Vegas bound. Any ideas?

My wife is not a big gambler/drinker but had a great time in Vegas. It was her first time there this past November (she was running the marathon) and she loved looking at the sights and sounds of the strip. All of the hotels had their Xmas decorations up and she loves Xmas so it was very cool. Even though my blackjack and vodka consumption was minimal I had a good time walking around with her.

Not sure if you know this but self parking is free at all the casinos. It was nice option to whip down to one end of the strip and check things out or get off the strip for a meal.

We used the last minute ticket booth to see David Copperfield, was sort of cheesy but enjoyed myself and ended up thinking it was pretty cool.

I don't see a lot of gospel type music in my neck of the woods so we did the Gospel brunch at The House of Blues in the MGM. Better than average breakfast buffet and the gospel music and band were very cool.

 

If you've lived your whole life in Central Kentucky, the day-long trip to the Grand Canyon will be amazing, and not boring at all. The landscape the whole way is so dramatically different from the Cumberlands, you'll be amazed.

 

We've both lived in Central Kentucky our entire lives, although I've done a lot more traveling than she has. I've done San Fran and L.A. during family trips and Albuquerque for work (NCAA Tournament with Louisville basketball), so going out west is nothing new.

Don't get me wrong, I want to see the Canyon, too. It's just for her, it's option 1, 1A and 1B. Me, I wanted to see Las Vegas BLVD/The Strip as my priority (outside of, you know, what a honeymoon SHOULD entail).

She went to the Kentucky natural bridge/Cumberland Gap on a day hike with a friend (maid of honor) and loved it. She loves the view of the Smokies/Gatlinburg from the top of Ober Gatlinburg.

So I'm pretty sure the Canyon will blow her mind, whether we drive or bus it.

 

I'd avoid Circus Circus too. I stayed at the Exaclibur about 10 years ago and it was OK. Room was nothing special but it was clean. Thing I disliked was it was a long walk through the casino and to the Strip from the hotel.

If you can swing it, Bally's is awesome. I've stayed there about 30 times. Rooms are cheap, nice and it's in a great spot on the strip across from the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace.

I'd valet rather than parking in the self-park lots. It's only a couple of bucks. Make sure you hit the Freemont St. light show. Valet at the Golden Nugget. Parking downtown can be tough and you don't want to park in some ramp away from the masses.

Your wife will probably love Red Rock Canyon. I got engaged there and my wife calls it her favorite spot on Earth. It's about a 30-minute ride from The Strip and $7 to get in. Takes a couple hours if you get out of the car. Liked it better than The Valley of Fire.

Dam tour is overrated anymore. I was there in September and you can't go all the way down to the bottom now. I'd just check it out from up above.

For a cool dining experience, hit Capo's on West Sahara. Genuine old-time mob hangout with great food and a Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin-type lounge singer. Make reservations.

 

Yeah, while I'm not as impressed with the canyon as others, keep in mind -- I live in Arizona. I'm much more used to the landscape, so the canyon is a very different experience for me. It'll be a hell of a cooler to someone from Kentucky, particularly if your bride-to-be hasn't been out west.

I'll echo something Iron Chet said -- driving to the other end of the Strip is a pretty good option, particularly if you end up at the Luxor or Monte Carlo, which are on the southern end of the Strip. When we have a car there we frequently park at the Venetian or the Fashion Show Mall, which are in the middle of a good cluster of places in the heart of the Strip. Traffic really sucks, particularly at night, but after a few days you can use the break from walking.

One tip -- always check online for coupons for any attraction you think you may be interested in. There's a pretty good car collection at the Imperial Palace -- the shittiest resort on Earth -- and there are free coupons on their website.

One silly, touristy, I-can't-believe-we're-doing-this thing that was a blast -- Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum at the Venetian. Get a coupon and go at night when it's dirt cheap. You can touch and pose with all the figures. I have photos of my then-3 year old son posing with Jenna Jameson and Tupac Shakur, and my then-10 year old posting up Shaq. (And me, grabbing Jessica Simpson's ass.) It was more fun than I ever would have expected.

Also, eat at the crepe place inside Paris. At least dessert.

 

TwoGloves,

Certainly planning to upgrade from Circus Circus. Like I said, with a 1,000 max on the credit card, it got me a hotel (4 nights)/flight (nonstop both ways with good times)/rental car package that I could afford.

Seriously considering upgrading to Monte Carlo ($205 more total) or Luxor (I think it was 100). Possibly as soon as Friday (two days from now).

Is Capo's the one where you have to answer "Who sent you" before they let you in?



PCLoadLetter,

Think I read somewhere that most (at least, some) hotels allow you to park there even if you are NOT staying there? Is that right?

 

I play MyVegas when I heard about it while gambling at the MGM properties on my last trip out there. I play pretty often (multiple times per day) and have been doing it since August, and I don't have enough points yet for one night at the Luxor. So there's no way you're going to get there without spending serious cash (like $100 cash to get the credits, which is basically what you'd pay just to get the room).

But I like playing blackjack, so I'd be playing anyway.

 

Yes - they're happy to have the casino traffic, so they all have big, free parking garages. Generally you enter from the strip and then meander through an endless driveway to parking at the back of the property.

You'd be fine at the Luxor or Monte Carlo. Basically, the Strip resorts can divided into two categories -- the "luxury" resorts and the silly theme resorts. I would say the Monte Carlo is at the bottom end of the luxury ones and the Luxor is one of the top silly theme ones. I haven't stayed in the Luxor in years, but I've been in it a few times recently and it's perfectly nice. It's essentially a massive atrium, which is nice and airy. I think they've renovated the rooms semi-recently, but I could be wrong on that. One bonus -- since it's a pyramid it has "inclinators" instead of elevators -- they go up at an angle. Kind of cool.

Monte Carlo is nicer. Like I said before, good pool with a lazy river and wave pool, and the decor is nice without being Vegas overboard. There's not much separating it from places that are much more expensive. It's also in a better location than the Luxor, but not by a huge margin.

 

I stayed at the Luxor in August. I was in the tower (where the rooms were renovated) so I just had a plain ol' elevator. I liked it fine. And you can walk to Mandalay Bay all indoors if it's raining.

 

I called southwest.com directly and spoke to an actual human yesterday. It was like 50 real dollars to upgrade to Excalibur, 100 for Luxor and 205 for Monte Carlo. No cancellation fee. Have until May 25th to make changes to itinerary.

Also, if the flights drop at any time and I rebook at that price, the difference is credited to the card, supposedly.

Had never dealt with them (southwest.com Jackpot Deals) before, but I feel good about what I chose.

As far as myvegas, maybe I could start playing enough to earn like a Cirque ticket before June 1.

 

I have 36,070 points.

One night at the Luxor: 42,500 points.
One ticket to "O": 77,500 (sold out right now)

So ... probably not. It's basically you play all year for an annual trip.

 

Greetings from the Excalibur on the Strip.

Book your stay here if you want a filthy, smelly room with electrical sockets that do not work, beat to absolute hell furniture, gouges in the wall, a toilet that doesn't flush properly, elevators that haven't been vacuumed in days, an iron in your room that is broken..I could go on.

I am here because I was given extremely short notice I had to be in Vegas and I had to book on the Strip.

If the above is your thing, book at Excalibur. If not, book Monte Carlo.