Amen Brother

griping from a bunch of people that will spend $10,000 for a pinball machine that should cost $5,000..... at the blink of an eye!

Haha my mistake, read too fast. The equivalent to 1977 is $80.

Not saying Vegas is not expensive because it definitely is.

I agree. As I said, in the 70s and 80s, I had basically nothing. The deals were great then. After 40 years of workin' for the man now I have a few tidbits of dough. Last time we went, we got the giant 2-room suite at the Mirage. I think its as big as my house. We got a cabana for a day at the pool, living it up with food and drinks from our own cocktail server. Its not about just the money and getting deals. To me it just isn't fun anymore, and yes the resort charges, the parking, the ridiculously priced crap meals, just because I can afford them doesn't mean I like it. What happened to the idea that if you make those basic things free then all the people can take that cash and blow it gambling? After I get taken for every nickel and dime I have I don't feel like opening my wallet to gamble.

All of the shops everywhere mean nothing to me, I don't shop. The entertainment is overpriced. We saw the Beatles Love show, it was OK, nothing great, and I certainly didn't think it was worth whatever the hell it cost me, hundreds I think. Walking the strip is just a tedious show with all of the people bugging you and shoving tasteless calling cards in your hands. Well heck, I like pics of half-naked women as much as the next guy, but it seems a bit inappropriate. The museums are great, Mob Museum, Atomic Testing Museum, Neon Museum, etc are all good but I've seen them and don't feel a need to keep going back.

There are too many other fun things to do in CA, the LV thing is not really a thing anymore, for me anyway. Work does take me there periodically, then I like to go for the pinball places more than anything else if I have any spare time.

Neon museum?!? Well crap I had no idea there was one, time to hit google.

Go at night (to see everything lit up), and you must book in advance! They always fill up. Book as much in advance as you can! You have been warned! If you wait until you show up in town and try to get in, you might miss out.

Completely agree with the Downtown theory, and staying at the Golden Nugget. Stayed there last time we went. 1st time in 6 trips there we stayed downtown. Best choice we ever made. Love the Nugget. Was there 4 nights and gambled at the bar every night, and I NEVER paid for even 1 Jack and Coke. Can't beat that. . . . . . . .

Just found it:

http://www.neonmuseum.org/

I had heard about it but for some reason I thought it was just a dumping ground for old signs of yesteryear, didn't realize it was actually open to the public. Yup, definitely will book ahead and check it out next time I'm there

Just gotta do it right...have a timeshare just off the strip..eat at wholefoods, ride the rollercoasters with the kids, hit some nyny pins, then buy a few random things to flip off Craigslist and the trip is free...just like any tourist destination, rule #1...don't be a sucker!

Oh...and the only slot worth playing...and I'm not kidding here...is called "pinball"...I win 90% of the time..max bet always

I would say spend some time on the old strip these days too. The D casino is fun.

Also the whole old Town area you just shouldn't miss it. I have enjoyed spending time in the old downtown area over the last 30 years. The history of Vegas oozes down there. Also there just seems to be more excitement in the air...

i have had the most actual luck winning on blackjack. I don't play craps though. My brother is a casino manager in Toledo Ohio.

He told me all the money in the house came from slots. Play the slots and lose. I drop minimal cash all the way around gambling. I prefer to tip well, and used to get drunk drunk drunk. Now no longer, the drinking part.

Headed there tomorrow. Wife just called our hotel, apparently there is a $30 dollar fee to check in anytime before 3pm... It annoys me even more coming from the eastern time zone.

Its like they are intentionally sucking the life out of you before you can even get started.

They make .50 on the dollar on gambling and .75 on the dollar on food.....

And .90 on the dollar on paid booze.

Yeah. "Welcome to your holiday, here's a kick right in the nuts to start you off right!!"

rd

The best time of the year to go to Vegas is towards the end of the year. The weather is cooler and you've got NFL and college football games you can bet on. I've done it enough and feel no desire to go back.

You don't know when to quit, do ya Griswold? Here's an idea: Why don't you give me half the money you were gonna bet? Then, we'll go out back, I'll kick you in the nuts, and we'll call it a day!

Last time in Vegas was 2006 but if you were at the tables or machines drinks were free.

Went to college in Toledo. Sorry about your brother's luck

I was just in Vegas last month at the MGM grand and left pissed off at all the nickel and diming they have recently resorted too. They took the little fridges out of the rooms that they used to have included. There is a sign saying that if you try to put any of your own stuff in the mini bar cooler you will be charged $50. If you need a mini fridge, one can be rented for $25 a night.

Besides all the bs, the blackjack rules have been changed more in their favor. Limits on re-splits and double downs, Blackjack no longer pays 3-2, it pays 6-5.

The Denny's style breakfast cafe cost $20 for 2 eggs, 2 sausage, hash browns, and toast. The basic cup of coffee was $5. Not Starbucks or premium coffee. Basic coffee that cost a buck a few years ago.

The rooms look run down and are not kept clean like they used to. There is no longer HBO standard like there used to be. They figure HBO might take away from you renting a ppv movie which was around $20

Parking was $20 for two days even though I was staying there.

Because of this I only gambled 4 hands of blackjack then quit after winning all 4 hands, letting it ride each time. Between that and betting on Arizona to beat UCLA and then Oregon, I at least got back $500 from them.

Funny thing is, if they didn't piss me off with all the BS, I would have gambled there a lot more and they probabaly would have gotten a lot more money out of me.

Went to downtown, but that place smelled and had too many ugly naked people walking around.

All part of the charm.

rd

You'll most likely end up in an old folks home at some point in the not too distant future. I say get used to it

Pick your choice of music, have a good meal at a decent price, and good honest get falling-down drunk party time all night long, how can you go wrong.

I'm banking on either a massive heart attack before that happens or else a level of senility that will at least keep me from remembering those images.

Vegas annoyed me before I ever got out of the airport. When you have to take a train a few hundred yards at a small airport just to get your rental car and leave, that's BS. But it didn't end there. Every time I had to cross a street on the strip, I was funneled up steps and into a casino, where I promptly got lost and had to find my way back to the street. My first time there was my last time, but at least my trip to PHOF got me into the hobby.

"What's next, Frank?....kids in Vegas" HAHAHAHAHAHA

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Small airport? Las Vegas has been in the top ten by passenger count for over a decade.

Deal hunting has always been a part of my Vegas experience. I'm still a fan of Ellis Island.

And then there is the whole taxi from the airport thing which no one has mentioned yet. Another ripoff for most people who come in. If you take a cab from the airport to anywhere on the strip and you get on the freeway, you got ripped off. Its a thing, Google it.

I was talking geographically. It's nowhere near a DFW, for instance. The airport was small enough that I wish I could have just walked to get to the rental cars. Would've been faster and saved going up and down escalators just to get to the train. I got so tired of escalators on that trip...

This is no longer the case, so... yay?

Companies are really inventing new ways to charge the customer. A couple of weeks ago I received a packet worth of 50 EUR and DHL Express charged me 20 EUR for giving me the information that I needed to do the custom duties by myself... And I had already paid for the shipping to the company selling the actual goods

The Vegas Strip has turned into a giant overpriced shopping mall and tourist trap. The charging for parking scam is enough for me. I've been to Las Vegas about seven times last year and I purposely bypassed the Vegas Strip... I'll usually stay at one of the Boulder Strip hotels - good rooms and decent prices. And about 15 minutes away from the PHOF... If you have to go to the Vegas Strip, there's still free parking in the back parking lot at the Tropicana, which is close to the New York, New York hotel...

I found Uber to be much cheaper.

Of course the taxi's from the airport are a ripoff. It's been like this for 20 years. The only way to go now a days is Uber. It's half the price and there is no long haul chargers and the drivers are very friendly and never drunk (I know from 1st hand experience of being picked up by a drunk taxi driver).

QSS

I used the busses to get around last time I went, so did everyone else. It is like 20 bucks for a 4 day pass or something. Buy the longer pass up front, or you'll end up paying more. I thought.

I do need to take my girl to a good show or 2.

You know after all this talk I kind of don't feel like waiting until next March. Kind of funny. Love it or hate it Vegas baby.

Big Shot is awesome though!

After being here for a night I have a few thoughts. Food prices on the strip are unreal. I wonder if it's related to vegas rebranding to conventions and trade shows. People get to "expense" their food so there isn't as much sticker shock. Seeing a lot of name tags/lanyards, maybe there's more money on the weekday business people than weekend partying.

Also. Couldn't agree more with the children and strollers complaints. For sin city, there sure seems to be a lot of young and impressionable minds wandering around.

I used to go to LV 5-6 times a year in the early 90's. Wife worked for AA, so 20$ round trip on stand by. Had a cousin that was the hotel manager. (Palace Station, it was not on the strip). Free rooms. 8 bucks for a round trip pass on a bus from the airport. He would usually throw in a few free meal tickets if it was the slow time of year. Was cheaper for me to go to vegas then it was to stay home for the weekend. Would take 50-100$ to play 1$ blackjack. If I lost it all no biggie, and a few times I actually won a few K. For sure not like that any more. Worst case I would spend 200$ for the weekend and would eat good and have a blast. Last time I was there was for a wedding and it was expensive. A lot changed from the early 90's to the mid 2000's.

Yeah the whole kids in stroller thing really annoys me also. True story here. I was at Fremont st I think 4 summers ago during the summer concert series. It's free outdoor concerts on Fremont every summer with a different theme every year with some pretty big name bands. Anyway it was 80's Hair Metal concert summer and I was at the Dee Snider show out on the street doing all the twisted sister songs. Completely FREE and completely INSANE. It was close to midnight with the concert still going I think and there were strollers EVERYWHERE!!! At basically a twisted sister concert on Fremont St!! I remember one dad pushing his kid in his stroller and I kid you not, the dad had his 6 pack of beer in the kids lap and smoking a cigar above the kid with the ashes falling in the kids lap!! Couldn't believe it. Not to mention the couple thousand person crowd pushing, shoving, fighting, swearing, smoking, and puking just craziness lolol.

I recently returned from Vegas with my girlfriend (from the UK) and had the best time. Stayed at the MGM Grand for a great price. We did spend a lot of time researching the best deals and what to avoid. Do your research and Vegas is still one of the most entertaining places on the planet. I've been 3 times and only seen a fraction of what the place has to offer. Go there blindly and you will get ripped off big time.

The back of the famous sign gets no love, so here's a pic. Yes, I'll be back soon!

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Your wife worked for alcoholics anonymous?