First Timer- El Cortez Feb 24- March 4

I loved the decor, the style, the cleanliness, the HUGE rooms at the El Cortez ony thing- I could not HANDLE the noise! I was on the top- 15th floor- facing south towards the Stratosphere ...we were sleeping with ear plugs in our ears and still being awoken every few hours by sirens- the actual noise of the hotel was very minimal and didn't bother us at all- it was the outside noise! And the noise from Freemont street!

My first trip to vegas- I had an awesome time but I didn't do typical vegas- we went exploring for a day in Valley of Fire, Hoover Damn, helicopter to Grand Canyon, rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon....We seen a few shows- Nathan Burton - excellent and Carrot Top- a must see. Explored some of the hotels had some cheap eats and not so cheap eats. Did a few buffets- the Carnival at the Rio was tops- Paradise at the Flamingo Ok- Breakfast at the Golden Nugget was excellent! Had Porter Houses at the Gold spike with our 2 for 1 acg coupon- most excellent!

I gambled $1 of my own money at the Flamingo while waiting for the seating to open for Nathan Burton and turned it into $10 on the Kenny Rogers gambler penny slot machine- and turned my $15 comp'd at El Cortez into $30....other than that no gambling and we don't drink alcohol so can't comment on that.

I thought the 'light' show at Freemont was rather cheezy- all the ones I seen were 'alien' oreinted and kinda silly.

Shopping is crazy expensive- I'm use to outlet shopping in Maine and New Hampshire and the outlets in Vegas are NOT outlet prices! And I was ready to punch out all the pushy time share people....if I ever hear about the Jockey CLub again it will be the last words that person speaks!

I came home with $300 still in my pocket...so what does that tell you?

The race was AWESOME- it was hillarious to see the 'locals' in parkas at the track on Saturday. Sunday was brillant - we went to victory lane with Jimmy Johnson with our neon garage passes which was cool- at the same time the score of the olympic hockey game came on- Canada won- I cheered very loudly- Chad Knaus looked right at me and said you've got to be Canadian! Well of course- what a moment- Yay Canada!

We had a Dodge challenger for a rental car- what an awesome car! Not bad on gas but I prefer my VW TDI Jetta for fuel mileage and the Challenger for tire burning LOL! We had no problem parking anywhere and used the valet at many places- Mandalay Bay, Flaming, Luxor, Mirage, Venetian, Golden Nugget...

Seen Madame Tussards- rip off unless you have the 2 for 1 coupon...

I honestly had an AMAZING time, the scenery was breathtaking- but I feel like I seen it all and right now anyway, have no desire to return.....guess I didn't get bit by the magic? Hope no one is offended.

Now I"m planning our next Nascar trip- New Hampshire in June! I'm a Nascar lover not a Vegas lover!

 

not offended at all, everyone has their own feeling about Vegas I'm glad you were able to see your NASCAR , do some sight seeing, and see the town ......every ones experiences and preferences are so different and varied

I like to balance out shopping, gambling, peoplewatching, attractions, catch at least one show while there, and have done side trips out of the city for variety ...... I'm not keen on the timeshare folk either , lol actually i got hit up by them more going with the gal pals , than with the hubby last November..... not keen on the porn slappers either but its a common thing there , I just ignore it

I treat Vegas like a grocery store I take from it what I WANT and desire and every trip I wander down a different aisle plus my standby aisles ......and come home , planning a next trip eventually....

 

Is that like Madame Ruhtards?

 

Nice one!

 

Not offended at all, everyone has their own idea of fun. However, if I didn't drink or gamble I would never go to Vegas.

Good to hear that you enjoyed the ElCo

 

At least you saw it...gotta try everything once

My sister is kind of the same way...She's not really a drinker..doesn't like to gamble..she's content just getting a nice suite and staying in there the whole day reading while everyone else does their own thing. Which is funny cause my mom and myself like the gambling part. My mom likes to play craps while i'm more of the BJ player.

 

Not offended because I love Vegas and hate Nascar! :evillaugh

Seriously, to each his own....at least you went and tried it before you decided you didn't like it! Fair enough.

 

You're welcome to come here to N.H. and shop as much as you want! Gotta love no sales tax. Have a great time in Loudon!

 

Thanks for the post and I am not offended at all about you not wanting to come back to Vegas. Since nascar is in Vegas I hope you do go back for the race their. Have fun in NH.

 

There is an incubation period for the disease. Wait for it...

Seriously, glad you had fun. Now you've been there/done that. If it's not your obsession, nothing wrong with that.

 

Incubation

I think my disease is NASCAR ! LOL! We're already discussing next winter and we're thinking we'll go to the Bristol race the end of March- fly into North Carolina see the race shops go to the race in Bristol then spend some time in Nashville before flying out of there LOL!


Seriously though I had an AWESOME time in Vegas- but I didn't have tears in my eyes when it was time to go home, I was looking FORWARD to going home LOL! When I'm in FLorida I hate the thought of leaving...I just didn't get that in Vegas.

The eats were WONDERFUL in Vegas, the best I've had anywhere! And the canyons were awesome! I'm just not a party animal, gambler or drinker. IF I ever go back to Vegas again it won't be for a week, that was too long! Maybe if I hadn't gone for such a long time I would feel like there is still more to see and do and feel the need to go back who knows! I can see why some people LOVE it though! And I enjoy this board and the tips I got from it!

:evillaugh

 

My SO doesn't gamble or drink either. He always finds lots of things to do to fill his time.
We often go for a month each time, and I can honestly say we have never been bored in Las Vegas.

Horses for courses etc.

Our next trip is for SIX WEEKS.

 

Like everybody else here I am not offended if you don't like Vegas. The world is here for you to enjoy. I give you a lot of credit for 39 posts and a trip report involving a city you don't even like. You are a lot better than I am. I wouldn't even log in at a NASCAR website let alone post 39 times and write a trip report about people driving in a circle for hours.

 

Lol, Heather:
I didn't think you could hear anything when you left a NACAR race!

Jimbo338

 

LV Contagious?

Ok So maybe the bug takes a while to set in....after sharing memories of our trip with family this weekend, my hubby says he wants to go back LOL! Now he's the last person I expected to want to go back there! Oh well time will tell!

 

Ahhh! That's how it starts!

Jimbo338

 

Exactly.

I went both times for 4 days. By day 2 I get the feeling that if I had to leave today I wouldn't be disappointed. Thats mainly because I haven't slept since I woke up for the flight. Once the day starts back up and moving I forget all that disappointment nonsense. I am starting to question what I love more, vegas or the planning to go to Vegas.

 

Planning

My sister just got engaged over the weekend too- and the first thing my hubby said was Yay we get to go to Vegas again! LOL! I don't think she'll be getting married in Vegas much to his disappointment!

 

Ya I go to Vegas to drink and gamble, all the rest is a wonderful bonus. To enjoy Vegas you have to cut loose and engage in some debauchery.

I'm pretty sure most people who go there and do not drink or gamble have the same "I don’t get what all the fuss is about" attitude when they come back.

 

Glad you "somewhat" enjoyed your trip