Does anyone else join me in really not liking having to visit Las Vegas?

[IheartIheartTesla]

Might as well say "I dont like the Strip". Even native Las Vegas folks would tell you the city is more than just that small piece (albeit one that provides a lot of revenue).

Then again, the airport had slot machines in it, so I guess you cant escape from the casino aspects there.

Then again (again?), it sounds to me like a libertarian paradise where all vices are loosely regulated, and the casinos even have their private security maintaining organizations so maybe (yet again) libertarian theory sounds better than actual libertarian practice.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

7 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

Might as well say "I dont like the Strip". Even native Las Vegas folks would tell you the city is more than just that small piece (albeit one that provides a lot of revenue).

Then again, the airport had slot machines in it, so I guess you cant escape from the casino aspects there.

Then again (again?), it sounds to me like a libertarian paradise where all vices are loosely regulated, and the casinos even have their private security maintaining organizations so maybe (yet again) libertarian theory sounds better than actual libertarian practice.

The strip is the very definition of “plastic” and “conspicuous consumption”.  I really want to get into the mountains surrounding Vegas on my next visit.  They look beautiful.

[DMC]

17 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

The hell is Caesars?

Caesars Palace.

5 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

Might as well say "I dont like the Strip". Even native Las Vegas folks would tell you the city is more than just that small piece (albeit one that provides a lot of revenue).

Yeah I've been to the rest of Vegas.  In fact, that's often where I would stay when visiting my aforementioned crazy aunt.  All I did the entire time was wonder when we could go to the strip.

[TrueMetis]

10 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

Might as well say "I dont like the Strip". Even native Las Vegas folks would tell you the city is more than just that small piece (albeit one that provides a lot of revenue).

Then again, the airport had slot machines in it, so I guess you cant escape from the casino aspects there.

Then again (again?), it sounds to me like a libertarian paradise where all vices are loosely regulated, and the casinos even have their private security maintaining organizations so maybe (yet again) libertarian theory sounds better than actual libertarian practice.

I'd imagine that native Las Vegas folks would tell you that "the Strip" is in fact not actually in La Vegas. For tax purposes pretty much everything on the Strip is actually located in Paradise, everything from the welcome to Las Vegas sign to Desert Inn road is actually outside of Vegas. The includes  casino's like Caesars, the MGM Grand and the Mirage.

[Cas Stark]

Vegas is pretty lame, you can feel you have 'done' it in 2 days tops unless you enjoy gambling.  There are some decent restaurants, but that's about it. 

However, it's not that far of a drive to several beautiful parks.  Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon are both about a 4 hour drive and well worth it.  Zion nat park is only 2 something hours.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

12 minutes ago, DMC said:

Caesars Palace.

Yeah I've been to the rest of Vegas.  In fact, that's often where I would stay when visiting my aforementioned crazy aunt.  All I did the entire time was wonder when we could go to the strip.

I thought MZ was referencing some high end shoe store, not the casino. It has a mall?

Also, per Wedding Crashers, which is basically the same as academia, crazy aunts are into giving weird sex gifts, so you should have asked her to take you to the Bunny Ranch instead.

[DMC]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

It has a mall?

Yes.

5 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

crazy aunts are into giving weird sex gifts, so you should have asked her to take you to the Bunny Ranch instead.

I don't have a witty response to this.  Honestly, things could just get weird.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

7 minutes ago, DMC said:

Yes.

I don't have a witty response to this.  Honestly, things could just get weird.

Good to know.

And weird isn't always bad. This also happened in Vegas.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

Good to know.

 

Stick with me - I always know my way to a good shoe store.

[IheartIheartTesla]

41 minutes ago, TrueMetis said:

I'd imagine that native Las Vegas folks would tell you that "the Strip" is in fact not actually in La Vegas. For tax purposes pretty much everything on the Strip is actually located in Paradise, everything from the welcome to Las Vegas sign to Desert Inn road is actually outside of Vegas. The includes  casino's like Caesars, the MGM Grand and the Mirage.

Well then, there is really no reason to hate Las Vegas more so than any other moderate sized city. Lets all transfer our hatred to Paradise, "a more wretched hive of scum and villiany you will not find in the Universe"

[lokisnow]

I don't love vegas, but I like some of the shows/concerts, which is the usual reason we will go. I like the food too, and I like all the walking, but I just don't drink enough to enjoy it as much as in my twenties. Gambling more than twenty bucks gives me a panic attack, so that's not really a draw, and the smoke makes my eyes water and drives me to get the hell out.

Last time we were there there were gigantic vertical curved screen game of thrones slot machines, I actually won about 15 bucks while we were killing time before a show. but it's all just nausea inducing video confetti on screen that makes no sense, some I'm always irritated by the opacity of videogame slots even if I somehow won.

Embarassingly, the first four times I went to vegas, I never once did any table games, because I assumed all the signs up that said $15, or $20 meant that every single bet was a minimum $20, for example. Also, I didn't know if I could plunk money down on the table or had to go find chips from the big side cashier kiosks.

[James Arryn]

Have never been, will never go. It sounds like my least favourite place on earth. 

[S John]

3 hours ago, lady narcissa said:

 

Regarding the smoke and having to walk through the casinos and sensory overload, this is why I always stay at the Palazzo these days.  You can totally avoid the casino if you want as they have a whole shopping/restaurant level above the casino level which you can use for coming and going and completely avoid all of that.

Next time you have to go there for work, if you want some suggestions for some places to go or eat to make your time there a little less horrible for you, let me know.

We've stayed at the Palazzo the last couple of times too and I agree that one is really great.  I'm curious about the Wynn and Encore too, having walked through them last time, but Palazzo is my favorite one I've stayed in so far.  

Scot, why you worrying about restaurant prices if you are there on business?  Expense that shit and live it up!

I was certain I wouldn't like Vegas before I ever visited.  Wrong.  Fucking love it. 

The people watching is top notch, you can drink and smoke everywhere, amazing restaurants everywhere, spas, shows, cool nature nearby, etc, etc.  I've been probably about 5 times.  I think that depending on what you are doing there, 2 nights can be more than enough.  Like if you are there to party, 2 days is definitely plenty of time to be there.   But if you are kind if taking it easy, going to spas, seeing shows, hitting the nice restaurants, lightly gambling, 3 or 4 day weekend in Vegas is fine for me.

My wife and I were in Vegas recently and one of the days we were there was basically: room service breakfast, to the spa @ Caesars for a 1hr massage + a couple hrs. chillin in the spa facilities, back to the room to get showered and dressed, found a cocktail bar for some pre-dinner whisky's, ate at a fantastic restaurant, post dinner whisky, played some roulette to close out the evening (and won $700 on a $20 bet!), back to room.  I'd be more than happy to have more days like that one.  I feel like you've gotta take advantage of at least some of the ridiculous over the top stuff in order to appreciate Vegas.  Do things you wouldn't normally do at home. 

And finally, I haven't been the past couple trips, but I have been to a bachelor party or two in Vegas and I have to say that the strip clubs are operating on an entirely different plane from your typical American establishment.  You should check one out, Scot.

[lady narcissa]

3 minutes ago, S John said:

We've stayed at the Palazzo the last couple of times too and I agree that one is really great.  I'm curious about the Wynn and Encore too, having walked through them last time, but Palazzo is my favorite one I've stayed in so far.  

It's interesting because I like to read reviews of the hotels and overwhelmingly everyone is always very pro Wynn/Encore over Palazzo/Venetian.  But I've never had a bad experience at the Palazzo and I like how they have a shuttle from the airport if you don't rent a car or if you rent a car, their garage is the easiest to get into and out of traffic wise and has easy access to the highway compared to the others on the Strip.  I always look at prices before I go there and the Wyn/Encore rooms are always more expensive than the Palazzo.  Generally double the cost.  But the Wynn/Encore rooms are only 400 sf-ish which compared to the 800 sf you get in the smallest most standard room at the Palazzo is tiny.  I mean if you are in Vegas, why not go for the ginormous cheaper room?!

But I'm a bit biased against the Wyn I must admit.  I spent years working on the renovation and expansion of the old Desert Inn Hotel for Sheraton and then Wyn purchased it and blew it up and built the Wyn and there went my building.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Stick with me - I always know my way to a good shoe store.

Thepersonwhoispayingsayswhat!

[HexMachina]

Smoking in public establishments is still a thing? Is this just Vegas or the US in general?

(I realise this is the wrong take away from the thread...)

[Ran]

35 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Smoking in public establishments is still a thing? Is this just Vegas or the US in general?

(I realise this is the wrong take away from the thread...)

26 states have statewide bans on smoking in public places. 6 have bans on non-adult public venues -- Nevada is one of these. Casinos often have smoking and non-smoking areas. 

[TrueMetis]

2 hours ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

Well then, there is really no reason to hate Las Vegas more so than any other moderate sized city. Lets all transfer our hatred to Paradise, "a more wretched hive of scum and villiany you will not find in the Universe"

IIRC it used to not have a real police force so casino security would handle a lot of it, so a pretty accurate quotation really.

[DMC]

50 minutes ago, Ran said:

26 states have statewide bans on smoking in public places.

I think a more accurate way to say this is 26 states have bans on enclosed areas, particularly bars and restaurants.  The latter is important to emphasize because there are many exemptions for hotels, clubs, hookah bars, and casinos.  Even in the banned states, there's some places that get around this.

[Fez]

10 minutes ago, DMC said:

I think a more accurate way to say this is 26 states have bans on enclosed areas, particularly bars and restaurants.  The latter is important to emphasize because there are many exemptions for hotels, clubs, hookah bars, and casinos.  Even in the banned states, there's some places that get around this.

There's also usually grandfather clauses for places that were open pre-ban that want to stay smoking-allowed. I've been to at least one bar in Alexandria, Virginia recently that still allowed smoking. I didn't realize it, my friends suggested the place, and I wasn't a fan.

What does seem to be totally gone are bars that sell loose cigarettes. I'm not sure if that was ever actually legal, but when I first moved to Virginia I went to few places that still did that.