Just got back from my 7 days of debauchery 2 weeks ago. A couple of things:
Vegas strip is all under construction right now, and it isn't very pretty. Be prepared to take a few cab rides, it is very congested at the moment, and the "Strip Walking Experience" on the Bellagio side of the strip isn't very cool. Lots of walking under scaffolding and many detours. Also, you should avoid walking down the other side from the Wynn to the Flamingo. On one side the sidewalk is shut down, and the other side, well, with the lack of the Frontier being there, is very dark and scary. Lots of sketchy people panhandling, selling who-knows-what-it's-laced-with drugs, etc. You're better off to take the new double decker buses from the Wynn to Flamingo, or even downtown. Which brings me to my next point: Go downtown! It's a little dicey in places, but the Fremont St Experience is something you need to do - and do it at night! Also, while downtown, there are two places I would check out - one is called "Mermaids" and it's a cool little casino where they literally will give you drinks for just looking at a slot machine. In fact, as soon as you walk in the door, they give you beads and take your shot orders. A nice little warm-me-up. The waitresses will even do shots with you! The other place is El Cortez casino. Another kind of dumpy place, but if you want to learn a new table game (might I suggest Pai Gow) this is the place to do it. They have insanely low table minimums and the drinks flow very freely. We spent a good 6 hours gaming there after the shots from Mermaids warmed our bellies. If you're into beer-pong (I don't think you are, but not sure about Kennedy) go to the back of O'Shea's casino on the strip. There is a cool beer-pong area set up there, and you can play against each other, or there are plenty of people around looking to play couple-to-couple. Bonus - when you're done, you are literally standing in a food court, so munch away! My favorite area to play is that whole Bill's/O'Shea's "dive-y" area in the middle of the strip. We kept going back there, because it lacked the stuffiness that I dislike in the Bellagio/Paris/Venetian type places. Obligatory things to do while on the strip too - MGM's Lion habitat, Mirage's "Zoo" and Botanical Gardens (Sigfried & Roy), The Bodies exhibit Jerry said (was cool for Lori, not really *that& gross, I was so-so impressed, but I'm a history guy, not much interest in biology), don't waste your money on the Shark exhibit at the Luxor, check out Gameworks (like Jerry said, although I noticed it somehow lost is luster for me this time around), Planet Hollywood Shops are OK, hit the Caesar's Palace Shops and catch the Atlantis show (free), and don't EVER take a flier from the throngs of "snappers" on the sidewalk (trust me on this one, they are like seagulls). Off the strip - go to the Hoover Dam. Well worth your time. Bonus, since you are going to be drving to the GC, you have to drive right over it to get there. Give yourself an hour or two on the way there to do the tour, take pictures and just take it in. Check out the new bridge being built too - it's insane. (See my Flickr page for our pics - http://www.flickr.com/photos/raychampagne/sets/72157609566623278/ ). One thing about the GC - make sure you get up and get going really early (like 6AM or 7AM at the latest) - it's a long drive. They say it's 5 hours, not sure where they get that from, we did it in 4, but making a single day trip out of it makes for a long day when you have 4 hours to drive each way. If you can get up early enough, the sunrise at the Hoover Dam would be sweet. We saw the sunset and it rocked. It's only like 25 minutes from the Strip, so you could leave and easily make sunrise there. I think that's it. Hit me up if you want opinions of anything else. I won't say I'm an expert, but I have been a half dozen times and know my way around. Like G said, just let your hair down, have fun, and just start walking every morning - it's fun to just wander and see where you end up! Vegas is funny to vacation in - you don't want to leave, but man, you are just totally exhausted when you get back. You almost need a vacation to wind down from your vacation! Ray On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 7:47 AM, Jerry Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Not Must Sees, but all worth doing, and good to have in the pocket. > > Hover Dam! Hoover Dam! Damn! That is impressive. > > The fountains at the Bellagio. > > Tethered Balloon to see all of downtown. Next to the New Frontier > Hotel.Awesome view, great photos. Goes up 400 feet $12 each person/$15 each > at night. > > If you are a sick, sick person (the memory still gets me gagging), Bodies > the Exhibition shows dissected real bodies, and organs. do a web search. > Not > for everyone, but for the science or bizarre minded, definitely worth doing > once. 10am-10pm. $24 each. > > Gameworks is _the best_ video arcade ever. http://www.wegotfamily.com/ > > Atomic Testing Museum. Learn how we tested, and how it all works, and how > scary the cold war was. $10 bucks, and worth an hour. > > Death Valley Monument is a 2 hour drive each way. > > Area 51 is close. > > Gunfights and old west show. Bonnie Springs. http://www.bonniesprings.com/ > > A google map of the outside of vegas items > > http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=100483915724424959392.00045d4cb3a92dc185827&ll=36.629839,-115.514768&spn=3.825923,7.075195&z=7 > > > > On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 8:09 AM, Tony <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > its friday and sunday my wife i and fly to vegas for... > > > > (tickets are ALL purchased!!) > > > > 1. believe (criss angel + cirque du soleil) > > 2. crazy horse paris (mgm grand) > > 3. self drive jeep wrangler to the grand canyon > > 4. trip to sapphire club (71,000 sq feet of nakedness!!) > > > > staying @ the luxor and chillin the rest of the time... > > any other things we MUST do out there? > > ive been once before but do not really remember much > > it was a 28 hour blur ;) on purpose!! > > > > tw > > > > > > > > -- tony > > > > Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. > > -- siddhartha gautama > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:282201 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
