I'm an Aussie travelling to the US later this year. In all the travel brochures I got, Vegas is included as one of the key destinations. As too is Anaheim/Disneyland and Orlando/WDW. A lot of Americans may not like these places, but that is how the US is marketd - at least in Australia. It may be different in Europe - they have their own Disney there.

I'm headed to Vegas to see what all the glitz is about. My friend wasn't keen until I told her they had a Manolo Blanik (sp?) and giant Apple store there! We're also spending a few days at Disneyland.

For years I hated it..then I started going with my now dh and I love it. We see shows, have great meals, I go to the spa - I have my very favorite make up guy at Canyon Ranch and always feel like a princess after exercising, spaing and then having my hair blown out and my make up done...then going out to eat.

I do not gamble... maybe a few slots for a few minutes..but it bores me... and I only like to stay 2 nights really..max 3...

Although we ended up going to Vegas for our 10 year anniversary after the Alaska Cruise got canned due to my back issues - and so did a trip to Northern California... and we stayed for about 5 nights... we really had fun!

I love the great restaurants and great hotels that would be a lot more expensive in any other big American city. People watching is great, too!

I don't think Las Vegas should count as a city at all.

It's really just an adult version of DisneyWorld - including all the fake versions of major cities. It exemplifies exactly the same glorification of greed and fantasy - but with gambling and sex added.

nytraveler has given an excellent description -- which also explains perfectly why it is so popular. What more could someone looking for a fun, wild, decadent vacation ask for?

It used to be, you could walk into a LV casino, just stand there a few minutes and listen to slot machines paying off winners, people getting excited because they were winning at blackjack and craps tables etc etc.

But now, try the exact same experiment. You'll be very fortunate to hear anyone winning anything.

There's a reason for this. Since the advent of Indian casinos, state lotteries etc, Vegas' revenues are down -- way down. It has gone from an exciting place where people stood a fair chance of winning, to nothing more than legalized robbery.

In a very long list of things I hate about Vegas, first on my list is the overwhelming pall of depression which is palpable (at least to me) in every casino because of the above. Hundreds and thousands of elderly people feeding their savings to rigged, soulless machines, gambling addicts getting their fixes, obnoxious drunks, and on and on. It's like watching a city full of heroin addicts shooting needles into their veins. I can stand about 5 or 10 minutes of it before I have to leave for some fresh air.

You're absolutely right about that lack of lots of winning going on. When I first started going to Vegas they posted the returns on slots -- usually somewhere around 92 to 97 % of what went in would go back out in payoffs. They don't do that any more and I've heard it is as low as 70%. Add to that the difference in the sizes of the jackpots and you realize they can't pay out a lot of $1000 or so ones when they are working up to several million at a time. The whole pay off ratio on slots has drastically changed in the last 20 years, and there are far fewer "winners" than there used to be.

When we went to Mohegan (for shows), I was astonished at the number of handicapped and elderly players, along with parents taking turns watching small children while they gambled (late at night!).

I didn't see much, if any, winning going on there, either, except at one craps table - and I would love to have known whether it was all lost before the player left, but we didn't hang around.

I was in Vegas for the first time in late Dec/early Jan and would never go back. Only reason we went is because it was the most logical airport to go home from after seeing the Grand Canyon. We were in Phoenix before that, so didn't want to go back. Now I'm having a hard time determining which city I hate more, Phoenix or Vegas...

My parents used to take me to Vegas from when I was 4. I liked it back then and have some nice memories with my parents (we went to other places too)....now as an adult, I LOVE it! My mom gets a kick out of watching me gamble, and I wish my dad were around to see it, too. but, I digress.......

I need about 5 days in Vegas because during the day, I literally shop till I drop. There is so much walking to do (with bags) that I need to pace myself so I can ideally take a nap before hitting a nice restaurant or buffet. Then I gamble at night, preferably at the tables. And I drink, too! I'm the very picture of excess in Vegas, and I love that it's so over-the-top as an adult playground. I go once a year, and will be there this October for my class reunion (it's a popular vacation place for Hawaii people).

I also love meeting people there. Gambling is not just about the gaming, but a social activity for me as well. Fortunately, unlike other gamblers, I have a fairly rigid budget and rules for myself on when to walk away.

sharondi pretty much summed up my feelings about Vegas and the reasons for them.

Our first trip, which was really to Bryce and Zion, we spent 2 nights in Vegas, one in the beginning of the trip and one at the end. One of the hotels in DH's chain was there and we can stay free. It is way off the strip and we had a lovely suite--very enjoyable. We went to one of the Cirque shows which was also terrific. You have to walk around and ogle, but my feelings were much like Sharon's and nytraveler's. I can't imagine anyone walking into NY NY and being thrilled by it. Take me to NY please, or the real Paris, (where I'd no longer bother actually going to "La Tour Eiffel"). I have absolutely no qualms about others gambling, doesn't bother me in the least, but personally, it bores me to death, I hate the smoke, and am impatient to get out of the casino. It just all seems tacky, to me anyway.

Our 2nd trip through Vegas, this time with only Zion as a destination, we had one night at the end of our trip before our early morning flight the next day. We didn't even bother going into the strip. None of us...kids, their spouses, nor DH and myself had any interest in it.

Now that hotel has been sold, no more free rooms, and although we'll go back and pass through for Zion, and vicinity (it's a cheap flight) we'll won't bother to stay there again.

When we first decided to go to Vegas and do the Sedona GC, Zion and Bryce circle, I thought Vegas would be way too tacky for moi. I used to think of Vegas a la Godfather 2, and rat pack crowd, and I was wayyyy to yuppified to enjoy anything that tacky. I went and I had a great time and will be going to Vegas for 3 days nexy week. Then to restore sanity, we will be going to Zion for 3 days for hiking and nature. Hey lifes too short and Vegas is fun, but only in small doses IMO.

We go to Vegas for the craziness and the golf! I enjoy walking down the strip and checking out the scenery....a little people watching. We do not stay on the strip which makes it nice....it is like going back to you hotel/condo on any other vacation. This Feb we are going fo a week and doing the of the Strip touristy things like the Hoover Dam, Red Rock, etc...along with a show or two and of course some golf.

We do not gamble or drink but enjoy checking out the casinos and what is going on.