Las Vegas

[TMJ]

I am planning to book a trip to Vegas for hubby's birthday, in early October. He has never been, other than to drive through, I was there 6 years ago. I have been told lots of changes. Can any one give me tips, ideas, before booking? Also, we will not be renting a car, so are prepared for lots of walking. THanks in advance.

[tmknies1]

TMJ,

Have a great time. Vegas is one of my favorite places to go for hubby and I to have a long weekend without the kids! One reason I love it so much is that anything goes, the person next to you can be in a full gown and the next person in ripped jeans.
I recommend you stay on the strip, either MGM corner or Caesars/Bellagio corner are very nice. They also have the tram that will take you from one end to the other. You can look for show tickets in advance. Shows are much more reasonable in price compared to large forums here in NYC which I am close to.

Tons of great restaurants. We have stayed at several hotels there. PM me if I can anwser any questions for you.

Tammy

[Chris_H]

www.lasvegastalk.com
www.travel2vegas.com

Two very good message boards on Vegas.  Also, make sure you look at the deals section of those boards as putting in a special code will typically save you a couple bucks on your trip or get you a free upgrade on your room.

[drewstar]

I was in vegas 6 years ago (Stayed at Mandalay bay...loved it).  

One of the best things we did was take a helicopter tour over the Hoover damn and into the Grand Canyon. We Landed in the canyon, and had a nice picnic lunch.  It was great. Espically if you need a break from the casino's.

We did the helicopter tour with Papylion helicopter.  The guides were wonderful and I would recomend them. The airport was at the end of the strip, almost across the street from Manadaly Bay (if I remember correctly).

[Brewman]

If you like walking, then you'll love the strip.  It's a deceptively long walk from one end to the other.  
The hotels are so huge they look close but it's a couple miles from one end to the other.  

A hotel in the middle of the strip might be a good idea- that way you can be relatively close whichever way you want to go.  

[drewstar]

If you like walking, then you'll love the strip.  It's a deceptively long walk from one end to the other.  
 The hotels are so huge they look close but it's a couple miles from one end to the other.  

 A hotel in the middle of the strip might be a good idea- that way you can be relatively close whichever way you want to go.  
 

I enjoyed walkng the strip. (Although, the heat can get to you).  Walking the strip you'll get to see  a few interesting stores, and of course the men trying to hand you a flyer or  business cards advertising some alternative entertainment available in Las Vegas.  My wife who is a wonderful sport collected all the cards in a bag and I walllpapered on wall of my workshop with them.  

[tmknies1]

My favorite day in Vegas is to lay by the pool in a private cabana all day. Nap in the afternoon then go to a great dinner, see a show and gamble a little.

[Brewman]

We had a blast walking too.  Those card filppers people must make some serious money off the activity.  
Annoying at first, but it does add a bit of character to the experience.  
My wife and I walked from our hotel (Mirage) to the Stratosphere- that was one long walk!  And once we got past Circus Circus, the last mile or so was pretty scary.  
We didn't mind the heat too much- we're used to the humidity here in summer, so the dry air was rather nice for walking, even when it was in the 90's.

[wmccall]

Anyone have the number for the Montecido?

[drewstar]

Anyone have the number for the Montecido?

Um...sorry but http://ruk.ca/article/3351 says....


....Most of the show is shot in and around the Montecito Resort and Casino. I’d simply assumed that this was a real Las Vegas hotel; this assumption was bolstered by the fly-over shots of the city in the opening credits clearly showing the Montecito on the Las Vegas strip.
Turns out that I was wrong: it’s all a fiction: the Montecito doesn’t actually exist. Here’s what Wikipedia says:

 Many of Mandalay Bay’s interiors and exteriors (including its wave pool) have been used as Montecito exteriors, although (according to the Internet Movie Database) interiors are now filmed in a California set that is a replica of the Mandalay Bay. In several episodes, the fly-through video clips inaccurately depict the movement of the camera into a casino which is clearly the Mandalay Bay - not the Montecito. Many of the interiors and exterior shots of the casino can be shown depicting Mandalay signage and names.  

I've stayed at manadaly and can say it's very nice.  

[Brewman]

Mandalay Bay is a beautiful complex- they sure know how to outfit their cocktail servers, too!

And that restaurant where the wine stewards hang suspended from the guy wires is worth a peek just itself.  

[TMJ]

Thanks for all the tips and insights. Will take all into consideration. I am so looking forward to the trip. I was told not to miss Freemont street. How far is it from the strip, anyone know? Thanks again.

[Brookenstein]

I've been told the same thing and with our 3 or 4 trips there we never have made it.  We went once and well got lost or never found it.  So I have no clue where it is.

Thanks for all the tips and insights. Will take all into consideration. I am so looking forward to the trip. I was told not to miss Freemont street. How far is it from the strip, anyone know? Thanks again.

[Brewman]

Fremont Street is downtown, and I'd recommend taking a cab from the strip.  We passed thru some really icky looking areas on the way there.
If I had to guess, I'd say it was several miles, maybe 10 or so- just a guess.  From the near end of the strip.
From the Mandalay Bay end, add on another several miles.
We caught a cab from the Stratosphere- one of the closest Casinos still on the strip to downtown.  
Walk past that at your own risk.  When the strip ends, it gets pretty nasty looking.  Ignoring the long distance, it just didn't look safe.  

I consider the "Freemont Street Experience"  a must see.  Any cab driver will know where you want to go.

It's a several block area covered overhead by an amazing light show.  And the casino's are a lot smaller- it's a great way to spend an evening.
Lots of street vendors, and very "village square" or outdoor mall like- for Vegas, anyway.

[96SC]

We were in Vegas in mid April and stayed at the Luxor, which is 'next' to M-bay.  You can take a taxi or  shuttle bus to downtown and Fremont Street, but go there at night so you can see the lights over the street, well.  The bad thing about taking a bus downtown is the trip back,  there were people lined up for a block waiting for the next bus.  We rented a car for our trip and it wasn't that bad, you can get away from the 'Strip' and see other parts of the town.
The thing I hated most about the 'new' Vegas' is that the slots don't pay out in coins anymore but in slips of  paper that you have to redeem at the particular casino.

Above all else, don't make too many plans ahead of time because you'll never get them all done.  Pick out a few things you really really want to do and do those first.  With a car we only got an enth done of what we wanted.

If you want any info send me a message, I like talking about Vegas.