I don’t know if Penn & Teller is good for someone of his political leanings. Never been to their show so I don’t know if they stray into politics or religion.
Also, if you’re going to walk in the summer, bring an umbrella or something. Vegas is not a nice place to walk around in when it’s 100+ degrees.
You don’t want to drive in Vegas for a number of reasons. The traffic on the Strip is deadly, tourists slow down everything anywhere near the Strip, and if you are driving you can’t enjoy all the free booze they ply you with at the tables. Walk or cab it instead. Save the car for jaunts to the dam.
Sound advice. Dealers are usually very friendly, and more than willing to help newbies learn the ropes. Remember to tip them occasionally. Most dealers I know seem to prefer to play their tips–ie, you can place a bet for the dealer next to your bet, and then the dealer will get double or nothing depending on whether you win the hand. At a $5 table, you can get $1 chips useful for this purpose and for tipping the cocktail waitresses. At a $10 table, you may want to use a $2.50 chip or a couple of $1 chips.
Thanks to you all for your feedback. I guess consensus is that we won’t need a car, and can take a bus to Hoover Dam and walk around to the various places otherwise.
I am leaning towards one of the older hotels - Caesar’s or such like.
I don’t think this will be much of a problem - I have seen a couple of the Bullshit! shows on DVD, and their movie (which kind of sucked), but Penn did a rather thoughtful bit on being prayed for that raised my respect for him quite a bit. Although you are correct - if the act is a lot of denigration of religion, I probably won’t like it. But we like “regular” magic like sleight of hand more than the huge Vegas David Copperfield kind of thing.
Another question I forgot to ask - is there a church anywhere close to the Strip? Lutheran by preference, Protestant of any sort as well, or Roman Catholic would do. We would like to go to church on Sunday.
Thanks again, and keep the suggestions coming!
Regards,
Shodan
Go do all the 3D/4D-type shows; they’re a lot of fun.
I know I’m a geek, but I absolutely loved Hoover Dam; especially learning about how it came about. Imagine a major project with multiple contractors working in harmony, finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Shudder to think!
The closest Lutheran church is Reformation Lutheran on St. Louis Ave. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Strip, just north of Sahara.
If you decide on Caesars (and I recommend the place - we stay there regularly) try to get a room in the Augustus Tower. That’s the new one. The rooms are a bit larger and the views are tremendous. You will be within walking distance of just about everything. Serendipity 3 is right outside for your sudden cravings for sweets, and Margaritaville is across the street for breakfast. Try the French Quarter omelette.
Or use the monorail or Deuce (public transit) bus for longer movement along the Strip axis; for off-Vegas sightseeing may I recommend “Pink Jeep Tours” (look up their website).
Properties such as Caesar’s or Paris tend to be good deals, and relatively close to the fancier sites.
Just saw them last fall, there was really only one skit in the act where they take the piss out of religious themes, and it was not in a meanspirited vein (IMO moderate believers could laugh with it). It’s very good and well-paced, and they do meet-and-greet in the lobby for the whole audience after every show.
Lutheran has been mentioned; for RCC on the Strip (apparently the only denom to be actually on the Strip) you have Guardian Angels Cathedral (a small “cathedral”; LV only got the rank of diocese in '95) is across Desert Inn Road from Encore, cattycorner to the Wynn golf course; Holy Redeemer Shrine is behind the Tropicana Hotel, near the Airport. Offstrip there are quite a few other churches near the UNLV campus.
And right across the Strip pedestrian bridge from Caesar’s, at the entrance to Bill’s, there is a *“Tickets 4 Tonight” *branch.
If you really get sick of all the glitz, gambling and such (and to me, its really overwhelming at times), take a trip out to Red Rock Canyon and do some hiking or sightseeing. Of course, you’ll probably need that rental car for that, but I really enjoyed it out there.
I’m no nature buff by any means, but having a serenity moment as a break from the dinging of slot machines was quite welcome.
YMMV.
My rule is always to let the “extra” winnings for hitting a blackjack ride for the dealer on the next hand.
I do that too. A happy dealer makes for a much better experience for everybody. If the dealer likes you, they will often wave you off from doing something stupid, like splitting 5s.
Love Vegas.
Diosa is right about the MGM Signature. You pretty much pay what you would to stay at the MGM, but get better service and don’t have to share the pool with kids. It’s the only place I stay these days when I go to Vegas.
You will not need a car. The strip is pretty walkable, and if you don’t feel like walking, there’s a line of cabs at the door of every hotel, and since everything is close by, you won’t spend a lot on fare. Re: $5 tables, good luck with that on the strip. Cheap tables are plentiful downtown, but you won’t find tables for that price on the strip unless you go down to Sahara, which I would not suggest. $10 and $15 aren’t terribly difficult to find during the daytime on a weeknight, though. The minimum quickly starts rising toward the evening, though, but if you get to the table when the bets are cheap, you’ll be grandfathered in, even as the minimum rises.
Shodan - sorry I am late to this party, have been busy at school and haven’t logged in for awhile.
Lot’s of great advice so far (and thanks for inserting my link, silenus).
The only thing I would add is to shoot for the moon when booking - granted, weekend rates are much higher than mid-week, but you still might find some really good deals at high-end properties. Go ahead and call Bellagio, or Paris or The Venetian or Wynn or Encore - even try Aria. Those are normally very, very pricey, but with the influx of rooms and the economy, great deals can be found. Some might still be pricey, but also include free dinners and some extra money to play while you are there, making it a better deal and thus worth paying full price anyway. BTW, for anyone reading this who has a more flexible schedule, you can usually get much better deals mid-week - probably paying far less for Sun-Thur than what you would pay for just Fri-Sat nights alone.
Many tourists are later pissed off to realize that for $10 more, they could have stayed at one of the high-end properties, but were afraid to even call and get prices. You have time, and what have you got to lose by asking?
That said, it really doesn’t make much difference what your room looks like, and most likely you will only go there when you are about ready to collapse and sleep anyway - I would be more concerned with location, so you can walk to places nearby.
There are lots of bus tours to the Hoover Dam, and you can take the short tours or long tours - plus it is not all that far (about an hour’s drive) from The Strip. You can find those ads in the free magazine(s) you will find by your bedside in the room.
Show tickets - if you want a big name show, call in advance and book. For instance, Garth Brooks sells out in minutes. Other shows, like LOVE and Cher at Caesars, sell out quickly as well. For smaller shows, there are several locations on The Strip that offer 2 for 1 deals on the day of the show - so if you are not picky, you might want to wait and just see what is available that night.
For newbies who want to play some money in a few slots, I suggest the simple Wheel Of Fortune machines - they have them for nickels, quarters and dollars everywhere, are all hooked up to every machine in the state and prizes get fairly high. Just put in maximum coins (always) and usually you can win enough to let you play for awhile. Also, try some of the nickel video poker machines - let’s you learn how to play and doesn’t cost a bundle, plus you can win a nice bit of change should you hit something big even playing for that small amount.
Have fun, and be sure to report back. I have to admit, getting Shodan’s review of Las Vegas will interest me A LOT!
For example, Wynn is currently offering a mid-week rate of $169/night, with $100 of resort credit if you book 2 or more nights. Other properties have similar offers floating around.
Just want to note that even the big names are at those half price ticket places sometimes. You certainly can’t count on it (if you have your heart set on Cher, pay full price. If it’d be a fun night but you don’t really care, risk it. It’s Vegas, baby!).
When I was there in December, we went to the half price ticket booth at 10 am on a Saturday. They had tickets for Love, Ka, Zumanity, Cher, and a few other big name things. Definitely worth a try!
I was there last year, although Las Vegas wasn’t really my intended destination (I flew in for the start and end point of a Grand Canyon / Utah road trip).
If you are going to Hoover Dam, and I really recommend it, I suggest doing the more expensive Hoover Dam Tour (instead of the cheaper Hoover Dam Powerplant Tour). It is $30 instead of $11, but it was great to wander through all the dam wall tunnels and ventilation shafts - and the guide was pretty thorough too. I figure its best to spend a little more on these once in a lifetime excursions 
BTW, Shodan, I just want to warn you about your Hoover Dam idea.
As you are coming to Las Vegas as a newbie, you will not be the first person to come here armed with a list of “must-do’s” and find out that they quickly become “next-time do’s”.
A weekend is very short…by the time you check into the hotel on Friday and get into your room, and then go out and start looking around…well…Friday is gone. Then you get up Saturday, hit the breakfast buffet, look into show tickets and wander The Strip and walk and walk and walk and eat and eat and then it is time to get ready to see that show on Saturday night…so you fall into bed Saturday night, having walked more than you have in ten years…and Sunday you want to hit that brunch and you want to go to church, and suddenly your weekend is wrapping up faster than you thought and the wife wants to pick up a few gifts and you want to see that…
You might find that side-trip to the Hoover Dam might not be in the cards this trip after all.
Every single person who has come to visit me here for the first time comes armed with a list…and every single person has gone home with a good part of that list unfinished and put on the “next time” list.
Just warning you…once you get here, time flies and the next thing you know, you are home.
Wayne Brady’s show has been canceled pretty much indefinitely. If it’s back before the end of summer (or ever, for that matter) I’ll eat my hat. The Venetian has a temporary replacement in Carrot Top, but I do not recommend going to this show.
ETA: Do not try to drive anywhere. I’m serious, here. Book a tour of the dam if you want to go. Don’t drive on the strip! You’ll ruin half your vacation if you do. Parking is awful anywhere on the strip. You will spend 20 minutes getting your car parked, and another 10 minutes getting inside. Multiply that by however many places you want to go, and you’ll spend literally half your free time in a parking garage. A cab will drop you off at the front door, and often costs less than 10 bucks for a ride. Don’t drive in Vegas!
Speaking of which, while Wayne Brady’s show is not currently at The Venetian, you can get FREE tickets to go to his TV show, Let’s Make A Deal, that originates and is taped at TROPICANA.
Go online and ask for tickets (or you can get them here at any of the booths). It is FREE and, who knows, they might pick you out of the audience and you might win a car, or a trip or some money! Bring a costume…