What a deal!

A friend of mine, knowing I would benefit from such knowledge, told me about some Vegas secrets when it comes to cheap eats. Those of you who have been to Vegas recently know that the days of the cheap buffets are gone (most start at $14.99 p/person) and I didn't see even one advertisement for a $3.99 prime rib dinner. However, there are still some great deals if you know about them or can take the time to look for them. You can still get a sundae dish full of shrimp and smothered in cocktail sauce for 99 cents at the Golden Gate casino on Fremont Street! An old player piano entertains while eating. After your fill of shrimp, head to the Golden Nugget and sign up for their rewards club and get $10.00 in free slot play. My son and I turned our free $20 of play into $27 cash and smiled as we walked out the front door. :) We then headed over to the Super 8 Motel on Koval (just behind the Venetian) which is connected to the Ellis Island casino and restaurant. Yes, folks, you can still enjoy a wonderful dinner of steak, baked potato, vegetable, bread AND salad for a mere $4.99. You may have to wait a few minutes to be seated (it's a popular place) but it's worth the wait and you can do what we did.....put $5.00 into the Wheel of Fortune quarter slot machine, turn it into $50 and then KEEP the $50.00! :) We ate at Ellis two nights in a row before decided we'd had enough beef. The next night we headed to Arizona Charlie's, another off Strip casino with a 24/7 restaurant serving an incredible breakfast for $2.49! Yes, that's eggs, a slab of ham the size of Texas, hashbrowns, and a homemade biscuit completely smothered in gravy (or toast, whichever you prefer)! Those of you who know me will know how big this breakfast/dinner was when I confess I couldn't even eat it all! ha And incidentally, when you sign up for the rewards club at Arizona Charlie's they allow you to play up to $100 on their slot machines and will reimburse you for your losings (one time only). We played some and then requested reimbursement, received it, and left. So you see, with a little research (or a knowledgeable friend) you can still eat well in Vegas for very little. :)
My son (who remains "jobless in Vegas") is renting a bedroom in the house above. His roommate is also Greek (as in fraternity) and a UNLV student. It's a great house in a great location near Henderson. Vegas is a desert town and water is certainly not abundant (unless you're a multi-million dollar casino with a water show or canals). So it makes sense that most folks have rocks for grass in their yards (is it a "yard" if there's no grass?). From someone who is definitely NOT a yard person....why doesn't this catch on in the fertile east? When I owned my home, my son (who inherited my dislike of yardwork) and I would argue over cutting the yard (I only had a push mower) and over whether one of us had cut exactly "half" of the yard or not! ha Rocks for grass. Makes sense to me!