You’ll be fine at the Imperial Palace. And do go to the Burger Palace - those were the best hamburgers and fries ever! (And yes, we went to In and Out on the same trip.) The kids still talk about the Burger Palace and were bummed when they heard the IP was to be demolished. When is that supposed to happen, anyway?
For a five day trip I would recommend a car. We tried it both with (a 7-day trip with our kids) and without (a three day trip for the two of us) and really liked the freedom we had with the car better. My husband’s a huge NASCAR fan, so we drove out to the speedway and he got to see Carroll Shelby’s museum, we went to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, and out to Red Rocks and Old Nevada (out of season Old Nevada’s not nearly as much fun).
For anyone else who might be reading the thread and looking for a place to stay, I would also recommend the Orleans (for off-off strip) and the Carriage House, which is about a block off the Strip on Harmon near MGM Grand. And if you’re traveling with the kids as we did, the Carriage House has no casino.
I just checked travelworm.com and if you were staying there this week you could get $25 a night rooms at the Stratosphere and Sahara. Both at the old end of the strip, but still decent casinos and hotels, can’t beat one of the tallest towers in the US for ambience at the stratosphere either (hope you’re not afraid of heights). A $90 a night promotional suite deal at Caesars Palace isn’t too bad either.
Plans to demolish the IP got scrapped when Harrah’s was sold. The new owners have decided, so far, to not pursue the “tear down the whole block for a mega-resort” plan.
dale, the lowest minimum and best odds are always at Casino Royale. $3 and 100X, along with dollar Michelob. Otherwise, downtown is your best bet (as it were).
The Mirage is an old favorite, but sadly the emphasis is on “old” at the moment. It’s looking a bit worn and really needs some updating. The casino is still very casual and fun- I played there on Thursday night and had a good time. There is a Japanese blackjack dealer at the Mirage (Shikiko? Something like that) who came to Vegas as a dancer in 1957 and has never left! I think she’s at least 70. She’s hilarious and you can’t miss her- an Egyptian queen would be jealous of her eye makeup! She was dealing single-deck when I was there- go find her and have a blast!
It got vetoed - not because it makes me look like a hooker, although it does, but because he doesn’t like the pleating/ruching. Sigh. I suppose I can always buy something really lurid there, though, but I doubt they have sales in Vegas.
Wrong!
Huge sales here, like everywhere else in the US.
BTW, there are a few great outlet malls not all that far from the Strip.
One, Las Vegas Outlet Center, is way south on the Strip (about 1-2 miles south of Mandalay Bay) and you could take a bus there. It is huge and has some pretty great deals on many name brands.
Plus, even many of the shops at the great malls on the Strip in the casinos are not stupid and have slashed prices to pay their rent.
I know it is asking a lot, but I guess you might have to do some shopping while you are here. Ditch the dudes and go shopping…somebody has to do it.
Oops, forgot to mention our newest, very cool shopping area - Town Square Las Vegas.
Designed to look like a small town, with parks and side streets, etc. it has everything, including a great movie theater, Fry’s Electronics (a great west coast chain store) and much much more! That is also just south of Mandalay Bay, about a mile or so. Hereare some photos.
I had very happy hunting at the Premium Outlets here- http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=58. I scored an amazing dress at White House, Black Market for $30- retail was $168. Also found great deals at Polo and a few others. The sushi at Makino has gone downhill, though.
Hi TPKurilla! :D)
