CASINO ROAD TRIP (3/3): THE VEGAS PANDEMIC

It’s all my fault. In life, things rarely go the way you planned. That girl you thought was going to go the distance sneaks out of your hotel room with your Breitling and Ray-Bans. The bet that was a sure thing falls through in stellar fashion at the last second. But when you unleash The Unluckiest Man Alive on the casino-town that never sleeps, it’s your fault they close their doors for months. Here is how it unfolded on the road trip.

Ninth-ish Casino: The Mirage, NV

Although The Mirage isn’t MGM’s newest property, it’s one of my favorites. You can get great rooms, great food and great atmosphere for your buck. Always ask for the upgrades when checking in.
I say ninth-ish because, much like AC, I hit up so many spots (check out my reviews for the others). I did pretty damn good here until I unleashed The Ultimate Mush.

Tenth-ish Casino: Caesar’s Palace, NV

Caesar’s Palace is Caesar’s Palace. Not their best property, but their best known. Their pool, buffet, sportsbook and action is legendary. But circumstances were NOT IDEAL.
I made a terrible mistake here. Our crew had always joked that the valley where we grew up contained his bad luck, but I had no idea it was true. I encouraged a man with the worst luck, who has never left NEPA, to come to LV. I paid for it dearly.
I lost everything I had on the trip. I lost everything I had in the bank. I lost a shit-ton of credit. Casinos that have never shut down before would be closing for an indeterminate amount of time. I almost ended America and the world with a pandemic by bringing him out to my home away from home.

I am sorry. It was a terrible mistake.

Final Casino: The Cosmopolitan, NV

As the world was realizing that we needed to take drastic measures to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus, I was drinking Bloody Mary’s on the balcony of my Cosmo hotel room. Cosmo has been one of my favorite spots since it opened.
I hit the Chandelier Bar, stopped by the Lounge and dropped an ungodly amount of money due to the lasting effects of The Mush’s visit. I had late night cocktails with friends and family and bought a new track suit. It was a blast.

Epilogue

I woke up from the skylight-bathed sunrise in Casa Karmina, Venice Beach. I rolled out of bed and knocked over an empty bottle of Johnnie Walker Black and struggled to the coffee maker. Coffee in hand, I walked out onto my deck, all the way over to the couches that look over the Venice beach walkway near Washington and sat and watched masked couples, bikers and skateboarders perform their AM routines. This would be my home base for the next two months.

An email came from a host. He told me the casino closures were extended from April 1^st indefinitely. As I took a sip of coffee, I watched the clouds roll in that would cause unusual weather for the next few weeks in Venice. Indeed, the storm had arrived on all fronts.

Share this:

Like this: