Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Trip to Vegas next month

This is topic Trip to Vegas next month in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=001960

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-03-2003, 11:12 PM:

Looks like I'll be taking a 5 day trip to Vegas next month at the expense of my s/o's company. What types of sight-seeing things are there to do while I'm there? Major attractions, etc nearby? Say within 3-4 hours drivetime?

Aside from the casino's (which I could care less about), I not'd really know of a lot there to do, well, maybe just seeing the town.. but that will get old fast I think.

I think we're staying at the Venitian(sp?)

Planned dates are May 12-16, Mon-Fri.

Any ideas from the Vegas crew or the regular visitors? Micheal S, you do not count as you were there only once.. and you attempted to hang out witht that Funky Phil Fella. [Big Grin]

I'm already planning on the Hoover Dam visit and I just found the Freemont Experience (hey, the lighted canopy trips me out!)

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 04-03-2003, 11:59 PM:

When you visit Fremont Street, stop by the Neonopolis 14 (we are located right on Fremont). We will be busy with Matrix Reloaded that weekend. Ask for me at guest services!

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-04-2003, 12:09 AM:

Check out the Stratosphere. Several fun rides on that top of that thing, and great picture taking opportunities, too.

The MGM has an actual lion's den. They have some BBBIIIGGG Pussys in there. (Pussy Cats, that is.... [Big Grin]

) I took a picture of one, but unfortunately all I got was her rear end in the truest sense. I was going to post it but after thinking about it, I said, "Nah" [evil]

However, here is a different picture:

On the west side of town, there is one of those twisting loop-de-loop roller coasters. Worth the ride. But don't eat anything before you ride it. [Smile]

Here is a picture of the Stratosphere top with the air cushion ride:

[ 04-04-2003, 01:37 AM: Message edited by: Paul G. Thompson ]

Posted by Andrew Lee (Member # 1330) on 04-04-2003, 08:19 AM:

Jason, Vegas can get old fast. I have a suggestion you might find interesting. South of Vegas in an old mining town called Goodsprings is the infamous Pioneer Saloon. This is the oldest standing "pub" in Nevada. Original decor, bullet holes in the walls, and an odd assortment of people all with a story to tell. This is the place where Clark Gable hung out on a 3 day bender while searchers combed the desert for Carole Lombards plane crash site. There is even a piece or two of the plane sitting on the stove in the back.

I always take associates there for a refreshment when in Vegas and we always have a blast. The landscape is amazing, just stay out of the old mines. Take I-15 South to Jean, then 161 West. You will come to a fork in the road after about 10-15 miles. To the left is a sign for Sandy Valley, take the right one and you can't miss it. Total trip time from downtown Vegas is 50 minutes.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-04-2003, 08:56 AM:

Thanks for the suggestions guys..

Dennis,
I'm sure you and Chris D. can expect to see me... I can hear Leah now.. "DO you NEVER want to get away from work"?
[Cool]

Paul,
You can have that Stratosphere ride... There is NO WAY I'm getting on a coaster attached to a BUILDING. I've seen it on the Discovery channel a few times.. Nope.. no thank you... [puke]

I saw that there were a few old mining areas on the maps I found online. I'll keep the agenda open and ya'll keep feeding me ideas... [thumbsup]

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-04-2003, 01:46 PM:

Hoover Dam is always a nice place to visit but unfortunately, the Hard Hat tours have been discontinued because of security reasons. So, don't expect too much when you visit Hoover, but it is still worth the effort to go there.

The Roller Coaster ride on top the Stratosphere is nothing more than a mere Sunday Afternoon ride as compared to the other one on the west side of town. [Big Grin]

The car show at the Imperial Palace is kind of a bummer, especially if you have been there several years ago. Not worth the visit. Many extremely rare vehicles used by Presidents FDR, Kennedy, Johnson, Eisenhower, and other classics such as Liberace's Bentley (equipped with candles), Hitler's Mercedes, and Nikita Kruschev's Limousine are no longer on display. Come to think of it, I didn't see any historic cars that were used by any world leader on this most recent visit.

Plenty of Duschenburgs are there, though.

Posted by Andrew Lee (Member # 1330) on 04-04-2003, 03:11 PM:

Hey Paul...I'll bite.....What is a Duschenburgs??

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-04-2003, 03:11 PM:

If you are staying at the Venitian, then you are staying at one of the finer Hotels in town. I think the lobby of the Bellagio is better, but I hear that the rooms at the Venitian are so nice you may never want to leave.

Other hotels to check out just for fun are Bllagio for the lobby, Paris for the mall and the casino at NY, NY.

Of course there is the Ship Battle at the Treasure Island, Volcano at Mirage, and Fountain at the Ballagio along with the Freemont Experience for street entertainment.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-04-2003, 03:59 PM:

Ian,

Got those down already as part of my street touring venture(s). How long exaclty is the LV strip?

Posted by Bill Carter (Member # 156) on 04-04-2003, 04:13 PM:

Don't forget the actual "Bonnie and Clyde Death Car" on display at Whiskey Pete's Casino in Primm, Nevada, just a few minutes out of LV.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 04-04-2003, 04:29 PM:

Andrew,

Paul probably meant to write Deusenburgs which were open-top sportcars of the 1920s-'30s, with very long hoods, powerful, many-cylindered engines, wire-spoke wheels,some with flexible metal exhaust manifolds poking through the sides of the hood. Expensive and very fast, they were favored by the rich, playboys, and show-off gangsters.

The present-day Tiffany, Excaliber and Corral are re-creations.

Gerard

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-04-2003, 04:52 PM:

Yeah...it can be a tongue twister to spell. I guess the correct spelling is Duesenberg. Anyway, here is a picture of what appears to be a stripped down model. The price tag states you can buy it for $1,100,000.00 (plus sales tax. [Big Grin]

)

Here is one that is not-so-stripped down.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 04-04-2003, 05:08 PM:

Paul,

I'll take your red one! Its a DOOZY!
[Deusenburg, that is.]

Gerard

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-04-2003, 05:21 PM:

Gerard, here is something Grandma might buy... [Big Grin]

Are those Carbide head lights on this old Ford?

OK, I got a little carried away...sorry... [Smile]

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 04-04-2003, 06:27 PM:

Paul,

I think the smaller ones, the carriage lamps, work on calcium carbide and water, like the old bicycle lights. I guess they were used for parking, because the headlamps drew plenty of current from the battery, or if there wasn't a battery, from the magneto (generator). So when the engine wasn't running, great-gramps would still have lights on to prevent moving traffic from colliding in the dark of the unlit streets.

Gerard
[EDIT:] Looking more closely, I don't see electric bulbs in the big headlights, so maybe they were carbide? But there has evidently been much reconstruction on this antique, and they may not be operational. So I can't really tell.]

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-04-2003, 06:42 PM:

I think the strip is 6 miles long. It's about 3 miles from Fremont Street to the Stratosphere and 3 more miles from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. That doesn't sound like much, but in Las Vegas the hotels look like they are right next-door and feel like they are a mile or more apart.

quote:
The no. 301 bus operated by Citizens Area Transit (tel. 702/CAT-RIDE; www.rtc.co.clark.nv.us/cat.htm) plies a route between the Downtown Transportation Center (at Casino Center Blvd. and Stewart Ave.) and a few miles beyond the southern end of the Strip. The fare is $2 for adults, 60¢ for seniors (62 and older) and children 5 to 17, and free for those under 5. (You must apply at the main office to qualify for the discount fares. Visit the Web site for details.) CAT buses run 24 hours a day and are wheelchair-accessible. Exact change is required, but dollar bills are accepted.

Or you can hop aboard a classic streetcar replica run by Las Vegas Strip Trolley (tel. 702/382-1404). These old-fashioned, dark-green vehicles have interior oak paneling and are comfortably air-conditioned. Like the buses, they run northward from Hacienda Avenue, stopping at all major hotels en route to the Sahara, and then loop back from the Las Vegas Hilton. They do not, however, go to the Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower or Downtown. Trolleys run about every 15 minutes daily between 9:30am and 2am. The fare is $1.30 (free for children under age 5), and exact change is required.

There are also a number of free transportation services, courtesy of the casinos. A free monorail connects Mandalay Bay with Luxor and Excalibur, another connects Bellagio with the Monte Carlo, still another runs between the MGM and Bally's, and a free tram shuttles between The Mirage and Treasure Island. Given how far apart even neighboring hotels can be, thanks to their size, and how they seem even farther apart on really hot days, these are blessed additions--and the more tourists who take them, the less traffic there might be on the Strip.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-04-2003, 07:39 PM:

Ian said:

quote:
It's about 3 miles from Fremont Street to the Stratosphere and 3 more miles from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. That doesn't sound like much, but in Las Vegas the hotels look like they are right next-door and feel like they are a mile or more apart.

Ian, you nailed that one on the head. I found out that is true the hard way. [Embarrassed]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-13-2003, 03:02 AM:

A MUST SEE is "The Amazing Johnathan" show at the Flamingo, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Center Strip.

I have watched and followed his humor and act for 15 years and it is STILL!!!! the BEST EVER!!!!!

He does some Cable specials ... and they are hilarious!

DO NOT pass up this show!

>>> Phil

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 04-14-2003, 12:17 PM:

Ian,

It is actually the 501 Bus that runs the length of the strip (from here at 450 Fremont street where I currently sit). I know this from osmosis - I answer questions about it -oh about 50 times a day at our street level box office.