June 18, 2020: Westward Ho

posted in: Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox | 1

That first trip to Vegas is easy to remember, well sort of. It was my 21st birthday present. My dad was taking me to Vegas. Once I got that taste… the rest is history. Las Vegas will always be one of my favorite places to go.

Westward Ho; you remember that spot? Yeah, it wasn’t one of the big famous hotels on the Strip; there wasn’t that many back then in 1997. Vegas was just starting to change; Vegas is always changing. There were still all the old cool spots that I remember from that first trip. Westward Ho was a casino with a motel behind it; I don’t even think it had a pool. Yep, that’s where I stood on my first trip to Vegas. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay. It was down by the old Stardust; I’ll never forget the first time I walked in there. The huge sports book… I thought I heard trumpets playing, or was it harps? Was I in heaven? Did I just fall to my knees right then and there? Haha… Then there was the Riviera across the street; always liked that joint. Some good memories there over the years. I’m pretty sure the Stratosphere was there; obviously the Flamingo was there… next to Barbary Coast, as we walked to the other side of the strip. Of course we walked up and down the strip; that was a must. It was love at first sight. We did take a drive to Hoover Dam also; that was a fun trip. We stopped for breakfast on the way, then cracked open a six pack as we headed towards the dam. I was thinking, is this legal? Well, everything is legal in Vegas right?

One of the things that stuck out about that first trip was the $0.99 shrimp cocktail or foot long hot dog along with a beer. We may have had a half dozen of those while we were there. Where the heck are those kind of deals nowadays? Then came our last night there…

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Yeah, I gambled; I was up and down as I dabbled along the way. It wasn’t until the last night when I really zoned in. My dad and I sat down at the blackjack table at Westward Ho. We played for a few hours before my Dad went back to the room. The next thing I know, he’s back at the table, telling me we have to get ready to head to the airport. Yep, I had been at that table all night long. This is when I found another thing about Vegas that I really love. I played with so many different people that night at that table, from all over the country; I just thought that was so cool. Of course the free drinks help too; I think I was on about a captain and coke every 15-20 minute pace. If I was playing for 10 hours x 3-4 drinks per hour… no, really? Maybe. You have to be at least holding your own at the table to sit for that long. It didn’t start off that way. I was bleeding chips, probably down about $500 at one point; there goes my bankroll. Then sometime after midnight, I started turning it around. I won all of it back plus some. The only thing that stopped me was the casino security. Obviously seeing how well I was doing, they escorted me away from the table. Well, that’s not exactly how it went down. I spilled a drink OK; dealer just kind of shook his head as they cleaned it up. I spilled another drink; I was given a warning. As my dad returned and stood behind me, I spilled my 3rd drink; that was it. They came to get me. My drunk ass was being dragged away from the table as I was screaming something like “you better take me away because I’m going to take all this casino’s money”…. Vegas baby. If it weren’t for my Dad pleading with them, I may have been in more trouble… but hey, we have to get to the airport.

I was hammered. I barely made it to the airport without throwing up. As soon as we got off the shuttle, I threw up in a garbage can; then I was hungry. As we waited by the gate, my Dad told me I was out cold… head back, mouth wide open, snoring my ass off. Hey, what about that food? Burger King it was baby. I also had to take a crap, so I marched off to the bathroom as my dad grabbed the food. My dad was waiting and waiting for me; yeah, I fell asleep in the stall. He comes in there and bangs the stall door open, grabbing me to get on the plane; maybe he can clarify those details. We made it on the plane and I scarfed those cheeseburgers in about 5 minutes. Next thing you know, we were landing at Midway.

So there it is; not too bad right? First Vegas trip in the books and no mention of any hookers or strip clubs. I can’t believe we didn’t go to a strip club; did we? Well, we made it back in one piece, that’s what counts, and my Vegas cherry was broken. Thanks Dad. What’s next?

  1. bullwinkle

    What’s next has already been!! Your brothers 21st birthday golf trip to Myrtle Beach!! That started a whole n’uther chapter……and hopefully one that still has a few more to write about (or not). Long live Mr. Hanky 😉

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