Myself and Mrs. Cups are going on an actual vacation! One of our stops is going to be a couple days in Vegas. I’ve been to Vegas a handful of times, but it’s been a while and the things we’re planning on doing are new to me. Do any dopers have experience/advice on…
Sportsbooks: We are going to be in town for the opening weekend of March Madness and would love to watch some games at a sportsbook. I have a vague memory from years ago of going to a sportsbook to watch some NFL games during one of my trips, but it was just a run-of-the-mill sunday…March Madness is a much bigger deal. Is there a place that’s better to watch games than others? Will I NEED a reservation to watch somewhere, or can I find some space and watch without any advance notice? I’ve also seen a lot of websites talk about sports betting via various apps on my phone. Do sportsbooks not take walk ups anymore? Lastly, if we do find a spot to sit and make some bets…is it like a slot machine where drinks are free as long as you’re gambling and watching?
T-Mobil Arena: The whole reason for us going to Vegas is because a friend works for the Golden Knights and she’s getting us tickets to a game. Since we’re staying with her off strip, and she’ll be gone on gameday, we’re taking our rental and driving to the strip for the day (hence the previous sportsbook question). Looking at Google Maps, the arena isn’t too far from the edge of the strip and looks entirely walkable…but I also know how deceiving Google Maps can be. Is it actually walkable? And not counting distance…is it actually safe to walk? Like I said, we’ll have a rental car and plan on parking it in some random-ass garage during the day, so driving there is a possibility. Is there also some sort of public tram thing that will take us there?
Area 15: I’ve heard really good things about this attraction, but ironically enough I can’t find anything online that says specifically WHAT is good about it…just that it’s good. Has anyone been? Any recommendations on what to do while we’re there?
I know nothing about Vegas, but my spouse goes all the time.
you may want a reservation because it may otherwise be hard to find seats together. But you will have to pay for reservation. the casino website should have details on reservations. Walk up betting is available but the lines can get very long so the app is faster. The larger casinos usually have kiosk for making bets but you can’t cash in your bets with the kiosk. As far as free alcohol, it depends on the casino.
walking distance depends on you. the closest casino is New York - New York or The Park. generally walking anywhere on the strip is safe at all times of the night unless you are being stupid. the Las Vegas monorail doesn’t go near the Arena.
Not a lot of knowledge on Area 15 except for Omega Mart. which is a “grocery store” that is performance art. you can find videos about Omega Mart on line.
Heh. I will be there myself during that weekend. I confess that I won’t be of much help to you, because I’m going for the first time for March Madness. But I’m going with a group of guys that have been going for several years, and they tell me that Fremont Street is the best place to watch the college games. As @pipperroo said, it would certainly be best to find out for yourself what to expect.
By all means download several apps. You should be able to get some signup rewards, like free bets or ‘gimme’ bets, which is what I did back in September when betting became legal in my state. I won 100 bucks on each of the three apps I downloaded, and really haven’t bet much since. To use those apps, you have to physically be in a state where sports gambling is legal, and Nevada definitely qualifies. So you might have to wait until you’re actually in Vegas before you can install the apps, create and fund the accounts, and place bets. Some apps to consider: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars.
I went several years in a row with a group on Super Bowl weekend. It was very busy. I was told the only time it’s busier is for March Madness. So be prepared for it to be very busy and crowded.
If you decide to watch the games Downtown, might I recommend Circa. Make reservations. Downtown is sketchier than the Strip, but also a lot more lively and if you confine yourself to Fremont Street you should be fine. They’ve made a serious effort to clean up the area lately, and there are some great bars and restaurants starting to pop up.
I once walked from the Neon Museum to Fremont St. Even though it was broad daylight it was the most unsafe I have ever felt in a big city. And that includes the year I spent in Baghdad.
Omega Mart has already been mentioned and is well worth the visit just in and of itself. It’s essentially an interactive art exhibit of a grocery store that’s subtly wrong in a vaguely Lovecraftian way, with shelves stocked with strange and bizarre products some of which you can actually buy (I bought my mom an “avocado” that unzips and is actually a coin purse), an elaborate backstory you can find out about while exploring the store and its backrooms and employee lounges and offices, a secret bar that serves equally bizarre cocktails (I had an Old Fashioned that was colored blue with something sprayed out of a window cleaner bottle) and “employees” who are actors carrying out a role, like this meeting with the floral department manager that I happened to stumble upon;
There are also some pretty neat VR rides, such as one where you get to strap on a pair of “wings” while lying on a board and flap your arms to fly around a New York skyline like a bird. There’s also an axe-throwing place, a distillery that offers tours, and a bar+arcade full of vintage video games and pinball machines in case you want to play a machine that does more than just take your money. There’s also an AI called “Brainstorm” that scans your facial expressions and tries to guess some things about your personality based on how you react to things it asks you to think about, which was rather amusing - it correctly guessed that I’m concerned about becoming diabetic in the future and that I dislike eating outdoors, for instance.
One important thing to remember, especially on the Strip, is that everything is a lot farther away from everything else than it looks like on a map. One resort might be just across the street from another, but it’s gonna turn into a 15-20 minute walk trying to get there, so make sure you’re prepared to do a lot of walking, and take advantage of the Deuce bus, the monorail, or Uber whenever you can.
Area 15 just partnered with Universal Studios, so it will be expanding bigly in the next few years. They are going to need internal transportation, because the footprint will be huge.
I was in Vegas in September. I stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Elara, attached to the Miracle Mile mall adjacent to Planet Hollywood.
I went to see Roger Waters at the T-Mobile Arena and walked there and back no problem. Easy walk and didn’t feel unsafe at all. Just all the same stuff (drunks, panhandlers) that there is on the sidewalks of the strip at all hours. No issue.
As others have said, you can get to T-Mobile easily from the strip. You can actually walk through The Park to get there without even going outside. Parking at all the strip casinos now costs money though, so maybe Uber your way to the strip first.
I used to stay at the Golden Nugget. They’ve completely ruined that casino (no longer offering normal blackjack games, for one). Last time I was downtown we tried the Circa. It was pretty good. So, I’ll second this recommendation.
We just visited Area 15 for the first time a couple of months ago. We had a good time, but we went specifically for Omega Mart (which was a TRIP, very enjoyable.) The other stuff outside of Omega Mart: a semi-hipster bar, lots of black light, a couple of VR attractions… I appreciated the funky artsy aesthetic but none of those things really appealed to me. I would still 100% give it a recommendation but not necessarily something I feel the urge to visit again.
