Las Vegas?

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jabro: Mar 25, 2003; July Mock Draft 2014

1st PLACE
RUNNER-UP
got the knowshon

This was a bitch to recreate since Archives doesn't allow quote.

Sheep-Goats posted:

Vegas' Most Beloved Restaurant

Lotus of Siam
953 E. Sahara Ave -- 702-735-3033 [site] [map] [menu]

It gets mentioned in literally every Vegas thread, and for good reason. If that's the case, why am I talking about it here? Simple. I lived in Thailand for almost two years. I've eaten at all the tip-of-your-tongue Thai places in New York City. I know Thai food. And Lotus of Siam is loving remarkable. Let me make a detour for a couple of paragraphs to help you understand why.

There are roughly four regional cuisines in Thailand. They aren't as strictly segregated as the Chinese regional cuisines are, it's just not part of the Thai national character to remain insular or not enthusiastically adopt something that's interesting like it is with most mainland Chinese, but none the less there are four distinctive types of cuisine. The first is Southern Thai -- it's signature dish is probably Massaman Curry, a brownish, savory curry that does well with beef -- Southern Thai food is spicy, mysterious, and full of intense oceanic flavors and hints of fermented sauces. The second is Northern Thai -- a mostly mountainous region with fantastic sausage, a particular love of a certain kind of Plaa Raak (a fermented fish condiment), and a love of a variety of citrusy aggressive herbs like lemongrass and mint and particular attention to contrast in the flavors and textures in the cuisine, the signature dish of the North is probably Kao Soi, a comfort food of chicken and curried noodles meant to take the bite out of the occasional cool misty morning that only occurs in Thailand far to the north and high in the mountains. Third is Issan, the North-Eastern region of Thailand which is home to Thailand's rice farmers and hard working country people -- it's flavors rely on lime, garlic, salty fish sauce and raw chili as the elevating aspects of unripe fruit salads (the divinely unique near-national dish of Thailand -- Som Tam) or minted meat salads (Larb) and the lovingly prepared local barbecue (Gai Yang, etc) that fuels all of the taxi drivers and shop workers in the capitol, all usually eaten with a particular kind of glutenous sticky rice. Fourth is Central Thai, both a sophisticated mix of the the three regions with an additional Indian influence tempered by the occasional appearance of simplicity rather than complexity in the food, Central iterations include Tom Yum Goong, Thailand's true national dish, an intensely pungent and frequently atomically hot soup of prawns and incomparably assertive herbs, often served along side a simple breaded and fried whole fish covered with a tangy sauce with limes dropped into the slashes in its sides (Pla Rad Prig).

So why the deviation into the regional cuisines of Thailand? It's simple. If you grow up Thai you grow up eating the food of your area and you develop an implicit understanding of what makes it great -- and that understand is crucial to being able to truly prepare the dishes of your region. What this means is that really great Khao Soi is only found in the North. Massaman curry at it's peak is only in the South, and if you want the almost prehistoric flavors of Issan food it's not enough to hit a roadside cart in Bangkok, but instead you have to go up to Nakonratchasima ("Khorat") to get the real thing. I was always surprised by this when I lived in Thailand -- but really, I shouldn't have been. You can't get the kind of barbecue they do in the Carolinas in Santa Fe, and if you want the kind of green chili you find in Santa Fe you can't find it even in New York City. In fact, there's only one place I've ever eaten where you could have the real, learned-in-the-blood tastes of more than one region of Thailand's cuisines, and that's Lotus of Siam, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When I visited the website the first thing I saw was a picture of the chef and from her facial features I assume she's Northern Thai, and her menu offers true Northern Thai items. When I ate at Lotus of Siam I made it a point to order several Issan dishes as well, so hard to find outside of Thailand, and they were all absolutely on point. In fact, the site for Lotus of Siam states that they specialize in Issan cuisine. The central Thai dishes as well (scallops in a brownish sauce which I've since forgotten the name of, the Tom Yum soup already mentioned) tasted like they taste in the streets of Bangkok. I was astonished -- even in Thailand I'd never found a restaurant that could turn out three regions of cooking on one table. Imagine going to one restaurant in Minnesota and getting the kind of simple, naturally sweet clams you only otherwise find in Gloucester, served right next to a barbecued pork shoulder from Georgia, and, astonishingly enough, a slab of the kind of perfection in a rib eye steak that you only get when a Nebraskan rancher lets you in at the family table after he's had slaughtered a select cow from his own herd.

That's what makes Lotus of Siam special. I don't know how they can do so many different things so well, and the body of knowledge present in that kitchen to produce the food they produce at the level and authenticity that they do is astonishing to me. It's several worlds of Thai food all brought together, seemingly without compromise, in one place. And all of this at ten or so bucks a plate.

Print out a map before you go, it's not on the strip and your taxi driver may not know the way. If you're going during peak lunch or dinner times be sure to call ahead for reservations as well. Don't be put off by its location in the middle of a weird strip mall, it's really only a matter of time before some casino baron brings it under his roof and jacks the prices up to five of six times what they are now. If you want to pair wine with your Thai you'll probably want something sweet to pair off with the spice in many of the dishes you'll be trying, and lucky for you Lotus has a really impressive selection of appropriate Rieslings.

=====

Recommended dishes for someone looking to move beyond Pad Thai:

Northern: Khao Soi (curried chicken noodles), Sai Oua (regional pork sausage), Nam Prik Het (Mushroom Chili Dip, traditionally eaten with veggies)

Central: Tom Yum Goong (intensely aromatic soup), Pla Laad Prik (sauced fried whole fish), Seared Scallop (choose the garlic cilantro sauce option)

Issan: Larb Moo (pork meat salad), Som Tam (green papaya salad), Tub Wan (litearlly "sweet liver", this is a delightful Issan style beef liver dish, which is not actually sweet but sour and citrusy and aromatic -- this is one of those things that Thais living in the US crave due to its typical unavailability)

Southern: The only region not expertly represented at Lotus of Siam, still, if you're doing a tour of Thailand the Massaman curry here is solid -- it also happens to be an excellent gateway Thai dish if you have your racist Grandpa along and he's apprehensive of anything that's not a hamburger with fries

Things to not order: The following dishes are excellent at Lotus, but you can get them at literally any other Thai restaurant out there and, if you're visiting Vegas, I would suggest you go after the really rare and special things available at Lotus rather than the common farang (foreigner) favorites. As such, please, don't waste valuable space in your stomach on:

Pad Thai, Pad See Ewe, or Drunken Noodles (in the words of my longterm Thai girlfriend, who's a waitress right now, "It's not a loving noodle party")

Eschew the Chicken Satay and any Fried Rice of any sort

Don't hunt for some kind of bizzaro egg roll or potsicker. They do make dumplings in Thailand but really both of these are Chinese items, not Thai, and as such it's almost impossible for someone who doesn't already know Thai food to pick the one dumpling on the menu that's there because it's Thai instead of because it's what farang keep asking for.

I'm sorry, but Green Curry isn't some secret Thai dish that will make the waitstaff recognize you as a Thai expert -- every son of a bitch that's spent a weekend on Samui orders that. Similarly, Cashew Chicken isn't some kind of secret Thai password.

Dessert. Thai people don't usually have a separate dessert item, and when they do it's a fairly disappointing shaved ice with coconut cream and beans and jelly drop kind of thing, or just corn with sugar and butter. Fill up on entrees and salads and soups instead. If you insist on desert, go for the mango with sticky rice, I guess -- just watch out for the rock hard corn things on top, they're authentic but they're also a serious threat to your teeth.

Go a little exotic, get a little grotty, and really take advantage of the fantastic opportunity that an hour or two at Lotus actually is. One final thing I really should mention: Thai people don't use chopsticks unless they're eating noodle soup. So unless you're eating noodle soup the authentic thing to do is to just go ahead and use your fork and spoon.

# ? Jun 21, 2011 23:01

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 16:14

486: Jun 15, 2003; Delicious soda

Sheep-Goats posted:

By the way the best Thai restaurant in North America (and therefore outside of Thailand) is in Vegas. Lotus of Siam is really one of Vegas's culinary powerhouses. I wrote a long rear end review of it in the archived General Vegas thread mentioned in the OP if anyone wants to fish it out and repost it in here for me. Unlike the rest of Vegas's dining stars Lotus is also very reasonably priced, though it is located in a strip mall instead of a casino.

There are lots of great Thai restaurants in Vegas, (maybe because a sister city is Phuket) but I feel like I have to mention that in THE SAME shady strip mall is another awesome Thai restaurant called Komol. Not the same selection as Lotus of Siam, but equally great food, and incredibly vegan friendly for people who are into that. When Lotus is going to take an hour to seat you, try bouncing across the parking lot to Komol instead.

edit: I'll totally agree with that review. Hit Lotus for what the other Thai places don't offer

vvv don't be jelly vvv

486 fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Jun 21, 2011

# ? Jun 21, 2011 23:04

Spike McAwesome: Jun 18, 2004; Zombies? Or middle-management? I can't tell...

486 posted:

awesome Thai restaurant called Komol.

I can attest to how much 486 likes this place because he checks in there via Foursquare at least four times a day. It's getting kind of ridiculous at this point dude.

# ? Jun 21, 2011 23:08

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

luminalflux posted:

What I'm asking is: how much of a pain is it going to be to get between MGM or Paris and Caesar's each morning/afternoon? Does it really matter where I stay? Which place has better rooms and breakfast?

The walk is not a pain at all. In fact walking the strip is great compared to a cab. Now, walking from MGM to Sahara/Stratosphere, not a good idea (I did it pre-monorail, there and back). Golf in August will be hot but I never sweat in Vegas and never mind the heat, but I have not golfed in August in Vegas. It matters where you stay if you are a homebody and don't want to move around for food and entertainment. But you are doing Vegas wrong if you stay on one or two properties the entire stay in my opinion. Monorails are convenient although many people hate them. It is fairly simple to move from property to property now with rails on both sides of the strip.

And please do not buy one of those 3 foot tall sugar infested margaritas. They get disgusting after a few sips.

# ? Jun 22, 2011 00:03

jabro: Mar 25, 2003; July Mock Draft 2014

1st PLACE
RUNNER-UP
got the knowshon

WouldDesk posted:

And please do not buy one of those 3 foot tall sugar infested margaritas. They get disgusting after a few sips.

For first timers its like law to buy one so they can take a Facebook picture.

# ? Jun 22, 2011 00:19

AzCoug: Jun 10, 2010

WouldDesk posted:

And please do not buy one of those 3 foot tall sugar infested margaritas. They get disgusting after a few sips.

Actually the "Orange Octane" from Dicks inside Excalibur is actually pretty tasty and if you have them add the additional shot (costs you your other arm) it will give you quite the buzz. However, still not sure if it's tasty enough to warrant the 3' tall glass. Just go with the football instead, that way you and your buddies can make the Heisman pose all around the strip for the rest of the night (more great Facebook opps).

# ? Jun 22, 2011 00:30

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

jabro posted:

For first timers its like law to buy one so they can take a Facebook picture.

This is true.

AzCoug posted:

Actually the "Orange Octane" from Dicks inside Excalibur is actually pretty tasty and if you have them add the additional shot (costs you your other arm) it will give you quite the buzz. However, still not sure if it's tasty enough to warrant the 3' tall glass. Just go with the football instead, that way you and your buddies can make the Heisman pose all around the strip for the rest of the night (more great Facebook opps).

I had the football one downtown, drat that thing did not seem so big until you attempt to slurp it down.

This is mainly the large novelty drink you want to avoid, they are sold at the RockHouse in front of Imperial Palace:
Might look good on her

But not so much here

# ? Jun 22, 2011 01:05

AzCoug: Jun 10, 2010

WouldDesk posted:

This is true.

I had the football one downtown, drat that thing did not seem so big until you attempt to slurp it down.

This is mainly the large novelty drink you want to avoid, they are sold at the RockHouse in front of Imperial Palace:
Might look good on her

But not so much here

Haha, I've had one of those football ones on Fremont, but it was full of beer. Sounded like a good idea until 45 minutes later when you had half a football full of warm beer.

Never seen the guitar ones, but I think that would go without saying. Is that you??

# ? Jun 22, 2011 05:19

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

AzCoug posted:

Is that you??

Hell. No. I just found it with the Google. There are SO many people that haul those around all night. I don't see how it is anything more than a stomach ache and inconvenience, but a decent photo op as has been said. I think they are about $30 too :aaa:

edit: upon further investigation, they are $20 empty, so I imagine twice that with the alcohol flavored kool-aid in it. I do remember my ex-girlfriend and I buying some of the Eiffel tower drinks in front of Paris, but they have a cool ceramic one available too :colbert:

WouldDesk fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Jun 22, 2011

# ? Jun 22, 2011 05:31

geera: May 20, 2003

jabro posted:

Awesome review by Sheep-Goats

Thanks to both of you for this info. My brother is getting married in Vegas next May and my wife and I really like Thai food. Hopefully I'll remember this review 10 months from now so we can check this place out.

# ? Jun 23, 2011 21:05

Duxwig: Oct 21, 2005

I'm a Vegas newbie headed in for the first time.
Apparently I've got this all wrong since I actually planned on acquiring weird drink novelties to bring back, but I might just steer towards a microbrewery or two for growlers as initially planned. I have an entire wall full of growlers and glassware acquired from random travels.

So far in reading the few LV threads on SA and other random internet stuff I am in information overload currently.

I'll only be there for a few days on a small budget, but I guess thats ok since I don't need gambling, women, or clubs.
I'll be doing alot of solo stuff on the strip while my GF works at an upcoming conference so I've been looking for unique stuff to see or do during the day. I havent even had time to try and map out or process where or what anything is yet. I think this will probably be stricken even more by not having a rental car to use to get around to different places and attached to walking or finding that double bus thing that was mentioned.

# ? Aug 13, 2011 14:56

luminalflux: May 27, 2005

WouldDesk posted:

The walk is not a pain at all. In fact walking the strip is great compared to a cab. Now, walking from MGM to Sahara/Stratosphere, not a good idea (I did it pre-monorail, there and back). Golf in August will be hot but I never sweat in Vegas and never mind the heat, but I have not golfed in August in Vegas. It matters where you stay if you are a homebody and don't want to move around for food and entertainment. But you are doing Vegas wrong if you stay on one or two properties the entire stay in my opinion. Monorails are convenient although many people hate them. It is fairly simple to move from property to property now with rails on both sides of the strip.

I more or less destroyed my feet since I was there for 10 days and had bad shoes for a couple of them, along with the dryness. Ended up taking the monorail between MGM and Caesars or cabbing it depending on how much of the trek I was up to. Seriously the monorail is waaay inconveniently place in the rear end-end of all the casinos, but seeing how run-down Flamingo was each morning made me feel better about my hotel choices. The cab line outside Caesars is loving hilarious, especially if you just walk over to Bally's there's hardly a line most times.

In retrospect I would have probably been better transport-wise staying at Paris for the duration, but the room was better in MGM. Staying at the Black Hat or DefCon hotels is not a good idea btw, unless you love lines.

# ? Aug 15, 2011 10:07

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

AzCoug posted:

unless you like sitting in a loving musty sweat box, making 40 stops through the ghetto and just happen to have an overwhelming urge to piss away a couple hours of your Vegas vacation, STAY AWAY FROM THE CITY BUS. If you're that worried about cost, find someone to split a cab with.

If you're near Tropicana Rd, there's a bus that stops outside NYNY's valet that just drives up the freeway and then stops at the big bus terminal just southwest of the downtown casinos. Wouldn't recommend walking the remaining distance, but then you transfer to another bus which gets you there in 5 minutes. Overall thing takes about 10 minutes.

The route you're looking for is called Westcliff Express and it also serves the airport in the southbound direction (Tropicana Hotel). After downtown it goes to the northwest suburbs quite a ways so avoid that, but god knows as a resident of those distant northwest suburbs I encourage you to use this route as a quickie to get downtown because I rely on it and don't want them to shut it down on me. :gonk:

Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 13:49 on Aug 16, 2011

# ? Aug 16, 2011 13:46

Shyfted One: May 9, 2008

Is the Deuce bus still around?

# ? Aug 29, 2011 00:32

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

Shyfted One posted:

Is the Deuce bus still around?

Yep.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 02:15

JustinMorgan: Apr 27, 2010

I'm thinking about taking a trip to Vegas and I have some questions, as I've never been there.
-When is a good time of year to go? I'm assuming spring or fall. I'd like to avoid huge crowds and extreme temps as much as possible.
-I'm not a huge gambler, will I run out of things to do in a week? Two weeks?
-What are comps and how (who) do I ask for them?
-How do I dress? Every movie I've seen has people in Vegas dressed in suits or dresses. Are jeans and dressy shirts ok or is that considered underdressed?

I'm sure I have other silly questions I'll think of later.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 02:29

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

JustinMorgan posted:

I'm thinking about taking a trip to Vegas and I have some questions, as I've never been there.
-When is a good time of year to go? I'm assuming spring or fall. I'd like to avoid huge crowds and extreme temps as much as possible.
-I'm not a huge gambler, will I run out of things to do in a week? Two weeks?
-What are comps and how (who) do I ask for them?
-How do I dress? Every movie I've seen has people in Vegas dressed in suits or dresses. Are jeans and dressy shirts ok or is that considered underdressed?

I'm sure I have other silly questions I'll think of later.

1. Spring and fall are good times, so is winter. I like summer because I love the blast furnace of heat in my face contrasted with the icy air of the casinos. Just avoid June, July, and August and you wont melt.

2. One week is fine, two weeks is overboard (even for me). With one week you will not run out of things to do. Other than the strip and downtown areas which could keep you busy for weeks alone, there is the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. There are many other areas as well and many travel companies to give tours (bus, limo, helicopter, airplane, four wheelers, Hummers).

As far as on the strip, you have infinite number of shows. Even more infinite number of bars and restaurants, and about 7 shopping malls of all kinds.

3. Comp, or "complimentaries" are a casinos way of rewarding you for playing at their property (some casino are owned by the same company, and you can earn comps for those properties as long as they are in the same group). What you do is sign up for a players card, just a card like a room key (many double as the key now, which owns) for free at the players club desk. Take less than 5 minutes. It allows the casino to track the amount of time you play and the amount of money you wager.

You use this card every time you play any electronic game, just stick it in the slot :pedo:

then play. You will earn points toward free poo poo. You also use it at table games, you just give it to a dealer/pit boss who will track you by your average wager. Most light gamblers can at most hope to earn a free buffet or a credit for other restaurants on the property. It may not seem great now, but when a buffet is $25, it is awesome :munch:

The next level of comps is usually free rooms. This is easier than you think. When you sign up you give them an email or physical address and they will send you offers, many time free rooms and resort credit. It is important to note that you can charge almost anything on property, room service, meals, gift shop, bars etc to your room and check with a host before you leave to see what they can remove. Or comp. If you pay for an $80 meal with cash, then they can not comp it by refunding. Many times I have got a night or two for free. Basically, just ask at the end of your stay.

tl:dr on comps: Sign up for players card, use it every time you play, get free stuff and offers. Feel cool when you hear the receptionist greet you with "Welcome Mr WouldDesk, I have you down for two nights comped and two nights paid."

4. Movie Vegas is not real Vegas. Real is more fun. No, suits and dresses are absolutely not the norm. I can't stress this enough, jeans and Tshirt is common place. Remember, Vegas is mainly regular people on a goodtime vacation. Some higher end properties like Bellagio, Wynn/Encore, Venetian/Palazzo you will see a few people dressed up, but gently caress them. If you go out for a nice dinner or a show then sure, dress up if you feel like it. Jeans and dressy shirts would be OVER-CLASSED compared to most people. I do shorts and tshirt, tennis shoes during the days. I had the same question before my first trip. Thought I had to dress like Daniel Ocean in Oceans Eleven.

This is not rare at any casino to see:

I will say the casinos are cold as heck, so jeans and a long sleeve is often needed. But remember, it can be a furnace right outside the door. So don't worry about what you wear at all. Other than the exceptions or really nice restaurant, big shows, and nightclubs. Nightclubs are basically minimum of jeans, dress shoes (you will see a few with tennis shoes rarely somehow) and a collared shirt. Totally up to the doorman, If you are getting bottle service with friends at a nightclub for $800, you could dress like a Nazi and be fine.

I hope that covers most of your concerns, feel free to ask more. I leave for Vegas in 14 days and would love to answer more questions to hold me over.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 03:16

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

Spring and fall are definitely the good times. Winter is bad because it's still super dry, and then the hotels crank up the heaters which dries it out further. This means static shocks on all kinds of metal as well as waking up to dried out sinuses and bloodied noses, etc.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 09:57

Winszton: Oct 22, 2008

On impulse driving 2 hours to Vegas with me and some new college buddies, first time for us all. Staying Saturday night, doing poo poo till evening of sunday then heading home in the rental car.
We all want to shop for relatively inexpensive casual clothes. No $100+ items, but we still want hip good looking stuff. We're not fashion noobs, we dress well but need local recommendations
Cheap (total meal under $15) restaurants with /authentic/ foreign cuisine.. doesn't matter what nationality at all, not weather it's in a cool district or anything
Ideas on a good cheap motel not in a ghetto that isn't going to be annoying about bedding 4 guys.. or is our best bet just to get two rooms for two?
And finally, something for the two 20 year olds among us to do while we're clubbing saturday night? They don't want to spend a bunch of money on anything.. maybe some environment or show that other tourist girls would be at? I really don't know haha

Anything else we should hit up this weekend too? Sunday we don't have much planned.. saturday (tomorrow) will be shopping/eating/clubbing/just taking in the Scene

# ? Sep 17, 2011 11:13

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

Winszton posted:

On impulse driving 2 hours to Vegas with me and some new college buddies, first time for us all. Staying Saturday night, doing poo poo till evening of sunday then heading home in the rental car.
We all want to shop for relatively inexpensive casual clothes. No $100+ items, but we still want hip good looking stuff. We're not fashion noobs, we dress well but need local recommendations
Cheap (total meal under $15) restaurants with /authentic/ foreign cuisine.. doesn't matter what nationality at all, not weather it's in a cool district or anything
Ideas on a good cheap motel not in a ghetto that isn't going to be annoying about bedding 4 guys.. or is our best bet just to get two rooms for two?
And finally, something for the two 20 year olds among us to do while we're clubbing saturday night? They don't want to spend a bunch of money on anything.. maybe some environment or show that other tourist girls would be at? I really don't know haha

Anything else we should hit up this weekend too? Sunday we don't have much planned.. saturday (tomorrow) will be shopping/eating/clubbing/just taking in the Scene

Fashion Show Mall on the strip (or any other mall on the strip) will have all the clothes you need, at all price points. I bought a pair of Ralph Lauren dress pants for $195 (I have no idea why, I have not worn them other than that night in Vegas) and a pair of dress shoes from Payless for about $15 :c00l:

As far as authentic/foreigh cusine, look at the top of this page. Lotus of Siam. You need this in you, I promise. Kahunaville in Treasure Island is good, more of an "island fair" type of menu. Good stuff.

Rooms on the strip for cheap. Imperial Palace (stay here), Stratosphere (far north strip), Circus Circus, Excaliber, Hooters (not really the strip). You will have you choice of many. Try a travel site like hotels.com and sort Las Vegas strip hotels by price. Skip all of the Econo Lodge bullshit though, once again... you want Imperial Palace. They have an awesome location, "good" food, a monorail stop, balconies in the rooms, and the casino is cheap and fun.

Stuff for the 20 year olds to do. Well, just about anything other than gambling. If they like thrill rides, hit the Stratosphere and let them poo poo their pants. If they like arcades, Gameworks, I hate video games but I went here everytime with my girlfriend for air hockey and miniature bowling. They can also just go check out all the amazing properties and the free attractions like Bellagios conservatory, art museum, FOUNTAINS. Take a tour of the town on Segways, take a helicopter tour of the strip ($85 or so). There is plenty to do.

Notice I did not say they can not drink. I certainly don't want to say they should but in reality, they just can not buy it. They can drink cheap in the room before you go out and they can drink on the strip and in hotels if they happen to get handed a drink. Not saying this is what you should do, but I did it for 3 years before I turned 21. Of course I gambled too.

Stay away from MGM, fight night. Unless you want to see all the action then head down.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 19:05

Fluffy Bunnies: Jan 10, 2009

Excalibur is a great place to stay. Don't stay at the Strat anymore if you can avoid it. Friends and family've told me a few times that they've had a lot of folks following them to their room, waiting by elevators, staring in at them at that carl's jr. across the street, etc. It sounds like it's getting kinda.. creepy and seedy.

Circus Circus is about as far down the strip (north) that I'd stay these days. We're planning Excalibur or Treasure Island next time we go.

Agreeing with Fashion Show Mall having everything. It's insane.

If the 20 year olds like video games, go to Gameworks. I've spent too many hours in there to count. But really, why not just go take in a couple of shows? They're all listed on the hotels' websites and they have a ton of them to choose from. Watching MGM's volcano erupt (don't go in, just go past) and, like Woulddesk said, the Bellagio fountains is pretty cool. I know the TI Sirens show was great, but that was three years ago and I've got no idea what they're doing now with it.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 05:07

Spike McAwesome: Jun 18, 2004; Zombies? Or middle-management? I can't tell...

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Excalibur is a great place to stay. Don't stay at the Strat anymore if you can avoid it. Friends and family've told me a few times that they've had a lot of folks following them to their room, waiting by elevators, staring in at them at that carl's jr. across the street, etc. It sounds like it's getting kinda.. creepy and seedy.

The area around the Strat is poo poo - there's no denying that - but they run some of the best daily poker tournaments in town. Plus with the rides on top of the tower, the under-21 crowd should be able to kill a decent amount of time there. Alas, there's nothing worthwhile around it, so expect to drive if you want to go anywhere.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 06:13

Minty Swagger: Sep 8, 2005; Ribbit Ribbit Real Good

If you go to Vegas and have some time to kill in an afternoon go here:http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

TLDR: Its a huge warehouse of all working and playable pinball machines about a mile off the strip. If you remember some old pinball machine at the pizzeria down the street when you were a kid, there's a very high probability they have it. Spend 5 bucks here and have fun for an hour instead of pissing it away in 2 minutes. :haw:

Yelp page if you're all into that: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pinball-hall-of-fame-las-vegas

I go here every time I visit and every time I bring someone new they piss and moan about it being a waste of time before we get there and by the time we leave they have the biggest shiteating grin on their face from how much fun they had. Do it.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 06:39

jabro: Mar 25, 2003; July Mock Draft 2014

1st PLACE
RUNNER-UP
got the knowshon

Craptacular! posted:

Spring and fall are definitely the good times. Winter is bad because it's still super dry, and then the hotels crank up the heaters which dries it out further. This means static shocks on all kinds of metal as well as waking up to dried out sinuses and bloodied noses, etc.

Everything is pretty much covered but I will say that you do not have to worry about any of this unless you make Meg's wannabe boyfriend from Family Guy look like Danny Ocean.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 06:53

Fluffy Bunnies: Jan 10, 2009

Spike McAwesome posted:

The area around the Strat is poo poo - there's no denying that - but they run some of the best daily poker tournaments in town. Plus with the rides on top of the tower, the under-21 crowd should be able to kill a decent amount of time there. Alas, there's nothing worthwhile around it, so expect to drive if you want to go anywhere.

Man, we must be crazy because we never rent a car when we're on the strip. :ohdear:

We walk everywhere. And I whine like a baby on the plane ride home because holy god, my legs, after walking from one end of the strip to the other like 40 times in 5 days.

But yeah, we're never staying at the Strat again.

:ohdear:

I kinda like winter in Vegas. Not as much as I'd like a snowy forest and a roaring fireplace, but hey, it's still nice. To me. Except for trembling at 3 am waiting on the bus because it's like -10,000 degrees and you don't have a jacket because you are retarded. Last time we went was in August. I pretty much melted the whole time, so I'm agreeing with spring and fall.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 20:40

Difference Engine: Mar 30, 2009

I will be going to Vegas at the end of next month(Halloween weekend) with my family and girlfriend, which also fall on our first anniversary. I was looking for a recommendation on a restaurant we could go to before we go see "O" at the Bellagio. I would like to go somewhere that was unique and memorable instead of a restaurant that was super expensive and nice but was similar to the expensive restaurants I could find anywhere. Would still like to have it be nice enough to get dressed up for though. I was thinking that around $100 for the both of us is what I would like to shoot for, but could up the budget if there was a really cool place somebody recommended.

Any other recommendations for things to do with the GF? She hasn't been since she was younger, so she hasn't really experienced Vegas, and I was there last new years with some friends. She expressed interest in going to a stripclub, so we will probably find our way to the Spearmint Rhino which was where I went last time.

# ? Sep 28, 2011 06:00

Stump Truck: Nov 26, 2007; Why? Yes

I'll be there in exactly a week. Anyone know any special events going on between October 5-8? We're pretty much set on day-to-day stuff we want to do, clubs we want to go to, etc but if there was anything super special we might be interested in it.

Edit: Sorry, it's going to be me and 6 other guys, 23-24 years old if it matters.

Stump Truck fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Sep 29, 2011

# ? Sep 29, 2011 02:38

illcendiary: Dec 4, 2005; Damn, this is good coffee.

Stump Truck posted:

I'll be there in exactly a week. Anyone know any special events going on between October 5-8? We're pretty much set on day-to-day stuff we want to do, clubs we want to go to, etc but if there was anything super special we might be interested in it.

Edit: Sorry, it's going to be me and 6 other guys, 23-24 years old if it matters.

Hey cool! I'll be there for those days as well.

# ? Oct 4, 2011 05:27

revmoo: May 25, 2006; #basta

Just got back, stayed at the Flamingo. It was a great time, but that city sure wears on you. I was amazed at how cheap everything was. It costs less to gamble and drink in Vegas than it costs to just drink here at home.

I'm actually heading back at the end of this month for a couple days. Looking foward to it. I'm thinking I'll stay either at the Stratosphere or the Flamingo again, depending on pricing.

Oh and for Christs sake, DON'T jaywalk. I saw a couple people get arrested for it.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 02:45

JustinMorgan: Apr 27, 2010

Still planning a trip to Vegas as a big vacation for next year. Looking thru all the hotels, are all of the casinos pretty much the same? For the hotels that advertise their own shows, theater, whatever...you have to pay for this, I'm assuming? So what's to prevent you from staying at one hotel and seeing a show or whatever at another? They're all pretty close together it seems...can't I just bounce around and see the sights at all of them?

# ? Oct 13, 2011 03:30

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

JustinMorgan posted:

Still planning a trip to Vegas as a big vacation for next year. Looking thru all the hotels, are all of the casinos pretty much the same? For the hotels that advertise their own shows, theater, whatever...you have to pay for this, I'm assuming? So what's to prevent you from staying at one hotel and seeing a show or whatever at another? They're all pretty close together it seems...can't I just bounce around and see the sights at all of them?

1. Still planning a trip to Vegas as a big vacation for next year.

This is good :hfive:

2. Looking thru all the hotels, are all of the casinos pretty much the same?

No.

3. For the hotels that advertise their own shows, theater, whatever...you have to pay for this, I'm assuming?

Yes, you pay just like any show/concert on your hometown. Some properties have a few smaller shows for free or they give out ticket vouchers though.

4. So what's to prevent you from staying at one hotel and seeing a show or whatever at another?

:raise:

That is best part of the fine city of ~~Lost Wages, NV~~ er, Las Vegas, NV. Stay where you want, gamble where you want, eat, see shows, etc wherever you want. I know of not one single person who spends the majority of their time at their hotel they are sleeping at. There is just too drat much to see and do that no matter where you stay, another property will have some different awesome stuff.

5. They're all pretty close together it seems...can't I just bounce around and see the sights at all of them?

They "seem" close together is something you will learn to put a scale on right after you walk from MGM the Encore. "hey guys, the bright and shiny Encore is right there I see it, screw a cab!" But yes, many properties are close as in they are in close proximity with no real estate between the buildings. However, entrance to entrance is a separate deal altogether.

So, yes. Absolutely you can walk around and see everything and you should. Just don't think you will have a 5 minute walk to anywhere...even in your hotel. Or you will :supaburn:

Cabs are cheap if you just want to go a few mile down the strip. Of course there are many other transportation methods but a cab on the strip is cheap when a few people pitch in faster than anything to get INSIDE a casino. I just stayed at Stratosphere and we took tons of cabs from there to Planet Hollywood. $14 or so including tip most the time, so for 3 or 4 people it is near free (except when you meet women and they hop out of the cab and just assume you are going to pay even when you literally met them as you were walking out of the door of your hotel (why they agreed to hop in cabs with us without knowing us v :shobon:

v))

I just got back from 5 days in Vegas and will post about it soon. I have some answers f questions that have been posted.

WouldDesk fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Oct 13, 2011

# ? Oct 13, 2011 03:46

let it mellow: Jun 1, 2000; Dinosaur Gum

Has anyone played any of the golf courses there? I'm going to be there at the end of October and have a day free while my wife is at a conference. I was debating finding a tournament to play in or playing golf. Still haven't made up my mind, although I may be leaning towards playing golf if the courses are nice. We're staying at the Wynn if that is in any way relevant.

Edit: I couldn't decide whether to ask this here or in the golf megathread, but decided to try here first.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 15:28

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

JustinMorgan posted:

Looking thru all the hotels, are all of the casinos pretty much the same?

Depends on your game. Table games and video poker have odds that can vary from property to property, though VP is usually fairly standardized with some exceptions (one being Mirage, I never see even strip average odds there.) Table games I don't know, except that you shouldn't ever play 6:5 blackjack but every casino has a bunch of tables with that and a bunch of schmucks throwing their money away at it.

Slot machines? When your rear end in front of a Star Wars slot trying to line up Darth Vaders for a jackpot, every place feels exactly the same. What type of slot you're playing has more to do with your chances than the name of the property. The big progressive jackpots are linked statewide so you have as good a chance of becoming a Megabucks millionaire at Bert's Shithole as you do Caesars Palace.

quote:

So what's to prevent you from staying at one hotel and seeing a show or whatever at another?

You can stay, gamble, see shows wherever you want. Most of the hotels on the street are owned by two companies, with a few companies owning like two places (Wynn/Encore, and Venetian/Palazzo are a set) and one or two totally independent joints whose owners don't have any stakes anywhere else in town.

That said, it helps to gamble at the place where you want to stay sometime in the future, or within their chain if applicable, so that you can use their card and get snail mail spam that often includes come-ons. So, for instance, if you want to stay at New York New York in the future (dunno why, just an example), they're part of MGM Grand's big chain of casinos. So their players card works at Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM, as far away up the street as Mirage, and all the points you make gambling at all of their places add up into the same account.

Caesars, the other company, owns both Caesars Palace (durr) and the middle-class Flamingo in addition to a whole bunch of other hotels. So you could gamble at Caesars Palace and even if you aren't a high roller they might eventually invite you back to stay at Flamingo. Or, if you're gambling at Flamingo, you can walk over to Caesars and blow your points on a free dinner there, etc. Or, they might offer you a room at their Rio hotel which isn't even on the Strip (but has shuttles), and you can go to their Strip places and gamble there and not feel like you have to gamble at Rio. And on and on.

What you need to understand most of all is that the town rapidly turned into a two-man monopoly about a decade ago, with just a few exceptions. More and more hotels are being consumed by the duopoly (Planet Hollywood and the Palms in recent years are owned by Caesars or their affiliates). The only exceptions on the Strip are Wynn/Encore, Venetian/Palazzo, The Cosmopolitan, Tropicana, Treasure Island, Riviera, and the Stratosphere. Each one of those places or sets has their own ownership and card. The rest of the Strip used to be four or five highly competitive companies, but loosely regulated free market = good and all that, so LV casinos are about as franchised as Wal-Mart.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 17:28

Tuxedo Jack: Sep 11, 2001; Hey Ma, who's that band I like? Oh yeah, Hall & Oates.

I'm heading to Vegas for my third trip in a few weeks. First two times I stayed at TI and the Golden Nugget. For this third trip, I'm heading back to the strip. I have reservations at the Cosmopolitan and Planet Hollywood, trying to decide which one to keep.

So on my first two trips, I spent most of the time with my then-girlfriend on the first trip, and with my Dad on the second. This time my parents will be there, but doing their own thing, so I'll have time to head off on my own to explore.

So far, the two things I feel I absolutely have to do is visit the Pinball Hall of Fame and the Insert Coins bar downtown.

A few questions:

1. As a single guy this trip, would I have more fun staying at PH or Cosmopolitan? My understanding is that Cosmo is much nicer, but that the younger/hipper crowd is at PH. Truth?

2. I'm looking to give away my money at Craps this time out, and have been reading and practicing. My research tells me that the Casino Royale on the strip has the cheapest tables with the best odds (100x Free Odds? $3 Minimum? Yes please!) - But I'd like to find a $5 table at somewhere nice. I've heard Bellagio has 12 Craps tables, do their minimums ever hit $5? Is there anywhere else on the strip that does?

3. I've never really had the opportunity to enjoy the nightlife in Las Vegas, when I was there with my girlfriend she's a local and wanted to do things like this piano bar at Harrah's and some Carnival/DJ thing outside (I don't remember). So here's my problem, I'm not going to wear loving leather shoes to the bar. I'll put on a nice shirt and some clean kicks, but gently caress "club shoes." - Where can I go and blend in or drop the doorman a :20bux:

to avoid having to wear stupid uncomfortable shoes?

4. Is there a tourist meat-market? I've heard that the V Bar at the Palazzo can have a pretty open crowd. And I'm not going to the "pool at the Hard Rock" or whatever that people are always talking about because I'm a jerk who hates pools.

5. I've never caught a show in Vegas, I'm debating between Penn & Teller and the Amazing Jonathan at the Harmon... I was hoping to catch Ronn Lucas but he's no longer playing Vegas :smith:

- What's the best show for my money? Does it matter?

6. I have a huge interest in the Sinatra/Rat Pack/Louis Prima days of Vegas, and was looking for clubs/bars/restaurants that exude that flavor, though google and all of my research is somewhat failing me in this category. Any ideas?

I have starry eyed delusions regarding Vegas in that light. I'd really like to wear a sports coat or a vest the whole time with my jeans, but as has been stated earlier in the thread, I'd be the one who looked out of place. Hoping I don't lose my money too quickly this time. The last trip was pretty short. :ohdear:

# ? Oct 13, 2011 17:55

ColdBlooded: Jul 15, 2001; Ask me how to run a good team into the ground.

jackyl posted:

Has anyone played any of the golf courses there? I'm going to be there at the end of October and have a day free while my wife is at a conference. I was debating finding a tournament to play in or playing golf. Still haven't made up my mind, although I may be leaning towards playing golf if the courses are nice. We're staying at the Wynn if that is in any way relevant.

Edit: I couldn't decide whether to ask this here or in the golf megathread, but decided to try here first.

I've played at 3 different courses down there over the years. The Revere Concord course was fantastic with lots of elevation changes and interesting holes. Red Rock Arroyo was also very good, though not quite as interesting. The third course I've played is the Mountain course at Angel Park, which was decent and less expensive than the other two, but nothing to write home about. All three courses were a bit of a drive from the strip, maybe 20 minutes or so.

Go to http://www.vipgolfservices.com/ and they have a listing of most of the courses around that you can play, along with green fees, pics and some more info. You can also rent clubs from them if bringing along your set is too much of a pain in the rear end.

Having said all this, I would say it's worth it to play a round. It's a nice break from gambling/booze and, for myself at least, the desert style courses are a nice change of pace from all the courses I usually play.

Tuxedo Jack posted:

stuff

I can only answer a couple of your questions, but yes there is sometimes $5 craps on the strip. Usually it's during weekdays at the lower and mid-level hotels though, like Imperial Palace and Excalibur; though I've seen $5 craps at Monte Carlo at times too, which probably makes it your best bet for somewhere (relatively) nice. I doubt places like Bellagio ever have $5 craps, though to be honest I've never really looked.
I always have a blast playing craps at Excalibur though since people there seem a bit rowdier and more prone to yelling/cheering, which is half the fun.
The Casino Royale $3 craps game is always packed and it's usually tough to get a spot, from my experience at least.

Planet Hollywood definitely has a younger/hipper crowd and sounds like it might be a better match for what you're looking for. The rooms are nice, I like the casino and there's some good places to eat there. There's also no resort fees - gently caress resort fees.

I've only caught a few shows, but Penn and Teller was very mediocre. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of theirs (I was dragged there by some friends) so that might've had an impact.
I had fun at the Price is Right show at Bally's but it might not be what you're looking for. I'm sure others can offer better advice on this.

ColdBlooded fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Oct 14, 2011

# ? Oct 14, 2011 06:31

let it mellow: Jun 1, 2000; Dinosaur Gum

ColdBlooded posted:

golf answers

Thanks! I think you've convinced me to play golf, which is for the best. Last time I played a course with arroyos was like 94 or 95, and the photos from your link told me to do it.

# ? Oct 15, 2011 02:31

WouldDesk: Dec 26, 2009

jackyl posted:

Thanks! I think you've convinced me to play golf, which is for the best. Last time I played a course with arroyos was like 94 or 95, and the photos from your link told me to do it.

If you want to golf in Vegas, give this a gander...
http://www.waltersgolf.com/par-mates-caddy-program.asp

# ? Oct 15, 2011 02:37

let it mellow: Jun 1, 2000; Dinosaur Gum

WouldDesk posted:

If you want to golf in Vegas, give this a gander...
http://www.waltersgolf.com/par-mates-caddy-program.asp

Yeah, I've seen that and Rio Secco's t mates. If I wasn't there with my wife, I probably would. She golfs too, though, so I'm not touching that, since she will end up looking at the course slope/rating and what I score. If there's t mates.... Not worth it. Some other time!

# ? Oct 15, 2011 03:12

Grand Fromage: Jan 30, 2006; L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?

Tuxedo Jack posted:

6. I have a huge interest in the Sinatra/Rat Pack/Louis Prima days of Vegas, and was looking for clubs/bars/restaurants that exude that flavor, though google and all of my research is somewhat failing me in this category. Any ideas?

Unfortunately, classic Vegas is mostly gone. The best you can do is go downtown and Fremont Street. Not the covered part, but if you keep going along Fremont to the east you'll find basically all the classic googie architecture that's left in the city. The casinos downtown don't feel as corporate as the strip, and it's generally seedier.

If you're looking for the Sinatra making it rain and tuxes kind of stuff, I don't know that it still exists in any way.

# ? Oct 17, 2011 05:33

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 16:14

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

Tuxedo Jack posted:

1. As a single guy this trip, would I have more fun staying at PH or Cosmopolitan? My understanding is that Cosmo is much nicer, but that the younger/hipper crowd is at PH. Truth?

Cosmopolitan has great restaurants and the biggest collage of hipster aesthetics ever found in a multi-billion dollar hotel. It's the only giant strip hotel a boho/indie type could take seriously. On the other hand, they charge out the rear end for meh rooms because they have gorgeous, no net, fall down and kill yourself balconies and there's something crazy about that from a "being able to see the world from your hotel room" standpoint.

Keep Planet Hollywood unless you really think having a small open-air balcony suspended 40 stories off the ground is going to make a difference in getting you laid.

# ? Oct 17, 2011 19:11

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