Sin City Comes to Washington DC

MGM has opened a resort casino and hotel, at National Harbor.  This is not exactly Washington DC, it is about 6-7 miles down the Potomac and on the Maryland side.  As the crow flies, it is about 2 miles from my condo.  It opened in December, my first visit was in February.  I waited for the traffic to subside, and went on a Sunday morning (it is open 24 hours a day.) Parking was plentiful and free.  It is not well connected to public transit, there is a local bus - that runs a couple of times and hour.   

It is nice.  A little lighter and airier than most casinos and 100% smoke free.  That is really nice, the last time I was in a casino I left after a few minutes to get out of the funky air.  

The complex includes a hotel, connected to the casino by a bright atrium with an Asian theme.  The hotel is surprisingly small, with massive glass curtain walls.  There is a theater, that seats about 2,500 people, that will feature entertainers in town to play the Verizon Center (seating 20-30,000.)  Cher is going to be there in March - I should look into ticket prices.  There are a wide array of restaurants and bars, I will try a few of those over the coming months.   There is some nice pricey shopping. 

The Casino floor is mostly slot machines, with a good mix of table games.  At 10:00 AM on a Sunday, the poker rooms were half full.  There is a nice mix of machines.  

So do I gamble?  A little.  I put $20 in my pocket when I went in, and considered it money spent on entertainment when it went in my pocket.  I left with $12.25 of that after almost an hour.  At one point I was a couple of dollars ahead. I play as long as my spent money lasts and as long as I enjoy it.   

Are there Casinos near you?