Not "Time To Say Goodbye" Wednesday , May 3rd

 BELLAGIO, Day 1

The time had come to leave quiet downtown, and head 6 miles South to the middle of the Strip. Kodi and Tom finished packing while munching on the apple danish and blueberry muffin Tom had picked up in the corridor to MSS.  They finished the shivery cold oj, and Tom drank hot chocolate, and Kodi the last coffee before packing the Starfrit away. The muffin was large and a bit dry.  Kodi had asked Tom to get her 'extra' butter. The counter lady emphatically said. "No Butter!" so what was a fella to do..... She was feeling a little queasy again anyway, so just left part of her pastry uneaten.

They checked their account on the TV, so knew what the balance should be , but Kodi chose to get a paper copy of the bill.  She mistakenly thought that check out time was 11 a.m. but at the Cal, unlike most other hotels, you have your room until Noon. No matter..there was lots to do that day, so they could use the extra time.

Once again, Kodi's phone was taken off airplane mode, and a daily charge incurred.  She did hope to get more benefit from that this time, rather than a one way Uber ride. They headed out into the parking garage and around the corner, onto the sidewalk to call a ride share.  Kodi decided on Lyft once again, and a car arrived a few moments later.  She knew that the Strip  was badly torn up where they were heading, as the city repaved in anticipation of the upcoming F1, but it seemed all of the Lyft drivers had ways to avoid the worst of it.

They arrived safe and sound at the Lobby entrance to Bellagio at noon, and as Kodi limped her way to the far end of the check in counter, next the the conservatory, she crossed her fingers  that her Gold Status would enable her to get her room early, without an additional charge.

 

There were only 2 people ahead of her in the VIP line, and she got a great gal, who had her room keys in her hand within minutes, and who gave her a map showing elevators, restaurants etc on the floor.   It proved helpful a few times.

They headed up to room 11006, just a short walk from the elevators.  The room was lovely and the beds so comfortable that while Kodi began unpacking Tom stretched out and started to doze. 

The private pools below were never used while they stayed .

 She threw some jockey shorts at his head. "Hey sweetie, you take the bottom drawer okay?" He was soon on his feet and they were all settled in a half hour, and ready to head downstairs. They had a $200 resort credit during their stay, to use on food and beverage, and Kodi needed to see if she could get the $100 Gold Annual Dinner she'd heard about, since she had never been this level to inquire about it.  That should pretty well cover their food for the 4 days they would be staying there, with a couple of other things they had planned. Kodi also had $100 free play with the offer she had booked.   Since the $13 charge was already on her phone for the day, Kodi figured if she felt up to it, they could take advantage of the data available.  She felt up to it!  

Thanks to lots of helpful people on the Vegas discussion boards she followed, she knew that Gold Card holders with MRewards, could go to the Mirage ( now run by Hard Rock) and get a Unity card from them with enough points on it for $100 free food and beverage or $60 free play.  Since they both had Gold Cards in their names, that figured Kodi could get a meal for them at California Pizza Kitchen and Tom could get the free play.

They needed to head downstairs at Bellagio, to get to the ride share in the tour bus area.  The escalator was out of service, but the elevator was nearby.  Their Lyft driver this time, dipsy doodled thru back alleys, and maneuvered around dumpsters with inches to spare, and had them at the Mirage in no time!  His cash tip was as big as the fare, because of the thrills and entertainment.

When they got to the rewards desk at the back of the hotel, the line stretched 20 deep, for 'new cards'.  A second line which was shorter, was for current Unity card holders and they took precedence. After waiting 25 minutes, the gal they got was only allowed to give out new cards, so two current members didn't get to bump the Kodis.  Ladies first.  Kodi got her $100 worth of points.  She asked to confirm that they were good at CPK.  The girl thought not, since they just 'rented space' in the Casino.  Her co-worker just shrugged his shoulders when she asked him.  Tom went next and as Kodi had stepped out of the busy space while he was served, she asked him if he'd gotten the free play okay.  "Um no. She just put the $100 credit  on my new card."

"Did you ask for free play instead, like we discussed?

"She didn't give me a chance. She just did it and then told me."

So now they had a dilemma.  They had the equivalent of $200 food credits, and since they were not staying there, and another trip back would be too much for Kodi, they needed to use as much of it as possible that day.  Tom did not eat seafood, wasn't fond of Japanese food and Stacks fast food wasn't expensive so wouldn't make much of a dent in it. Kodi noticed that the Heritage Steakhouse was not open until 5.  It was only 3:30 then.  Well, since she hoped to stay at Hard Rock someday, perhaps they should get their gamble on for a while. 

First, they walked all the way back to the front of the hotel, to the concierge sign at the far end of the check in desk.  There was another small sign, saying "Back in 20 minutes.". Hmmm, from when, they wondered. They leaned on the counter and about 15 minutes later, a pleasant young gal showed up.  Kodi asked if she was able to book tables at Heritage steak house and she confirmed she was.  She checked and said that there WAS availability that day for a table for two at 5:00. She asked if it was a special occasion.  "Well, this trip is to celebrate our 53rd anniversary, " Tom said. 

Done!   Kodi wrote the confirmation number down.   They then chatted with her for a while.  She and her husband were heading out to a party that night, so she was leaving a 'bit early' ..and she said they were lucky they caught her beforehand.  The sign on the counter said she was available until 6 p.m.

They decided to play at machines with double seats,  and just use one players card, with hope of generating an offer in the future.  After losing $100 pretty quickly, they found the single seat Willy Wonka machine that Kodi had so much fun, and so many bonuses on, the previous year.  She sat down but after $40 in, and no bonus...she gave up. The rest of the daily money they had between them had to go to their home casino after they got back...and because of the results they had here, it needed to cycle through a few times!  She'd tucked an extra $100 bill into her envelope in anticipation of playing at Mirage, but had  hoped to cash out the same amount to put back into her bag.  It was only 4:30. They hadn't seen a cocktail server on the floor since they first sat down and Kodi was ferociously thirsty. She headed for the restroom and was able to cup enough water into her hands to tide her over. 

They sat at a double seat off the main aisle, in view of the restaurant, without playing, determined to not spend any more, gambling.

At 5 Tom went over to the roped off Hostess desk, to inquire about getting a table, but although there were a couple of cute young gals in short tight black dresses milling around a few feet from him, no one spoke to him.

At about 5:10, the rope was dropped, and Tom walked over again, with Kodi at his side.

"We have a reservation for two, at 5p.m. " he said.  "Name?". "Mr and Mrs Kodi"

" I'm sorry, I don't see it.". Kodi whipped out the paper with the confirmation number on it.  The girl rolled her eyes. " This is for tomorrow night."

Tom explained where and when they had spoken to the Cocierge, including the words "For tonight?" that she'd used. Of course she had left for the day quite a while ago.

The girl in black looked them over, and appeared to be less than impressed.  "Check back in 15 minutes and I'll see what I can do."  They retreated to their perch.  The young lady never left her desk, and only two people arrived and were directed to the bar. The Kodis returned at 5:30, and she said, "Just wait off to the side. It will only be a few minutes."  They did as requested, and a party of 4 arrived and was directed to the dining room.  She then had another ( more pleasant) hostess take them back to a table.  Some kind of power trip...methinks.

The dining room, not visible when you first walk into the bar area was beautiful, elegant and serene.  There were only 2 other tables occupied.  The serving team they had, led by "Kim" was like a well oiled machine, and both the meal and experience was perfect.

Tom enjoyed a 14 oz New York strip steak, with onion rings ( a bit spicy for his palate) and Kodi had the same minus the side dish, and they both ordered the same wine, so got a carafe. The bread plate with a maple salted butter was amazing with the wine, so of course Tom requested another.

Kodi ended the meal with a Cappuccino, and Kim brought out an Anniversary 'surprise' for them to share. He was happy to put the points through the system, which covered the meal, and seemed content with the $60 cash tip.  This reminded Kodi of the time they spent at the Verandah the first week, and once again, she sighed to herself and thought..."If only..."

They wandered through the little Atrium walkway, thinking that it might be the final time, if Hard Rock tore it out, during reconstruction.  They then Lyfted back to Bellagio and played for a while. 

Kodi decided to use half  her free play that night, and played above her usual minimum bet. That paid off when she had a win of $141.00 and just like that, the first $100 bill went into the "Take Home Envelope" after being in town for 7 days. 

 They both played until they were tired and then headed upstairs, to enjoy the beds that were like clouds and they both slept for more than 5 hours, for the first time,  since getting off the plane.  Before they slept they watched a fountain show from the room.  It was one of her favourites, 'Time to Say Goodbye ' It always had made Kodi cry on her last day.   "Not yet thankfully, my angelic voiced friends.  Not quite yet."

BELLAGIO, Day 2

They woke up to much cooler, windy weather.  Kodi had set up the Starfrit, and Tom made her a coffee to sip while she dressed.  The plan was to go out to the pool cafe for breakfast, but they certainly changed their minds about putting swimwear on.  57F...brrr. It was going up to above 70 later in the day, but with the wind, it would still be pretty cool down there.

They went downstairs just after 10 a.m. and headed down the hallway to the pool area.  Going out onto the balcony overlooking the pools, they were surprised by how biting the breeze actually was. It came in gusts, so a cold shivery surprise kept hitting them. 

 When they were in the direct sun, and the air was still, it was pleasant, so they decided to head to the cafe, hoping to get a table in the sunshine. Yep, that would do it.  The fellow checking room keys and bags had his feet up, and headphones on..so wasn't. Kodi put hers away.  If she had needed towels, she might have had to disturb him, lol.

There were stairs but also a nice long winding ramp down to the pool area below.  They saw a few people on lounges, reading and covered up to some extent, and no one actually in the water. Even if you went into a heated pool, getting out would probably be brutal.  They saw one fellow struggling to get an umbrella up, but giving up when the whole thing threatened to topple over on him in the wind.   As they approached the restaurant, they reconsidered, when they saw a small plant on one of the tables tip over, and someone's empty plastic glass skitter across their table top.  They looked at each other for a minute. They were hungry, they were there, they had no plan B.  Kodi asked for a table further back from the edge of the cafe, ( it had a pergola roof)  that was in the sunshine.  They got one, and sat to peruse the menu.  

Did you realize that the sun shifts in the sky fairly quickly?  They ordered and before the food came Kodi had to change chairs to keep her head in the sun.  They did have skittering glasses when they finished their juice... but Kodi caught hers  before it went off the table, knocking her knife onto the floor instead. They shivered and they ate.  They looked around at others shivering and eating. Eye contact and wry smiles were exchanged. What a hearty bunch they were. They were all in Vegas, and at the Bellagio,  so they would put up with it and it would be part of their story afterwards.  

 Tom had a chicken sandwich with onion rings as a side and Kodi enjoyed the Bella Omelet, which came with home fries and toast. They decided to have their hot drinks afterwards, when they got back inside , for just the cost of a tip. It was a very expensive breakfast for them, but a planned one, and would be covered by the resort credit. Once again, Kodi's stomach felt a bit unsettled, so her appetite diminished as she began to eat, and she left about half her meal.  She had tucked some of her Pepto Bismal tablets in her purse, so took them in the restroom while Tom attended to the bill. ( Kodi had left him the cash tip, before heading away from the table!)

They spent the entire day playing slots together  ( using just Kodi's card while investing the rest of the free play, ) and apart... Neither had a lot of luck, but we're smart about cashing tickets out, and that way they stayed even until about 3:30 when they were both getting down to the last few dollars in their envelopes.  They decided to take a break and have a treat at Cafe Gelato.  Kodi had determinedly tried to get the 2/1 Myvegas reward  for this,  but failed, so they charged $13 plus tax to the room, and had small cups. Kodi got the Mint  ( thinking it might be good for digestion) and Tom got Salted Caramel. It was tasty and refreshing.  They had a seat next to the window in the hallway, so people watched for a while.  They then played for a little longer, until  it was no longer possible..cashed out their tickets for pennies, and headed to the room early.  

BELLAGIO, Day 3

When Kodi got up on Friday morning her gut was in turmoil.  She had always had a 'cast iron stomach' and seldom had issues with it, since getting an ulcer many, many moons before. She sipped her coffee ( the culprit?) and thought back.  She'd first felt this way the morning after they arrived.  They'd had a huge carby meal ( and a hot pepper for her) the night before.  Was that it?  She had been eating low carb for a few years, but was abandoning that on the holiday.  There were a few other possibilities as well.  She hadn't felt nauseous, just queasy, and had frequent restroom calls. Perhaps she had a gastro bug...literally.  Not much appetite, but when she smelled food,  she wanted to eat. Shortly after that, the queasiness returned.  Sadly, because of her mobility problems, this trip consisted of mostly eating and gambling, and restroom trips lol.

They'd had nothing since the gelato at 4 p.m. the previous day, so Tom went and ate a croissant at Cafe Gelato.  Kodi elected to have nothing.

Unfortunately, the meal plan that day was for a brunch buffet at Bellagio.  The $100 Gold Card Dinner amount would cover it. Originally, Kodi's thoughts had been to go to Wicked Spoon at Cosmo.  She soon realized she could never walk that far, and it would cost them another $40 for round trip uber with tips ( plus her $13 phone activation fee) ...and there would still be a long walk, and longer line up to stand in, so that was definitely out.

She absolutely did not fancy a buffet, but today was the only chance they had to use the credit for it, and Tom would really enjoy it.

They agreed to meet at the entrance at 1:00 p.m.  Kodi went upstairs to the room, to read and rest, returning to the casino floor at about 12:45.  The buffet line wasn't long and they were seated near the drink station with a bench seat for Kodi as requested, after they were led to a table for 4 nearby.  The hostess said the wall seating that Kodi pointed out was closed and although there were a few people still over there, that  server was taking no more tables.  With Kodi's plea though, she talked to the gal, and they were accommodated.  There was lots of room to stow Tom's hat, her bag and the cane.  She hated when having seating in the middle of the room, the cane crashed to the floor if someone bumped it while it leaned on the edge of the table.  Thankfully, Kodi could see the restroom from her seat.

Tom finally figured out the fancy soda machine, and got himself cola, and Kodi water. He helped quite a few confused people after that, since he sat facing it, and just a few feet away. wink.  He went up and filled the first of his three  plates.  He offered to get a meal for Kodi, but she wanted to go up and pick a bit of something that appealed to her.  She got a slice of beef, a piece of bacon, and some shrimp... with some ham, that she left on the plate as it was too salty. . It was all she fancied.  

Tom got his fill of desserts and Kodi had a custard, and craving chocolate, ate a bit of that, and a macaron, that was lemon flavoured.  She also had another glass of water and a cup of mint tea. It was more than enough.

They agreed , surprisingly, that if paying for the buffet entirely, at the difference in price of $20/p, the Excalibur would be their preference.  This one did not have many of the fancy things it had when they ate there in the early 2000's, nor the appeal visually of the food at the Wicked Spoon where they'd been once.

They separated and played until the evening, with Kodi actually retaining 1/4 of her daily stake since she hadn't gambled morning til night.  Of course, the restroom near the art gallery saw a lot of her as well, so that saved money.  She did get to know two of Richard McDonald's sculptures well though, and after the forth trip past them , they waved as she entered the Ladies' room.  

 She's pretty sure these new friends had something to do with what happened next.  She entered the handicapped stall, and before standing, spotted a quarter on the floor...Heads up!  Doing a graceful squat using the assist bar, she used a piece of tissue to pick it up. While she was doing that she spied a penny, Head's up , just under the divider to the next stall, where there were NO feet showing. Her handy Money grabber, umm cane,  pulled it towards her so she could retrieve a 'two for one' lucky find.  She had a plan and tucked the wrapped coins in her bag, making sure they stayed heads up.

Neither of them wanted to eat anything else that day, and they played for another couple of hours near each other, before heading to the room around 9 p.m.  

They still had resort credit, so they devised a plan for breakfast, and Kodi made an online reservation, via 'Sevenrooms' for Sadelle's the following evening, for their last meal at the Bellagio.  She also mentioned that they were celebrating their 53rd wedding anniversary. LOL.  She took more Pepto, realizing she was nearly out, but hoped she would not need any more.  

Before retiring, she carefully unwrapped her coins, and gently washed them in the sink keeping them 'heads up' of course...hoping this wouldn't remove the lucky aura.  She laid them to dry on a facecloth, warning Tom not to touch them.  She then had sweet dreams of big wins ( or ANY wins...sigh) in her future.

BELLAGIO, Day 4

When they woke up, Tom headed downstairs to Cafe Gelato, and returned with 2 Ham and Cheese croissants and a hot chocolate. Kodi paid  for it with the cash she'd brought up the night before as she wanted to leave the hotel with a zero balance, so was saving the rest of the room credit for their last meal that evening. She finished about half of hers and passed the rest to Tom. Their tastes are often different, but in this case they had the same meal, so he enjoyed it.  

She dressed carefully, placing the two coins face up, in her bra.  The lucky energy was not feeling as strong as she hoped, (but only time would tell whether the soap and water and delay in using them would affect their power.)   This method had never failed her in the past, when she only had a single coin.  She patted her chest and away they went, to the casino floor.

They played up and down all day, so Kodi felt that her lucky charms were protecting her from disaster, but not operating at their full potential....and this was a problem.  Perhaps an adjustment was needed.

They had an early reservation at Sadelle's in the conservatory, for dinner, so headed upstairs to change, Tom from his shorts to long pants and Kodi to grab a shawl.  Kodi also made another change...the Quarter and penny were now side by side, touching each other,  and not separated by 12 inches. Perhaps that had been the problem.

They took this opportunity to tour and enjoy the Conservatory's Spring display, which was beautiful as usual.  

They were seated in the lovely dining room, and were surprised it wasn't busier. The restaurant  only had the upper level open, not the tables next to the windows unfortunately. 

 Of course it was very early (5:30 on a Saturday night), and just a few more tables filled up before they were finished at 7:00.  Tom ordered Rigatoni Bolognese, and Kodi had  garlic chicken ( incredible garlicy gravy) with a side of asparagus.  Tom asked if they served bread with the pasta. (He always loves garlic bread with his). "Certainly, sir!"  It was delivered a few minutes later, just ordinary white bread, on a plate.  He was charged for a 'side of toast' on the bill. 

 

They skipped wine this time and just enjoyed ice water with the meal.   The food was delicious and the service excellent. Once again, they tipped in cash, with the bill being charged back to the room.  Oh, and they got another Anniversary surprise!   The Manager was going table to table inquiring how meals were, and she stopped and asked if they were enjoying the little celebration cake she'd made for them , LOL.

They finished the meal and decided to work their way along the casino floor, hitting various machine on the way to the elevator. Once again, it was time to start packing, as they were getting picked up at 10 the next morning by a friend and being treated to a buffet at Main Street Station, which they hadn't had since before the pandemic began. They were looking forward to seeing the changes they'd heard about.

Tom was playing a Quick Hit machine and Kodi sat down at a video poker machine a few feet from him, to play various games. She patted her chest discreetly. After her first couple of hands, she hit quad jacks, and not long afterwards, on a different game,  quad twos with a 4 kicker.  Of course she had patted her chest between them.  She happily cashed out, knowing the lonely hundred dollar bill in the 'Take Home Envelope' would be eagerly awaiting her arrival, up in the room.

Even the fountains were happy about her win!