is complete when I see that the cup isn’t finished yet so I throw back the rest but I can’t swallow it because I’m nearly pissing myself when I see Baars siting on his knees in front of the bar. Clearly, his shot didn’t go down to smooth either. Good times.
After the concert we stumble into the casino. I haven’t eaten a crumb since breakfast and I’m drunk as hell. Baars sits down at a slot machine when he realizes he bought a Santana t-shirt that he left at the House of Blues wardrobe. Baars walks back into the building and I stare a the door. For ten minutes. No. ****ing. Baars. I walk back in and there is no one around. WTF. I call Baars but get the voicemail and then remember his phone dying while making a movie. Lovely.
I can’t find Baars anywhere and walk towards the cab line that is about five football fields long. Waiting that long is no option because the following is going on; I’m producing a lot of saliva. That means I’m about to puke my heart out in approximately ten minutes. I’m not sick or anything is just a fact. I can puke an party on like nothing happened so it’s no biggie.
I walk to the front of the cab line and start walking towards NYNY. I’m pretty sure I go through some bushes and climb a small wall before I’m in the middle of a 5 lane freeway type of road. Some more bushes and I reach the bus stop in front of NYNY that looks like a save environment to empty my stomach.
After the puking is done I fell reborn and want to take the first available cab but there are no cab spots on this side of the strip and before I realize it I’m at Aria and just stumble on towards Mirage. Hugo, Bozzie and Iebus are burning monies at Roulette and what do you know; the 14 hit.
Iebus has a picture to proof it because all the chips that the hit produced are long gone. Baars shows up as well and him and I hit McDonalds for about six burgers each. No idea what happened afterwards but I probably hit the sack and Baars packed his stuff for his 6 AM flight towards LA.
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