last birthday bash newsletter

Okay, Birthday Bash buddies. This is the stretch. I head out on December 4th and I'm afraid my trip planning time is even more shortened because I take my computer out of service on Thursday. I'll have access to Elizabeth's computer, but not all my lists of Vegas favorites for information. However, my Blog is a pretty good resouce and I can access that.

So, if ya got questions, ask 'em.


If you have not seen the Blog recently, the next two posts give some last minute advice. September is a good month to skim for ideas.

I planned a couple itineraries for 2 Bash visitors. I can do that for you too. I am pretty flexible on my time. So far I have scheduled these days:

Xmas Day breakfast at Arizona Charlie's on the way to Red Rock to scramble on the rocks.

Xmas Day dinner at the McMullan's Irish Pub right behind the Orleans. Just a short walk there and back.

Saturday, Dec 23rd - Mirage for Cravings and LOVE.

Saturday, Dec 16th - Birthday Dinner at Marakeesh Morrocan belly dancing restaurant.

Dec 12th or 13th - Birthday Breakfast Party at Paris Buffet.

The rest of my time is unplanned but flexible around your plans. I won't be with you all the time, or do all things with you, but I'll be around.

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I worked up a detailed itinerary for the Birthday Bash guests with just 48 hours in Vegas. It may not fit your interests, but you can get an idea of what can be planned if you give me some sense of preference. Some of you want to just hang loose, and that is cool too.
My advice is for nongamblers is to plan around show locations and then around food locations and times.
Gamblers should coordinate those two interests with good pay tables/good poker games.
Even if you just divide your time up between sections of the strip, and let me know what those are, I can suggest some cool destinations.

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48 hour itinerary:

Dear ___________,

I am very happy that you have tickets to Ka on a Monday. Of all the Bash guests you have had the most difficulty getting what you wanted and I know you wanted shows. How did you get complimentary tickets?

I don't have an agenda except to hang with people, but I'll skip some of the site seeing. I don't need to go to Red Rock Canyon, for example, as I'll go later in the monty, or up in the Stratosphere tower. 15 times is enough. It took me that long to get kissed there. Elizabeth was my 15th tower guest. One week I did Margot's brother one night and Elizabeth's brother the next. It is a wonderful view, but not an everynight experience across two marriages.

I also can't be a very good tour guide from Vegas. From here I can because I have access to my own Blog as a resource. What I can't remember, I can look up.


Here is my suggested itinerary. It is a tight schedule so you won't probably be able to do all of it. :
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TRANSPORTATION:
One bus option is to buy a $5 good for the Deuce - 24 hour pass stamped when you buy it and good on the clock for 24 hours on any bus in Vegas. It depends on how often you will use it. Over two rides in 24 hours and you save money. Another pass is cheaper. You don't want that one. It is for local buses only. You buy directly from the driver
.
Before Monday print out your boarding pass on your computer within 24 hours of the flight. The sooner the better. This gives you A B or C boarding and you can pick a prime seat.
MONDAY
Have a good breakfast at home, but don't eat on the plane unless you eat right away. There is a McDonald's just after security too.
And don't talk on the plane either. Sleep on the plane, or just meditate yourself into a relaxed state. Be patient. Your body will not want to rest. Trick it. Pray quietly to yourself. Mentally go on old trips. Pretend you are on a calm lake or that you have just finished making love, and it is now time to rest. Drink liquids, but save the peanuts for your room. Almost 5 hours. Get some rest; you have along day ahead of you and you don't want to fall asleep in the show.
Settle in quickly in the hotel on Monday and get out of there. I never unpack the first night. Shower and dress for the show.
Pick a place to eat and eat a nice hearty meal soon after you arrive. At each meal drink extra water. Take it like medicine.
I suggest either the Orleans buffet(lunch is under $10) or the Ellis Island cheapest steak in Vegas($5)? Lots of other choices, but no good ones near your show.

Now you can do one of three things. Take the shuttle to Barbary Coast and make you way to the MGM, or take a bus to the MGM or take a $7 cab to the MGM. That is the corner of casinos to see today. I'd eat at the Orleans, then do the cab to the Luxor, tour King Tut's museum, and then walk up for the show.
OR
a cheaper alternative:
Take the shuttle back to Barbary Coast. If it is 3 PM check and see if Big Elvis is in the lounge and listen for a while. Incredible show. (Get a free drink coupon from your Orleans funbook for the Barbary Coast.)

Then take the free shuttle inside the Bellagio to the Monte Carlo which is close to MGM. Just go inside Bellagio and keep asking where the shuttle to Monte Carlo You probably don't have time to tour Bellagio today. Save that for Wednesday.

Or you can walk.

If you don't go in casinos you can walk from Barbary Coast at a near running pace and make MGM in 20 minutes or walk normally in 40 minutes.

The Deuce bus is also an option, but if you buy that later, the 24 hour pass will get you through most of tomorrow.

See the show. Before or after the show, depending on time, see that NYNY corner of casinos. Skip Tropicana unless you win free tickets at the free pull on the way in. Skip the free deck of cards.
Before or after the show, walk down to Excalibur and wander in a bit. Go in the Luxor. If you have time before the show, see the museum there of King Tut lookalikes. Stand on the bridges over the roads and look around at the lights. Good photos here. Wander around NYNY if you want. It is not my favorite.

There is a half priced ticket place located across from Monte Carlo. You might want to check and see what is playing.

At the NYNY hotel arrival circle on Flamingo catch your bus(runs about every 20 minutes) or $7 cab (my pick) facing toward the Orleans and go back to the Orleans. After midnight there is no free shuttle back to the Orleans, Walk a few steps down Tropicana to the circle where people drive in to NYNY to register for the hotel, and either wait for a Tropicana bus back to the Orleans or grab a cab in that circle for about $7.

Or if you don't want ever to sleep that first night:

After the show take the Deuce bus to the Stratosphere and go see Huck Daniels review in the lounge( 10 PM until 2 AM). Most everything else is dark on Monday, but he usually plays only that night. This is a Black experience. If you can last, by midnight performers from all over Vegas come up on stage for a song or two. There will most likely not be music at the Orleans that night. It will be pretty dead there.

Take the Deuce back to NYNY/MGM corner for the bus or cab described earlier.

Back at the Orleans (lounge music is dark-check out Brendan's Irish Pub) you are now ready for a little exercise. How about some bowling? Usually after midnight games are one dollar each. Or how about a "graveyard special"(midnight til 6) at the Cafe. Breakfast type meals for about $2 or steak and eggs for $4. What the hell! It is breakfast after all. It may be 2AM but on Albany time it is 5PM. Or what about a little gambling? If you catch up with me, I'll have video poker strategy sheets and know the good machines. And if you play with my player's card I'll get free rooms again.

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TUESDAY
Take the Orleans shuttle to the Barbary Coast Casino.
We may have a good joint breakfast this morning at the Paris. I won't know for sure until my college friend's set their schedule. I'd aim for 9-10 AM.

If we don't, eat a light or hearty breakfast buffet at the Orleans buffet or cafe. Food is better and much cheaper there.
Shuttle to Barbary Coast.

Standing at the front of the casino, walk right going North. Today you are going to cover the North strip. Skip the closest casinos. Those are for Wednesday.

Stop and see the car museum (I have coupons) at Imperial Palace. Check to see if they take your picture for free at the outside. Then go in with your coupon, sign up for a player's card, get your picture, and see the cars. It is incredible!

Then see some of the attractions at the Mirage.
http://www.mirage.com/attractions/
Go at least as far as the Venetian and walk in there and look around at the canals, the art, the shops. See Treasure Island.
If you like a good long hike, then keep walking. If not, Grab a Deuce bus going North and ask him for a $5- 24 hour bus pass. It is $2 a trip or $5 unlimited ride for a clocked 24 hours. Get off at Circus Circus and go in and walk around and wait for one of the short Circus acts. Go next door at Slots of Fun and play cheap craps just to say you have done that or cheap blackjack. If you are hungry get a foot long hot dog.

Continue North. Walk the short few blocks or back on the bus.

Get off when he announces the Sahara. Quickly walk into the Nascar cafe and check out things to do there. I don't really know what they have, but there is something. I'm not really impressed by this spot, but I know you like Nascar and there is a shop and some decorations and some kind of driving game. If you are really hungry, the worst buffet in Vegas is at the Sahara. It is cheap with coupons. Or the diner has an excellent prime rib special and pretty good food. Stratosphere 50's diner is also good and coming up.

Walk across the street to the largest souvenir shop in all the world and buy some tacky junk for all the people back home. If you don't mind carrying, get all your shopping done. Little things: real decks of cards with any casino name, thousands of forms of dice, thousands of tacky things here with Vegas on them. Really a museum of tacky and a mustsee. (Actually, however, the very best cards and dice are right in the Orleans gift shop. Cards are just 50 cents a pack and dice are 25 cents a piece. Real stuff used in the casino. Some of the other decks of cards have marks on them. Orleans just snips the corners.)

ALTERNATIVE: Skip everything and go directly to the Stratosphere to arrive at 2 or 4 for the Viva las Vegas Show. This is one of the best deals in Vegas. The tickets 9with my coupon) are free but you buy a drink for about $9 each. The show is a review: dancing girls, singers, a comic, a dog act. It is the best value show for a first time Vegas goer and in the afternoon so you won't fall asleep.

Try to hit the Stratospehre tower just at sunset. See Vegas in the daytime and be patient and watch it change into darkness. This is one of my favorite experiences.
Are you interested in roller coasters or rides that hang you over the tower above all of Vegas?

Get back on the bus and continue away from the casinos you have visited and go downtown (as long as it is after dark. Downtown is boring in the daytime, like an abandoned amusement park, no people, no lights.) It must be dark by now. Walk the Freemont experience and see at least one light show and hear any music in the streets. Shop a little there. Just savor the ambiance. Nothing much inside any casinos unless you want to gamble or watch gambling or look for lounge music (Golden Nugget) or a cheap show at the Fitzgerald (see if I have a coupon). Do go in the Four Queens and Golden Gate. Do the free pull in the doorway of the 4 Queens and go in and get a key chain. Also if you have a lot of time to kill, go to the promotions booth at the Plaza and get a free picture on a key chain for signing up for their card.
Down the street from the Plaza toward the Main Street Station are some cool old railroad cars that Teddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill once rode. Main Street Station is worth seeing for wood, antiques, stained glass. Their buffet is one of the best in Vegas. Go in the men's bathroom closest to the buffet and pee against an actual section of the Berlin Wall. Wait for a break in traffic and sneak Mary inside.

Don't wander too much from that downtown canopy area except toward Main Street Station. Other directions are not safe. Stay with the tourists. You can head up to the El Cortez if you want to see a downscale, some would say seedy, smoky Vegas casino. Comparing this to walking the Bellagio gives you the entire gamut of gambling folk.

There is a small collection of old neon signs at Neonopolis that I like. Walk in for a moment.

There is a nice 24 hour drugstore on the corner there too for those things you forgot. Sometimes they have reasonable souvenirs too.

There is a great Indian jewelry store on this canopy Freemont experience with good prices and wonderful Western stuff. We shop there every time. Our friend does too. She collects Indian jewelry and respects what they sell. Not so tacky.

You can eat again downtown. Lots of great cheap places. Main Street Station buffet and Golden Nugget Buffet might be open if you are early enough. Golden Gate has a diner on the far right as you face casino. I like to sit on the stools. In the diner in the back they have a piano player and 99 cent shrimp cocktail and some antique slot machines. This is old Vegas; the place has been there forever.

California has a great cheap prime rib.
The prime rib special is in the Market Street Cafe 5 Pm until 11PM. Salad bar is included as is a cherry desert. Sometimes there is a line but you can go ahead of everyone if you will sit on the stools.

Also lots of Hawaiin food and a Hawaiian food shop in the California. Lots of Hawaiian people too. Main Street Station buffet also has a Hawaiian section. Great pulled pork.

Get back on the bus heading home. You don't catch it where you got off, but around the corner of Neonopolis. Ask someone if you feel lost.

Are you tired yet?
With your 24 hour pass you can ride free as far as Bellagio and see the fountains at night and wander that area. Caesars Galleria Bar may have Ghalib Ghalab playing in lounge into the early morning ours. Expensive drinks, great jazz. If you don't sit down you can listen for free. Remember the Galleria name, however, that place is huge and no one knows what is up there.
http://www.lasvegastribune.com/20041112/entertainment2.html
If you are tired and ready to head back to the Orleans, which is what I think is reality, there will be music there in the lounge or in the Irish Pub. Then get off the bus at NYNY corner and take another or $7 cab home.
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WEDNESDAY
Get up early. You can sleep later on the plane. In Vegas you rent a hotel room so you can make love and nap. No real sleeping.
Dress and check out. No lines.
Eat a light breakfast at the Orleans cafe if you must.
Put your bags in storage with the bellman.

Take the shuttle to Barbary Coast and wander around that corner: Bellagio conservatory is a must see, blown glass in the hotel lobby, chocolate fountain inside, Paris - do the tower (but I was not impressed,) I like the bathrooms. Then Alladin shops, Caesars shops.

Eat late breakfast or early lunch at Paris or Bellagio buffet. Maybe this will be the day we do a joint breakfast at Paris.

Take the shuttle back to the Orleans and grab a cab to the airport.

Sleep on the plane.
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Alternative plans might be made around another show for Tuesday night. There is comedy. I have a coupon for Vinnie Favorito. There is also the Jubilee Show. There are some cheap shows usually at the Fitzgerald's downtown. The problem with shows on a tight time budget is they eat up all the time by determining the geography. If you are hungry for performance I would just settle for wandering in and out of a free lounge act, where you can come and go for the price of a drink.

How important is seeing guitars at the Hard Rock? It is not close to anything. A long walk. Still fun to see only it cuts out something else.

I'll hang with you for some of this as long as you want company and as long as I can stay awake. My problem is I am awake almost every morning with the sun. If the others go to Red Rock on one of the days you are there (highly likely), I'll hang with you for most of that time. I can find you anywhere with a cell phone.

I hope that helps. Check the maps in the permanent Blog links. There is a good interactive with some ways too of seeing attractions.

Questions??? Five days left.

See some of you all in Vegas. Drink water!
See the rest of you in Vegas some other year.

Happy Holidays
Dewey

Helpful last minute hints

Any questons? Ask now. I leave on Dec. 4th, 9 days.
Once I'm gone you have to save your questions until you arrive and I have to answer based on my 60 year old memory. Good luck with that!!

tips:
* Put my cell phone number 518-858-2770 in your phone AND on a slip of paper in your wallet with other important phone numbers. Phones break. People forget chargers. Chargers break. If you have the numbers written down, you can borrow another cell phone.
*Bring room and car chargers. You may not be renting a car, but someone else might.
* e-mail me your cell phone number before Dec 4 or call me with it after Dec 4. Leaving hotel messages is very inefficient. I am never in the hotel room. I am also not too adept at using a cell phone, so be patient with me. Leave messages.
* If you want to insure that your credit card won't be cancelled in the middle of a $5 buffet charge, call the credit card company and tell them the dates you are going to Vegas. Unusual activity in Vegas sometimes puts a hold on your card that is time consuming to get right.
* Confirm all reservations, check that date, time, rate is right. Check you preference for smoking or non, for double or king bed. Check they know you are coming.
* Pack suitcases for Southwest that weigh under 50 pounds each. If you take heavy stuff, take two cases.
* I find slip on shoes and a plastic bag for all my pocket junk helpful when going through security.
* Bring cash for the shuttle or cab.
* Bring large bankrolls partly in Traveler's Checks. They are simple to cash at any casino.
* Leave large accumulated quantities of quarters/nickles home. Most machines now use only folding money. No coins can be inserted.
* Pack extra plastic bags, rubber bands, a little duct tape, some dollar store clamps. A few hangers. All helpful for insuring a good night's sleep, washing out a shirt, fixing a suitcase, lining shoes, etc.
* Pack a few post card stamps and addresses.
* The desert is dry and sunny even in cool weather. Chapstick is nice. Drink water when you arrive. Dehydration is nasty! Hats and sunglasses. Sunblock.

Other packing suggestions

see you!

Airport to Orleans

Shuttle or cab??

For a single traveler the shuttles makes the best sense. The cost to the Orleans is $6 or $6.50 per person. The disadvantage is that sometimes you have to wait until they fill and then wait again as they drop off other people, so it can take time away from your trip. You can usually get a better deal and a faster ride from Las Vegas Limo but you have to skip the first few aggressive ticket sellers (grayline, etc) and wheel you bags down a little bit to the right and just around the corner of the building to the Las Vegas Limo.

http://www.destinationcoupons.com/Nevada/Las_Vegas/car_lv_limo/shuttle.asp

The disadvantage in arranging for the shuttle to take you BACK to the airport is that you have to leave earlier and sometimes they are not reliable in arriving on time. Once again they do not take a direct route, but go from casino to casino. Taking a cab back to the airport makes sense even if you are single.

If you are a couple taking a cab makes sense both ways. The cab fare will be more than $13 and less than $21 depending on traffic, but it will go directly to your hotel and save you perhaps as much as an hour.

If you want the inexpensive ride, you must tell the cabby more than your destination. You must ask him, "Please don't take the tunnel, go directly down Tropicana." Otherwise, he will give you a more round about route on expressways which look faster but usually are not, and it will cost a few bucks more. Some of the cabbies are mad that you know this. The easiest thing is to tell them you want to see Tropicana on your way because you might be meeting friends somewhere on that road and need to check it out. Here is a thread with more details on how to take the cheapest cab and a discussion of the "tunnel" issue

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=34251

However, I have read trip reports where people stood in 40 minute lines to get a cab. On these occasions walk down to las Vegas Limo.
Or rent a car?

If you want to rent a car, it is cheaper and safer to arrange the rental before you go. Stick with the well known rental companies. I use the cheapest one, Dollar. Decide before you go if you want their supplemental insurance. MY insurance agent assures me I am well covered and I also rent with a charge card that insures me so I never get it. Decide also if you want to return the car full or empty. I always choose to return it full. Although the gas is cheaper when you buy from the rental company, you have to donate back all that you have not used. It is easy on the way to the airport to stop at a gas station on Tropican and Paradise (Where you turn for the airport) get filled up and get a receipt in case there are any questions as to where and when you filled up. Finally, I have found it a great time saver to join the VIP club at the car rental place. It is free. It just means they take all you information on line and actually you can rent the car by just getting the paperwork from the car lot. I always have to change something or add a driver, but even then, because I am an Express member at Dollar I stand in the VIP line where usually there are no people while the folks who waited for the last minute stand in the regular line and wait about 10 minutes per person for the paperwork to be created. The last time we esimated the regular line was about 40 minutes long. I was first in my line and taken first also, before anyone in the regular line.

But if you join the VIP club (like Dollar Express) , they do have your credit card when you make a reservation using your club number. I lock in the price with just my name and a few days before I go, I call and put that reservation on my Express number as if I just forgot to do it the first time. I also give them my Rapid Rewards Southwest number so that I earn credits toward a free SW flight. Then if I screw up on a reservation, they don't have my information.

Carry the printout of the rental reservation with you. That saved me $10 once because their computer did not have my printed rate.

There are options and rentals once you get you your hotel. You can arrange them too ahead of time. Call me or email me if you will be doing that and I'll explain how.

Maps

I don't think that walking newcomers to Vegas need much in the way of maps beyond the one in the permanent links section,

http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/stay/planning-information/interactive-maps.jsp?page=downtown

but here are some others:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=33458

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

WHO IS COMING AND WHEN?

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CALENDAR OF FLOATING PARTY GUESTS
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NOTE: As of November 8th Dewey's average hotel room cost for the entire stay is $13 a night. Not bad, eh?

To see what conventions are happening while you are in Vegas, go to
http://www.lvcva.com/meetings/convention-calendar.jsp
and fill in your dates.

November 30 - December 9
*Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls (National Rodeo Finals.) Bargain casinos like Gold Coast/Orleans get filled and expensive. I'll stay downtown. A strip option is the Stratosphere/Sahara area. Terrible's may also be an option. Let me know if you are having trouble finding rooms for this period.

December 4-10
*Slink and DEWEY will share one or two El Cortez rooms downtown. ( Dewey is alone on the 4th, sharing on 5-6, sharing at Fiesta Rancho on 7. Each is in a separate free room 8-9 and Slink stays thru the 10th)

December 10-28
Dewey will be at the Orleans.

December 10-14
*Jan and Mom

December 11-13
*Chuck and Mary
*Dave "Morpheus"

December 13-15
Catherine

December 14-17
*Nephew Chris
*Greg and Anne

December 15-19
*Elizabeth arrives on the 15th
*Mary and Neil?

December 17-19
*Brother Jim

Late December -
*Harvey?? (but not Alice, Alex, or Jonathan)

December 23- 27 - If you want to see the entire Hill/Reid crew, come for Xmas.
*Cory - dates uncertain
*Dana ( maybe Amanda??)23-27
*Frank( maybe Julie??) 23-27
*Keith and Bernie 22-26- First three at MGM, then over to Orleans.
*Peter and Jen and Jess ( 25 and 26)

December 28 -
Everybody who is still hanging around goes home.

LOVE

LOVE review

http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/qofday.cfm

Since many in the family have decided to go to see LOVE, I thought I would give it its own post.

We are going on Saturday, December 23rd. 7:30 show.

Frank's ticket is purchased. Dana is getting a ticket for Cory and for himself. Peter and Jen are not coming until Xmas day, so they are not in the LOVE plans.

WHY BOOK NOW: ( click on this link to see) http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=33277

Since we have to go early to pick up the tickets, we have decided to hit the fancy Mirage Buffet called Cravings (4th best value in Vegas at $22.50 for supper) together before the show.
Check here for details:
for information on Cravings click below:
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2006/10/cravings-buffet.html#links

Also, we might like seeing this new lounge if it opens on time:
http://www.modernagent.com/x/modernagent/visitor/resources/editorial.cds?n=18503

Here are some quotes from recent reports on Cravings posted on boards:

Ate their last week. Agree on the seafood comments, disagree on the dessert quality. Any place that doesn't have sugar-packed key lime pie and cheesecake can't claim to have a great dessert case. I actually enjoyed having the buffet personnel doling out the salad, contrary to complaints of others previously. I liked their setup of 13 stations, including Latin, and the card they hand you at entry which describes where stations are and what precisely is served at them. Not as good in my opinion as Paris/Wynn/Bellagio, but a worthy challenger.


We ate there at lunch in September and enjoyed it. They had a good variety of food but we really liked the salads they mix for you and the paninni and gyro station.

Compared to Rio buffet-

I've done both and prefer Cravings. However, I'd be quite content with either.
I think the biggest difference is that Cravings is less a buffet than is Rio, if that makes any sense. What I mean is that dining at Cravings is more like eating at a restaurant and the Rio is more akin to a buffet.

I had both buffets two months ago (see my tr for full details). Rio's buffet was good. Cravings was OUTSTANDING. Go with Cravings - especially the prime rib. (I do give a slight not do rio on the dessert - cravings was just average in that regard, but everything else was top notch.)

We have done Cravings a few times and the quality has remained very high. We had not done the Rio buffet for awhile and tried it last trip on the POV coupon. Honestly it has gone down a bit but was still a great value with the coupon.

I prefer Cravings for their shrimp and king crab legs, which are already split. They also have a great prime rib.

Rio has you peel'em shrimp (small) and unsplit snow crab. A major disappointment for me. However, my husband enjoyed an enormous selection of foods he loves to eat and rated it his second favorite. Considering the price is comparable to Cravings, Paris, etc., I think the shellfish could be improved.

Both have awesome desserts.
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For the rest of this post on Love, click here LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

SHOW INFORMATION

NAVIGATIONAL NOTE: A LONG DISCUSSION OF ALL VEGAS SHOWS IS AT THE LINK BELOW. IT WAS NOT WRITTEN IN FEBRUARY BUT HAS BEEN UPDATED OFTEN AND WILL BE AGAIN; I KEEP IT CURRENT. I MOVED THE POST TO FEBRUARY SO IT WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO DOMINATE FIRST PAGES OF THE BLOG.

SHOWS AND MORE SHOWS
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2006/02/shows-and-more-shows.html#links

December weather

a good weather link:
http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/vacationplanner-weather.cfm

Some one posted this question on a board recently and it seemed to get the best answers with even suggestions of ways to dress.


QUESTION: 28 days until our next visit. The first time in December. We have been to vegas in Jan, Feb, March, April, July, Aug, and Nov. What can we expect for the second weekend in Dec (8-12)?

ANSWERS:

First it depends on where you are coming in from. We are from Ohio, so when we go to 50 degrees in the days it is very pleasant, but if you are coming from a sunny warm Florida it will feel chilly. I love the weather in Vegas in Dec. The days are a little cool, but sunny. You do need a light jacket for the evenings as they are a bit cool and windy and the long walk from casino to casino can feel brisk. The wind coming across the water in front of some of the casinos is really chilly. Vegas is like any other part of the country and can experience a high or low for the area at any time. Last Dec. we hit a really cold spell there, but it was a lot warmer than at home. We heard that the next week it was unually hot.

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we are from Ohio also, so I'm sure we have a good chance of having better weather in vegas. We have been very lucky and have always had great weather on all our other trips (this makes #22). Even in November it has always been in the 80's. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we will have some unseasonably warm days for Dec.

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Contrary to popular conception, Vegas DOES have winter. It will be quite cold, very windy, and will rain and might snow during this time. The saving grace is that it's only about a month long.

However, it usually starts in mid-December!!! So your weather could be anything from excellent to lousy-miserable. Another reason why visitation is at its lowest that time of year.

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Last year it was 60F daytime, around 40F nightime. One night it got down to 32F. No rain, light winds. I was very comfortable in a long sleeve shirt during the day but did need a jacket at night. From an east coast perspective it was a nice improvement in the weather we left behind. The pool at TI was open and a few people were in it.

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From the Las Vegas Advisor weather link:

quote -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December Temperature:
Mean 46°
Avg. Max. 58°
Avg. Min. 33°

Evening temperatures dip into the 30s and even into the 20s. The sun makes an occasional showing.

Pools are closed.

Desert or not, it's wintertime and it's cold. Dress warmly.

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Dec weather in LV is very changeable. Dec. can be one of the wettest months of the year. 2 years ago there were record rainfalls in Dec thru New Years. Early morning temps can dip below freezing. Couldy overcast days will not get above 50s. Sunny days can get to almost 70. As stated above, it's winter in the high desert. Elev are in the mid 2K ft in the valley to over 10k ft in the Spring Mts just to the west. Snow above 5K ft is commonplace and is reliable enough to support a snowboard ski area on Mt Charleston. Snow in the valley is rare, and usu. it is only an inch or so and doesn't last more than a few hrs.
Slacks and a long sleeve shirt will suffice during the day and a jacket is a welcomed addition at night.

2nd week is Rodeo week. Cowboys and Cowgirls galore who seem to use more 'anti-freeze' than clothing to protect against the cooler temps. YeeHa!

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You'll have a great time laughing at what the people wear at night because of the "cold". I'm from SD and when I go in December I'll bring a light jacket. You'll see people bundled in hats, scarfs, gloves, etc. like its -30. Obviously NOT from the midwest!

I bring a sweatshirt for the day. It's usually in the 50s but a couple times it's been really windy and it cuts through you.

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Although it has been about at least 7 or 8 years since I have been in LV in December, I experienced one year when it was around 70 Degrees for the High (I don't remember when that was but I do remember staying at the Landmark) and another year when the highs were in the 30's and the lows were in the 20s and the wind was blowing.

For me (since I live in Southern California), these were basically new low temperatures for me and I was quite cold. I actually remember one of those days I was driving to Stratosphere to meet a friend and I heard on the radio (this was about 7:30 AM or so) that the temperature (with the Wind Chill) made it feel like it was 13 Degrees! I was just frozen. I remember wearing at least four things including Thermal Underwear and Mittens and I was just completely freezing!

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It really is funny how where you originate from makes it feel warm or cold. I'm another one of those native people from Ohio and Vegas is just darn nice in December. When I have visited it is in the 60's and 70's during the day, 30's and 40's at night. Absolutely beautiful days with lots of sun. If that weather were to hit here I would be out on my motorcycles crusing around. Shorts and a nice polartech are all I need.

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Vegas in December?

A constant 68-70 degrees
Winds at 0 MPH
Relative humidity is a constant 50%
No sunset or sunrise
Air quality: fair to poor

Funny thing is that it's like that in June, too.

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You got it Joyce. Everything is relative. Coming from the Chicago area I know it will be warmer. Although it is chilly. But if you are coming in from a warmer area you may want pack a parka. I do remember one December morning I saw ice on a puddle.

Terry

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Coupon Time

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!!!!!
2 days before I eat a big bird
14 questioning days left before I board another.

So,

today is the day to send for this free coupon offer:

Vegas Values- A nice little coupon book with $5 and $10 off many shows and attractions and $2 off the half priced places, a little Vegas map. I got mine in the mail today. Along with it came a copy of 24/7 a little poketbook showing the places and times of shows and some more coupons. A single copy of that is supposed to cost $4.50 but they threw it in when I requested the Vegas Values book. No postage required, just an e-mail to

christinabroude@clearchannel.com

with your snail mail address.

Tell them it is your first trip to Vegas. When they wrote to me, they threw in the 24/7 book too. Perhaps it was because I told them that I was planning for 20 people. So tell them you are planning for a group.

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Restaurant.com sells coupons for restaurants all over the country. They have quite a few for Vegas including my favorite Irish Pub McMullan's, located a block behind the Orleans. You pay about $5 for a $25 coupon.

http://restaurant.com/

Sometimes the regular prices are reduced for a limited time. If you join, they will send you notices of sales. Or this site will also keep track of the dates when you can get 20% to 50% off the price. That really makes a nice coupon. But you ahve to be conservative and make certain you are going to to to the restaurant you have chosen. You lose if you don't use.

http://www.whatbrianthinksaboutlasvegas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1999

Of course, you have to know you definitely want to go there.

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Half Priced Tickets

You have to sign up by e-mail for for this money saving group, but they have lots of last minute show tickets half price including the Scintas almost every week. You must check just before you go and book the tickets through them.

http://www.goldstarevents.com

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!!!!!

Like to shoot a machine gun??

There are places you can go in Vegas to pay to shoot a gun, including a machine gun. It is not cheap as this thread will explain:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=34088