First trip to Vegas...any tips? (1 Viewer)

[Grant B]

Before going, read "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S Thompson...refrain from 'ethering down the carpets' and pumping up the tire pressure to twice the recommended psi so it handles well on curves....tends to be a little dangerous

On Fremont Street is the Cowboy and cowgirl that was shown on a lot on beer commericals a while ago

Hoover Dam is pretty cool to see and don't forget Area 54 and the little Ale'Inn and the Black Mailbox. Even if you don't believe in that stuff, it's great people watching

 

[Mark Schermerhorn]

I don't have much to add, other than if you're looking for cheap beer, the Imperial Palace has domestic bottles for $1.25!! I had to offset my expensive dinners and cigars somehow Everywhere else I went beer was 4 bucks a bottle. Mixed drinks....yikes, more than that.
Actually I'll be down in Southern CA and Vegas again in a few weeks, should be a good time. Check that, it's impossible to have a bad time in vegas, unless you're really boring...

 

[Ted Lee]

i second cirque de soleil (i thought it was mirage?). it may be slightly "artsy" but for me and my girlfriend, it was an absolute must! i totally enjoyed it.
but...
the best part of our vacation was getting bumped from the normal hotel room to the penthouse suite at the mirage (overlooking the volcano) just because i complained about a leaky bathtub!

 

[Shawn C]

Yeah, the river that the Luxor is gone. Even the foutains/waterfalls out front don't run anymore.

The Luxor is pretty un-interesting on the inside if you are not staying there. Vegas has changed alot in 5 years!

New hotels/casinos:

Bellagio

Paris

Venetian

Alladin

NY, NY

Mandalay Bay

They are building a new Desert Inn

 

[KeithH]

My girlfriend went to Vegas and the Grand Canyon with her mom last week, and they both had a great time. They stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton and went to the Star Trek Experience. In fact, the Star Trek Experience was one of the main reasons they went, and my girlfriend said it is definitely worth seeing. Check it out.

 

[Stefan A]

In addition to the good suggestions try these:
1. Death Valley - I went in the middle of the summer to get the total experience . I think it was only 125 the day I was there (but hey - it's a dry heat!). I have never experienced a place quite like it. The specticle is not quite as thrilling as the Grand Canyon, but it's real neat looking - in a desert kind of way.
2. Buffolo Bill's Casino - Its on 15 right at the California Line. The casino is pretty good but the rides are great. The Desperato (rollarcoaster) was a record breaker for speed a few years ago. It is easily the best rollarcoaster in that part of the country. It flys!! The log flume is no big deal but my wife and I were captivated by the target shooting during the ride. Here we are on a log flume going right through a casino and totaly oblivious to the gamblers as we try to hit as many targets as we can. A very nice ride going there too.
Stupidly, I thought I could win at blackjack just because I was reading a book on strategy. If you don't like to lose money - try to stay away from the gambling. It can really ruin your day. With all the other things to do there, you hardly need to gamble. Of course you will though . At least pick a game where you have a chance at winning (if you know how to do it) like blackjack. From what I read, if you stick to the basic strategy long enough, you should come out a winner. But - here I go again :b.
Emeril's New Orlean's Fish House is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. It's in one of the major hotels. I am sure you can easily find it.
Have Fun

 

[walter wagers]

My wife and I went to LV for our honeymoon last August. Because of bad weather, our plane took a detour over the Grand Canyon. The flyover lasted about 20 min., and it was SPECTACULAR. That really got us off to a great start on the trip. We were vacationing on the cheap, because it was kind of a last minute thing, but we had a blast all the same. I couldn't get over the weather out there, even in dead of August, when it's 80 freakin' degrees at midnight, you could walk for miles and not even break a sweat. I absolutely loved it. Just walking up and down the strip, soaking up the atmosphere, going into all the casino's and playing the nickle slots, gulpin' down all the complementary drinks and having a ball. I was really depressed when we got back home. For days everytime I went into a public place, all I could think was- where's the cocktail waitress with my drink? Man, this place is lame- no slot machines anywhere! Boy, this establishment is so banal- no giant video screens outside or anything! After all that razzle-dazzle for a week, ol' naptown just seemed- plain. :frowning:
We're going again this fall, and I might not book it as a round trip this time!

 

[KeithH]

I forwarded this thread to my girlfriend since, as I said in an earlier post, she went to Vegas and the Grand Canyon with her mom last week. She asked me to add her comments as follows:

I read the thread of Las Vegas, having just returned from there last week. Mom and I went to the Star Trek Experience, and if you like Star Trek, go there! The simulation/ride after the long winding maze of show historical "timeline" and costumes/props is great! One admission price for all day, though you only need to do it once. Start early in the day.

I also drove mom out to the Grand Canyon. A LONG ride--plan 6 hours to get there and a $20/car admission. It's worth every dollar and every hour's drive. I didn't realize the main road goes over the Hoover Dam, so you'll get a look without stopping. However, beware of traffic. There is increased security over the Hoover Dam, which added an hour+ to our drive to the Grand Canyon. There is a truck route (I don't know what it is) which detours commercial traffic around the Dam, and that may save you time.

If you do goto Grand Canyon, Kingman (on the Las Vegas side of Rt. 40) has the cheapest gas. (You can round trip easily between this town and Grand Canyon.) Stop off at Williams (on the Grand Canyon side of 40) for dinner or any meal at Pine Creek Restaurant. Fabulous oversized homemade pies, and the rotisserie chicken should not be missed. You'll also be very close to historic Route 66, if that's your thing. If I had the time, I would have explored.

A taxi cab driver mentioned Utah to me (I imagine the Zion National Park everyone refers to), saying it was better and closer then the Grand Canyon, so take the recommendation from the locals.

I didn't do much in Las Vegas, but the Bellagio Fountains are a MUST! Breathtaking synchronicity. They run at night about every 10 minutes. The volcano at Mirage is also great. If you stand close enough, you can feel the heat. Those events are free, and there's a list somewhere on the Internet of all the free events. And the Strip IS long. I thought it would be a short walk from Bellagio back to LV Hilton (near Stratosphere) where I stayed, but that must have been 3 miles. That wasn't even end-to-end. Great exercise, but unexpected. Take a cab to go anywhere you don't want to walk for fastest service. Mom and I toured LV in the $1.50 trolley, which stops at all casinos, and it took 2 hours to make a round trip. The cheapest tour of LV you'll get!

Check online for coupons, doing a search for "Las Vegas" or a specific hotel/event. Also, call the individual hotels and ask about any special packages or deals or promotions they might offer. I got my ST Experience admissions with 2 hotel nights and 2 free meals and 10% off one gift item for just over $100--a savings of $50 at least!

 

[Shane Gralaw]

If you have to gamble just for the complete Vegas experience, stay away from the slots (esp. the dollar slots). It's just plain boring, all you do is push a button or pull a handle, and it's a big waste of cash. Play a little blackjack at the cheap table, lose $20 or so and call it a day. Your money is much better spent on shows.

 

[dpippel]

Since you're seeing the Grand Canyon, you might also want to visit Hoover Dam.

If he's taking a car there (South Rim) from Vegas he won't have any choice - he'll drive right over it!

 

[eric holm]

Buffets: Paris, Bellagio are the best by far.

I'm a big buffet guy.

Cheap Gambling: Downtown - not has flashy as the strip but you can find cheaper minimums and better odds. Also, they bring drinks faster than you can drink'em.

Cheap Alcohol: Downtown. Well drinks and imports for a buck.

Cool shops: Ceasar's or Bellagio's. I paid $600 for shirt and tie last time I was there.

Shows: 'O' - incredible.

Cheap Eats: Downtown. Home of the $3.99 t-bone.

Best ride: Most taxis.

Fun Place to go without losing $$: Gameworld. For $25 you can get unlimited play on all sorts of vids. OK, I'm a geek.

Best place to look at hot chicks: Planet Hollywood. Oh yeah.

 

[MikeSerrano]

I've been to Las Vegas several times, most recently last May.
There is a lot of good advice above.
I just wanted to add:
IMO, the only reason to venture downtown is the Fremont Experience--catch it once and head back to friendlier surroundings as soon as humanly possible.
If you're not fond of losing money, don't gamble in the major strip casinos. They are more geared toward the uniformed tourist and losing a couple hundred dollars in a single sitting is not uncommon. Go for the sights and sounds, but once you've seen one casino, you've pretty much seen them all. (I'm talking about casinos proper--the value-added attractions are what make Las Vegas "Las Vegas" and some are worth seeing more than others, as noted above).
If you want to at least try the "gambling thing" I'd say go to Sunset Station. It's a friendly, well-kept casino that locals seem to favor on their monthly/weekly/daily gambling trips. Lots of low-stakes high return gambling without the "low-stakes" (downtown) atmosphere or crowd. I'd venture to say that the "locals casinos" are friendlier towards tourists than the strip casinos.
As far as rides go, the Desperado roller-coaster at Buffalo Bill's is well worth the drive--the best coaster I've ever ridden. If you want the rush of bungee jumping without the safety concerns, you've got to try The Big Shot on the top of the Stratosphere tower. You may want to pack an extra pair or underwear, however .
That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure I'll be adding to this thread in the near future.
-Mike

 

[Chris Rosene]

Uh . . you mean theres more to Vegas than gambling ??
Seriously, I've been to Vegas 6 times and the only other thing I did than gamble (and drink) was get married (pre-planned )

 

[KeithH]

Chris said:

I've been to Vegas 6 times and the only other thing I did than gamble (and drink) was get married (pre-planned )

Yeah, O.K. Now why don't you tell us what really happened.

 

[KyleS]

Uh . . you mean there’s more to Vegas than gambling ??

Chris, You have no idea how many people think that. Las Vegas/Henderson is pretty big (last I checked around 30K people Per MONTH moved in. I think they said that the entire population of Delaware? is moving into Vegas each year.
And there is so much to do just on the strip and that is why people usually don’t get off the strip. I mean if you like Sushi then there is a restaurant called Kyoto about 10 blocks from the strip, which serves all you can eat sushi for $25 dollars (and they will server you pretty much whatever kind you want with no limitations on expensive fish).
Buffalo Bills on the border is a relatively short drive south west from Vegas and does have 4 or 5 casinos and of course the whore houses (Chicken ranch, bunny farm, etc)
I totally forgot about the Grand Canyon trips via helicopter & plane they are relatively cheap and a great way if you have limited time to see everything.
KyleS

 

[Randy Tennison]

My wife would shoot me if I didn't mention this.

If you are a chocolate fan, get some Ethyl M's chocolate. It is some of the best I've had. The factory is about 30 minutes from the strip. Not much of a tour (self guided), but they have a great cactus garden there. I enjoyed it, because it was the first peaceful and serene place I had been in the 3 days I had been in Vegas (stimulation overload central!!!).

You can also stop at the Liberace museum. It's a very touristy thing to do, but I kinda enjoyed it. It was pretty amazing to see what someone with lots of money can do.

 

[KeithH]

Randy said:

If you are a chocolate fan, get some Ethyl M's chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate, somewhere is Vegas is M&M World. I haven't been there, but my girlfriend went when she was in Vegas last week. They sell all sorts of M&M souvenirs, but more importantly, you can buy M&Ms in practically any color, including silver and gold. I'm still working on a nice-sized feedbag of purple M&Ms that she bought me.

 

[Mark Lee]

The M&M joint is located right next to the MGM Grand on the Strip.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

Buffalo Bills on the border is a relatively short drive south west from Vegas and does have 4 or 5 casinos and of course the whore houses (Chicken ranch, bunny farm, etc)

Actually, the whore houses are in Pahrump, not Primm. Not like I would know....

 

[Michael Mathius]

I'm also going to Las Vegas in May and need to decide on one of the following hotels:

LAS VEGAS HILTON

NEW YORK-NEW YORK

M G M GRAND

Since I'm not a gambler and my wife and our two year old daughter will be traveling we are looking for a fun place to enjoy.

We selected the Hilton because we stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village last year and was very impress.

Since I love rollercoasters I thought it would be neat to stay at NY NY.

Also our neighbors are also going but have already made their reservation for the MGM.

How are the rooms in those hotels? Are there any other hotels I should consider?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.