Vegas baby
 

I live about an hours plane ride from Vegas yet never fancied going at all. It just seemed all hype and fake and not something I would enjoy. Recently my Brit pal came for her first ever US visit and off we went to Sin City. Wowza.. Crazy, overwhelming, yep fake but oh dear.. I LOVED IT!!!! Planning a trip in Feb with the hubby who has been a ton of times and doesn't really want to go again but will go for a couple of days. If you haven't been then GO!

Re: Vegas baby
 

Been twice and absolutely hated it both times, my idea of hell - so definitely won't be going again! :lol:

Glad you enjoyed it, everybody I know that has visited has thought it was awful though so I think it's definitely a 'Marmite' kind of place.

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I'm with you...I love Vegas. :thumbup:

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My sister-in-law and her husband have moved to Vegas, and we visited them there in February. It's a very, very strange place indeed, but I like it much more than I was expecting to. Cheesy and fake of course but yet it has more of a soul than I expected. The area in downtown LV (not the Strip) where s-i-l lives is actually quite cool and funky.

The desert setting makes it even weirder. I remember waking up on our first morning and watching the sun rise over the mountains and it felt like I was watching the sun rise over a Mars colony.

We're having Christmas with them
in LV and we decided to go the full Vegas experience by booking a fountain-view room at the Bellagio. Should be fun!

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Just remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ;)

https://memecrunch.com/meme/73EM3/ve....png?w=500&c=1

Re: Vegas baby
 

Daughter lived in the Red Rock Canyon area and loved it and I loved visiting her. Yup, Vegas' strip is cheesy but fun. Love the shows and the varied restaurants. Even if you don't want to spend money, there are the outdoor shows to marvel at.

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I'd love to check out Vegas! I've seriously tried to persuade the husband to take me both times we've lived here. When our kids were little in TX in the 90s we always planned a summer "escape the heat" driving holiday. I researched it well, figured we could do a western drive (San Antonio, Tucson, etc.) in just a few days with an ultimate destination of LV. But at the very last minute the husband vetoed that, said it would be too hot & "Vegas is no place for kids!!" & hijacked the whole plan to go to Arkansas instead.

Arkansas did turn out a brilliant drive/hol, which I'm glad we did... but I missed seeing the southwest USA & Las Vegas. :( :thumbdown:

Ironically, the husband had a business convention in LV years later but I couldn't go. He hated the place, of course, so now if I ever go it'll most likely have to be on my own or with a friend.... :(

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Indeed :)

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-BdhhKqx-M.jpg

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Fabulous!!!!

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I go every year. Back out in 4 weeks. Best place on earth!

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Worst place on earth. I've flown there twice in the past year, rented a car and got out of it as quickly as possible. I'm going there again this Thanksgiving to hike Red Rock Canyon/Mt Charleston etc but will stay right on the western edge and not venture closer.

Re: Vegas baby
 

It's a bit like Marmite, really.

I went in 2004 with my not-yet-hubby. We went first to Napa, then to Yosemite. Spent a couple of days enjoying the peace and tranquility, climbed Vernal Falls, stayed at the Yosemite Bug. Bliss.

Next stop... Vegas. Bad move, y'all - talk about a shock to the system. I hated it so much I didn't go back for 11 years. We took the kids there last summer as the first stop on a mega road trip (4,000 miles!) and I enjoyed it more. Still don't love it, but it can be fun if you're in the right frame of mind.

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Went once to a trade conference. Couldn't give a rats är§ė if I never go back. :unsure:

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Vegas... go there once, see what it's all about and then you've ticked the box.

I appreciate that a lot of people seem to enjoy it, but personally there are about a hundred other places I'd rather be spending my time.

This thanksgiving we are off to Sequoia National Park for the first time - can't wait.

Re: Vegas baby
 

You don't get nuthin' free in Vegas. They get you for everything down to free coffee in the hotel room. If you want a morning coffee as I always do I had to buy it a Starbucks in the casino and at almost twice the price I pay for it where I live. I also get tired of the time share peddlers or the real estate hucksters who want to sell you a piece of worthless land in the middle of the desert. Even the nude shows are a let down.

Vegas to me is just a plastic city

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May need chains the way things have started this fall/winter. Great National park and so much less crowded than Yosemite.

Re: Vegas baby
 

I always hated it (I find casinos to be depressing), but my g/f loves it, and I've finally learned to enjoy one thing - the shows. Last four or five trips, we go see a Cirque du Soleil show, and I can't imagine anyone not enjoying one of those (Ka being my favorite). There are some good restaurants also, though they are not cheap.

It's a good launching point for Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, two of the best NP's in the world.

Re: Vegas baby
 

Go 3 hours south/southwest to find City of Industry. Cough. Apparently. :sneaky: Actually somebody mentioned Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity was both funny and erotic with portions topless (don't recall nudity).

I don't get the buffets. Like a big Hometown Buffet. Lots of crap food. The worst we ever went to was the MGM Grand where, on a Saturday evening, one entire section was closed off and the beef was the chewiest I've had in a long time. Over in downtown LV they're better and cheaper but still.

Re: Vegas baby
 

They used to do a pretty decent seafood buffet at Rio's Casino on the other side of the I-15 from the strip

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You could have just sat down at a penny machine, play $1 buck and let them bring you a "free" coffee ($1 play+1$tip = $2 coffee, cheaper than Starbucks :D ).

I like Vegas, at least for a couple of days, couldn't stay longer than ~5 days I think.
Been there twice this year and it was overall my third time. I like to gamble, but I also always try to get out at least once a trip for a horseback ride or a tour to something.

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I have often wondered how much you would have to pay me to get me to visit the place !

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+1 all totally fake. Since I have never gambled, the whole idea is an abomination.

Re: Vegas baby
 

Well excuse me, some of our learned Murican friends think France copied the Eiffel tower from them!!

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I spent a few days there on honeymoon and then met up with both sides of family there for our second Christmas after we moved to Australia.

Love it. Think we are due another trip soon, I might do it with my BA companion ticket. We are not interested in casinos, we sometimes use the penny slots for an hour or so and we say we might allow a $150 budget for tables but we have nev spent it yet.

We like Cirque de Soliel, the dining options are very good, we wander around the different hotels and maybe do one trip a little further afield.

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Vegas is an "experience". Worth a visit just to people-watch and enjoy their versions of Venice and Paris. To us well traveled Europeans that have been to such places it's just plain old cheesy fun.

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^^^ Yep, this is exactly why I want to see it. I don't gamble & don't drink alcohol, which seem to be the basic pitfalls of LV, but I love people-watching & photography, so it's on my bucket list. Hubby was forced to endure a four day conference there & says he will never willingly return, but I'm bound & determined to get there! :lol:

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When you are in Vegas the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam are close by and in my opinion well worth a visit.
Death Valley is a bit further.
The Nation Atomic Testing Museum is worth a visit, there were tours out to the grounds where you could see the original benches at Frenchman's Flats but it was a long waiting list.
The Neon Museum is another quirky place.

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Other places to visit within a couple of hours drive or less

Valley of Fire State Park head north on I15 past the Speedway

A drive along Red Rock Canyon Rd state highway 159 West side of Vegas

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That's what my husband likes to do when we go to Vegas...use it as a base. His favourite is probably Monument Valley.

When I go with my daughter...we hang out by the pool then hit the shops, restaurants, bars and shows.

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Monument Valley - 400 miles, 6.5 hours ... that's a long way from 'base' ! :) . But then, Monument Valley is not easily accessible from anywhere, I guess. I've driven up from Scottsdale, and it's not much closer.

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Many people do the flying trips, easily done in a day. We did an overnighter, might even have been two nights to see Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, all by little plane. My FIL wanted to see Grand Canyon and he just did that on a day trip (flying).

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One thing I noticed about Vegas is what a complete slum it is just 3 or 4 blocks off the strip. Higher concentration of aggressive tramps than the NYC subway.

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I noticed that same thing when we were in Bournemouth last year. We wandered off course trying to get from the beach area to the train station. I was actually quite nervous walking down some of those streets. it was scary. :eek:

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That seems to be true around the world, in my experience of it. There are places in London where you can (could?) go from property I will never be able to afford to run-down dereliction within a few minutes walk.

The same is true of the cities and larger towns in NC where I live and work now - the historic district and downtown offices to ratty houses and drug-related shootings in a just a few blocks. :blink: Redevelopment and "gentrification" just seems to push the poverty and violence in a wave ahead of it into nearby areas.

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If it's in London, you likely still couldn't afford it :lol:

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I've done it on the small plane trip from Vegas for the day and loved it. Also did the Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire.

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When I lived in London most of my net worth was tied up in a small house. I could return, but only if I was willing to reverse the process, selling almost all my non-pension assets and using the proceeds to buy a house.

Re: Vegas baby
 

I like Vegas for the lights and people watching.

I never drink there and very rarely gamble. Might spend 5 mins playing nickel slots or drop a quarter in a machine walking to or from the room.