Las Vegas

[Amina516]

Hookers need slurpees, too.

You have just made my morning.

[Victory Sabre]

Someone, thanks for the tips on Happy Hour at the Stratosphere. Drinking and watching people leap off a building sounds amazing.

Im so excited!! Flight leaves tomorrow evening.

Last year I spent 2 hours just sitting up there and watching that. So amazing to see, and the view from the top is great.

[Arcus]

I love Vegas. I hate that I no longer go there every week for business.

Get the casino cards! I can't stress this enough. Even if you don't use them for the points, they give you discounts on shows, buffets, and many of the shops. Another thing they are good for is the 24 hour unlimited buffets. One price, all buffets in the family of hotels.

All of the Cirque Du Soleil shows but one are worth seeing. The lone one out is the Chris Angel show. If you've see his tv or dvd shows, then you've seen his Vegas show.

The price is high on soda or other drinks in most places (20oz $2.50-3.00) To save money on them, visit any of the Walgreens along the Strip. Their prices are much better.


I'm going to see how much I can list from memory going from the south end of the strip to the north end.

Welcome to Las Vegas sign. This is down the road a little from Mandaly Bay. It has a small parking lot in the center of the street that you can only enter if you are traveling south on the Strip. Fun photo op spot that doesn’t take long to visit.


Mandaly Bay: The aquarium is a little pricey, but I enjoyed it. Many good restaurants and one of the best buffets in the $30+ range.


Luxor: Undergoing room renovation. The old rooms are not bad, but the new ones are nice.
Things to see/do: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Carrot Top, BODIES…The Exhibition (Kind of creepy, but fascinating too)


Excalibur: Not what it once was. I always got chased by salesmen pushing time shares. A place you can skip. Best thing here is Dick's Last Resort. The manager, Taco, is a master at what he does.


Tropicana: One of the last of the classic Strip hotels. Rooms are nice.
Things to do/see: Mob Attraction. Tells the history of the Mob and how they shaped Las Vegas into the city it is today. Never got the chance to see it myself, but heard good tings about it from people that did.


MGM: Just finished a renovation of the front of the casino area. They removed the lion exhibit.
Things to do/see: one of the top 5 buffets in Vegas. Price is a bit high though ($40+) KÀ is set to reopen today (July 16th) with a change to the show. The battle scene has been replace with an artistic scene.
I never saw David Copperfield or CSI: The Experience. I never heard much about them.


New York New York: Good pub and some of the best pretzels anywhere.
Things to do/see: The rollercoaster is fun. Nice game room for the kids. Home of Zumanity. Cirque Du Soleil Adult show. Not for kids at all.


Kids may want to go into M&M World when they see it. It's just a store and there is not much to do or see here. Same for the Coke store.


Monte Carlo: Front was under renovation when I was there last month.
Things to do/see: Blue Man Group. A must to see even if you just go to see them standing outside after the show. The gift shop has a set of their PVC pipes you can play.


City Center: A huge complex of shops, hotels, and casinos. I can't tell whats in here to see because I always got lost when I went in.


Planet Hollywood: Geared to a younger crowd. The Miracle Mile Shops is a good place to cut into if you need a break from the heat. I had no interest in seeing Peepshow, so I can't say if it's any good. Most definitely an adult show.


Bellagio: This is a must see in Vegas.
Things to do/see: The Fountains of Bellagio. Different shows every 30 min before 7 and every 15 min from 7-midnight. Trees cover the sidewalk in front so it's a popular place to go. Go inside and see the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Follow the driveway around the left side of the fountains to the front door. Look up at the Chihuly glass sculpture as you pass the check in desk. Once you pass that, the gardens are right in front of you.
Shows: O by Cirque du Soleil.


Paris: This is a place to go inside and get away from the heat. There is a ride to the top of the tower for a great view. The shops are fun and has what my family calls the best buffet in Vegas ($30+)


Bally's: One of the older hotels in Vegas. Site of the MGM fire in 1980 (sold to Bally's a couple years later) Home of the last classic showgirl revue, Jubilee!


Caesars Palace: Las Vegas icon. The shops are fun to wander though (most likely will get lost in them)


Flamingo: Home to the long running Donny and Marie. Has one of the better buffets in the $20-25 range.


The Quad (formerly the Imperial Palace): Still undergoing renovations. If you like classic cars, go see the Auto Collections here. The cars are always being changed out so it’s never the same.


Harrahs: Nice rooms, one of the better buffets in the $20-25 range. Home of Big Elvis. He puts on a good show. His shows are free. Shows are 2, 3, and 5pm on Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Fri.


The Mirage: Has a free volcano water show out front. Not the flashiest free show. Worth stopping to watch if you are near when it starts. Best after dark.
Things to do/see: The Beatles LOVE. Aces of Comedy, Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. The Atrium is nice to walk though on a hot day.


The Venetian and Palazzo: The shops in the Venetian are a must see. Wandering singers and other performers. The singing gondoliers are great. Best sounding is inside ride.


Treasure Island: The once great pirate show is gone. In it’s place is the Sirens of TI show. This is not worth the time to go see. Especially if you have kids with you.
Things to do/see: Mystère Cirque du Soleil


Wynn and Encore: Sad to say that I never made it into them. I heard great things about them, but I can’t say what they have to offer.


From here it is a long way before you get to the next set of hotels and casinos. This was an area that was just starting to be rebuilt when the economy went south and the construction was stopped. You can walk it, but I don’t recommend it.


Riviera: Not much to see here unless you want to see the old Strip casinos. They do have the Pinball Hall of Fame museum annex here. Not as big as the normal museum, but it is closer to the action than the normal one (Driving is required to get to the Pinball Hall of Fame. Busses take too long)


Circus Circus: Still the best place for kids. The midway and circus shows are classic family Las Vegas. For more excitement, the rides and other attractions in the Adventure Dome are worth a visit. Don’t bother eating here though. It’s not very good.


We have another section of nothing. As you head north you will pass the site of the old Sahara. It is being rebuilt in the the SLS.


And on to...

Stratosphere: The best thing to see here is the top of the tower. Rides and a great view.


From here you don’t want to walk anywhere. The stretch from the Strat to Fremont Street is not the safest of areas. Take the bus or drive it.


If you would like to see the Pawn Stars shop, it’s along this part (address is 713 Las Vegas Boulevard) Be ready to stand in line to get in. There is a bus stop very close to it. The American Restoration shop is also near here. Driving or a cab is a must to see that one.


Now we are to Fremont Street. Not as flashy as the Strip casinos, but you will get the old Las Vegas feel here. It’s best at night. Once a huge draw to get people into the casinos, the .99 shrimp cocktail can still be found here (now the draw is crab)



Off Strip

The Rio: If you love seafood, this is the place to go. Their Seafood Buffet is great. I would rate it as one of the best buffets in town. This is the only buffet where you will find lobster. The down side is that it is one of the highest priced buffets in town ($45.) It used to be the highest, but the new Caesars buffet beats it by $5.
The thing to do here is the Penn & Teller show. Stick around after to meet Penn & Teller. They take the time to meet with anyone that would like to talk to them.


Things to see around Las Vegas... There is so much. From Hover Dam to Red Rock, there is more then you can do in one trip One thing I would do is the Neon Museum. Here you will find all the old neon signs that made Vegas famous. Once known as the Neon Graveyard and closed to the public, it is now open.



I’m sure there is more that I’m forgetting. I’ll add them later when I remember.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Hoover Dam is totally worth seeing. It's probably the most impressive manmade thing I've seen. <snip> So yeah, all I really have to say about that general area is that you should see the Hoover Dam.

When I went to see the Hoover Dam in 2002, they just took us down to the generator room and then brought us back up to the observation deck, where there were various exhibits.

Oh, and this one guy whose apparent job was to stand in one spot and talk in a monotone about the "interesting" presentation they had upstairs and everybody should go up there and see it.

A couple people walked right past him. He briefly got off script. "No, no, go upstairs."

So that was the in-joke for the trip. "No no, go upstairs."

Um, who doesnt?!?! I promised some friends some hooker papers so I have to pick up a few anyways. Lol.

My friends just asked me to bring back keychains. Maybe I need new friends.

[Amina516]

My friends just asked me to bring back keychains. Maybe I need new friends.

You can have some of mine. They talk too much. Mostly about hookers (obviously).

[Amina516]

I love Vegas. I hate that I no longer go there every week for business.

Get the casino cards! I can't stress this enough. Even if you don't use them for the points, they give you discounts on shows, buffets, and many of the shops. Another thing they are good for is the 24 hour unlimited buffets. One price, all buffets in the family of hotels.

All of the Cirque Du Soleil shows but one are worth seeing. The lone one out is the Chris Angel show. If you've see his tv or dvd shows, then you've seen his Vegas show.

Hell of a memory. Wow. I hope I can be as knowledgeable about Vegas one day. Maybe this trip will spawn a yearly tradition. Though thats kind of expensive, so maybe biyearly or triyearly.

[Victory Sabre]

The best part about going in the summer - it's off season, and less expensive. Have fun out there and save some fun out there for me next week.

[Aislin]

Bi-yearly is great. That is why we got the every other year timeshare. It's big enough to bring 2 couples and we go every other year though this year I want to time it so I can go to photoshop world and have a few days vacation too. There is always something new and tons to do every time we go.

[Sonoma]

For free entertainment, be sure to check out the Fountains at Bellagio. We almost slept too late on our departure date since we were out so late staying for 'one last show'. Reading these posts makes me want to plan another trip to Vegas.

[Jester]

Someone, thanks for the tips on Happy Hour at the Stratosphere. Drinking and watching people leap off a building sounds amazing.

Last year I spent 2 hours just sitting up there and watching that. So amazing to see, and the view from the top is great.

You know what would be better than drinking and watching people leap off a building?

Leaping off the building yourself, and then drinking and watching other people do it.

What? I can't be the only person that would love to do that!

[Victory Sabre]

You know what would be better than drinking and watching people leap off a building?

Leaping off the building yourself, and then drinking and watching other people do it.

What? I can't be the only person that would love to do that!

It might be fun, but I've got a tough time paying $100 to jump off a perfectly good tower.

[Amina516]

Headed to the Strat tomorrow to jump. It was my diabolical plan all along. I'm in my gorgeous room in the Aria and this bed is FREAKING AMAZING

[dalesys]

I suppose you'll now claim your hair came off when you hit the end of the bungees?

[Amina516]

That jump was amazing, and just as Jester predicted, I went back up after the jump to the Air Bar and had a margarita and watched others. Ill post a pic of me in sexy harness and jumpsuit after I get home.

[violiavampyr]

Ooh. How's the pool? And is it jacuzzi tub?