What Do You Like/Dislike About Las Vegas?

[Paul_in_Qatar]

Ethel M! I forgot that place.

When Old Man Mars (of the secretive Mars family of Virginia) retired, he built Ethel M to experiment with candy-making techniques. It was a hobby. He even had an apartment in the place, near the gardens, IIRC.

Anyway, when he dies, various financial details came to light. One of them was the Mars Corporation/Family charged the guy for the apartment! Given his skinflint reputation, he probably insisted.

Las Vegas is full of neat stories.

Every been to the Neon Museum? It is still on my Things to See List.

[DMark]

[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]

Every been to the Neon Museum? It is still on my Things to See List.
[/QUOTE]

Was just on the news yesterday - seems they are close to making this a free, open museum for all to see. Paul, check back as it might be open to the public by the time you get here in August!

(For those of you who don’t know…the Neon Museum is where all of the famous, old, neon signs have been taken and stored…you can see the original neon signs from casinos long since gone - sadly, the signs are just sort of dumped in sections and no longer lit - but still worth a trip down that memory lane for those who were here years ago, or know about Las Vegas history and the casinos of yore.)

[silenus]

I wouldn’t write off the IP just yet. Harrah’s may have bought it, but Harrah’s themselves were just bought, and the IP has stuff scheduled though the end of 2007 at least. If they go, then we go somewhere else, of course. Probably next door. The spot is too convient to not stay there.

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

I like:

Staying in a decent Strip hotel and being able to enjoy relaxing poolside

Gambling, playing roulette particularly because, for some reason, I always seem to win at it

‘Gambling’ also includes walking our way up the Strip looking in for a few spins or hands of blackjack at different hoteles

The food, generally

I don’t like:
the hassle of getting there. Flying there from L.A. is not as easy as it used to be, and I don’t like long road trips.

I would never like:
Actually living there and having to deal with the mundanities of daily life–long commutes to work, living in a place that is even more spread out and car dependent than L.A., and all that without being able to hang out by the hotel pool.

[scotandrsn]

I like the sheer sensory overload.

I like Penn Jillette’s house, The Slammer, which I had occasion to visit about 8 years ago.

I like the guys who accompanied me on that visit, who run a site called Lost Birds, and specialize in “Aviation Archaeology”.

I don’t like the Imperial Palace, other than their French Toast (the mystery, which it took us a minute to figure out, is that it’s french-toasted pound cake). Apart from that, their crappy rooms and gastric-disease-inducing room service do not make them worth the cheapness. Even with the french toast.

Which brings me to healthcare. Don’t ever get sick in Vegas. The hospitals are a nightmare.

[Dinsdale]

When I was younger, I loved the fact that LV was so over-the-top unlike any other place I could imagine. Revisiting it with family recently I thought it kind of depressing, that all that excess was essentially a blatant attempt to seperate people from their money. I couldn’t help but wonder how many folks’ financial ruin were reflected in all those glittering lights. Just took a bit of the fun out of it for me.

I’m happy to play cards and place a wager here and there with friends. It is just my preference that should I lose the $ goes to my buddies, instead of a corporation or strangers.

Great golf courses - unfortunately, they are outrageously expensive.

I really like Red Rocks, just to the west, and that hokey Old Nevada.

[DiosaBellissima]

[QUOTE=Flipstrip]
Diosa, does the Atomic Testing Museum have t-shirts? They don’t show them at the museum store online.
[/QUOTE]

I haven’t been in a while, but I think so.

[Duke_of_Rat]

I like being able to get a drink (and of course drink) any hour, any day, almost any place.

I like the over the top aspect of the town. “Now I’ve seen it all” has never been to Vegas.

I don’t like the “family destination” spin that some of the casinos are trying to use to attract families. Take your kids to Disneyland, I want to drink beer at the breakfast buffet. The strip is littered with escort service flyers, Disneyland doesn’t have those. Disneyland is really where you want to take your kids. Trust me.

While some nightclubs as mentioned above have dress codes, a whole lot of places-even nicer restaurants-don’t. I like that, 4 star casual dining.

I blame the “family destination” angle for the higher prices. Rooms and food used to be cheaper, the casinos could rely on people coming there to gamble. Cheap food and cheap rooms were a way to get you there and keep you happy. Now Joe Family comes to town and the casinos need money for rooms and food since chances are Joe Family won’t be doing much gambling.

DMark is a fountain of knowledge about Vegas (and all around cool guy), I didn’t have nearly enough time to spend out there last time.

[PunditLisa]

I can’t stand casinos. DING! DING! DING! DING! and lights blinking and no sun light. And then the mind dumbing obsession with not leaving that seat until I had zero tokens left because I knew the second I got up someone would take my seat and win $10,000. I swear I sat there for 3 hours at a machine, just praying that it would go ahead and let me lose already so I could go to bed. (And I only started out with $20.)

When I go to hell, I’ll be sent to a casino with an endless bucket of tokens.

DING!! DING!! DING!!!

[Flipstrip]

[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima]
I haven’t been in a while, but I think so.
[/QUOTE]

Cool! Will definitely have to go there next time I’m in Vegas!

[BrainGlutton]

I’ve never been to LV, DMark, but I do strongly suggest you read the chapter on LV in James Howard Kunstler’s The City in Mind.

They say that Antarctica is the worst place on earth, but I believe that distinction belongs to Las Vegas. For one thing, Antarctica is more pleasing to look at. The natural scenery is about equal to Nevada’s in desolate grandeur, but Antarctica’s man-made artifacts are less distressing to an average human being’s neural network. The population of Antarctica, though tiny in comparison, is better-educated, less transient, and employed in more honorable work. Las Vegas certainly leads in cheap buffets, but the result is a shocking rate of obesity with attendant medical disorders. Some might argue that overall Antarctica has better weather. In Las Vegas, a baby left unattended in the back seat of a car for nine minutes will fricasee before its mother returns with the dry cleaning.

As I write, Las Vegas is the fastest-growing city in the United States. For a culture that understands things only in terms of numbers, this supposedly proves that it must be a splendid place. I’ve heard it touted often as the American city of the future, the prototype habitat for a society in which the old boundaries between work, leisure, entertainment, information, production, service, and acquisition dissolve, and a new, exciting, colorful, pleasure-laden human metaexistence finds material expression in any wishful form the imagination might conjure out of an ever-mutating blend of history, fantasy, electrosilicon alchemy and unfettered desire. If Las Vegas truly is our city of the future, then we might as well all cut our own throats tomorrow. I certainly felt like cutting mine after only a few days there, so overwhelming was the sheer anomie provoked by every particular of its design and operation. As a city it’s a futureless catastrophe. As a tourist trap, it’s a metajoke. As a theosophical matter, it presents proof that we are a wicked people who deserve to be punished. In the historical context, it is the place where America’s spirit crawled off to die.

The problem with Las Vegas is not just that it is ridiculous and dysfunctional, but that anybody might take it seriously as a model for human ecology on anything but the most provisional terms. That they do might in itself be proof that American civic culture has reached a terminal stage. Even the casual observer can see that Las Vegas is approaching its tipping point as a viable urban system, particularly in the matter of scale. In evolutionary biology, at the threshold of extinction organisms often attain gigantic size and a narrow specialty of operation that leaves them very little room to adapt when their environment changes even slightly. This is the predicament of Las Vegas. Its components have attained a physical enormity that will leave them vulnerable to political, economic, and social changes that are bearing down on us with all the inexorable force of history.

Las Vegas evolved as a crude extrapolation of several elements of American culture: the defiance of nature, abnormally cheap land, vast empty space for expansion, and the belief that it is possible to get something for nothing – these elements all presenting themselves in the most extreme form. The trouble with extrapolation is a growth model is that assumes the continuation of all present conditions in the future, only more so. Since this is not consistent with how the world works, systems organized on this basis fail. Anyway, to extrapolate urban growth based only on extreme conditions invites certain catastrophe, since the law of unintended consequences will produce ever more compounded skewed outcomes. The destiny of Las Vegas, therefore, would seem bright in the same sense that a thermonuclear is bright. I view it as a model for the extinction of the system I call the National Automobile Slum.

And the chapter concludes:

Anyway, we are about to leave the cheap-oil era behind, and all the wishful thinking from sea to shining sea will not summon up a plausible reason to think that we comprehend the territory ahead. To me, the most plausible future for Las Vegas is as a ghost town, an atomic-age Teotihuacan, viewed, say, two hundred years from now a scene of silent desolation, the ancient Strip empty of cars, the once-lush medians devoid of palm trees, the Bellagio’s fabled lake a cracked concrete shell with the plumbing long stripped by salvage scavengers, the great hotels concrete skeletons, their spray-on stucco and foam insulation panels long since granulated under the relentless ultraviolet rays, the casinos gutted, here and there a tarantula, a buzzard, a rat . . . the excitement . . . over.

Strong stuff!

Mene mene tekel upharsin!

[Savannah]

[QUOTE=CaerieD]
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?
[/QUOTE]

The really, really, really long line snaking through security, the sense of paranoia in the air, seeing people really taking off their shoes to go through security. I was there in spring 2001 and in summer 2005, and it was really different experience.

Obviously there were reasons for the change in airport security procedures, but I hadn’t seen anything like it in Canada.

[Lamar_Mundane]

[QUOTE=Savannah]
The really, really, really long line snaking through security, the sense of paranoia in the air, seeing people really taking off their shoes to go through security. I was there in spring 2001 and in summer 2005, and it was really different experience.

Obviously there were reasons for the change in airport security procedures, but I hadn’t seen anything like it in Canada.
[/QUOTE]

You have to take your shoes off in almost every airport in the U.S. and have for quite a while. Compared to Denver, Las Vegas is great, airport wise, except for the 2 mile hike you have to make to get your bags.

[DMark]

[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
I’ve never been to LV, DMark, but I do strongly suggest you read the chapter on LV in James Howard Kunstler’s The City in Mind.

Strong stuff!
[/QUOTE]

Interesting - I have to assume Mr. Kunstler didn’t win, get comped or get laid while he was here.

But yes, there are lots of people who loathe this city. This city isn’t for everybody.

It is hot, there are temptations everywhere, it sinful, over-the-top, hedonistic and a blight on anything resembling culture.

But tourists don’t come here to brush up on their French at the Paris Hotel Casino; they don’t come here to sit in their hotel rooms and watch re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond; they don’t come here to eat healthy and attend lectures on Elizabethan poetry.

Tourists come to party, play and get lucky - whatever “getting lucky” means to them. They come here to see the sights, shop, eat, drink, sleep late, hang out by the pool in good weather, drop a few coins in the slots or at the tables, see a show and forget about the crap back home.

This year, over 38 million tourists stopped in for a visit…and it seems the vast majority had a good time as they keep coming back again and again. They don’t keep building bigger casinos, adding new towers and building new high rise condos for nothin’.

So, regarding Mr. Kunstler’s predictions of Las Vegas turning into a ghost town? Well, at some point in time, the same can be predicted for many cities on earth - Al Gore has a few theories about that - but in the meantime, I don’t think I will be roaming The Strip alone anytime soon.

[DMark]

[QUOTE=Duke of Rat]

DMark is a fountain of knowledge about Vegas (and all around cool guy), I didn’t have nearly enough time to spend out there last time.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks Duke! And ya know, it is about time to start planning another big Las Vegas Dopefest here - I have been to two large Dopefests here so far, and both were legendary…

My suggestion would be to have it in the summer when the rates and flights are cheaper and the weather is perfect for hanging out by the pool. If we give enough lead-time, maybe we can give some foreign Dopers time to plan to join us, as well as US Dopers who have to plan a little further in advance.

(Of course, should you come sooner, be sure to drop me an email and we can meet up for a drink, or two or so…)

[GingerOfTheNorth]

[QUOTE=scotandrsn]
I like the sheer sensory overload.
[/QUOTE]

I hated that. I hated all the noise and the lights and the smoke everywhere - and we stayed at Mandalay Bay, which is one of the nicest hotels out there and not sad and dingy like most of the older ones on the strip
[QUOTE=jellyblue]

Luxor has a decent spa. Next time I’ll try Bellagio’s.
[/QUOTE]

Try the Spa at Mandalay Bay. Oh, my lord.

We were put (by my husband’s company) in a high roller suite with a larger square footage than our house (I am not exaggerating).

I liked the shows. We saw Cirque du Soleil and Ka. I liked the dry heat - a nice change from the humid yuck of Baltimore in the summer.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

I meant to say that we saw Cirque du Soleil’s Ka, and The Amazing Johnathan.

[Cemetery_Savior]

Things I liked about Vegas:

[ol]
[li]The continual business. I grew up in Chicago, and moved to the 'burbs, and I found that I missed the 4am-type activity more than I had thought.[/li][li]The people. You can see almost any type of person in Vegas…anyone.[/li][/ol] [ol]
[li]I was somewhat underwhelmed by the restaurants, and the comparitive prices. Again, I live very near to Chicago, and there’s an analog for every Vegas food shrine, atmuch nicer prices. It seems like proces are higher inVegas to provide an"image" of exclusivity.[/li][li]Mass Transit. Seriously…if Vegas had a nice hygenic monorail that went everywhere (not just 3 casinos), I woudl think all would benefit. And don’t limit the stops to the “major” casinos…go to that Meadows place, Old Vegas, etc.[/li][li]Heat.[/li][li]This is more metaphysical, but I hate the fact that there is all of this glitz and construction inthe desert. It makes it seem impermanent and transitory. I forget which poster mentioned it, but the fact that they’re only trying to part you from your wallet is highlighted by the fact it’s the only smudge onthe horizon for 100’s of miles.[/li][li]All of the casinos seemthe same, with different colors. Bleh.[/li][/ol]

Having said all of that (more than I thought I would!), I’ll bet it’s absolutely flabbergasting for someone not from Chicago, NYC, SanFran, and a few other cities. There’s a lot there, a lot to see, and not all is junky (I liked Tussaud’s more than I thought I would)!

If that post came off as big-city arrogant…not meant that way.

[Cemetery_Savior]

[QUOTE=Cemetery Savior]
Things I liked about Vegas:

[ol]
[li]The continual business. I grew up in Chicago, and moved to the 'burbs, and I found that I missed the 4am-type activity more than I had thought.[/li][li]The people. You can see almost any type of person in Vegas…anyone.[/li][/ol] [ol]
[li]I was somewhat underwhelmed by the restaurants, and the comparitive prices. Again, I live very near to Chicago, and there’s an analog for every Vegas food shrine, atmuch nicer prices. It seems like proces are higher inVegas to provide an"image" of exclusivity.[/li][li]Mass Transit. Seriously…if Vegas had a nice hygenic monorail that went everywhere (not just 3 casinos), I woudl think all would benefit. And don’t limit the stops to the “major” casinos…go to that Meadows place, Old Vegas, etc.[/li][li]Heat.[/li][li]This is more metaphysical, but I hate the fact that there is all of this glitz and construction inthe desert. It makes it seem impermanent and transitory. I forget which poster mentioned it, but the fact that they’re only trying to part you from your wallet is highlighted by the fact it’s the only smudge onthe horizon for 100’s of miles.[/li][li]All of the casinos seemthe same, with different colors. Bleh.[/li][/ol]

Having said all of that (more than I thought I would!), I’ll bet it’s absolutely flabbergasting for someone not from Chicago, NYC, SanFran, and a few other cities. There’s a lot there, a lot to see, and not all is junky (I liked Tussaud’s more than I thought I would)!

If that post came off as big-city arrogant…not meant that way.
[/QUOTE]

Hmm…that second series of bullets is meant to be “Not Like”.

-Cem

[Dinsdale]

Man this thread is gonna make me come across as such the prude, but is anyone else a tad turned off by the catch phraise, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”? Doesn’t it seem a mite unseemly for a city to market itself as a place where folks are invited to do things that -um - they would rather the folks back home not know about? Or am I misinterpreting the saying - and the manner in which it is used in advertising?
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with indulging in excess, but it just seems a little off for an entire community to adopt that as it’s motto.