Hello, all!!
My experience in Vegas for the USBC Tournament was fun, but expensive. That was the first thing I noticed was the spike in food prices over what I see at home. I will post more about that later. Here is my experience for the USBC Tournament.
HOTEL: Planet Hollywood. This was a cool place as it was located in the South Central area of the Strip, across from Bellagio and Caesars Palace. The Buffet there was awesome. Never seen anything like it compared to other buffets. Way better than anywhere I had been in Reno. Downfall, is that the price was around $25.00 per person to eat there. But, for what all you get, it was worth it. My room was adjoining to a suite my sponsor stayed in. It was a traditional sized room with a much bigger bathroom than what you would get from any Choice Hotel or Motel 6. Downfall, the shower had little hot water though the separate bath tub had hot water for days. Could not figure that out at all. Service was excellent as they sent up a service guy right away to take a look at it. Due to the lack of hot water in the shower, I would rate the overall experience a B+.
FOOD: We ate at a variety of places from the Buffets at Planet and Rio to the Top of the World atop the Stratosphere. Any nice restaurant, expect to pay in the neighborhood of minimum $50.00 per person to eat. We had a group of 5 that ate at the TotW, and it cost roughly $500.00, not including tip. If you want a cool dining experience, the Roxy's Diner inside Stratosphere is a must. It has a 60s atmosphere and the waiters/waitresses about once every 10 minutes grabs a microphone and sings (some dancing included). It was pretty cool and recommend it to anyone. Pricewise, compared to most places, was reasonable. Expect to pay roughly $12.00 for a decent sized chef salad and $15.00 for a huge burger. Our last day there, 2/23, we ate lunch at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone at Planet. Prices again were fairly reasonable and the waitresses serve in their bathing suits. Overall eating experience I rate a B due to good food, but a spike in pricing.
SHOWS: We saw 2 shows during our stay in Vegas. We went to the Celebrity Tribute at the Stratosphere which showcased lookalikes of musical superstars. There were 5 that we saw and the show lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. The performers were: Elvis, Tim McGraw, Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera, and Michael Jackson. They were alot of fun to watch and the resemblence to the actual superstars were eerie. The other show we saw, which was last night, is a staple to the Vegas Strip; The Blue Man Group at the Venetian. Tickets were somewhat pricey, though the show lasted about 2 hours. For tickets near the stage were $140.00 a piece. I believe the cheapest tickets were $80.00. The show was awesome and would see them again. The coolest part of both shows: The performers walk out into the lobby area so you can take pictures and even get autographs. Other shows that are going on right now: Cher playing at Caesars, Criss Angel and Carrot Top at Luxor. Overall show experience: A
BOWLING: I was told by another bowler that the BTM is a waste of time as the pattern is completely flat 1:1 ratio. If you decide to bowl that, don't go before the USBC itself. I recommend waiting until afterwards. The shot at the USBC was the opposite of the rumors going around in that the shot was going to be "softer" with more free hook. Don't think so. The track area compared to last year was tighter in that boards 6-9 this year played like there was more length and outside 5 is just O.B. The middle of the lane will hook if you don't get enough push through the heads or pull the ball inside your intended target. In other words, the shot plays fairly flat. In team event, there was surprisingly not much transition. Out of the 10 bowlers on my pair, 7 were playing outside/up the track. I stayed in and kept trying to use the 10 board as my breakpoint and waited for the track to burn up and it never did. That was on lanes 49-50. I bowled my singles set (747) on 9-10. I bowled my doubles at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning and this time, the outside started with a little more hook right, though it did not last long. In practice, I got the ball out to 5 board and the ball recovered to the pocket. By the time the 5th frame hit first game, it was gone, touch inside, and the ball hooked and a touch right, the ball never made it back. Back inside I went playing around 25 at the arrows out to the second range finder down the lane. My lack of scoring in team and doubles was the result of throwing it bad and not making spares. Brackets are a complete pain and believe the USBC is doing a disservice to its bowlers by this years set up. BTW...when you get your ticket from the parking garage at Binions, take the ticket inside to the cashier and they will cover the charge of parking. Overall experience with lane condition, brackets, and ball reaction: Typical
CASINOS: If you want a more upscale/modern appearance, Mandalay Bay, Venetian, Wynn, Palazzo are more upper class. Binions is old and run down. Stratosphere reminds you more of Reno and Planet falls in the middle. The inside of Luxor (pyramid) is pretty cool. They have another sphinx inside and the way the rooms are, is pretty neat.
OVERALL: For my first time out in Vegas, I would rate it a B+. The strip at night is happening with all the shows and lights. Take some extra money with you as food prices are a little much if you are not prepared for it. I wish everyone going out there the best and if you have any questions, let me know.
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Steven Vance
Pro Shop Operator
Striking Results Pro Shop
Red Carpet Lanes
Duluth (NE Atlanta), Georgia
If anyone out there is worried about the scores being too high, try duckpin!!
