OT: Honeymoon in Vegas

[jLp vAkEr0]

Guys,

I'll be heading to Vegas on March 2013 for our honeymoon.

We'll be there a whole week and I'll appreciate any suggestions, mostly places or shows that aren't as talked about frequently but are cool to visit.

We already booked tickets to Celine Dion and Carrot Top.

But of course, we need more shows/places to fill out the week (other than casinos).

Vegas Baby!!

[warnerwlf98]

Guys,

I'll be heading to Vegas on March 2013 for our honeymoon.

We'll be there a whole week and I'll appreciate any suggestions, mostly places or shows that aren't as talked about frequently but are cool to visit.

We already booked tickets to Celine Dion and Carrot Top.

But of course, we need more shows/places to fill out the week (other than casinos).

Vegas Baby!!

You HAVE to see the Amazing Jonathan. The show is extremely funny - and when I mean extremely, it is laugh out loud hilarious. He's a magician, but he does more comedy than magic. He's the kind of guy you'd want at your party. I think it's about 60 bucks per ticket, and the show is in the Harmon Theater on the south side of the Planet Hollywood.

Also . . . go to Red Rock Canyon. They have tons of Red Rock formations and a lot of hiking trails, and rock climbing if you have the equipment. It's a 13 mile one way loop road so you can pull off the side of the road to take pics if you like - there are also plenty of places to park. At that time of year it should be good weather (ie, not 100 degrees).

It costs 7 bucks for the day, and you can get there by going west on I-215 from the strip, get off at West Charleston Blvd and go West until you see some signs and make a right. It's about 40 minutes or so from the strip - I always head there when I'm in Vegas.

[10spro]

Congrats Javier. Celine D is a great show and I would also watch Cirque du Soleil, it never fails to impress us.

[bdunn13]

I am going to Vegas for the Super Bowl - it will be my 4th trip to Vegas in 12 months. Poker is my hobby and it is about all I do there anymore.... I usually just go with friends (my wife doesn't care I go)....


I don't really see shows anymore but I have seen 3 Cirque shows and they were all fantastic. I don't want to see any that I have not seen as I heard they are not as good.. I have seen O', Mystere and Ka... all area great (Belagio, TI and MGM)....

You can also just spend a week walking around the strip and seeing all the hotels..... I have been 7 times in the past 2 years and have not set foot in Monte Carlo in that time frame for example..

You will likely want to go downtown and see "Old Vegas" - Fremont street... There is a zip line you can ride there now - and a night light show that is of course free.. going up top of the Stratosphere is cool and worth it - there are also three rides up there you can ride (I would be scared poopless to ride them).

You can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower (I have eaten in the restaurant but never going to the top).

One of the world's largest auto collection is at The Quad (Imperial Palace).... you can find buy one get one free coupons - think it is like 10 bucks.. I have never been but heard it is worth it....

You can check out Gold and Silver Pawn (Pawn Stars) - I have been once and was not impressed.. I went looking for a nice Gibson Les Paul - and they didn't have squat. 1/2 their store is now devoted to selling t-shirts for the show.

Hoover Damn is not far away - and neither is the Grand Canyon (never been there)...

I do want to go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk - http://www.grandcanyonwest.com/

Tons of great places to eat too - can be really pricey, but you can find deals if you are tight and willing to shop around.

BD

[jLp vAkEr0]

Thank you for the input guys.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Congrats Javier.

Thanx, March 10th.

[pk500]

I rode the Big Shot atop the Stratosphere. One of the scariest things I've ever done. Felt incredibly alive for about 30 minutes afterward. Fantastic.

[bdunn13]

No way PK - that thing is crazy high.. I did walk outside instead of just viewing things from inside the glass... and that was enough for me....

[Macca00]

LOL

Thankfully this is not a random thread about;




Javi - congrats, buddy!

[ZXLT]

Also . . . go to Red Rock Canyon. They have tons of Red Rock formations and a lot of hiking trails, and rock climbing if you have the equipment. It's a 13 mile one way loop road so you can pull off the side of the road to take pics if you like - there are also plenty of places to park. At that time of year it should be good weather (ie, not 100 degrees).

It costs 7 bucks for the day, and you can get there by going west on I-215 from the strip, get off at West Charleston Blvd and go West until you see some signs and make a right. It's about 40 minutes or so from the strip - I always head there when I'm in Vegas.

I live down the street from Red Rock. Highly recommend. Amazing area.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Has anyone made the drive from Vegas to L.A.?

We are considering taking a day from our HM and just driving to Lala Land as my girl and I are movie buffs.

Hollywood Blvd and all that stuff.

It would be a 1 day thing unless I'm too tired to drive back and stay that night in LA.

Any recommendations or comments on this?

[LAking]

Has anyone made the drive from Vegas to L.A.?

We are considering taking a day from our HM and just driving to Lala Land as my girl and I are movie buffs.

Hollywood Blvd and all that stuff.

It would be a 1 day thing unless I'm too tired to drive back and stay that night in LA.

Any recommendations or comments on this?

It's a 4 or so hour drive. It can be 6 if you leave Vegas on a Sunday. That's a long car ride just to see Hollywood Blvd., which is just a dirty tourist trap. LA cannot be done in a day. I know everyone outside of California is made to think Hollywood Blvd. is something special but coming from someone who grew up here I can tell you it's pretty lame. It's just a street with names of old entertainers on the sidewalk, lined with countless cheap gift shops. The only nice thing to do is in Hollywood during the day is maybe go to see a movie at the Chinese or Egyptian Theaters. If you like old movie houses then those are worth seeing.

I just feel like Hollywood Blvd is the biggest let down for most tourists. It gives a pretty terrible impression of what LA is really like. You might be better off just making a day of the Griffith Park Observatory or the Getty Museum. You'll get nice views of the entire city from either of those places.

[dbdynsty25]

Seconded...short drive if you do it at night (4 or so hours as was mentioned), and I also second how so-so Hollywood Blvd. is. Though I am a pretty big fan of the Hollywood/Highland complex as it has one of my favorite restaurants in LA (Kojis). It's a pretty touristy spot of course, so I suppose it might be cool to see for someone who's never been here before.

There's something to be said for the history and novelty of Hollywood Blvd. King and I are so used to being around it it's not that big of a deal but it probably is for someone who hasn't been to LA before. I don't know...I certainly wouldn't say don't come see it...it's cool to see for the first time.

I also would just find somewhere to stay in LA (Kings house of course, lol) for the night. It is a brutal drive to do twice in one day.

[Naples39]

I went to LA for the first time last spring, and had the same impression of Hollywood Blvd. Pretty lame and pointless IMO, but I'm not the starstruck type.

[LAking]

I'd also like to recommend Downtown LA as a nice place to visit. It's one of my favorite spots in the city. You can use the subway to go from Union Station all around the area. Union Station is a beautiful building and you should recognize it from many films. Olvera St. is just next door and is a nice (albiet touristy) spot. Some of the oldest buildings in the city are at Olvera St.

Take the red line from Union Station to the Pershing Square station and visit The Biltmore Hotel, Grand Central Market, Bradbury Building (most amazing interior of any building in LA, Blade Runner was filmed here), Angels Flight, Central Public Library. You can then take the red line to the 7th st. Metro Station and either take the Expo or Blur Line one more stop to Pico or walk to LA Live/Staples Center.

All the places I mentioned DT have been in countless films. If you are a film buff you may recognize them. There are also a ton of gorgeous old movie houses on Broadway in DT. Unfortunately most are closed to the public or were long ago converted into cheap retail store fronts, but they are still worth looking at.

[LAking]

double post

[jLp vAkEr0]

Thanx for the input, guys.

I appreciate the honesty concerning HB, now like DB said, this would be our 1st visit, and it's a place every movie lover should at least see once, right?

[LAking]

Thanx for the input, guys.

I appreciate the honesty concerning HB, now like DB said, this would be our 1st visit, and it's a place every movie lover should at least see once, right?

I'm not sure. LIke DB said, we're from LA, and that makes us jaded. But I'm also a huge movie lover and I feel like Hollywood Blvd's connection to actual movies and movie making is tenuous at best. Other than the few theaters where they used to, and only occasionally now, have huge premiers there isn't much that happens around there that has to do with the movie business. Warner Bros and Universal Studios are just over the hill in the valley. Keep in mind that when I say Hollywood Blvd isn't all that great, i'm being very specific. Hollywood Blvd makes up a pretty small part of the Hollywood area as a whole.

What exactly in Hollywood do you want to see? The walk of fame? Chinese Theater? A Wax museum? If those are high on your list then by all means go there. You'll probably enjoy the novelty.

If you have never been to LA and want to see the truly great parts of the city then I would recommend other areas. In fact, if you want to see more iconic filming locations then there are plenty of other options.

Do you have any favorite movies that you know were filmed on location in LA?

[Sudz]

Bunny Ranch.

[FatPitcher]

Check out the Mac King show (magic/comedy) at Harrah's. It's an afternoon show so it doesn't compete with the headliner stuff, and it's about an hour long. I recommend this to everyone and not one regretted going!

Absinthe is a pretty cool show if you're not easily offended. "O" is probably the best Cirque du Soleil show but also the most expensive. Ka and Mystere are cheaper and also good. Avoid Criss Angel. I thought Penn and Teller was slightly disappointing.

Don't play slots unless you hate money. Instead, get a blackjack strategy card and use that! (Slots have a 10x-40x higher house edge than blackjack). Playing table games is much more of a real casino experience than sitting in front of a slot, too. Don't play roulette, either; it's got a house edge about 10x higher than blackjack. If you don't want to mess around with strategy or learning rules at all and want something with a decent house edge, play baccarat (a lot of casinos have the mini version, where dealers and not the players handle the cards, at a $10 minimum bet). House edge is just about 1% (around 2x that of blackjack) and the only decision to make is "player" or "banker" - it's basically a coin flip, no strategy behind it. Don't play other table games unless you know optimal strategy (check wizardofodds.com), as you can throw away money pretty easily that way.

Or play poker. I recommend the Aria and the Bellagio for good poker rooms.

I recommend staying on the Strip in a decent hotel, but some people like downtown, too. I really don't recommend off-Strip, non-Downtown digs.

Bring comfy shoes - everything looks close but is actually quite far apart.

The Vesper Bar at Cosmopolitan is good for people watching, especially at night when all the nightclub-goers are walking by on their way to Marquee. I also like Parasol Up/Down at the Wynn. Drink on the patio outside and watch all sorts of weird little shows every few minutes on the little manmade lake. In terms of Downtown bars, I like the Downtown Cocktail Room.

The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at Mirage are moderately cool.

If you're feeling outdoorsy and have a car, check out the Red Rock Canyon. There's a scenic drive and places to get out and walk around (or just straight up go hiking). The Hoover Dam is also not far, but I've never been. Also, you can get helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon departing from here. They are awesome but expensive.

If you aren't renting a car, consider scheduling a limo for your ride from the airport to the hotel. It's not terribly expensive and arriving in style sets a good tone for the rest of the trip.

Make a list of 24 hour food places (there are quite a few), as you'll end being awake at hours you normally wouldn't and won't necessarily be sober enough to operate the internets. FatBurger near the MGM Grand and Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood are two examples.

Must see/do:
Bellagio Fountains (one during the day and one at night)
Fremont Street Experience, early evening (crazy/tacky/weird)
Walk through Caesar's Palace Forum Shops (the Living Statues show is kinda meh though)
Walk through the Venetian Shops. And since it's your honeymoon, why not do a gondola ride, too?
Walk through the Cosmopolitan (I recommend getting a spiked milkshake at Holstein's to accompany you).
See the Conservatory at Bellagio
Eat at a high-end buffet: the Wynn Buffet, Wicked Spoon (Cosmopolitan), or Bacchanal (Caesar's)

Must not do:
Criss Angel
Zumanity (although the dwarf gymnast was awesome)
Go to the Hooters hotel/casino
Go to the Palace Station (50years old+ and bingo players excepted)
Listen to anyone with a GrandView Las Vegas badge (unless you want an overpriced timeshare)

[jLp vAkEr0]

Guys, thank you for your recommendations.

Wedding was great and Vegas was just awesome!!

I'll share a pic from my wedding if you guys don't mind... My wife, my ring bearer (my nephew) and I... (cameo appearance by my Nexus 4 lol)




This was last Sunday at Brand Stakehouse (Monte Carlo)...




Really liked Vegas, hope to be back there in a couple of years.

[dbdynsty25]

Damn Javy you really out kicked your coverage there. She's gorgeous (your wife AND the Nexus 4 lol). Congrats! Glad you had a good time.

[10spro]

Nice couple, congratulations. (Que suerte! )

[pk500]

Congrats! You've done well, man -- she's a beautiful girl!

[sportdan30]

Congrats Javi! Many wonderful years of happiness and health.