I took some of my kiwi mates to Heart Attack Grill last year, and they purposely didn't finish eating their burgers to get an ass paddling .... (That's what happens if you don't finish your burger!!)

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I hear the Bunny Ranch has a boatload of pinball machines...

And they do Prime Rib dinner for $8 between 4pm and 6.30pm. Ideal for a late lunch/early dinner/snack between drinking. You just have to push the old folks out of the way to get a table

If you like a little bit of Vegas history, check out the Mob Musuem downtown, only a block off Fremont St. I'm not a museum guy, but I really enjoyed it.

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If "pinball machine" is your code word for hookers, you're spot on!

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You mean it's not? What in the heck have I been talking about & discussing on these forums this entire time!????

Ass paddling is some of the best entertainment in Vegas. Burgers are ok, pretty basic but ok for the money, considering the entertainment you get.

You can have a pretty good time in Vegas without spending a heap of money. One of my favorite websites was "we did Vegas on $3 a day" which was about 2 guys who used to go to Fremont St and get free drinks and free dinners. The free dinners are long gone these days but you can still get some bargains.

Google is your friend .. I got $79 Carrot Top tickets for $30 each on a website. I recommend that show, it was funny as hell. That website had dozens of shows on the cheap. And here it is!

http://www.smartervegas.com

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I think the Heart Attack Grill is literally right next to the new arcade. Banger Brewing is right there as well and is worth checking out also.

If you're a foodie, lots of great restaurants on Freemont Street. I really liked 'Eat'.

I think these are two great downtown options if you just want a basic meal.

If you want classic, no frills American diner food, Dupars in the Golden Gate is a nice choice. Especially for breakfast.

For really good bar food, check out the Chicago Brewing Company in the 4 Queens. Nice cheap video poker at their bar and they brew their own beer which is above average. Its comped if you're playing video poker - always a plus!

Here is a great hidden secret downtown, it's called Main St. Station. It's off of Freemont, just north of The Plaza, kitty corner from The California. They have their own award winning micro brewery and the Monday through Friday happy hour(4-6pm?) specials are DIRT CHEAP!! You can eat & drink like a King for 20 bucks!! The food is excellent . AND the buffet at Main St is an excellent value too. Stay away from the buffet at Golden Nugget , completely not worth it!! Very clean and nice place all around.

You want Italian food? MUST go to Battista's Hole In the Wall , it's right behind The Cromwell and Across from Bally's. Unlimited Wine is included with ALL dinners!

I love Main Street Station sooooo much! The Triple 777 Grill was the first place I ever had oysters!!

* Late night pizza by the slice at Secret Pizza in the Cosmopolitan is pretty good.

* If you do the Stratosphere go for lunch or dinner. You get a free ride up and in our case the bill was cheaper then paying to go up.

* Ellis Island has the best dinner deals IMHO. Not fancy, but the steak was good. Also they brew their own beer and serve it for $1.

* MGM Grand has a Sigma Derby, mechanical horse racing game from the 70s. Cocktail waitresses are around often with free drinks.

* I've been to most of the shows. My favorites are Love, La Reve, and Lion King.

* When you go to the shows ask the usher if there are any upgrades available, often they are free or really cheap.

* I like the pinball Hall of Fame. I spend 4-5 hours there on almost every trip.

* Rent a car and go to Red Rocks (30 minutes) or Zion (3 hours).

* Free bands in the bars or on Freemont Street can be pretty good.

Due to this thread I just booked at the Golden Nugget.

Going to hit up the Heart Attack Grill and the Fremont Arcade for sure.

Also need to find that Sigma Derby machine on Fremont.

I'm kind of wishing I gave Downtown Vegas a chance before.

Sigma is 2nd level at the "D". Walk out of GN and head east on Fremont St, go past the 4 Queens and the next block will be the D. Walk in towards the middle to the escalators and head on up.

Fremont St is the only way to go in vegas anymore. The only thing good about the strip are the pinballs in NYNY, otherwise the strip is a ripoff for the most part unless you're drinking, walking, socializing with friends, and not gambling or doing anything else. Have fun!

I don't know man. Fremont Street if fun, but it's super trashy too. Not saying the Strip is real classy, but it's at least it's fake classy in many areas. I'd rather stay on the Strip and catch an Uber to Fremont Street for the night. It all depends on what your looking for. For a guys getaway...perhaps Fremont Street is the better choice. If I'm going with my wife or family we're staying on the Strip.

I think you hit it there ... Fake classy. And they are now charging up the wazzooooo for the fake classyness.

It was fine in the 2008-2012 recession, there were plenty of deals and they worked hard to get your money. Not now.

To me, the Strip area feels like a Westfield Shopping mall, cold and clinical, soulless, designed to funnel the people around like sheep.

My fear is that downtown will end up like this, as the developers look for new areas to unleash their chequebooks. If that happens, I'll have no reason to go there any more.

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Downtown will never turn into that. The surrounding area perhaps...

Welcome to Reno!,
Less Classy, less trashy!
And way more affordable...!

As long as you are not easily offended, go see this show:

http://www.absinthevegas.com/

I've always wanted to check out Reno. Next trip!

Think I've been to Vegas 5 times. Maybe 6. I guess that's not bad when I live 10,000 miles away. Lol

I always tell everyone, you have to check out Vegas before you die. You may love it, you may hate it, but you got to see it.

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I would second Carrot Top. I had zero (really negative) interest in seeing him - but reluctantly went based on the tripadvisor reviews. He was fantastic. Also not for those easily offended (along with Absinthe)...

Honestly, Fremont sounds more like Vegas than the strip.

If you think the strip is classy walk around when the clubs get out. It's always classy to see people pissing in the middle of the strip.

Circus Circus is literally a shithole. Last time I was there I could not believe the degree to which it degraded. Got approached by three or four middle aged hookers who were hanging out next to the kids games.

Vegas isn't classy anywhere you go. I kind of feel like it's supposed to have a seedy vibe anyway. It's Vegas.

I spend a lot of time in Vegas, and in fact I will be there the week after next, starting Monday for the big gaming show. But with that said, I can give you plenty of free family-friendly and non-pinball things to go see such as the fountains at the Bellagio, the Sirens of TA show outside Treasure Island, The volcano of the Mirage, the animated statues at Cesars Palace, and of course the lights on Freemont Street...that place IS Vegas. Yes, for many these things are a bit cheesy, but they are good value entertainment. PM me if you need any details, and I can point you in the right direction.

This looks like fun.

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I agree,I love going to Reno.Way more laid back and not so crowded.

I know what you mean about Circus Circus.I felt like I was in a really bad part of town.

That place looks like a zombie movie set...they should have all the employees dress up as zombies

Oh, they don't?

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Grand Sierra all the way. Formerly Bally's Reno!

Yeah, I'm not really talking about Circus Circus, Excalibur, Stratosphere, etc. I'm talking about the resorts that have air filtration systems that make it so they don't smell like a dive bar. Honestly, name one place downtown that doesn't reek. Again, don't get me wrong. Fremont Street is fun. If you're going with a group of guys, go to Fremont Street. You can sit and play table games and there will be dancers up behind the dealers. You can go out at noon and there will be girls (and guys) in g-strings asking if you want to pay to take their picture with you. In my opinion, "Fremont Street is the place to go people watching; then drink until you become one of the people others are watching".

Either experience is what you make it. On the strip, start your night off with dinner and a $1 micro brew at Ellis Island. The stake dinner will run you, maybe $7.50. Then go the the MGM to see the early show of Ka. After the show play Sigma Derby for a an hour or two. As long as you're tipping your free drink will never be empty. It's also a great social game, because everyone is cheering and yelling. After that head across the street with your new friends to New York, New York. Grab a Guinness while listening to a free live Irish band at Nine Fine Irishmen. Sure you're paying for a drink you could get for free; but consider that your admission price to the free concert. Now that you're a bit buzzed, go play some pinball at the onsite arcade. After a few games and more drinks...you're hungry again. Take the monorail down to the Cosmopolitan. Head upstairs and through the unmarked door for a slice of Secret Pizza. What, two pinball machines here too. Crazy! Maybe take a quick walk through the gardens at the Bellagio then watch the fountains while you wait for an Uber ride back to your resort. I'm telling you that's a pretty good, clean night in Las Vegas.

I mentioned renting a car and going to Zion. Props if you make it to the end of Angels Landing; 4' wide path with 800' and 1000' cliffs on each side.

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Whaaattt??? They make you eat wooden stakes? Oooffffff!

Great line.

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Some of the most memorable stuff on my trip there was making some excursions outside of Vegas. I wouldn't pass the chance to see the Grand Canyon. Other amazing things to see out that way are Meteor Crater and the Grand Canyon Caverns tour.

Where is the Ellis Island casino on the strip?

Directly behind Bally's. Flamingo is the street that runs right between The Flamingo/Cromwell casinos and Ballys. Walk right between them and you'll see it. It's a 10 minute walk.

On the way, if you're into the seedier side you can pop in the Stage Door. And that walk takes you right where Tupac was shot. (That said, its a safe walk).

Thanks, I'm quite familiar with the area. I was commenting on lpeters' post since he mentioned during 'on the strip, start at Ellis Island'. Koval Lane is not the strip.
Anyone here remember when there was a Bally's Federal Credit Union on Harmon & Audrie? Been renamed WestStar CU for awhile now.

Circus Circus may be a shithole, but they have pretty good arcade games throughout there. Actually there's like three arcades in Vegas that have F-Zero sit-down cabinets but Circus Circus has theirs linked.

(Oh shit I forgot this was a pinball forum)

Wow...let's call it a night near the strip. The MGM property literally fills the entire block from Las Vegas Blvd to Koval Ln. Don't get me wrong, blocks in Vegas are 1/2 mile each. My goal with was to try to create a loop with each stop around 15-minutes of the next. Perhaps doing the loop in reverse would have been better, but I wanted more time between Ellis Island and Secret Pizza.

PS: Ellis Island does have mixed reviews. My experiences have been good. Every steak I've had has been cooked to temperature. Let's just say, I've paid a lot more for a lot worse.

I couldn't be that close and not for a walk down to 934 gilman street.

shivers down my spine

Tupac was shot in front of the Maxim hotel. I worked there in the 70's.

As a 20 year Reno/Sparks local, I can tell you that the Atlantis is the best, best Buffet, best rooms, best service.
2nd is the peppermill, similar to the Atlantis and also very good
A real interesting place is The Western Village in Sparks. Very Plush low prices, the locals always go there. No pinball.
3rd is the Eldorado it is linked to the Silver leagcy and the Circus Circus. The Eldorado has a very good buffet, very Vegas like and very high quality.
No one will recommend the Circus Circus, just like Vegas its a dive....

Just played at NYNY, games were in great shape!

So OP what did you do on your vacation? How was it?