The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

trets77

April

Steve1981 wrote: »

Ok I know its sad and not the reason to go to Vegas, But the football season is underway whilst we are away, and i think i can spare 90 minutes, but does anyone know where you can watch EPL football?

most sportsbooks have huge screens that have big matches on , also try ESPN zone at NYNY . of course if you really want to feel like your back home it has be one of the Crown and Anchor pubs off strip . you will need a taxi there and back if you plan on having a few pints though.

Steve1981 wrote: »

Im in the process of rying to get some places sorted to go for dinner whilst in Vegas. Ive booked the Top Of The World, at The Stratosphere and have Roxy's Diner also at the stratosphere on the list along with Planet Hollywood.

So far I have 3 on there that we haven't been to before.
Nine Fine Irishmen (NY NY)
Il Fornaio (NY NY)
Binions Ranch Steakhouse - (Freemont Street)

I was wondering if anyone could comment on these and maybe help to add a few more.

Also trying to get a list together of decent, not too pricy, but good clubs also

Cheers

S

Nine fine irishmen has great corned beef sandwiches for lunch

Il Fornaio is pretty nice and it patio looking out into the casino is fun .enjoyed our meal here .

Binions has fantastic views and a very nice dining room. Steaks were execllent. you just have to brave the casino downstairs to get to it.

secondtoughest wrote: »

You've got me all excited about the Mirage now!! Looks great, perfect for what we want in fact. The cheapest I found for 7 nights stay is £750 which over budget but I might book somewhere else, then keep looking for cheap deals. Checked the newer rooms on Trip Advisor, they look great!

I'm going with family so they're a little bit edgy about me not booking a hotel yet but I'm insistent on getting the best deal. The flights were £330 (Northwest Airlines) so I'm doing it the MSE way so far!

you have nothing to lose by booking up a direct offer now . because as has been said you can cancel upto 72 hours before for a 100% refund . we always book a fall back like this , then relax and search the offers as they come in.

calling the casino only costs 1p /min by using this service http://www.ratebuster.co.uk/pages/home.asp

bina72

April

sew109 wrote: »

The thing I really liked about it was that the waiters (I think that hey were Indian which is strange as Indians dont eat beef) seemed to realy know there stuff ad spent ages before Iordered explaining what was what and tryingto hlep me decide what Iwould like

I think you're confusing being Indian with a specific religion! There are many different religions in India (including not practising any at all). Also these people live in the US, perhaps they were born there too?
Sorry if this sounds picky but a lot of misconceptions about people arise from the colour of skin. I'm asked all the time 'where are you from?', like I couldn't be born in Britain because I'm a shade of olive! Sometimes I tell the truth & other times I just make stuff up, depends how wicked I feel :A. I think the best place I ever came from was St Helena...

stoneman

May

bina72 wrote: »

. I think the best place I ever came from was St Helena...

:rotfl: :T :rotfl:

bina72

April

ferf1223 wrote: »

Questions for those who have done the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and stayed at one of the lodges at the rim -

Did you park your car when you arrived and take the shuttle buses around? were you happy with that way of getting around? This is what we're planning to do I think but...

or did you drive around instead? Did that work better?

I'm just trying to prepare myself for what to expect. I've read over and over that parking for each of the lodges is limited and many complained that they had to park a way away and walk - but I'm prepared for that and that's fine (if I weren't prepared, it would have made me cranky - I do not deal well with the unknown).

Also - after dark, is there much to do/see? I really have no idea what to expect and sunset is about 5:45pm the night we're there - I assume that once the sun goes down the canyon itself is not really visible but maybe I'm wrong - trying to figure out if we should plan to find a way to amuse ourselves or if there's plenty to do...I've read that the restaurants get crowded and so going early is best.

If this is too OT please feel free to PM me and I appreciate any guidance!

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/2008sum-bus-map.pdf

The map shows you the closed bit (in red) but it looks you'll still be able to walk the trail. The trail is on the edge of the canyon (no railings!), I think they call falling over the '2 min canyon descent'! If you like walking at all this trail is the one to do (apart from going down of course), it's much quieter & feels more natural, the other direction tends to be more paved, interspersed with car parks & lots more shuttle traffic. It's a long hike to Hopi point but I reckon you could make it to trail overlook 1 & back in a few hours! You can pick up boxed lunches from the Maswik cafeteria. I think to get the most of a short visit you have to walk the edge, get to a bit where no one else is & then sit & contemplate life & such.
There is nothing like watching the sunset over the canyon. Be very aware though once the sun goes down within half an hour it will be pitch black. You will definitely need a torch for the evening.
The canyon is wonderful at night, it's quiet & still & like others have said if it's clear the stars are amazing.
Also, El Tovar has a cocktail lounge & I'm pretty sure there's a sports bar at one of the lodges too. And finally book your dinner here...
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/el-tovar-421.html
I'm very jealous by the way!

bina72

April

Spotted this on Trip advisor. Interesting article, possibility of plenty of cheap rooms to come? Of course there is still the small matter of affording the air fare!
(Can you tell I have work to do that I don't want to do?!)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/down-and-out-in-las-vegas-860513.html
Sorry if already posted, this forum moves so fast you have to dedicate serious reading time to it!

ChuiMartinez

does anybody know if any vaccinations are required for vegas/west US??

iltisman

January/February

The only medication required is anti depressants when you get back to wet boring Britain.

pennylane99

May

no vaccinations needed, but you may need a large cash injection if you lose in the casino

ChuiMartinez

cheers guys - i was reseraching nightlife last night and realised i'll be needing a hefty injection of cash to survive the 5 days im in vegas. from food, drinks, casinos and str1ppers...its going to be an expensive tour! nevertheless i imagine its going to be the best holiday i've had

ferf1223

March

bina72 wrote: »

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/2008sum-bus-map.pdf

The map shows you the closed bit (in red) but it looks you'll still be able to walk the trail. The trail is on the edge of the canyon (no railings!), I think they call falling over the '2 min canyon descent'! If you like walking at all this trail is the one to do (apart from going down of course), it's much quieter & feels more natural, the other direction tends to be more paved, interspersed with car parks & lots more shuttle traffic. It's a long hike to Hopi point but I reckon you could make it to trail overlook 1 & back in a few hours! You can pick up boxed lunches from the Maswik cafeteria. I think to get the most of a short visit you have to walk the edge, get to a bit where no one else is & then sit & contemplate life & such.
There is nothing like watching the sunset over the canyon. Be very aware though once the sun goes down within half an hour it will be pitch black. You will definitely need a torch for the evening.
The canyon is wonderful at night, it's quiet & still & like others have said if it's clear the stars are amazing.
Also, El Tovar has a cocktail lounge & I'm pretty sure there's a sports bar at one of the lodges too. And finally book your dinner here...
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/el-tovar-421.html
I'm very jealous by the way!

Thanks for all the info - I had printed that map and looking at it was what made me wonder if driving vs. shuttle was better or worse...thanks very much for the torch suggestion (never even occurred to me and we have a wind-up torch we can throw in our bag). I'm very excited about the visit, though a bit lost in terms of timing...I'm not sure how much time will be 'enough' at the canyon. We've already scrapped the idea of visiting Hoover Dam on the way as I checked and sunset is at 5:42 pm or so - so any time at the Dam is daylight lost at the canyon...so hoping to have a good 4 hours the first afternoon before dark, but no idea how long we will want the next morning. I suppose it's impossible to say how all 4 of us will react and how long we will want to stay around enjoying the views...we are only booked for 1 night, so I know we'll leave the day following our arrival as none of us are campers by a long stretch.

I'm a planner by nature, so it kind of kills me to have it open-ended...but I think in this case it's the only way to plan that day - we leave when we're ready to.