Viva, Las Vegas!
I love to vacation in Las Vegas. Whenever I mention that, I get lots of people responding "Yeah, Vegas, baby!", regaling me with tales of their wins, their losses, their whores and strippers, their benders and blackouts...and I think "What Vegas did you go to?"
OK, I know what vegas they went to, but that's not the Vegas I like to visit. It all started in the late nineties when I needed to go to Vegas for a work conference. The people I was going with were programmers, and spent time writing statistical probability tables for blackjack. They'd obviously never heard that THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS! They were heavy drinkers and partiers as well, a scene that I was not terribly thrilled with. And I got to go to Vegas with them.
Woo Hoo.
Deciding to make the best of it, I rented a car on my own dime and decided to explore the city and surrounding areas. After all, this was the desert, and I've loved the desert since the mid-eighties when we road-tripped to Tucson over spring break. I'm sure I could find something to do in the desert, if nothing more than drive through it and enjoy the non-Midwestern ladscape.
And enjoy I did. I stopped at AAA to get guidebooks and quickly discovered Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rocks Canyon and Hoover Dam. I spent most of my non-conference time hiking, and despite being in Vegas, enjoyed myself. Probably because I spent little to no time with my colleagues outside of the conference.
When I got back home and vacation destinations popped up, I, of course, voted for Vegas. J. was skeptical, but we went there over spring break the following year, and she was a convert.
Since then, we've been back a number of times. We usually spend a week to ten days, and with the exception of one night devoted to a seafood buffet, people watching and taking in the surreality, we don't spend time (or money) on the strip. Our gambling is limited to the spare nickels and quarters we have in our pockets when we pass by a casino, and we've managed to discover a friendly little town that most people never really see.
And so begins the non-gambler's guide to Vegas.
Las Vegas is actually a relatively cheap vacation destination. Here's the secret. The city takes in a majority of its revenues from tourists' gambling losses, and if don't gamble you can take advantage of the great travel deals intended to bring fools to the city to part them from their money. The market will bear significantly higher prices on the strip, because that's where everyone wants to be, but drive a few blocks off the strip and you'll end up finding some great restaurants with better food at more reasonable prices. And you don't need to walk through a smoky casino to get there. Hotel room rates are at a premium on the strip as well, but again, off the strip, it's a buyer's market.
It's one of the cheapest airfare destinations in the country, rental car costs are downright ridiculous (we've found cars for $100.00/week), and you can find great deals on hotels year-round.
The other thing we've noticed is that the city is a service-based economy, and we can get fabulous service everywhere we go. From gas stations to restaurants, hotels to fast food, everyone seems to know that they're competing for your business and is willing to bend over backward to make sure you're happy. And if their establishment is off the strip? Even better. They know they're number two, and they try harder.
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Restaurants |
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Ho Ho Ho Chinese Cuisine Some of the better chinese cuisine I've found in the country. It's consistently good and I'm addicted to their egg foo young. Cops eat there, it's open late, and they have good rice. What more could you want? |
Mercado Buenos Aires Hidden in the middle of a strip mall, this Argentinian grocery store features a small deli with reasonably priced and absolutely delicious sandwiches. For those of you who enjoy the adventure of shopping in a grocery store where the labels aren't printed in English, the place is a joy. We usually go here for lunch and get sandwiches to eat on one of the handful of tables in front of the place, but they do have a full service restaurant serving Argentinian cuisine as well. |
Mermaid Cafe & Art Gallery |
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The Original Pancake House This is my ex's favorite place in the whole world. Well, maybe one of the top ten. When we go to Vegas, we always planned at least one morning that begins with 'breakfast at the Original Pancake House'. It's on the way to Red Rock Canyon and about a mile away from the interstate leading to Valley of Fire. It's also relatively close to the Charleston Blvd. AAA office, and it shares the intersection with all the strip mall tenants necessary for a day trip into the desert. We always have the pancakes. They're the best I've had. Hands down. The swedish pancakes with fresh lingonberries are to die for. |
Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant This is a typical family restaurant--big portions, good price, great breakfasts. The hash browns are to die for, the omelets are fluffy, and coffee never ending. Expect a long line on the weekends, but tables open quickly and it's well worth the wait. There are a number of locations around Vegas, but the one on Decatur is the only one at which we've eaten. And it's just down the road from The Original Pancake House in case you're up for seconds. |
Thai Spice Restaurant What can I say about Thai Spice? I've eaten a lot of Thai (granted, most of it was in L.A. or Milwaukee, so I'm not sure how representational of Thai food in general that is), and this is the best Thai I've ever eaten. The spice is flavorful instead of just h-o-t. The larb is incredible. The service is friendly and speedy, and it's been voted best Thai food in Vegas year after year. We've never encountered a line. Get the crab rangoon. It's amazing. |
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Hole in the Wall Tradition has it that this was Liberace's favorite restaurant, and he ate here regularly. It's an Italian restaurant that never left the fifties with dim lighting, chianti bottles on the walls, house red wine in large carafes waiting to be plopped down on your table next to the water, and a wide selection of traditional pasta dishes. Rat pack classics take you back to the glory days of Vegas. That's Amore! |
North Beach Cafe
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In-n-Out Burger coming soon! |
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Where to stay |
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The Mirage coming soon! |
Extended Stay America coming soon! |
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Staying on the strip |
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coming soon! |
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Staying off the strip |
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coming soon! |
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Surreality, Strange Tourist-y Things |
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Rio All-Suite Hotel coming soon! |
New York New York Hotel coming soon! |
Ceasar's Palace coming soon! |
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Fremont Street coming soon! |
Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend coming soon! |
The Lakes coming soon! |
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Marshmallow factory tour coming soon! |
coming soon! |
coming soon! |
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Nature & Ecotourism |
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coming soon! |
coming soon! |
Ethel M tour and cactus garden coming soon! |
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Movies to prepare you |
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Viva, Las Vegas coming soon! |
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas coming soon! |
Ocean's 11 (the original) coming soon! |
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Leaving Las Vegas coming soon! |
Bugsy coming soon! |
Casino coming soon! |
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Showgirls coming soon! |
Meet Me in Las Vegas coming soon! |
coming soon! |