Here is the three places to get your pinball fix:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gb-pro-at-nyny#post-3185725 -also I can't recommend enough Greenbergs Deli in the same Casino as this arcade...get the Reuben with both meats

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fremont-arcade-downtown-las-vegas-fremont-street-experience#post-3306541

http://www.pinballmuseum.org

There is so much to do in Vegas but really depends on your personality. Tons of great shows, restaurants, thrills. Have a blast and google top things to do in Las Vegas should yield tons of ideas.

Why are people always asking for "things to do in Vegas."

Vegas was literally invented to give people something to do. I can't imagine there's an easier place in the world to find things to do.

Yes, I'll mention some places to visit. Rent a car and go to Red Rock Canyon area you can do many hikes. You can tour Hoover Dam.

Lastly you can rent a car or tour Death Valley National Park, when we did it it was about 12 hours start to finish.

go and see the Neon Boneyard........go in the evening its is a hour or so tour......very informative.....and some history about vegas......I thought it was one of the best things I did out there

NYNY for a sweet pinball experience.

That arcade at Fremont street (linked earlier in this thread) also ran by the same guy as the NYNY pins.

Skip PHOF; I used to love that place but it's pretty much a dump now.

NYNY and arcade at Fremont street for Pinball, PHOF is worth a visit if for nothing else then for ultra rare machines like pinball circus.

+1 for red rock canyon area for hiking, and hoover dam. I also did with my friends a day trip to Grand Canyon, lots of driving for one day but definitely worth it if you have an extra day (5 may not be enough though)

Show's are a must too, I'm a big fan of Circue du Soleil shows of which there are many. Ka at MGM is action packed, O at Bellagio more artictic but they all are nice

Go to Spearmint Rhino on Highland Drive. Ask for Amber. Tell her you want the first time visitor special. Tell her "Guido" sent you.

Ya, I have to agree on the PHOF. Went to vegas last november and picked it as the one pinball related stop. Was sad at how many machines were turned off and simply not working.

Though there was enough odd mechanical non-pinball arcade machines that made the uber trip worth for me.

Go to Flipperspiel

Eat at In and Out Burger!

Really? We've got four of those nearby and that would be one of the last places to eat. Surely Vegas has better food than that...

In New York New York, follow the signs to the RollerCoaster, and you'll find an arcade with about 10+ pins in great shape.. including ghostbusters, GOT, MET, etc.

Same guy operates an arcade that just opened on Fremont Street in the downtown area - https://www.facebook.com/FremontArcade

Of course you have the pinball hall of fame - which regardless of condition statements is worth it just to see some of the rare titles and have your own impression of the place.

Comedy Shows are worth it

Three words....hookers and blow

Nobody goes to Vegas to eat at that place

well if you are from out of the country it might be worth a shot to experience a good famous burger for lunch.

That must be the only people eating them anymore. I don't know too many locals that do. I guess it could be worse as I'm sure there are Booger Kings and McDeaths burgers there too. Heck, I had a better burger at Denny's last week.

Talking about eating - so many great restaurants in Vegas but if you willing to try a different kind of culinary experience check out heart attack grill. Quadruple bypass burger has ~8000 calories and Customers over 350 lb (160 kg) in weight eat for free if they weigh in with a doctor or nurse before each burger.

Merica

Where are you staying?

I recommend either Cosmopolitan or Caesar's

co-worker said his Gordon Ramsey burger was the best he ever had. For $30 it better be.

Yea I've been to Gordon Ramsays BURGR. It's VERY good. I always get the Hells Kitchen burger when I'm there it's the jalapeño one. Also another EXCELLENT burger place which I usually go to instead of BURGR is Holsteins at Cosmopolitan. It's is gourmet burgers as well but they have alcoholic adult milkshakes!!

There's no bar in the arcade area, but Vegas is all about wondering around with a drink in hand. And the bigger the better, frozen margarita's can be up to 64 ounces...

God I love Vegas! Aside from the NYNY and hall of fame spots (you can get here by bus too across from the MGM grand) already mentioned there is a ton to do. Any restaurant at the Cosmo is great (get a cosmo there while you're gambling, not the most masculine drink, but the best cosmo you'll ever have - free if you're playing), and Jullian Serrano at the Aria is our favorite dinner spot on the strip. Also can't recommend going to Fremont street enough for a night - just wander around and see at least 3 live music acts outside and hit the bars. If you've never seen a cirque du soleil show, I can't recommend one enough as a must see - absolutely fascinating to see live.

Probably for the same reason certain people have to post in every thread.

Ever been to Vegas? There is a lot of wheat to separate from the chaff. I've known people that have visited The Strip for decades who never even HEARD of Downtown, but once I recommended it to them, they haven't gone back to The Strip.

So Bryno, be sure to check out Downtown / Fremont Street. I hear they have a pretty sweet arcade that just opened there.

And who goes to Vegas to "do what the locals do?"

Yes! Just down the street from the old Bally Distributing shop, warehouse and offices. Good times.

Yes, go downtown to see 'Old Vegas'. All the casinos are next to each other, much more walkable than the strip. Lots of bars on Fremont Street worth checking out. Uber/Lyft is your best way to get there from the strip. Cab rides are about $25 each way (I think). Don't waste your time on the bus.

Some of my favorites.

Atomic Liquors if you're into craft beer.
Pizza Rock
Cheap 2/4 limit poker at Flamingo
Ellis Island. This off strip casino is right behind Linq/Flamingo on Koval. Cheap brew they make themselves. Cheaper gambling limits. Restaurant is a great deal. Most will tell you to get the BBQ, I say the Metro Pizza stand is the right move. You will love or hate this place. I go multiple times every trip.

My pinball recommendations are in line with everyone else in this thread.

Oh man Williams, I went to Ellis Island for their steak special over a decade ago. Great food and killer ambience - a bloody fight broke out in the casino while we were eating! Highly recommended.

PS I heard something about Atomic Liquors being bought out by the Downtown Project - is that true? Damn shame if it is. I know places like that and The Western and The Gold Spike weren't for everyone, but I really loved those shitholes.

food can be hard to get after midnight so get dinner before 9pm
Gambling on the strip often is a loser, save it for the fremont st casinos. However Casino Royale on the strip has better odds.

if you have a concierge in your hotel, tell them what you want, they can help. Ask about paid line passes

shows can be expensive $300 for 2, get the dinner and show combo if they offer it.

The O show at the Wynn is newer and really good.

Beatles LOVE at the Mirage is affordable and a must see.

Terry Fator is just ok Jeff Dunham is way better.

go see the secret garden dolphins and tigers at the Mirage during the day.

discounted tickets on the street are a scam.

mirage volcano show every night on the hour.
bellagio water show

good hiking/walking shoes, everything is huge, you will walk 10-15 miles a day easy.

get a rtc bus pass each day. the bus goes to every property as well as downtown/fremont st. comes about every 10 mins 24/7
Only take a cab if your exhausted or in a hurry $30 with tip from the mirage to mandalay bay.

you dont need a car unless you are going out of town. only get it for that day. traffic on weekend nights is ridiculous on the strip.
by the time you drive and park, the bus will already get there on the strip. there is also a shuttle train from luxor, excalibur to mandalay

new york new york has pinball and grenbergs deli and a hershy chocolate store.

the shark aquarium is cool at the manaday bay

the rira pub in the manadalay shoppes has very good food at a fair price as well as a factory Guinness next door

food is expensive, plan on $50 for lunch for 2 $100 for dinner.

drinks if you buy them are $9-$10 for beer or more on the strip plus tip.

Goto walgreens for supplies like bottled water, small wine bottles or whiskey for the room across the street from the mirage. I usually refill the little wine bottles from my wife with evan williams whiskey from walgreens or something similar and they fit in my pocket. A glass of ice is free everywhere.

steak and shake for burgers on the strip
the lux cafe in the venetian has an excellent bacon cheeseburger for $16

the wynn buffet is good $60
the buffet in the bellagio also good $50
caliornia pizza kitchen is fairly priced and has salads and pizza
white castle burger is just up the street from the linq for late night eats, its not good but its open.

the properties on the bellagio/ceasars side of the street are nicer than the linq/paris/mgm side.

Everyone who goes to vegas has a different experience, there is always something new going on.

i hope this will help get you started.

I would agree with many of the tips above except for what I quoted. Just depends on how much money you want to save. The bus ride does stop frequent and this makes for a very slow ride. Here's an idea of that trip.

For a first time visitor, walking the strip and popping into the different casinos can be part of the fun.

This is probably my best piece of advice. The casinos appear to be closer than they really are. The Rio may look walkable from the strip, but it's a LONG walk. When in doubt, take a cab/bus/car/etc. Again, Uber/Lyft is a great way to get around Vegas.

i argee with a lot of this but with what i have spent on cab fare and cars I could see a show with a decent buffet.

First time visitors also need to get over the astounding price shock!

I used uber my last trip a couple times. it took them awhile to get to me 15mins or more.
the problem was they are not allowed to use the regular taxi stands so you might have to walk a bit. also waiting in line at taxi stands can take a long time.

So my over all opinion is the bus takes 10-15 mins longer but is only $8 a day. downside is that you have to walk to the bus stop, but there are many.
I always take cabs if its a night on the town and we are all dressed up,but for just sightseeing or wrecking around i now just take the bus.

So on a 4-5 day trip busing will waste 3 hrs of your time but may save you $400.

I absolutely agree that one should walk the strip maybe once in a lifettime. it takes all day and your feet will be blistered and hate you if you are not a hiker and used to it.
The other down side is that the only walkable side of the strip is on the sunny side and is brutal on an average 100 degree day.
So leave early in the morning for that and take a lot of water.

it is actually amazing that no one else has mentioned flipperspiel so i will say it again.

go to flipperspiel.

www.vegaspinball.com

Didn't know about. I like that list of games more than the others. I'll be checking it out.

You can play pinball anywhere. Spearmint Rhino on the other hand.....

The monorail is the cheapest way to cruise and walk the strip quickly which i believe is like 7 miles long. It is like $10 for a day pass...highly recommend.

LVMC_3DMap_4.25x9.25_916-v2-1024x471 (resized).jpg

Under construction right now... Sapphire is your alt

Treasures is only about a mile South of where Bally/United Gaming used to be on Highland. Of course Treasures was not built when Bally was in that neck of the woods.

the monorail is so far away from the strip you will be exhausted just going there and back one time, and its $2 more than the bus.
its a 1.5 mile hike from the mirage one way.

the picture is misleading, those blocks are 1 to 2 miles long.

if i go to the walgreens right across the street from the mirage front door, its a 1.5 mile hike there and back.

No one uses it. its useless for travelling the strip. People laugh about it.

My advice, if you are bringing the wife don't Be "that guy" running around looking for pinball to play in Vegas. It's a total douche move. Lay poolside during the day, send her to the spa, take her to dinner, see a show, order room service, repeat. Play pinball at home.

You calling me a nobody LOL. I used it recently and the stops are not 1.5 miles away from the strip, they back up to the casinos and you just walk through one to get to the strip and compared to that slow all day bus trip it takes you like 10 minutes to run the entire length of the strip. The furthest stop is probably the MGM from the strip and it is like walking across the strip like 5 times and a skip more. That is the advantage of the monorail...it is FAST!!! Just my opinion though.

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Send her to the spa at NY NY then go play pinball while she's there

Fremont street experiance is definitely worth spending some time at. 3 stages with various bands. Mostly rock cover bands. Lots of "interesting" streetperformers. Famous people look alikes, mostly naked girls, magicians, statue people, plastic bucket drummers, etc. There's a giant overhead video screen, and zip lines. And an arcade with a good selection of pins. It's set back from Fremoont st a bit.

Also, Tony Roma's on Fremont has a $11.99 steak and lobster special from 9PM to 11PM. It's not the best steak or the biggest lobster, but it's pretty decent. Pop (soda) is free, so for $30, including tip, you can have steak, lobster, baked potato, and veggies for 2.

Gold & silver pawn shop (TV show Pawn Stars) is nothing special, but Rick's BBQ, right next to it has awesome ribs. (Rick Harrison, Pawn Stars). A little bit spendy, but worth it.

If your hotel doesn't have a microwave, there's a guy on craigslist that will deliver a microwave to you for $25. Just search for the words microwave and deliver. Then leave it by the ice machine when you check out. No joke. That's what we did.