Are you a fan of Las Vegas?

Parent Cafe
81

I’ve only been once – this year for a conference – and I liked it and already want to go back. I imagine what I like in a vacation is different than most/many others. It was 1 day conference but I decided I wasn’t flying 6 hrs from the east coast for 1 day – so I stayed 3 nights, 4 days.

Not into gambling or alcohol (and didn’t at all) – but I LOVE fancy hotels. So I enjoyed the Bellagio, and loved walking around 2-3 other properties and seeing how grand they were/yet all different in terms of themes/décor. Walked through the small garden/botanical thing they have at the Bellagio, walked through the floral décor at the Wynn, loved the Wynn Esplanade with the fancy shopping esp Rolex. For me a vacation has to be walkable and has to be a city – this gives you both but very different from east coast city life. Was mesmerized by the mountains and the fact that you can see them from most everywhere – ended up going up in the High Roller (the wheel that looks like the London Eye just to get mountain views). Watched the Bellagio Fountains though inexplicably only 1-2 times (I guess I didn’t realize it’s a different show every 15 min or else I would’ve stood out there for an hr or 2). And because I wake up early in the morning, I got a couple mornings to just sit at breakfast or at Starbucks and people watch and then walk the strip and get a look around when it was a bit emptier as people were still sleeping (or hadn’t gone to sleep yet).

Already want to go back. Maybe for the same conference next year? Helps that it’s in Feb. when it’s typically freezing back east and about 60-70 degrees in LV with sun. Will it have the same allure once the newness of it has worn off? IDK. But I feel like the fancy hotels, seeing other properties, stores will still have allure. I would love to drive the Scenic Loop at Red Rock. I would love to take in a show. And I honestly didn’t run into any house/cover bands but as a music lover that’d be great esp if I could find one at night at my own hotel – I guess I turned in pretty early each night being on east coast time.

82

Agree that Las Vegas is a great location for a 2 to 4 day conference. Instant friends & lots to do & to see just walking around.

Some hotel pools are incredible, but get too crowded on weekends.

83

I went for the first (well, second, but I was about 5 years old the first time and don’t remember it) time last year and didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would.

I hate casinos. We’ve been to Reno and South Lake Tahoe a few times so I’ve experienced the joy that is desperate smokers joylessly feeding quarters into slot machines in a huge room with artificial lighting and way too many flashing lights… total sensory overload of the worst sort. I also try to avoid crowds. We went there last year for a couple of nights over spring break as the midpoint rendezvous because D15’s spring break week was a week earlier than my younger kids’, so I drove to Death Valley with her, then we met up with my husband and the younger 2 in LV (they flew in on the Friday night after school and then on the Sunday afternoon she flew out) and then the rest of us drove on to Zion and a couple of other parks.

So in any case… what I liked: Red Rock Canyon is gorgeous; the Neon Museum is really interesting (book ahead); the Mob Museum was also good; we all enjoyed the Blue Man Group show; and of course, the city is conveniently located near the Hoover dam and a number of the desert SW national parks.

What I didn’t like, apart from the casinos that I mostly avoided: we went to see the Bellagio fountains and oh my goodness was that cheesy. Maybe we hit the cheesiest music time slot or something. We had a view of an ‘adults only’ pool from our room and the water was absolutely disgusting. I don’t get the draw of lying on a chair next to a hotel pool in the middle of a city. Like… go to the beach. Or a lake. Or somewhere pretty and relaxing. We also were there only about 6 months after the shooting and every time I saw the Mandalay Bay that’s all I could think about. Pretty sad time for their city.

84

One of the employees at our company was in the shooting. He was shot but is ok. I haven’t been there since the shooting but I’m sure it would color my comfort level.

It’s not somewhere I would go over other places, but I have enjoyed my many business trips there. We’ve gone to something called Cowboy Christmas a couple of times in December which is a giant crafts fair/vendor sales thing in connection with the rodeo finals. It was terrific.

85

I was there the day after the shooting. I didn’t even know it had happened until right before I left for the airport. Not one person there, neither hotel staff nor fellow tourists, mentioned a word about it. I’m sure the staff was instructed not to talk about it to avoid bringing everyone down. There was a large “security” presence in all of the casinos though.

86

Les Vegas = Disneyland on steroids.

I never liked the tacky false glamour of Vegas. Plus, I’m not much of a gambler. As soon as I start losing I stop playing.

One of D2’s best friends from HS was in the crowd during the shooting. She was not hit. She ran and hid in the doorway of some nearby building until the shooting stopped. She said it was terrifying.

87

Never have been but we went to Disney once years ago so do plan on a couple days in Vegas in the next year or two for the experience.

88

@musicmom1215 - having only been there once, I can totally see how you’d be there and not knowing a thing about what happened until you were leaving for the airport. When I was there in Feb., I was actually fascinated (and weirded out) by how distant you are from ANY kind of news. Sure you can check on your phone, but being from the east coast and esp in DC – people talk about the news obsessively (it’s a bit too much TBH in DC but even in NYC, you’re no where near devoid of news). But in Vegas, it was a stark contrast in 4 days I never walked by any party that was talking about ANY current event. On my last morning there, I was up at like 7 am, went to breakfast at a restaurant with a million TV screens and actually thought – great, I can catch some headlines on at least one of these TVs. Nope – not ONE TV in that bar was on any kind of news. Don’t even know what was on TV at that hour, but no news – not even a local station; probably sports from the other side of the world.

I realize that part of it is the escapism of it. You’re on vacation, escaping from real life – but I feel like I’ve definitely vacationed other places where you see a TV with news on or you see people at breakfast picking up a newspaper and at least scanning the headlines. At the Bellagio – don’t even know where I’d get a free newspaper and I figured if I asked (even to buy one), they may look at me like I’m insane. It’s a very Disney, fantasy away from the real world feel. TBH it probably wasn’t even that hard for them to “hide” the shooting news esp. if you weren’t on the Mandalay, Delano part of the strip, since they could bank on the fact that 99% of their population hadn’t checked any kind of news though I imagine people were getting concerned texts from back home and knew something was up but prob didn’t look into it further as they were having fun.

89

Just read an article in the NYT about Emma Thompson with a great quote about Las Vegas (she was there to promote a couple of films).

“In Vegas, Thompson had an 11-hour break between presentations, during which time she gambled, napped, ate and drank. By the end of the day, she felt like she had been there for 50 years, wondered if that was what everybody in Vegas felt, and was seized by the need to escape lest she suffocate and die.”

Yup. That pretty much sums up how I feel about the place. The parallels to Disneyland/Disneyworld/Epcot are not lost on me – all reflect the worst of American “kitsch” that people here seem to love so much.

If I were looking for a place to stay that I could access the Grand Canyon from (if I weren’t staying near the canyon), I’d pick Sedona any day from Sunday.

Having said that, if someone gave me tickets to a show of a performer or spectacle that I was interested in seeing, I’d go (but if I could get tickets to see the show there or in San Diego, LA, San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Chicago, St.Louis, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte, etc. etc. – or pretty much any major American city – 'd pick the other city over Vegas any day of the week.

I will say, however, that some 30 plus years ago, Vegas was the starting point for one of the most exhilarating experiences that I had ever had – I had the opportunity to fly shotgun in a small plane that passed over Hoover Dam and flew to and into – and INTO – the Grand Canyon (in those days, small planes were allowed to fly beneath the rim. We flew about 2/3 of the length of the canyon before heading back to Vegas. I’d do that again in a heartbeat – but I’d rather not have to go to Vegas to do it!

90

^^^ That’s pretty much how I feel about New York City.

91

I’ve been several times - from very young, to being the only one under 21, to a few times as an adult.

It’s not that great, IMO. The last time was the worst though - when I was in my wheelchair. It’s disturbingly inaccessible.

I think I’d like to go back there when I can afford shows and whatnot. I like to gamble but it’s not really any better than just hopping the border to Windsor to gamble there.

92

I’m going next week for the first time. You folks are scaring me. We don’t gamble and we hardly ever drink either. We’re planning a trip to Hoover Dam, and we have tickets to some shows. DD and DH love the pools, and we all love to eat. DD wants to see Avengers Station, even though the reviews weren’t that good. We’ll see.

We love Disney and Universal, but it was time for a new destination. New Orleans is on the list too.

93

@Groundwork2022 : No need to be scared. Experience depends in large part upon one’s hotel. Many are exquisite, while some are in need of updating. Plenty to do beyond gambling & drinking.

Some of the major hotels are like small cities.

94

@Groundwork2022 be sure to take comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk a lot!

95

@Groundwork2022 - I would also suggest taking a little cardigan sweater, wrap, or lightweight jacket. I know that sounds crazy given the outside temperatures, but the casinos and restaurants can be downright chilly. Something that is easy to take off and put on.

96

Don’t be scared. The hotels are beautiful to go in and see. You’ll enjoy that. The shows are great, the restaurants great! The Bellagio has a fine arts center. We saw an exhibition of the FAberge Eggs once, it was really good. Check out to see what they are showing.

97

I had a very straight-laced, proper friend who, along with her husband, took her two teenage sons to Vegas several years ago. A man in her church told her they simply HAD to go to the Jubilee show at Bally’s, so they did. Her sons were very impressed with the topless showgirls. My friend was mortified that she had corrupted her kids, and dismayed that the church friend had suggested it. (The show closed in 2016; I never saw it.)

98

Cirque de Soleil is incredible. Different hotels offer different Cirque shows. Absolutely amazing.

P.S. Just checked the internet. There are seven (7) Cirque de Soleil shows currently running in Las Vegas.

99

I think you have to accept it for the spectacle (not a bad thing) that it is and don’t compare it with your mountain hideaway vacation. I’ve traveled a lot on business (and personal trips) and I try to make the most of each place and appreciate the uniqueness. It used to be that shopping malls were fascinating because there were local and regional stores and it was a lot of fun to see the differences. Now you can be dropped into a mall somewhere and you would have no way of knowing where you are. Las Vegas offers a lot as a convention venue. In fact, it is one of only a few places in the country with enough hotel space to host many conferences/conventions. The hospitality industry is fascinating to me, and I’ve read about the thousands of employees that work to keep those huge hotels/casinos going. Wages are low, needless to say. I’ve also done “normal work” in Las Vegas and you see a totally different side when you engage in the business community.

My first flight ever to Vegas- in the 90s- I sat next to BB King. We spoke and he told me about Vegas and “must dos”. I will never forget that.

100

Decades ago, I was “trapped” in the Las Vegas airport with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Just the four of us.