Observations from Las Vegas

[Finance85]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

 

[theiacowtipper]

I’ve only been for convention stuff but the wife and I are going to see Garth end of February. I can’t stomach the prices at Caesars so we are staying at Linq. We have about a full day and a half to see stuff and I don’t know if we will leave the Caesars palace Bellagio area

 

[Hawki97]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

Sounds like you had a standard Vegas trip. Vegas is trash. Worth one trip though to see the spectacle.

 

[ICWestfan]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

No coffee maker because they want your ass down on the floor to get your coffee. CSB - We stayed at the Monte Carlo back in the day and no coffee maker so I went down to the bar to get some. Prick bartender tried to charge me $2.50 for a cup of coffee (he obviously loved his job) so I said no thanks. Sat right across from the bar on a slot, put $1 in, and the waitress stops by to see if I wanted anything. Coffee please! Made my $1 pull, won $10, cashed out and raised my cup of coffee to the prick behind the bar. Waitress got a $5 tip.

 

[RollingBallofButcherKnives]

Sounds like you had a standard Vegas trip. Vegas is trash. Worth one trip though to see the spectacle.

Yep. We went last year. I feel no need to go back.

 

[beanerhawk]

Vegas is great, so many great places to eat and so many great shows to see. Been there 5 times in my life, will probably take another trip in the next year or so.

 

[sober_teacher]

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

Honestly, unless you're a big money gambler, Fremont is where most of the most affordable casinos are unless you have a car and willing to go off strip.

 

[sober_teacher]

Vegas is great, so many great places to eat and so many great shows to see. Been there 5 times in my life, will probably take another trip in the next year or so.

Tend to go ever 2-3 years.

 

[BelemNole]

Plenty of homeless, they just keep them off the strip.

 

[McLovin32]

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

Same. Last time I was in Vegas we stayed on the strip but spent one night in Old Vegas. Old Vegas was wayyyy more fun than the strip.

 

[StormHawk42]

I’ve only been for convention stuff but the wife and I are going to see Garth end of February. I can’t stomach the prices at Caesars so we are staying at Linq. We have about a full day and a half to see stuff and I don’t know if we will leave the Caesars palace Bellagio area

I went to that show in December. I’m not a country fan but wife is a big fan and I can appreciate good entertainment. Not lying when I say it’s one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. Dude still has it in his early 60s. You’ll love it.

In response to OP, I hated Fremont Street but probably because we were there during the day instead of night. It had like a trashy Branson vibe to it that I couldn’t shake. Also pretty sure drug dealers were aplenty not far away.

 

[bhawk24bob]

It's changed a lot since Covid and not for the better

 

[jaxhawk06]

I love Vegas, but how they nickel and dime more and more gets tiring. Free parking is almost extinct, resort fees continue to increase, random fees at a bunch of restaurants, etc.

I did stay at the Park MGM last month which is non-smoking so that was nice. Hope more casinos do that.

 

[InsaneHawkJJP]

I don’t gamble and hate the smell of cigarette smoke since I quit over 20 years ago. I have no desire to ever go to Vegas.
CSB

 

[95Hawk]

Vegas is polarizing. I was there too many times for youth soccer tournaments and saw more of the authentic side of Vegas than I wanted. It’s a very dingy town outside the Strip. I don’t need to return.

 

[fredjr82]

We go once or twice a year. Usually stayed on The Strip but stayed at Cirqa on Fremont and won't stay anywhere else.

Vegas let's you let your hair down and be a degenerate for a few days. It's f'ing expensive but we love going and cutting loose

 

[beanerhawk]

I went to that show in December. I’m not a country fan but wife is a big fan and I can appreciate good entertainment. Not lying when I say it’s one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. Dude still has it in his early 60s. You’ll love it.

In response to OP, I hated Fremont Street but probably because we were there during the day instead of night. It had like a trashy Branson vibe to it that I couldn’t shake. Also pretty sure drug dealers were aplenty not far away.

Drug dealers in a major vacation city. No way.

 

[BonzoFury]

The shows in Vegas can be spectacular. Some of the food can too, but it’s usually way overpriced for the good stuff. Beyond that there’s a lot of crap.
Fremont Street is definitely the poor man’s Vegas. It can be entertaining, but feels dirty pretty quickly.
Now that you can gamble in any number of states, it’s kind of lost that aura. Generally a pretty trashy place.

 

[CharYoteHawk]

Vegas is best when you have a plan to see a specific show(s), eat at a specific restaurant(s), or do specific things. Having an itinerary generally makes it worth the cost. However, just winging it can get expensive fast with mediocre food, etc.

 

[An Iowa fan]

Since you were staying at the Paris did you get a chance to have dinner at:

Menus - Mon Ami Gabi

Discover fresh takes on classic French fare. Explore our dining menus including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more!

www.monamigabi.com

Or the Eiffel Tower?

 

[An Iowa fan]

I won a four day, three night trip at the Paris a few years back by picking NFL winners.
I didn't have to pick against the spread, just season long contest picking winners.

 

[ICWestfan]

Last time we went we stayed at the Golden Nugget, and it was fine. I actually prefer Fremont ST to the Strip, just so much easier to get around and casino's aplenty. Nighttime is pretty fun with the bands and what-not. It's changed a bunch since we have been, Circa is on the bucket list if we go back.

 

[BonzoFury]

Last time we went we stayed at the Golden Nugget, and it was fine. I actually prefer Fremont ST to the Strip, just so much easier to get around and casino's aplenty. Nighttime is pretty fun with the bands and what-not. It's changed a bunch since we have been, Circa is on the bucket list if we go back.

The free bands on Fremont can be a nice bonus.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

The Wynn breakfast buffet (if still there) is just fantastic!

Went there after an all night poker session at Caesars in late February of 2020.. funny thing I recall at the poker table, a Chinese man sat down at our table around 3am or so, said he just got off the plane from China (spoke fine English) ……… …….

 

[SolarHawk]

It’s crazy to me there are some people that never went to Vegas in their youth. If you like to party and fvck, it’s like the best lol. YMMV

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Vegas is polarizing. I was there too many times for youth soccer tournaments and saw more of the authentic side of Vegas than I wanted. It’s a very dingy town outside the Strip. I don’t need to return.

Same. With the exception of a few neighborhoods it’s an ugly place.

I finds the entire city depressing. Feels like a giant Walmart inside a Cops episode with a giant dose of despair and desperation mixed in for good measure.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

You should have had breakfast at Alexxa’s at PP. Great Menu and won’t break the bank, $50 or less for two.

We hit Vegas a could times a year for work and pleasure. Hit the strip and Freemont. Play on the strip during the week for lower table max bets or Freemont if you want lower as well most of the time. Vegas is a tourist town so lot’s of idiots wandering around and just stopping in the middle of walking paths or just not paying attention. Requires a little patience. Typically stay at Bellagio, Ceasers, or Venetian. Love to hit the shops for cool shirts and sports jackets as well as check out the art galleries with all the crazy art. Shops at Ceasers or Venetian are the best. Great food everywhere depending on what you like.

 

[TennNole17]

Didn’t we have a poster on the other site that was pretty regularly at the World Series of poker, and posted updates? Sort of Vegas related?


I’ve never been to Vegas and have no desire. When “tunica” first came alive it was sort of fun to sneak in and gamble, but really they are very sad places imo(casinos)

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Didn’t we have a poster on the other site that was pretty regularly at the World Series of poker, and posted updates? Sort of Vegas related?


I’ve never been to Vegas and have no desire. When “tunica” first came alive it was sort of fun to sneak in and gamble, but really they are very sad places imo(casinos)

@ZachJump

 

[SolarHawk]

Same. With the exception of a few neighborhoods it’s an ugly place.

I finds the entire city depressing. Feels like a giant Walmart inside a Cops episode with a giant dose of despair and desperation mixed in for good measure.

Wife has a friend that lives there. She and her hubby have a really nice big house with a pool, walled backyard etc. Her neighborhood reminds me of your typical gated community bullshit cookie cutter neighborhoods like here in Florida. That or its townhouses and apartment buildings for days. It’s a weird city to live in imo.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Didn’t we have a poster on the other site that was pretty regularly at the World Series of poker, and posted updates? Sort of Vegas related?


I’ve never been to Vegas and have no desire. When “tunica” first came alive it was sort of fun to sneak in and gamble, but really they are very sad places imo(casinos)

SamENole or something like that is a pro gambler and played the big ws poker tournies.

 

[TennNole17]

SamENole or something like that is a pro gambler and played the big ws poker tournies.

Good memory. Glad it wasn’t an Izim

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Wife has a friend that lives there. She and her hubby have a really nice big house with a pool, walled backyard etc. Her neighborhood reminds me of your typical gated community bullshit cookie cutter neighborhoods like here in Florida. That or its townhouses and apartment buildings for days. It’s a weird city to live in imo.

Looked very have/have not to me

 

[NoleATL]

Gone are the days when Vegas was a cheap destination with amazing buffets and very affordable rooms.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

I go 3 or 4 times a year. A conference end of Feb and first round of the NCAA tournament are staples for the last many years and then I sprinkle in a trip or 2 by myself to play poker or wife joins if there is a concert she wants to see (Saw Garth in December at Ceasars gave me 2 free tickets, comp nights, free play and food). I tend to do most of my blackjack at Ceasars properties but play poker exclusively at Bellagio, so get Comp offers from both Ceasars and MGM. I am a bit of a degenerate and not bragging about comps as I know why they give them; but comp offers are easy to get if you join their players clubs. During the conference I go to in a month; we tend to play blackjack at Cosmo, so always have free rooms there as well, and now that they are part of MGM rewards, it is even better. Actually going to be there superbowl weekend as well this year as the wife has a conference that’s starts that Monday so we are going a few days early to see Tosh at Cosmo and going down to the Circa for a Super Bowl party.

Typically stay at Cosmo, Ceasars Palace, Planet Hollywood or Bellagio. For the NcAA Tournament, we stay down on freemont as my buddies love the Circa sportsbook. I prefer the strip; but readily admit the Circa is amazing all around and do enjoy being down there during that trip. A lot of interesting “dive” casinos down there. El Cortez has been good to us from a gambling standpoint and just a few blocks off Freemont if ever looking for something a little quieter.

Have played decent amount of golf down there as well. Awesome courses within 30 min from strip.

 

[fredjr82]

Wife has a friend that lives there. She and her hubby have a really nice big house with a pool, walled backyard etc. Her neighborhood reminds me of your typical gated community bullshit cookie cutter neighborhoods like here in Florida. That or its townhouses and apartment buildings for days. It’s a weird city to live in imo.

If I'm being honest and with hindsight being 20/20, I wish I would have pulled the trigger for a 2nd property in a spot like Henderson, NV.back in late 00s/early 10s. Close enough to entertainment/food, but far enough away too.

 

[Aardvark86]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

You left out “was ready to leave after three days and don’t need to come back”.

 

[SolarHawk]

If I'm being honest and with hindsight being 20/20, I wish I would have pulled the trigger for a 2nd property in a spot like Henderson, NV.back in late 00s/early 10s. Close enough to entertainment/food, but far enough away too.

How often do you go to Vegas? Just curious why the regret.

 

[SolarHawk]

Looked very have/have not to me

Def

 

[goldmom]

I've been traveling around the US on business for over 30 years, but have never been to Vegas until last week. Went for 4 days. Most of the experience didn't surprise me, and will be no surprise to my fellow posters. We stayed at the Paris Hotel.

Visited Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and Venetian hotels. Also visited Planet Hollywood, Horseshoe, and MGM casinos.

No surprise but smoking is still allowed and prospers in the casinos and nearly everywhere.
Very few buffets left. Lots of celebrity chef places have sprung up. Food is relatively expensive.
There were very few homeless people on the strip.
The city overall is cleaner than most medium sized cities.
In general, the tourists have no clue, or else don't care, about simple manners or how to act in a crowd.
The Paris Hotel didn't meet expectations for a hotel on the upscale side. No coffee machine, fridge, or microwave, and the TV had problems that never got fixed after 4 attempts.
The food was good everyplace. Notable was Carmine's for dinner, and Planet Hollywood twice for breakfast. Service was spotty, but mostly good.

Saw the Eagles at the Sphere. They are still good, and the Sphere is the best venue I've ever been to, hands down.

Airport is just OK. Pre-Check was closed, but the cattle line moved fairly fast, and security only took about 30 minutes. Of course most of the passengers were tourists, and didn't have a clue about much, such as not stopping after getting off the escalator.

Oh, and Fremont Street is amazing. I liked it much better than the strip. If I go back, I'll spend more time in Old Vegas.

Courtesy and manners weren’t in full force when I was there a few years back either.
The smoking is just too annoying because we just aren’t around it anymore.
And I honestly hate to say this but we got to town on a Wednesday and the people there were just okay. Friday night all the young women from SoCal took over and honestly it was straight up
just trashy. They were trying too hard, not everyone was a looker and the result was a lot of sleaze.