Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

True Detective: The Case of the Stolen iPhone [Act III]

thepointsoflife

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September 19, 2014

We are in the final act of Trent’s iPhone saga. At our last juncture, Trent and Alvin were trying to decide if they should send a letter that would persuade the apparent thief to return Trent his iPhone. Before that decision could be made, Alvin had another breakthrough idea.

Alvin: whats the hotel phone #

Trent: Shit

Alvin: nm i got it

Trent: k

A few moments pass while Alvin is on the phone with the hotel.

Alvin: got his name. Jonnie [redacted]

Trent: lol no way

Alvin: he’s a day employee there

Trent: ahahaha

Alvin: the night manager is a moron

Trent: And he lives at that address??

Alvin: told him that a guy with that address lost his wallet. and i got it

Trent: ahahahahaha

Alvin: and want to return it to him. i gave him my phone #. we are getting closer

Trent: Should I turn the lock screen on the phone to say “Jonnie, I want my phone back”??

Alvin: now we have to be smart

Trent: what do we do now. What do we doooo! Ahhh, he doesn’t have fb. Unless that last name is spelled wrong

Alvin: the last name is spelled right, the first name is not, he says they just call him jonnie but it’s like judnat and he doesnt know how to spell it.

Trent: Motherf@!ker

Alvin: well we know he works there and we know he has your phone

Trent: It was that c*!@sucker that let me into the f@cking room!

Alvin: so tomorrow i call and tell the manager. tell them i have bad news about an employee. i dont want to get law enforcement involved. we don’t press charges or blow up yelp

Trent: i like the yelp angle

Alvin: just want the phone returned. do we give your name? i think jonnie is going to come kill you.

Trent: hmmm, my fb is locked up!

Alvin: add a phony name to your address. and we will have him send it there. simon bolivar?

Trent. yes. My name is fine tho. I don’t care

Alvin: yeah i think your name is fine too

Trent: cant wait for tomorrow! this is great

Alvin: hope u got that finder’s fee. i expect at least $100

Trent: I’ll give u a cut if phone comes back

Alvin: haha ok, go zzzz

Trent: jonnie, Oh Jonnie. He hasn’t turned it on since 9:27pm. I want my cable back too!! lol

October 24, 2013 8:53 am

Alvin: youre phone is in the mail on the way to your home!

Trent: How’d it go down??

Alvin: well, they claim it was found in the parking lot

Trent: It’s been at Jonnie’s house!!

Alvin: she confirmed hte case

Trent: why did Jonnie steal it?!?! And where is cable??

Alvin: he probably found it. and brought it home. then brought it back to work

Trent: lol Jonnie such a nice guy

Alvin: and i want my $

Trent: Yup. He turned it on last night! Had it all week. turned it off when i called

Alvin: poor Jonnie

Trent: hmmm

Alvin: well maybe i spooked him into turning it in

Trent: still don’t get why he took it home on Sunday night, turned it on, turned it off immediately, sat on it all week, turned it on last night, when I called he immediately turned it off, then brought it in this morning

Alvin: because i claled yesterday. and i bet u his boy was like they after u. and he was like oh shit i go turn it in

Trent: hows the manager know so quickly where jonnie stay. like he went into the file cabinet and pulled his info?? theyve been running this scam forever!

Alvin: whatever send me my reward

Trent: Dead phone my ass

Alvin: otherwise im coming to mi and smashing your phone. and then me and jonnie will go take shots

Trent: lol

Alvin: man u shouldve heard me talking. not making any sense. it was hilarious. because how could i say i had his wallet, and then ask where i should turn it in.

Trent: And it would’ve had his name and address lol.

Alvin: im like no i want to turn it in at his work

Trent: yeah and how to spell his name

Alvin: but i was mumbling, guy couldnt understand. “where does he work” the guy asked. i said he worked where i call u

Trent: lol

Alvin: and i got his wallet and i want to give it to him, but i wanna make sure his name matches up. and im not going to his house!

So there you have it folks! Trent did get his iPhone back thanks to the creativity of Alvin. Alvin did get his finder’s fee. And Jonnie, well who knows if Jonnnie was a saint or sinner. Tomorrow, we will cover the many mistakes that Trent made and how you can spare yourself the hassle of going through what he went through. Alternatively, I could give you Alvin’s contact info if you do get into this same situation.

Oh Jonnie!

CIMG0746 — Trent’s wookiee friends who almost cost him his $600 phone.

Simply The Best: Six Months of Points Sexiness

TPOL's Best

thepointsoflife

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September 19, 2014

1

Today is the 6 month anniversary I’ve been alive as ThePointsOfLife. To date, I have had 27,606 views which has to be more than auto-refresh. I continue to try to differentiate myself from every single blog, travel or otherwise, by producing fresh content.

Here are some highlights of the new additions:

In the Hotel Reviews section, I have set up a tourney where all the Vegas hotels I’ve stayed at fight to not get Knocked Out.

In the Pulse section, I write my own op-eds about current events. Check out my UK saving post on Scotland.

In the Trip Reports section, I use the economic framework of Guns And Butter to tell you what you absolutely must do when visiting a new place, a creative idea that breaks up the repetition of reading the same review of Angkor Wat.

In the Press section, I use my collection of espresso pictures from cities all over the world to provide a unique insight on local life.

In Travel Advice, I created an intense mini-series about recovering a stolen iPhone while traveling.

I still need to finish the Pho Sho: Top 10 Pho Worldwide and reveal more crazy details about my life as a lawyer doubling as a Taxi Driver all in an effort to sell copies of my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong which is available on Kindle and paperback here.

6 months of sexiness are in the books! Can I get an encore, do you want more?

Vegas Knockout: Early’s Apartment for a Late Arrival

thepointsoflife

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September 18, 2014

0

(19) Early’s Apartment (14) Artisan Hotel Boutique

The Vegas urge could strike at any time leaving me no choice but to hit the road. Living in Scottsdale, it wasn’t out of the question to pack the chariot at the last second and set off for Sin City. The drive realistically takes around 5 hours though there are tall tales of people making it in four. There aren’t many advantages for driving over flying Southwest unless one of the following applies:

1. I didn’t speculatively book a points trip to Vegas that weekend and a last minute booking would be 20,000+ points instead of the usual 6800.

2. I don’t know when or if I’m returning home and can’t or don’t feel like booking a flight for Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Monday morning.

3. Chimney has a craving for 3 card poker after being banned again from online play.

In this instance, #3 was applicable so I loaded the car around 7PM for an expected arrival at 11PM (factoring in the one hour time difference).

The drive to Vegas from Arizona is extremely unpleasant regardless of my great Spotify playlists. Most of it is one lane service roads with no cell service. Even if you do manage to avoid all the police out of sheer luck, the good time will be lost if you encounter traffic on the Hoover Dam. (They have since added a new direct road that bypasses the dam but it wasn’t in service during most of my trips.)

Along the way, I call my buddy Early to let him know that I will be crashing at his apartment and that I will need a caffeine infused alcoholic drink upon my arrival. The advantage of staying at your friend’s apartment in Vegas is obvious; it’s free, it’s fun, and it doesn’t require advanced booking. Furthermore, it is pet friendly. The drawback is that he didn’t live right on the Strip so we always had to cab it back and forth. Even still, that ride was no more than $10-15. All things considered, it is a much better bargain than having to pay for a Priceline Pretender far from the Strip.

So why isn’t Early’s Apartment moving on in the tourney? The answer is simple: you don’t go to Vegas to look for a bargain. You go there to act recklessly in all regards and the only way that is possible is by being right in the center of the action. And even if you are bringing your dog, he shouldn’t have to sacrifice by staying in your friend’s apartment. Resorts like THEhotel and Caesars are pet friendly but prepare to pay a premium for your best friend to come along.

Chim won big that weekend so we only stayed in Early’s Apartment for one night, affording me the opportunity to review another hotel for the Knockout Bracket.

All in all it was a good time until Tuesday came and I had to physically remove Chim from the casino so we could go home. Apparently he owes some wise guys some money which is why he hasn’t returned to Vegas since.

Last time Chim overplayed his hand, some miscreants held him for ransom.

Vegas baby!

True Detective: The Case of the Stolen iPhone [Act II]

thepointsoflife

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September 18, 2014

2

Yesterday we learned that our victim, Trent, lost his phone in Virginia. What was not made clear is that the potential hero, Alvin, was not with Trent when this occurred. He was in his loft in sunny Arizona. Furthermore, it was unclear from the dialogue that Trent and his idiot wook friends had made the journey from frozen Michigan to Virginia to stay at a rat infested motel for a steep price which excluded the unforeseen cost of a stolen $600 iPhone.

We now resume the dialogue with Trent corresponding from Michigan via the only means necessary, Facebook messenger, and Alvin plotting his next detective move from Arizona, starting with a call to the hotel.

Trent: (757) 555-2300, was in rooms 337 and 339, the suite, which was under Chewbacca’s name. lost it between 7:25pm and 11:30pm on sunday night. black iphone 5, black case with RINGKE Slim on the back of it. haha. and it popped up at 2am about 3 miles from the hotel for a second or two. i was with the only kid with us who had a car the whole night. never went anywhere near where it showed up

Alvin: They say thave a 3G iPhone. doesnt sound like yours

Trent: not mine tho

Alvin: i dont know i think someone is playing u. or maybe u were so cracked out u dont remember. phones dont disappear

Trent: i wasnt even cracked out, just drunk. we start drinking rumpelminz and fireball at like 2pm

Alvin: then u took your phone somewhereeee

Trent: but i had it in the rooooooom at 7:25pm. no usage on AT&T since 5mb data at 2:04am

Alvin: then one of the people in the room took it or stole it. nobody just walks into a room. from 3 miles away from the hotel. and says oh hers trents phone. unless gps was fucked. prob laying in a bush with a dead battery

Trent: but why were cable and plug missing? it was a huge cable. cable and phone were plugged into same outlet entire weekend. i never pull the little cube plug either, because i use it for my lil recharger battery pack too

October 24, 2013 12:55 am

Trent: people turned my phone back on. Same place. I can see their front door on google maps. Ahhjjjjj

Alvin: cant u send the police there

Trent: I called! There’s a police station 2 blocks away!!

Alvin: oh no shit and what they say

Trent: They’re like “we only retrieve phones if u go with. Oh wait, it was stolen in Hampton? This is Newport News. U have to report it there first”

Alvin: id go back to Virginia and get that damn thing

Trent: I have work and job!

Alvin: so ur gonna let them get away with it!

Trent: The address that pops up is [redacted] Newport News, VA! I should mail them a self addressed stamped envelope lol. With main apt building address, not mine

Alvin: why dont u get reverse pohne number look up

Trent: And when I called Hampton police they wouldn’t even file a report, just a tracking number for if i had insurance. I’m like “I know right where it is!!” And they said “even if we did find it, we can’t send it back to u”

Alvin: idea!

At this point, Alvin goes to whitepages.com and inputs the address given to him by Trent.

Alvin: we have to be smart enough to figure this out. I think we should mail a letter to the address and say you will not pursue charges if the phone is returned promptly to the police station. Here’s the criminal code for theft! in college one of my roommates stole my sidekick. so i wrote a letter to the house advising them that i would get the authorities involved if it was not placed in my room by saturday and that i would be gone all weekened. came back, and sure enough, it was returned

Trent: thats a great story actually

Alvin: check email.

Alvin emails this letter to Trent:

To: Inhabitants or guests of the property [redacted], Newport News VA 23605.

This request is intended to the aforementioned parties above along with other residents, inhabitants or guests of the property [redacted], Newport News VA 23605.

We have reason to believe that you are in possession of an iPhone 5 that was taken from the owner on either October 20, 2013 or October 21 2013.

The owner has subsequently filed a police report indicating that the phone was stolen. This letter is to serve as notice that you are in receipt of stolen goods and can be prosecuted accordingly if the phone is not returned immediately.

It can be mailed anonymously to the address below and the owner will not follow up with any charges. I have included the Virginia criminal statute below for you to review.

18.2-108. Receiving, etc., stolen goods.

If any person buys or receives from another person, or aids in concealing, any stolen goods or other thing, knowing the same to have been stolen, he shall be deemed guilty of larceny thereof, and may be proceeded against, although the principal offender is not convicted.
If any person buys or receives any goods or other thing, used in the course of a criminal investigation by law enforcement that such person believes to have been stolen, he shall be deemed guilty of larceny thereof.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-107; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 2008, c. 578.)

Will Trent mail the letter to the alleged thief? Would you put your home address as the return address? How great was the letter written by Alvin? Should Trent chalk up his loss to bad luck for his own safety?

Tune in tomorrow for the dramatic conclusion of True Detective: The Case of the Stolen Iphone [Act 3]

True Detective: The Case of the Stolen iPhone [Act I]

thepointsoflife

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September 17, 2014

3

You go out, you party, you wake up to anxiety. Where is my camera, how much money did I spend, where is my phone?

Still in a daze, you are happy to find that your camera is safely tucked in your trousers, rationalize that the spending on your Chase Sapphire is acceptable since it resulted in 2X points, and commend yourself for being responsible enough to plug your phone into the charger.

Nothing stolen, no arrests, no citations, means that you’ve had a good night.

Then one day, you wake up in a hotel room in Newport News, Virginia and your iPhone has gone missing.

The following story is based on actual events and the conversations are based on actual messages. The names of the characters and places have been altered to protect the parties involved.

October 21, 2013 12:47 pm

Trent: so annoyed, someone stole my phone. this is so weak

Alvin: hahahaha, haha, that’s just terrible

Trent: i wouldve thought i just lost it but the cord and plug were gone too. of course phatty211’s ipad was still there wtf

Alvin: where did this happen?

Trent: last night, i left it charging in the room when i went to the concert. came back and nada. i did ‘find phone’ and it was last seen at 2am about 5 miles from our hotel. hasnt been turned on since. it was stolen from the room1. !. well here is the kicker, there were two passed out idiots in the room!! probably with the doors open. idiots

Alvin: oh so then i’ts your fault for sharing room with idiots. shouldve used carlson points!!

Trent: and no insurance on phone ahhhhh they want full retail price hadgehdjcdwhw

Alvin: that is terrible

Trent: i took a taxi to the att store and my partial upgrade discount was like $5. he tried to sell me 5c so i left. $680 for 64gb, $550 for 32

October 22, 2013 9:42 pm

Trent: i think i’ll just pay the ripoff full price. why wont this asshole turn my damn phone on?!?! i wannnnnnna find it

Alvin: cuz he’s taken out the sim. and disabled gps

Trent: it did turn on for a hot second at 2:04am. lol i didnt have a passcode on it. i remote locked it, turned off at&t, passcoded it etc

Alvin: hmm

Trent: something still doesnt add up tho. i mean there were two people in the room all night. it had to be hotel staff

Alvin: maybe it was the people you hang out with?

Trent: it wasnt those two, they were passed out. and they are defo not thieves. some fucking employee probably snuck in grabbed my phone and bounced. i even noticed i forgot it when i was like a block away and i go “oh shit i forgot my phone! well, no one answers during the show anyways, i’ll grab it after”. literally said that out loud

Alvin: losing your phone, no matter what, is rookie. and makes u question your party lifestyle. as is almsot getting arrested

Trent: phatty211’s ipad was still there, the other kid’s macbook, etc. my work laptop. hahaha

Alvin: why didnt u ask hotel security for surveillance. no cameras in the hallway?

Trent: not that i could see. i looked

Alvin: did u ask?

Trent: no. i dont have a phone!

Alvin: hahah

Trent: its just so weird. thats why i thought i just dropped it somewhere. but the cable and plug were gone. and it was an extra long 12′ cable

Alvin: so the door to the room was open or unlocked?

Trent: unlocked most likely. not sure. housekeeping/security culdve unlocked it

Alvin: still not adding up

Trent: nope. i kept wondering if i took it to a different room. but i clearly texted phatty211 at 7:25 from the room asking where he was. and i remember trying to wake the passed out kid up, pointing at the clock and saying “it’s 7:22, wake up!!!” i think it was the front desk guy!

What happened to Trent’s phone? Do you think his buddies stole it? Do you think it was foul play on behalf of the hotel? Do you think he just lost it in a drunken stupor?

Will Alvin be able to save the day?

Tune in next time for Act II of True Detective: The Case of the Stolen iPhone.

Guns & Butter: A Better Way to Travel

thepointsoflife

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September 16, 2014

1

The definition of economics is the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. Despite a bachelors in economics from the University of Michigan, I still fight this principle by trying to do too much with very little. Luckily, points bridges the gap where my finances fall short allowing me to see a lot of the world for a lot less.

Money aside, the biggest constraint on travel besides dinero es tiempo. You can have all the money in the world but will always wish you had one more day to do one more thing. Nothing is worse than coming back from a trip and hearing, “Oh you didn’t visit…” then having to rationalize that Mount Fuji is covered with garbage anyway so missing the tour bus after a late night out was worth it.

I never purchase Lonely Planet guides not because they aren’t full of insight but because I’m not going to be able to do the 200 pages of what is written about inside. Furthermore, I’m not a fan of planning ahead so I rely on luck or word of mouth to point me in the right direction. Occasionally, I do turn to the New York Times’ 36 Hours series for help but, the idea of doing that much, that fast can lead to unnecessary anxiety.

So for all you lazy enthusiasts out there that enjoy reading travel guides but don’t want to wade through the minutia of a 16 part report of how I arrived at the airport, picked up my bags, detoured at the bathroom, waited to check into a hotel, and on and on, only to book an overpriced tour booked through the resort, these posts are for you. (For my points purists, please find the pictures of the hotel room toilet and welcome gift in the Hotel Reviews section.)

If you want to really know what you should do when you only have one night in Bangkok, worry not, ThePointsOfLife economist limits your choices to guns and butter.

Way back in economics 101, I learned the microeconomic theory of opportunity cost, the value of the best opportunity foregone between two mutually exclusive alternatives. The pedagogical way to teach this theory is by graphing the production of two wholly unrelated goods, the two famously being guns and butter. Using this model, a country has to choose between producing more guns at the expense of producing more butter and vice versa.

I trust this horrific graph will look familiar to my fellow economists.

The downward sloping curved line represents the Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) showing all the efficient combinations of producing these two goods. Anything to the left of the curve represents an inefficient allocation of resources because the country can do better by moving out to the PPF and producing more of both. Anything to the right of the curve represents an unattainable combination given the available resources.

Translating this into travel English we are left with the following:

Point A represents our ideal vacation if resources were infinite: I want to climb a volcano, I want to party all night, I want to visit every beach. While it would be ideal to do it all, it doesn’t lie on the PPF (Production Possibility Frontier) i.e., the downward sloping line, making it impossible to complete.

Point B represents an inefficient trip because resources were not used optimally: I wasted my time at tourist traps, I visited bars that ended up being brothels, I spent too much time sleeping, flustered by the limitless possibilities of this new city.

Point C and D represent efficient allocation of your travel time and resources i.e., if you knew a local in every city, what would he tell you to see and do. Take note that producing more butter, e.g., going to the beach results in a reduced production of guns, e.g., a zipline tour through the jungle.

The choice of opting for one activity over another is the opportunity cost.

So where does this leave us? It leaves us with a convoluted explanation developed within an economic framework for what you critically must see and do when you are traveling to a new destination.

Simply stated, I will cut TripAdvisor’s Top Things to Do list from 500 to 2 choices. Not only will I tell you straightaway why these are two of the best choices for what to do in a particular city, but also I will help you make the decision of which one you should choose in the event you cannot do both. That way you don’t get overwhelmed from having too many choices, skip the essentials, then make excuses as to why the Great Wall is not that great.

In the end, I’ll keep it simple: guns or butter, the choice is yours.

Vegas Knockout: My Fantastic Voyage at the Trump Hotel

thepointsoflife

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September 15, 2014

12

(20) Trump vs (13) Paris

Everyone has that only in Vegas story so I thought I would share mine.

The Knockout Bracket of where to stay in Vegas is supposed to review all the hotels that I have personally stayed at in Las Vegas. This posts deviates from that formula as I have never stayed an entire night at the Trump Hotel. Regardless, I am including it in the tourney because of the bizarre set of circumstances that led me there.

The party in Vegas clubs go on late into the night with after hours available for those that aren’t ready to call it just because the sun is about to rise. But, what happens if you are sick of all those glow sticks and are seeking an alternative party. Where do you go to satisfy that craving?

The answer is the Trump Hotel. I’m certainly breaking the tired slogan of what happens in Vegas by recounting the details of how I arrived at a lifestyles party. But, the hilarity of the evening makes it worth sharing. I was at Cosmo’s Marquee Nightclub when my friend and his girlfriend suggested that we ago to an after party. Without ascertaining the details of where we were going, I agreed to accompany them.

We arrived at the Trump Hotel, a building so ugly, so gaudy, no other casinos reside next to it. From there, we took the elevator the penthouse floor. My friend knocked on the door of what I later found out was the largest penthouse suite and a strange man answered. The man was unusually concerned as to why I lacked companionship and reluctantly let me in. Once inside, I noticed that everyone was being overly friendly with one another. It was a jovial group of folks who were very hands on.

As a serious travel blogger, I ignored the welcoming commune and made my way around the impressive suite. The pictures of the lavishly decorated bedrooms and beautiful showers which I usually post in my Hotel Reviews could not be documented given the circumstances. Muttering Fidelio over and over to myself, I found sanctuary in the sterile kitchen. The momentary respite immediately vanished and the nightmare continued. While pouring myself a stiff drink (no pun intended), I saw someone who looked familiar out of the corner of my eye. Could it be someone I knew that would blow my cover forever by revealing this shameful secret? Afraid to make direct contact, given that I had already seen too much, I sought solace by slamming my drink and pouring another.

Finally, curiosity got the best of me and I glanced over at the individual. Indeed, I did know who he was but he did not know me. Since things had already gotten weird enough, I decided to introduce myself to this person before I made my hasty exit. Perhaps you too will recognize this individual:

After that night, the significance of the expression it’s like watching a trainwreck took on a whole new meaning. Traumatized by Trump, I am relieved to say that this hotel has been knocked out.

I recommend staying a safe distance away

The Trouble with Single Malts: Why Scotland Should Stay in the UK

Scholar

thepointsoflife

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September 14, 2014

0

It’s the same song and dance as another country wants to break away from its parents to be independent with no clue what comes next if they do.

Have we not learned anything from the stupidity of countries like Greece joining the European Union? Greece thought joining the Eurozone would lead to prosperity as it would be seen as a respectable member of the European community. They fought hard to prove they belonged and finally gained admittance into the Union. What followed was the realization that abandoning the dhracma made their exports of olives uncompetitive, their beaches too expensive, and the cost of a gyro costing too many Euros. Now countries like Greece, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, and Portugal are wondering what they really gained by becoming members.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…

bailout and austerity.

Enter Scotland who is voting this week whether to remain part of Great Britain or try to make it on their own. This is the opposite situation of those countries mentioned above but will, in my opinion, have similar negative consequences.

First, banks like the Royal Bank of Scotland whose headquarters are in Scotland are already making contingency plans to leave Scotland if the referendum passes. Second, the producers of Scotch whiskey are feeling anxious that the intellectual property rights of this native drink will not be enforced due to a limited number of Scottish embassies in contrast to UK embassies worldwide. Next, there are serious questions as to what will happen if Scotland institutes its own currency that is not pegged to the British pound. All of this spells disaster for a country who appropriately wants its sovereignty recognized but has not done the calculus as to what happens if it is completely autonomous.

Investors will be appropriately weary of a country who rather abruptly decide to break free from one the most stable currencies in Europe, the British sterling, in favor of an unseasoned monetary authority. Access to affordable capital will be hard to come by spelling disaster should things not go well for this fledgling economy. And if things do go awry, who will Scotland turn to for help, the United Kingdom? One could only imagine the terms of that bailout.

If not, would they also considering joining the sinking ship of the EU? Hopefully not. We’ve all seen that movie before and it doesn’t have a happy ending.

So to all my 16 year old Scots who have inexplicably been given a vote to decide the fate of their country, I urge you to consider that you have not considered all that needs to be considered in making this historic choice.

That alone should convince you to vote no.

Cheers,

An avid whiskey drinker

Vegas Knockout: A Recap of Week 1

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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September 13, 2014

0

Who will be crowned Caesar of the Vegas Knockout?

How’s your Knockout Bracket looking?

The first week only had one upset with the Riviera beating out the now defunct THEhotel. The only controversy I have encountered is the failure of some hotels to make the tourney. “How can you not include Aria?” my friend asked dismissing the bracket as unreliable.

“Learn how to read,” I replied reiterating that the bracket is comprised only of hotels I have stayed in.

His bitterness aside, here’s a recap of the action:

(28) Stratosphere vs (5) Mirage: The Stratosphere really has no redeemable qualities besides being a landmark on my way out of town when I used to drive to Vegas before discovering the beauty of points and Southwest Airlines.

(27) Hooters vs (6) Four Seasons: Where can you go for bad wings and bad company? Hooters Casino!

(26) Riviera vs (7) THEhotel: Time will tell if the Delano will live up to standard of THEhotel but for now nostalgia wins in the name of Riviera.

(25) Rio vs (8) Skylofts at MGM Grand: Have it your way at the Rio but prepared to be bored besides that.

(24) Flamingo vs (9) Bellagio: Unbreak my heart by refunding my money for an average stay at the Flamingo.

(23) Treasure Island vs (10) Venetian: Sorry Treasure Island.

(22) Planet Hollywood vs (11) Mandalay Bay: Good location is not enough to save Planet Hollywood from an early first round exit.

(21) Stardust/Sahara (SLS) vs (12) Palazzo: In an untelevised game, the Palazzo managed to knockout the Stardust.

Vegas Knockout: Stardust vs Sahara (SLS), the Play-in Game

thepointsoflife

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September 12, 2014

0

There are the days of Old Vegas. Think Tangiers Hotel, think The Rat Pack, think Moe Greene.

Then there are the days of old Vegas. Think Riviera, think Stardust, think Sahara.

The only one still standing both in the Knockout Bracket and in reality is the Riviera. But, for the sake of nostalgia and to mirror the true NCAA Tournament, I had to throw in a play-in game for the old school icons of the Strip. After all, everyone loves an underdog.

Today we have the Stardust vs Sahara with the winner taking on the number twelve seeded Palazzo. No play in team has ever made a significant run in March and I wouldn’t bet that either of these would do the same. However, there’s no harm in a little throwback, even if it isn’t on a Thursday.

A budget conscious law student, I stayed at both the Stardust Hotel and the Sahara hotel. Today, the camels of the Sahara have been replaced by the couture of the fashionable SLS Hotel. The 59 year run of another Vegas landmark has been overtaken by another boutique hotel purporting to be un-Vegas by becoming the standard for the new Vegas. (See Vegas Knockout: THEhotel Reads No Vacancy. L.V. Strip. September, 9 2014)

The same was supposed to happen to the Stardust but due to the economic crisis, the land remains undeveloped with only these pictures serving as memories of the fun times had.

Today, it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior’s college money on the poker slots. In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played. Today, it’s like checkin’ into an airport. And if you order room service, you’re lucky if you get it by Thursday.

Today, it’s all gone.

And if anyone cares, between these two, I choose the Stardust to take on, and mostly likely get thrashed by the Italian side in the opening round.