BLACKHAWK

To give Elizabeth dedicated Grandma time with Reid, I went off for four nights to Blackhawk just before I went to Vegas for 12 nights.

I stayed at the very expensive and plush Monarch. I just felt at the last minute, that I could not trust the cheaper places like the Lady Luck.

I'll do it again just for fun of the huge pool on the roof.  The view is amazing, with glass all around.  It was trees all up steep mountain slops.  Very relaxing.

The pool music was very appealing as well. They played soft sounds that were delightful. 

There were three hot tubs, two inside and one outside in the cold with snow on the lounge chairs.  I tried the one outside and it worked great.  The water offset the cold.  I could get out and walk to the railing.

The food at the 24/7 cafe was overpriced and bland. Also, it was noisy and just off the casino floor.  But the food at the buffet was excellent.  It was $45, but included one lobster tail, huge and delicious crab, and of course beverages. 

My problem is I don't have a huge buffet appetite anymore .  So after I had a large slice of prime rib with the lobster and crab, I was full.  I had an off diet dessert (baklava)  and some fruit. 

A cheaper and more sensible place to eat was Lucille Malone's in downtown Blackhawk at the Gilpin casino.   I ate well there for half the price of the buffet, and the food was very good.  They also added a 20% discount for Veterans, so that covered the tip. 

However, one must not wait too long as the place closes in the early evening.

It is right across from Bull Durham, where a visit with a player's card gets a free hot dog, and where I like the gambling.

At the Monarch the only quarter game was NSU deuces.  I played it a good while.  I lost.  I only got a couple dollars in comps. 

At Bull Durham I earned $5 cash back. And what points I did not get paid for will be on my card forever.  They told me last visit that my children could inherit the comps. 

There I play a Nickle game of 7/5 Bonus Poker, but it had progressives, and  playing nickels I won't go broke.

Ameristar had two outbreaks of Covid this year. I just did not go in the door of that place. 

One problem with Blackhawk is it is only gambling.  There are no stores, no shows, no sites to see unless one has a car and drives out a bit.

Also, there is the air quality.  Last visit I went to a bed and breakfast up a hill.  It tired me out walking there.  The town itself is fairly flat and a free shuttle runs to all the casinos.  Walking back to the Monarch is all downhill, although sometimes late at night it seems a bit deserted.  I have not seen trouble there, but I'm very vulnerable now having aged into debility.

The Ace Express casino bus from near where my son Cory lives was fine, but it did not have a bathroom.  It is forty minutes.  

That is a challenge for me.

I paid $25 for the round trip and it came with $20 freeplay in some of the casinos, but the freeplay required some play to qualify.  

I rarely want to play slots.  However, perhaps I should have.  I'll look into it next visit.  I could use the bus freeplay right across the street from the Monarch at the Isle of Capri.

I ended up giving my freeplay to a fellow at the bus stop named Doug.  We had a long talk there, and he told me he had been rich and gambled it all away.  Now he was just getting along, with his dogs, and a cheap place to live somewhere.

He was interesting enough. He liked that I was a teacher.

The ride up and back was very scenic, all steep mountain like hills covered in pine.  And from the height of the bus I could see the stream that the road followed.  It was really beautiful.

I enjoyed my time there, but I lost $400.  Too much for just 4 nights.  For 13 days in Vegas I lost $695, but got better comps and a fine room for just fifty dollars total a night.  I ate 8 free meals. The room was not as plush as the Monarch, but had a refrigerator.

I certainly would go again to Blackhawk, but I like Vegas better.