Touch Down in Tunica

I started out at 10:10 a.m. from the Embassy Suites, bound for Tunica, Mississippi, 323 miles away. I was happy to see two things: 1. Dry pavement; and 2. gasoline for $2.969 a gallon at some area stations. I was so dumbfounded to see this, that I had to stop and fill the tank. Even though I was only half empty, I just had to fill 'er up in case this price was the result of a local price war or something, and skipping out would mean missing out on the largesse. I can't even remember the last time gas was less than $3/gallon, so I had to  look it up on the Internet. It was in Nov. 2010, a little over three years ago. So I stopped at a Shell Station on McNutt Street in Herculaneum, Missouri. I swear I am not making this up.  Where did they come up with the name Herculaneum? I am going to propose that be the new rare ore that's being mined in the next "Avatar" movie, to replace "Unobtainium" from the first movie. Anyway, I filled the tank, past the filler neck, until the gasoline dribbled down the side of the Prius. I went inside to purchase a bottle of water, and got behind some woman who bought a hotdog from the roller grill, a 48-ounce Mountain Dew, and a pack of L&Ms. I believe this is the breakfast of champions for many folks in this neck of the woods, and judging by the look of this woman, probably represented her total intake of calories and nicotine for the day.

(I later read on the Internet that gas had indeed fallen below the $3 mark in several states that have lower state gasoline taxes. Nevertheless, on my trip from St. Charles to Tunica, I saw gas priced anywhere from $2.969 to $3.279, with the average being $2.999.)

My large breakfast did indeed last me the whole day, and I arrived at the Gold Strike Casino and Hotel at about 3:45 p.m. Pulling under the large porticoed entrance, I stashed my two bags at the bell captain's station, and self-parked in the hotel's ramp, and made my way back to the registration desk. They put me in a nice room on the 30th floor, up among the clouds, or at least the fog. So I can't see very far away, but I
can still easily make out the two immediately adjacent casinos, the Horseshoe, and Bally's.

The hotel is very well appointed, with a huge marble lobby and several themed displays of flowers and decorations, with Christmas being the theme right now. The food court is situated off one of the alcoves; the other restaurants are only accessible by going through the casino, as usual. There are two separate banks of elevators: one for accessing floors 2-16, and the other bank for floors 17-32. A nice feature, and makes sense considering the hotel has 1,100 rooms. The casino itself is billed as 50,000 square feet. There are slot machines of every conceivable configuration, reel and video, denominations of a penny all the way to $500 a pull. And two separate pits of gaming tables, including the usual, and some I have never heard of. I spot one
bank of four "Wizard of Oz" machines (my current favorite) and another pair of them located elsewhere in the casino. All of them are wired into a progressive jackpot with multiple casinos located throughout the U.S. I kind of don't like this arrangement because feeding  the progressive jackpot generally reduces the number of lesser payouts and bonuses on "regular" play, which is the only thing I'm concerned about. In order to win the  progressive jackpot (currently at $527,000), you must play "max credits" which is $5/pull, and the chances of winning are similar to winning the Power Ball lotto. But no matter; I will have fun nevertheless,
and maybe find a new "favorite." I do spot a "Family Guy" themed video slot machine, and perhaps will try that, in addition to some low-stakes blackjack. I do see several $5 BJ tables, and that is good. I thought this place might be a $10 minimum for BJ (as with most MGM casinos in Vegas), and that is a little too rich for my blood.

I immediately join their loyalty club, which is called "M Life." I get $15 in free slot play, with the provision being that this "money" can only be played on certain banks of machines designated as M-eligible machines. They are of course the less fancy machines. But I play my $15, and wind up with $5 in winnings, so I cash that out. I also play a couple of the Wizard machines and lose $19, so my total losses for my initial foray into the casino are $14. The "M" card is also good at 17 other MGM resorts/casinos, most of them located in Vegas. You also build points every time you spend money on hotel, dining, guest services, etc., which can be used on future stays. I don't really care much about that, but decide I will present my M card anyway in the hopes I might end up with a free buffet the next time I go to Vegas or something. I was mainly interested in the $15 free slot play.

I christened my arrival in Tunica by making 5:30 reservations at the casino's signature restaurant, the Chicago Steak House. I know, kind of ironic. Travel all the way to Mississippi to eat at a Chicago-themed restaurant. But a good steak is a good steak wherever it's served, and I was in the mood for some pampering. And the place did not disappoint on either count. As for pampering, I was offered a nice large booth in the main area of the dining room; not the usual wobbly two-top located by the kitchen door or the bathrooms that is offered to a single diner. I had a 24-ounce ribeye prepared medium-rare, with a chopped salad with bleu cheese dressing as a starter. A bread basket came with the meal, and I had water to drink, with coffee for dessert. And I mean really good coffee this time; not that instant crap that came out of the spigot for breakfast this morning back in St. Charles! I did not order a "side" because they are HUGE, and I really didn't need anything other than the steak, salad, and bread to fill me up. My server, "Tracy," took excellent care of me. Courteous and efficient, without being over-solicitous or trying to fill me with gratuitous holiday cheer. Her understated elegance, along with keeping my water glass and coffee cup full earned her a 20% tip, which in this case came to $12. I left the restaurant absolutely stuffed, and feeling like I'd been taken good care of.

Also worth nothing is that my semi-smart "Boost" phone does not work ANYWHERE here. Not on the 30th floor, nor the lobby, nor even outside. So I will not be able to send or receive phone calls on the cell phone while here, which I suppose can be a good thing.

Back in my room, I watch a little TV and read little bit, before popping a pre-emptive TUMS and heading to bed. All in all, a very nice day.

It's now Monday morning, and I am currently in the food court contemplating breakfast options, which are kind of limited. The Atrium Cafe does not open for breakfast, leaving either the buffet, or the food court. The buffet is overkill this particular morning, and the food court is limited to bagels, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, etc. And besides, the area surrounding the food court has construction going on at the moment so there is hammering and drilling going on. ("Pardon our Dust" signs are supposed to make me feel better about this), I was hoping for a bacon/egg/hashbrowns kind of thing, so I may go next door to the Horseshoe and check out breakfast options there.

Bruce