DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS: One of our favorite places downtown is the California Hotel. It was built by Boyd Gaming (BYD) in 1975 and is a delightful casino. It is bright and cheery with a definite relaxed island atmosphere since Boyd markets it, along with its sister property Main Street Station, mostly to Hawaii, and they get a great return for that effort.

We decided to stop at The Cal over the weekend, but opted to valet at Main Street Station because we wanted to take a look at some of the beautiful antiques in this casino fashioned after a late 19th or early 20th century train station. There are gorgeous stained glass windows, exquisite wooden doors, chandeliers, statues and more. (We hear there is also a piece of the Berlin Wall, but it’s located in a men’s restroom so we cannot confirm.)

After our little self-guided tour, we took the up escalator and headed toward the skywalk connecting Main Street to The Cal. Although skywalks are typically just a means to an end, this one houses the Golden Arm Wall of Fame.

The Golden Arm award in craps was created May 28, 1989 when Stanley Fujitake picked up the dice at the California Hotel and held them for an incredible three hours and six minutes, rolling the bones 118 times. Since then, anyone who holds the dice for more than an hour is awarded the Golden Arm. If someone repeats the feat they are upgraded to platinum status.

It’s impressive to see how many plaques are on the wall. The most recent award was given to Ed "Rocky" Hiraki of Honolulu on Feb. 5.

The Cal has long been known for its craps games and Saturday morning was no exception; there were two packed tables in full swing. If you want action this is the place.

We decided to have lunch at the coffee shop, the Market Street Café. As expected there are several Hawaiian menu options, but we went for a traditional soup and salad bar. For $6.95 we got all the soup and salad we could eat. Now that’s a bargain, especially when you realize the salad bar includes shaved salmon, shrimp and crab salad, and sushi, along with traditional salad fixings.

Everything on the salad bar was fresh, our corn chowder was delicious and the service was excellent. We love this place!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nagim "Moose" Moosa, who turned 89 last week. Moose, a top-notch handicapper from New Orleans, used to have a second home at the Fair Grounds racetrack. But after hurricane Katrina he relocated to the suburbs and now the OTB parlor in Kenner is more convenient.

In addition to betting horses, Moose loves to have fun. When he came to Vegas a few years ago, he was quite the partier and we definitely had trouble keeping up with him.

When asked by some of his friends recently when he was going to grow up he replied, "Never, I’m having too much fun!"

FRENCH TOAST? While walking down Fremont Street we noticed a sign outside Mermaid’s Casino, a small hole-in-the-wall joint. It boasted of "Deep Fried Twinkies" and "Deep Fried Oreos." We definitely intended to walk right by since the thought alone was enough to put our stomach in distress, but Ron had other ideas. So we waited patiently while he went in to order and came out with his prized Twinkie.

We watched dubiously as the confection disappeared in three quick bites, leaving just a trace of powdered sugar on the corner of his mouth.

How was it?

"Delicious!" Ron bragged, "It kind of tastes like French toast. Really good!"

See you around town.

AROMA THERAPY? While walking toward the entrance of an off-Strip casino recently we were hit with the aroma of sandalwood (at least that’s what it smelled like to us) about 100 feet from the door. As we got closer the scent got stronger, and when we entered the casino it was almost overpowering. By the time we left, less than 30 minutes later, we had a splitting headache, which cleared up quickly in the fresh outdoor air.

Several employees, when asked, suggested the smell was being used to cover the odor of cigarette smoke.

While we’re all for getting rid of cigarette smells, we know a number of casinos who seem to manage the problem quite well without the use of added odors. Maybe a little less sandalwood and a little more fresh air would do the trick.

CUTTING EDGE: Harrah’s has always been a leader when it comes to new technology. A recent guest at one of their properties was asked by a floor manager if she and her spouse would like a drink. They replied yes and placed an order, which the manager quickly typed into an iTouch pad. In just a few nano seconds the bartender on the other side of the casino had the request and mixed the drinks, which were promptly delivered by a cocktail waitress.

"Very cool," said the guest.

See you around town.