I don't live too far from the Kansas Speedway, and, I guess after having the road around Kansas Speedway to myself for so long, I thought I was leaving home in plenty of time to be ahead of the opening day crowd, but, was I wrong!
When I first saw the line of cars on Village West Parkway heading to the Hollywood Casino, my first inclination was to turn around and come back another day. Fortunately, I decided to at least get in the line for awhile to see how it progressed, and, to my surprise, though the line was long, it moved at a pretty good pace.
While I was waiting in line, I took note of the car license plates, and most that I saw were from Missouri. I only saw one Kansas plate, which was from Johnson County.
After about only 5 minutes, I was pulling into the casino grounds, and was directed to park in the parking garage. The first thing I noticed while making my way to the garage was the view. I hadn't realized the the casino was so high on the hill, and you could really get a good view of the Great Wolf Lodge, Cabela's and the cars on Village West Parkway still waiting in line.
Once I parked the car, I followed the crowd to the elevators. I have to say that, even though the there were a lot of people, the elevators were pretty quick and it did not take long to get down to the casino floor.
After exiting the elevator, I walked a few feet and a gentleman welcomed me to the casino. Not being a gambler, thats when things became a little overwhelming.The first thing I noticed was a crowd waiting in a line. I don't know what they were waiting on, as they were going the opposite direction that I was heading.
There were a lot of slot machines and, though I got there not too long after the 11:45 opening, there were already a lot of people playing them. People were everywhere, and, at first it was kind of hard to get a perspective on the casino layout.
I basically just walked through many of the slot areas, taking things in. The people I noticed at the slot machines all seemed to know what they were doing. A band was playing in an area above the crowd, half way up to a second floor area that was labeled private.
I took the photo above while walking around, but I don't remember exactly were in the casino it was. I mainly took the photo in that spot, because it was less crowded than the other areas.
My initial impression after this first trip is that, if you are not a gambler, there isn't much else you can do there, except eat. In that respect, it reminds me of the Nebraska Furniture Mart. If you aren't going to buy furniture, there is nothing else to do. I didn't see any area where you could just sit and people watch, either.
I will have to make another trip when it is less crowded, though, to see if my initial impression changes. I'm still looking forward to checking out the restaurants.
on Friday, 10 February 2012
in Hollywood Casino
