Blow that Dough 2024

[Koolau]

I think our first room in Vegas ca 1976 was $30/night. We did a few shows at about $25 or $30 IIRC. There were the $3 (well, $2.99) all you can eat food troughs - er, I mean buffets.

For maybe $35, we saw one of those legendary Vegas spectaculars (you know - jugglers, and tumblers and singers and dancers with the sinking of the Titanic on stage - oh, and and acres of bare skin. DW commented that they could have afforded tops for everyone for the amount of money we paid!) Spectaculars of that day (maybe today?) remind me of the competition between the El Sodom and Rancho Gomorrah night clubs in Los Barocies. Enjoy Stan Freberg's story about it.



"One time only, live on stage, The Hydrogen Bomb!"

 

[Winemaker]

Times have changed. I think I lost less than $20 to the casinos.

No wine, but 2 beers, 2 fancy drinks for DW, a nice steak, DW's scallops, and a dessert. It adds up fast.

Only place that I've ever been to that offers a choice of 4 or 5 steak knives to use on your steak.

DW and I really enjoy "dining experiences" and enjoy them 3-4 times a year. It is definitely great to enjoy quality foods cooked to perfection. It also gives me ideas, for when I cook.

As far as hamburgers, I eat them here at the house with our own beef, purchased annually from a farmer friend since 1993. While I get many compliments on my grilled burgers, I honestly feel it has nothing to do with me, but with everything to do with the beef.

 

[jfn111]

Lol!
It's only money, Right!

I think most of my wardrobe is either Sam's Club or Carhartt.

 

[Car-Guy]

Ah, yes. Remember the 99 cent shrimp cocktail you could get "downtown?" I think those days are long gone.

Seems to me the Casinos in Vegas have fully recovered from the Covid closings. That's not so for many local Casions, example like in Louisiana. Crowds are way down (maybe 30+%) by my guesstimates, most of them have not reopened their buffets "at all", and all have far fewer table games open, even at prime time. And some table games are not even available in the early morning hours. All noticeable changes from pre-covid.

On the positive side, most have opened up sports books in the past year.

Oh, and maintenance is way down. I don't play slots very often but half the machines don't work properly. Some are shut down completely and many have buttons or touch screens that don't work.

 

[NanoSour]

Spent $1,200 on a watch for son's college graduation gift. We wanted to get him something that has a good chance of still being around in 20-30 years to remind him of us. Selfish I know.

 

[Jerry1]

Oh, and maintenance is way down. I don't play slots very often but half the machines don't work properly. Some are shut down completely and many have buttons or touch screens that don't work.

I hate when the buttons don’t work. I like video poker and I like using the buttons (versus the screen). I like the positive feedback from pushing a button. When they’re not working well, it disrupts my playing rhythm. I don’t like having to look at the screen and verify that the cards I wanted to hold are actually held. I don’t like using the screen because it’s too high and far away from the chair. Frankly, my arm gets tired. Plus, it doesn’t have any feedback, so you need to pay better attention.

 

[Car-Guy]

I hate when the buttons don’t work. I like video poker and I like using the buttons (versus the screen). I like the positive feedback from pushing a button. When they’re not working well, it disrupts my playing rhythm. I don’t like having to look at the screen and verify that the cards I wanted to hold are actually held. I don’t like using the screen because it’s too high and far away from the chair. Frankly, my arm gets tired. Plus, it doesn’t have any feedback, so you need to pay better attention.

Exactly, on all points.

 

[Surewhitey]

Speaking of dinners, a couple of friends even picked us up for dinner. They picked their favorite gluten free joint (we aren't) & dang'd if it was really good. As we continued, we found it was the week of their 35th anniversary so we grabbed the bill... $250 all in for 4. We usually don't go out for fancier foods, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Dtail]

Interesting on the thoughts on expensive dinners.
When we were working and treated ourselves to a very nice dinner in NYC, it was on average around 250 to 300 dollars. Perhaps one a month.
I used to keep track on the super expensive ones and know we had 5 dinners over 500 bucks lifetime.
We would not spend this kind of dinner monies anymore.

 

[Surewhitey]

Interesting on the thoughts on expensive dinners.
When we were working and treated ourselves to a very nice dinner in NYC, it was on average around 250 to 300 dollars. Perhaps one a month.
I used to keep track on the super expensive ones and know we had 5 dinners over 500 bucks lifetime.
We would not spend this kind of dinner monies anymore.

We've definitely lightened up for good foods or friends. We're planning to do our first Michelin restaurant in Austria in a few weeks. Curious if it's all that but looking forward to it.

 

[Dtail]

We've definitely lightened up for good foods or friends. We're planning to do our first Michelin restaurant in Austria in a few weeks. Curious if it's all that but looking forward to it.

Our top 2 most expensive restaurants were Le Bernardin and Per Se in NYC.
They are 3 star Michelin restaurants.
I will tell you this. It is hard to say if any restaurant experience is worth crazy money, but the service, quality of food, presentation, etc was exquisite.
The attention to detail went above and beyond including hand signals that my date was returning from the restroom to the table. lol

Follow up with us on your experience.

 

[braumeister]

I've never been to a Michelin-starred restaurant but I can think of three times in my life I've said "That was the best meal I've ever had" and really meant it.

One was in Belgium, one in Ireland, and one in Northern Ireland. None had outrageous prices, but all were truly memorable experiences.

I can see myself having a similar meal at a place with a star, but I can't see myself going to one.

 

[Koolau]

I've never been to a Michelin-starred restaurant but I can think of three times in my life I've said "That was the best meal I've ever had" and really meant it.

One was in Belgium, one in Ireland, and one in Northern Ireland. None had outrageous prices, but all were truly memorable experiences.

I can see myself having a similar meal at a place with a star, but I can't see myself going to one.

My tastes are inexpensive and I've rarely found the price of a meal closely correlating with my enjoyment of the meal. Best seafood experience I had was at this wooden "shack-like" building on stilts in Lake Pontchartrain. I walked in and saw people with plates piled high with muscles, clams, etc. Everyone was engrossed in the eating process. I was pretty sure this was gonna be good. It was. It was also cheap. Almost McD's cheap (but not quite.) I'm sure I stood out like a sore thumb, but I didn't care and neither did anyone else. Everyone was there to eat - not stare at the Yankee.

 

[Walt34]

Bought a new computer off the Dell.com site. New XPS system, 64GB RAM, fancy i9 something-or-other processor, medium end graphics with 12 GB RAM, 2TB SSD and one HDD, and a 34" curved screen display. This PC I'm using is a 14-year-old Dell XPS that was pretty high-end in it's day but it's beginning to choke on Lightroom and Photoshop so time for a new computer. And my eyes aren't getting any better, hence the big screen. $3,400 & change, which for me is BTD on a computer.

 

[braumeister]

Bought a new computer off the Dell.com site. New XPS system, 64GB RAM, fancy i9 something-or-other processor, medium end graphics with 12 GB RAM, 2TB SSD and one HDD, and a 34" curved screen display. This PC I'm using is a 14-year-old Dell XPS that was pretty high-end in it's day but it's beginning to choke on Lightroom and Photoshop so time for a new computer. And my eyes aren't getting any better, hence the big screen. $3,400 & change, which for me is BTD on a computer.

I’m impressed. My 27 inch monitor is still huge to me. Enjoy!

 

[More Cowbell]

Full titanium folding bike, just in time for retirement! Can’t bring my folding e-bike on a plane, and so much easier to lift into the car.

 

[1242Vintage]

Got out on my gravel bike for a 45-miler with 4k ft of climbing. Ramping up weekly mileage and hill climbing as start of gravel race season is coming up quick.

 

[pacergal]

Went over to our sons home for dinner last night, ran to Fred Meyer/Kroger to pick up dinner and a few supplies for him--two racks of ribs, potato salad, rolls, cupcakes, and paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkins). $133!
And that was for everything generic brands.

 

[street]

Just got a call my new pickup is in!! Going to blow some dough tomorrow. Very excited to drive something new and after~10 month wait my excitement has elevated. Darn I have to spend some money though.

 

[Ronstar]

^^ Excellent! Take the long way home and enjoy the ride!

 

[street]

^^ Excellent! Take the long way home and enjoy the ride!

LOL! Yep I might just have to do that. Thanks Ron!!!