We are going to be on the Strip, and only on the Strip, for all our time, just fyi. If we had 7, or even 5, days, I would definitely make the trip to Zion NP.
But this trip is Strip (and Fremont St, if that is elsewhere), only.
Keep them coming, and thank you all for your help! 
Get to Fremont Street if you can; to me it’s the real, old school Vegas.
If you make it to Fremont Street, look for the old guy playing the steel drum. He’s one of the best buskers they have. He’s been there for years, and was still playing when I was there in January this year.
If it rains, stay far, far away from the Linq parking garage. It turns into Raging Waters when it rains. Seriously. Major flooding. ( It’s a feature, not a bug.)
Car needs will be serviced by Uber. And I’ve seen the flooding videos, lol.
I haven’t made it to Secret Pizza since 2015, but unless things have changed since then there’s a lounge area on that floor with easy chairs and end tables. That’s where I sat down to eat my slices.
It’s just under two miles from the north end of the Strip to Fremont Street, and the Strip itself is about four miles long (the way I interpret “the Strip”, going from the STRAT (formerly the Stratosphere) to the Mandalay Bay. Note that the Pinball Hall of Fame is slightly south of the Mandalay Bay, and slightly north of the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.
Food? Keep in mind one thing - everything, with the possible exception of a 7-11 Slurpee, is overpriced on the Strip. I am not just talking about the Gordon Ramsay or Guy Fieri restaurants; I paid $20 for a burger and fries at the Fatburger inside the Excalibur.
“What’s pink and brownish and sets you back $85?” The Beef Wellington at Gordon Ramsay Steak.
My go-to restaurant in Vegas is Galpao Gaucho at Fashion Show Mall. Okay, it’s a chain, and it’s a bit pricey, but it’s literally All You Can Meat.
Some things to note:
My “First Rule of Las Vegas”: Objects Are Farther Away Than They Appear. You can see the STRAT tower from Fremont Street and think, “Hey, that doesn’t appear to be that far of a walk…”
If you are thinking of taking the bus to/from Fremont Street, the line that runs the length of the Strip (called “The Deuce,” as it is double-decker buses) tends to get really crowded starting around 6:00 at night, especially the farther south on the Strip you get.
I am not sure how Uber or Lyft handle this sort of thing, but you cannot simply “hail a taxi” in Las Vegas the way you can in, say, New York.
If you try to go into the Circa hotel/casino (on Fremont), and they ask for your ID, it’s not just you; everybody, regardless of how old they look, has their ID checked at the entrances.
“I’m on Fremont Street - where’s the Mob Museum?”
There is a walkway between the Fremont Casino and a gift shop (on the other side of Fremont Street from The D and Four Queens); it’s two blocks away in that direction.
If you do go to the Welcome To Las Vegas sign, note that there is no “official photographer” - just scammers who claim that they are.
I’ve had no problem ordering an Uber in Vegas. The bigger hotel/casinos have a designated pick up zone; at the smaller places they just go to the main entrance.
Well, pretty much every hotel has a taxi stand as well, or at least a doorman/concierge who will call one. I am talking about something like hailing one from the street.
It’s not impossible to hail a taxi on the street in Las Vegas. I’ve done it. But you have to find a driver who is willing to bend the rules.
I was downtown on Fremont one night, and went to find the southbound bus, which is just around the corner from the Heart Attack Grill. But I found a notice on the bus stop saying, “Board buses at ___,” which was an intersection I didn’t know, and I had no idea where it was. The change in the stop was due to construction somewhere on the route, apparently. I did try to wander around looking for the intersection where the bus was supposed to stop, but couldn’t find it.
I said “the hell with this,” and did as I had done so many times in Toronto and New York: just flagged a cab. I didn’t know that this wasn’t allowed, but even if I did, I didn’t care. I did get a cab, though.
Reservations made! Will keep you up to date.
Our family really enjoyed The Tournament Of Kings at The Excalibur. Good show, good food.
Tournament of Kings - Las Vegas Dinner Show - Excalibur Hotel & Casino (mgmresorts.com)
Please do! I recommend the French onion soup for a first course - it’s the best bowl of the stuff I’ve ever had. The steaks come with bread service, bottled water, sauteed vegetable of the day (it was carrots when I went) and your choice of side - the loaded baked potato was pretty darn good. Ask for a booth with a southern-facing window for a great view of the Strip.
If you feel like seeing a daytime show, one of my favorites is Mac King at the Excalibur. Comedy magic, if that’s your kind of thing. Even if it isn’t, it’s a really fun show.
On our way!
Back, and caught up with life (and sleep).
Sphere: enjoyed the hell out of it, would have gladly paid $600 to see U2 in that thing.
Top of Binions: Great steak, a bit of table drama, enjoyed the service. Thanks for the recommendation!
Area 15: two other members of our party wanted to do this, so we joined them. Was… OK. Didn’t get into Omega Mart, and to be fair, we got the basic package which was akin to buying the cheapest set of tickets at Disneyworld in 1980 - a lot of Hall of Presidents, no Witch Mountain roller coaster. Same thing with A15 - nothing great, but the better attractions were there. The person responsible for the table drama also created A15 drama when they left one exhibit in a huff because it was “cheap and trashy, not art”.
Mystere: The Cirque de Soleil (sp?) show we saw. It was cool.
My one regret was not seeing Carrot Top - not that I had any desire to see CT prior to Vegas, but I saw the ads for it and I was compelled… would it suck? Be good? What exactly is a Carrot Top show? That same compulsion which gets us to look at the car accident while driving past was definitely evident in this desire.
He is definitely on the list for the next trip, if he’s there.
The Linq was fine. Next time we will stay somewhere else, just to try something new.
Gary Mule Deer meets Gallagher by way of Conan O’Brien. CT is one of the hardest-working comedians in residence. Always current, always writing new stuff. He isn’t for everyone, but if you go in with an open mind, you’ll have fun.
No matter what they do, the Linq will always be Imperial Palace in its bones. Weirdest rooms and slowest elevators in town.
Next trip try the Golden Steer. Another completely revitalized icon. Make reservations early and you can sit in Frank’s booth, or the one the Beatles sat at. Heavy pours from the bar and the steaks are huge. Or go to the best place in town at Venetian.
Glad you had fun and survived.
A bit late, but the Mirage is closing this summer before a 3 year rebrand into Hard Rock Las Vegas.