Me and 3 friends are gonna spend New Years in Las Vegas.
Its our first time going to Las Vegas.
Any tips what to do?
What should we avoid?
What should we do on New Years Eve? Strip, Bar Hopping or Club?
We would like to get the most bang for our buck in this trip. Especially we would like to avoid traps that would drain ou money.
>>1130530
Just don't go to places where people try to lure you in.
New year's in Vegas. bang for your buck? lol
>avoid traps that drain money
>Vegas in New Years
Just cancel if you aren't willing to shell out a few thousand at least.
Can you have fun at vegas if you hate gambling?
>>1131448
yes, but not if you hate spending.
>>1130530
You're going to spend an ass-ton on rooms on the strip over NYE. Highest prices all year. You may want to try to find rooms a bit off-strip to save some cash and taxi in.
Get to the strip early NYE, they shut down the entire street in the evening. it's very unlikely you're going ot get into any clubs that w/e unless you're willing to stand in line for hours. Hitting all the various casino bars is probably a better bet.
Honestly I avoid the strip on NYE, its a shit show of douchebags. Better to go over the Xmas holiday, much more mellow and you'll probably have a better time.
>>1130530
Budget.
Do not bring your credit card with you... lock it in the hotel safe.
Pick an amount you are willing to spend each day and bring that with you in cash.
You think you won't get too drunk, you think you won't find yourself at 3 am at a craps table in a strip club... paying $40 for a whiskey... too drunk to sign your name properly so they take your thumb print to prove it was you signing but then it happens.
If you pick an amount you are willing to spend each day then you can cut loose until it's gone.
>>1130530
Vegas is really shitty. People walk in loaded and walk out penniless. They don't keep clocks in the buildings. Some people walk in at night, and come out in the morning only to find that it's night again, not morning, and that they have no money.
Similar situation but different in that it'll be me my girlfriend and my family going to Vegas in a few weeks and gambling is only on the table for one night, where do you all recommend to eat for cheap and what things to do? We'll be staying at a relatives place for free near the strip and will be staying for two weeks.
>>Hi, how do I go to expensive place X and not spend money?
>>1132200
This is...unnecessarily lurid but sound advice.
Leave the card in the room safe. Cash is still king on the strip, I find you tend to get better service and you won't outspend your budget if you use up all the cash in your wallet.
Look, here's the deal. The strip is expensive. All tourist traps are, and Vegas is one of the biggest. If you can't play in the deep end, stay out of the pool. Nothing annoys Vegas regulars and casino staff like someone who acts like a cheapskate in Vegas. Go ready to blow most of your bankroll or don't come at all.
>>1132280
I love how you saw a documentary and now project your own doomed actions in Vegas based on said documentary on others who DO have what it takes to not get shook down by easy to read tricks.
>>1134042
You've never been there obviously. 95% of people in Vegas do it on the cheap you idiot. It still makes shitloads of money.
>>1133278
Wanna meet up senpai?
>>1134116
I go 4 times a year, friendo.
I never said people DON'T go to Vegas on the cheap, I just said doing so is retarded. Like yourself.
bumping this thread with my own question.
Anyone have any suggestions on places to visit a couple of hours drive outside Las Vegas?
I'll have use of a car and I've already decided on seeing Hoover dam, but open to anything else....
>>1134846
There's not a whole lot worth seeing around Vegas as it's, you know, a fucking desert.
If you want something that's easy to get to and still outdoorsy/cool hit the Red Rock area. Great hiking and the Red Rock Resort is as good as any strip resort.
>>1134846
Red Rock has awesome hiking, also check out Goldstirke Hot Springs, really fun hike that ends up at some hotsprings and opens up to the Colorado River.
If you want some thing foresty go up to Mount Charleston, really good hiking and camping here , in the winter there's even skiing.
>>1136026 here
Forgot to add, everything I mentioned is under an hour from Las Vegas, so there you go. There really are some beautiful desert/rock formation landscapes out there.
>>1130530
Las Vegas local speaking. I know my shit.
Firstly: Try to avoid the ghettos to the north and east of the strip, It's a shit show, the really only good parts are the south (Henderson & Green Valley) and the far west, (Summerlin) that is if you're planning on leaving the strip at all.
In Boulder city there are a few kayaking companies that can take you for a whole entire day down the Colorado river from dawn till dusk, make sure they have the special pass from the Feds to go down right on the shores of Hoover Dam in the morning to start, it's amazing to be that close to it. The rest of the river is quite stunning, and there are even hot springs along the way you can go to. Make sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen.
Lake Mead is a meme, it's only good for Jet skiing and fishing, and even then the Colorado is better.
Other than that, visit Red Rock Canyon in the west, amazing, world class rock climbing, hiking, and sightseeing that way, you could even stop by Bonnie Springs for a cowboy experience.
In Mount Charlston, there is a cool place called Lee canyon with plenty of forest hiking trails and a ski lodge, it's the premier place to go snow shooing, sledding, or skiing if it's the right time in winter, if it's summer, hiking will do. The mount Charlstom ecosystem is unique and has a lot of fauna native only to those mountains. But otherwise, killer hiking and awesome roads for driving and sightseeing.
The shows on the strip are pretty nice, if Zumania is a bit raunchy but classy, Tournemant of Kings at the Excalibur allows you to eat mutton and with top tier banter, allows you to yell and scream. Cirque du solei is a classic, nightclubs and magicians are shit except for a few good ones.
IMO, Bellagio and The Wynn + Encore are the best, with Caesars palace and the Mgm as a close second, Trump Hotel is a pretty nice place although there are no casino facilities inside the complex.
>>1130530
>>1136038
Right near the Trump hotel there's a really nice shopping mall, big and multi varied with a diverse range of goods and services, they hold a nice fashion show at times.
The Casinoes outside the strip are all shit except the Red Rock and the M. The Red Rock has the best pool and shopping complex, the M is a fancy place with a good buffet, but they are both far from the strip, the other Casinoes, the "Station Casinoes." Are depressing places for old retirees and sports gamblers, but all of them have great and relatively inexpensive buffets and movie theaters (the reason why people go, tee bee h.) Other than that, Las Vegas is a pretty depressing place, imo, don't go to the residential places unless you want a buzz kill or they're the rich gated communities. Nobody likes to live here, and every normal person here always has some sort of plan for leaving this shit hole once they get a chance, also has a high suicide rate for locals.
The best place to eat outside the Casinoes would either be the Prime Rib place to the east of the strip or a place south called the "Boot legger." Featured on Anthony Bourdain.
Downtown Vegas is where lawyers and cheap tourists hang out, good steakhouses, lots of history to look at, lots of homeless people, I believe there are some cool tours showing you around Downtown that are pretty neat.
If you're into nature and history, check out the "Springs Preserve." Which is an educational complex run by the water authority, good restaurant, very nice hiking, relaxing atmosphere, and plenty of history and science about the area. It was originally the spot for a water spring that many travelers relied on.
East Vegas is full of Illegal immigrants and Cholos, North Vegas is like Compton 2.0. Truly a wretched place, but it has a good military surplus store.
If you're looking for prostitutes, go to Laughlin, 'nuff said. Clean, legal whores.
>>1134846
If you want the Prostitute experience, go to Laughlin, if you want a good cowboy experience, go to Bonnie Springs, I also know that there are a few Horse riding tours around Mount Charlston, but the beauty in both the mountains and Red Rock are best experienced on foot.
Boulder city is also a wonderful place full of antique shops and Native American gift shops mixed in with a wholesome, thoroughly southwestern experience. There's a park in Boulder city where Big Horn sheep can go to graze
>>1130530
I suppose you are american?
For me, as an european, just wandering a bit trough the outskirts of town (i.e. anything more than 1000ft from the strip or old Vegas), was a total intense horrorshow, as was the insides of the casinos.
In the movies, it's always nice, good looking and well dressed people having fun, that can afford to loose a few k's, just as they'd enjoy winning them, but in reality (at least in the areas you can walk in, I guess the invitation only parts could be fun) its ugly white trash in jogging pants and flip flops, desperately hoping for the big win that'll turn their shitty live around, not realizing that this whole thing is part/root of their problem.
But besides that:
>Any tips what to do?
As you can probably guess, I was not amazed by Vegas, but the landscape around is fantastic! I was really pissed that I hadn't planned for some climbing or hiking.
But still:
The atomic testing musuem is great.
The Aria has an interesting architecture, and some interesting art pieces strewn through the property.
All the fake Venice/NewYork/etc casinos are worth seeing, if you are there, be it only for the creeps.
Hoover dam is worth seeing. Get the big tour, even if it is a bit overprized.
The heart attack grill was fun. The burgers are not very good, but also not really bad, and the small one is actually an edible portion. But the whole idea behind it is funny, and comically fat people getting spanked by sexy nurses is also quite fun.
>What should we avoid?
Personally, I was a bit underwhelmed by the mob museum. It was OK, but too expensive, especially compared to the atomic testing one. But on the other hand, hoover dam was more expensive, but that's just more of my interest, so your results may vary.
contd.
>>1136084
But what this anon said:
>>1130548
>>avoid traps that drain money
>>Vegas in New Years
>Just cancel if you aren't willing to shell out a few thousand at least.
I was there in the off season + during the week, and while I paid something like 70$ for a four Person room (which I was occupying alone) in the NYNY, but everything else was quite expensive.
As said above: I still found stuff to do, but I also do enjoy walking for 20 miles around town, just to get a feeling for the place, without breaking my budget.
But, I had a very strong feeling that Vegas is only really fun, when you dont care if your day costs you $500 or $5000. I was in the $100 to $300 range, so I felt kinda out of place, even in off season.
tl;dr:
I wouldnt go there again, only if I'm in the area anyways (e.g. for a climbing holiday)
>>1130530
If you're trying to avoid traps that would drain your money you should have just avoided Vegas
>>1136015
'not a lot'. Not 5 feet right outside of Vegas, no. But saying nothing? Jeez.
