Thanks again for the info. I also feel that if I go again after this I’ll be spoiled by the rooms there. We have 5 days there so I’m hoping to check out as much as I can. I’m not much of a gambler, but I still want to check out downtown - maybe I’ll play quarter slots there for an hour or two.
My gf and I already decided our first meal there will be at the In-n-Out burger. I haven’t had one of those since our trip to San Francisco. Mmm.
Ok, first off, I wouldn’t step food inside a Station casino to see James Marsters naked, and I don’t play Wheel of Fortune, or MegaBucks or any of those other lottery substitues we have here in Nevada.
It ain’t about saving two bucks. It’s about the Portugese sausage, man. No buffet does it better. And the rest of Main Street’s buffet food is likewise yummilicious. Did I mention that when I worked downtown, I put on fifteen pounds there? And actually, some of the more expensive buffets actually have some of the worst food, unless you’re talking about the Rio’s seafood buffet. (pauses to lament the Orleans changing the spice recipie for their crawfish, making the little critters much less fun to eat)
I did the GTOTGR, and I was duly unimpressed. Multimillion dollar kitsch is still kitsch. Even Ceasar’s didn’t do anything for me.
And Fremont Street is only bleak if you go past Fourth Street, which I would only do if I had a serious jones to eat at Roberta’s. And really, the light show ain’t no thang anyhow. Downtown has a very laid back carnival atmosphere and a very upbeat vibe. Sure, if you’re wealthy, or pretend to be, the Strip has the high roller rooms where you can blow your retirement and put yourself in the poorhouse in grand style, but for the average middle-class person who comes here to party and have a good time, places like the Golden Gate and any randomly selected Boyd house are the places to go.
The Strip is a painted-up old whore who is long past her prime. And she has the clap.
Check into the Aladdin.
It’s a newer hotel, so it’s not run down. It’s pretty nice inside. Rates are usually pretty good. It’s in a good location, fairly central to the strip (about halfway between Mandalay and Treasure Island). It has a small mall, if you’re into that. The pool looked nice from the room.
However, dealers stay on a soft-17, so I’ll usually gamble elsehwhere. 
yes!!! you must eat at the Paris buffet…I ate king crab legs until I almost exploded…so good, and such a huge variety of food, too
As far as hotels go, I agree that the stratosphere is a bit far from where you’ll want to be. I stayed at New York, New York, which I loved, but I don’t remember the rates (I’m very spoiled, Daddy offered to pay for the room). Anyway, that’s right near Excalibur, which WAS overrun with kids, but it’s in a good location. The only time we had to get a cab was when we saw a show at Rio (I beleive it was at the Rio, but my memory from that week is a bit…fuzzy). We could walk everywhere else.
Have fun!