Las Vegas for hipsters

But really: The spectacle of the strip is fascinating and overwhelming, even if you're not into the gambling thing. It's not enough for three days, but it's wild.

Also, the showgirl extravaganzas are -- well, the one I saw (Splash 2, where we got front row seats and were given Gallagher-style tarps to protect us from the cascading water at the front of the stage) was spectacular and cheezy and brilliant and everything you could want out of Vegas.

I know nothing about Vegas beyonf the fact that the old people there are younger than the old people in Reno.

if you know how to game it can be fun to drink guinness "for free".

art bell lives just outside of clark county limits, i stalked him one afternoon wearing an alien mask.

it's not like you're going to florence ("but, yes you are!" says the vega$ PR schleck standing on my right shoulder).

i'll ask my vega$ raised hipster galpal... just cuz you're one of the coolest ILXorz.

It seems like you get the most bang for your buck in that area. lots of stuff is really close by to ogle if you like the cheese factor - like the ridiculousness of Caesars and the Paris, and the opulence of the Bellagio. Flamingo pretty historical significant but sadly kind of lame these days. But basically you have to take a cab or rent a car to go anywhere in that city.

Dunno about hipster enclaves 'cause I'm usually, well, gambling and getting drunk :-) (face it, you can't help it there). "young people" hang out at the Hard Rock, but it's totally a beautiful people type scene.

the neon museum part of the fremont experience
Liberace museum
The "Sunspots" at the Four Queens
Double down saloon - dive bar off the strip
hiking at red rock canyon
Tiki bar at the venetian

oh and always spell it "vega$"

i love that pool.

x-post: EDR - yeah, that's one thing that turns me off too.

She's gambled in other ways...

It's mentioned on one of the other Vegas threads. JBR and I took the test site tour a couple years back.

Please tell me this is a typo.

yeah, it was crazy... when i was flying home a few days later, security stopped me because (i think) the detector picked up trace radiation on my shoes.

Pawn shops being full of amazing shit makes sense, but I wouldn't have thought the thrift shopping would be so great. I'd like to do an eating tour of Vegas someday.

oh man i wish i'd taken the test site tour! i had fun futzing around with the geiger counter inside the museum.

and saw she wants revenge, which i had never heard before. not sure how i feel about them yet.

going in march for four days, tell me what to do (even though i am not a hipster)

and how do i figure out if my hotel has a free buffet?! their website is all crazy flash

wowo this thread is the 1st recorded instance of someone self-identifying as a hipster.

go downtown! omg so amze!

generally walk around gawking at stuff.

that is probably what i will do. i do not want to spend a bunch of cash on gamblin'

vegas is such an amazing place - theres really nowhere that has such incredible display w/so little payoff - like they build a fucking hueg pyramid and yr all oooh wow im going there and then its just full of slot machines - completely fascinating!

def dont miss downtown - its outside but it has a roof! and lots of old vegas style charm - a nice contrast to the strip.

There's a Beauty Bar in downtown Vegas too. Blecch. Skip it and go to the El Cortez for 5 dollar Blackjack and 3 dollar craps.

I just enjoyed sitting at the cyclotron or whatever that bar is called in the MGM grand and peoplewatching. jhoshea otm about the luxor ext vs int

go to Bryce and Zion for 3.5 days

supposedly, one of the best thai restaurants in the us is there: lotus of siam.

yes

Underground in the shops @ Caesar's Palace is this insane animatronic show of Zeus and Poseidon and some other god having it out. I don't know how often it runs, but try to catch it. I really liked the Atomic Testing Museum (ymmv). And I third Lotus of Siam, which is amazingly good (esp any of the issan sour sausage dishes) and is next door to the largest and apparently most popular showgirl wig store in Vegas in an odd strip mall up Sahara.

ok i definitely have to try lotus of siam, i love isaan food. though i had some a couple weeks ago that made half of my face numb for an hour!

Here's the website: http://www.saipinchutima.com/

i want to know where the free drinkin and grandma slots are at.

Bellagio has good penny and nickel slots. Also dancing fountains.

linds are you going with someone? go hit a roulette table with a friend and play the same amnt of money together, one person on black and one on red--unless the ball hits one of the zeroes, you guys will come out even and get comped drinks for as long as youre gambling. (i dont know if this works but a friend did it last weekend and said he got really drunk for free)

i wanna go to that restaurant please

http://upload.moldova.org/movie/movies/o/oceans_thirteen/thumbnails/tn2_oceans13_2.jpg

i was gonna post something but it looks like i already did

Rusty: They built em smaller back then.
Danny: Yeah, but they seemed big.

Rusty: Relationships can be...
Danny: Sure.
Rusty: But they're also...
Danny: That's right.

hit the old strip.

max otm--play anything where you're risking twentiesh or higher, take it slow, and you're basically paying for drinks at the worst, breaking even at second worst and getting some $$$ money at best. after you blow that, it's like 1.5 worst because you're drunker and you lost what you "got." but you can easily justify spending more to drink more because it makes the casino even awesomer and cost/benefit margins start to get more abstract--like you think of all the money you "saved" over the past few days because you didn't spend as much as you could have, you've already made up half of the $30 you just lost, etc. in the morning you don't even care cuz you don't gamble a lot, you got smashed and it was an "experience." being with friends obviously makes it uhh even better, lol.

I enjoyed seeing Penn and Teller at the Rio when I was there last.

Also dug the decor at the Bellagio.

Point me to the continental breakfast buffets and thrift shops, please.
Is there such a thing as an LP shop in Las Vegas? How about comics? I'm gonna have time to kill during the days. I don't mind walking, as I don't think we'll have a car, but Vegas is pretty spread out right? Busses--cards/coins only/dollar bills? I am interested in this roulette game, and perhaps also slot machines. I don't think I have the social skills for any other gaming.

Do new yorkers want to play blackjack over the next few weeks so we can practice?

when are you guys gonna be there?

Mid-March.

third week in march, rly.

Is there such a thing as an LP shop in Las Vegas?

Kinda dismal ever since Big B closed down, but there's a Zia at Eastern and Flamingo that's worthy. There's a couple Record City stores around town, but I haven't been to them. Same with the Wax Trax on Decatur.

Breakfast is really good at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in the Venetian. It's not too expensive considering how awesome the food is.
If you play penny slots the cocktail waitresses still bring you free drinks and it kills a lot of time. The old fashioned looking slots seemed to have more frequent payouts then the computerized, touch-screen ones. I played for days on like $5 and kept winning $3 or $2 over the course of an hour and by the end of my trip I'd won like $60. I kind of got stuck in Vegas for a few days too long and after eating at Lotus of Siam and the Liberace Museum and Red Rocks and the Atomic Testing museum and Cirque de Soleil...it was back to the slots.
Vegas is sort of boring, but fascinating none the less.

nice. staying at the venetian! it seems to have a ton of restaurants, but all of them pretty pricey/out of my league.

My family and I ended up eating at Bouchon twice in 5 days because the crappier options were only about 20% cheaper--and 70% crappier. They have $11 waffles with vanilla bean butter, or you could probably get a substantial breakfast pastry and a coffee for about $7.
The food on the strip seems to be either expensive and upscale or not as expensive but deep fried and smothered in ranch dressing. At Paris there was a sports bar serving "pommes de terre skins" for example. Our strategy was to eat mostly breakfast and a late lunch at one of the fancier places and then have free drinks for dinner or go to Lotus of Siam.
I thought of another cool thing to do: there's a pretty interesting large video game arcade on the 2nd floor of New York New York, they call it Coney Island, but it's just a collection of old video games and some of them are really neat. We took a lot of pictures of them. The Coney Island part of NYNY closes kind of early, unfortunately.

Last time I went we stayed at the Stratosphere - I heard they shut down the rides now? Didn't really go anywhere else, but I did OK on the blackjack - pretty much made even and got loads of free booze! I really miss the fruit machines with actual real coins instead of those slips of paper though.

ooh video games. good tip!

are there any normal grocery stores/liquor stores around or is it all just crazy casinos everywhere?

Apparently there's some super awesome thrift store called something to do with Attics but we never made it there.

has anyone been on this??? http://themeparks.about.com/cs/lasvegas/a/vegastrek.htm

I was just there a few months ago. So it seems I can get, like, ANY wig I want at nearly any hour of the night----but the record stores close at 5:00pm?!?

My sister works at STAR TREK: THE EXPIERENCE. Go there if you're a fucking nerd.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/29/ricin.hotel/index.html?section=cnn_latest
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=7943629

"Apparently there's some super awesome thrift store called something to do with Attics"

aah, I went there years ago. You need to pay to get IN the shop (you get a lifetime member card to... get back in anytime you want... I must still have the member card somewhere...). I don't remember it being amazing. Lot's of stuff, sure. thrift store style. didn't find anything interesting, though (I must say that I was very hungover that day so maybe not in a shopping mood).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080229/ap_on_re_us/motel_hazardous_material

that gabbneb, always a ray of sunshine

I prefer "cute"

slots-o-fun
$.99 Heinekens and $2 blackjack. go for the cheap beer stay for the ambiance

Don't forget to visit the ricin motel

That joke has been made already.

The more the merrier.

http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/images/bj_4d_h17.gif

ian this is what u need to memorise?

Re: Vegas or re: Ricin jokers?

It's like against the Clark County building code to have restrooms inside the restaurants. They all make you walk through the casino.

f,

isn't that true of most hotel restaurants (not having restrooms inside the dining establishment)? or maybe it's just a west coast thing.

ss

My dad told me I should check out the live flamingos at the backyard of The Flamingo, t or f?
are drink prices in vegas comparable to drink prices in NYC, if you're not drinking in a casino?

Hm, good point, s. Will do more field work and report back.

fr

ian: t and f.

Ping Pang Pong is a very very very very very good and surprisingly cheap (dinner for 4 + soft drinks ~ $60) Chinese restaurant at the Gold Coast Hotel and casino.

I had the Minced Squab Lettuce Cups and some dim sum (not on the website), including some yummy macademia egg custard tarts.

The Gold Coast casino is not bad either. Last time I played there, I went all-in in Texas Hold 'Em against a guy who flopped a royal flush in spades (if you can believe - I have pictures). He bought me a new buy-in of $100 because if had not continued to bet my Q-A, he never would have made it to the five card royal flush. The house bonus for a royal flush in spades at that casino is $3,000.

Instead of tipping the dealers, it can be fun to get some $1 chips and place bets for them along with your own.

any last minute tips? i am writing down the address of that thai place. mmmm i can't wait!

The karaoke place in the same minimall as Lotus of Siam is really good. You can karaoke in a private room to Air.

i have a feeling i will be going to this place every day.

she means the restaurant, not the karaoke.
don't you honey?

is it close to our hotel?

where you staying?

Venetian.

actually ian, i plan to spend everyday at the minimall shopping for stripper wigs.

staying at the venetian! i just googlemapped it and printed it out. it is 2.7 miles from the hotel.

I haven't been to this location but if it's anything like the original in Northern California, it is worth a peek/splurge:

Bouchon

Breakfast:
http://www.venetian.com/venetianeng/Assets/Files/bouchonBkf.pdf

Dinner:
http://www.venetian.com/venetianeng/Assets/Files/bouchonDinner.pdf

i always liked Bill's (formerly The Barbary Coast) great late night coffee shop with quality food.the place is totally cheese but it's located mid-strip so it's easy to get to.

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/5882/gamblorls4.jpg

be careful!

part 1: in-n-out burger!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2351014080_f4d4343125.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2033/2350180279_70fa7bb7dc.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2364/2351013894_c722caeef0.jpg

i always liked Bill's (formerly The Barbary Coast) great late night coffee shop with quality food.the place is totally cheese but it's located mid-strip so it's easy to get to.

ah yes, i have to go to vegas like twice a year and always stay at bill's gambilin hall! its usually around $60/night. though might try the mirage this august since its only like $35 more expensive. anyone been there lately?

going to MAGIC, phil?

yeah.... ugh. are you going too?

magic/project/pool/united

I'll be at the Venetian again.

not this time -- the last one i went to was 3 shows ago, i think, but we shrunk our booth quite a bit and don't send as many people anymore -- it's such a huge investment for the co. and it hasn't been drawing many new buyers

would usu. stay @ the hilton, adjacent, which allowed for rolling out of bed / into clothes / down to the booth in a jiffy

oh yay, shasta!

elmo, what is it that you do for work again? magic kinda blows. project is marginally better, but i still go... so many bad jeans, and ugh, ED HARDY and worse, ED HARDY RIPOFFS!

are you guys talking about clothes

phil i do about 1/2 the internet retail work for a t-shirt co., mostly licensed stuff ACTIVE LIFESTYLES LOL

when i was there i was mostly buying other music merch to sell thru our site

i continue to be amazed how some people get business done @ magic, drinking snorting & whoring then running million $ meetings the next day, wtf

vegas is so unapologetically hetero and i get SO BORED of the tits everywhere

so short answer, not going & glad for it

snorting
um so you have a hookup there?

aanyways i love vegas and i love the boobs and how hetero it is. its a nice counter to living in gaysville, nyc.

well i love it for about 36-48 hours then i wanna get the fuck out

hookup? haha, no -- no interest whatsoever in blowing lines with my coworkers

Back in April I tried the $20 front desk tip described at http://frontdesktip.com/ and got upgraded to a suite.

why does that have a whole domain name?

ohhh yeah maybe i'll try that 20 dollar trick if i stay at the mirage... im so cheap though. i'd rather just stay at bills where the room is nice and bed comfy and clean and 42" plasma and where it takes 5 seconds to get from the hotel entrance to your door, and midstrip... and use the extra money on food or that blasted wheel-of-fortune slot machine

I'm going to Vegas in about a week, and I was wondering if anybody knew any good places to eat on the Strip at 3 am. My last trip to Vegas was five years ago and I distinctly remember being absolutely famished at three in the morning and I just wanted to yell out, "We're in Las fucking Vegas on the Strip and we can't find a place to eat?!?! Granted it's three in the morning, BUT STILL!!!! I'd literally pay a hundred dollars for a hamburger right now." I had to go to bed hungry! Even the In-n-Out Burgers close at 1:30.

I'm gonna win so much money that I'm gonna buy the Bellagio and change its name to the Snrubbagio.

Couldn't you have just stepped into one of the casinos? Most of those places have restaurants that are open 24/7.

dino's bar - awesome and cheap dive bar with the great karaoke and mostly locals, who are often dressed up in costumes and sometimes crazy. it's in-between the strip and downtown lv. it's a fav w/ my vegas-local friends and it absolutely deserves mention on this thread.

also, pinball hall of fame 2nded/3rded

snrub - peppermill restaurant is 24-7 and on the strip.

(and has large portions of diner food)

Awesome. I will add it to The List.

it's relatively north on the strip...just south of riviera. fun place.

Isn't there a Denny's somewhere near the Imperial Palace/Harrah's?

yes there is, but you might as well go to peppermill, cause it's way more las vegas and has better food and it's pretty cheap.

Thirding the Peppermill suggestion. Good food and their ridiculous designer martini menu has some good drinks on it. Terrace Pointe Cafe at the Wynn is also worthy.

For off-strip diner grub you can't go wrong with any of the Blueberry Hills: http://www.blueberryhillrestaurants.com/

I'm gonna win so much money that I'm gonna buy the Bellagio and change its name to the Snrubbagio.

lol @ ^^
im gonna be here starting tomorrow w/ a few friends. any new must-do recs?

I watched the hangover re entry and I thunk you should hey roofers

dyao: are u currently trashed and in LV? if so, lets meet up in abt 20hrs

lol iPhone autocorrect I mean autotrashed

There's the MAGIC convention all week which is pretty dope. First year I haven't had to go in a long-ass time! My bros from NYC + Tokyo are there.

http://www.magiconline.com/

I was just in LV last weekend and had a terrific time. Be sure to check out the all night cheap drink/karaoke in front of Citycenter, go to some of the giant thrift shops (if that's your thing), and don't miss the neon sign graveyard at Las Vegas Blvd. and McWilliams.

Also, the Stratosphere is a dump but worth stopping at only to get drinks at the top of the tower - you don't have to pay for the ride up, only the one drink minimum.

go to the crazy good thai place

panda express

Lotus of Siam or something like that, it is good food. Although I am spoiled because we have good places here and I thought it was comparable or just a bit better

also do the bellagio buffet, and the paris buffet, and the spice market one at planet hollywood

and omg go to chinatown! there's a very authentic dim sum place

you CAN actually walk to chinatown from the strip.. it only takes an hour!!

you get to cross an interstate road on a shitty bridge and walk through some run down areas passing drunks. it's very scenic!

get wasted playing $2 black jack at slots-o-fun

I have a friend on the LV roller derby team. If you like that sort of thing, go see them, they are good people. There's some decent off-strip shopping. Fremont Street is fun and doesn't seem to eat yr soul as quickly as the strip. If you actually want to gamble for fun, go to Fremont or one of the off-strip casinos. Imperial Palace is on-strip but the dealers are all bad impersonators, and they have an entertaining karaoke room. There's an atomic weapon testing museum somewhere. I haven't been to it, but it sounds cool. Take at least a couple taxis until you find a drive with crazy stories.

Also, don't walk an hour in LV, WTF ken.

got it, panda express it is

btw there's also O'Sheas which is cheap-ass and has BEER PONG, and (as a result) full of students, if you like students, you'd love it. Also as a result of the students the poker tourney is super easy to win (played 3, won 3)

and the $5.99 steak and egg deal at Bill's after midnight!!!!!! very good.

xp cheap & beer pong is actually a good rec for this crowd. these are bros from college, altho we're all like 30 now so we might be the crepey old guys

nah you'll be fine the 20 yr old college girls won't care.

I'm thinking about extending next month's road trip out to Vegas.

Useful site: http://www.cheapovegas.com/

Tells you things like, "Where are the $5 blackjack tables?" Believe it or not, you can still find one in Vegas. Like, on a Wednesday afternoon, but still.

Where's the really, really good donut place (whose donuts happen to be vegan)?

ronald's in the chinatown area

if i were going to LV i'd totally go to the pinball hall of fame and play pinball -- less chance of winning money BUT IT IS A PINBALL MUSEUM

plus they're a non-profit so everything beyond their overhead gets donated to charity -- every time you play a pinball game!

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/inside11.jpg

what is beer pong

had a close friend growing up who moved away just before middle school started and we never kept in touch. at the time i knew him his dad had a job designing pinball machines or something.

i googled his name a few yrs back and he and his younger brother were like in the top 10 ranked pinball players in the country & makin some good $$

beer pong aka beirut is teams of 2 throwin ping pong balls into solo cups half full of beer

that sounds stupid

the game was invented to help frat dudes rape girls

not really sure why dudes play it w/ other dudes

who is the inventor or beirut aka beer pong

isn't it generally regarded to have had its origins within the fraternities of Dartmouth College in the 1950s and '60s, where it has since become part of the social culture of the campus?

The game evolved from the original beer pong played with paddles[9] which is generally regarded to have had its origins within the fraternities of Dartmouth College in the 1950s and '60s, where it has since become part of the social culture of the campus.

nuff said

xp haha

was the neon light graveyard mentioned?

yes, ty. i would like to go to there

http://www.neonmuseum.org/

guess the "boneyard" portion is closed 4 the summer ;_;

My personal recommendation: Luv-It Frozen Custard zomg so good
http://www.luvitfrozencustard.com/

the pinball hall of fame is the greatest thing on God's green earth btw

be happy to meet any of you there & beat your ass at Twilight Zone

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

2nd week of September, be there or be rectilinear
xpost

guess the "boneyard" portion is closed 4 the summer ;_;

Nope. You can still peek in through the gate (and easily trespass if that's your sort of thing). Photos to follow...

There's an atomic weapon testing museum somewhere.

http://www.atomictestingmuseum.org/

Pictures from the neon sign boneyard last weekend

vegas is the ed hardy capital of the universe, which i guess is not surprising

the city is apparently sponsored in part by Christian Audigerdiger and "I Got A Feelin" by B.E.P. is its theme song.

The palazzo sportsbook is sweet

Also i'm down like six hundo & shd not b allowed 2 gamble

bet the browns this weekend and win it all back! MY LOCK OF THE WEEK

Do not tempt me...I almost bet on little league today

u need help

man I am blessed with a very very weak stomach for losing money. once I'm even a little in the hole I retreat to the penny slots and then get bored and just hang out at the sports book.

Get the hell off of The Strip and go downtown or to some casino that caters to locals. Strip gambling is le suck for everyone

downtown sucks so bad since they made is The Main Street Experience though, if you never saw it before they put a roof over it it's hard to imagine how fucking fly it used to be

made it

, if you never saw it before they put a roof over it it's hard to imagine how fucking fly it used to be

Well familiar with pre-Experience downtown. Still prefer it to the Strip. (and I still consistently make a small profit at the Golden Nugget)

Nah it's ok...the llws bet wldve only been cuz it was a ct team...my buddy rt now is looking promising 4 a parlay that pays $1400

man I'm glad somebody can enjoy downtown post-experience more than the strip. to me much of what was charming about downtown was "this isn't about families, this is for people who want to gamble & we even have hotels that are exactly that: hotels" e.g. the Gold Spike. shooting craps downtown is still the best action imo but it's not the magic it was and I don't guess they'll ever take that miserable light show out now.

if las vegas were to have a hipster scene - and it doesn't - the huntridge district (near downtown, lots of cool historic buildings/houses) would be its williamsburg/mission/etc.

not sure it'll ever actually turn into that, but the area definitely has the raw material. it's an interesting place to wander around on foot, and literally the only (non-strip/downtown) area in the las vegas region that you could say that about.

I think I've narrowed my hotel choices down to the Golden Nugget and the Imperial Palace. Any opinions on these two?

Hipster is such an annoying fucking word when people are DEAD serious using it.

we're at the monte carlo this time and i would not recommend it

man you guys know what is a boss thing to do is stay at some nothing little motel a mile off the strip and cab it down the street when it's time to go out

then the hotel's actually restful instead of overwhelming

if las vegas were to have a hipster scene - and it doesn't - the huntridge district (near downtown, lots of cool historic buildings/houses) would be its williamsburg/mission/etc.

not sure it'll ever actually turn into that, but the area definitely has the raw material. it's an interesting place to wander around on foot, and literally the only (non-strip/downtown) area in the las vegas region that you could say that about.

Funny you should mention that area as in the 90s it definitely felt that way. There were several grass-roots coffee bars/art galleries there that flourished for a bit.

I think I've narrowed my hotel choices down to the Golden Nugget and the Imperial Palace. Any opinions on these two?

Golden Nugget by far. It's my favorite place to stay in Vegas and there's a very good likelihood that the $20 trick will get you an upgraded room: http://www.frontdesktip.com

Is the Carson Tower as smoky-smelling as the reviews say? I guess I could stay at the Rush Tower, but I'm trying to cut costs where I can.

what is beer pong

― .. help? (admrl), Wednesday, August 18, 2010 12:25 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark

lolwut?

rare book stora @ pala=zo shops is a++

also ate at mario batalis steak house there and its possibly the best steak ive ever eaten

Is the Carson Tower as smoky-smelling as the reviews say? I guess I could stay at the Rush Tower, but I'm trying to cut costs where I can.

― My totem animal is a hamburger. (WmC), Saturday, August 21, 2010 10:10 PM (Yesterday)

Bump for in case Elvis T is ilxing this afternoon.

Decided on the Rush Tower -- it's been open less than a year, lower chance of bedbugs, right?

Still up in the air regarding renting a car vs. cabs/monorail/bus/walking combo.

I am going to be in the Las Vegas airport today.

we were talkin that next time we go we'd likely rent a car

the monorail wasnt bad but its stations seem buried in inconvenient places

I'm in town, no car, will be hungry shortly. I'm at the golden nugget...is there an In n Out Burger that's easy to get to by bus?

Also, Lotus of Siam's website is down and their phone has been busy for the last hour, WTF.

Go the restaurant JOEL ROBUCHON asap!

...is there an In n Out Burger that's easy to get to by bus?

Catch the Deuce/Strip southbound on Fremont street, transfer to the 204B Sahara westbound. In-n-Out at 2900 W Sahara.

U rock! And I have lotus res for tomorrow. Early enough that I might go to a show afterward.

Skeezy neighborhoods bu mission accomplished.

It was ok. I wouldn't make special travel plans for it. Five Guys fries are 1000x better, burgers are 2x better, and my burgers are better than either.

Ate at the Paris bfast buffet this morning...put away an awful lot of smoked salmon and smoked trout. The beef hash (not corned beef) was A++. Biscuits cold, gravy was ham not sausage (goddamn yankees), grapefruit juice from concentrate. Overall grade B-

oh man i couldn't stand queueing for the paris buffet the last time. how's the poker?

Oh well:

The Sahara hotel-casino, a Rat Pack-era jewel of the Las Vegas Strip that age and a prolonged recession had tarnished, will close in May, owner SBE Entertainment announced Friday morning.

Chief Executive Sam Nazarian, the Los Angeles nightclub impresario who purchased the Moroccan-themed casino in 2007 and vowed to restore its hipness, said in a statement that running the property was "no longer economically viable."

...

The Sahara, a haunt of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, once paid bathing beauties to frolic in its Garden of Allah pool. It is now home to a roller coaster and a NASCAR Cafe known for its 6-pound burrito.

RIP

;_;

Their daily tournament was my first live poker experience; I cashed the first time out and was looking forward to a return visit. RIP

going back 2 lose more $, watch this space starting thurs *~*

also, rec's?

only thing i think we def have planned is to go gawk @ celebs @ mgm on sunday daytime going 2 the billboard awards

didnt know u were acting in the hangover 3

http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20130508-vegas-roman-holiday-las-vegas-trendiest-swimming-pool

is that daft punk playing that pool party

That's what I thought too

i am somehow @ clurb xs btw

Pinball Hall Of Fame!

wewent there earlier!

all up in the clurb

ive hears "get lucky" 3 times so far perfect casino song amirite

y are they still allowed 2 sell 12% 4lokos here

so i'm here. any recommendations of things to do?

I've got Al Alvarez's Biggest Game in Town on my kindle (remember reading this before and thinking it was good, tho it's v much bro-lit).

Also watched Detour on the flight over. Forgotten i'd seen it before. Here's my impression of Vegas so far:

https://31.media.tumblr.com/afcd706f9cbdf3fd570fbe35db97dfbb/tumblr_inline_n3l3dpx7E11rvzw3c.png

If you're mobile, get to the Pinball Hall of Fame! http://www.pinballmuseum.org

If you want to drink it up with aggressively friendly locals at a mostly genuine dive, go to Dino's Lounge http://dinoslv.com/

The neon sign boneyard is fun to check out also. If you don't want to pay for the tour, you could just drive to 810 N Las Vegas Blvd and peer through the fence.

Thanks Elvis! Going to the neon sign place today (had watched this documentary on the making of neon sign in China the other day, so felt like a good fit.

Pinball Museum sounds ace, and thanks for the Dino's Lounge recommendation.

Don't gamble at all apart from a little light sports betting, so experience so far is curiously lenten for all the surfeit. It's half six in the morning now, and I've just been casting about unsuccessfully on the hotel tv for the Everton/Arsenal match, so I might go out for a stroll down the early-morning strip.

is the thrifting/vintage shopping still good? I feel like I haven't had thrift store luck in years.

So far our only firm plans are:
Lotus of Siam
L'Atelier
Jaleo or Julian Serrano
one evening barhopping off strip/downtown
Encore or Rehab
Bacchanal/Bellagio/ or Wicked Spoon weekend brunch buffet

ayye i live there!!

hey ledos - so what's the native inhabitant's point of view of Vegas? I'm finding it a little destabilising but fun. Was going to go to Dino's today, but didn't make it. *Did* make it to the neon sign boneyard, which was great.

this is worth reading

http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781861891761

brilliant, nakh, thank you.

Getting fairly strong mental sensations without being able to put them together in any meaningful structure at the moment. It feels heavily characterised by its origin as a post-Depression town, brought into material reality by the hydroelectric New Deal demiurge that is the Hoover Dam.