Thinkin' about early May (possibly the first to 4th; whatever is cheapest) I've been on orbitz and travelocity for hours. It will be a friend and I. Travelling from Pittsburgh.


Any good recommendations about discount air/hotel packages, favorite things to do (besides hookers and blow), places i gotta see etc... would be greatly appreciated as I've never been there before.

Besides going to dive-ass (so I hear) Circus-Circus (I'm a big Hunter S Thompson fan), gambling, and Casa Fuente, I don't really know what else there is to do..maybe Hard Rock Cafe?


Well, LMK,

Speed

I'll be there for the MPUC conferance, May 7th to the 12th.  

You should probably check out the Wynn.  They spent sick amounts of money on it.  The view from the top of the Stratosphere at night is worth seeing.  Tigers at the Mirage, Sharks at the Mandalay, Ceasar show at Caesar's palace, the fountains/flowers/art at Belagio, the Venetian and Luxor and worth seeing as well.  As for non-casino places, Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam come to mind.  

I'll be there this weekend. I got my hotel deal through hotels.com. The pricing on the major sites is close, the major markup is in the tax and service fees charges. I'm going to be driving and this is my first time so I don't really have any specific lodging suggestions (I'm going to be staying at the Luxor though) or flight suggestions

Vegas is all about fun.  I go at least once a year, try to do twice.   When you arrive from the airport, definately get the cab to go the quick way.  Some of them like to take you down Vegas Blvd, for sight-seeing, which winds up being very expensive. I don't pay to sit in traffic. The buses from the airport may seem like a good deal, but they make many stops along the way so it takes forever to get to your hotel.  I'd just pay the extra and take the cab, the quick way.

+1 on the Wynn.

The cool thing about Vegas is you can wander around and "find" stuff to do.  It is really easy to get distracted by all the "shiney" things, especially while drinking.

Walk the strip at least once, from the Luxor/Mandalay Bay, all the way North to Stratosphere.  Stopping at the different Casinos and things along the way.  It is a pretty long walk, but there's no hurry.  Do it in two or three different days. We just walk and hit basically each casino and wander around, gamble if we so choose, and get more booze, since in Vegas you can walk the strip with open containers.  This may take more than a day.  Probably it will.  You can't see all of Vegas in even a week.

Night life gets expensive, the hot & young (21-30) chicks are all-over.  My favorite spots are the Tangerine at TI (treasure island) and The Beach on Paradise.  Both of which have dress codes (preppy, pretty boy-ish) after a certain time.  Both charge covers.  

Check out LasVegas.com

The LV Monorail is very helpful, with many stops: MGM Grand; Bally's/Paris Las Vegas; Flamingo/Caesars Palace; Harrah's/Imperial Palace; Las Vegas Convention Center; Las Vegas Hilton and the Sahara.  Which places you near where you want to be.  It should be noted that it shuts down at 2 am M-Th, and 3 am F-Sun.  Learned that the hardway.  $35 for the 10 ride pass is the way to go, it can be shared with other people. Unused rides are good for 12 months.

My advice is have fun.

Cheapo Vegas

Cocktaildoll

Even better than Vegas, Check out the Iowa forum for May 6th.

Full auto goodness!

Hoover Dam go to the Visitor Center, see the show, take the tour and walk across it. Pretty dam impressive.

Take a day and run up to Zion National Park.  Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire.  Suddenly you aren't in PA anymore.

As your attorney I advise you to:

(from a 20+ Vegas trip vet)

For your first time to Vegas...Do the glitzy / tourist / gambling / ooh-shiny thing for no more than 2 days.

Spend some time at the pool...by city law the pools are only 4 feet deep everywhere...I think it's becasue I'm always so drunk.  Better than to drink yourself into a blackout at the pool than gamble all day.  It's easy to get caught up into gambling way too much.

Set at least one night aside for a nice, expensive dinner.  The steak house at Circus Circus is good, but there are literally dozens of great restaurants.  If you end up at the Hard Rock check out Nobu for sushi - it's owned by one of the former TV Iron Chefs.  Make sure you check and see if there's any good concerts at the Hard Rock when you're there - but it may be hard to get tix.

MAYBE see one of those big shows....maybe not...they're pretty expensive.  If you're going to toss a grip of cash for a show, probably one of the Cirque de Soleil shows (I think they're everywhere now).

Or my favorite...
Do something a little less classy!  Like:

Drink Ass Juice at the best dive bar in town, the Double Down Saloon.  It's kind of a hard rock/punk bar, with a great set on the jukebox (i.e. the CRAMPS), if you're into that.

More of a R&B guy?  See Purple Reign at the Boardwalk Casino.  It's free, but popular, so get there early.  It's like a three drink minimum, with expensive drinks.  If you're not drinking, some huge bouncer will toss you out for someone thirstier.  The show is great!   It's a Prince cover band, and they've nailed it to the wall.  They even bring out a fake Morris Day, with a fake Jerome (the guy with the mirror, remember?).

Like easy listening or pop?  Check out the Sunspots downtown (free).  It's a Filipino cover band, and it's HILARIOUS.  They take requests...ask them to sing Lola (when they sing the song, it comes out "Ro-ra, ro-ro-ro-ro-Ro-ra").  Sorry no hotlink, but google it.

Check out a website called CheapoVegas.

Mind altered,
Your Attorney, Dr. Gonzo

Quoted: Hoover Dam go to the Visitor Center, see the show, take the tour and walk across it. Pretty dam impressive. Take a day and run up to Zion National Park.  Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire.  Suddenly you aren't in PA anymore.

+1

Did all that last trip out... Hoover Dam is amazing... I bought a little pamplet about the dam,  I don't have it handy, but I think it took the concrete in parts of it 50? years or so to completely cure???  My recall is probably way off, but an insane amout of time, and an insane amount of concrete poured making it.

Speedy, you might want to start making some calls.  MGM was running some specials on rooms.  They included some comps and give aways.

But you need to call the marketing guys at the casino and you can get your rooms comped.

http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/las-vegas-coupons.htm

Thanks for the responses, although I'm not so sure about calling MGM. It's looking like the best value in packages might be the Luxor...3 nights w/ air @ about $450. Any mroe info would be greatly welcomed....even just stories,


Speed

There is a good book you should check out: The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas (author: Bob Selhlinger).

Barbary Coast always treats me right...great location, too.

Last December, five night and airfare out of Charleston, SC was $430.

Be sure to check out Freemont street one evening. There are some old casinos, and a little street mall with a light show.  There are some shady characters there, so don't get too far away from the street.

Stayed at the MGM last fall.  The 'sportin' girls' start coming through the lobby about 10pm, walking fast with a cell phone to their ear like they're on some kind of mission...oh...guess they are!  Time is money, after all.

Will be at the Luxor in about 10 days for an agency meeting/get together.  Gonna check out American Shooting Supplies at 3440 Arville Street for some full auto gun rentals at their range this time, instead of the Gun Store.  BTDT.

If The Titanic exhibition is still at the Trop, its very interesting, too.

Enjoy!

Bailagent100

You should head over to the Grand Canyon and maybe Valley of Fire State Park.

And don't forget to check out the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton!  

If you ride, go by the Harley shop and rent a bike.  A ride through the Valley of Fire is a great way to spend a half a day.

tag

when/if you play blackjack, avoid the tables with CSMs(continuous shuffling machines).
you can spot them since there is no "burn pile".  
the cards just played go back into the shoe.
major suck.

Hot women everywhere and they all want money.

the drinks are good and, of course, very free.

Don't expect alot of comps.  At several of the casinos (treasure island, the belagio, mgm come to mind) the rule at the blackjack table is that you must play $25 minimum hands for 4 hours or more before becoming eligible for a free meal.

I'm glad I've seen it, been there, and done that, but I won't be back.  

Even the McDonalds are expensive (7 and 8 dollar "value" meals)

As others have said the shows are outrageously expensive.  Even Celine Dion tickets were 200 bucks +.  If you must go to a show, get your tickets at the hotel OR at those little mobile ticket scalper shacks (look like mini, aluminum, campers).

Good luck