I am heading to Las Vegas tomorrow and I keep hearing about a great lightshow in downtown Las Vegas, but no one seems to have much info beyond that I should see it. Does anyone know what time the show is? Best place for viewing? I'm staying at the NYNY - what's the best way to get to the downtown area? Is there a free shuttle to that area? Any restaurant recommendations in that part of town? Thanks!

Best way to get downtown is by cab.
The show is called the Fremont Street Experience. Best of all, it's free.
In order to drum up tourism activity, the downtown merchants got together several years ago and funded a project to create a pedestrian mall down the main street between the casinos. The street is covered overhead by a metal lattice which runs about 4 or 5 blocks. There's a free lightshow with music after dark. Something like every 20 or 30 minutes until late (after 10 PM).
It's worth seeing.
You sure can't beat the price.
And downtown is a little more like Old Vegas was.

I agree that a cab is your best bet to get downtown for the Fremont Street Experience. There is a city bus that goes all the way up the Strip and downtown -- the 301, maybe? -- but I'd recommend against it unless you're a masochist. Sure, it's cheap, but I've always found it to be absolutely mobbed in the evenings, like not even standing room only, and it takes forever, and is really unpleasant.

Cab is easiest, but will make the "free" show cost you about $25-$30 (each way).

If you are interested in saving the money (and have the time), take the MGM monorail to Bally's (as this will bring you beyond a little bit beyond the traffic of the strip). Take the city bus, but make sure you take the Express, as it only makes 4 stops. I think the "local" is #301, the express is #302. Ask around as to exactly where the express bus stops.

BG: Split the difference and take the bus down, early in the evening, and treat yourself to a taxi back, later in the evening. The bus took about a half hour, we got a seat and it was a pleasant ride. The light show is interesting and is worth seeing if you've never been downtown before.

Yes, see the light show!! Well worth the trip. While you are there, go into the Fremont Casino and get a 99 cent shrimp cocktail and play $2 blackjack--a classic experience we always repeat!

And if you want a "taste of Hawaii" while you're downtown, visit the California Hotel. Its food and decorations favor its best customers, people from Hawaii.

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT SHOW, THE SHOW IS GREAT THAT IS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THE PLACE. HAVE A GREAT TIME ME AN MY WIFE ARE BACK IN JUNE OF 2002

Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget has a very
high quality buffet.

I saw the lightshow in downtown Vegas about 2 years ago. If you go to Old vegas it is just worth the trip to see the old casinos. The light show is not worth the trip alone. As far as the Golden Nugget, we went to the evening buffet there and the food was absolute slop and on the floors of the booth and even the seats were clean. Didn't make much difference in changing our seats either - we picked at our food and left - overcharged and over-rated!!

Downtown is generally dirty and run down IMO. The casinos are smokier and smellier, the restaurants less acceptable. Downtown is dying a slow, painful death.
Anyone think downtown will survive 25 years??

Downtown will be around a LOT longer than 25 years. There are many that still enjoy "old-style" vegas and don't like the "disneyland-type mega resorts." Also, many of the mega-resorts are pricing/building themselves out of the market (take the recent Aladin bankruptcy). Hard to offer tremendous deals and still turn a profit when you have a $1 Billion mortgate. Downtown is still the place to go for a REAL deal (buffet, shrimp cocktail, etc) and a taste of Old Vegas.

Although i DO like the main strip better, i always make it a point to go downtown every trip. By the way, in the last 10 years, more "main strip" hotels have gone under than downtown.