Las Vegas Update #2
 

Hummm, something happened to update #1. It was edited by Fodors I guess? I can see why they need to moderate these threads. Anyway, on to more info about Vegas.

On Friday, after we checked into the Monte Carlo, OK, this hotel is not fancy but I do really like it. Great location, very reasonable, very NICE people. Our room was not like Mandalay Bay, but very clean and comfy. Not as big as MB either. Especially the bathrooms. Of course we didn't swim, but we did last summer and the kids enjoyed the pools at MC also. The restaurants there are very good, IMO. They have a food court with a McDonald's, a Nathans, and a Sbarro (I think).

Anyway, we walked down to Paris and put our name in for Mon Ami Gabi (?) I think is the name of it. They told us 45 minutes and this was about 1:45. So we walked around to see the place. Got tickets for Dennis Miller for that night. Still had some seats left.

Went to lunch. Got a great table on the street, right across from the fountains. H had the steak poivre with frites (great little flat french fries) and I had the special, a sauteed fish with spinach. Very good. A few glasses of wine. We saw the fountains come on three or four times. The fountains are awesome, especially with the music. Lots of people watching. The mimes and the lady on stilts were out front and they were quite amusing. It was a truly lovely, romantic experience and I owe it to you guys at Fodors. I told my H that I wouldn't have known about the place if it wasn't for this site. We had a lovely time together.

After that we walked to the Bellagio to the conservatory where they had a special Chinese New Year display that was pretty awesome. Try and see it if it's still there.

The Dennis Miller show was fantastic. Great seats. The entire little theater in the Paris Hotel has great seats. We loved the show. Go to a regular bar and ask for your drinks in plastic before the show, the line to the bar inside was about 25 people long.

After that we walked home. I needed something to eat. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to just get a little bite in those casinoes? When we got back to the MOnte Carlo I ran to Nathan's and got a soft pretzel. OMG. It hit the spot. But to find even a Snickers in a casino to soak up the cocktails is next to impossible. That is one of the reasons why I love the Monte Carlo.

Anyway, had the breakfast buffet the next morning at the Monte Carlo. It was very nice breakfast. A ton of food for $9.99. It was a good deal. And then we drove home. H had very bad luck at black jack and craps so was ready to leave.

Vegas is Vegas. It is phoney, fake, and rather dishonest, IMO. All they want to do is take your money any way they can. And they want you to smile while they do it. They are on to something. But it really wears me out after a while. It will be some time before we return to that town.

Thanks for listening. If you have any questions about our trip I will try and answer them if you find it helpful.

Thanks for the rest of the update. I'm gald to heqr the Monte Carlo was good as it has had some negative posts on tripadvisor lately and I am considering staying there for one night on both ends of a hiking trip as I come into/leave Vegas on the way to and from Utah to hike. I've toyed w/styaing off the strip (never been to Vegas) and having a quieter night, but Monte Carlo is sending me specail deal emails that look good.

Your posts strike me as being rather odd. I read them and it sounds like you had a great time. You mention nice hotels, nice people, fantastic shows, awesome displays, good meals that were cheap, and having a good time. Then you close with a slam that they are dishonest and only want your money, and you aren't anxious to return. Why do I have such a hard time connecting those two parts of your posts?

I am ambivalent about Vegas also. Most either love it or hate it (like Orlando in that way I think). However some people enjoy it on a certain level (even enjoy it alot, or enjoy certain aspects of it) but don't really like it in toto when they think about the whole experience. Maybe Heavens is like that, I don't know.

I suspect that if H had won big, the trip report would have ended differently.

If you go to Vegas expecting to make money, you're going to be disappointed. If you plan to gamble, you've got to be HONESTLY ready and willing to lose that money -- think of it as entertainment, you're paying $100 for ??? minutes/hours/etc of blackjack, poker, slots, whatever.
People who leave Vegas bitter should probably not have been gambling in the first place. Even if you don't gamble, Vegas can offer a great time; a warm weather destination with shows, good food, people-watching, great hotels, pools, spas . . .
If you had won, you'd be raving about it, right?

Patrick, what I am talking about is Las Vegas in general. The purpose of Las Vegas, why it exists. The people that you encounter most places that you go are overall very nice. But you can't forget that the intent of ALL of it is to take your money. With a big smile. They still just want you to gamble, gamble and gamble some more.

All of the window dressing is still just a facade to lure you into the casinos and lose your money. After a very short time you come to realize that, no matter how lovely the trip, you are still in Lost Wages and you aren't allowed to forget that for long.

It is still loud, crowded, smokey, cigars everywhere, you have to walk through the maze, no matter how "exotic" the resort. All of the palm trees, landscaping, classy shops and eye candy cannot hide the fact that what they really want you to do is pass by as many slots and gaming tables as they can throw at you, and lay down your cash. This is just my opinion, mind you.

And then, after a while, you are worn out, broke, and ready to pack your bags and leave town. I'll go back though. It always has something to amaze and fascinate. But it will be a while...

Actually I gambled about $50 and lost about $10. Not bad for a little entertainment.

My H was burned. He only lost $200, which isn't that bad, but they didn't even string him along with a few wins. He just LOST it. That had never happened to him before.

Win or lose, the town is high maintainance, IMO. Love it, hate it, take it, leave it. It isn't my favorite place to hang out. But it does deliver the eye candy, that is for sure...

Interesting comments, Heavens.
I'm still not sure I understand the thread of continuity running between your high praise for the show/food/hotel and the summary conclusion that "Vegas is nothing but a scam".

I have been to LV easily 20 times and I've never lost a dime :)
But then I don't gamble.
So I never leave disappointed. I go for the shows, food, hotels, and camraderie of friends who meet up there.

So I'll disagree with your assessment that LV is nothing but "eye candy". For me it delivers exactly what it promises.

Sounds to me like the bitter, defeated gambler in you is speaking. I suspect Maggi and Tansy saw right thru your comments and hit the nail on the head.

I think what urks me is the way they have it all down to a science. "we CAN take your money, we WILL take your money, and you WILL return!". No, I won't. And Heavens won't for a while, either. And I hope a lot of other people smarten up.


Gambling used to be gambling, nowadays you are just throwing money away - no chance to win. Even others in this thread are declaring "you have to plan to lose it...it's just entertainment". No it's not, it's gambling. You win some you lose some, supposedly. But as long as people keep going, losing, and going back with a happy attitude of "let's go lose some money!", then the marketing people have won big. They've glamoured it all up so, that we are now thinking it's fun to LOSE? Like I said, they've got it down to a science. And what Heavens is probably feeling is, "yeah, it was nice there,everything was, but somehow I still felt like a sucker".

As a very wealthy industrialist once said, "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it".

If you can't afford to lose, don't gamble. One of Webster's definitions of "gamble" is "take a chance". Casinos are in business to make money. If you don't want to contribute, don't play. There is nothing dishonest about what they do. Most adults walk into a casino with their eyes wide open (notwithstanding the smoke). You pay your money, you take your chances.

If they're so honest, they should tell you what your chances are of winning - zilch.

I think Leona is right, if you can't afford to gamble don't. It is a form of entertainment to some, a problem for others, but as adults we should be able to make that distinction for ourselves. When H and I go, we don't gamble, but enjoy Vegas for what it is to us...a vacation spot which is as different from our home town as night and day. We love the heat, the night life, the scenery, and the break from our normal routine. To each his own, I guess.

Now that last comment deserves a pointed response.
Hello???!!!

Have you EVER read ANYWHERE that there is a realistic chance of winning (over the long haul) as a casual gambler?

If you have read that somewhere, please let me know the source as I'd like to find out how such a thing got printed.

Anyone who gambles long term WILL lose. Period.
Qualifiers: people who engage in gambling which does not have a guaranteed house advantage (poker, sports betting), people who gamble professionally, people who cheat.

For 99% of gamblers, there is NO chance of winning over many casino visits.
Most gamblers know this, and they continue to gamble because they find it entertaining, or because they enjoy the thrill of the winning streak which can last an hour, a day, one trip, etc.

(Directed toward tracys2cents, not wagonwheel)

Heavens,
I'm sorry you saw Vegas as a big scam just to get money. True, gambling is a big part of the town, but it isn't all of Vegas. There's so many other lovely things to enjoy, even as a tourist. Yes, everything is designed to get you into the door of a casino, but what you do inside is your choice.

There is nothing dishonest about Vegas or the people who live and work here. It is designed to allow someone to do what they want. If you want to gamble, so be it. No one forced your quarter into the machine. And locals do want you to have a good time. Why? So you will want to come back.

BTW- isn't that the point of any place of business - to make you come back and spend more money? Vegas is no different from any other city or business. They want people to come, spend money, leave, then come back. I hope next time you come, you will see the beauty in the town instead of the dollar flying out of your hand. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. So pick what you liked and do more things like that next time instead of gambling. ;)

Heavens, you can find your other update by clicking on your name. You'll find it under "My Las Vegas Update" which currently resides in position 161 or further down. The downward movement of your post is indicative of the current high activity of other questions. If you can't find a previous post you can do a search in the search box using your own name.

Suzie,
Thanks for the info. The reason it is so far down on the list is because the moderators had to block it. Some posters got a bit nasty and to avoid the chance of an unpleasant arguement, the deleted a few posters, one who was starting to namecall. Kind of childish, so they deleted Sparky and his attempt at insults and some others and shut it down so no one else can post on it. So it will go down down down the list. Oh well. It did have some good info on the Mandalay Bay so if anyone wants to read it, it is under My Las Vegas Update.

Whew, didn't mean to start a debate about gambling and the value of Las Vegas. But, it has been an interesting one.

No, I am NOT bitter about losing a little money. Frankley my H is. Las Vegas and me have a love/hate relationship, really. The town just wears me out. Between the drinking, gambling, noise of the machines constantly around you, the constant smoking, people everywhere, and walking, we must have clocked ten miles in two days, it was exhausting and I am ready to bolt. As I said, Vegas is Vegas. It is a high energy town. It was more of an observation. It is fine with me if you don't agree with it. I meant NO offense to anyone if you love the town or live there. Yes there are lovely people and yes there are great places to eat and drink. It can be fun, and it can zap you last breath out of you.

Maybe I am just getting old...LOL. Thanks for the dialogue, ya'll. You are a fascating bunch to chat with...

My next trip - Scottsdale.

Heavens-
No offense taken here! Just putting in my 2 cents... I would suggest that next time you come to town, make time to drive through Red Rock Canyon. It will take you around 2 hours total if you just drive through, but there are beautiful places to stop and hike, if you want. It's a nice breather from the typical tourists' Vegas and let's you see the local's Vegas a little more. Thanks for the lively conversation! >:D<

jbee: What about Valley of the Sun? That's been recommended as a place to go for a day outside of Vegas, supposed to be beautiful. I was thinking of checking it out.