Las Vegas

[ferryman]

Was there when I was 21 and it freaked me out to be honest. Now, 30 years later, heading back. Staying in the MGM Grand for a week. Anyone been to the Grand? Any general tips what to do, what to avoid? I do like a wee gamble as does Mrs F, just Blackjack usually... We're going in January, so I guess it's jeans and jumpers weather?

[Sciocco]

I've been in November which is a little warmer. You should be looking at 12-16C. I stayed diagonally across from the MGM, at Excalibur.

You could go to the new NHL team VGK, they are starting this year. I just enjoyed seeing all the 'things' there. The top of the Stratosphere was nice for a thrill, Hoover dam for some getting-away-from-the-lights, and New York-New York had nice Swordfish .

Edit: I didn't mention anything regarding gambling... My uncle swears by Caesars.

[Echoes]

If there's one place on earth I would never wish to go to, that is the one. The capitalist society going awry, tasteless modern buildings in the midst of a great desert, consumption, gambling, etc. A city that has cost millions of dollars and millions of sq meters of waters thanks to artificial Lake Mead...

[King Boonen]

Weather will basically be a warm Scottish summer day

I'd have a look at shows, there is a place on the strip that sells cheap tickets but if there is anything you want to see then get tickets bought early. Cirque Du Soleil shows are always amazing. The Buffett at the Bellagio was good too, although there is always a queue.

Stick to the strip/inside as much as you can and be aware of pickpockets. Several of the Casinos are linked via walkways, you can spend ages just wandering around and looking.

I've been twice, have to say I kind of agree with Echoes on Vegas and I'm not much of a gambler.

[Dazed and Confused]

Crazy place to go voluntarily....
Anyway hit mid priced tables, they are more fun with better dealers etc.
Avoid buffets at all costs. Dreadful stuff.

Plenty of very good restaurant around, but most are off the strip. Ask someone at Caesars for a good and cozy place for a 25 years anniversary,...

Good luck, you need it in more ways than one.

[jmdirt]

Weather will basically be a warm Scottish summer day

I'd have a look at shows, there is a place on the strip that sells cheap tickets but if there is anything you want to see then get tickets bought early. Cirque Du Soleil shows are always amazing. The Buffett at the Bellagio was good too, although there is always a queue.

Stick to the strip/inside as much as you can and be aware of pickpockets. Several of the Casinos are linked via walkways, you can spend ages just wandering around and looking.

I've been twice, have to say I kind of agree with Echoes on Vegas and I'm not much of a gambler.

Its excess and sensory overload, but all in all it can be a fun experience.

[Tricycle Rider]

Never been, always thought if I ever got married the ceremony would take place in one of those tacky drive-through Elvis Vegas chapels.

Anyhoo, I'm sure hookers, gambling, and regrettable tattoos come by easily in Vegas, so stay safe out there! (But have fun at the same time.)

[ferryman]

Cheers for the replies peeps.

[aphronesis]

Just a general heads up: it's not just that there's more. Modernist Vegas is gone and it's on a whole new scale of sensory assault. Second the suggestion though that if you want some good food leave the branded chef names in the hotels and casinos at least for a day and seek out the ethnic enclaves in the peripheral strip malls.

[blutto]

Just a general heads up: it's not just that there's more. Modernist Vegas is gone and it's on a whole new scale of sensory assault. Second the suggestion though that if you want some good food leave the branded chef names in the hotels and casinos at least for a day and seek out the ethnic enclaves in the peripheral strip malls.

....most definitely yes to the bolded.....

....truth be known have visited more times than I care to remember and there are some ways to make this soul-less hell hole/terminally vulgar circus work for you....first you do have to visit the strip, if only for a day, then head for the outskirts of town where you can snag good accommodations for real cheap, and rent a car there, again for real cheap....and then go off and enjoy the surrounding areas, there are numerous amazing parks with great walking/hiking trails, and some just breath taking scenery....and you absolutely have to do a day-trip to the Grand Canyon but don't do it thru an outfit on the strip but drive to the south side of the Canyon where the tour prices are quite reasonable ( last time I went the savings would pay for a weeks worth of your edge of town accommodations/car rental.... ).....

....and oh, Vegas has now morphed into a shopping destination and January is an insane sale time....take advantage ( 70% off high end clothes is not unusual )....and unless you have to, do not go during CES, the largest trade show in the world ( it literally takes over the town and during that period hotel room prices are stupid....typically 5x higher than the week after....).....

Cheers

[Brullnux]

I just stopped by it recently (not really out of choice, it was just the main city between Yosemite and Page, but I was also curious), and it was probably the most excessive and ridiculous place I've been. It was so weird. There was a fairly cheap restaurant inside Wynn (10-20 dollars for a meal) but it was ruined by the waiter mishearing which beer others in my group ordered and giving us instead of the cheapest beer there, a 33 dollar one. And it wasn't even very good. I probably won't ever return unless strongly coaxed or coerced as it isn't my type of place at all, but I'm glad I went just to experience how it is. A day trip to the Grand Canyon is a nice idea. Perhaps a venture into Death Valley too, if you like heat (I presume you don't, after all you live in Fife )

[the delgados]

Was there when I was 21 and it freaked me out to be honest. Now, 30 years later, heading back. Staying in the MGM Grand for a week. Anyone been to the Grand? Any general tips what to do, what to avoid? I do like a wee gamble as does Mrs F, just Blackjack usually... We're going in January, so I guess it's jeans and jumpers weather?

Don't be like me. I repeat, do not be like me.
Take a set amount of money to gamble and quit while you're ahead.
I attended a friend's wedding in LV and immediately became enchanted by blackjack. I never played the game in my life and found myself up $800 within the first couple hours.
Needless to say, I was intoxicated (both literally and figuratively) by the atmosphere and the thought that I'd already mastered a game I never played.
I struck up conversations and was rooting for new found colleagues from all over the world, and the next thing I knew I'd lost the amount I gained. The money I made in a short time could have paid for most of my trip.
But I got greedy. Big mistake.
Also, don't move anything in the fridge. I made the mistake of moving booze to make room for leftover food and was charged for it.
I had no clue that I'd be charged for making room in a fridge for food I already purchased.
Keep in mind that you'll be charged a fee for pretty much everything except flushing the toilet.

[nayr497]

Couldn't pay me to go there. No interest in gambling. No interest in paying for sex. NO interest in the stupid new NHL team there. Bettman: warm weather teams don't work! Should have put them in Quebec!

[Alpe d'Huez]

Haven't been in years. It's one of those places you have to just see once in your life. But then, after about two days, you'll be doing everything you can to escape.

Agree with the others. Set a hard limit on gambling $, and stick to it. Look for smaller, ethic food, and avoid most buffets, though some do have good salads. You may luck out there. Some shows are impressive, though I'm not sure who is playing there now. You can often see decent shows for cheap on the side, but some aren't worth the time. Some of the amusement park like rides are interesting, but you often have to wade through gauntlets of hustlers, and mazes of slot machines to get there.

Also agree the Golden Knights should be a Quebec NHL team, also the Oakland Raiders should stay in Oakland.