Las Vegas suggestions

Knives Out

My boyfriend and I have booked a trip down to Las Vegas in October - first time going there for both of us.

Is there anything in particular that we should definitely check out while we're there? We're very mild gamblers as in once every 4 months, so casino time will be kept reasonable.

We've gotten the usual suggestions from coworkers saying to check out Hoover Dam, Fremont Street, Stratosphere.. so..if anyone else has any other ideas, post em please

darkerosxx

Rooftop bars are fun. VooDoo was really cool: Rio Events/Entertainment - VooDoo Lounge

Also, check the casinos for scheduled celebrities you may want to see.

bwcarty

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Cirque du Soleil shows. Tickets aren't cheap, but they're worth it. Book your seats as early as possible to get the best location.

Watching the live bands at the various casino lounges is good for cheap/free entertainment later in the evening.

Staying at one of the hotels in the middle of the strip (Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Bally's, or Paris) puts you within walking distance the majority of the strip.

dynamik

Do you guys like bunnies? I think there's a ranch down there or something...

msteinhilber

You could walk up and down the strip and collect "Las Vegas Baseball Cards"... unless they aren't allowed to sit along the strip and try to get passer-by's to take the various little escort ad cards anymore.

SrAtechie

As a former resident, I had many many many friends and family visit (one reason I moved actually; I can count on two hands the number of weeks I DIDN'T have guests in my house) I suggest checking out the Review-Journal (the local newspaper) at Las Vegas News, Business, Entertainment Information - ReviewJournal.com to see what upcoming events are there. The dining guide is good as well. I would tell my guests to log on and pick some random joint and we'd go and try it out. PM me your email address. I'll call some relatives that still live there and see what's going on. Let me know what you'd be interested in doing in your PM (eat, watch shows, shop, etc.) and I'm sure I can find you enough stuff to do.

SrAtechie

msteinhilber wrote: »

You could walk up and down the strip and collect "Las Vegas Baseball Cards"... unless they aren't allowed to sit along the strip and try to get passer-by's to take the various little escort ad cards anymore.

Love them cards. I still have my complete sets from '04-'07

I'm all set for '10 AFN err, I mean CES. Yeah, that's it. CES...

dubbs112

My wife and I just went there in July. I would highly recommend going to Red Rock Canyon. It is less than 1/2 an hour from the strip and a very incredible place. We spent hours just hiking around and taking pictures.

And stay away from the the carnival world buffet I think it was at the Rio and about 300 yards long...a total disappointment

Knives Out

We got rooms at the MGM Grand - we're spending a bit more than we would if we went during the week, but we planned it around a long weekend to minimize the amount of vacation time we're using at work.

Someone else actually mentioned those baseball cards before, I'll have to keep an eye out for those - I'll bring some back to Canada for my friends, they'll get a good laugh outta those.

Expedia recommended a helicopter flight to and over the Grand Canyon - which we might splurge for, we're still discussing it. A site called Papillon Tours is quite a bit cheaper than the ones that Expedia recommended

eMeS

We usually go around twice per year, and my wife and I were married in Vegas a little over 3 years ago.

I've seen many of the shows out there....hands down the two best shows I've seen are "O" and Penn and Teller. Mystere at the Treasure Island was probably the strangest show that I've seen. For a taste of the old Vegas, go see the showgirl show (can't remember the name) at Bally's (connected to Paris). They don't wear tops, which your boyfriend might enjoy!

Dynamik I'm told is fond of the "Thunder from Down Under" show at the Luxor. I don't really know what that is, but if you mention his name you get some kind of discount.

MGM is not a bad hotel. I've never stayed there myself. That's right on the edge of where I would want to stay, as because someone else said, center-strip puts you right in the middle of all of the action. I've stayed at Bellagio, Wynn, Paris, Treasure Island, and Alladin (which is now Planet Hollywood). I would say my favorite of those is the Bellagio. The Wynn is nice, but the color scheme is a little bit sickly...weird oranges and stuff in the rooms and the hallways.

My wife and I were married at the Bellagio. This is the best way to do a wedding because you just write them a check and they take care of absolutely everything. Our wedding cake was the absolute best cake I have ever had. We also had a really cool reception in the Fontana bar, which isn't a bad hang out for a casino.

Other recommendations that I have include:

1) The Ferraris at Wynn
2) Get a crepe at the patisserie at the Bellagio (excellent and without compare)
3) Just walk through each and every casino. That's so much fun
4) The sports bar at the Mirage. Lots of ladies looking for short-term employment there.
5) The tiger, dolphin, etc.. exhibit at Mirage
6) The Playboy club or whatever at the top of the Palms. It's a fun place to watch poseurs.
7) Downtown always seemed really lame to me..not much there. I've been to Vegas about a million times, but only to downtown once. That lightshow thing is really lame

I've never been to the Stratosphere...it's a little too far away from my base of operations when in Vegas...

That's all I can think of for now...have fun!

MS

LarryDaMan

My last time out there we went to a pretty neat wax museum, Welcome to Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and then saw a comedy show, Las Vegas Box Office - The Comedy Stop - Comedy Club on the Las Vegas Strip at Tropicana JJ Walker from Goodtimes was even there! Dyn-o-mite!

Of course we had the obligatory strip club, gambling, and drinking adventures too.

Daniel333

I went a few weekends ago. Plenty of eye candy and booze!

Always have a blast there. We played a game, 1 margarita at each hotel each. Mm... Serioulsy though, what are your interests? Something for everyone there.

Bokeh

Last time friends were out there, they did the parachute ride. Its supposedly a huge room with mega fans in the floor that allow you to float around, do summersaults, etc and get the feeling of skydiving.

dshay25

-Cirque du Soleil
-Dueling pianos at New York New York
-Penn and Teller

Be sure to try the $20 trick (worked for me)!! (Las Vegas - The Twenty Dollar Trick)

bwcarty

dshay25 wrote: »

Be sure to try the $20 trick (worked for me)!!

I was surprised that this didn't fall in line with the short term employment ladies and LV baseball cards.

captobvious

Split 2's and 8's against a bust card!

snadam

I go there about twice a year for the last 6 years or so. I dont normally go to shows, but I went a saw Blueman Group a while back. It was an awesome show.

PS Captobvious, your sig looks extremely familiar...

JDMurray

Hoover Dam, Boulder City, and lake Meade are very nice. Old Town Las Vegas at the North end of The Strip is fun too. Oh, and you can make the short drive out to Pahrump and visit Art Bell.

I like the Excalibur buffet for breakfast and the Paris buffet for dinner. There is an excellent 5-star steakhouse in Circus Circus too. If the price of Las Vegas food starts getting you down, there are plenty of places to eat several miles off The Strip that are normal prices. I recommend heading in a Westerly direction from The Strip towards Rainbow. Lots and lots of Asian buffets. Like boiled carp and goat curry? You're in the right town.

I've heard that there's gambling in Vegas too, but I've not tried it.

tiersten

bwcarty wrote: »

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Cirque du Soleil shows. Tickets aren't cheap, but they're worth it. Book your seats as early as possible to get the best location.

+1 to this. I saw KA last time I was in Vegas and my friend who booked the tickets, got front row centre and I had a great time.

captobvious

snadam wrote: »

PS Captobvious, your sig looks extremely familiar...

Took yours as an example. The more we get it out there the more the new guys/gals will know!

Lamini

i have to go to vegas quite often (not a gambler). highlight of my trips there is... Frys electronics, panda express, and Carls Jrs.

tiersten

Lamini wrote: »

Carls Jrs

Not In-N-Out?

azjag

I just got back from Vegas after attending defcon 17.
I would recommend:
Cirque du Soleil KA. Tickets were ~$115ea but it was an incredible show and lasted almost 2 hours. Worth the price.
Penn & Teller. I'm a fan of their tv show and had to see them in person.
Would not recommend the wax show since it is $20 per person for a small show.
Roller coster at the new york.
Ferris wheel at the Wynn.
Siren show at TI (late night show is the best.)
Buffets at bellagio, venitian, TI and mgm are good.
We didn't rent a car. Bus passes for $15 covered 3 of the 5 days out there and got us to the other side of the strip in good time.

That was my 5 days in Vegas. it's a lot to do and nothing is cheap.
have fun