The Vegas Thread!

[VegasCoaster]

I lived less than a mile from GVR so it seemed a bit weird to be worthy of a reality show, but it was a good show. GVR is definitely the best local casino in my opinion since its got the best quality and its also still incredibly easy and quick to get to the strip. Might not be the cheapest local casino, but aside from the few newer local casinos, its in a league of its own.

[bernadettej21]

I remember a few years back that there was a TV show called 'American Casino', which was filmed at the Green Valley Ranch. I recalled it being an entertaining program at the time.

 

It was an awesome show!

 

But then one of the main 'characters' died and they pretty much gave up. I REALLY liked that show a lot.

 

I watched a couple of episodes and liked it (especially the buffoons they had in marketing/PR trying to work on a shoestring budget). I did not realize one of the character died.

 

 

i also believe American Casino to be one of the most interesting shows. The only sad thing here is the death of an important character here. Anbody here who can post one of the most interesting scenes of the said show?

Edited April 9, 2010 by bernadettej21

[chemical_echo]

I just got back from 2 days in Vegas, staying at Excalibur.

Room was cheap and wasn't too bad; best part was being on the 19th floor and never having to wait for an elevator (the elevators for 1-18 always had a line). We got the $30 all day all-you-can-eat pass at the Exclaibur buffet for our second day there. Food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either; best thing was their bacon at breakfast and their desserts all other times.

 

Didn't gamble much (one bet on the World Cup, one on the Stanley cup, and a couple bucks on Monopoly penny slots).

 

We got half price tickets to MGM Grand's Crazy Horse show the night before we left and were pleased with the show; very small theater, comfy seats, and lots of showcasing the female form...along with a midget tribute to MJ. We were hoping to see Peepshow, but it's on break until the end of the month.

 

Word of warning, DO NOT, under any circumstances, eat the $2 foot long hot dog at Casino Royale. I'm really surprised I didn't throw up afterward.

[larrygator]

I have to go to Vegas for business for a couple of days and I'm going to try to get pictures from the backstage garage area of the NASCAR track and put together a PTR.

[SharkTums]

^Where are you staying?

[larrygator]

^Some crappy place called The Venetian! BooYah!

[SharkTums]

^Photo TR of the suite please!

[Meteornotes]

The Venetian is awesome. Stayed there last year, and there are some photos of the place in this PTR.

 

dt

[Kieran]

Hey guys I'm planning to go to Vegas when im Stateside at the end of this year. I'm looking at the Vdara and Aria and have a question. The Aria is more expensive even though from what I can gather the rooms are smaller, while the Vdara has big rooms but is cheaper?

[Jojo19799]

I keep receiving info from the Venetian/Wynn/Bellagio for discounted rates. I'm really thinking about taking a quick little jaunt out there at the start of summer.

 

Does anyone remember the show Caesars 24/7? It was on A&E I think. I used to watch it all the time. I think it was on around the same time as American Casino.

[Jew]

^^Vdara is an all suite condo/hotel tower. The standard room is definitely bigger. But it's somewhat disconnected from everything else @ city center and the strip. There's just one bar and one cafe as part of the tower, and you have to walk to everything else.

 

If that doesn't bother you...definitely go for Vdara!

[thrillgeek]

Just a random Vegas post.

 

I'm officially going to Vegas for my 21st B-day for 3 days starting April 11th!!!. My plan is to hit the Desperado, Speed, and that Togo coaster at the New york New York hotel. Oh and Canyon Blaster as well.

[Kieran]

^^Vdara is an all suite condo/hotel tower. The standard room is definitely bigger. But it's somewhat disconnected from everything else @ city center and the strip. There's just one bar and one cafe as part of the tower, and you have to walk to everything else.

 

If that doesn't bother you...definitely go for Vdara!

Ahh okay, yea considering there is only going to be 2 of us and I doubt we will need a kitchen might as well go for the Aria for the whole Vegas experience.

[larrygator]

I just spent 47 hours in Vegas on a business trip and bring you the highlights that did not stay in Vegas.

 

Pictures below will show:

1 - My room at the Venetian

2 - A trip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to experience pre-race NASCAR festivities

3 - A 4-mile walk from The Strip to Downtown Vegas/Old Vegas/Fremont Street

 

FYI - Had dinner at Lavo @ Palozzo's. Completely awesome, although I still think Kobe Beef is overated.

My room at the Venetian.

Reverse angle

For comfort they put a bed in every room.

For entertainment they put a flat screen in every bathroom.

For your sanity, unlike Chuck, I kept my pants on when taking a picture with a mirror in the background.

Side Boob art on the wall

A room with a view

The next morning we loaded on to the short bus for the racetrack.

Most of my time was spent at my client's set-up, "The Sprint Experience". They have an authentic race car that they fire up.

Autograph session - this is Amanda Wright, she of one of three Sprint Brand Ambassadors that serve as Miss Sprint Cup. She was really pleasant, cool and easy on the eyes.

There are also product demos and free swag for Sprint customers.

And a 8-person racing simulator game.

This picture made me think of Jon LoCoco.

The midway outside the race track is like a traveling carnival with NASCAR vendors hawking merchandise and also giving away free swag.

Extenze had the most risque slogans on their merchandise.

Dodge had a huge display area including a roller coaster reference (sort of)

Dodge also had a pit crew tire change challenge and trivia contests for prizes.

The elusive 3rd most popular "strip" in Vegas is located right next to the LVMS. NHRA holds their drag races here. Hey Justin!

Inside the Speedway, during qualifying.

I just don't like this guy!

The next afternoon after leaving my business meeting at the Wynn I saw this store inside the Wynn. Hey BeemerBoy!

On my 4 mile walk to Fremont I saw 8 LVPD patrol cars, "helping" out this gentleman who appeared to have fallen down in front of Stratosphere Tower.

One of Las Vegas' finer establishments.

I turned to take a picture of the Startosphere Tower and caught some of Vegas' hard working single moms leaving work.

This is Rick Harrison's Pawn Shop. He works here with his "Old Man" and his son, "Big Hoss".

And this is the line to get in. They let a limited number of people into the shop at a time and it is not as impressive as it appears on TV.

I finally made it to Fremont Street. Now, what to do?

Play some SEXY Blackjack at the Gold Spike!

Load up on some Beef Jerky.

No f'n way, I just got out of the Hot Tub Time Machine and Foghat is playing to a crowd of 19 people. The ride don't get any slower than that, playing to a free crowd on Fremont Street. Hang it up boys!

One thing I like is that The Neon Museum is preserving the history of Vegas signs and some old signs are now working at Fremont Street.

For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company has saved and stored many old signs in their "boneyard." The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements. The museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the Fremont Street Experience. Guided tours of the boneyard can be arranged through the museum website for $15.

The lamp that used to reside outside the old Aladdin casino.

I end with a failed artsy shot from the spot where those nice policeman were trying to help a gentleman earlier in the day.

[Meteornotes]

^Great job. Would love to hear more about your meal. I've never eaten there.

 

At least two of the original Foghat members are dead. I think it's like seeing one of those old '60's Motown groups now with no original members, that have licensed the name from the owners. Kind of sad, actually...

 

dt

[BeemerBoy]

Awesome work, Larry. Loved the captions.....and the Ferrari stuff!

[cfc]

^At least two of the original Foghat members are dead. I think it's like seeing one of those old '60's Motown groups now with no original members, that have licensed the name from the owners. Kind of sad, actually...

 

dt

 

We get those faux Motown groups at Busch Gardens every summer, and yes, it is pretty sad. Poor Foghat.

 

I'd love to take that tour of the sign boneyard--it's nice that they're being restored. As garish as they were, those old neon signs did have a lot of personality.

[larrygator]

The client's ordered many of the appetizers to share family style:

 

Kobe Meatballs with fresh whipped Ricotta - excellent cheese, but like I said Kobe Beef is overrated to me. The meatball itself didn't taste any better than a good Italian meatball.

Garlic Bread with Marinara sauce - it's garlic bread, not much to say

Seafood Plateau Piccolo (Crab/Shrimp/Lobster Cocktail, Raw Oysters/Clams, Tuna Ceviche) - I loved the Tuna

Spedini ala Romano - I usually really like Spedini but this was a little too salty

 

Fried Polenta - I accidentally tried a bite thinking it was fried mozzarella, I'm not a big polenta fan so I can't give a fair assessment

 

Shrimp Scampi entree - Nice big jumbo shrimp, very light on the bread crumbs, high on flavor

 

Desserts - I know they would probably kill you Dave but we sampled a whole bunch:

Seven Layer Chocolate Cake and Choclate Bread Pudding were my faves, but I'm a chocoholic.

[ebl]

 

Our UPS drivers here in SoCal should dress like that, since some of them drive like that...

 

Looks like you had a good time. It's been four years since my last real trip to Vegas (I don't count my stopover at McCarran Airport in 2008 as a visit).

 

Eric

[SharkTums]

A couple of things...

 

- I can't believe you did that walk between Wynn and Downtown and lived to tell the tale!!! Seriously, that takes some balls, I'm impressed!

 

- Only eight cop cars on that whole walk though? Doesn't seem like enough!

 

- Wow to the Pawn Stars line!! I was really interested in checking the place out (especially cause I heard the guys are super nice) but there is no way in hell I would wait in line for it!!!!

 

Thanks Larry! And thanks for leaving your pants on for the mirror pictures!

[Jew]

Awesome update Larry! I'll second Elissa's comments that I'm glad you survived that walk from downtown to the strip. Just walking from Stratosphere to Sahara was scary enough for me.

[larrygator]

Awesome update Larry! I'll second Elissa's comments that I'm glad you survived that walk from downtown to the strip. Just walking from Stratosphere to Sahara was scary enough for me.

 

I was out of money at the time and was hoping someone would jump me so I could turn the tables and take their money.

 

Seriously, being from New York I have no trouble walking anywhere in daytime, I've seen enough go down that I can spot and avoid trouble on the street and I still run pretty fast. I did take the bus for the rest of the trip out to Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix and back to the hotel.

 

Elissa - the 8 cop cars were just the ones at the Stratosphere "helping" that guy out.

[Kieran]

Awesome update man.

[ebl]

I used to stay downtown back in the early '80s, and walked to the Strip many times. Of course, 25-30 years ago things were quite different. It's a nice, long walk and a good way to get some exercise. Would I do it today? Probably...not.

 

Eric

[DenDen]

Wow, has Las Vegas Blvd gotten that bad? I did that walk every other day in the 90s. (Except in the middle of summer!) The only thing I ever ran into was someone asking for a cigarette, or someone trying to sell a bus pass. But police action was the norm back then, so I never really payed attention to it.