Las Vegas

[LinvilleGorge]

I generally spend about 10 days a year here for trade shows. I can't stand the place. I'm not a gambler, generally don't like crowds, and generally not into fake poo. If you were to design a city for me to specifically not like, it would be Vegas. But, now that I have a family I do look forward to the escape. I generally just do my job, have a nice dinner, then chill in my room not being bothered. Once you have a family, trust me... there's a lot of value in 10 days a year of that.

[blackcat]

Went a few years ago for a conference, free suite at The Venetian so that was cool.  Spent $37 on a glass of prosecco and a gin and tonic at the pool, that wasn't so cool.  Not much of a gambler, so no input there.  Overall, been there, done that, don't need to go back again.  Referencing some other posts, I've been to New Orleans and would go back 100 times before I went back to Vegas.

[Uwontdoit81]

26 minutes ago, NAS said:

New Orleand has historical sites and great food. It’s a good place to visit

Agree.  There’s so much more than Bourbon Street.

[Scrumtrilescent]

19 minutes ago, Captroop said:

We flew into Vegas and spent a couple days there for our honeymoon. I thought it was horrible, tacky and artificial.

Then we went back 6 months later. Once you accept it for what it is, a theme park for grown ups, you can have a great time. The artificiality is the charm.

I don't gamble when I go, except maybe playing $20 on the slots until it's gone. I've actually broken even or made money more often than not. But gaming isn't the attraction. It has some of the most amazing entertainment spectacles in the nation. We go see Cirque du Soleil shows, and man, there's just no comparison to the touring shows. When they can spec out an entire casino auditorium for their show, it's truly incredible what they can do. Vegas also has some of the best restaurants in the world. If you can drop two or three hundred bucks on a meal, it's worth it.

We haven't been back in a couple years since we don't really drink anymore, and the amazing cocktail bars were a big part of the attraction. But it's absolutely worth visiting. And be sure to visit Fremont. Don't spend all your time on the strip.

This pretty much sums us up.  Last time we were there, it was a stop over stay at Aria as we were going to the Grand Canyon for hiking.  Took in a few shows and planned enough ahead to get into e' since we both fell in love with Jose Andres when we were in DC.

[LinvilleGorge]

7 minutes ago, blackcat said:

Went a few years ago for a conference, free suite at The Venetian so that was cool.  Spent $37 on a glass of prosecco and a gin and tonic at the pool, that wasn't so cool.  Not much of a gambler, so no input there.  Overall, been there, done that, don't need to go back again.  Referencing some other posts, I've been to New Orleans and would go back 100 times before I went back to Vegas.

The Venetian is definitely my favorite. I either stay there or the MGM depending on which my conference is at. They're always at one or the other.

[trueblade]

I went a few years back for a conference at Caesar's. The conference had put a $100 chip in each room when you checked in. I went down and played some blackjack and roulette. 

I left Vegas $85 dollars richer!

[top dawg]

I went one time, before smartphones, so no pics! I stayed at this place called the Center Strip Inn, which is actually one of the rooms with the most amenities that I've had, as it actually had a whirlpool and a sauna. We didn't really take advantage of it, as we were always in one casino or another. It just so happens that we were there when the Dunes was demolished, so we got to see it live! I can always say that I saw an implosion live! Between that and seeing a man standing on a bridge threatening to jump onto US70 this year, that's two things I can check off the bucket list. 

 

[Happy Panther]

Last time I went to Vegas I took my wife for the first time. Flew in first class. We sat down at the roulette table for happy hour and won $400. We walked 30 feet to the steakhouse and spent it all on wagyu and wine. Then we went to see cirque and then I got laid.

Vegas can be fun!

[Crixtala]

my now wife took me for my 21st birthday, blew the whole thing out.  pulled a bunch of her hospitality connections to get things like dope rooms and a limo to take us to CLT airport and pick us up in vegas to take us to our hotel

saw a handful of cirque shows, including O, where my wife was pulled up on stage.  had a great time, don't remember a ton lol.  when you go in understanding what vegas is and just go to experience the spectacle of it all, it can be a good time and it probably wouldn't take a ton of convincing to get me back again for a night or two of debauchery

saying all that - vegas is absolutely a spot for people who do NOT know how to vacation.  it's disneyland for adults and something where you can disappear for a few days without having to actually put in any effort to plan anything.  everything you'll need is available at your fingertips and you don't have to step out of any comfort zones or be put into a position of experiencing a new or interesting culture or environment

[Captroop]

41 minutes ago, Scrumtrilescent said:

This pretty much sums us up.  Last time we were there, it was a stop over stay at Aria as we were going to the Grand Canyon for hiking.  Took in a few shows and planned enough ahead to get into e' since we both fell in love with Jose Andres when we were in DC.

Ooh! Tangent time! Which Jose Andres place did you visit in DC?

I actually haven't done his Vegas places, since we have so many options in D.C. We wanted to hit the other celebrity chef's places. Scott Conant, Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, etc.

[TheCasillas]

I got the covid there during the super bowl. This was before the pandemic. I was told by the doctor it was just minor symptoms of the flu. 

[Captroop]

1 hour ago, NAS said:

New Orleand has historical sites and great food. It’s a good place to visit

I spent a week in New Orleans one night. It was a business trip for a 2 hour software demo and we intentionally booked a flight out the next day rather than the same day.

I was so hung over I didn't even get to have the beignet I was planning on for breakfast and spent the entire flight with cold sweats trying not to vomit.

So yeah, not the best association for me.

[gofightwin]

Going with your 12 year old kid changes your perspective and you can actually see what Vegas has to offer besides gambling/booze.  Flew into Vegas for our Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce Canyon Daddy/Daughter trip and stayed a couple nights so she could see the sights. We had a really good time and got to see all kinds of fun stuff without ever entering a casino or bar.  Multiple Cirque shows, Penn and Teller, hiking in Red Rock Canyon, In-N-Out burgers, riding the rides, people puking on the bus, etc.  Never had a down moment. Of course if it wasn't for starting and ending our National Parks trip, we never would have gone, but had fun for sure.

[thefuzz]

Never been, never really wanted to.

Not much on "new" cities.

New Orleans on the other hand I have been to a ton, and may start going to that game every year when we play once I get OK with the losing portion of it.

NO is an awesome city, I usually stroll down Bourbon St. 1 time per visit, then off to the good stuff.