What Do You Like/Dislike About Las Vegas?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Sorry to double-post but I just looked at your site and while I thought it was good

a) I don’t like the layout that much

b) You need a shopping section. This is the ONLY reason I’d ever go back to Vegas. Their Coach outlet is one of the most famous and well-stocked. They’re one of the few outlets that has a really extensive collection of their signature pieces, and when I was there I saw things that hadn’t even been released yet…it’s crazy, how does that happen? Do they have pre-production samples or something? Before I leave Cali I’m probably going to go back one more time to buy my dad a Bose sound system or something. The sweet little thing got so excited about the store and bought himself some speakers for significantly cheaper than at regular retail stores. Our favourite mall was the designer outlet centre but we had a good time walking around the high-roller malls too. Plus, there’s a Zara there, and they can be harder to find inside the US.

By the way, the last time I went was with The Puritans (my parents) and we were so excited about the Bellagio buffet but felt really let down. It’s still…a buffet. With really bad chinese food. For that amount of money we could have had a nice meal at that Moroccan restaurant on Flamingo. I wish we’d just stuck to a cheap breakfast buffet.

22

Likes: completely different place than where I live
Likes: the things to gawk at
Likes: people-watching is great
Likes: gambling (I rarely gamble, but have fun when I do)
Likes: free drinks while gambling

Dislikes: time-share vultures
Dislikes: blisters on my feet
Dislikes: NO PLACE TO SIT DOWN anywhere but in front of a slot machine, and soothe the weary blisters on my feet
Dislikes: airport security. Wow. Being from Canada, the experience of leaving Las Vegas airport was mind-blowing.

23

Having grown up out there, most of my experiences with airport security have been from Vegas and all. Because of that, I suppose I’m immune to what you’re referring to, or perhaps never experienced it since I always had Nevada ID whenever I flew from there, rather than being an international traveler. What was mind-blowing about it, if you don’t mind me asking?

24

A few of the things I hate about living here:
[ul]there have been so many shows I wanted to see, but rarely do they have locals specials and they are outrageously expensive. $100+ per person for Phantom of the Opera, come on…Stevie Nicks $150 :eek: We did, however, pay to see Lewis Black last year, expensive though[/ul]
[ul]the summer heat, three months of hatefulness[/ul]
[ul]slot machines in the grocery store[/ul]
[ul]I-15[/ul]

A few of the things I like about living here:
[ul]nine months of pretty darn good weather[/ul]
[ul]year round mountain biking opportunity[/ul]
[ul]amazing dining options at reasonable prices[/ul]
[ul]no wierd liquor laws… :slight_smile: [/ul]
[ul]lots of outdoor activites (state parks and the like) nearby[/ul]

25

I go to Vegas at least once a month for work, sometimes twice. Hell, I’m going tomorrow!

I like:

The food- on strip or even just throughout the city. There is so much variety for every single price point. You can’t lose out there. Hell, I’m a poor 20 year old and my friends and I love being there just because you can eat at a nice place with a great atmosphere and fantastic food for a reasonable price.

The atmosphere- I don’t gamble or drink (I’m not 21, but I will be in like, 22 days! That said, I probably wont really partake in either activity when the time comes), but just walking around and seeing the vastness of everything is really fun. There’s nothing there that wasn’t ungodly expensive to build and that it self is pretty entertaining to consider while staring at the fountains at the Bellagio or just the ceilings in the Venetian.

The shopping- I am a 20 year old, after all. Desert Passage has great shopping at surprisingly reasonable prices, but my favorite is the outlet mall. The one at the South end-- before the strip-- is awful. It’s cheap, dirty, and generally gross. That said, the one off of Charleston is fantastic! But actually, my most favorite is the one in Primm, but that’s not our topic of discussion today.

The random, fun things to do- Atomic Testing Museum? Bad ass. The wax museum? Also pretty bad ass. Shark Reef? Super bad ass. Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy? Super duper bad ass (I’m lame, you see.).
The bad:

The smoking- Maybe it’s because I’m from the damn near smoke free California, but I get so sick when I visit Vegas. I’m always hacking and coughing while there, but I’m also usually struck with headaches and such. This is obviously a personal problem, but at least they’ve stopped smoking in restaurants. Wait, that did pass, right?

The price- Vegas is supposed to be a fun place you can run off to for a quick, cost effective vacation (the hotels and food I mean- all your $ is supposed to go to shopping and gambling!). So, why is that you can hardly get a room for under $100 a night that isn’t the Plaza (. . . shiver. . .) on even a weekday? Food on the strip is no longer really cheap, but it’s a $25 buffet and a $20 a plate little restaurant.

What you’re getting for your money- Most of the hotels just aren’t worth the price. And even if you let the shabby room go, the staff at these places is often not the friendliest. I’m sure day after day of dealing with drunks would piss anyone off, but that’s definitely a gripe of mine.

26

Oh, I realize my food points are contradictory! I think that for someone who doesn’t really know the place, the food can be very expensive. I’m lucky in that I’ve been there so many times that I know where the deals are.

27

See my previous about room rates. Once you establish a record with a hotel, they will flood your mailbox with bargains. Granted, we don’t stay at the Bellagio, but the IP is decent and we haven’t spent a cent other than room tax on a room in over 18 months. But I agree about the food. There is something for everybody in Vegas, including the best restaurants in the country.

28

You’ve got a good point, but being 20 (underage), they don’t really care about my business at the moment! Perhaps over the next year or so that will change- I know my dad gets tons of deals and such on a daily basis, but he’s been going monthly for over 10 years.

29

Thanks for the heads up about the IP. The location is great, and for me that matters more than the actual room. And for anyone interested, the IP is one of the only places that will let you bet Kentucky Derby Future bets pretty much anytime. I always stop by there in Nov or Dec and bet my soon to be three year olds. It is a $5.00 souvenier for me. I just like having the name of my horse, and The Kentucky Derby on the same ticket! I get 100-1 on them. Next time I will ask if they will give me 6-5. Since I have no reason to think I would ever cash it, I would rather have more impressive looking odds for my horse. :wink:

But you make a good point. I go often enough, I would probably qualify for free a room also, as long as they have a poker room. Last time I looked they didn’t. But that has been a while, and they may have joined the many others and put one in. But they are known to horse players as having the best odds on horse related betting. I will check them out again.

30

They have a poker room. It’s in the front of the casino, to the right as you enter the front doors off of the Strip. I always put down a Christmas parlay on the college bowl games. $20 and pick 6 or 8. Harmless fun, and if I ever hit it, it pays something like 600-1.

31

Try the Tommy Gun, freakishly heavy. Better to whack someone across the head with it.

Tell the guys, Paul in Saudi says “Hey!” On the other hand, given their political outlook, better not.

32

That is good to know. The handicapping contests I compete in are in other hotels, but I prefer staying somewhere different from where the contests are. Working up to a free room would mean that much more for the poker tables.

It is funny, I usually finish just out of the money in the handicapping contests, just few bucks shy of getting a nice check, so it keeps me coming back. But then I clean up at the poker tables, and that covers the horses. My husband always says I should skip the ponies, and just play poker. But I am sure if I did that I would lose at the poker tables, but then bet the horses and make just enough to cover my poker losses. I am pretty consistent that way.

My first trip to Vegas as an adult, I bet a NFL football card. I didn’t follow football at the time, so my theory was picking the teams closest to California, where I lived. Total luck, but they all came through for me! I won a riduculous amount of money, and got hooked.

But I am not a very big gambler, compared to others. I have a budget, and usually don’t come close to spending it all. In general I am a conservative bettor, so I look at gambling money as entertainment money. And between being conservative, and lucky, I usually can manage to come out ahead. I tend to prefer games where I am not going against the house, but other players. No way could I beat the house, but going against the other tourists out for fun, I have a shot.

Oh, this thread is making me want to plan a trip. My next one is scheduled for March, but now I want to go sooner!

33

I’ve been twice, for the WSOP last two years. Both times I was involved. I broke that off a month ago, so I’m coming out for NYE and I’ll be single in Vegas for the first time.

It is an understatement to say that I’m looking forward to this. I was a good boy both times before. We’re meeting some girls that are flying in from LA and staying at Alladin…no clue how or where or when or what is going on NYE though.

34

Most of the stuff has already been covered by other people but here is my list.

The Good:

There is a place called Fly Away that rocks. It is indoor skydiving. It is a lot of fun and it is different than just going gambling.

Rides. There are a bunch of cool rides. The Stratospheres are pretty cool. The NYNY ride is ok. The Nascar rollercoaster rocks.

The Bad: Traffic. It sucks. I live here and it is one of my major peeves.

Slee

35

My problem with Vegas, besides not liking to gamble, is parking.
Tried to go to that volcano casino, went around and around to their overflow lot and walked a mile to the entrance. And when we got there, no place to sit and rest our feet.

36

The drive to Boulder Dam provides you with some wonderful views, if you like 25 miles of broken glass.

Why is the favorite sport of LV residents pulling off the highway and shoting at bottles?

37

Wow - thanks for all the comments so far! And Grits And Hard Toast, I appreciate the compliment on the website and glad you found the info relevant. However, the website really needs to be totally re-designed - what you see now was a “quick” class project with little time to really think it out…this time around, I want it to be easier to read, include more info and some other badly needed changes to design and content.

I won’t try to answer all the questions now, but for those of you praising the Imperial Palace - sorry to burst your bubble, but its days are numbered. Harrahs bought the property and I believe reports are that it will be torn down within the next year. Sorry to be the bearer of that bad news.

Again - thanks for all the likes/dislikes - I intend to use these comments as reference points in the new site - but it is going to take me at least a few weeks to get that up and running - so keep your comments coming!

38

The entire airport smells like mildew and cigarette butts. That’s really the only thing I know for sure about Las Vegas. (That’s something I disliked.)

I have spent a lot of time in Las Venturas, though. Did some things I’m not especially proud of. But sometimes you really need to crash a hijacked cop car into a casino before firing a rocket launcher into a crowd of innocent pedestrians.

39

Diosa, does the Atomic Testing Museum have t-shirts? They don’t show them at the museum store online.

40

I probably could have lived my entire life without going to Vegas and been perfectly happy (not my aesthetic at all), but my ex-girlfriend and current spousette both LOVE Vegas, so I’ve been twice now and will likely go again. I don’t like the things most people would like about Vegas because I don’t gamble and live music bores me, but I love having fancy afternoon tea in expensive hotels and the Bellagio and the Four Seasons are just the ticket for that. Beautiful. The staff in the nicer hotels are really kind and helpful.

One of the quirkier things I did there was go to the Ethel M chocolate factory (definitely NOT on the Strip) - they have, of course, a nifty chocolate factory with samples and chocolates for sale, but also (oddly) a hydroponic gardening operation with gardens you can tour. It was cool!

I LOVE the giant Victorian fish tank at Mandelay Bay.

Luxor has a decent spa. Next time I’ll try Bellagio’s.

As an ex-smoker, I HATE the smoke. If I walk out of my hotel room for 3 minutes I feel like I have to wash my hair and all my clothes - ew!! Then again, it does remind me of why I’m an ex-smoker!

Slots in drugstores and supermarkets is kinda sad and freaky.

The shopping seems generic - nothing really unique or interesting that I’d want to buy even if I had the money.

I’ve never gotten a free drink in a casino. And I’ve never ordered a drink from a cocktail server and been able to stick around long enough to actually get it. It takes like an hour to get a damn drink, even if you’re paying for it!