JayRo in Vegas: Day 2

Quick thoughts about the Cosmopolitan

I went to the Cosmopolitan for the first time yesterday, and gave it a once over. Some thoughts about it:

• The first view I saw was this:
  
  
  I have to admit it that is a great first impression.


• Next order of business was to sign up for my new Identity rewards card. The clerk was extremely nice and knew some things about Ontario which I did not know.
  
  One thing I didn't like about the process was that the clerk had to enter your secret pin number, as opposed to having a number pad where you could enter the information yourself. Granted, it was only a pin number, but how many people would use the same pin number for that and, say, their debit card?


• Once I got my card, I parked myself at a $0.25 Video poker machine and played my free play through, along with another $40. This lasted me about 45 minutes, during which I was never offered cocktail service. There was at least two cocktail waitresses walking by, but neither seemed to have my section. When I subsequently moved to another machine, all was good in the world and I got my drink.


• The atmosphere during the day was a bit non-existant. No real energy or excitement on the casino floor. So I came back at night. The first thing I did was head to the secret pizza shop and had a decent slice of pepperoni for $3.75. The pizza joint is a cool idea, and is sorely needed for a place to get a quick snack.


• I walked the casino floor after and as I figured, it was like night and day (no pun intended). The table games were relatively active, but the bars had the most action in them. One thing I did notice about the table games were that the minimums were pretty high. I saw as many $50+ tables as $25 tables, and a sparse amount of $15 tables. There was a $10 Casino War table, but otherwise you needed to be betting a quarter to be playing at those tables. I can't say as that was good for my plans to play a couple of hands of blackjack to acquire some chips, but if it works for them, so be it.


• One other thing I found interesting was the attire of the people who were there at night. A lot of suits and cocktail dresses - not what I would expect from the "curious class", but closer to the convention types that you would expect.


• Random final note: I had my first celebrity sighting of the trip - Brad Garrett was at the Cosmopolitan with a woman who I presume was his girlfriend. (I didn't ask.)

I'll probably visit Cosmopolitan again, and there is a chance that I will stay there for a few nights the next time I am in town. While the table limits at night are a non-starter, the hotel still has amazing views in it's rooms, and some interesting restaurants as well. I can always gamble at another casino.