Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Woodsey]

I was in Vegas a few weeks ago and I'd been up all night playing downtown and drinking heavily and was quite drunk. I decided to head home at about 10am and thought I'd get the bus back to my strip hotel. On my way to get the bus I randomly staggered into the shit hole that is the El Cortez hotel to use the toilet, on my way out i noticed the poker room there so I shrugged my shoulders in the the way only a drunk degen can and thought to myself 'go on just another hour'.

The only game running at the time was a 1-5 spread limit stud game, so I decided to join even though I'm crap at stud and didn't even have a clue what spread limit was. I got my chips and headed over to the table only to be welcomed by the most delightful table of 7 smiling ladies (and 1 random dude) all of whom were in their 'golden years'. I managed to sober up and put on my best behaviour for a couple of hours and had an absolute blast with them while I was there, aided by the fact that they never really see Brits in the El Cortez. I will remember that experience for a long time, partly because it was the El Cortez, partly because it was spread limit stud, but mostly because of the welcome I was given by this group of older ladies who I had a blast with...............

Apparently this is the only place where stud is played regularly in Vegas these days........

[Royal Flush]

Ha i went into the El Cortez and unknowingly gave the owner the rub down!

[boldie]

Ha i went into the El Cortez and unknowingly gave the owner the rub down!

Didn't fancy the old ladies, no?

[kenjude]

No arguments there, it's so 1990's or even 1980's now, it's not evolved at all, & has gone very "stale".

Definitely 80s - we used to listen to his Radio 1 show in the portacabin that served as the 6th Form common room/bolt hole during free periods and that was 80-82. Essentially his show now is little different to then.

It worked on Radio 1 - the zoo format worked when listened to in a zoo-listening environment - factory floors, offices, 6th form common rooms etc. Bite sized chunks for groups of people with bite sized attention spans in between whatever else they were doing.

But I just don't perceive daytime Radio 2 as a station that's likely to be listened to in the same sort of environment. I suspect it's far more likely to be heard in cars, in homes when people are on their own etc. I hear his "copyright" notice at the end (Does he still do it?) and wonder why anyone would want to steal such a tired show.

Best bet of his show is when Evans takes the mickey out of him afterwards. 

Evans' GLR show on Saturdays, "Round at Chris's and hs misses", was very funny before he became a national name. The Rumpy Pumpies, GLR Girls on Top and other features always accompanied me on the way to Sandown, Kempton or Ascot. He was on the edge then, but most DJs mellow eventually and I guess he was always likely to end up a safe pair of hands. I like him on Drive, but I was dreading the end of Johnnie Walker's stint on there.

[tikay]

Been semi-berated by several locals/friends up here in Newcastle today because I've been a bit behind with the Diary lately. Harsh, but true, though a surprise folks even noticed. No accounting for taste. Anyway, I'm here with In-Poker for the next x hours, so a few Updates.

We went filming round the town this morning, & there is the most errie of atmos today. Several Taxi-drivers told us that there is almost aways a riot here on the last day of the Footie Season, but today could be a it special. Everyone - everyone - is talking about the Match. Mike Ashley apperars to be "not too popular".

Outside the ground there are 3 SIS OB Vans, & there were a lot of folks just milling round the Stadium, even at 11am this morning.

The Stadium is simply breathtaking, but it's so weird that it's smack bang in the middle of the Town Centre. Still, the NUFC Directors must know what they are doing.

A few photos.

[tikay]

I stayed over last night, at the splendidly dated Royal Station Hotel - right over the Station platforms. The Hotel is old & worn, creaky stairs & lifts, all sorts of little uppity-downy stairs & nooks & crannies.

I popped out last night for some nosh, and the scenes were gut-wrenching, peeps pissing in doorways, drunken young girls throwing up everywhere, and the girls with the shortest skirts all seem to be the ones with tree-trunk thighs. Police cars & vans, sirens-a-sirening, were dashing everywhere. God, I really feel uncomfortable in City Centre's on a Saturday night.

Here's the magnificent Station - I could die in it, happily - the Royal Station Hotel, be-scaffolded, & a rather pleasing building opposite (now a Night-Club, sigh) with a lovely statue outside.

[tikay]

With the platforms - & trains - in view from by Hotel Room window, I had the most wonderful evening, Railways have the most evocative library of sounds. A set of points at the North end of the platforms mean some awesome clinkity-clacks, diddly-dacks from every Train.

Trains from the South approach over the Tyne Bridge & thence via a very sharp curve (can you have a sharp curve?), so the wheel flanges screech comfortingly. Add to that the Platform Masters whistles every few minutes, & you have Train Heaven.

Here's the view from my Window, with the 18.02 to Edinburgh Wavrley about to Depart. Incredibly, Edinburgh is but 90 minutes North.

[tikay]

No City have used their River so well as Newcastle, with it's iconic collection of 7 Bridges within half a mile or so, & the River forms a concise boundary between Newcastle on one side, & Gateshead on the other.

The Newcy side has a marvellous boardwalk which runs for miles, & this morning they had a street market there, the sun was shining brightly, & litererally thousands of folks were just strolling along by the river in the most peaceful of atmos. Such a contrast to the scenes & atmo a few hundred yards away in the City Centre last night.

Here's a building I've always admired. They don't build Flour Mills these days, or any large brick-built structures, and it's a throwback to the days when merchant ships came up the River & discharged their cargoes. There are several such buildings in London, by the Thames, too. I hope they are never demolished, they are our heritage, a memory of what, I'm quite sure, were better times in so many ways.

[tikay]

Here's the Millenium Bridge this morning, thronged with people, framed by several bridges behind, & the rather odd-looking Sage "building" - I prefer "jelly mould" - the Architect of which was recently charged with professional vandalism &, one hopes, summariy shot.

If you want to bet which building survives longer - The Sage thing, or the Baltic Flour Mills - its "no offers".

The Baltic Exchange in London is a story all in itself, but for another day. I'm not even sure the term "Baltic" is much used these days.

[tikay]

Meanwhile, back at St James Park, here's Compo this morning, guarding the kit, with the two billboards either side of him tempting so many captions.

[tikay]

The 4 storey Royal Station Hotel has one of those olde-worldy staricases around a central atrium, and this huge ground-floor Chandelier is hung from the ceiling of the top floor, a sparky's nightmare I would think. The Fools & Horses Chandelier springs to mind, but if this one fell, it would kill you. I'd not insure the building while that thing was there, ever.

[tikay]

And here, last week in Edinburgh, is a make-up artist working her wonders on a smug-looking Andrew Lloyd Webber.

[booder]

And here, last week in Edinburgh, is a make-up artist working her wonders on Andrew Lloyd Webber.

PMSL

[tikay]

An orgy of wonderful-ness then, Bridges & Buildings, Stations & Statues, all of them splendidly constructed.

But into each life, a little rain must fall, so here's Dena. Splendid cheekbones, I hear you thinking.

[tikay]

And for all the Michelle Orpe fans, especially GreekStein a few pages back, here's Miss Orpe's reaction to their interest. This was in Manchester a week or two back, I think.