Originally Posted By Labuda WOO HOO! So last night I played in a poker tourney and WON it, along with $250 and a seat in a Vegas tournament in July. WOO HOO! I already FB'd a couple of my favorite Vegas LPers, but I have a question for everybody: Since this tourney is at the Golden Nugget, that's where I'll be staying. What should I make sure I don't miss at the Fremont Street Experience/downtown? I'll be getting into town early the evening of 30 June and heading home the afternoon of 3 July, and since I'm technically still unemployed, I'm planning to go "cheap" and not hit any Cirque du Soleil shows this time around.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Wow, congratulations on the win! We missed the Freemont Street Experience while we were out there which I kind of regret. Sounds fantastic.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip We stayed at the Golden Nugget during our last trip to Vegas and really enjoyed downtown... in fact we never went to the Strip once while we were there. The Nugget ranks with some of the better hotels on the strip at considerably less cost. We dined at the Grotto one evening and really enjoyed it... it is a mid-priced Italian restaurant (entrees are in the $20 range). As for the Fremont Street Experience, you just have to experience it. Of course there is the hourly show on the enormous overhead light display. Beyond that, there is an "only in Vegas" party vibe on the street that is unequaled on the Strip. From people dressed in outlandish outfits that you can have your photo taken with (everything from super-heroes to showgirls to a guy of undetermined sexuality in a pink bikini) to a guy who creates fantastic paintings with cans of spray paint, it must be experienced... there is no way to adequately describe it. Of course you will also find some of the cheapest drinks offered in Vegas, which also adds to the party vibe. It is fun to Casino-hop on Fremont Street. Unlike the Strip where it is a 20-minute walk from one casino to another, on Fremont Street you are never more than a few minutes away. We spent the most time gambling at the Nugget since that is where we were staying, but also really enjoyed Binion's and Fitzgerald's. My only complaint with gambling at the Nugget was that drinks while gambling were extremely SLOW in arriving. We seemed to have the best luck at Binion's, but of course YMMV. While at Binion's it is fun to have your photo taken (no cost) standing behind their million dollars in cash (under glass and guarded of course!) I’m sure you will enjoy the Nugget and staying downtown. Now that we’ve tried it I don’t think we’ll ever go back to the Strip.
Originally Posted By bAmboo1 Some more on Fremont Street: -If you want free drinks, go to Mermaids. You will have a cocktail waitress taking your order within 2 minutes. Guaranteed. If you tip ($1 per drink is fine) they will be back before you are done to take your next order. While at mermaids try their deep fried Oreos or deep fried Twinkies (I prefer the Oreos). -Cheapest gambling on Fremont (and pretty much all of Vegas) is the El Cortez: only place in Vegas with $1 roulette. This casino is located a couple blocks East of the Fremont Experience (the portion under the overhead screen). -"East Fremont" (again, just east of the overhead screen) has lots of hole in the wall bars that are quite fun. My favorite is Insert Coins, a video game/arcade themed bar (if you are into that). Across the street is Don't Tell Mama, a very fun piano bar (one girl there has an amazing voice).
Originally Posted By Dabob2 You'll enjoy downtown - totally different vibe from the strip. Binion's was probably my favorite place to play. The GN is a fine place to stay (we stayed there on our Vegas trip before the last one). On our last trip we stayed on the Strip, but due to great reviews went to the Mike Hammer show at the Four Queens (as well as The Beatles Love at the Mirage). He's a comic magician and really a lot of fun. Enjoyed him way more than I thought I would - the show was so cheap, I thought "how good could it be?" but going by the reviews we took a chance and it was tons of fun. He riffs on people in the audience (in a very old-school "clean" way), and is a good magician too - again, intimate old-school style, not flashy David Copperfield-type stuff. Good luck in the tourney!
Originally Posted By Labuda Thanks for the info, y'all! Feel free to keep it coming! Hmmm, Mike Hammer sounds interesting. I might just see if I can get someone to check him out with me.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Is Vegas the only place you can use the term "baby" for? "I'm going to Seattle, baby!" just doesn't have the same feeling.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Going to South Beach in Miami might qualify. "I'm going to South Beach, baby!!"
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Yes on South Beach. No on Cleveland. I guess there is a sliding scale.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I'm not sure if Key West is worthy of a "baby" but it certainly is worthy of a "dude" or a "mon".
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb >>> Yes on Key West. No on Indianapolis.<<< Well... no on Indianapolis, you on Indy. We're going to INDY baby!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Yes on Indy, darn predictive spelling ruins another joke (poor though it might have been).
Originally Posted By Labuda OMG OMG OMG! SO, the day of the tourney I'm in is also day one of WSOP Event 55 - The Big One for One Drop - a 48-player limit charity for which $111,111 of each MILLION DOLLAR BUYIN will be donated to a charity that is working to provide clean water worldwide. Anyhow, the day after my tourney, I'll be driving over to the Rio for a while in the afternoon so I can check out the play IN PERSON of some of my poker heroes - Daniel Negreanu is my favorite of those so far confirmed to be playing, and I'm hoping that Phil Hellmuth will join, too. Regardless, the living legends who I'll get to see play include folks like Johnny Chan, Tom Dwan, Elky Grospelier, Patrik Antonius, Erik Seidel, and Gus Hansen... I'm SO jazzed and plan to have my camera handy and hope I can get pictures with a couple of them. Oh, hey, anyone know if they charge for valet parking at either the Golden Nugget or Rio? Other than the tip I plan to give the valets, I mean... I did the math on cost of a round-trip cab from the Golden Nugget to the Rio and it would be just about the price of a 3-day rental from Alamo via my CostCo membership, so I'll be in a car and can take a couple of the other ladies I know who'll be there at the same time as me. As far as I know, there are about 5 or 6 other ladies with whom I'm acquainted who'll be there.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Not sure about the Rio, but valet parking at the Golden Nugget is free to guests staying there except for the tip. Not sure if there is a charge for people not staying there.
Originally Posted By Labuda Well, I'm staying there, so I won't care about the possibility of a charge for those not staying there. And if all else fails, I'll just give the Rio a call in a day or two to ask them.
