Three days in Vegas -- what do I HAVE to do?

[Tom Ohle]

Heading to Vegas for my anniversary at the start of November. First time there, and we'll be around for three days... what is some of the stuff we should absolutely do? I'm trying to not spend a TON of money, but if something's totally awesome but a bit spendy, it may be considered.

(thought there was a thread on this before but I couldn't find it)

Also: any restaurants that are must-eats? We're pretty adventurous eaters.

[Slainte Mhath]

It's your anniversary. I think you know what you must do. ;-)

I haven't been to Vegas in a few years now, so I'm not going to be much help with tredy eateries or clubs (the one's I liked are probably long gone by now). As far as cheap and interesting go though, especially if you haven't been to Vegas or haven't been in many years, is simply go exploring on the strip. There is a monorail that runs part of it, and you can walk the other part fairly easiliy (as long as it's less than 90 degrees outside). Stop into all the different hotels/casinos and just gawk and people watch. Then catch a cab down to Freemont St. at night and catch the overhead show. Wander in an out of those casinos for some "old school" Vegas feel (warning:it's not a smoke free zone by any stretch!).

[Miramon]

Must-sees in Las Vegas? Since when do those exist?

In the unlikely event I want to give money to our esteemed Mohican tribe and their shady corporate backers, there are two 50k-seat casino complexes just an hour or two away from Boston, each with about a mile of polished and scented interior mall-arcade, complete with all the plains Indian frippery you might ever want to see.

But gambling at bad odds doesn't appeal. What else is there to do in Las Vegas? Surely the restaurants are nothing to write home about?

[Jaysun]

Blue Man Group is awesome.

There's a really good Brazilian BBQ place in Caesar's Palace (whoops, maybe the Mirage? I guess I can't remember that either), but I forget the name of it.

[stusser]

Yeah. There really aren't any must-sees in vegas. I guess you can see shows like the cirque du soleil. If it's just guys, the pool scene at the hard rock is pretty crazy, but I don't know that I'd take a wife there unless she was smoking hot and either european or a trophy wife.

There is decent food in vegas now. In particular, Bouchon at the Venetian is fantastic.

[Tom Ohle]

Yeah. There really aren't any must-sees in vegas. I guess you can see shows like the cirque du soleil. If it's just guys, the pool scene at the hard rock is pretty crazy, but I don't know that I'd take a wife there unless she was smoking hot and either european or a trophy wife.

There is decent food in vegas now. In particular, Bouchon at the Venetian is fantastic.
Really, I'm looking to figure out how we can have the most fun in a few days. Apart from blow and hookers.

[dwinn]

Yeah, eat at Bouchon (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/bouchonLV/bouchonLV.htm) if at all possible, since it's nigh unto impossible to get a reservation at the French Laundry.

[Houngan]

Casino floors should be your last resort. You'll be on the strip, so the tables will be 10$ minimums at least, which can burn several hundred dollars in an hour.

You need to decide how your tastes run, there are likely five shows that match them. Any one could be a must-see. For anniversary, go see the O (cirque du soleil) show at the Bellagio, your wife will love it. For a fun night out, Blue Man. If you're a cynical bastard, Penn and Teller. For good ol' magic, Lance Burton. For cheese, Wayne Newton.

If you're the frisky type, head down to Fremont street and get drunk as a lord in a crowd. Hit some strip clubs, if the wife digs that (spearmint rhino seems to be a top choice).

H.

[Orinoco]

Leave Vegas - seriously, the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam are close by and will eat up a day of the three.

[Kalle]

I'm pretty sure Bill Dungsroman, being the resident expert of all things fun in Vegas, answered a similar query a couple of months back but I can't find it for the life of me.

[VegasRobb]

The restaurant scene is really good these days. Lots of top-flight chefs in town.

The same can be said for the shows. Cirque has a hand in most of the must-see shows. Try and get tickets before you get to town.

[Taranis]

We were there a few years ago for our Anniversary and the place's we had the most fun at were Hoover Dam, Lance Burton and the Titanic exhibit (Although I not sure if it's still there now).

We also did the time share gimmick for free tickets to Lance Burton and $50 to Planet Hollywood, it was funny as hell watching these people trying to sell us time shares only to get shot down after every sales pitch, I thought it was worth while for 2hrs of my time.

[Hanzii]

Must see in Vegas?
That really depends on how your wife feels about strippers.

I've been twice and was meaning to go see the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam but found to many things to see/do in the city and never got round to it.

This list have a bunch of the threads, where BillD has been giving out advice (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/search.php?searchid=617706).

For me the must sees have been gambling, a gentleman's club, one or two good restaurants and a show - last year it was Penn and Teller. But as a Vegas n00b just seeing the big casinos was an experince the first year I went.

[Taranis]

Must see in Vegas?
But as a Vegas n00b just seeing the big casinos was an experince the first year I went.
Yeah you could spend three days just walking through the big casinos.

I forgot to mention that If you plan on spending a day just hitting the strip I recommend getting an all day bus pass, its cheap, clean, air conditioned and easy to get on and off.

[Kunikos]

Yeah, eat at Bouchon (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/bouchonLV/bouchonLV.htm) if at all possible, since it's nigh unto impossible to get a reservation at the French Laundry.

If it's anything like the Bouchon in the Napa area, I give this suggestion the thumbs-up. I recommend the moules-frites; they're to die for.

Also, hookers.


jk

[stusser]

It's exactly like the Boucon in napa. It's is in no way comparable to the french laundry or per se; Bouchon is an impeccably executed bistro, and you're likely to get the best moules frites you ever had, but it doesn't showcase Keller's food.

As for the rest of those cheffy vegas outpost restaurants, I don't know that I'd bother. Only Bouchon really stands out as a restaurant that would be noteworthy on either coast.

But really I wouldn't go to vegas in the first place. From edmonton I'd hit san francisco, hawaii, tokyo, veracruz, mexico city, or hong kong instead.

[SmokeyNecrosis]

If you want to do the geeky thing, you can go to the Hilton to be assimilated by the Borg. There is a geek o rama bar at the end of the thing, where ferengis can serve you booze. I enjoyed it, but felt bad for the actors hamming it up.

If you want a nice view, without spending too much, the vodoo lounge at the rio gives you a nice view from the roof, but it can be a pain later at night.

After that, one hotel/casino starts blending into all the others. They are really set up so you never have to leave and can gamble 24/7. The days of cheap food and rooms are gone. Everything is expensive, especially the food.

If the weather is nice, then hopefully you are staying at a hotel with one of the nicer pools, like Mandalay.

[Enduro_Man]

If you want to do the geeky thing, you can go to the Hilton to be assimilated by the Borg. There is a geek o rama bar at the end of the thing, where ferengis can serve you booze. I enjoyed it, but felt bad for the actors hamming it up.

Did you pay for the Photoshopped picture of you with the crew of the Enterprise? I, feeling pinched by the $40 ticket price, did not. Then there's that whole questoin about who you could possibly want to show that picture to...

[Glenn]

This list have a bunch of the threads, where BillD has been giving out advice (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/search.php?searchid=617706)Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

[Siren]

The rollercoaster at the New York, New York casino is awesome, and well worth the money to go on. I loved walking around the Bellagio, especially the art gallery. As for places to eat, it may be off the strip, but the Limerick Steakhouse at the Fitzgerald's Casino is nothing short of fabulous.

I just recommend staying away from any of the buffets... I found something, well, not-so-nice in my eggs at the Circus Circus buffet.

[wildpokerman]

I'm a Vegas afficianado and here is what I would do if I only had 72 hours and had never been to town before:

1. Drive down the strip at night, if you don't have a car or hate driving in insane traffic take the bus it's a couple bucks well spent.

2. Walk around downtown, do all your gambling here the odds are better and the atmosphere a bit more gritty and less corporate.

3. Play poker at the Bellagio or the Wynn. You may catch a glimpse of a famous poker player and you would be suprised how poor the competition is even in the poker centers of the world.

4. Put $30 into a Megabucks machine.

5. Eat a sunday champagne brunch.

6. Put as large a bet on a sports game as you can and watch it in either the sportsbook or the video poker bar attached to it.

7. See the Liberace museum.

8. See an Elvis impersonator. There's no other place on earth you can while away a Wednesday afternoon sipping a drink and watching someone who kind of looks like Elvis, doesn't sound at all like him and watch 100 other people do the same thing.

9. Play some cheap blackjack and talk to a dealer or two. There is no other group of people as disheartened as a Vegas dealer. No matter what you're going through in life chances are you have it better than they think they do.

10. Sleep until 2 PM every day and pretend it's normal, get up and have breakfast and start your day. No one in Vegas gives a damn what time you're up and half of the town will be on your schedule.

[Vesper]

The rollercoaster at the New York, New York casino is awesome, and well worth the money to go on.
You must not be a coaster enthusiast, because that piece of shit is by far the most painful and un-fun coaster I've been on in my life. The shuttle/loop/launch coaster at Sahara (Speed) is half-way decent, however.

[Siren]

I was 15 the last time that I was in Vegas. Cut me a little slack. :)

[shift6]

All my favorite places to eat are gone now, scarfed down by the all-consuming suck that is Vegas.

For things to do, you should go to the top of the Stratosphere if only for the view. It truly is unlike anything else to be 100 stories up over a town where the next biggest thing is like 50 stories, and most are far less.

Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon for adventurous outdoorsy stuff. If you have to pick, do the former; get one of the services where they helicopter you down there to some Hummers, you drive around actually four-wheeling and shit, then fly back to town for an expensive dinner somewhere, perhaps at the Paris hotel.

See one of the Cirque du Soleil shows: Mystere, O, Zumanity, or Ka (there may be others). Zumanity is pretty overtly sexual so if you have softer sensibilities, go with Mystere or O.

On the other hand, Vegas is the place to see $10,000 an hour hookers too, so if you and the little lady want to splurge on that (and who can blame you?) check out Olympic Gardens or Spearmint Rhino. There are a bunch of new places for high-priced tail there, so I defer to BillD and vegasrobb for further recommendations. ;)

Definitely bike or scooter or segway or something up and down the whole Strip (don't walk). You should do it once at like 11pm at night, and once in the morning around 7am or so, right as the sun is coming up. Vegas really is pretty for about an hour and a half early every morning.

Then come back and thank God you don't live there. ;)

[jpinard]

I just recommend staying away from any of the buffets... I found something, well, not-so-nice in my eggs at the Circus Circus buffet.

What was in it?

[Enduro_Man]

What was in it?

Maybe a disgruntled croupier tried to fertilize it?

Beware of filthy food in the nicer places, too. At the Bellagio lunch buffet, my Dad noticed a sausage had rolled off a chafing dish and onto the floor. A senior waiter picked it up and tossed it back in the pile, with nary a brush-off.

Not that I'm in much of a position to comment on these nicer places. On my first trip to Vegas, I had a room at the Imperial Palace. Last year, I slept at the Travelodge across from Circus Circus. At this present trajectory, my next stay in Vegas should be in a parking lot dumpster.

[Hanzii]

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

Okay, tried again:
Hotels (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=28580), Strippers (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=23447) and a BillD classic on all things vegas (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=23376).

I just searched for Vegas and the poster Hanzii since most of them had me asking BillD and the rest what to do at CES when not looking at gadgets.
Sadly I don't think I'm going this january...

[Siren]

What was in it?

A large bug of the beetle variety; I have no idea if it was a cockroach or not. Again, I was 15 at the time. My parents would tell you that I screamed my head off... I don't remember doing anything so undignified.

I'm just happy that I wasn't terribly hungry that day, and was playing with the food more than eating it. It wasn't as unpleasant as it could have been.

[NoWayJose]

As far as cheap and interesting go though, especially if you haven't been to Vegas or haven't been in many years, is simply go exploring on the strip. There is a monorail that runs part of it, and you can walk the other part fairly easiliy (as long as it's less than 90 degrees outside). Stop into all the different hotels/casinos and just gawk and people watch. Fuck, the casinos! I knew there was something I missed last time I went to Vegas...