He said ‘West of the Highway’, north of the Wynn and south of downtown...then listed some properties that do not meet the criteria. The only property that does is Palace Station if the highway is I-15. So I’m wondering if “the Highway” is I-15 or is it Las Vegas Blvd.?
Thanks for clarifying. Peppermill (north of Encore) has a very cool lounge called Fireside. It’s worth a visit. Sahara’s is a ‘luxury’ property with excellent restaurants and pool. It’s biggest problem is it’s location. I’ve never been in Palace Station or Gold Coast. At Circus Circus the Steakhouse is one of the best steak houses in LV. I’m not a fan of the Rio. The Stratosphere has an excellent lounge and restaurant at the top of the needle. It’s also fun to watch the rides up there for a few minutes. The Palms has good restaurants and an excellent concert venue. I know a lot of people who like to stay in it’s high end rooms. A surprising property is The Orleans. It has a nice collection of lounges a few of which often have live music.
I have no first hand knowledge of this. That said, there are cougars at pretty much every bar in town. A quick google search for Las Vegas Cougar Bars didn’t turn up anything at The Orleans.
The rio is the meh-est of the mega-resorts. There’s absolutely no reason to go there if you’re not staying there. Orleans has the arena and hosts tournaments and such. Also generous for comps, while close-ish to the strip. A good place if you want a place with plenty of options without the strip price tag. At first I thought you said cigar bar. Cougars are probably going to be at places like the palms, cosmo, and the like. Higher concentrations of young single guys with a decent amount of cash. I’m assuming you’re looking for a wild cougar and not a professional. I liked Hard Rock, I believe it’s under conversion to Virgin. Palms was never my jam, too far away if you’re not staying, seeing a band, or partying. If you want to get really wild, Red Rock, Green Valley, and Aliante, are basically triplets. Nice, newish, cheaper, but they’re a ways away from anything else for tourists. They’ve also got locals entertainment like movie theaters and bowling alleys. There’s a lot of good food, gambling, and things to do all around the valley, but it’s spread out. Your typical visitor is best served on the strip or downtown. Generally you’ll only want to stay out away if you’re: -A frequent visitor -Have an event at/near a far-off property -Want to get outdoors a significant amount -Are super cheap and renting a car to drive to the strip
To the out of the way properties I would add The M as a top destination, and South Point as the next tier below those listed. Red Rock and Green Valley were two of my favorites when I lived in LV.
I’ve always heard about the M buffet, but haven’t been. It’s really interesting what living there does for your outlook on the city. I’m pretty much always going to stick to the strip or maybe downtown to stay, but I’ll definitely have the urge to get out to other places, especially to meet up with local friends.
I just want to say I love this thread because I like to discuss LV stuff, but the people I know there just aren’t that interested in talking about it. It’s just kind of there to them, which is understandable. Just in the last 2-3 years the conversations have changed from running wherever to place bets and sending pics of tickets to all app-based bets where they rarely even go to physical casinos.
I saw some hotels are opening back up in December. What is vegas like now? Kicking around a february trip if things settle down with COVID
I went in august. It’s probably 70% of what it was in terms of occupancy. They’ve got security hounding people about masks. I saw multiple people thrown out of the Mandalay Bay pool, or being asked where your mask is on the casino floor, or reminders mask over the nose. I’d say compliance is 90% during the day. Then starting around 10pm, you see dwindling mask compliance every hour. It just gets too overwhelming for security. Pool parties and nightclubs are closed unless you pony up for vip. Only a handful of places do the temperature check thing. I had a great time. Allowed me to venture out and check out Fremont which is never something I would’ve thought to do before. Saw Welvan Da Great there.
The Park MGM (formerly Monte Carlo) recently reopened smoke free. They have since cut back to a Thursday thru Sunday schedule. The Cromwell reopened at the end of October, which means all of the Strip properties are now open in some capacity. I would imagine there are excellent deals to be had since occupancy is still way down. The Strip occupancy was 43% in August, but has improved recently. Downtown occupancy has been higher than on The Strip. I’ve heard some properties are close to being full on the weekends.
Once I discovered Downtown I tried to go at least once monthly. Had drinks with racer there one afternoon. I tried to go at Halloween and when concerts were scheduled at the 3 outdoor concert stages. It’s a different vibe and less of a hassle than The Strip.
I saw some decent acts free in the Fremont st stages. The get some good pulls on event weekends. Spent a lot of time out there because I worked at LVB and Stewart, which is 2 blocks from the Fremont St Experience and right across from Downtown Grand. Nearly every day I’d take a two-hour lunch and go eat/play downtown. That was the life.
I have some details that I won’t share on here for now. Sounds as if it was accidental, and not an OD. Also very bizarre.
Yeah, hadn’t been reported yet when the initial news broke. Saw some screenshots of texts going around his circles a few days ago. Seems he was pretty fucked up on K and some other stuff when that fire started and was experimenting with propane.
Huffing, I assume. The second, much less likely theory I’ve seen is that he tried to fill the room and go kaboom.
Anyone been lately? Doing Zion National Park this weekend with the girlfriend but we’ll be in Vegas starting mid-afternoon Saturday for the night. Staying at Planet Hollywood. Buddy of mine suggested Momofuku for dinner so reservations there are the only plans currently (open to other suggestions). This is first time she’s ever been so want to show her around a bit but have no clue what to expect.
For those of you who have spent quite a bit of time in Vegas, this article is for you. The 20 saddest restaurant and bar closings in Vegas in 2020. I still can’t believe Sage and Aria Cafe closed. https://vegas.eater.com/2020/12/22/22195631/saddest-las-vegas-restaurant-bar-closings-2020
help me pick. Aria Comped and $50 credit, Bellagio same thing, Caesars Comped and $50 table play. NoMad comped $100 credit xec EMAW FC
NoMad looks really cool tbh. I’d give that a whirl unless you’re dying for Aria or Bellagio. Caesars is on my list for eventually, but I’ve never ever gotten an offer from them like I get at their other places or MGMs.
interesting question, really depends on what you value. in normal times i'd go with caesars since it's centrally located and i like to casino hop during my trip. if i'm looking for a relaxing trip, i'd pick aria. i haven't stayed at park yet so nomad intrigues me plus double the credit (how much of eataly is even open right now?)
yeah seems nomad would be the play in that case. are you pretty mobile when in vegas or do you like to post up in one spot?
Take the chance to wander while it’s empty. I love early morning strip walks. Nobody out. Breakfast and then stop at Walgreens or CVS for a tall boy and a redbull or coconut water. Bruxie was pretty decent for breakfast, but I guess it got the axe.
Anyone been to Circa yet? Looking at a trip during football season. It looks incredible, but higher end strip prices downtown seem like a tough sell.
I’d go Caesars if I have to choose between aria bellagio and Caesars. Aria definitely last. That place just has nothing that sticks out other than it being center strip.
Decided to Split my hotels. NoMad for the 1st 2 nights and Caesars for the last 2 nights. Golf at Paiute-Wolf booked and just need to make some dinner res and I'll be set
You know that I’m an Aria homer, but in this case I think I would choose the Nomad deal since I haven’t stayed there and it’s had good reviews. The Park MGM has stepped up its restaurant game in the last couple of years. The location is great. You can get to Bellagio and Aria on the Tram (I assume it’s in service), NYNY, The Park entertainment district and MGM Grand are all right there too. If you do Nomad I would be interested in hearing about your experience.
It’s all-adult, no kids around. They were going to bring in a good mix of of entertainment and things to do, but I haven’t kept up with what’s actually been done.