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JaySB posted:It's not terrible, but it's nothing special. Brand Steakhouse is pretty good. Diablo's is a decent tourist hangout. You're center strip so there's that... I also posted in your thread, but I'm also interested in some going out info. I'm heading out there with 2 buddies (guys) this weekend and we're interested in the clubs/night life. Do you have an email or would you rather do PM? I don't have PM but could get it real quick.
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Mar 6, 2012 02:29
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My wife and I are going to Vegas in May and she really wants to see Cirque "O". Is there a good source for discount tickets to that show, or should I just buy them through the Bellagio website?
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Mar 9, 2012 15:56
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My (somewhat boring) Trip report (feb 8-11): Well of course I find out about 10 hours before I board my plane that my phone will not work in the US. Lovely! And of course, the friendly US customs agents flag me for additional screening at the airport. After all that nonsense, I land in Las Vegas at 11am. I take a shuttle bus, the driver drops me off at a 7-11 near the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval. I buy a phone and start walking towards Caesar's Palace. Whoever said that "every thing looks close but is very far away" wasn't kidding. I finally get to Caesar's, get inside and start looking for a pay phone to activate my new cellphone. A lot easier said than done! Where are the drat payphones! It takes me about an hour to locate the pay phone and then jump through T-Mobile's hoops to get my phone activated. Now all I have to do is wait for my cousin to show up. He's on a later flight, he's supposed to arrive around 8pm. Unfortunately I still have my carry on luggage, a backpack and a very heavy winter jacket on me so I'm not very mobile. I consider asking the check in clerk to hold on to my stuff but my cousin had booked the room under a single name. Afraid that if they ask me questions my cousin may get in trouble, I hold on to my bags and jacket. I spend the next several hours wandering around the casino floor and the forum shops killing time. I order a coffee from a shop that's inside the casino and almost faint when she tells me it's 5 dollars. I'm tired so I'm not in the mood to gamble. I almost die of boredom. I can't even get on the internet since the hotel charges something ridiculous like 24$ a day for access. Finally I get a lucky break when wandering in the forum shops, I find out that they have free wifi access! I spend some time on the internet and finally meet up with my cousin. We drop off our stuff in the room and walk on the strip. We're both tired so we don't go far. Day 2: My cousin heads off to his Seminar, brings me a coffee during his 10am break. I almost kiss him. I finally head out around noon and start walking towards the Tropicana which supposedly had a good poker tournament at 2pm. I finally get there after a 45 min walk and register. We only ended up being 5 people for the tourney. I lose out in 2nd place. It was worth it just because our dealer kept on bashing Jamie Gold and making fun of the people who were playing on the 1-2$ table. I slowly walk back to my room to meet up with my cousin. We go outlet mall shopping, eat some dinner and then hit the sack. Day 3: I play in the noon tournament in the Imperial Palace, play like poo poo and I'm out within an hour. I walk back down to the Tropicana since that's where the "Las Vegas Mob Experience" is. I get there and they tell me that half the experience is closed until April. Swell! The lady at ticket counter assures me that seeing what they had available would take about 90 minutes. Even after looking at the exhibits about 3 times over, I was out within 30. Huge disappointment. At least I got a free t-shirt out of it. Walk back to my room, meet up with my cousin. We're trying to figure out what to do when I suggest heading downtown to Fremont Street. My cousin isn't wild about the idea. He wants to see the indoor gondolas inside the venetian. We walk to the venetian, see the gondolas, he snaps some pictures and we walk back out. We start walking north on the strip, we see the palazzo, the wynn.....and not much else really. Not much on the north side it seems. We catch a bus and make our way downtown. We get to Fremont street experience and I go berserk. I loved seeing the old school casinos and I took many MANY pictures. We walk the length of the Experience and then head back home. The area between the strip and downtown looked VERY sketchy. Day 4: Our last morning there, we grabbed a cab to the airport but we took a small stop at the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign where I snapped the last couple of pictures and finally left Vegas. Pros: -the weather was AMAZING when we were there. High 70s-Low 80's during the day. -I love how everything on the strip is BIG. My brain broke every single time I walked outside trying to process the SIZE of all the huge hotels. -Bellagio Fountains. -I saw Pete Rose and Dick Butkus signing autographs at memorabilia stores so hey, celebrities! -The plush seating/free internet at the Forum Shops. Cons: -Oh god the walking. Everything looks close but is oh, OH so far. -The near constant avoidance of those people handing out the flyers/trying to sell tickets. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. -Las Vegas Mob Experience. -Penn and Teller being dark the entire time we were there. That was the only show I really wanted to see. -Not seeing another show. I really regret not seeing a show, ANY show. -Law enforcement museum opened a week after I left. I'm definitely going back one day. I really enjoyed my time and I'd love to go back and do MORE. And maybe grow some balls and gamble this time. (I'm not a gambler and hate hate hate losing money)
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Mar 10, 2012 07:25
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Satisfaction Guaranteed posted:After all that nonsense, I land in Las Vegas at 11am. I take a shuttle bus, the driver drops me off at a 7-11 near the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval. I buy a phone and start walking towards Caesar's Palace. Whoever said that "every thing looks close but is very far away" wasn't kidding. I finally get to Caesar's, get inside and start looking for a pay phone to activate my new cellphone. A lot easier said than done! Where are the drat payphones! It takes me about an hour to locate the pay phone and then jump through T-Mobile's hoops to get my phone activated. Pay phone? It's hard enough to find a pay phone out in general public, let along on the strip in Las Vegas. They really don't care how many names the room is under. Besides, they aren't the ones to take your bags anyways. Go to the Bell and give them all your poo poo, they don't care/know if you're staying there or not. We had to do that when we got in early AM too, since they wouldn't allow us to check in until the afternoon. Leave your stuff that's holding you down and go do your thing. Not sure how your bus experience was but you might find that it's a lot faster to just grab a cab. It's about $15 each way, but better than being stuck on a crowded bus for 30-45 min (that was my experience). Pete Rose has been selling out there for a long time now. Seems like Butkus recently tagged along. Sad...
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Mar 10, 2012 17:51
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geera posted:My wife and I are going to Vegas in May and she really wants to see Cirque "O". Is there a good source for discount tickets to that show, or should I just buy them through the Bellagio website? If it's an absolute, cannot gently caress it up, must see show, I'd grumble and pay full price in advance. If you can live without, I'd wing it they day of the show and see what kind of deal you can get.
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Mar 11, 2012 10:33
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Do this, you get a discount and its through bellagio's website. http://www.smartervegas.com/shows/o_by_cirque_du_soleil/ticketsdiscounts.aspx
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Mar 11, 2012 18:07
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Just got a reservation confirmation for é by Jose Andres. Should be a great highlight of my trip.
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Apr 7, 2012 19:13
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For my bachelor party this summer my friends are deciding between TI, PH, and MC, which are more or less the same price. Any recommendations?
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Apr 10, 2012 05:20
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tuckfard posted:For my bachelor party this summer my friends are deciding between TI, PH, and MC, which are more or less the same price. Any recommendations? Whichever is the cheapest. You're going to spend about 3 hours a night in that room. Who gives a gently caress what it's like?
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Apr 10, 2012 05:48
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tuckfard posted:For my bachelor party this summer my friends are deciding between TI, PH, and MC, which are more or less the same price. Any recommendations? Planet Hollywood is very centrally located, although its not like you should be walking anywhere in the goddamn summer in vegas. Its pretty much the same building as the miracle mile shops, so that draws a lot of traffic there. Wizard of odds has a site now where he has pretty in depth reviews of all the casinos. Looks like both TI and MC have had renovations recently, so that helps I guess. I've just always lumped them in with luxor as bottom-rung places, but the reviews look decent. http://wizardofvegas.com/hotels/
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Apr 10, 2012 08:00
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tuckfard posted:For my bachelor party this summer my friends are deciding between TI, PH, and MC, which are more or less the same price. Any recommendations? Planet Hollywood. Great location, good food selections, plenty of shopping and the casino is great for guys (gogo dancers at the tables, beautiful cocktails).
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Apr 10, 2012 11:46
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Heading there next week (been lots of times before but) and I have a weird q: (question): Does anyone know anywhere near the strip that I can get a Las Vegas 51's baseball jersey? They're really cool (and they're the AAA affiliate of the team I cheer for). Thanks!
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Apr 10, 2012 21:08
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Paul Coffey posted:Heading there next week (been lots of times before but) and I have a weird q: (question): Does anyone know anywhere near the strip that I can get a Las Vegas 51's baseball jersey? They're really cool (and they're the AAA affiliate of the team I cheer for). Thanks! Don't even need to leave the house: http://lv51s.milbstore.com/store.cfm?dept_id=283&store_id=31&parentID=283
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Apr 10, 2012 22:20
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Upcoming trip is based out of the downtown area, so I was randomly clicking around different stuff on Google Maps and found the Girls of Glitter Gulch strip club: http://g.co/maps/qm79y Check out the owner chasing after every negative comment.
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Apr 12, 2012 17:03
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My SO and I are going to Vegas next week for 2 days then driving to Zion on I-15. So far we've got a room at the Mandarin booked and I think we're planning on seeing O, other than that though not really sure what we'll do. We're not big gamblers but thinking it might be fun to learn a game like Pai-Gow or something where we can play for a while without spending too much... also not going to be hitting up any strip clubs or night clubs most likely. What other oddball stuff is there to see or do in Vegas? thinking maybe seeing a strange museum or something, maybe the neon sign museum? We're also looking for recommendations on really good restaurants that are unique enough to warrant spending Vegas $$ on. What are some of the favorite restaurants in town? on or off the strip I guess, we'll have a rental car. We're taking I-15 to Zion, are there any decent roadside attractions or worthwhile detours on the way?
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Apr 22, 2012 05:54
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MMD3 posted:We're also looking for recommendations on really good restaurants that are unique enough to warrant spending Vegas $$ on. What are some of the favorite restaurants in town? on or off the strip I guess, we'll have a rental car. Since you're staying at Mandarin, go to Twist.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:22
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JaySB posted:Since you're staying at Mandarin, go to Twist. hmmmm, menu looks pretty amazing. what should I be budgeting for?
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Apr 23, 2012 03:14
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MMD3 posted:hmmmm, menu looks pretty amazing. what should I be budgeting for? It's not cheap. $200pp for the 6 course menu. $300pp with wine pairing. It's worth it. Picasso is also excellent. And if you can get a reservation at E by Jose Andres inside the Cosmopolitan, do it.
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Apr 23, 2012 06:39
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MMD3 posted:
Since you have a rental car, I'd recommend: 1) The National Atomic Testing Museum: http://www.nationalatomictestingmuseum.org/ Close to the strip at 755 E. Flamingo Rd., it chronicles the history of really large explosions far too close to Las Vegas. (Seriously, they used to have parties in Vegas to see the mushroom clouds - and there's an exhibit on this!) It's well done and has a variety of exhibits that range from things a child would enjoy to things that are far beyond my ken (and I got my Bachelor's in science). Very interesting and well put together. They even have a rotating exhibit on Area 51 at the moment. We often take visitors there, and my wife and I have gone several times ourselves. Worth the $20, and you can spend a couple of hours in there easy. 2) Hoover Dam (and especially the new Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) It's about a 45 minute drive from the Strip, with highways the majority of the way. The tour itself is pretty cool, and the Art Deco of the dam and the decorations inside are tremendous, as is walking across, etc. However, the coolest new part is the bridge. It's free, it's insanely high, and it gives the absolute best view of the dam. The pull-off is about a minute past the security checkpoint when you're driving in. This is the other place that we very often take guests. As for great restaurants, Lotus of Siam has already been mentioned in full detail. Our standard for guests is Burger Bar in the Mandalay Bay: http://www.burger-bar.com/lv_main.php Essentially, this is Hubert Keller's "cheap" restaurant, which works to blend price and quality - and does so admirably. You're going to spend $15 on a burger, but it's quite worth it. They also have an excellent beer selection. Wait time is usually 45 minutes, but they do have call-ahead seating (not reservations) and you can immediately sit at the bar, if there is space. I recommend the Hubert Keller burger with sweet potato fries. If you want good Mexican, the various Lindo Michoacan restaurants are outstanding and offer a good variety of regional cuisine: http://lindomichoacan.com/ The one on Desert Inn is only about 10 minutes from the Strip, and quite affordable. The raspberry iced tea isn't to be missed. And seriously...dig deep into the extensive menu and don't just hit the enchiladas; I recommend the cactus and eggs (Huevos con Nopalitos). Of course, Lindo is a nice restaurant; after all, it's rumored to be one of Bill Clinton's all time favorites. If you want to hit one of the more rustic Mexican places, be careful - you have to watch out for the neighborhoods when you're wandering. If you like, you can send me a PM and we can exchange cell phone numbers. Have a good trip.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:28
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JaySB posted:It's not cheap. $200pp for the 6 course menu. $300pp with wine pairing. It's worth it. And always listen to Jay - he *knows* Vegas.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:29
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PreacherTom posted:Since you have a rental car, I'd recommend: this is awesome info, thank you! glad to hear the atomic test museum and mob museum are both worth checking out, Good Mexican food recommendations are always appreciated too as is a great burger. If there was one casino people felt best captured the old school rat-pack era Vegas to go get a cocktail and play a game of blackjack in which one would that be? The one time I visited Vegas before I did get a chance to walk down Fremont Street which was pretty cool but it still felt pretty updated, maybe I just didn't step into the right casino. Are there any casinos that still feel classic like that w/out being depressing and just filled with old people on respirators gambling away their grandkids college money?
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Apr 23, 2012 22:37
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MMD3 posted:this is awesome info, thank you! glad to hear the atomic test museum and mob museum are both worth checking out, Good Mexican food recommendations are always appreciated too as is a great burger. If you head downtown, check out The Plaza. They remodeled it. And now the art district is booming which is pretty cool. Speaking of good Mexican. Mundo, which is located in the World Market Center is amazing. Best shrimp tamale ever and a bunch of other great dishes and a fantastic mojito. Nice spot to go at night and have dinner outside.
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Apr 23, 2012 23:12
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MMD3 posted:this is awesome info, thank you! glad to hear the atomic test museum and mob museum are both worth checking out, Good Mexican food recommendations are always appreciated too as is a great burger. You're welcome. Again, feel free to PM if you'd like to correspond directly when you're in town. As for the latter, unfortunately, the Sahara just closed. That was the end of the true Rat Pack era, where they actually frequented - and everywhere else has renovated significantly.
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Apr 24, 2012 00:09
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My friends and I are heading out to Vegas in a couple of months. We go every year and were pretty unhappy that Rum Jungle was shut down last year when we went. So now we're looking for a new brazilian bbq type place to eat when we go. Any recommendations? Edit: Thanks Jay rocketbrah fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Apr 25, 2012 |
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Apr 24, 2012 18:09
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Wynn & Encore have a 35% off deal, where you can get the King Resort Suite for $129/night on May 13-15. So we're flying in, renting a car, and staying there. I'd like to catch a Cirque du Soleil show (Ka, probably) and maybe the dinner at Excalibur one night. Any other recommendations? What's the cheapest place to get tickets to these? Should I buy them through vegas.com or one of the online sites, or look for someone selling tickets locally on the strip? Nait Sirhc fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Apr 24, 2012 |
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Apr 24, 2012 20:12
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Surec posted:My friends and I are heading out to Vegas in a couple of months. We go every year and were pretty unhappy that Rum Jungle was shut down last year when we went. So now we're looking for a new brazilian bbq type place to eat when we go. Any recommendations? Texas De Brazil
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Apr 24, 2012 20:24
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gah, just went to book tickets for O on Thursday night and now all of the good seats are gone, we looked 2 days ago and there were 3rd row seats available but we waited to book... so dumb. I don't suppose there are any tickets that get held by the hotel or some other way to find them at this point.
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Apr 25, 2012 06:27
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MMD3 posted:gah, just went to book tickets for O on Thursday night and now all of the good seats are gone, we looked 2 days ago and there were 3rd row seats available but we waited to book... so dumb. I don't suppose there are any tickets that get held by the hotel or some other way to find them at this point. Go to Absinthe instead
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Apr 25, 2012 13:44
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Surec posted:My friends and I are heading out to Vegas in a couple of months. We go every year and were pretty unhappy that Rum Jungle was shut down last year when we went. So now we're looking for a new brazilian bbq type place to eat when we go. Any recommendations?
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Apr 26, 2012 06:41
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had a pretty great/packed day, tried to make the most of our single day here. Unfortunately we missed our 8:30 flight last night from PDX by 5 minutes, went home, slept for a few hours, got back to the airport around 5am and got lucky getting on the 8:45am flight this morning which got us in around 10:30 or so. managed to make it to the national atomic test museum while waiting for our room to be ready at the Mandarin, girlfriend loved it although she said "I like the signs that have less words" and "where's another video?" the Area51 exhibit they have there now was pretty terrible, I'd only recommend it if you geek out on conspiracy theory crap because the actual substance of it is pretty low and it's just a lot of reading about speculation. After the test museum we walked back to the strip and grabbed lunch at the Wicked Spoon buffet, pretty awesome for the price but I think we got there a little late as things weren't as warm as they could have been, felt like some of it had been sitting out a little long but for a buffet it was pretty solid, the only other Vegas buffet I have to compare it to was the Paris' and it was certainly much better than that... next time around I'll have to try the Bellagio's. Checked into the Mandarin after lunch and our room is pretty stellar, tried to go for a swim but they'd closed the pool due to high winds and probably because they consider 70 degrees cold here, really disappointing. Had the concierge get us some tickets for the 10pm showing of O, he was able to get much better seats than what was available on the Bellagio's site and the price was the same, great way to do it. Took a short nap then got up and got last minute seats at Twist in time to have a relaxed dinner and make it to the show. Dinner at Twist was very good, we both really enjoyed what we ordered, the bill came out to $310+$60 for tip. That was with 1 cocktail each, splitting an appetizer, two entrees, and two dessert s. They bring out so many other things , bread, canapes, and sides for the entrees that we were totally stuffed w/out any extra appetizers. O was incredible, definitely the best Cirque show I've ever seen, we both walked out grinning ear to ear. Thanks everyone for the recommendations... tomorrow morning we head for Zion and maybe make a detour at Valley of Fire. 
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Apr 27, 2012 08:54
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Not doing the tasting menu at Twist is missing out on an incredible meal, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Apr 27, 2012 19:54
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Just booked trip to vegas for June 2- June 6th for the wife and myself. Should be interesting as we're not gamblers, big drinkers or like going to night clubs. I'm still trying to figure out why, given that, we're even going! Staying at Bill's Gamblin' Hall. Disappointed that Penn & Teller is dark during that one week we're there as that would've been a must see for us. We're looking at either taking in Blue Man Group or one of the Cirques. Any suggestions for what is the best show of the bunch about now? As well, what's the best option to take in the Grand Canyon for a day? Rent a car and drive the 5 hours there (with stop at hoover dam), sight see and then 5 hours back?
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May 1, 2012 02:38
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roop posted:We're looking at either taking in Blue Man Group or one of the Cirques. Any suggestions for what is the best show of the bunch about now? I've seen one of the traveling Cirques and it was pretty good, and my wife and I will be in Vegas in 2 weeks and have tickets to see Cirque "O", which apparently has a big water tank involved so it should be fun. Just my opinion; obviously a lot of people like BMG since they're so successful. They just weren't my cup of tea.
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May 1, 2012 13:58
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Where is the best internet access where I can work for the day?
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May 3, 2012 03:23
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I'll be in Vegas with a few friends for about a week, starting on the fourth of July. First time there, so I can't imagine how packed the place is going to be. Mainly going for Evolution, which is basically a huge video game tournament that weekend, but the extra time will be for standard vacation stuff. We'll probably stay at the Bellagio. We're not big drinkers or gamblers, so I'm most interested in shows and really good food. Right now I'm planning on seeing O, Penn & Teller, and I guess getting a taxi/bus ride to the Mob Museum.roop posted:As well, what's the best option to take in the Grand Canyon for a day? Rent a car and drive the 5 hours there (with stop at hoover dam), sight see and then 5 hours back? Kinda interested in this as well. I doubt I'd rent a car, but is there maybe a recommended half-day or day tour package?
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May 3, 2012 16:52
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Rental cars in vegas are usually really cheap. Le Reve isnt a cirque show, but it was really good, and there isnt a bad seat.
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May 4, 2012 02:52
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Mason Dixon posted:I'll be in Vegas with a few friends for about a week, starting on the fourth of July. First time there, so I can't imagine how packed the place is going to be. Mainly going for Evolution, which is basically a huge video game tournament that weekend, but the extra time will be for standard vacation stuff. We'll probably stay at the Bellagio. We're not big drinkers or gamblers, so I'm most interested in shows and really good food. Right now I'm planning on seeing O, Penn & Teller, and I guess getting a taxi/bus ride to the Mob Museum. Considering you like video games, are you making a stop at the Pinball Hall of Fame? We ended up spending 4 hours there for $20.00 in quarters, and it was one of the most fun times I had in Vegas. We saw Penn and Teller who were amazing, and two Cirque shows. Ka, which was incredible for that crazy rotating stage they have, and Zumanity. We did this helicopter flight to see the Grand Canyon, because neither me or the guy I went with wanted to spend 10 hours in a car/tour bus. That was definitely worth the money for the time we saved and holy poo poo, flying through the strip at night was cool as hell.
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May 6, 2012 11:39
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Rick Deckard posted:Where is the best internet access where I can work for the day? Any hotel at all, if you pay the $15? Or free, at the Harrahs properties.
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May 9, 2012 06:25
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To offer unsolicited advice, the following are amazing: Sinatra's (Encore) Morels (Palazzo) Olives (Bellagio) American Fish (Aria) Comme ca (Cosmo) Beso (Crystals @ Aria) Bradley Odgen (Caesers) Jean Georges (Aria) Schitzo fucked around with this message at 06:33 on May 9, 2012 |
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May 9, 2012 06:30
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Schitzo posted:To offer unsolicited advice, the following are amazing: Comme Ca, Beso, and Sinatra are garbage IMO. The others are good. Leaving Bartolotta off a list of best Vegas restaurants is criminal.
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May 9, 2012 23:29
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