Our best trip ever to Las Vegas was our first trip! It was in the early 1980’s. We went with good friends, an older Tampa Gay couple, Dr. Walt Banks & Jack Busciglio . Both of these super guys have since passed away. When checking into the landmark Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower. Jack told the front desk clerk that he didn’t want to be higher than the 4th floor… just in case of fire.LOL LOL The beautiful towering Vegas strip hotel has 108 stories and told Jack not to worry!
The smiling hotel clerk then put all of us in rooms in the basement!!! “For safety sake!” she remarked!!
We went to Old Las Vegas in the downtown area for dinner and to gamble a little. We started off and went to the legendary Frontier Casino Hotel. Dr. Walt went to one of the women casino drink servers and said, “Which are the machines that are paying off really good tonight?” She led us to the corner section at the Frontier Casino area and said these 4 here and 3 over there 1 isle over. I was shocked as was Mark. How would she know what machines will be winners??? But I loved the tenacity and pure honesty of our 5′ Southern Georgia doctor friend in asking the server. He then gave her a $20 bill with a very southern accent, “Thank You, Hon-ney!”
We were there no less than 5 minutes playing the machines in the corner when Dr Walt hit a $800 win.
We collected then looked for the server to give her $100.00 for her advise. We were pretty hungry by now.
Of course we went to the “4 Queen’s Casino” for dinner. Their infamous acclaimed Prime Rib dinner was $9.95 with a glass of house wine and then you also got $20 in money chips to gamble with. We were having such a great time playing the Queen’s slot machines.
Jack was playing the same 2 slots over and over again next to Mark. Jack was yelling “It’s HOT…. She is going to pay soon!” Then Jack said, “OMG… I’m going to pee my pants!” and ran for the men’s room. He yelled to Mark to stay on the 2 maybe magic fortune telling & paying slot machines!
Mark started to play Jack’s mojo money machines then…. OMG!!! It HIT for $2,500 dollars!!!! You could hear Jack screaming from the nearby men’s room…. “You SOB, Sh*t …Sh*t …That’s My Money!!!” We all couldn’t stop laughing.
Mark then said, “NO YOU CAN NOT HAVE THE MONEY!!! But, the 4 of us can not leave Vegas until we spend it all on fun!” Together we hired a plane and flew over the majestic Grand Canyon & mamoth Hoover Dam on the 16th world’s largest man made lake, Lake Mead . We saw all the top shows including front row lounge seating for Siegfried & Roy Magical Extravaganza, Ceasar’s Palace hit Celebrity Impersonators Show, Frank Marino’s Female Impersonating Review at the Riviera Casino Hotel and bags full of fun Las Vegas souvenirs.
Best of all, the memories we still have and behold today.