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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 01-24-2006, 07:13 PM:
 
Any of you really familiar with Vegas know of any fun or interesting things to do while in Vegas?

I'm here for the until Fri. am. and plan on spending as little money as possible. Walking around looking at the shops simply isn't my bag o fun, but the wife sure likes it, and so do some of teh other women in the bunch.

Doing a motorcycle ride tomorrow. Hoping we head out to the Hoover Dam. Would like to see teh Grand Canyon Thursday, but driving around here isn't something I'd like to do.

Anyone?

Thanks!
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-24-2006, 07:19 PM:
 
A nice thing to do is to go eat at Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse . I'll definately be having dinner there one night this year. In all likelyhood it may be the best dining experience you have in your lifetime. You can also have lunch there ... fantastic but reasonable burgers and home made potato chips . Not all the food there is prepared cajun but if you've never had cajun food this is the place! I've been to two of his restaurants in past years and they are fantastic.

I have to admit that I am not only hooked on his food and cooking but also on his TV show which I rarely miss......

Mark
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-24-2006, 07:32 PM:
 
There's a number of ride film attractions in 'Vegas. They're not cheap, but they'll probably cost you a lot less than what you would likely spend gambling. Gotta try out the Big Shot ride on the top of the Stratosphere tower.

Since my day job is "environmental graphic design" (read: sign design), I could spend an entire evening taking photos up and down the strip. If you like the electronic displays at all, the Freemont Street Experience was overhauled. All the colored incandescent light bulbs were replaced with millions of RGB LED clusters.
 

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Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 01-24-2006, 07:32 PM:
 
Being Cajun (both he and I), I NEVER miss his program.
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 01-24-2006, 07:36 PM:
 
2 words. Mustang Ranch.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 01-24-2006, 07:39 PM:
 
I agree with Mark... ALL of Emeril's restaurant food is great! I have eaten in his establishments in many cities many times.

But I cannot stand his holier-than-all attitude on his TV show. In the earlier days, he was really a good and a down-to-earth person before he got so full of himself, but then he became a total "Hollywood" asshole who thinks his butt doesn't stink.

The last time I was at his Las Vegas establishment it cost well over $600.00 (less gratuity) for 4 of us. The atmosphere, service, and food was excellent. Thank heaven DTS picked up that tab! HA!

BTW Jason... Do go on the tour of the Hoover Dam... including the interior.. it is really cool!
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 01-24-2006, 08:49 PM:
 
Do a motorcycle ride out to Redrock Canyon or Mt. Charleston. Both are great rides, though Mt. Chuck might be a tad cool right now even with the little bit of snow that is up there. The old lodge at the top of Kyle Canyon Road, several miles past the Mt. Charleston Hotel, is good for a lunch stop. The Redrock ride is quite nice, especially the 13-mile one-way scenic loop (which costs a nominal Park Service fee). Lunch at Bonnie Springs Ranch is a good way to unwind.

If you do the dam tour, look into doing the Engineer's Tour if they are offering it. That tour gets up close and personal with some of the equipment, whereas the regular tour stays up on the visitors gallery level in the power house. Still, either tour is interesting for the tech folks.

Grand Canyon is quite a drive from here, figure a couple of hours each way for the west rim, and six hours each way for the south rim. There are many flying tours available though. Scenic Airlines (yes, I used to fly for them) has the best package for a day trip out to the south rim, with hotel pick up, air tour outbound, bus tour/lunch/shopping/IMAX on the south rim, return flight, and hotel drop off all in the package price. Takes about eight hours and a couple hundred bucks all together.

Mustang Ranch is only 450 miles away, about an 8-hour drive up US-95 just east of Reno and Sparks. There are other "ranches" much closer though.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-24-2006, 09:35 PM:
 
Floyd, He's actually Portugeese but has adopted N.O. as his home town. Sometimes he cooks useing Portugeese "foods" that he learned about in his youth.

quote: Phil Hill

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But I cannot stand his holier-than-all attitude on his TV show. In the earlier days, he was really a good and a down-to-earth person before he got so full of himself, but then he became a total "Hollywood" asshole who thinks his butt doesn't stink.

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I haven't seen that aspect of him yet out of watching probably a few hundred of his shows. But all of us do have bad days once in a while. I find that he's entertaining and really down right funny at times and the audience both live and at home end up inspired to try things they would never have before. His way of cooking certainy has changed my life and eating habits for the better. Can't say that my food bills have gotten any lighter though......

Mark
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 01-24-2006, 10:58 PM:
 
I would think when his sitcom failed and was taken off the air, that would have knocked him down a peg or two. Bam!
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-25-2006, 12:25 AM:
 
Heard some buzz on the "M&M Store" - by the MGM Grand ....

-Monte
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 01-25-2006, 01:00 AM:
 
Might as well hit a factory then. The Ethel M chocolate factory is in Henderson (of course ) and offers free self-guided public tours with samples afterwards. It's a chocoholic's dream come true.

The two free local alternative weeklies here both have extensive sections listing events and other things to do. They both also have lots of local restaurant reviews:

Las Vegas Weekly

Las Vegas Citylife
 

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Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-25-2006, 03:02 AM:
 

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen

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Floyd, He's actually Portugeese but has adopted N.O. as his home town. Sometimes he cooks useing Portugeese "foods" that he learned about in his youth.

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According to imdb, he is from Massachusetts. That may sound Portuguese to you, but it's actually a state in the Eastern USA.
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 01-25-2006, 03:53 AM:
 
Mike Heenan beat me to it! Maybe they should reschedule Show West to coincide with the big porn trade show and awards that also take place in Vegas. Phil could be Jenna Jameson's "official" projectionist!

I get sick and tired of all these overblown "celebrity" chefs! Do you all not understand that many ethenic dishes that are considered "delicays" today were origionally quick, po folks food? I have many of my Grandmothers traditional Jewish recipies, and they would blow Emeril and these other yahoos out of the water! Many traditional ethenic recipies are quite simple, and I don't know how many times I have seen these overglorified "chefs" complicate them beyond disaster!

Speaking of expensive restraunts, Tucson has many a highly rated restraunt. I wonder how much bribe $$ are spent by them to pass health inspection, as most are truly disgusting...especially the high $$ resorts. On the other hand, Tucson has many excellent little Mom and Pop diners...their kitchens are usually very clean and their food, although not "fancy" kicks ass over most of those overly rated resorts!

BTW...Emeril is from Fall River, Mass....hopefully Lizzy Borden's parents did not find their way into Emeril's steak house!

K
 

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Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-25-2006, 04:29 AM:
 

quote: Will Kutler

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I get sick and tired of all these overblown "celebrity" chefs! Do you all not understand that many ethenic dishes that are considered "delicays" today were origionally quick, po folks food?

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quote:

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I have many of my Grandmothers traditional Jewish recipies, and they would blow Emeril and these other yahoos out of the water! Many traditional ethenic recipies are quite simple, and I don't know how many times I have seen these overglorified "chefs" complicate them beyond disaster!

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Then open your own restaurant and blow them all out of the water. Usher in a new era in cooking - back to the roots! The new old simplicity! Eat like our ancestors did! Except that most of our ancestors not too long ago most of the time didn't have enough to eat to begin with, let alone to feast on.
I see a whole new era in cooking: really authentic historical dishes! The Irish "potato plate" - nothing! The Russian "failed crop" soup - water with some tree bark! The Rumanian "goat plague roast" - bones and tendons!
BTW, it's "ethnic", not "ethenic" (from Greek "ethnos"="people, nation").

Speaking of eating in Las Vegas - Paul, what and where was that place again with the all-you-can-eat sushi and Asian buffet? Not fine dining, but pretty good, and a huge selection of sushi and other Japanese and some other Asian food. When my mother and me went there, we didn't all-you-can-eat, but more-than-you-can-eat, and then we rolled across the parking lot like inflated balloons.
 

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Posted by Christian Volpi (Member # 2370) on 01-25-2006, 10:15 AM:
 
Two chicks at the same time...that's what I would do.
 

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Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 01-25-2006, 10:44 AM:
 
Find out if the CSI show is really all it's cracked up to be
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 01-25-2006, 01:42 PM:
 
Heh, CSI films here for maybe a couple of days each season, just grabbing current background shots. The rest of the show is shot in LA. Just have to laugh when they use UCLA locations as sets for UNLV.

Michael, you're thinking of Makino's. Two locations: the one you went to is on the northwest corner of Flamingo and Decatur, the other is in the Premium Outlet Mall downtown. There's also Todai inside the Desert Passage mall at the Aladdin-Planet Hollywood.

Best bang-for-the-buck for all-you-can-eat sushi though is probably Sushi Mon. All-you-can-eat in an hour, and fresh since they make it to order right in front of you. Two locations: on West Sahara between Cimarron and Durango, and on South Maryland Parkway south of Silverado.

Will, CES is the show to go to for pr0n. The Adult Entertainment Exposition books for four days in January, the same week as CES (not surprising since AEE started as a small but popular section of the CES), usually at the Sands Expo Center behind the Venetian.
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 01-25-2006, 02:47 PM:
 
You'd all get a good laugh out of the annual Sex Workers Arts Festival in Tucson, AZ!

www.sexworkersartsfestival.com
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-25-2006, 07:03 PM:
 

quote: Paul Mayer

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Heh, CSI films here for maybe a couple of days each season, just grabbing current background shots. The rest of the show is shot in LA.

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quote: Christian Volpi

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Two chicks at the same time...that's what I would do.

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I did in fact just this past Sunday! That would only happen here in Utah I Roasted two Hens in my oven at the same time "Emeril Style"... Honey Lemon Butter basted with fresh Thyme on top twice during the baking. If only there was a real smell-0-vision the scent would drive Will nuts!

As for Ethnic cuisine I also have many of my Grandmothers old recipes. I think two of them are actually edible...they're Norwegian dishes... as hard to pronounce as they are to eat.... The best family recipes came from one of my Aunts... nothing ethnic about them at all, just gold ole cookin.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 01-26-2006, 12:33 AM:
 
Thanks for all the useful replies. I'm not a big eater, so the Emeral stuff isn't for me.

We had diner tonight at Smith & Wolensky's. Decent food, but not worth the cost, IMO. I must admit, the blackened filet I had was likely the most flavorful steak I've ever eaten.

We did the Harley tour of RedRock Canyon, including the scenic 13 mile loop today. AWESOME! Then we did the Hoover Dam ride. They are no longer offering the inner tour of the dam, however, the mere fact that ther still allow traffic to flow over th edam amazes me. I think that the major road project they have going on will soon chnage that. Looks like the new highway outlay will 'bypass' the dam when completed.

Now that I've done the RedRock ride, a group wants to rent a Suburban tomorrow and I've been elected ride captain/tour guide. Oh joy.... Id much rather spend some time at the Mustang.. LOL..

Anyway, I also heard mention of some tiype of sign graveyard that is supposedly near here. Anyone have any idea what that's about? I'd love to put that on my plans for next year...

Thanks for the heads up!
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 01-26-2006, 02:29 AM:
 
The neon graveyard is downtown. Quite a few of the smaller signs have been restored and put on display as part of the Fremont Street Experience. The bigger ones are presently stored in an outdoor lot awaiting money for eventual restoration and the construction of an actual museum building. Some day. The lot is not open to the public but you can drive by and see the stuff though it's not very presentable (it is literally a junk yard right now). It's just off of Las Vegas Blvd. No. between Bonanza and Cashman Field, home of the Area 51's baseball team, just north of the downtown casino center area. The area is pretty seedy and not well lit at night, so a daytime viewing is recommended.

If you're looking for something else to do a drive to, and you don't want to do the previously recommended lodge at the top of Kyle Canyon Road on Mt. Charleston, try Valley of Fire State Park. It's about a 40 minute drive north on I-15 to the exit at SR169 which is clearly marked. Lots of redrock formations and Indian petroglyphs there. Several movies have been shot there, two I can think of right off the bat are Star Trek: Generations and one of my favorite westerns from the '60s, The Professionals.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-26-2006, 01:05 PM:
 

quote: Jason Black

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I think that the major road project they have going on will soon chnage that. Looks like the new highway outlay will 'bypass' the dam when completed.

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The Hoover Dam Bypass will feature as its centerpiece a 2000 foot long span above Black Canyon. The four lane, divided road deck will stand 900 feet above the Colorado River.


As far as I can tell, it looks as though the bypass will be built to Interstate highway standards. Perhaps the I-515 designation could even be extended across the Colorado River. In the long run what will really be needed is a full blown Interstate connecting Phoenix and Las Vegas. Kind of odd there isn't one already considering the population sizes of both cities.
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 01-26-2006, 02:15 PM:
 
Yeah I wonder why there isn't a better interstate up there from here. It completely blows, as you have to go through several small towns (wickenburg, kingman, boulder city I think) where basically you're on their roads and travel time is slowed down a bit. Plus that's not counting the fact you have to go through the Hoover Dam, which is usually an hours delay (depending on what time you drive through of course). I recently was driving back from Vegas and got a speeding ticket near Kingman, 85 in a 65 zone. Yes I was speeding, but I was in the middle of nowhere, so I can't figure out why the speed limit is 65 there, when it's 75 on the way to California on the I-10. Ironically my brother's wife got a ticket several years ago in the same area. In addition to all of this, there was some heavy road construction going on in the area after the hoover dam and before kingman ( I think in some forest). It'll be a long while before I drive again... what should have been a 4 to 5 hour drive was more like 6 and half I think. Southwest has low fares so I'll be going with them most likely next time.
 

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Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 01-26-2006, 03:03 PM:
 
I lived there for a few months in '71 and there was a little place in North Vegas called "The Palomino Club". They had several "interesting" displays, er shows.

On your way out of town going toward Hoover Dam you can see the mortuary (front) that was used in "Diamonds are Forever". It is (was) on the left side of the highway.

I was there for about 5 months working construction and got pretty bored. It's pretty much a "money town". If you pull out a wad of bills at a table, you'll have chicks around (until the money runs out). If you don't have the dough, you won't see the chicks (except at a distance).
 

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