Late review - this was back in the first half of March and it's been a bit of a hectic month ever since!
Travel: As someone who, unfortunately, has to travel a lot... It's a terrible time to be flying. I experienced a significant delay both coming in and going out, which is happening a lot more often lately. The good news is that the folks in Elko were super accommodating to make sure I still had some fun when I finally got there
. My advice would be that if Elko is drivable for you, drive it! If not, take an early flight so you have the most options available for rebooking when things go badly.
Lodging: I decided to revisit Stockmans for this trip - you can't beat the proximity. The good news is that, since my last stay, they've changed around the menu at their restaurant - I'd also say that the food was a good bit better than previous trips as well. Unfortunately the constant battle with heat outages and the everpresent bright lights and poor curtains reminded me why I stopped staying there - thankfully the ladies helped warm me back up. I'll be returning to Shutters as my mainstay.
Food: Unfortunately there were a lot of day-job emergencies that kept me pretty busy and I usually chose to go party rather than find somewhere to eat and just grabbed quick bites at Stockmans. That said, Torri suggested I try Rigobertos and it was really good! I'd say I far preferred it to my other Elko Mexican experience of Garibaldis which was just okay.
I did make it to Gold Dust West - it's hard to beat their prime rib deal. It's good, it's cheap, it's convenient... and the fancy Pepsi Freestyle machine was pretty damned cool. Call me easily amused, but they earned some rare gambling dollars from me just for having that machine to play with.
Torri: I had been hoping to see Torri for a while but the stars never aligned - happily, this time, it worked out! Torri is a beautiful lady who is a real joy to talk to. She has some great hobbies and I really enjoyed learning more about her and her experiences. Ask her about her truck
. Beyond being a fantastic person to hang out with, she's a lot of fun once the party starts. If I were giving out superlative awards, Torri would hands down win "Most Enthusiastic" in her work. Definitely see her if you can!
Mila: Mila remains one of my favorite human beings on the planet. I can't really describe how much I enjoy being around her and all of the accolades she receives on this forum are well earned. If you haven't been Milafied yet, go see her and treat her like the Queen that she is.
Jessy: I've made a Mila+Jessy two-girl a regular part of my trips. Jessy is beautiful, friendly, and a bubble of positivity. You can't get Mila and Jessy together without your mood lifting - they have great chemistry together as friends and these two are a big part of the "Elko Experience" in my book.
I unfortunately just missed Cheyenne but will do my best to see her on a future trip!
Team Elko: The other half of the "Elko Experience" are the staff. The managers and bartenders are fantastic and always do their best to give you a welcoming and comfortable experience, even (and especially) when things don't go as planned. I've traditionally spent most of my time at Monas so it was nice to get over to Inezs on this trip a bit and spend a little time with Peter. Louis as always made planning a piece of cake and took good care of me when my arrival kept getting pushed back by delays. Newbies looking to go to Elko, the best advice I can continue to give is give him a call. You'll be well taken care of.
The "March Madness" deal was a fantastic one and was much appreciated! My FF cards are primed for my return - looking forward to things calming down a bit so I can come use them
