That’s right fellow campers, I’m heading off to Vegas next week for a seminar. I am really looking forward to it, but becuase I’ve never been, any advice is appreciated. Any sights I shouldn’t miss? What about any lesser known venues?? What should I bring to wear? Is it hot or chilly there? Anything you can contribute is welcome.
Well first off you cant come to Vegas without having sex. Luckily for you I am in the area and can sacrifice myself to enrichen your Vegas experience.
…actually… right now we’re having highs about 70 degrees F and lows about 40 F. In a couple of weeks it should be even warmer.
Don’t miss the Stratosphere… go up to the top around dusk while its still light to appreciate the view and stay for sundown till its dark (only an hour or so) to appreciate on ocean of lights… very nice. The Luxor is perhaps my favorite casino… its the one shaped as a pyramid, I just love that place.
The luxor was on my list of places to go, I am staying at Bally’s, is it nice?? I will be there next week, hopefully the weather will be nice. 
Ssshhh, Whammo! Ix-nay on the ex-say; her mom is looking at this!
[sub]Sheepish confession: Vegas doesn’t really excite me that much.[/sub]
Don’t know if you’re into the thrill rides, Poysyn, but if you are, you should do the launcher/freefall thing on top of the Stratosphere (I can’t remember the name of it right now). I recommend doing it during the day since you’ll have a better perspective on how high up you are then. Don’t do the roller coaster at the Stratosphere; it’s pretty lame. I do recommend the roller coaster at New York, New York, though. That’s a good one.
If you’re into classic/antique cars, you may want to check out the Auto Garage at the Imperial Palace. It’s kind of a tourist trap, I suppose, but I enjoyed it. (My ticket was free with the hotel reservation.)
One thing I regret is that I never took the opportunity to check out Madam Tussaud’s wax museum. Go check it out, and let me know how it is. Also let me know if you discover any good blues clubs while in Vegas.
Most of all, I recommend heading 4 1/2 - 5 hours southeast of Vegas and joing us for a Phoenix Dopefest! 
Interesting - I’m heading to Vegas this weekend.
I stayed at the Luxor once - quite frankly, it didn’t knock my socks off. You’ve gotta see the Venetian, though - beautiful - the shop area looks and feels like it’s outside. They tried to do the same thing at the Paris, but it didn’t seem quite as realistic.
[hijack]Phoenix Dopefest? When? Where? How did I miss this?[/hijack] :eek:
jadailey, it used to be that Padeye and I were the only Phoenicians on the SDMB, but it looks like we’ve acquired a few more lately. We’ll have to have another Phoenix Dopefest soon. Stay tuned.
Sorry for the hijack, Poysyn. We now take you back to your regularly-scheduled thread.
Hey, I’m going to Vegas in April!
I thought that the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton was cool, but I am really into that sort of thing so my opinion could be skewed.
I’m going to be in Vegas in two weeks… St. Patrick’s Day weekend, to be exact. (Mmmm… Vegas…). I agree with Strainger’s thrill ride assessments. The rollercoaster atop the Stratosphere isn’t very exciting. The only reason it’s even a little bit thrilling is ‘cause you’re so friggin’ high off the ground. And yeah, the coaster at New York, New York is definitely worth waiting in line for.
I’ve never stayed at Bally’s, but I’ve been in the casino, and it looks pretty nice. After you finish touring the fancy new strip casinos, make sure you take a trip downtown. They’ve modernized it too, but you get to see a glimpse of the older Vegas.
More advice? Okay… always split 8’s and Aces. Double-down on 11 if the dealer is showing a 10 or less. And NEVER take insurance, unless you’re counting cards!
If there are seats available for either of the Cirque du Soleil shows (“O” and “Mystere”), grab them now. I saw “Mystere” last month, and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.
OH OH! Yeah… Fremont St. at night (called The Fremons St. Experience) is the older casinos… the street is covered by a dome that runs the length of the street and has a light show periodicly at night… the street is lined with vendors and artists and musicians (no tipping allowed!). Very cool thing.
One of the best and funniest things I saw in Vegas was the 3D show at the M&M factory (next to MGM Grand). It’s only $3. I’m not even kidding here, though it sounds like I am, I had so much fun at that thing.
Also, if you can afford Siegfried and Roy, it’s definitely worth seeing, even if you’re not impressed by magic.
Another fun thing is to go to the Luxor and go into one of the inclinators (elevators that move at an angle). When it stops, you find yourself being pulled towards the wall, it’s really cool. The Luxor in general is just a cool place to check out (and I hear Blue Man Group is also phenomenal).
Finally, stop by the Bellagio and watch the fountains in the lake out front. The shows start at 6 (I think) and go every 15 minutes. If you can catch the Bocelli song (Time to Say Goodbye) at the fountains, I think that’s the best one to watch, though I don’t know the order of the songs and whatnot. I stayed to watch a few cause it’s so cool.
Oh yeah, and I heard from a non star trek fan that the star trek experience at the Hilton was really cool. I didn’t get to do it last time, but I will next time (hopefully going back again this year). So I’ll second that.
Fremont St. was cool too. And they have penny slots in the casinos there so if you only have a dollar to gamble with it’s great.
It can get chilly at night, so bring a medium jacket or sweater.
Go see Blue Man Group at the Luxor.
The bar at the top of the Rio has a great view. Several, in fact. They have a dress code, by the way, so dress decently if you go.
Visit the Hard Rock Casino on a Friday or Saturday evening to check out the babes or/and the studs. (I must admit, I find this place hilarious with all the poseurs running around trying to impress their dates by throwing away their money.)
Visit the Hard Rock, Venetian, and Orleans any time to check out the cocktail waitresses.
The drinks at the Hard Rock, Bellagio, and Mirage were arguably the best, although Bellagio/Mirage/TI/Golden Nugget has been bought out by the MGM Grand now, so has probably gone way downhill.
If you don’t know anything about gambling, don’t do it. If you really insist, and if you’re going to play blackjack, at least pick up a “basic strategy” card from one of the hotel gift shops – you can use it at the table, and it will cut your expected loss significantly compared to a completely clueless player.
If you go to the Downtown area, DON’T venture outside the main tourist blocks. The area rapidly gets dangerous. The same holds for the north end of the Strip at night, around the Riviera/Stardust/Stratosphere.
Damn… is the Blue Man Group still here? They’ve been here almost a year then… I saw them last May. One of the “show” highlights of my life. Truely a great thing. Then again I also just LOVE those P4 commercials too… though I have been a blue fan for many years.
BTW… just checked it out at http://www.blueman.com still here. If you have the extra cash, check 'em out!!!
Very very true… glamorous to dangerous in 20 steps. Thats Vegas.
you from the area Achmed?
if you get tired of the vegas-y vegas stuff, I reccommend Hoover Dam. I reccommend going at night, when its deserted and just hanging out looking off of it. Its totally quiet and you can just wander around and marvel at it. Used to be a great place to take chicks when I was in high school, I don’t know it it actually GOT me anywhere, but it was pretty amazing.
Also, check out the valley of fire (Nat’l park) its a big park of colored rock formations that it much more exciting than I ma making it sound.
For late night clubbing (if thats your scene), check out the Velvet Room in the Venetian, and when it closes, head over to Drai's in thr basement of the barbery coast, its pricey ($20 cover), but its a blast.
I second the cirque shows, if theres any such thing as a hundred dollars worth of theatre, that would be it.
Whammo!!! you live there? i grew up there, left 6 years ago. GVHS class of 94.
CJ
Lemme just reiterate that you must check out Blue Man Group if you haven’t seen them yet. They currently only have shows in 4 cities, and Vegas is the newest. Take the opportunity, you won’t be disappointed.