Hey all,
Sorry it has taken so long for me to post. I have been very busy lately. So..I decided that I like Vegas so much I am moving there..seriously! Time will only tell whether or not I will stay for good but I know that I am not moving back to New Jersey unless I have no other choice. I really like Atlanta as well so if I ever leave Vegas it will be for Atlanta.
Atlanta is awesome, the food, the atmosphere, the people (except when they drive, ha ha), etc. Vegas is awesome because the people there are really diverse and the environment has so much to offer. Life has brought a lot of twists and turns so Vegas should provide the perfect reset.
Where are some places that you have visited throughout your travels that you wouldn't mind living? What do you like about these places? Is it the people? The atmosphere? It is important that we take risks in life sometimes and if we make it, then great, if not then so be it. It is better to take a risk and to fail (and try again) than to remain stagnant and run the risk of becoming dull, boring, and stifled.
I will be posting a lot more soon (several times weekly) but for now my posts will be about once or more a week until I am done packing. You think cross-country travel is hard..try moving ha ha! I hope all is well with you and that your holidays are going great thus far. Whether you are traveling this holiday or staying home, always remember to be grateful and to let your family know that you care no matter what. If there are any unresolved issues remember, the holidays are a time for forgiveness :-)
In the meantime, check out my other blogs and sites!
Writers: http://shakyshelf.blogspot.com/
Renters: http://rentersnet.blogspot.com/
Soundoff: http://thesoundoff1.blogspot.com/
Stop Skyping the old-fashined way!
http://jeruzz1.wix.com/skypeout#!page4/cfvg
Showing posts with label city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label city. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Empire City Casino
Recently, my husband and I went to Empire City Casino in Yonkers, New York. Previously, I had seen commercials about it and I wanted to check it out. I asked my husband about it on occasion. He was not really interested because he felt like it may have been a fake casino. I had my suspicions as well. However, I figured I would give it a shot. We wanted to do something else that day but it fell through. I thought that Empire City Casino would be a nice choice since it was only about forty minutes or so from where we were.
When we arrived, it was a bit confusing. There was a sign for valet parking and an officer standing in the lot to direct crowds across to the casino entrance. At first, we did not see any signs for general parking so we asked the police officer where it was. He told us to leave that lot and make a right, a right, and then another right. That was simple enough we thought. Although, I found it a bit strange that we had to go back into the city to get there, but it was close. The lot was crowded so we had to go toward the end of the lot to find parking. We made note of our location via the numbered/lettered marker and headed toward a shuttle stop. We asked some people standing there if it was free and they told us that it was. Okay I thought, "Free parking and a free shuttle!" So far, so good! This was a change from Atlantic City because in order to get free parking at one of the casinos, you had to be a member. The shuttles "Jitneys" in Atlantic City are not free either so that was a plus.
After waiting about fifteen minutes for the shuttle, we got on and sat down. The driver was friendly and made some small talk with my husband. The shuttle was however crowded and there were people at the next stop who could not get on. After we arrived at the casino we saw the racetrack with the horses. I asked him if we could go check it out before we went into the casino. there were some friendly people there who passed out racetrack magazines and one lady even offered tips on who to bet on! We stood there for a few minutes and watched the horses walk around (the races had not started yet).
We entered the casino and immediately, we noticed how grim it was. The lighting was absolutely horrible! it was so dark in there that we were very uncomfortable. We were both thirsty and tried to find a waitress so that we could get a few bottled waters. They were nowhere to be found. We did not want to go to the bar for it and we did not see the cafeteria area at first. We did find water fountains and decided to have a drink of warm water. We were not satisfied as the warm water hardly quenched our thirst. We asked one of the attendants if there was a restaurant nearby. He told us that there was a cafeteria and pointed it out. We went and found some overpriced soft drinks at $2.75 to $3.75 per bottle. We purchased a drink and headed back onto the casino floor only to find a waitress. It is funny because we had not seen one when we were looking around, now there were a few of them.
After getting our player's cards and a nifty five-dollar ticket for free play, we headed toward the slots. We looked around and found that many of the slot machines were not only taken, but they had people in line waiting for them. We sat down at the few available ones and began to play. Immediately, we both lost the money that we had put into the machines. We tried more machines, same story. This continued on throughout the night until we both found one good machine each that at least let us win more than the standard "two cents" that the others did. We played those for a little bit until the machines began taking their money back. At least we did find those two machines out of the whole casino. We were well-aware of the fact that every machine has a certain payout but these machines had horrible odds. We also noticed that most of the machines did not have bonus play. Many of them were standard thee-pay line machines. They were tailored toward the 'golden' crowd. This was the main crowd that was in the casino anyway. Since we are young, we wanted and expected a more diverse group of people in terms of age. I guess we were used to Atlantic City. My husband had been to Vegas many times but I have never been there. However I did have a few casinos to compare it to. I had been to Atlantic City casinos and Foxwoods. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between a casino, and a building with slot machines in it. This was a building with slot machines in it. It was only two floors although the second floor only had a few machines and a restaurant on it.
As we played, a waitress came and asked us if we wanted drinks. We asked her what she had and she told us that she had coffee, tea, soda, etc. What?!! Where are the "real drinks?" Are you serious? Not hat we wanted any alcoholic beverages but the mere fact that they were not even offered was very disappointing. We got our "standard" Pepsi and sent the waitress on her way as we kept losing our money. We decided that it was time to go. We did visit the racetrack on the way out and placed a few small bets. We won a few dollars and lost a few dollars but the race itself was fun to watch. There were people outside selling grilled foods. The cost was not that bad.(except for the small bottle of six dollar beer).
After we watched the races, we got on the shuttle and then in our cars vowing never to return to that awful place! My advice to you "if you live near the area, go to Atlantic City" unless you feel like going to Foxwoods. Save your money and do not go to Empire City. For such a glorious name, this so-called casino is mediocre and unappealing. They should have kept this place a raceway and nothing more because this is not a casino! I would rather have a root canal with no anesthesia..thanks!
When we arrived, it was a bit confusing. There was a sign for valet parking and an officer standing in the lot to direct crowds across to the casino entrance. At first, we did not see any signs for general parking so we asked the police officer where it was. He told us to leave that lot and make a right, a right, and then another right. That was simple enough we thought. Although, I found it a bit strange that we had to go back into the city to get there, but it was close. The lot was crowded so we had to go toward the end of the lot to find parking. We made note of our location via the numbered/lettered marker and headed toward a shuttle stop. We asked some people standing there if it was free and they told us that it was. Okay I thought, "Free parking and a free shuttle!" So far, so good! This was a change from Atlantic City because in order to get free parking at one of the casinos, you had to be a member. The shuttles "Jitneys" in Atlantic City are not free either so that was a plus.
After waiting about fifteen minutes for the shuttle, we got on and sat down. The driver was friendly and made some small talk with my husband. The shuttle was however crowded and there were people at the next stop who could not get on. After we arrived at the casino we saw the racetrack with the horses. I asked him if we could go check it out before we went into the casino. there were some friendly people there who passed out racetrack magazines and one lady even offered tips on who to bet on! We stood there for a few minutes and watched the horses walk around (the races had not started yet).
We entered the casino and immediately, we noticed how grim it was. The lighting was absolutely horrible! it was so dark in there that we were very uncomfortable. We were both thirsty and tried to find a waitress so that we could get a few bottled waters. They were nowhere to be found. We did not want to go to the bar for it and we did not see the cafeteria area at first. We did find water fountains and decided to have a drink of warm water. We were not satisfied as the warm water hardly quenched our thirst. We asked one of the attendants if there was a restaurant nearby. He told us that there was a cafeteria and pointed it out. We went and found some overpriced soft drinks at $2.75 to $3.75 per bottle. We purchased a drink and headed back onto the casino floor only to find a waitress. It is funny because we had not seen one when we were looking around, now there were a few of them.
After getting our player's cards and a nifty five-dollar ticket for free play, we headed toward the slots. We looked around and found that many of the slot machines were not only taken, but they had people in line waiting for them. We sat down at the few available ones and began to play. Immediately, we both lost the money that we had put into the machines. We tried more machines, same story. This continued on throughout the night until we both found one good machine each that at least let us win more than the standard "two cents" that the others did. We played those for a little bit until the machines began taking their money back. At least we did find those two machines out of the whole casino. We were well-aware of the fact that every machine has a certain payout but these machines had horrible odds. We also noticed that most of the machines did not have bonus play. Many of them were standard thee-pay line machines. They were tailored toward the 'golden' crowd. This was the main crowd that was in the casino anyway. Since we are young, we wanted and expected a more diverse group of people in terms of age. I guess we were used to Atlantic City. My husband had been to Vegas many times but I have never been there. However I did have a few casinos to compare it to. I had been to Atlantic City casinos and Foxwoods. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between a casino, and a building with slot machines in it. This was a building with slot machines in it. It was only two floors although the second floor only had a few machines and a restaurant on it.
As we played, a waitress came and asked us if we wanted drinks. We asked her what she had and she told us that she had coffee, tea, soda, etc. What?!! Where are the "real drinks?" Are you serious? Not hat we wanted any alcoholic beverages but the mere fact that they were not even offered was very disappointing. We got our "standard" Pepsi and sent the waitress on her way as we kept losing our money. We decided that it was time to go. We did visit the racetrack on the way out and placed a few small bets. We won a few dollars and lost a few dollars but the race itself was fun to watch. There were people outside selling grilled foods. The cost was not that bad.(except for the small bottle of six dollar beer).
After we watched the races, we got on the shuttle and then in our cars vowing never to return to that awful place! My advice to you "if you live near the area, go to Atlantic City" unless you feel like going to Foxwoods. Save your money and do not go to Empire City. For such a glorious name, this so-called casino is mediocre and unappealing. They should have kept this place a raceway and nothing more because this is not a casino! I would rather have a root canal with no anesthesia..thanks!
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