Vegas in October

[€uroMeinke]

So... I'm going to this conference in October in Vegas. My boss will be there and I'm expected to do the usual networking and such - but should I find a moment or two on my own, what would you recommend?

Mind you gambling bores me, so is there something spectacular I should check out, some place to dine, or a show I shouldn't miss? Or maybe I'll get lucky and be able to see a DJ set from one of LoT's fine Vegas swankers?

[Strangler Lewis]

Which part of gambling bores you? Occasionally winning money you didn't expect to have or generally losing money you can't afford to lose? Having the pit boss greet you, if only in your head, "Good evening, Mr. Bond. Your usual table?"

Slots are boring, however.

[Alex]

I can recommend Ka and O among the Cirque du Soleil shows but not Love.

Plenty of great restaurants but one I enjoy that doesn't have a celebrity chef name attached (or at least not one who is a celebrity to me) is Canaletto (http://prod2.venetian.com/Pages.aspx?id=838) at The Venetian.

Are you going to be alone?

[Moonliner]

Somehow I would see Zumanity (http://www.nynyhotelcasino.com/zumanity/2008/?CMP=KNC-Google-NYNY_Zum)as the Cirque show of choice for €

Although I did enjoy O.

[Gemini Cricket]

O.

[innerSpaceman]

O is awesome, and you'd very much enjoy Zumanity ... though perhaps not if you're alone.

I'd take Love over Ka, but i think you're getting the drift that you can't go wrong with Cirque du Soleil (even Mystere is still good, though a little creaky and showing its age).



There's not much else i like to do in Vegas. I'm also not a gambler, so there's less and less of interest there (heheh, just as i'm making more friends who live there). No more Spamalot, no more Star Trek.

I still love the fountain shows and the conservatory at the Bellagio. And there are some great restaurants at the Wynn. What's your price range? Vegas is, alas, a very expensive town.

[Capt Jack]

have to agree. a really good O is worth the trip.

:evil:

[BarTopDancer]

Diego's in the MGM for some awesome mojitos. It's in the back by the monorail stop.

CraftSteak in the MGM is awesome, very swanky though pricey.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be in to anything else I do there, well sans the people watching. The Venitian and Ceaser's are beautiful hotels, as is the Bellagio.

[Morrigoon]

Oddly enough, the best Wor Wonton Soup I've ever had can be gotten at the 24-hour cafe in the Orleans. If you're into that sort of thing.

[Not Afraid]

O is awesome, and you'd very much enjoy Zumanity ... though perhaps not if you're alone.



Or maybe I'll get lucky.

Apparently he's not planning on being alone.;)

[Gemini Cricket]

And the buffet at the Paris casino is great I hear.
:)

[BarTopDancer]

And the buffet at the Paris casino is great I hear.
:)

It's amazing. I think it blows the Bellagio buffet out of the water. The line is huge though. Suggest getting in line around 10, so you're getting in when they bring out the lunch stuff too.

[Alex]

I'd take Love over Ka,


A sign that everybody is looking for something different. Love, to me came very close to sucking and Ka was just slightly better than O (or at least my several years old memory of O).

Diegos at MGM may have a great mojito (didn't have one) but the food was just so-so though the restaurant design and decor is great.

On buffets Paris for breakfast may be the best "relatively normal" one. Bellagio's has been great but we were very disappointed by the food a couple weeks ago. For dinner my favorite is Spice Market at Planet Hollywood.

For a great view I suggest a late night visit to VooDoo Lounge (http://www.yelp.com/biz/voodoo-lounge-las-vegas) on the 51st floor of the Rio. The Rio is a bit off of the strip so the outdoor patio provides incredible views. Be warned of the cover charge and dress code.

[BDBopper]

I wish I could answer your question but I cannot because I have not been to Vegas myself. I have always wanted to go. It's probably not your kind of thing but I have always wanted to sit and watch a big game in a Sportsbook. I'm not too interested in gambling though I would probably put down a few dollars somewhere and hope to win something at a slot machine or blackjack table. That's about it. You'd probably like Cirque but that is not for me since it is so visual.

If I did go to Vegas it would probably be for the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly weekender or CES if I got lucky enough.

[BarTopDancer]

Alex - completely agree about the food at Diego's, and we just did chips, salsa and guac as a snack.

The Rio is supposed to have an awesome buffet as well.

I'm also a fan of the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef (go figure). It's more than just sharks. I think Prince has a permanent show there, as does Elton John. I wish I could be more help entertainment wise, but our trips don't consist of seeing shows.

[Alex]

Isn't Elton John at Caesar's? I thought he took over Celine Dion's theater.

[BarTopDancer]

There as in Vegas. I don't know where exactly.

[Alex]

Ah, I thought you were still talking about Mandalay Bay. Yeah, both Elton John and Prince have standing shows in Vegas.

[Kevy Baby]

EJ is at Caesars (http://www.harrahs.com/EventsDetail.do?locationCode=CLV&detailName=elton-john-detail&eventTitle=elton%20john). Tickets are $100-$250.
Prince was playing at a small club at the Rio, but that ended a year ago.

[Alex]

Thought I saw a billboard for Prince a couple weekends ago. Must have been old.

[Gemini Cricket]

Derail - Speaking of Elton John, I had a weird dream last night that all of us were preparing a surprise party for Lashbear's birthday with the Stoat. And the night of the party, we got Elton John to bring Lashbear to the party. Really weird. The funny part was that we weren't ready for his entrance so when Lashbear arrived we were all sitting there unprepared to yell Happy Birthday etc. And we were all meh about Elton John.
:D

[Moonliner]

EJ is at Caesars (http://www.harrahs.com/EventsDetail.do?locationCode=CLV&detailName=elton-john-detail&eventTitle=elton%20john). Tickets are $100-$250.
Prince was playing at a small club at the Rio, but that ended a year ago.

What happened to Bette Midler ? I thought she took over for Celine.

[Kevy Baby]

Well heck...

It appears that there is no "permanent" show at the Colosseum at Caesars Las Vegas. Cher is the main act through October 5th with a few other artists on varying dates and then Bette Midler takes over October 9th - October 19.

Elton John plays the Colosseum October 22nd through Nov 9th

[Not Afraid]

I laughing at the thought of Chris eating his way through a myriad of buffets in Vegas.

[keith - SuPeR K!]

There is a boutique hotel whose lounge I have heard great things about called the Artisan- think Rank the Swank quality. It's located off the 15 and Sahara. I'd definitely be interested in checking it out with you :) As for big Cirque shows, I recommend O, Ka, and Mystere in that order. Zumanity I believe you would quite enjoy as well, but it can't really be compared to the others as it is very unique.

[innerSpaceman]

The thing I don't like about Ka and Love, which augers poorly for future Cirque shows, is there's no live music. This is a big step down for the franchise, imo. But obviously is the only way to do LOVE, which is one of the reasons i prefer it to KA.


There's less acrobatics in Love, but if you love the Beatles, you'll enjoy it for the trippy visuals. Where you sit is very important. Consult with me, please, if you're thinking of seeing this one.

There's also less acrobatics, per se, in Zumanity ... but it's fantastic entertainment. Take a lover with you, or the show will be frustrating.


O cannot be compared to Ka - it's in a league of its own and should be seen by every human being on the planet. Seating selection is also very important ... you must be able to see the surface of the water, so don't sit too close to the stage.

Also, O is very hypnotic and has been known to put people to sleep!! It's beyond trippy and mesmerizing, so be careful! But it's a MUST!



By all means, tho, rank the swank with SuPeR K!

[Alex]

Ka has live music. You can see several of the guitars players during the work pit scenes and then they take their bow at the end of the show.

Unlike other shows you can't generally see the musicians, but it is live music. Love is the only Cirque show in Vegas that uses a soundtrack.

I liked that it had a bit of a story to follow and it certainly fed into my martial arts inclinations and the Chinese opera stuff at the beginning was amazing. O is certainly more purely "Cirque-esque." Of the two, Ka is the one I would first pay to see again.

[alphabassettgrrl]

The Brown Derby in MGM had a Sunday brunch buffet that was out of this world. Watch the lions in MGM.

The Rio had a good buffet, too. Haven't been to the VooDoo lounge; never felt like dressing up when on vacation but it sounds like fun.

Luxor has a club that looks like it might be fun. They have a floating boat out front.

I second the vote for Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef. It's more than just sharks, but even if it wasn't, sharks are cool. It's a walk-through and go early if you can if you want to take pictures. The light goes away quickly; you'll still be able to see, but cameras need a lot of light.

Are the white tigers still on display at the Mirage? I think they also had a large aquarium in the lobby.

Go watch the show at Caesar's- in the shopping area is a large fountain-looking thing, but every hour or so the gods come alive. Also watch the cieling- it changes. It's painted like a sky but it changes over the course of an hour or so.

Fremont Street- do they still do the light-show every night?

Have fun in Vegas! I know you're going for business but hopefully you can carve out some time for fun.

I might be able to check out a few things this weekend but I won't have a car and I'm not sure how much free time I'll have. But I'll try. :)

[Alex]

Yes, Fremont Street still has its ceiling. Not much reason to go downtown though unless you want cheap gambling.

[BarTopDancer]

And the best thing about Shark Reef is to say SHARRRRRRK loudly and watch people freak out. Not that I would know or anything...

[innerSpaceman]

Shark Reef is cool. Overpriced, but cool. I usually stay at the Mandalay Bay, so i see it as part of my hotel fun (though separately priced). Don't know if I would make a special trip, but it's nice.


If they've added some live music touches to Ka, it's an improvement. When I saw the show soon after it opened, there were no curtain calls by hidden live musicians. The score features a full orchestra and 50-person choir. Um, they are NOT there.


But if they are that hidden, and the sound is heard exclusively through the headsets embedded in each seat, then the point of live music is nearly ruined anyway.


To be fair, O's music can only be heard through the sound system, though it's performed live. The orchestra is sequesterd away in a huge sound booth. Too much water onstage.


Zumanity and Mystere share obviously live music ... and the shows are fantastically enriched by this element.

[Kevy Baby]

I heard the McDonalds in Las Vegas is to die for!

[Moonliner]

I heard the McDonalds in Las Vegas is to die for!

Especially the Royal with Cheese over at the Paris Las Vegas hotel.

[alphabassettgrrl]

And how did I forget the Liberace museum? Got to see that.

[Alex]

Shark Reef is like Star Trek Experience for us. We've been out to Mandalay Bay three times over the years and each time we kind of plan on doing Shark Reef, see the prices and say "never mind."

So just like with Star Trek Experience I guess we'll finally do it when they announce it is closing.


Is the 57-man orchestra and 40 person choir on the soundtrack the same music heard during the show? The couple sites I checked seemed to indicate it was a significantly beefed up performance for the CD.

Regardless though, for me (and I know I'm perhaps unusual in this) recorded or live makes absolutely no difference. But whatever part of the music is live, was live from the beginning. The Ka web site has a comment from a bass guitar player talking about getting the job just a day or two before the show opened. During the show the musicians were never prominently featured but rather generally just rocking out in the deep background of a scene and then at curtain call they were out on a back platform while the main performers were taking their bows up front.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

A friend of mine was married at the Mandalay Bay and had the party in a suite at THE Hotel (http://www.mandalaybay.com/persona/THEhotel.aspx). Yes, it's really called that. Quite the swanky modern experience. Decor was very impressive. Here's the suite (http://www.mandalaybay.com/accommodations/thHSuite.aspx), but the hallways alone were amazing. There was a humongous Warhol in the lobby.

[Kevy Baby]

... THE Hotel (http://www.mandalaybay.com/persona/THEhotel.aspx). Yes, it's really called that.No it isn't. Its called THEhotel.

Get yur facts straight damnit.










Looks like a cool place BTW.

[€uroMeinke]

Hmmm Swanky Lounges certainly are tempting - So far it looks like I'll be there the 19th to the 22nd.

So these Cirque things, how hard is it to go to as a last minute sort of thing?

[innerSpaceman]

THEhotel was the ultra-swankiest place i've ever stayed in Vegas. zapppop and i shared a suite there ... hmmm, last October exactly.


It got a little tiring when everything in the place was called THEcafe or THEnewstand, but all was forgiven when the toilet paper in our suite bathrooms was adorned with labels "TheTP"





Oh, and our favorite hotel in Paris is l'hotel. Go figure.

[alphabassettgrrl]

The Monorail rocks. $12 for 24 hours of monorailing. Goes from MGM to past the Hilton in about 20 minutes I think.

[Alex]

People actually ride the monorail? We took it once from Bally's to the Hilton and back but that required a 1/2 mile walk on the Bally's end through the bowels of that hotel. It is conveniently located for the Hilton (right off the main casino) but we always look at the route and end up taking a taxi instead.

[BarTopDancer]

We did last August. It's pretty easy to get to in the MGM from the room and where we were. It let us out where we wanted to be at Harrah's. Paris and Bally's require a hike. In August the hike through the casino isn't as bad as the walk up the strip with the heat radiating off the asphalt.

[alphabassettgrrl]

We rode it all three days I was there. Not packed in like sardines, but certainly enough people on it.

[cirquelover]

So these Cirque things, how hard is it to go to as a last minute sort of thing?


It won't be possible for O or Love but I have found tickets for KA, Mystere and sometimes Zumanity available the day of. I have also seen tickets for KA and Mystere at the half price ticket booths.

I love Mystere. It is old style and the performers are amazing. I try to see it every time I'm in town. Gary happens to think O is the best one there. I agree that Zu is better when seen with your lover. I have sen it alone and it wasn't near as much fun. I'm not a big Beatles fan or martial arts so those were'nt my favs.

There is also supposed to be a new Criss Angel show, in association with Cirque, if you're into him. It doesn't sound much like a Cirque show and like a whole lot of Criss.

[NirvanaMan]

Not a big Vegas fan either. Spamalot was fun (though someone in this thread said it is no more). The steak place in the Wynn is fantastic. And I also concur that the buffet at Paris is grand.