Just came back from Vegas and boy oh boy the Strip sucks. Everything is grossly overpriced, food quality has gone way downhill, poor gaming odds and grumpy service. Where did all the greatness go?
Last time I was there was January 1997. I've never really cared too much for the area. I do remember the food being poor then too, all of it for $5.99. I think just eating the money would have tasted about the same.
Not just the eating options but the whole thing. Many Downtown casinos offer gamblers a fair shake but the Strip gouges with odds, 1.69 pack of Certs, 2.25 for a Coke in buffets, etc, etc. Maybe I will check out AC but as long as the strip offers such poor games, why gamble there?
People still gamble there? Hell, I certainly don't go to Vegas to gamble anymore. If I want to gamble, I know where to go - off-strip casinos. The Strip is there for entertainment. It's chock full of great restaurants and even better shopping. That's why people flock there these days. The gambling is a nice side project for those that are there for other reasons. Hell, if everyone was on the Strip because they wanted the best gaming odds available, then you wouldn't see a single slot machine up there. Stay downtown to gamble. Got to The Strip to be seen, to Shop, and to dine at high-ent eateries.
I understand that gambling is not the main reason to visit the strip anymore but that does not explain everything else. My Mendoza line for food is the Sahara buffet so I am not too picky. But when burger, fries and drink costs eleven dollars it should be better than the marginal Inn-N-Out or served by someone who has a tiny bit of enthusiam. Sure, there is good shopping and great high end restaurants but sometimes I just want a burger.
Crap...there was another Vegas thread in here from a while ago and I can't find it. Anyhoo.....I *might* be goin' to Vegas for xmas. I ain't really gonna do much except for lounge around a pool and people watch. I ain't much of a gambler.
There is still some interesting stuff on the Strip. But a couple years ago it was a great place to spend a wad of cash and that seems to have been replaced by cold attitudes, inflated prices and declining quality.
1. In N' Out burger rules the wasteland puny mortals. 2. I'm quite pleased with my relative closeness to AC. I basically just play poker or maybe a little craps where the Taj and Trop got me covered. Haven't done the Borgata yet, but I'm going up after the new year. There are some great bars in AC (the Irish Pub is probably my fave, cheap Guinness and open 'round the clock). I mean just how many casinos do you need? If you're not playing poker or blackjack the odds will never be with you. Craps you can get 'em down to around/under 1% if you know what you're doing. Everything else the odds just ain't with you bub, it's pure math. I say that as someone who can be dazzled by the magnetic power of the roulette wheel which offers some absolutely terrible odds. I think Vegas does still kick much ass, compared to AC with comps. Don't know much about the new southern scene (Tunica, etc.)
1. In N out has nothing on Fatburber. I don't think it's as good as Rally's even. 2. All I play is poker, blackjack and craps. Most Strip casinos offer 3X4X5X (sometimes it will be 3,4,5 for 1)odds on craps which I pass on as there are better games off the Strip. Poker rooms are charging a higher rake than they used to and there is no more draw poker. Blackjack is where the Strip is killing you now. Single and double deck that pays 6:5, double on 10 and 11 only, no soft doubles, no doubles after splitting make these games worse than craps. Super Fun 21 pays even money and that makes it almost as bad as roulette. Sure, the Strip is no longer about gambling but the food and service has fallen so much in the past two years and the prices have risen so much that anyone who goes to the Strip to gamble is foolish. Downtown and off strip hotels are still great and that is where my money now goes. But why such a dramatic change in the last two years? Did the recession hurt that much or are they gouging for gouging's sake?
Pretty sure all the pools are already closed for the winter season. When we were there in early january last year this was the case.
Why the heck would the pools be closed in the damn desert??? Ugh. ---- Anyone been to the Palms? That's on my short list of casinos to go into. I wanna see if the Maloof brothers can hook a brotha up with a gig down there as a gigolo or sumpin.
It actually gets quite cool in Vegas during the winter. I wore sweater and slacks most of the time, and wore my leather jacket quite a bit. Maybe 50's-60's. Certainly not warm enough to swim...plus fewer tourists so you add that to the extra cost of staff and amenities and it just doesn't make sense to have the pools open.
Yeah, most places close their pools during the winter. It's just too cold, really. I've been there. It's nice, but I wouldn't gamble there. It's really just a place to be seen more than a place to spend your weekend. I'm not pretty enough to hang out at the rooftop bars but that's where you'll see all kinds of stars on the weekends. As for downstairs, like I said, it's really nice, but it isn't very inviting to play games at. Plus the place is too damned far off the strip to just visit for a few minutes. It's either stay there for a weekend or at the very least go there for the night.