What are some must dos, eats, and shows? I live on the coast so I can gamble anytime. And I will some while Im there. But looking for other options. Thanks
OT: Headed to Las Vegas next week. Never been. Staying at the Paris for 4 days!
- Thread starter Rushisaband
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Just so you know, unfortunately, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas.
The Sphere is amazing. Even if you just go see the Wizard of Oz. It’s worth it.
I like Cathedral across the road in Cosmo.
I like Cathedral across the road in Cosmo.
Peep shows do NOT give out free peeps
Long story short...vegas is just kind of dirty and depressing to hang around more than 1 day
Thinking about Oz the afternoon we get there. Its my little girls 21st birthday and she has no idea we are going. Wanted to see a concert at the Sphere, but Im not paying $300 a tix for No Doubt
Honestly, it would probably be amazing.
I can think of worse people to see 500 foot, ultra high definition, images of than Gwen Stefani.
But do one or the other. It’s the best thing in Vegas, IMO.
Ask the Hispanic man dressed in a tux inside the lobby for a free steak dinner voucher.***
Drive down the strip at night and enjoy the lights, then just get to bed early and rest. You aren't missing out on much, unless you like to people watch like at the state fair or the boardwalk, which is better to do in the daylight.
I always enjoy going down to Fremont St. to where the old casinos used to be. Lotsa stuff to do down there.
The Pawn Stars shop is on the strip if you're into that sorta thing. It's not very big and won't take long to see. You should also drive out to Lake Meade and see the Hoover Damn or maybe drive out to Red Rock Canyon national park if you want a scenic view of the mountains and desert.
Bet the house, the boat, and the double wide on Mississippi State NCAA Football National Championship.**
I stay at MGM because of comps, but Paris is a good location. I try to stay around there down to Park MGM. Since you're already set on a hotel, I won't weigh in on that or spas. I'd plan a few good meals, but part of what I love about Vegas is just walking around and popping in random restaurants and bars. I usually do 15-20k steps per day when i go, so make sure to build some flexibility into whatever you set up
Here are my dining/bar recs for mgm:
-if you're going to do any really nice dinners: joel robuchon in mgm grand is my favorite; le cirque was expensive but a good experience too; haven't done e by jose andres; enjoyed picasso as well; these are all really expensive places where you're getting an experience
-still nice/expensive but less nuts: like bavette's at park mgm a lot; mayfair supper club is good at bellagio; catch and bardot brasserie are good; library at park mgm was a good environment and pretty good food; haven't had javier's at aria because it's always been too crowded for walkin; lago and spago were each ok but forgettable; have enjoyed yellowtail in bellagio when i've been but would go to catch over it
-more casual but good:
-best friend in park mgm (asian street food), eataly has some cool restaurants and bars, primrose has good breakfast/brunch, there are several casual places in cosmopolitan that were pretty good; see comments above about luxor/mandalay and other casinos
non-mgm:
-blackout: dining in the dark was OK food but a cool experience. it's off strip
-agree with lotus of siam
-mon ami gabi at paris was ok food but nice setting; i also went to the vanderpump place and nobu which were ok
-skybar at waldorf astoria - highly recommend, it's a bar but get reservations
-various things at fremont - would do a day/afternoon there and pop in places + go to the mob museum while you're up there
-venetian, palazzo, wynn, encore all have good food, i just haven't eaten there
i haven't done a ton of shows. ka and o were the cirque shows i've been to and both were good - prefer o over ka. shin lim was a good magic show. have just done various music shows outside of that.
Here are my dining/bar recs for mgm:
-if you're going to do any really nice dinners: joel robuchon in mgm grand is my favorite; le cirque was expensive but a good experience too; haven't done e by jose andres; enjoyed picasso as well; these are all really expensive places where you're getting an experience
-still nice/expensive but less nuts: like bavette's at park mgm a lot; mayfair supper club is good at bellagio; catch and bardot brasserie are good; library at park mgm was a good environment and pretty good food; haven't had javier's at aria because it's always been too crowded for walkin; lago and spago were each ok but forgettable; have enjoyed yellowtail in bellagio when i've been but would go to catch over it
-more casual but good:
-best friend in park mgm (asian street food), eataly has some cool restaurants and bars, primrose has good breakfast/brunch, there are several casual places in cosmopolitan that were pretty good; see comments above about luxor/mandalay and other casinos
non-mgm:
-blackout: dining in the dark was OK food but a cool experience. it's off strip
-agree with lotus of siam
-mon ami gabi at paris was ok food but nice setting; i also went to the vanderpump place and nobu which were ok
-skybar at waldorf astoria - highly recommend, it's a bar but get reservations
-various things at fremont - would do a day/afternoon there and pop in places + go to the mob museum while you're up there
-venetian, palazzo, wynn, encore all have good food, i just haven't eaten there
i haven't done a ton of shows. ka and o were the cirque shows i've been to and both were good - prefer o over ka. shin lim was a good magic show. have just done various music shows outside of that.
I enjoyed old Vegas when I went a few years ago. The lights are a little dated but still neat. Plus you could get a good steak for cheaper than the strip. It all seemed more down to earth. That was pre-Covid though.
If you want to feel poor and ugly go to the Cosmopolitan. The Hoover dam is surreal. I like the fountain show at the Bellagio even if it is touristy. Never been to the sphere but have heard it’s awesome from everyone who’s seen it.
If you want to feel poor and ugly go to the Cosmopolitan. The Hoover dam is surreal. I like the fountain show at the Bellagio even if it is touristy. Never been to the sphere but have heard it’s awesome from everyone who’s seen it.
Go to the Sphere and see something. If you will wait until a hour or two before showtime the prices drop tremendously. Food and alcohol are stupid expensive. There is a Walgreens near Paris, towards The Wynn, where you can at least get a sixpack for $12 rather than a single beer for $12. If you are a beer drinker pack a cheap collapsing cooler that’ll maybe hold a 12 pack. They’ve gotten smart and gone to wicker waste baskets or some such. One of the Cirque shows is worth the time and money. There is also a monorail that runs behind Paris most all the way down the Strip.if you want to eat anywhere nice or specific, make reservations now. A week out is probably already too late.
Prostitution is legal. So you could do that**
Actually it’s not in whatever county Las Vegas is in. You have to go to the next county.
How long does it take to get to Hoover Damn? For sure want to do that. Is it better to take a tour or go on your own?
He needs to know that in Clark County he should be getting a discount. Mississippi gets a bad enough rap without some ignorant bumpkin get charged with solicitation and all the cops laughing at him because he paid retail.
I am going Vegas in September when football is out of town. Nevada is number 49 on my list. I am going to the Sphere and take the Hoover Dam trip, plus other Vegas stuff…food and shows. I hope I won’t be stealing Mike Tyson’s Tiger or stuff like that. We’ll see.
You will not have coffee makers and coffee in your room. They figured that out a few years ago and make you go downstairs and buy either the store brand coffee or starbucks.
Ask, no BEG, Dan Mullen to make his triumphant return to Starkville.
Supposedly the Peppermint rhino or maybe it's spearmint rhino (some mint combined with a horned animal for sure) is the place to go? That may be dated info; not sure I've had anybody tell me about going there since before covid. But supposedly it put platinum plus to shame, at least with respect to talent. Not sure about the availability of extracurriculars or the willingness to blatantly violate the law on stage.
Show - Absinthe at Caesers. Raunchy but absolutely hilarious.
Papi Steak - Fontainbleau - An experience you can only get in Vegas or Miami
Stay out of Cosmo, once was a cool hotel, but it's been taken over by the Instagram and Hip Hop crowd. Great if you are into that, but too young for me now days.
I’ll say one thing about the Spearmint Rhino, the stripper to patron ratio was 20 to 1 when I went.
Man I hate to hear that. The Cosmopolitan was always my favorite place to stay. We rented out an entire floor for a week about 10 years ago. Week got way out of hand. Bro in law decided to marry a crazy Iranian chick while we were there so that night ,after I gave away The bride on behalf of the Talibenajhad family, we rented out the entire restaurant at the the Eiffel Tower just for our little group. It went completely overboard from there. One of the craziest, fun weeks ever. They treated us like royalty. I think we had like a month of comped rooms at Cosmo by the time we left. Don’t know that I will ever get to experience Vegas that way ever again. All I can say is that if you are willing to spend the money there is always someone close by to get you whatever your heart desires at the drop of hat. It’s another world.
The Wicked Spoon at cosmo used to be the best buffet in Vegas.
For a little something different I spent like half a day in the mob museum in old Vegas. I thought it was fantastic but, I’m one of those read every plaque guys.
Also the sports book at Circa off Fremont is badass. It’s the biggest in Vegas and have had some good times in there.
Don’t know your style but if you talk with the concierge at Paris and tell them you would like VIP at certain locals. (CH,SR, etc). They will get you a ride, walk you through the back door, and kick people off of just about any table you want. Not that I partake in that kind of debachery. Just know a guy.
All the touristy stuff is actually pretty cool if it's the first time you're going. The Sphere is newest and probably the best, but they are all nice. The fountain at Bellagio. Eiffel Tower at Paris. High Roller ferris wheel. Circ du Soleil shows (I liked the Beatles one, but I think it's over). But trying to think of other more non-traditional stuff:
There is a track where you can drive supercars. You can race Porsches, McLarens, Lambos, etc. Very cool and not as expensive as you think.
Our group rented Harleys and went out to Hoover Dam one year a while back. Worth it. Get a soft tail. I got a sportster because it seemed cooler at the time, but I traded for a while with the guy who knew more than me, and after my *** was sore from the trip out, it was like driving a cadillac on the way back.
They have helicopter tours around the strip. I've never been but my buddy has and said it was cool. They also have helicopters from Vegas that go to the Grand Canyon - that sounds like a 17'ing awesome ride.
If you go downtown, you should go up to Stadium Swim at Circa, at least just to see it. All the nice casinos have really cool pool areas, but holy shat that one is crazy.
Lastly, the Stratosphere hotel (The STRAT) has a few rides on top, like 90 stories in the air. There's a rollercoaster and maybe something else, but I did the SkyJump years ago, where they strap you into a suit and you jump off the side of the hotel from a platform about 850 feet up, and land in the parking lot (hopefully on your feet). It's not the scariest thing I've ever done... but I might have sharted a little when I stood with my toes on the edge and looked down. It was really fun once I landed and could look back up and thank God I didn't die.