Vegas review no one asked for

[theiacowtipper]

Staying at Caesars Palace for the Garth Brooks residency show. I hadn’t been to Vegas for 25 years but these are my thoughts.

Garth and this show were amazing. Well worth the money paid for tickets. No question.

However, why does anyone actually come to this town? It’s horrifically expensive. I thought Disney was tourist trap expensive but oh my goodness. $70 for two pieces of pizza garlic bread and two bottles of water. $35 for a bottle of water and two bottles of soda.

The food is universally edible but nothing special. Everything is a headliner restaurant by somebody with a cooking show on the food network.

There are a bunch of women here very proud of their plastic surgery. Bolt one everywhere. And their husbands need to invest in better cologne.

Is there anything sadder than walking out of a concert and seeing the same person sitting at the same slot machine with the same look on their face as when you walked in three hours earlier? Mindless robots feeding quarter slot machines waiting for the jackpot that’s almost certainly not coming.

 

[An Iowa fan]

Make reservations at Mon Ami Gabi for lunch or dinner. It is located at the Paris, not far from you.

Make sure you have the French onion soup with your meal. You will feel better.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

Been to Vegas 10-12 times over the years. It’s been 10 years, but we’ve lost our desire to ever go back. Too expensive and after COVID, no desire to deal with that many people.

 

[beanT]

We hung out in the art district away from strip. Not much of Vegas appeals to me, be we like that area.

 

[stickman80]

One and done. Don't regret going but neither No Pic nor I have any interest in returning....even for free.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

We hung out in the art district away from strip. Not much of Vegas appeals to me, be we like that area.

Enjoy hitting art galleries at the shops at the Coliseum and Grand Canal. Peter Lik galleries has amazing photography for sale. Love all the work he has done.

OP, from a food perspective, hit restaurants that aren’t crazy expensive, Alexxa at Paris Paris for breakfast, Joe’s Stone Crab, shops at the coliseum for dinner. Well worth $100.00 per person to eat compared to spending $70.00 on crap. Hell, hit what a burger for $25.00.

 

[jonesy5960]

Been there maybe a dozen times. We used to go as a large group of business friends back in the day. It was a blast back then. I'm not a huge Vegas fan anymore but my son lives there now so it'll be a more frequent destination going forward. We'll be there in April to see the Eagles at Sphere.

 

[DogBoyRy]

Staying at Caesars Palace for the Garth Brooks residency show. I hadn’t been to Vegas for 25 years but these are my thoughts.

Garth and this show were amazing. Well worth the money paid for tickets. No question.

However, why does anyone actually come to this town? It’s horrifically expensive. I thought Disney was tourist trap expensive but oh my goodness. $70 for two pieces of pizza garlic bread and two bottles of water. $35 for a bottle of water and two bottles of soda.

The food is universally edible but nothing special. Everything is a headliner restaurant by somebody with a cooking show on the food network.

There are a bunch of women here very proud of their plastic surgery. Bolt one everywhere. And their husbands need to invest in better cologne.

Is there anything sadder than walking out of a concert and seeing the same person sitting at the same slot machine with the same look on their face as when you walked in three hours earlier? Mindless robots feeding quarter slot machines waiting for the jackpot that’s almost certainly not coming.

Somewhat agree. Barring being on the expense account its not what it was was great food deals.

 

[hydro2.0]

I’ve never been to Vegas and per OP opinion it solidifies the fact I never want to go. Touristy shit is the fuking worst and I dislike most people and crowds.

 

[Derekd3408]

Used to go to Vegas 3-4 times a year. It's been probably 7 years since our last trip there and I don't miss it a bit. No appeal to me anymore.

 

[chalupa81]

Enjoy hitting art galleries at the shops at the Coliseum and Grand Canal. Peter Lik galleries has amazing photography for sale. Love all the work he has done.

OP, from a food perspective, hit restaurants that aren’t crazy expensive, Alexxa at Paris Paris for breakfast, Joe’s Stone Crab, shops at the coliseum for dinner. Well worth $100.00 per person to eat compared to spending $70.00 on crap. Hell, hit what a burger for $25.00.

Maybe I am cheap, but I don’t understand spending $100 per person on a meal. Maybe if you had 3-4 drinks but even then, I have a hard time wanting to spend $200+ on a meal for 2 people.

 

[ihawk in FWB]

Maybe I am cheap, but I don’t understand spending $100 per person on a meal. Maybe if you had 3-4 drinks but even then, I have a hard time wanting to spend $200+ on a meal for 2 people.

I'm not a Vegas fan, but your post doesn't really have anything to do with Vegas.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Everyone needs to go to Las Vegas once to see and experience it. It's kind of like Disneyland (for adults) and the Grand Canyon rolled in together.

After that you can decide if you want to go back.

I've been there 3 or 4 times - mostly business conventions. I have no interest in going back.

 

[chalupa81]

I'm not a Vegas fan, but your post doesn't really have anything to do with Vegas.

Valid. I wouldn’t spend that in Iowa either.

 

[soonerinlOUisiana]

Staying at Caesars Palace for the Garth Brooks residency show. I hadn’t been to Vegas for 25 years but these are my thoughts.

Garth and this show were amazing. Well worth the money paid for tickets. No question.

However, why does anyone actually come to this town? It’s horrifically expensive. I thought Disney was tourist trap expensive but oh my goodness. $70 for two pieces of pizza garlic bread and two bottles of water. $35 for a bottle of water and two bottles of soda.

The food is universally edible but nothing special. Everything is a headliner restaurant by somebody with a cooking show on the food network.

There are a bunch of women here very proud of their plastic surgery. Bolt one everywhere. And their husbands need to invest in better cologne.

Is there anything sadder than walking out of a concert and seeing the same person sitting at the same slot machine with the same look on their face as when you walked in three hours earlier? Mindless robots feeding quarter slot machines waiting for the jackpot that’s almost certainly not coming.

Never been, and have no desire to go. Thanks for the affirmation/validation

 

[jaxhawk06]

I mentioned this in the last Vegas thread, but I love Las Vegas but the city trying to suck every dollar out of you is tiring.

They can't give you a regular empty fridge because that won't make them money. They can't give you free parking anymore because that won't make them money. Resort fees don't make them enough so they raise the price every year even though there is no added value added to the resort fee.

I still love the energy and the people watching. I was there a few months ago for the Jags vs. Raiders game. The Jags play at the Raiders again this year, I might make the trip again. I'd also want to go back when they host the Big Ten basketball tournaments in a couple of years

 

[theiacowtipper]

Never been, and have no desire to go. Thanks for the affirmation/validation

If you’re the party type, someone that likes to show off the spouse. So many wives with the edge of trashy look here. Guys with gold chains and cologne. Obviously showing off. That’s what there is here. Huge numbers of people that appear to be from Pakistan or India dressed all up

 

[theiacowtipper]

I mentioned this in the last Vegas thread, but I love Las Vegas but the city trying to suck every dollar out of you is tiring.

They can't give you a regular empty fridge because that won't make them money. They can't give you free parking anymore because that won't make them money. Resort fees don't make them enough so they raise the price every year even though there is no added value added to the resort fee.

I still love the energy and the people watching. I was there a few months ago for the Jags vs. Raiders game. The Jags play at the Raiders again this year, I might make the trip again. I'd also want to go back when they host the Big Ten basketball tournaments in a couple of years

The people watching is the best part of this

 

[MitchLL]

Agree on most of the comments.
Post Covid, I understood the drastic cost increases.
But it hasn't stopped there.
Resort fees and parking expenses are my biggest complaint. Concert tickets I can justify because those are unique events.

 

[goldmom]

Everyone needs to go to Las Vegas once to see and experience it. It's kind of like Disneyland (for adults) and the Grand Canyon rolled in together.

After that you can decide if you want to go back.

I've been there 3 or 4 times - mostly business conventions. I have no interest in going back.

I’ve been once and stayed at MGM Grand for a family wedding. Was there 4 days and saw plenty and had mediocre buffets but I will say one of the top meal experiences I’ve had anywhere was at Craft Steak there in the hotel.

Got in on a Wednesday and the first two days were fine - Friday night the Cali crowd blew in and I’ve never seen so many hard looking bleached blondes with bad bolt on jobs in my life - and believe me we have our share in Florida. Think a thousand Tara Reid’s on the casino floor. Drinking heavily and looking to get laid. Bring your Lysol.

It’s not a place where I’d ever care to spend a lot of time again. If I want to gamble I can go to the Hard Rock here in Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale or take a three night cruise to Nassau. Or buy some scratch offs.

 

[goldmom]

I mentioned this in the last Vegas thread, but I love Las Vegas but the city trying to suck every dollar out of you is tiring.

They can't give you a regular empty fridge because that won't make them money. They can't give you free parking anymore because that won't make them money. Resort fees don't make them enough so they raise the price every year even though there is no added value added to the resort fee.

I still love the energy and the people watching. I was there a few months ago for the Jags vs. Raiders game. The Jags play at the Raiders again this year, I might make the trip again. I'd also want to go back when they host the Big Ten basketball tournaments in a couple of years

Where in Jax do you live?

 

[Greenway4Prez]

I feel like there’s an opportunity for someone or a group of someones to more or less recreate “old” Vegas somewhere else.

By “old” I mean the Vegas that was fun, affordable, gluttonous but not pretentious. As long as Vegas hotels are full there is zero motivation to change, so that toothpaste is out of the tube.

 

[95Hawk]

…I’ve never seen so many hard looking bleached blondes with bad bolt on jobs in my life - and believe me we have our share in Florida. Think a thousand Tara Reid’s on the casino floor. Drinking heavily and looking to get laid.

This reads like an ad that the Vegas chamber of commerce wrote.

 

[joelbc1]

Make reservations at Mon Ami Gabi for lunch or dinner. It is located at the Paris, not far from you.

Make sure you have the French onion soup with your meal. You will feel better.

Is “Batista’s Hole in the Wall” still across the street from Bally’s and behind The Flamingo? Located in a strip mall next to a liquor store… a great place to eat at reasonable prices and the joint has 100’s of classic Vegas pictures of stars and sights…

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I feel like there’s an opportunity for someone or a group of someones to more or less recreate “old” Vegas somewhere else.

By “old” I mean the Vegas that was fun, affordable, gluttonous but not pretentious. As long as Vegas hotels are full there is zero motivation to change, so that toothpaste is out of the tube.

Freemont is the place to go for all that.

 

[An Iowa fan]

Is “Batista’s Hole in the Wall” still across the street from Bally’s and behind The Flamingo? Located in a strip mall next to a liquor store… a great place to eat at reasonable prices and the joint has 100’s of classic Vegas pictures of stars and sights…

Yep.

Gallery

battistaslasvegas.com

 

[dgordo]

I went to vegas last year to see some concerts at the sphere. Vegas sucks. Even the good restaurants that have Vegas locations are considerably worse than their main locations.

 

[jaxhawk06]

Where in Jax do you live?

I don't live in Jax anymore, I'm in Iowa now. Grew up in the Arglye area. Parents still live there so I visit a couple of times a year.

 

[Mayland]

I feel like there’s an opportunity for someone or a group of someones to more or less recreate “old” Vegas somewhere else.

By “old” I mean the Vegas that was fun, affordable, gluttonous but not pretentious. As long as Vegas hotels are full there is zero motivation to change, so that toothpaste is out of the tube.

On a much, much,much smaller scale this is what Deadwood is. Just got back from a business trip there. $70 hotel, tons of affordable restaurants for a town of 1500 people, and cheap table games. I’m sure it’s way to small for a a lot people, but I have a great time every time I go. Helps it’s only a 6 hour drive for me.

 

[Randall Stanhope]

I’ve never been to Vegas and per OP opinion it solidifies the fact I never want to go. Touristy shit is the fuking worst and I dislike most people and crowds.

 

[Randall Stanhope]

On a much, much,much smaller scale this is what Deadwood is. Just got back from a business trip there. $70 hotel, tons of affordable restaurants for a town of 1500 people, and cheap table games. I’m sure it’s way to small for a a lot people, but I have a great time every time I go. Helps it’s only a 6 hour drive for me.

Pardon my ignorance, but is Deadwood a town in Nevada?

 

[The Tradition]

I've only been once, on a two-night stop on the way to Hawaii.

Waaay too crowded and it's hard to get anywhere. While the hotel dining was expectedly expensive, there was plenty normal priced stuff if you look for it.

Legal weed, though... but you have to take an Uber to a different part of town to get the real stuff.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Pardon my ignorance, but is Deadwood a town in Nevada?

South Dakota is the Deadwood I’ve visited.

 

[stickman80]

Agree on most of the comments.
Post Covid, I understood the drastic cost increases.
But it hasn't stopped there.
Resort fees and parking expenses are my biggest complaint. Concert tickets I can justify because those are unique events.

The last straw was at the MGM Grand seeing a charge (Im thinking $50) just for opening your minibar.

I get it....you dont want the person to unload the minibar and fill it with their own stuff but really?

#FvckVegas

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

I go 2 times a year.

I play in the smaller poker events around the WSOP and then 1x for business.

I still like it but it has changed in the last 5-10 years and not for the better.

 

[Mayland]

Pardon my ignorance, but is Deadwood a town in Nevada?

Sorry. Yep, South Dakota. Old mining town in the Black Hills about an hour from Rapid City.

 

[soonerinlOUisiana]

South Dakota is the Deadwood I’ve visited.

Is there a lot of history to be seen there (old buildings, museums, etc.). That would be my motivation for visiting such a place. Enjoyed the TV show.

 

[Randall Stanhope]

Sorry. Yep, South Dakota. Old mining town in the Black Hills about an hour from Rapid City.

Yeah that was my bad. Everyone knows Deadwood is in South Dakota.

Even me, now that I think abut it.

 

[SolarHawk]

Vegas is a rite of passage for 20 something’s. I have fond memories of my single days and Vegas. Did some wild shit, but at 41 I have no desire to go. That being said we will probably go back as my wife has a good friend that lives there.

 

[Ferentz_Fan]

Eff it, you're in Vegas, do some big name comedy or magic shows.

Check out some exhibits, have fun.