Back from a Week in Vegas: Honest Review

Well, just spent a week in Vegas...man, has that place changed. A few observations:

1) Uber was a pleasant surprise. Nice rigs, professional people, cheap pricing. The Cab industry in Vegas is on borrowed time...Uber and Lyft have stands at the hotels, deliver to the airport, and do it for 40% of the price.

2) Stayed at the Rio for a few days. Good adult pool section, but the rest isn't good. Elevators broke, long check in and out lines, expensive basic food/drink options. IF you end up here, then go next door to the Gold coast for package liquor..but watch your asss on that walk through the parking garage....did that one late at night, and there were some guys in there looking roll someone for cash. I was fortunate...they passed on me.

3) The security at McCarron is a joke...went through at 7:15 am and the lines were incredibly long and not moving. Rude folks, and terrible organization. Pretty much every TSA stereotype on display.

4) Stayed downtown at the Gold Nugget for the weekend. Upgraded to a junior suite on the top floor.....awesome room, good value. If you stay at the nugget, get in the Rush Tower and look to upgrade to a junior suite...these things are huge, brand new, and have some sweet views of the mountains. Experienced great customer service from everyone at the Nugget.

5) Enjoyed gambling downtown.....the D is happening, Nugget had a nice big gaming floor...the only place that I would recommend missing is the Golden Gate...don't get hustled in by the hot chicks dealing and dancing and the 3/2 blackjack...I didn't see anyone winning, and also had a run in with the pitboss when his dealer decided to rake my wife's winning bet off of the roulette table. Go in and look at the chicks, but keep your bets small.

6) This comment will draw some ire from locals and fans of the strip, but it is a tourist trap. Pure and simple. I am not sure who has bid the prices up on EVERYTHING down there, but it is insulting. I like to splurge, and splurge on vacation, but the pricing is a joke. Seriously, 7-9$ Bud and Coors Light bottles? 14$ Jack and Coke? Now, I get it....everyone will say, that is Vegas and I am cheap...but couple that with horrible gambling odds and you can go pack sand...several times I pulled a blackjack and the dealer was showing an Ace....guess what? There is no even money on the Strip!!! I couldn't believe that one.....I say "I'll take even money".....the dealer looks at me like I have two heads....she says "What is even money?" I took my "push" and walked to the cage. The name of the game is black jack...If I pull a black jack and still cannot win, then I quit.

7) Unless you are a whale, the rewards cards are a waste of time. Signed up for one at Harrah's, bet some sports, played some cards, and bought some stuff. I estimate that the action I produced was in the thousands....and guess what? .51$ reward accumulated. Those things are scams...don't listen to the people that try and sell them.

8) The high end steakhouses at the D and the Nugget were very good. Dinner for 2 at Vic and Anthony's, and the one at the D (it is an Italian name...I don't recall) run about 160$, but the ambiance is nice and the steaks are pretty good.

9) Saw a concert at the Downtown Event Center...neat outdoor venue with a nice setup. Had tables where you could stand and drink while watching the show. Met a few local gals with my wife and talked with them between acts. Good acoustics and a full bar. Wouldn't mind going back to see a good act there.

Bottom Line: I had fun. The wife had fun......it is possible to have some fun down there. The Uber was a game changer, as it changed a 30$ ride between the strip and downtown into an 11$ ride. From downtown to the airport was a whopping 14$.........cabs would have been 35$.

When we go back after Christmas, I will be staying downtown and commuting to the strip. I heard that the D has some nice rooms as well, and may check that out. If I stay downtown I won't go cheap....but will spend a little more and get a suite downtown rather than drop a fortune on a decent room on the strip.

If you go, best of luck.

Yep, encountered all of it. Don't forget the dancing Danny DeVito or the guy with "Give me a dollar, or I will vote for Trump" sign.

I broke down and had to get a picture with the Robert De Niro look alike.....he was pretty good, and he had the banter down dropping f-bombs on tourists as they walked by.

Didn't see any of the zip liners toss their lunch, but always wondered why no one decided to pisss on everyone below on the way down the line.

But yeah, the Rio wasn't good...went into the Guy Fieri Mexican restaurant and walked out...24$ for a 3 taco lunch.....no way.

But, I did watch a ballgame in the sportsbook and had a decent time...of course it was empty, so there was space and prompt service.

Funny you mention the Main Street Station......ended up hitting happy hour in the brewery twice while I was in Vegas...great value. Pale ale was good, a 24 ouncer was 4 bucks during happy hour, and the wings were 12 for 5 bucks...pretty good too...spun and baked, not fried. Friendly service, elevated plasma screens everywhere showing sports. I would recommend.

There were 2 guys hanging out in the preferred parking area...the stretch in the parking garage that is secluded by the cyclone fence and designated for "preferred customers"(or players club members..can't remember which)...the area that is right under the "To Casino" sign as you enter the GC parking lot from the Rio. It was late, 3 ish, and I was coming back to the Rio from gambling at the Palms and GC.

They were thugs, hanging out, waiting to work someone over it looked like. I am not very big in relative terms, but I guess my jeans and cowboy boots got me off the hook. Looking back on it, those guys had no business hanging out in there...they were waiting for someone with fat pockets to come out to the preferred parking....would not be surprised at all if someone inside was tipping them off.

Thankful that the situation turned out the way it did, and the next night I took a 5$ cab from the GC to Rio to eliminate the guesswork.

For the record, during daylight, the walk was pretty easy and clean with no real trouble to be had. And the GC wasn't too bad either..the TGI Fridays in there had a 24 hr breakfast menu, so for late night eats it was functional.

To be honest, I have no idea on the downtown poker situation. I can tell you that there was sparse poker action at the Rio's room, and the only reason I know that is because it ran adjacent to the sportsbook. Binions and the Nugget advertised their rooms, but for whatever reason I missed them.(Jack and Diet Cokes the likely culprit.)

FWIW, we took an Uber from the Gold Nugget to McCarron at 5:45 am on Monday.....it cost us 14$ total, and we gave a tip because the guy was on the spot in 5 minutes and loaded up all of the luggage.

I am told that sometimes there is a "surge" in Uber, which means that rates and availability vary, but these guys are running 24 hours a day...I would think that getting a ride shouldn't be too big of an issue. Maybe allow a bit more time..if it is a no-go then you can always hit up the cab stand.

Thanks Vern for the reply..3 am is a bit different than 7pm,I'll watch my back in any case,always do there esp in the GC..You can run across all kinds in there.

Hey AD nice to see a post from ya.Hope all is well man.I'm flying home on the 14th or I'd buy you a few beers..GL on the trip.

Yeah it was late....you will be fine at 7 and during the day...shouldn't be any problems at all. Good luck.