Where to stay in Vegas?

[nabmom]

I posted this in the pinned thread last week but didn’t get any responses. So trying , once more with feeling.

My husband and I are taking a trip to Vegas for a long weekend in mid-May. The main attraction is seeing Dead and Company at the Sphere (a birthday/anniversary gift for my darling).

We are planning on flying out Wednesday 5/14 (the show is Thursday 5/15) and returning home Saturday, 5/17. We won’t have a car.

Hotel: I’d like to stay someplace convenient to a good $1/$2 or $1/$3 cash game, preferably non-smoking casino and definitely non-smoking room. I’m assuming that means staying on the strip. Near the Sphere might be good since I read that getting Uber/Lyft after a show is hard. I have read that MGM Grand is non-smoking but am not sure anb other places. Don’t need great views from the room or a pool. and non-smoking. Not crazy expensive would be nice, but we’re willing to splurge a bit if it is really worth it. We are not party people and it would be nice to be somewhere relatively quiet so we can sleep. What do you recommend?

Cash games: where’s your favorite place for a low-stakes NLHE poker room? We aren’t interested in other games.

Food: Feel free to throw in any recommendations for where to eat. First emphasis is for good food, and again am willing to splurge if it really is worth it. Otherwise good food in a clean place is what we need.

I hope this is enough information to get a good sense of what I’m looking for and hopefully it’s findable because I need to book our room!

 

[Mortis]

To me, the biggest bang for your buck casinos on the strip are the Horseshoe and The Flamingo. People are hit or miss with The Flamingo, and they no longer have a poker room, but it is a Caesar's Property like the Horseshoe. I have only stayed at the Horseshoe (when it was Bally's), Flamingo, and The Linq (all Caesar's Properties). If you want to go more upscale, there's Caesar's Palace, which according to @Shells report, they are opening their poker room back up at the end of May. So, it may not be open when you're out there.

The Venetian, Wynn, Bellagio, and Aria all have a great poker room as well, and have heard they have really nice, but I have not stayed in any of those. As long as you're on the strip, and maybe preferably on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd; you can jump on the monorail, which is fairly cheap, and it will take you from most of the hotels all the way up to the Las Vegas Convention Center and The Sphere. The Venetian, Wynn, and Horseshoe are all on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd.

For food, Earl of Sandwich is a pretty awesome lunch spot, imo. I love the Holiday Sandwich, which is basically Thanksgiving in a sandwich with stuffing and turkey and all that good stuff in there lol. It's not too pricey.

Hash House a Go-Go is good for breakfast and they give you HUGE portions, just fyi.

If you're looking to splurge on dinner at an upscale steakhouse, STK Steakhouse at The Cosmopolitan is pretty fantastic. They may have a dress code for there.

Erica and I usually try to find the best sushi places there and the best one that we've found is the Blue Ribbon, which is not on the strip, though. It's at the Red Rock Casino in Summerlin, and is probably one of the most expensive sushi restaurants we've been to. But it is really good.

Off strip, east on Flamingo Rd, is our favorite burger joint, Bar Code Burgers. They're worth checking out, but you might need an Uber for that. It's probably a mile to the east on Flamingo Rd from the strip. So, just a tad too far to walk. But there are still some good places on the strip, too.

We are going in June and there are still some places that we want to check out and restaurants that we want to visit that we have not yet. We might finally hit up Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace. Which is a pricey buffet, but is supposed to be really good.

I hope this helps. Horseshoe might have the softest games out of the poker rooms on the strip.

 

[nabmom]

Thanks so much for all the information, @Mortis. So far we have booked the LinQ for a room, and will see O along with Dead & Co (so that covers the last two of our 3 nights there). Trip report to follow.

 

[Mortis]

Thanks so much for all the information, @Mortis. So far we have booked the LinQ for a room, and will see O along with Dead & Co (so that covers the last two of our 3 nights there). Trip report to follow.

The Linq isn't bad. I never had a problem with them. I always figure when I'm in Vegas, I'm not going to be in the room much anyway, just to sleep lol. And their beds are fine. The Linq is at probably the best spot on the strip (as well as The Flamingo), right there by The Promenade, where there is a lot of cool stuff and affordable (for Vegas) eating establishments. Gordon Ramsey's Fish & Chips is decent. Jaburrito's Sushi Burritos is one of my favorite eating places there, if you like sushi that wraps up like a burrito. There's also the High Roller ferris wheel that's right there. And a bowling alley.

 

[Uncloggie]

Hey now, nice to see there are some other deadheads around here . I saw Jerry play around 70 times '85-'95. I sure miss the old days

 

[Uncloggie]

Sorry I got no Vegas tips, last time I was there was in 1987, I drove straight through (Though I was tempted to stop and see Rodney Dangerfield perform live).
I was "on tour", on the way from Compton Terrace, Arizona to Park West ski resort, Utah, and then on to the Mountain Air festival with Santana in Calaveras county, California. It was an epic summer, highlight of my life. Longest road trip I ever did, from Montreal. Cheers !

 

[Poker Orifice]

Sorry I got no Vegas tips, last time I was there was in 1987, I drove straight through (Though I was tempted to stop and see Rodney Dangerfield perform live).
I was "on tour", on the way from Compton Terrace, Arizona to Park West ski resort, Utah, and then on to the Mountain Air festival with Santana in Calaveras county, California. It was an epic summer, highlight of my life. Longest road trip I ever did, from Montreal. Cheers !

please tell us more! (super interested!)

 

[Stringy]

stayed at the venetian which was a nice place

 

[SPANKYSN]

Since it looks like you are all set for hotel and shows, I shall add my two cents worth for food (which costs a lot more than two cents). My wife and I just got back from Vegas two days ago. We stayed at the Wynn as we always have for the last 14 years. The food in the hotel is great, which is fine if you stay there, but if you are up for a walk, two excellent choices for breakfast are 1) Jardin and 2) Terrace Point Cafe. Breakfast with mimosas will run around $65 - 75...but worth it. The Huevos Rancheros in Terrace Point is to die for. The buffet is probably excellent, but I don't eat a big breakfast, so one entree is good for me.
As far as dinners go, my wife and I have a tradition that our last night dinner is at Sinatra in the Encore...wonderful food, but pricey...dinner for two with one cocktail was just over $200 with tip. When it comes to dinners, there are so many places to choose from. I find that it is best to find a good restaurant in the hotel where you are staying or where you are seeing a show so you don't have to rush through dinner to run to the show. The Bellagio has no shortage of great dining when you see "O", which is the best of the Cirque shows IMHO.
Enjoy your holiday.

 

[Bannerman1]

Thanks so much for all the information, @Mortis. So far we have booked the LinQ for a room, and will see O along with Dead & Co (so that covers the last two of our 3 nights there). Trip report to follow.

have stayed in bellagio venetian caesers but think wynn is the best a little quieter shopping 2 minutes walk in fashion show mall

 

[nabmom]

have stayed in bellagio venetian caesers but think wynn is the best a little quieter shopping 2 minutes walk in fashion show mall

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I’ll try and get back to this thread and let you know how the trip went.

 

[Debi]

Send me a private message with your hotel costs and dates - I might have something good for you to consider.

 

[dorsk]

Hmm, Damien-Hirst designed Empathy Suite at The Palms Casino Resort is a bargain for just $100.000 a night. Sing me a rainbow, steal me a dream.

 

[Uncloggie]

please tell us more! (super interested!

Cool , like what ? More about that trip or other experiences ? Are you a Canadian deadhead too ?

I saw them in canada that year too , Toronto Wonderland park. , 90 and 91 in Hamilton, Copps Coliseum were also good Canadian shows .
I saw the dead around 70 or so times from '85 to '95 when Jerry Garcia died. Only a few times since then; when they came to Ottawa Blues Fest as Further it was pretty great.

Most of these old concerts , as well as spin-off bands are up for free https://archive.org/details/etree
Unlike most bands the Grateful Dead always allowed taping their concerts.
Cheers !

 

[Poker Orifice]

View attachment 384526

Hmm, Damien-Hirst designed Empathy Suite at The Palms Casino Resort is a bargain for just $100.000 a night. Sing me a rainbow, steal me a dream.

Wow! I'd have to run as good as Halfrek if I ever had hopes of staying there ^

 

[dorsk]

Wow! I'd have to run as good as Halfrek if I ever had hopes of staying there ^

I don’t think this Norwegian guy plays live poker let alone poker at all anymore. Like Wayne Gretzky he’s a thing of the past. Furthermore Norwegian gambling authorities have almost made poker illegal.

 

[Mortis]

Planet Hollywood's new poker room is now open! 23 tables makes it Caesar's Properties largest poker room in Vegas, now. They will probably have some juicy games going on there to entice players.