Vegas bound. Any ideas?

Few places on Earth allow people to wax eloquently for such long interludes, as Las Vegas.
So many folks want to make it out to be identical to "The Hangover" and full of cheap booze and essential all-day gaming episodes and so many other guilty pleasures that intrigue them.
Everyone's got these great takes on the city, with very little money needing to be spent. It's funny to read through these 25 pages of testosterone-laced (it's mostly males that post, you know) commentary.
I've been to the city five times and it's best to research things on the Web, look for bargain hotel/air packages on the various travel sites, and finally explore the place on your own. There are certainly deals out there but everything depends on everything else - are you traveling alone, with others, with family, under time constraints/able to make decisions on the fly.
Seriously, though, it's funny to read the pages of this thread.
Vegas is a great city. I'd bet that 90 percent of whoever goes will likely come away saying they love the place.
Don't ever for a second, though, believe that you can do many of Vegas's "things" without spending a fair amount of money.
Carry on.

 

I disagree with this. I've been to Vegas three times since 2005 and I've had a blast--and absolute blast--each time without going broke.

I think it depends on the kind of person you are. If you want to try to see every Cirque show and catch Celine Dion and Garth Brooks via the front row and eat at every fancy restaurant in one fell swoop, yes, it's going to cost you.

But you can have a great time out there without spending much at all.

My first trip out there, my buddies and I had four great days and nights and, maybe, possibly each spent $200.

Just depends on your tastes, I suppose.

 

The Pinball Museum is a blast if you're into that sort of thing. You can also play a good portion of the machines for a quarter each.

 

My strong recommendation from someone who goes at least four times a year --- take all the cash you plan to gamble.
Come up with a number in your head. It can be $100; it can be $5,000. But set that limit and stick to it.
Take that money out at home and travel with it, put it in the safe in your room.
Once you start using your debit card in Vegas, things can get away from you quickly.

 

We go 2-3 times a year, and as goofy as it sounds, we work under an "envelope" system. We put our daily budgeted gambling cash into envelopes. One envelope per day. If we lose it, it's gone. No harm, no foul...just the cost of our entertainment for the day.

On days where we have cash left at the end of the evening, it goes right back in the envelope & is sealed up. We never roll it in to another day. It's a bit "anal" I suppose.....but over the long run it's minimized our losses (without limiting our fun) & allowed us to come home with a profit on a number of trips.

What started as a few hundred bucks 12 years ago, has grown into a comfy Vegas bankroll. Locked away when we come home, pulled out when we get ready to head west.

 

Anyone know what is happening this coming weekend? I was looking at a quick getaway and all the hotels are crazy expensive?

 

10,000 geeks are heading there, to show off all their sciencey-stuff.

http://www.meetingsandeventslasvegas.com/conventions/339/

And 17,500 HR directors are coming in to spend their expense accounts to hear Arianna give a speech on how great a leader of people she is...

http://annual.shrm.org/

 

@TVols, thanks for that, part of my trip was going to be work related but the company likes to see the hotels under 200 per night unless absolutely neccessary.

 

Spending $200 apiece in 4 nites is possible for sure, but you won't find yourself in Tao or other hot bars or strip clubs or do more than one show, and you won't do much gambling.
(And maybe folks won't want to do those sorts of thing)
Buffets and other food are not free there, 'cept for a few comps you might round up. You gotta pay money to "play" in Vegas.
The shops along the strip have three shirts for 10 bucks but the shops to left of Caesars, across the street from Paris, have items that cost much, much more.
Even then, you need to tip the service-industry peoiple that work out that way.
And the flight/hotel, I'm assuming, are not figured into that 200 figure you mentioned.
Hey, I'm all about budgeting, etc, but Vegas is a city that has much to do and it takes money to properly "dive in for a few days" and take back some memories.

One free thing is the sports photography museum/store in those same Forum Shops at Caesars. There's some really cool pics in there and most are for sale at high prices, but you can look for free.
It's a great city, no doubt. But you start paying when you hit the cab line outside the airport.

 

Well, my trip begins Wednesday. Got a few more questions.

What's the best way to get from the airport to my hotel? If the answer is 'cab,' are there any tricks those cabbies like to use to run up the fare and what would someone 'in the know' say?

What's the typical dress code for nightclubs out there? I'm trying to decide what I need to bring out there to wear.

If I'm more into sports betting, how can I be assured of comped drinks? If I was sitting at a Blackjack table, I'm sure the waitresses would just walk around every now and then. In a sports book, I'm not sure.

 

For 1 or 2 people, the shuttle vans are the cheapest way to the Strip, though you may wind up sitting in the van for 10 or 15 minutes at the airport, and then it may stop at several hotels before it gets to yours. If you take a taxi to the Strip, make sure the driver takes surface streets and not the interstate.

Most sports books require a minimum bet for a drink ticket. During March Madness at the MGM, the cheapest way to get a ticket was to throw a few bucks on a horse race.