I’ve always wanted to go to Las Vegas but some friends of mine went and didn’t really have a good time. They stayed at “Luxor” and said it was a dump with horrible service. They described moldy showers and food trays in the halls for three days straight. Plus, they found themselves constantly walking miles through smoky casinos to get anywhere or to get anything done. Is Las Vegas the world’s biggest tourist trap? What’s a trip to Las Vegas “really” like?
Depends on what you like to do, of course. We love Vegas, and go every chance we get. There are the world’s best restaurants, great shows, free art, people watching, gambling…I could go on and on. Personally, I’m not impressed by the Luxor. We stay at a much cheaper mid-Strip hotel and never have these kind of problems. t also helps that we haven’t paid for a room in 2 years either! 
YES.
I don’t gamble much and I luuuuurved Vegas. The sights, the sounds - it’s an experience!
You can’t help the smoke, unfortunately. But my friends stayed at the Venetian and loved it.
I stayed at 4 Queens, in Old Vegas, which was definitely worth it as well.
No, it’s Disney World with slot machines. I’m not a gambler, but even if I was there is nothing there you can’t get at your nearest Indian reservation. What happened to all the ‘sin’ in Sin-city?
I suggest that perhaps you aren’t looking in the right places. Try off the strip. Just get in a car and drive around Vegas. You’ll see plenty more sin than simply avarice…
Joe
Or just take a few of the fliers the street hustlers are always trying to foist off on you. Sin is just a phone call and a valid credit card number away.
And Disney World isn’t awesome in and of itself?
I always thought I had a low tolerance for gaudy, corny scenes…but Las Vegas reeled me in completely! Shame on anyone that talks down the Luxor. It was a delightful place to stay.
I will admit that I was thrown off by all the smokey Casinos, since smoking is banned in public buildings in my town. But, I have never been really bothered by cigarette smoke. Maybe because I am an ex-smoker myself.
Anaamika, the Venetion was amazing. No wonder your friends loved it. I know I should not be impressed by a cheesey replica of such a historical city. But I was impressed against my will! And I was told that they took the task of attempting to duplicate the splendor very seriously…trying to get certain measurements of certain details exactly right. Of course they were unable to capture Venice. But since I have never been to Venice, I was awe struck by the Venetian.
I could go on and on about Vegas. I better just suffice it to say that it is my second favorite city that I have ever been to, (New York being the first). I recommend it highly.
If you like roller coasters, Las Vegas can be really fun. I am not speaking metaphorically. I am talking about real roller coasters. (I assume they are still there…things can change fast in Vegas.) Although the best one was the Desperado, which is outside of Vegas.
Also, if you go there in the summer, it’s nice and hot!
And the shopping is great.
So between the heat and the shopping and the roller coasters, I loved it. I only gamble on horse races so that didn’t enter into it for even a minute.
IMHO, yes. But don’t go with false expectations. It’s the most spectacularly corny place on earth. I wouldn’t want to spend more than about maybe 3 days there. After that you’ve pretty much gawped at all there is to gawp at, but it really is gawp worthy. I did it as a backbacker, and had a great time for little or no outlay courtesy of people who can’t do math. I stayed at about three different hotels, each perfectly fine though not five star, for very little.
So I was walking down The Strip one arm around my beautiful (now ex-) wife and the other around here girlfriend. Mexican guy is passing out fliers for hookers. He gives me a fistful of them.
I say to him, (in Spanish) “Does it look like I need a prostitute?”
“No, sir.” he replies.
I notice his crew all all wearing yellow t-shirts. “Erotic Stripper direct to your room!” So i bought one, slept in it last night in fact. Great souvenir.
For that trip we stayed at the Luxor. Horrid. Too big, with industrial-scale service. Next time try the Suncoast (far off the strip) or the Imperial Palace. (Great location, lower prices, stay there, eat elsewhere.)
Yes, that describes it well. It’s certainly an eye-opening experience. Having been there once though I don’t feel the need ever to go again.
Yeah, I did that too. I guess I just expected more hedonism thats all.
But if thats your thing, go to Disney World, there are better rides.
I go from time to time (like soon) to renew my driving license. I maintain a Las Vegas address to avoid state income taxes.
Oh, yes! They are still there. I loved the one that winds through New York, and there was this one coaster that was so fast that they wouldn’t allow me to keep my eyeglasses on. I think that one was at the Mandalay Bay? I could be wrong about that…it is hard to keep things straight while on the strip.
But I do know that my favorite ride, (barring the helicopter ride over the city) was the experience of shooting off of the top of the Stratosphere. That was insane! The guy told me, “Don’t be afraid. You just shoot off once, then it’s over”. But he lied. You shoot off several times. I had the time of my life. It was exhilerating to say the least.
How in the hell did you get the stripper to come back to Saudi Arabia with you?
Las Vegas is fantastic! I love to gamble and there are all you can eat buffets every 30 feet! And the shows! And the fantastically designed hotels! And…and…well, it is awesome, that is all I can say. You should go.
My husband and I went there for our 10th anniversary this January, and we had a great time. We’re not big gamblers, either…my husband liked to put $1 in a slot machine and see how long he could make it last. I tried the same thing, only I hit the cash-out button when it got over $10 ;). We saw Penn and Teller and Cirque du Soliel’s “O”, which were both awesome shows. We pigged out at the seafood buffet at the Rio. We got to stand on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. We rode on a monorail. We cruised up and down the Strip at 1 a.m. to see all the neon. We visited M&M World. What’s not to love?
Since it was our anniversary, we splurged a bit and got a room at The Signature at MGM Grand, which is so new that no one’s heard of it :). It’s completely non-smoking and doesn’t have a casino–instead, it’s attached to the MGM Grand by a long walkway. I know that this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it was great for us. We had a large jacuzzi tub, a large plasma TV (and a smaller flat-screen TV in the bathroom!), a kitchenette, a large, comfortable bed with comfortable, high thread-count sheets…;). Oh, and the staff was very, very courteous and polite and helpful.
That was hedonism for us old married Midwesterners. Of course, our coworkers thought we were crazy, either because we didn’t get drunk, or because we didn’t spend the whole time parked in front of a slot machine. The point is that you’ve got to do what you think is fun, and Vegas is likely to have it, whatever it is. We did a lot more that I didn’t mention, and we were only there 4 days.
We did do a lot of walking, but I’m pretty sensitive to smoke, and usually didn’t notice it, even in the casinos. They must have pretty good filtration systems.
[QUOTE=Nzinga, Seated]
Oh, yes! They are still there. I loved the one that winds through New York, and there was this one coaster that was so fast that they wouldn’t allow me to keep my eyeglasses on. I think that one was at the Mandalay Bay?
[QUOTE]
That is probably Speed, The Ride at the Sahara. It is a magnetic induction coaster. Short ride but fast.
I live in Vegas and probably the coolest thing about Vegas is the sheer number of shows that come through town. I don’t mean the Strip shows like Blue Man Group and O, but concerts. They have tons of bands coming all the time. It is almost silly. I cant go to all the shows I want because I’d be broke.
If you aren’t into gambling (I don’t gamble much at all, maybe once every two month I’ll pop a 5 into a machine while waiting for someone at a casino) there are still tons of things to do. There are the rides which have already been mentioned. There is also a shark reef at Mandalay Bay. There is a tiger habitat and dolphin show at the Mirage. There are the fountains at the Belagio. There is a pirate show (which I have heard sucks, but I haven’t seen it) at Treasure Island. There are tons of good shows, Penn and Teller, Blue Man Group, O, Mystere, Zumanity and Spamalot to name a few. Vegas also has some nice art galleries. There are some really nice resturants if that is your thing. There are also some interesting exhibits that come to town, like Bodies, The Exhibition at the Tropicana. Then there is Circus Circus which I haven’t been to in a while.
Everyone I know who has stayed at the Luxor has liked it. I haven’t been in a room yet but the inside is pretty neat. Most of the hotels, especially on the Strip, are very nice. They shoud be considering that it costs like a billion to build one these days.
There are also some nice outdoor areas not to far from Vegas.
As far as what it is really like, well, most residents don’t make it to the strip all that often. I only go there for shows or when someone visits. Living here is great. The weather is good most of the year, no state taxes, and there is lots to do.
Slee
The Vegas experience has to include busting out of your last $300 in the poker room at 3 am, without a dime left. I mean not a single dime. No ATM, no credit card, and the only thing you have to tip the waitress with for your last drink (Damn, I had a huge stack when I ordered the beer) is a lame apology and a sheepish smile. Don’t worry, she’s dealt with bigger assholes than you. You leave, left to walk the 4 miles back to your hotel because no shuttle runs at 3 am and you don’t have a dime on you. As you pass by the hoards of other late night gamblers walking around, you think to yourself, “Damn this is a great town”.
Walking out of a casino at daybreak after a full night at the tables is also fun, but nothing beats being flat broke at 3 am.