Dos and donts around Vegas

[Galway Eagle]

I'm here for cosmetic surgery & aesthetic dermatology convention, till Saturday staying at the bellagio what should I do and what should I not bother wasting my time doing?

Think single, 24yr old, not into hookers, terrible at black jack but love roulette, also a big adrenaline junkie if there's any big rides that are worth doing like that one at New York New York.

Suggestions please!

[mugrad2006]

Get a quick tutorial on craps and play. Best game on the floor.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Is that ride on the Stratosphere still running?  Just thinking about that one makes me pucker

[77ncaachamps]

Is that ride on the Stratosphere still running?  Just thinking about that one makes me pucker

Took that roller coaster out years ago, but you can dangle over the edge ("X-Scream"), rotate over the edge ("Insanity") or shoot yourself up the top of the needle ("Big Shot"), if you want.

http://www.stratospherehotel.com/Activities/Thrill-Rides



Don't waste your time at Fremont Street.

Don't check out a play/musical/act...you won't have the time.

Do visit all the hotels and walk the strip.

If you want to do a touristy thing, do the Coca-Cola sampler.

I'm sure that there are many here who can recommend a good club.

[JWags85]

Think single, 24yr old, not into hookers,

LAAAAAAMMMMMEEEE.

But in all seriousness.  Id definitely check out most of the main hotels in the center of the strip, stroll the casinos, each have their own quirks and unique pieces that make them cool.

Watch the Bellagio fountain show, especially since you are right there.

If you walk down to see MGM Grand, and you should since its massive and pretty cool, see the Lions, pretty awesome.

Definitely learn craps.  Best odds, but also the most fun social game.  A hot table is the most fun you'll have with strangers in your life, outside of a sporting event.

As for clubs, the main ones at the Wynn, XS and Tryst are two of my favorites.  Omnia and Hakkasan are two of the newer ones, very nice.

Oh yea, go to O'Sheas and see drunk rednecks get into fights over beer pong in the back while you play cheap table games.  Its a casino mixed with a college dorm party.  Its pretty great, and there is a Burger King in the back

[Galway Eagle]

Took that roller coaster out years ago, but you can dangle over the edge ("X-Scream"), rotate over the edge ("Insanity") or shoot yourself up the top of the needle ("Big Shot"), if you want.

http://www.stratospherehotel.com/Activities/Thrill-Rides



Don't waste your time at Fremont Street.

Don't check out a play/musical/act...you won't have the time.

Do visit all the hotels and walk the strip.

If you want to do a touristy thing, do the Coca-Cola sampler.

I'm sure that there are many here who can recommend a good club.

Freemont street is old Vegas right? Where it's like all enclosed or something?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Craps at the Cromwell and Flamingo. Just bet the pass line and the odds.

[Warrior Code]

DON'T: walk from downtown to the Strip.

[keefe]

I used to go to Nellis AFB for Red Flags all the time. When most squadron mates were searching for unpaid companionship through the fog of alcohol I would make the short drive over to Red Rock Canyon for climbing. If you have never climbed this is a superb place to learn. If you are a climber there are several spectacular routes that will give you a compelling pucker factor. I always went through the Base Special Services but there are lots of great guides you should be able to book through your concierge.

If you really want a spectacular day/weekend drive the two hours up to Zion. It has great climbing but is a tremendous place to just immerse yourself in stunning nature.   

As a pilot I have always found 'scary' rides a bit wanting. But as a pilot, i will say that the rush you get from hanging on rock is every bit as sh1t hot as pulling 8 G's.

[Galway Eagle]

I used to go to Nellis AFB for Red Flags all the time. When most squadron mates were searching for unpaid companionship through the fog of alcohol I would make the short drive over to Red Rock Canyon for climbing. If you have never climbed this is a superb place to learn. If you are a climber there are several spectacular routes that will give you a compelling pucker factor. I always went through the Base Special Services but there are lots of great guides you should be able to book through your concierge.

If you really want a spectacular day/weekend drive the two hours up to Zion. It has great climbing but is a tremendous place to just immerse yourself in stunning nature.   

As a pilot I have always found 'scary' rides a bit wanting. But as a pilot, i will say that the rush you get from hanging on rock is every bit as sh1t hot as pulling 8 G's.

I've done some climbing and love it though I'll have to come back for that one since I'm here for work it's tough to find time to really get out of the city.

[wadesworld]

I used to go to Nellis AFB for Red Flags all the time. When most squadron mates were searching for unpaid companionship through the fog of alcohol I would make the short drive over to Red Rock Canyon for climbing. If you have never climbed this is a superb place to learn. If you are a climber there are several spectacular routes that will give you a compelling pucker factor. I always went through the Base Special Services but there are lots of great guides you should be able to book through your concierge.

If you really want a spectacular day/weekend drive the two hours up to Zion. It has great climbing but is a tremendous place to just immerse yourself in stunning nature.    

As a pilot I have always found 'scary' rides a bit wanting. But as a pilot, i will say that the rush you get from hanging on rock is every bit as sh1t hot as pulling 8 G's.

I will second the Red Rocks. Awesome.

[Marquette Gyros]

Oh yea, go to O'Sheas and see drunk rednecks get into fights over beer pong in the back while you play cheap table games.  Its a casino mixed with a college dorm party.  Its pretty great, and there is a Burger King in the back

O'Shea's is closed. RIP. Best casino on the strip.

[🏀]

Head over to the MGM early in the morning, start placing $1 bets on the ponies and drink free all day and night. If Karen is around, tell her I said hi.

[reinko]

Head over to the MGM early in the morning, start placing $1 bets on the ponies and drink free all day and night. If Karen is around, tell her I said hi.

Oh look P, I found a picture of you guys!



A cold Millers Lite to anyone who can identify this movie without Googling the image.

[jsglow]

O'Shea's is closed. RIP. Best casino on the strip.

Reopened as part of the Linq.

A first timer should always walk the strip and gawk at the casinos.  Best free attraction are the Bellagio fountains.  They are as cool as they seem from that scene in Ocean's Eleven.  And I'd STRONGLY recommend Fremont East.  It's downtown and cutting edge.  Joints like Griffin and Beauty Bar.  Been an amazing resurgence from scary to urban hip in 36 months.

PM chick or me if you like.  We have a home in Summerlin and get out there multiple times a year, mostly for the great weather.  We're actually not gamblers very much.

[warriorchick]

Reopened as part of the Linq.

A first timer should always walk the strip and gawk at the casinos.  Best free attraction are the Bellagio fountains.  They are as cool as they seem from that scene in Ocean's Eleven.  And I'd STRONGLY recommend Fremont East.  It's downtown and cutting edge.  Joints like Griffin and Beauty Bar.  Been an amazing resurgence from scary to urban hip in 36 months.

PM chick or me if you like.  We have a home in Summerlin and get out there multiple times a year, mostly for the great weather.  We're actually not gamblers very much.

Yes.  Fremont East is extremely cool. The CEO of Zappo's, Tony Hsei, has pumped serious cash into it in an effort to make it the place young hipsters want to hang out. Make sure you check out Container Park, which is a shopping/entertainment area made completely out of repurposed shipping containers.  Out front is a metal sculpture of a giant praying mantis that shoots flames out of its antennae.  Tony purchased it from a guy at the Burning Man festival.

While the actual street scene at Fremont West has gotten way tacky in the past few years (I am looking at YOU, Slotzilla, and the fat guys that dress up like KISS for tips), the casinos themselves  are much cooler.  Many  of them have very scantily clad dealers who take turns go-go dancing up on a platform in the middle of the tables (yes, they are chicks).  And the downtown casinos have much lower table minimums and are way, way, more generous with the free drinks. Just sit at a bar and play video poker. If you give them a $5 tip the first time they serve you, the bartenders will make sure your drink is replenished quickly.

Plus, at the D Casino, they have my all-time type of game, Sigma Derby, which is an old school mechanical horse racing game.  Of course, once when we were out there as a family, and I suggested we go there, my kids were all, "Hey, everybody!  Mom wants the D!"

[frozena pizza]

Possibly the best nightlife scene in the world.  I would ask the concierge at Bellagio to set something up for you at a club so you make sure you get in and don't have to stand in line for hours and then pay a fortune for access.

This should go without saying, but some people think Vegas's laid back attitude means it is a good time to try drugs.  Not the case.  Also, if you are flying solo, keep your head on a swivel.

[jsglow]

Possibly the best nightlife scene in the world.  I would ask the concierge at Bellagio to set something up for you at a club so you make sure you get in and don't have to stand in line for hours and then pay a fortune for access.

This should go without saying, but some people think Vegas's laid back attitude means it is a good time to try drugs.  Not the case.  Also, if you are flying solo, keep your head on a swivel.

Keeping your wits about you is critical.  There's a veneer of 'anything goes' but that's not really true. Lawlessness isn't tolerated.

[jsglow]

And young attractive girls get absolutely fawned over by the casinos.  My daughter and her friends were out there celebrating someones 21st birthday after the fact a couple summers ago.  EVERY night they were comped into the hottest clubs, often with FREE bottle service.  Casino hosts would literally stop them in the various casinos and ask them to attend that evening or the next.  So for all you guys who think Marquette girls are the bottom of the barrel, Caesars, Bellagios and Mirage would disagree.

Chick wondered aloud as to why that never happened to us.  Of course all our smart a*s friends said she needed to walk 10 feet farther away from me.  Ladies night is alive and well out there.   

[wadesworld]

And young attractive girls get absolutely fawned over by the casinos.  My daughter and her friends were out there celebrating someones 21st birthday after the fact a couple summers ago.  EVERY night they were comped into the hottest clubs, often with FREE bottle service.  Casino hosts would literally stop them in the various casinos and ask them to attend that evening or the next.  So for all you guys who think Marquette girls are the bottom of the barrel, Caesars, Bellagios and Mirage would disagree.

Chick wondered aloud as to why that never happened to us.  Of course all our smart a*s friends said she needed to walk 10 feet farther away from me.  Ladies night is alive and well out there.   

It's easier to get those perks than people make it seem.  We got that treatment at XS, skipped the line, didn't pay cover, and got a VIP table all for free with 6 guys and 2 girls.  Just need to know someone who works in business in the area.

[rstein27]

Oh look P, I found a picture of you guys!



A cold Millers Lite to anyone who can identify this movie without Googling the image.

The Wizard...aka the "90 minute commercial for Nintendo"!

[frozena pizza]

It's easier to get those perks than people make it seem.  We got that treatment at XS, skipped the line, didn't pay cover, and got a VIP table all for free with 6 guys and 2 girls.  Just need to know someone who works in business in the area.

It definitely helps to set things up ahead of time or know the right person, or go to places on slower nights (unless you are a group of smoking hot girls in which case you can do whatever you want).  I was there for a bachelor party like 10 years ago so we had a group of 10-12 guys ranging from late 20s to early 40s.  I was with a subset of the group that hired a "nightlife host" for around $100.  Basically this is a super hot girl that makes sure you get easy entry into any club and can arrange transportation, reservations, tickets or whatever.  Definitely worth the price and more.

[warriorchick]

It definitely helps to set things up ahead of time or know the right person, or go to places on slower nights (unless you are a group of smoking hot girls in which case you can do whatever you want).  I was there for a bachelor party like 10 years ago so we had a group of 10-12 guys ranging from late 20s to early 40s.  I was with a subset of the group that hired a "nightlife host" for around $100.  Basically this is a super hot girl that makes sure you get easy entry into any club and can arrange transportation, reservations, tickets or whatever.  Definitely worth the price and more.

Thanks, frozena.  I just figured out what my retirement job is going to be.

[Spotcheck Billy]

A cold Millers Lite to anyone who can identify this movie without Googling the image.

Lite? not worth the price of admission

[LAMUfan]

I'll be in Vegas tomorrow for a bachelor party doing bachelory party things, perfect timing for this thread.  Scoop for the win!