OT: Las Vegas Must Do's
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Prime is very, very good. I prefer Picasso at Bellagio, personally, but that's a matter of taste.
Chocolate Cake at Strip House, Planet Hollywood.
24 Layers. They have a good steak there, too, but it's worth taking your gal there for dessert(link). Pair with a glass of rich red wine for excellent decadence.
24 Layers. They have a good steak there, too, but it's worth taking your gal there for dessert(link). Pair with a glass of rich red wine for excellent decadence.
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If you like craft beers Todd English's P.U.B. is pretty good, at Aria. Some cask conditioned ales on pull, plus oysters and a decent bar menu.
Just as an addendum, Picasso is worth visiting for a drink just for the art. They have an extensive collection of original Picassos. Go early, get a glass of wine or a cocktail, and walk around the restaurant to admire the artwork adorning the walls.
Walk over to the Ellis Island Casino on Koval at the always classy Super 8. Eat at the restaurant and order the steak special. It's not on the menu but for 6.99 you get a decent steak, potato, grilled vegetables and a beer from their brewery.
You have to take her to the botanical garden at Bellagio. It's unreal. The Wynn is also beyond ridiculous. Just go there and look at the opulence.
Don't plan too much. There is so much to do and see that if you have pre planned your entire trip you will regret it. Cosmopolitan is our favorite hotel, definitely do one of the Cirque shows, Hard Rock is cool but its a cab ride from the strip, wife loves Bobby Flays Mesa grill at Caesars to the point that I have the restaurant number in my phone. Be prepared for $8 beer everywhere even in restaurants. If you rent a car, which I wouldn't really recommend, drive out to Red Rock Canyon, its kinda there version of the Trace but its cool to see. Just walk from casino to casino and look.
The Cosmo is the hippest hotel for sure. Stay there if you can. Catch a Cirque show. Zarkana is at the Cosmo, but the Beatles cirque is better. The Micheal Jackson show is probably the hottest cirque show right now. The Blue Man Group is worth watching too. Really cool show.
Food - Jaleo (in the Cosmo) has slowly become my favorite restaurant in Vegas. Its a Spanish tapas bar that is really cool if you're a foodie. Next on that list is Bartolotta in the Wynn. Its an Italian seafood restaurant that's incredible.
If you are not looking to break the bank, venture off the strip for food. There are tons of restaurants that are just as good or better than the ones at the casino. Just ask a cabbie to take you to the hottest xyz restaurant off the strip. There is an Italian restaurant called Piero's that is really good too. It's where all the locals go. Its close to the LVH.
Hit up the Heart Attack Grill just to say "been there, done that". Its like a Hooters that does burgers.
Food - Jaleo (in the Cosmo) has slowly become my favorite restaurant in Vegas. Its a Spanish tapas bar that is really cool if you're a foodie. Next on that list is Bartolotta in the Wynn. Its an Italian seafood restaurant that's incredible.
If you are not looking to break the bank, venture off the strip for food. There are tons of restaurants that are just as good or better than the ones at the casino. Just ask a cabbie to take you to the hottest xyz restaurant off the strip. There is an Italian restaurant called Piero's that is really good too. It's where all the locals go. Its close to the LVH.
Hit up the Heart Attack Grill just to say "been there, done that". Its like a Hooters that does burgers.
If you are looking to impress the Mrs. stay at Cosmo or Wynn/Encore. I disagree with the one assessment here of Hard Rock, as the clientele there is straight out of Jersey Shore. There are great shows everywhere. Unless your wife is a big party person, avoid the daytime beach/pool "clubs" because they are much more of a frat party type atmosphere. Best to hit those up when you are without the wife.
A few more: you're pretty close to Hoover Dam if you want to tour that. Watch the Bellagio fountain show. Take a cab down to Fremont Street one night. Bring something to sell at Pawn Stars. Catch a magic show - Penn & Teller / Mac King.
There's way too many must do's to do them all. Be sure to bring your most comfortable shoes because you will walk a lot. It's amazing how hard it is to walk up & down the strip. It's not exactly a straight line like you are used to in other cities.
There's way too many must do's to do them all. Be sure to bring your most comfortable shoes because you will walk a lot. It's amazing how hard it is to walk up & down the strip. It's not exactly a straight line like you are used to in other cities.
Zumanity. Sit in the Balcony area in a dark corner and.....
Sit in the balcony in a dark corner where there arent many around. have a few drinks before hand, and GET.IT.ON with the lady friend while watching.
Still one of the best nights of my life.
Sit in the balcony in a dark corner where there arent many around. have a few drinks before hand, and GET.IT.ON with the lady friend while watching.
Still one of the best nights of my life.
Some of these have been mentioned:
1. Bellagio fountains
2. Eat at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris) on the front porch. Yeah, it is hot but they have misters.
3. Cosmo is nice but the douchebag quotient is off the charts
4. If shopping is your wife's thing, Caesar's Forum shops and the mall across from the Wynn will hit the spot.
5. Downtown for old school vibe.
6. Lola on Charleston for some authentic New Orleans food. Went there with my college roommate and chatted with the owner, a New Orleanian lady. Saints memorabilia all over the place.
7. Golf. I'm going later this week. Will play Rio Secco in Henderson.
8. My hotel of choice is Caesars Palace but you need to be in the right tower. I always stay in the Octavius tower.
9. If you are up late at night and have a car, drive down the Strip and take in the lights. Awesome experience.
1. Bellagio fountains
2. Eat at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris) on the front porch. Yeah, it is hot but they have misters.
3. Cosmo is nice but the douchebag quotient is off the charts
4. If shopping is your wife's thing, Caesar's Forum shops and the mall across from the Wynn will hit the spot.
5. Downtown for old school vibe.
6. Lola on Charleston for some authentic New Orleans food. Went there with my college roommate and chatted with the owner, a New Orleanian lady. Saints memorabilia all over the place.
7. Golf. I'm going later this week. Will play Rio Secco in Henderson.
8. My hotel of choice is Caesars Palace but you need to be in the right tower. I always stay in the Octavius tower.
9. If you are up late at night and have a car, drive down the Strip and take in the lights. Awesome experience.
+1 on Jaleo. Love it.
I absolutely love every Emeril's property I've visited and Delmonico is no exception. It's excellent.
I love the Cosmopolitan as well but I've seen no mention of Venetian/Palazzo. Great place. Outstanding rooms. Big and big bathrooms. Good restaurants and shows there and an excellent poker room. Easy access to the Wynn/Encore as well right next door. Shopping is fine, too, though it's not the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's but it's still overall a really top notch place to stay. Really good pool set up, too.
I absolutely love every Emeril's property I've visited and Delmonico is no exception. It's excellent.
I love the Cosmopolitan as well but I've seen no mention of Venetian/Palazzo. Great place. Outstanding rooms. Big and big bathrooms. Good restaurants and shows there and an excellent poker room. Easy access to the Wynn/Encore as well right next door. Shopping is fine, too, though it's not the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's but it's still overall a really top notch place to stay. Really good pool set up, too.
of all the things to do in Vegas....
...our resident fat asses DS and HD6 respond with places to eat. You guys need to go on a diet.
...our resident fat asses DS and HD6 respond with places to eat. You guys need to go on a diet.
Wow ...
I used to spend 4 - 8 weeks each year in Las Vegas doing Air Force stuff at Nellis AFB and spent many an evening at Ellis Island. We would stay at the Residence Inn on Hughes Center and it was easy 3 block walk to the Casino. Small place, excellent food, outstanding beer made on site. Staff was extremely friendly.
Still think that the odds are better at smaller 'off strip' Casinos like Ellis Island.
I used to spend 4 - 8 weeks each year in Las Vegas doing Air Force stuff at Nellis AFB and spent many an evening at Ellis Island. We would stay at the Residence Inn on Hughes Center and it was easy 3 block walk to the Casino. Small place, excellent food, outstanding beer made on site. Staff was extremely friendly.
Still think that the odds are better at smaller 'off strip' Casinos like Ellis Island.
Played Wolf Creek in early April. Awesome track, views are unbelievable. If you want, drive another 40 miles to St. George, Utah and play Sand Hollow.
The "no smoking" ordinance has not made it to Ellis Island yet, or at least hadnt the last time I went. Definitely need a shower after you leave there.
Good advice on Red Rock Canyon, nice half day sight tour but you might note that there is no cell service at the Canyon. I always rent a car in Vegas because I like the freedom and there's a lot to see within a day's drive. It helps to get away from the casinos when the tables are not cooperating. Hoover dam and the interstate bridge across the Colorado River is a must see. I've had more luck gambling downtown than on the strip and it's cheaper. Be prepared for sticker shock on the price of major shows.
-Stay at stratosphere and tip them a $20 at check in for a better view or suite. Cheapest hotel on the strip and the upgrade Works everytime
-video nickel blackjack at mermaids on freemont. the waitresses are hot and the only place in vegas to sit And play for 2 hours and can only lose $10 and get miserably drunk on the house (not counting tips). Oh and they payout in nickels which is beyond badass
-pinball hall of fame. Its the largest pinball/arcade place anywhere and one can spend hours playing pinball and all other classic arcade games you grew up playing. The games range from a nickel to 50 cents, most are about a quarter though. You can act like a kid for $20 for a few hours while not losing a **** ton of money gambling.
-food robertos tacos. Best mexican food in town. Sammys salami burgers, insane. Palace station $4.99 breakfast buffet. Not the best buffet in town but its an insane value too good to pass up on.
-rent a car and don't drive on las vegas blvd, use the back roads. unless you plan on staying miserably drunk the whole time renting a car is the best (not as nearly much walking) way to get around. see food above for other reason to rent a car. also parking is free at all the casinos.
-video nickel blackjack at mermaids on freemont. the waitresses are hot and the only place in vegas to sit And play for 2 hours and can only lose $10 and get miserably drunk on the house (not counting tips). Oh and they payout in nickels which is beyond badass
-pinball hall of fame. Its the largest pinball/arcade place anywhere and one can spend hours playing pinball and all other classic arcade games you grew up playing. The games range from a nickel to 50 cents, most are about a quarter though. You can act like a kid for $20 for a few hours while not losing a **** ton of money gambling.
-food robertos tacos. Best mexican food in town. Sammys salami burgers, insane. Palace station $4.99 breakfast buffet. Not the best buffet in town but its an insane value too good to pass up on.
-rent a car and don't drive on las vegas blvd, use the back roads. unless you plan on staying miserably drunk the whole time renting a car is the best (not as nearly much walking) way to get around. see food above for other reason to rent a car. also parking is free at all the casinos.
Get a bj like I did on the pedestrian brIdge between the NYNY and the MGM Grand at about 4 in the morn.
The bad thing about renting a car is the 48% or so tax on rental cars plus the cost of parking. Unless you are going far and often, cabs are as cheap and more convenient. The Stratosphere is cool but its too far from the other strip hotels, not really walking distance.
I am pro-car in Vegas. During the week, cab lines aren't that bad, but from Friday night through Sunday afternoon they can be a pain to wait in. The car gives me the freedom to go place to place on my own schedule. Every hotel has free valet and free self parking. I usually do self parking because I don't want to wait for someone to go get my car when I am ready to go. Do I sound like an impatient person? Anyway, as was also mentioned by someone, you've got things like Fremont and then all the other non-strip stuff. The Rio/Palms is not really something you want to walk either. Even the Mandalay/MGM end down to Belaggio/Bally's/Caesar's is quite a walk. A tip on the car is to get familiar with Koval Avenue a block east of the strip. It'll move you up and down the strip faster than LV Blvd and most of the hotels on the east side have parking access from that side. If you shop the rental cars, you can get them pretty cheap and the car rental facility at the airport is a thing of beauty with a shuttle running to and from the airport every few minutes.
Completely agree re renting a car. Sign up for the car rental rewards program (it's free) and you can bypass the long lines waiting to rent a car. I use Dollar and breeze past the desk to grab the car with my name on it. Sounds like a commercial but it's true. A car gives you freedom in Vegas. Golf, hike the mountains, head downtown if you want to get off the Strip, visit Walmart to pick up some stuff, etc. That said, if you are a drinker, I can understand not renting a car.
I am anti-car in Vegas. I've been roughly 15 times, always on business. I always stay at a hotel on the strip, and I've never gone far enough away from the Strip to get outside the I-515/215 beltway loop, so if you're expecting to vary from either of these a car might be more welcome. If you cab far away from the Strip to a non-casino or Fremont Street destination for some reason, getting a cab to go back can take a while. That being said, the vast majority of my time is spent along the Strip and for this and any other travel not walkable I've always had very good luck with taxis and the monorail. I like the monorail a lot. The Las Vegas Monorail runs up and down the Strip and is just pretty handy. The rail stations are toward the backs or sides of the connecting hotels so there's walking involved, but I've found I walk just about as much going to get the car then walking from parking the car when I've had a rental. You can do the valet thing, alternately, but you have to wait for the valet instead of walking which, for me, negates much of the convenience.
You can't hail a cab from the curb typically, but the door of every hotel along the strip has non-stop cab service, so that's handy too. Price-wise it would be hard to project, but convenience-wise I much prefer not having a car.
I will offer this: The first time you see the serpentine line of humanity waiting for a cab to leave the airport, you may want to rethink not renting a car, but this line moves very quickly and it's never been much of a delay. Further, as KingBarkus mentions, the things I like to do in Vegas are 1) eat and 2) drink, not necessarily in that order, so not having to worry about driving is a big, big plus.
My Vegas travel is different from any other travel I do. No matter where else I go, I look for local flavor, non-chain food, unique character in the locale, etc., but Vegas is a place created from whole cloth. The only thing true about the place is the Di Nero line from the movie Casino: "In the end, the house gets it all." Fremont Street is what passes for the historic district, but "historic" should be in air quotes at all times. As recently as the 1950s the place was smaller than today's Tupelo. Las Vegas doesn't build out, it reinvents. The people who live there staff the current iteration. That's why there's nowhere there I care to drive to that's closer than the Grand Canyon. I enjoy it, but it's more theme park than city of the world.
You can't hail a cab from the curb typically, but the door of every hotel along the strip has non-stop cab service, so that's handy too. Price-wise it would be hard to project, but convenience-wise I much prefer not having a car.
I will offer this: The first time you see the serpentine line of humanity waiting for a cab to leave the airport, you may want to rethink not renting a car, but this line moves very quickly and it's never been much of a delay. Further, as KingBarkus mentions, the things I like to do in Vegas are 1) eat and 2) drink, not necessarily in that order, so not having to worry about driving is a big, big plus.
My Vegas travel is different from any other travel I do. No matter where else I go, I look for local flavor, non-chain food, unique character in the locale, etc., but Vegas is a place created from whole cloth. The only thing true about the place is the Di Nero line from the movie Casino: "In the end, the house gets it all." Fremont Street is what passes for the historic district, but "historic" should be in air quotes at all times. As recently as the 1950s the place was smaller than today's Tupelo. Las Vegas doesn't build out, it reinvents. The people who live there staff the current iteration. That's why there's nowhere there I care to drive to that's closer than the Grand Canyon. I enjoy it, but it's more theme park than city of the world.