[+] Slots-A-Fun Casino

One of the smallest casinos on the Las Vegas strip is a very convenient five-minute walk from where I have stayed during the last three summers I've been in town. Low stakes, fun crowds and - most importantly - an open-air craps table practically on the sidewalk has made this my go-to spot whenever I have a few minutes to play.

A co-worker and I got to the craps table a little before midnight last night and were told (surprisingly, since I hadn't noticed any signs earlier in the week) that the casino would be closing within the hour as part of a merger with the neighboring Circus Circus. As of July 1, Slots-A-Fun will no longer exist.

We were told that the building will remain standing and remain open, but (supposedly) all of the chips, table felts and signage will be changed. It was a little surreal to watch as the slot machines were all shut down one by one and the tables were emptied. The last hour turned into (at least) two and we had to work today, so we left before the doors were closed - but I was amongst the last craps players (having pocketed a $1 chip as a souvenir) and Eric won a few big hands towards the end of the night at the last open blackjack table.

Aside from it having perhaps the most awesomely cheesy name possible for a casino, Slots-A-Fun had a charm that I fear will disappear along with its name. The crowds seemed to be a mix of locals, rookies and people who had been playing there for many years and as a result, the vibe was almost always relaxed and friendly as opposed to the stuffy, high-pressured atmosphere in some of the newer, fancier casinos. I appreciate the new places, but they offer an entirely different kind of fun. Slots-A-Fun was a classic - hopefully the name is all that will change.

[-] Summer Temperatures in Vegas

This photo was taken in my rental car around 4pm yesterday as I drove a co-worker back to the hotel because he was feeling light-headed from the heat. How much would it cost to put one of those misting machines over the entire city?

[+] Honey Kix

Kind of like a less sugary Corn Pops, these are much tastier than I expected.

I enjoy regular Kix on occasion but by the time I get two-thirds of the way through the box I've usually had enough and wind up letting the rest go stale. The hint of honey here is a huge improvement - great with a handful of blueberries in milk or as an addition to a snack mix, this is a solid new cereal to add to my rotation.

[-] Li'l Devil's Cinnamon Toothpicks

When I was a kid, a particular classmate of mine used to be my regular trading partner at lunch. His mom always sent him to school with freshly-baked Toll House cookies and I'd gladly trade a pickle or in some cases a Tastykake for them. But even better than that were the super-spicy toothpicks he'd bring in on occasion. They were as hot as an Atomic Fireball and lasted longer than you'd expect - I used to chew them literally to shreds, sometimes cutting my tongue and cheeks in the process - but it was a good hurt.

He always said they were homemade and that he merely soaked regular toothpicks in cinnamon extract but a) he was a notorious liar (who once told my parents during a carpool ride that his Dad owned Beatrice Foods when seemingly every TV ad at the time ended with "We're Beatrice") and b) I tried that and it didn't work, so I've always wondered where he got them and how they stayed so flavorful. When I got back into chewing toothpicks five or six years ago, I found some cinnamon sticks in Arizona - but they packed only half of the punch as the ones I remembered from way back when.

I spotted these Li'l Devils at the Pearl River Mart in Soho, and they were even more disappointing. The devil on the package got me excited for a lip-burning good time, but these barely have any flavor at all - kind of like the picks I tried to cinnamon-ize when I was 10 or 11. The search continues.

[+] Halls Creamy Strawberry

Delicious - these remind me of strawberry/vanilla Life Savers Swirled Pops but with a hint of menthol. They're not as strong as conventional Halls cough drops, but in certain instances that can be a good thing.

[+] Up

Ed Asner is perfectly cast and his character is perfectly drawn - both physically and emotionally - during the extended prologue that sets up the adventure he takes for the rest of this film.

Heartwarming without being overly sentimental, the portrait of the Fredericksens' lives over multiple decades hits just the right poignant balance between funny and sad. The first twenty minutes or so were so good that the rest of the movie - which is a lot of fun in and of itself, especially in 3-D - seemed like an afterthought.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this film - the score, the scenery, the old newsreels, even the short about storks that preceded it - and am already looking forward to seeing it again.

[+] Wrigley's 5 Solstice

Finally! It took them 7 tries but 5 finally has a flavor that is worth its glorious packaging. Solstice is marketed as "a warm and cool winter," and it tastes like a smooth wintergreen - very, very minty but with a mild kick of sweetness.

Thankfully, the sweet accents are not at all vanilla-inspired - I like vanilla as much as the next person (if not more, depending on that person) but it doesn't always blend well with mint. This is a unique flavor that refreshes and lasts - and while I still hate the names of 5's flavors as much as I love their packages, I will be adding Solstice to my regular mint chewing rotation.

[+] Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock

One of the strangest things I've ever tasted. I'm a big fan of the hard-to-find Fentimans Curiosity Cola, so I was pleased to learn recently that a market near my apartment stocks it along with several others from the same line.

I had absolutely no idea what this was going to taste like, nor did I know what burdock was, but the risk paid off as I thoroughly enjoyed this very unusual, mildly-carbonated drink. A little like birch beer with a hint of licorice, it reminded me of a liquified Good & Plenty - though not as strong. It's not something I'd drink regularly - and I admittedly couldn't decide if I liked it until the bottle was empty - but I'd get it again if only because it was surprisingly refreshing and there really is nothing else like it.

[-] Trident Xtra Care Cool Citrus

Just as difficult to chew as the other flavors in the Xtra Care line, this one also manages to add a harsh bitter (is that supposed to be mint?) kick to an otherwise bland orange flavor. It's nowhere near as pleasant a chew as Trident Splash's Orange Swirl.

[+] Cinna-Graham Honeycomb

Surprisingly, Honeycomb has far less sugar than most kids' cereals, making it less of a guilty pleasure than it may seem. I've always been a fan, but due to small cabinet space I stopped buying it for a while since Honeycomb boxes are abnormally large compared to most other cereals and I like to have at least two or three different varieties open and in rotation at a time.

Now that I have a bit more room for cereal storage, this purchase was a no-brainer - and just as tasty as I'd hoped. It has the familiar Sugar Corn Pops-y flavor of Honeycomb but with a light dusting of cinnamon (I don't taste too much graham in there). It's far less sweet than Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which is a good thing) and just as fun to eat as I remembered - plus it goes especially well with sliced strawberries.

[-] Must Classic Missy

It's hard to call something disappointing if you have no idea what it is. Because the box was yellow, I assumed Classic Misty was going to be peppermint; instead, it's more of a mild, medicinal mint flavor like in the classic Teaberry or Beeman's gums.

It's a great-looking package, but the flavor is not potent enough to warrant an extended chew and adding additional tablets unfortunately just results in tough, rubbery frustration. The website is worth visiting though - if only so you can say you've watched an animated Bazooka Joe in Hebrew.

[+] Orbit Pineapple

I was fortunate to receive a care package of gum from Israel and Jordan over the weekend, and this was the first flavor I tried. It has a fresh, tangy flavor that's much smoother than most of the tropical Orbit flavors available in the U.S. - perhaps because those are all combined with mint and this one seems to be more focused on the pineapple. The flavor doesn't last terribly long, but it's good while it does.

[+] Sierra Mist Ruby Splash

Got a free bottle of this stuff at the 5th Ave. street fair - I don't know if I'd go out of my way to buy or drink it again, but at the time, it hit the spot.

It's very much like Fresca, but a little less acidic and a bit more sweet. I keep waffling as to whether I like the bottle design or not - as of now, I'm going to say that the font leads me towards "no".

[-] Twizzlers Twerpz

Basically a mini-licorice nib stuffed with something resembling a Starburst, this candy manages to combine two good things into something far less appetizing.

Waxy, rubbery and sweeter than anything has a reason to be, this is a confectionary Frankenstein not worth keeping alive.

[-] Bubbaloo Radical Morango e Limao

More like the texture and shape of old-school Chewels than any of the other liquid-filled gums currently on the market (in the U.S. or elsewhere), this strawberry/lime combination flavor is bland and unsatisfying.

Interestingly, there are only four pieces in a pack - never seen that before - but my previous experience with single-serve Bubbaloo was much more pleasant.

[+] Vauquita Tableta de Dulce de Leche

Another impulse purchase at the Buenos Aires airport - I saw these being sold individually and in huge boxes of what must have been close to 50 tablets. Since they were shelved near coffee in the duty-free store and they said "tableta de Dulce de Leche" on the box, I made the seemingly natural assumption that they were some kind of instant coffee tablets that, when mixed with water or milk, (like instant hot chocolate) would form a delicious cup of cafe con leche (which I had enjoyed each morning while in Argentina).

I bought a handful, gave a few to my family, and saved two for home with the idea that SJI and I would save them for a weekend morning when we planned to relax and sit around the house. This past Sunday turned out to be that day.

We opened the boxes and inside was a thick, caramel-colored slab. When I dropped each one into a mug, I looked at them and said "maybe this is just the cream and sugar and you need to mix it with coffee," so we brewed up some coffee and waited for the tablets to melt. I stirred and stirred, and while they broke apart a bit once heated, they never completely melted. I chalked that up to the fact that maybe they weren't fresh, having traveled from one hemisphere to another more than a month ago.

The coffee-plus-tablet (perhaps I should call it "quasi con leche") was tasty, but didn't taste like cafe con leche - instead it reminded me of what I want coffee to taste like when some flavored syrup is poured into it instead of the fake, chemical-fueled flavor I usually unhappily wind up with. All in all, it was good enough and we wound up eating the rest of the unmelted tablet remnants off of the side of our mugs with a spoon.

It was only a day or two later when I decided to look it up on the internet that I realized we had put gigantic pieces of caramel candy in our coffee. I really should learn Spanish.

[+] Twizzlers Fire Pull-n-Peel

I have really fond memories of the 1987 MLB All-Star Game, even though I was laid up in bed at the time. I remember this game in particular because I had been sick for a few days with a fever, forcing me to miss a few days of camp but allowing me the privilege of having a TV in my bedroom during that period.

I didn't have a TV in my bedroom until college, so these short interludes were always a welcome distraction from the unpleasantness of not feeling well - game shows in the morning, reading the newspaper and magazines in the afternoon, syndicated sitcoms and more game shows before prime time at night - what more could a 13-year-old kid who is stuck at home want?

I remember watching this All-Star Game in my room for two reasons - because it went on forever (a scoreless tie until Tim Raines won it for the National League in the 13th inning) and because I watched it in bed with red rope pull-n-peel licorice that my Mom picked up for me for the occasion as a surprise. Somehow, I had never had rope licorice before and I couldn't believe what I'd been missing. I savored every individual string along with the opportunity to stay up late to watch the entire game. It's not something I eat much anymore, but whenever I see pull-n-peel licorice I think of that game and of my supercool Mom.

A few weeks ago, SJI and I spotted this new flavor variation in a Philadelphia drugstore. I would have preferred it to taste a little spicier, but it was still delicious and as fun to eat as I remembered, helping to make the ride back to New York a lot more palatable. I need to remember to pick up some pull-n-peel the next time I'm taking a long road trip or flight.

[+] Monster Munch

Tried these at the Chip Shop over the weekend while waiting for dinner and they were a pleasant surprise - like a tangy version of Funyuns. The shape is a bit awkward - especially with the hole in the middle - but they're still tasty enough to overcome it.

[-] Orbit Mist Mango Surf

This gum tastes like vomit at the outset and improves only marginally thereafter.

[-] The New Duane Reade Logo

Duane Reades are everywhere in New York, which means I've been seeing a lot of this new logo lately, and I don't like it one bit.

I wasn't a huge fan of the old logo either, but these bland black-and-white contrasting fonts remind me of bad romantic comedies, the also-relatively-new Radio Shack logo, or generic rubber stamps. Plus the "R" is capitalized in the abbreviated logo but not in the full spelling of the brand name beneath it, which is just bizarre.

[-] Wonka Tinglerz

Basically, these are chocolate-flavored Pop Rocks (or crackling Buncha Crunch, if you prefer). The chocolate wasn't as waxy as I feared, but it was still an odd flavor combination. And while it's admittedly been a while since I've had Pop Rocks, it seemed like the popping action wasn't as powerful as I remembered. Also - Tinglerz?

[-] Wrigley's 5 Zing

Yet another misfire from the "5" line of beautifully packaged but unsatisfying gums. This one, labeled as "a sour to sweet bubble," tastes kind of like the original Extra bubble gum (before they changed the formula and name to "classic" bubble) but with a hint of tang at the beginning. It quickly turns into a blander-than-average standard bubble gum flavor that also lacks the proper elasticity for bubble-blowing, making it useless in both departments.

[+] Marvis Aquatic Mint Toothpaste

It's not usually my style to splurge when it comes to everyday items, but this toothpaste (imported from Italy but available at Ricky's, Bigelow and lots of other specialty drugstores) is fantastic. I can't get enough of it and yet I feel like I need to ration it carefully to make the tube last as long as possible because each one is $10.

The mint is strong yet delicate - kind of a crisp wintergreen that really leaves a clean feeling that doesn't seem chemically enhanced like certain Crest or Colgate flavors that have an aftertaste. SJI and I were working on a Crest tube for a month or so that seemed ordinary in every way, and I couldn't wait to finish it so we could start a new Marvis - it's like reconnecting with an old friend twice a day. I guess in our current economic climate, it's a good thing that I'm prone to be extravagant when it comes to toothpaste as opposed to cars or cufflinks.

[-] Four Points By Sheraton Philadelphia City Center

Typing the entire story of what happened at this hotel last weekend would take too long, so here's the short version: the first room we were assigned was dirty (make-up on the pillows, hair all over the bed), so we were assigned a second room and we left our luggage there before leaving the hotel for the rest of the day.

When we returned just after midnight, our keys didn't work and we eventually realized that the hotel clerk (who actually turned out to be the manager) had never switched our rooms in "the system," leading somehow to someone assigning our room to other people, who, when they checked in, somehow ignored not only the "do not disturb" sign we had left on the door but all of our luggage inside the room as well.

It was a long, frustrating night followed by an even more baffling morning - a comedy of errors that was never really explained. We got our luggage back a little after 10:00 am the next day and were thrilled to leave this hotel forever.

[-] Chocolatey Chewy Dum Dum Pops

I appreciate the plastic stick as opposed to paper, but these are poor imitations of Tootsie Pops. The chocolate isn't as good and the small size of Dum Dums doesn't really lend itself well to fillings.

Kind of cool that their website allows you to order single-flavor boxes of regular Dum Dum pops though.