It's a flying visit - but I want to make it count! Vegas Edition
October 3, 2013 8:58 AM Subscribe
I am off to Vegas for a long weekend with my Mum this weekend.
What are the Top Things we should see and do?
I've been to Vegas before but my Mum hasn't. I don't mind repeating things for her benefit. She would like to see David Copperfield perform but the online reviews don't look "amazing".... Has anyone been to this show and has positive things to say about it?
We'll only be in Vegas for 2 days so we'll have lots to cram in during our time there, so what are your top tips for the best possible Vegas Trip out there?
Nothing is off limits, we won't be doing a Helicopter Tour as time simply does not allow, I was thinking more along the lines of Top Things to Do on the Las Vegas Strip from your opinion. We will of course be doing the usual, Roller Coaster at NY NY, Bellagio fountains etc.... but is there anything essential that we MUST do that I might not be aware of?
THANKS!!!!!!!
I've been to Vegas before but my Mum hasn't. I don't mind repeating things for her benefit. She would like to see David Copperfield perform but the online reviews don't look "amazing".... Has anyone been to this show and has positive things to say about it?
We'll only be in Vegas for 2 days so we'll have lots to cram in during our time there, so what are your top tips for the best possible Vegas Trip out there?
Nothing is off limits, we won't be doing a Helicopter Tour as time simply does not allow, I was thinking more along the lines of Top Things to Do on the Las Vegas Strip from your opinion. We will of course be doing the usual, Roller Coaster at NY NY, Bellagio fountains etc.... but is there anything essential that we MUST do that I might not be aware of?
THANKS!!!!!!!
My husband and I were just in Vegas two weeks ago for our Honeymoon.
- Saw David Copperfield. It actually was very good. A lot of down-in-the-audience stuff. We liked it quite a bit and were amazed by quite a few of the tricks. The one with the duck in particular we are still trying to understand...
- Go see Jubilee! Classic Vegas! Yes, there is naked boobies which may or may not be well recieved by your mom, but the costumes were incredible. It was one of our favourite things we did on our trip.
- We saw "O". My husband was utterly unimpressed. I liked it, but I don't think it was worth the money in all honesty.
- Go to Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace. Bobby Flay is a douchebag and I was expecting to hate it but man was I surprised. That was the best meal we had the whole time and weirdly reasonably priced
- Freemont street at night is a pretty crazy place. It felt like one big party. Worth the taxi ride I think.
- The shark reef at Mandalay was cool but there are better things to spend your time on, I think
- Gordon Ramsay's restaurant Steak was fantastic. Get the wellington.
- Some of the shopping areas that are in the hotels are pretty incredible. It isn't about shopping, it is about seeing the mall.
- We made a point of visiting as many casinos as possible, not to gamble but just to SEE. We got a 1$ chip from everyone we went to. It became a fun quest that sort of threaded the whole trip together. It was really interesting seeing the differences between them.
- We didn't get a chance, but we heard the Neon Graveyard (the night tour) is well worth it
- We stayed at the Bellagio, and I can attest that the pastry shop in there has seriously incredible pastries. Oh my god.
- Don't waste any time by a pool or lounging. You can do that ANYWHERE. Go out and do things! And for the love of god, bring good walking shoes.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:06 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
- Saw David Copperfield. It actually was very good. A lot of down-in-the-audience stuff. We liked it quite a bit and were amazed by quite a few of the tricks. The one with the duck in particular we are still trying to understand...
- Go see Jubilee! Classic Vegas! Yes, there is naked boobies which may or may not be well recieved by your mom, but the costumes were incredible. It was one of our favourite things we did on our trip.
- We saw "O". My husband was utterly unimpressed. I liked it, but I don't think it was worth the money in all honesty.
- Go to Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace. Bobby Flay is a douchebag and I was expecting to hate it but man was I surprised. That was the best meal we had the whole time and weirdly reasonably priced
- Freemont street at night is a pretty crazy place. It felt like one big party. Worth the taxi ride I think.
- The shark reef at Mandalay was cool but there are better things to spend your time on, I think
- Gordon Ramsay's restaurant Steak was fantastic. Get the wellington.
- Some of the shopping areas that are in the hotels are pretty incredible. It isn't about shopping, it is about seeing the mall.
- We made a point of visiting as many casinos as possible, not to gamble but just to SEE. We got a 1$ chip from everyone we went to. It became a fun quest that sort of threaded the whole trip together. It was really interesting seeing the differences between them.
- We didn't get a chance, but we heard the Neon Graveyard (the night tour) is well worth it
- We stayed at the Bellagio, and I can attest that the pastry shop in there has seriously incredible pastries. Oh my god.
- Don't waste any time by a pool or lounging. You can do that ANYWHERE. Go out and do things! And for the love of god, bring good walking shoes.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:06 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
There's the Bellagio fountains. Don't be put off by the fact that it's a free show, it's impressive enough that if they wanted to charge admission, they could get away with it.
posted by radwolf76 at 9:07 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by radwolf76 at 9:07 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, one other thing. A friend of ours who had been to Vegas told us to take a limo to our hotel instead of a taxi. We are so glad we did! It didn't cost much more at all, and our driver did a great loop around the strip, giving great information and suggestions and funny little tales. It was like a private guided tour. Highly recommend you do that. It doesn't take much more time than it would have otherwise, but you get a lot out of it. It is also hella fun arriving at a hotel in a stretch limo. :)
The Bellagio buffet for breakfast was great and had all-you-can-drink margaritas for 10$. Just sayin'...
It is hot in Vegas, so you're going to want to keep a steady supply of cold drinks on hand... Fat Tuesdays are pretty much everywhere... mighty tasty and cold.... just sayin'... (If you go to the Fat Tuesday's in the mall under Planet Hollywood tell him Jonathan from Canada says "Hi".)
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:13 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
The Bellagio buffet for breakfast was great and had all-you-can-drink margaritas for 10$. Just sayin'...
It is hot in Vegas, so you're going to want to keep a steady supply of cold drinks on hand... Fat Tuesdays are pretty much everywhere... mighty tasty and cold.... just sayin'... (If you go to the Fat Tuesday's in the mall under Planet Hollywood tell him Jonathan from Canada says "Hi".)
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:13 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
I like doing the weird specials.
Like the $7.77 Steak and Shrimp at Mr. Lucky's at the Hard Rock. Get the hotel's reward card first, then head over. It's not on the menu, so just ask for it.
Slots O'Fun is kind of a dump, but they have the big hot dog for $1
Junk like that.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:22 AM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Like the $7.77 Steak and Shrimp at Mr. Lucky's at the Hard Rock. Get the hotel's reward card first, then head over. It's not on the menu, so just ask for it.
Slots O'Fun is kind of a dump, but they have the big hot dog for $1
Junk like that.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:22 AM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Start saving up all the pocket change you can - that is your Exclusive Slot Machine Money. You are not allowed to use any other money on slot machines than what you've got squirreled away. (If you're going away this weekend, maybe get like one roll each from the bank of quarters, dimes, and nickels instead.) If you win some, great; if not, oh well.
That's what I did when I went to Vegas - I had a set amount of money that was expressly for that purpose, and it took alllll the pressure off to "winwinwin" and all the compulsion out of it. It was just me walking around looking at things, and if I saw a slot that looked cool, I would just drop a coin or two in and see what would happen. When, as often did happen, I lost, I could just shrug and keep walking. (I did, however, win on my very last quarter and got a score of twice the total amount of my initial hoard, which I immediately cashed out and blew on a buffet dinner that night - but hey, I can say that I ultimately doubled my money in Vegas.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:28 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
That's what I did when I went to Vegas - I had a set amount of money that was expressly for that purpose, and it took alllll the pressure off to "winwinwin" and all the compulsion out of it. It was just me walking around looking at things, and if I saw a slot that looked cool, I would just drop a coin or two in and see what would happen. When, as often did happen, I lost, I could just shrug and keep walking. (I did, however, win on my very last quarter and got a score of twice the total amount of my initial hoard, which I immediately cashed out and blew on a buffet dinner that night - but hey, I can say that I ultimately doubled my money in Vegas.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:28 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
My favorite thing in Vegas, by far, was the Neon Museum. I went on a regular daytime tour, the tour guide was great, make sure you wear sunscreen!
posted by inertia at 10:42 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by inertia at 10:42 AM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've been in Las Vegas since Saturday night for a conference. I'm flying home tonight thankfully (it's been fun but it'll be great to go home).
The various casino/hotels are worth wondering through just for the spectacle. My favorite is probably the Luxor for pure pseudo-Egyptian cheese. The Venetian is pretty cool, and all the giant themed hotels are fun to look at. The strip tends to be more about looks than anything else, but they're pretty good on delivering eye candy.
Fremont Street at night is fun. It's the seedier side of town, but it's also more of an anything-goes experience. For instance, the other night two people were playing electric stand-up bass covers of hard rock tunes (Nirvana, Led Zeppelin) while some guy dressed as Thor (with a large Styrofoam hammer) ran around and two bartenders juggled booze bottles. It's also a good place to get lots of Las Vegas kitschy souvenirs. Food can be quite good at much more reasonable prices than the strip (yelp is your friend).
There are also, of course, various buffets to try. They're usually more about quantity and variety than anything else. It's one of those those things that you're supposed to do in Vegas.
Besides the usual things, you can also get some unique experiences here. For instance, I went and shot machine guns. It's over-priced (of course) but also fun. Not sure if your mom would be into it, but they try to cater to people of all types, and it makes for a good photo op!
I didn't try it, but you can do a sky-diving experience without jumping out of a plane. It involves a giant fan. I didn't try it, but it might be fun.
Have a blast! Two days is actually pretty good for this town, especially if you take it at a sprint.
Enjoy!
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 1:29 PM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
The various casino/hotels are worth wondering through just for the spectacle. My favorite is probably the Luxor for pure pseudo-Egyptian cheese. The Venetian is pretty cool, and all the giant themed hotels are fun to look at. The strip tends to be more about looks than anything else, but they're pretty good on delivering eye candy.
Fremont Street at night is fun. It's the seedier side of town, but it's also more of an anything-goes experience. For instance, the other night two people were playing electric stand-up bass covers of hard rock tunes (Nirvana, Led Zeppelin) while some guy dressed as Thor (with a large Styrofoam hammer) ran around and two bartenders juggled booze bottles. It's also a good place to get lots of Las Vegas kitschy souvenirs. Food can be quite good at much more reasonable prices than the strip (yelp is your friend).
There are also, of course, various buffets to try. They're usually more about quantity and variety than anything else. It's one of those those things that you're supposed to do in Vegas.
Besides the usual things, you can also get some unique experiences here. For instance, I went and shot machine guns. It's over-priced (of course) but also fun. Not sure if your mom would be into it, but they try to cater to people of all types, and it makes for a good photo op!
I didn't try it, but you can do a sky-diving experience without jumping out of a plane. It involves a giant fan. I didn't try it, but it might be fun.
Have a blast! Two days is actually pretty good for this town, especially if you take it at a sprint.
Enjoy!
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 1:29 PM on October 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Instead of just watching the Bellagio fountains from the strip, go have dinner at Jasmine. It's high-class Chinese food in the Bellagio, directly behind the fountains. The food is amazing (seriously, even something as simple as rice was sublime), the water show is all around you (the three walls facing the lake are really just huge windows), and they pipe the accompanying music in lightly during the fountain show to complete the experience without being jarring.
Mesa Grill, mentioned above, is also one of the best meals I've had there. I'd definitely second that.
For a really good cocktail, go to Vesper in The Cosmopolitan. It's toward the back of the first floor, but is a place you can sit down, talk with the bartender about your favorite drink types, and they'll recommend something you'll love. I had my favorite-ever drink (a De La Louisienne) there.
For a drink with more spectacle, go to the bar in the Mandarin Oriental. It's up on the 23rd (or 24th, maybe?) floor, is surrounded by windows, and looks straight up the strip.
Otherwise, I really enjoy just walking up and down the strip, watching the crowds. Wander aimlessly, and something interesting always comes up.
posted by BevosAngryGhost at 2:38 PM on October 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
Mesa Grill, mentioned above, is also one of the best meals I've had there. I'd definitely second that.
For a really good cocktail, go to Vesper in The Cosmopolitan. It's toward the back of the first floor, but is a place you can sit down, talk with the bartender about your favorite drink types, and they'll recommend something you'll love. I had my favorite-ever drink (a De La Louisienne) there.
For a drink with more spectacle, go to the bar in the Mandarin Oriental. It's up on the 23rd (or 24th, maybe?) floor, is surrounded by windows, and looks straight up the strip.
Otherwise, I really enjoy just walking up and down the strip, watching the crowds. Wander aimlessly, and something interesting always comes up.
posted by BevosAngryGhost at 2:38 PM on October 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
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