What to do in Las Vegas?

[Eddylizard]

Okay, my travelling companion wants to go to Las Vegas (can I call it LV for short?)

Any LV locals?

Not for the gamblling, but to see the place. What's to see in and around the LV area at small cost? He says it has the world's largest guitar shop - any clues on that? What about hotels? What's the cost?

Any 'not to miss things' ?

We'might be going sometime September to December - any reccomendations?

Thanks in advance.

[snopes]

Atomic Testing Museum:
http://www.atomictestingmuseum.org/

Pinball Hall of Fame Museum:
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

[gopher]

The Hoover Dam isn't far, in US terms at least.

[Jay Tea]

No idea what you'd do in Vegas if you don't plan on gaming, (perhaps explore the desert for geological features?) but I would recommend you consider picking up some dollars sooner rather than later, especially if you're leaving it till December.

[Eddylizard]

Jay Tea, why pick up the dollars now? Is the exchange rate about to tank again? And yes he's weird.

[Jay Tea]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

Jay Tea, why pick up the dollars now? Is the exchange rate about to tank again?

If I knew that i'd be a rich man though my instinct tell me that things won't be looking so good in a few months. I'd be tempted to buy when the current trend stalls, and I wouldn't be surprised if this occurs sooner rather than later - keep your eyes peeled, i've saved hundreds by buying $ at and around 1.70/1.80.

[Gibbie]

Are you a foodie? Lots of good food in Vegas and lots of restaurants with name chefs.

Tons and tons of shows. Tickets are pretty easy to get. I got tickets to Penn and Teller with no advance notice.

Even if you don't gamble plan to take some time to walk around and gawk at the hotels, they're pretty impressive. Lots of shopping in each of them too.

Check out Fremont Street and the Fremont Street Experience (warning annoying sound on website). The heart of Las Vegas covered in lights with amazing light and laser shows. Last I was there it was also the home of cheap casinos.

Walking through hotels and shops and such is free, but museums and rides and what not usually cost, from a little to a lot. Some are worth it and some are not. Hard to tell which you'll get until you go in.

Gibbie

[Hans Off]

Originally Posted by Jay Tea

If I knew that i'd be a rich man though my instinct tell me that things won't be looking so good in a few months. I'd be tempted to buy when the current trend stalls, and I wouldn't be surprised if this occurs sooner rather than later - keep your eyes peeled, i've saved hundreds by buying $ at and around 1.70/1.80.

I would like to invest in your hedge fund please

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by gopher

The Hoover Dam isn't far, in US terms at least.

Hoover Dam isn't all that great to tour anymore. After 9-11 they closed off people going inside it and seeing how it all works and everything and so the entertainment value is severely diminished, or in my opinion anyway. We decided to skip it when we went.

Las Vegas, to be honest, is about gambling. It is out in the middle of nothing and nowhere and the only industry it has, is gambling; they give a nod to other stuff but it centers around gambling. If you stay in a hotel with a wonderful amazing swimming pool, because you love to lounge by the pool, that's great, but they close them early because...they want you to leave and go gamble.

I'm not saying there isn't anything else to do, I'm just saying, it ain't like New York where you could stay for months and still not see everything.

I don't gamble: one of my favorite lower cost things to do was to sit at this outdoor lounge at the Wynn - I think it was connected to a club called Parasol Up/Parasol Down (but there were so many I got confused) - it has a view of this big huge water thing and a big ginourmous screen, sort of like a drive in movie screen I guess, and has entertaining artsy stuff, great music, etc, going on, to watch. Free, for the cost of nursing a drink, and they bring bowls of free munchie mix. To me it was the most relaxing and least constantly-in-my-pocket-with-unpleasant-surprises thing I did the whole time.

Just walking through the casinos and looking at all the STUFF was pretty entertaining. The Wynn was my favorite for originality but they were all pretty cool - I *loved* the Venetian.

The shows are good. Not cheap, but good. Of course if you have seen it in London or on Broadway you will be spoiled for the Las Vegas version but if you are a PHAN, Phantom of the Opera was pretty kick ass, - VERY well done, just a bit abbreviated though. And there was a store in the Venetian with Venetian masks which I could have stood in and DROOLED at all day.

Personally, if I were to have to go there again (it's about number 8598 on my list of places I'm dying to see not a big Vegas fan here) I'd arrange a day trip over to see the Grand Canyon. I haven't been to the Grand Canyon since I was 12 but to me, that's more amazing than any of the contrived entertainment of Vegas. Just my personal tastes. Grand Canyon is very full all the time so you'd need to make arrangements early. Going the time of year that you are, though, with school in session, might be a lot better.

Just my .2. Have fun. Watch out for tourist rip offs though. And NEVER make eye contact with ANYONE hawking ANYTHING, anywhere. Bad idea.

As for cost. Nothing is cheap in Las Vegas. The old saw about cheap buffets - a thing of the long gone past. They are good, but not cheap. You can google up "cheap las vegas" or "free las vegas" and find some vestiges of the freebies/cheapies but you have to look. HOWEVER, right now, because of the tanked economy, they are HURTING real bad (my mom's best friend lives there, I saw her this spring) and there are some really good deals on the hotels to be had, from what I hear. Look around carefully and compare. You might get a really good deal.

[Aud 1]

I went to LV on business and still had some free time. I'm not into gambling either. The two favorite things I did was the Star Trek Experience and riding the cheap/free bus the goes up and down the strip. The Star Trek thing was to me surprisingly well done. I really liked the museum. The bus was slow during rush hour but it was cool to see the older hotel's lights. I rode it all the way to the end to where I was the only one left and chatted with the driver.

[Gibbie]

Originally Posted by snapdragonfly

Hoover Dam isn't all that great to tour anymore. After 9-11 they closed off people going inside it and seeing how it all works and everything and so the entertainment value is severely diminished, or in my opinion anyway. We decided to skip it when we went.

It's reopened. I took the full tour in 2007.

Originally Posted by Aud 1

I went to LV on business and still had some free time. I'm not into gambling either. The two favorite things I did was the Star Trek Experience and riding the cheap/free bus the goes up and down the strip. The Star Trek thing was to me surprisingly well done. I really liked the museum. The bus was slow during rush hour but it was cool to see the older hotel's lights. I rode it all the way to the end to where I was the only one left and chatted with the driver.

Unfortunately, the Star Trek Experience has closed. But there's talk of reopening it in another location in Vegas, but I haven't heard if it is or not yet.

Gibbie

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by Gibbie

It's reopened. I took the full tour in 2007.

Well hell. We must have just missed it because we went there year before last which was 2007 and were told you couldn't go *inside* the dam. You could see the other parts but not inside where the turbans were. *grumbles* Typical timing for me.

[Aud 1]

Unfortunately, the Star Trek Experience has closed.

Sobs. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

[snapdragonfly]

Best Vegas vacation evar:

1. Call your travel agent to book flight to and room in LV.

2. Change your mind and go to NYC instead.

Sorry. I just went to NYC and unlike my trip to LV, I can't wait to go back again and again and again. But personal preference and all. NY is about as genuine as it gets and LV pretty much defines contrived. Nothing wrong with contrived, it's just not my bag. I know people who adore LV and go every year, though.

[rangerdog]

The only other thing is golf.

[Simply Madeline]

Hotels in Vegas are extremely discounted right now. I got an email from the Luxor the other day (not my first choice for a hotel) and they had rooms available (mid-week) for $38/night. They'll likely be even cheaper in December (traditionally the slowest time of year is between Thanksgiving and Christmas). I would go ahead and book a hotel and keep an eye on the rates -- when they go down, just call the hotel and tell them you want the lower rate.

I highly recommend the Bellagio or the Wynn, and right now you can probably get a room at either for > $150/night.

ETA: If you're interested in seeing a show, there's a place on the strip (next to the M&M's store), where you can buy discounted same-day show tickets. Vegas has approximately 478 different versions of Cirque du Soleil playing at various hotels, so if you like that sort of thing, you have a lot of options.

Also, note that many of the shows shut down in December, as do some of the restaurants.

[Eddylizard]

Hahaha, yeah Vegas is about number ten million on my list of places to visit, but I owe him, and he want's to go. *shrug*. I enjoy flying, but my arms get tired after a while.

So stupid questions how far is the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam from Vegas? Doable in a day?

[Jay Tea]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

Hahaha, yeah Vegas is about number ten million on my list of places to visit, but I owe him, and he want's to go. *shrug*. I enjoy flying, but my arms get tired after a while.

So stupid questions how far is the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam from Vegas? Doable in a day?

It's 4.5 hours each way apparently, with plenty of tour options available in LV.

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

Hahaha, yeah Vegas is about number ten million on my list of places to visit, but I owe him, and he want's to go. *shrug*. I enjoy flying, but my arms get tired after a while.

So stupid questions how far is the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam from Vegas? Doable in a day?

Hoover Dam - a day. half a day even. 30 minutes away and you can see it all in a couple hours. Grand Canyon - an overnight. It's about 5 hours away and you can spend as much time as you want there, especially if you want to hike a bit.

[Simply Madeline]

Forgot to add: The Liberace Museum. Awesome.