My hubby and I were in Las Vegas during the last week of October. They were experiencing record high temperatures in the upper 80s while we were there, so the weather was wonderful!

We arrived on Monday afternoon and checked into The Mirage. The room was okay, but nothing spectacular. Unfortunately we didn't have a very good view from our room. They have redecorated since the last time that I stayed there and the room has more of a business/cold feel to it. I told my husband that it didn't have the "comfy" look. The bathroom was also really small, but adequate. Other than the room itself, we loved The Mirage! We spent most of Monday afternoon and evening just walking around. We ate at BLT Burger in the Mirage which was okay. We were seated right away, but waited a long time to get our food. I had the BLT burger and hubby had the Tex Mex. We both thought they were good, but pricey for a burger. We also had an order of onion rings which were good. We purchased tickets before our trip to see LOVE and we loved it!! We went to the 10:00 show (which felt like midnight) with the change in time zones, so we were tired, but the show was wonderful and held our attention.

Tuesday we walked through many of the casinos (Ceasar's Palace, Bellagio, Venetian, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Flamingo, Ballys, etc.)and played a little blackjack. We stopped at the conservatory in the Bellagio which was decorated for fall and was beautiful. We ate lunch at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris and were fortunate to get a table outside. I had the chicken club which was delicious and he had the chicken and cheese crepe which he didn't care for. After lunch we stopped at the Auto Museum in the Imperial Palace which we would recommend to anyone who is into automobiles. Walked through the shops at the Venetian and then back to the Mirage for some time by the pool. That night we ate at The Steakhouse at Circus Circus. It was very good - highly recommended. Too bad you have to walk through the rest of the chaos there to get to the restaurant.

On Wednesday and Thursday hubby was attending a class, so I spent most of the time relaxing by the pool. On Thursday morning I did take the Deuce south to the Las Vegas Outlet Center and was not impressed. Don't waste your time on that. I felt like the center was very dirty and not someplace that I wanted to spend much time.

Wednesday night we went through the shops at Ceasar's Palace which were fun to see but way out of our price range. We had dinner at the Spice Market Buffet in Planet Hollywood. Lots of variety and the food tasted good, but for $30.00/person I would have preferred to be at a "regular" restaurant. After dinner we went to Napoleans in the Paris hotel for drinks and enjoyed the dueling pianos. This was definitely a highlight of the trip - highly recommend!

Thursday night we took the Deuce downtown and ate at The Grotto in the Goldon Nugget. It was wonderful Italian food. I had the Paglia e Fieno and he had the Chicken Marsala. Both were excellent. After dinner we enjoyed watching the Fremont Street Experience and playing some blackjack in the downtown casinos. Then it was back to our hotel for a short "nap" and then an early trip to the airport for our return home.

How does it feel there? Business as usual, or down? Do people shop or just look? Large crowds? Gambling tables busy, or bored dealers?

Making a note of the dueling pianos for a trip in 2 weeks. Thanks!

FainaAgain - This was only my second trip to Vegas (the first being 8 years ago in the summer) so I'm not a good judge of things. However, the dealers did look bored and we never had to wait to find a seat at a low minimum blackjack table. We also never had to wait to get into a restaurant while we were there. One of the blackjack dealers that I spent a lot of time talking with (as he took my money) said that he estimated they are only doing about 60% of the business that they were the prior year.

rncheryl - you'll love the dueling pianos. Have fun!!

Let's hope the business will pick up!