Boutique hotels in vegas

I can't say it won't be gaudy - but the Trump International has what else you want - no casino , 5 star property. Might be in FHR.. but I'm not sure. I haven't gotten my 2011 FHR book yet.

I quite liked the Wynn, but since I gamble, I have a much lower expectation on room rates than you guys. I get the HRH for free, or usually get an offer for $119 / night at the Wynn.

It's funny, I ascribe everything you said about the Bellagio to the Venetian (gaudy faux Italian facades, etc.). But - I have such a problem w/ MGM that I would stay in the Wynn or the Venetian a thousand times before I'd stay at an MGM property again (with the exception of possibly using FHR to get the skyloft at MGM some time for a big party).

Also, nobody mentioned the non-casino tower at the Palms. I have a serious preference for the privately owned places, specifically because they are much nicer to me as a small-time player.

I've been to the Four Seasons in Vegas- they have a separate entrance so you can avoid the riff-raff if you like, but I have never been a huge lover of Four Seasons .. might just be the locations I've been to.

A few years back when I was in Venice (Italy, not Las Vegas) I made a swing though Bellagio on the way to the Milan airport and a flight home. A few days later someone asked where I'd been ... I said Venice and Bellagio. They responded, "Oh I love Vegas."

I was originally supposed to visit Las Vegas this past week ... but in the end we decided against it and went instead to Napa & Sonoma. So, with the exception of a brief stop at the airport, I've never set foot in Las Vegas. Am I missing anything?

Originally Posted by SField

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The finish on areas where people don't look is incredibly bad.
You ever take a serious look at Beverly Hills ... or a Rolex watch?

Originally Posted by RSS

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A few years back when I was in Venice (Italy, not Las Vegas) I made a swing though Bellagio on the way to the Milan airport and a flight home. A few days later someone asked where I'd been ... I said Venice and Bellagio. They responded, "Oh I love Vegas."

I was originally supposed to visit Las Vegas this past week ... but in the end we decided against it and went instead to Napa & Sonoma. So, with the exception of a brief stop at the airport, I've never set foot in Las Vegas. Am I missing anything?
Napa is equally tacky, so you got that covered.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Napa is equally tacky, so you got that covered.
Napa used not to be ... but now ... everywhere one looks is an overbuilt thinly-veneered edifice. We stayed with friends off Chalk Hill Road ... and even that area is getting a few mega-wineries.

Is Sonoma going to get the Napa treatment?

Originally Posted by RSS

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You ever take a serious look at Beverly Hills ... or a Rolex watch?

Neither of them appeal to me.

Originally Posted by SField

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Neither of them appeal to me.
I can appreciate that.

Originally Posted by RSS

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Napa used not to be ... but now ... everywhere one looks is an overbuilt thinly veneered edifice. We stayed with friends off Chalk Hill Road ... and even that area is getting a few mega-wineries.
I grew up there. It has seemed tacky for a long time to me.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I grew up there. It has seemed tacky for a long time to me.

It's sad that americans always want to build ugly fake versions of things that Europeans stopped building anywhere from 200 to 500 years ago.

It's one of the things that makes me thankful about living in Chicago.

Originally Posted by SField

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It's sad that americans always want to build ugly fake versions of things that Europeans stopped building anywhere from 200 to 500 years ago.

It's one of the things that makes me thankful about living in Chicago.
Yup. Totally agree.

Originally Posted by SField

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1) Great restaurants
2) Huge amount of events/comedians/MMA/Boxing
3) Shopping if you care about that

You can go to any of NY, Chicago, LA, SF for those, and those are all *real* cities, not grown-up Disneylands.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I grew up there. It has seemed tacky for a long time to me.
I'm older ... I can remember when it wasn't. I'm thinking 1967.

For a person with a borderline (?) paranoia disorder, Vegas is kind of like taking a walk through hell.
I felt like I was trapped in The Truman Show nearly the entire time I was there. It's a totally artificial environment. It's like a giant zoo exhibit, featuring us. Makes me wonder who's watching.

At least the food is good. Probably the one redeeming quality.

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

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You can go to any of NY, Chicago, LA, SF for those, and those are all *real* cities, not grown-up Disneylands.
No you can't. Not even New York has that high a concentration of those things. On any given night you can see 3 big acts, an MMA event etc... NYC has a lot going on but not that many headlining events every single night. Dining it has in spades, but NYC does not have a Robuchon, Gagnaire, or Savoy. 3 out of 4 of what many would consider the best living French chefs. So no, sorry dude. Vegas isn't something I'd do super often. I would go to party with my guy friends and to eat at a handful of restaurants that I can't get in North America. I'm also a UFC fan, and my chances of seeing any UFC events in Chicago or New York City are nil...

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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For a person with a borderline (?) paranoia disorder, Vegas is kind of like taking a walk through hell.
I felt like I was trapped in The Truman Show nearly the entire time I was there. It's a totally artificial environment. It's like a giant zoo exhibit, featuring us. Makes me wonder who's watching.

At least the food is good. Probably the one redeeming quality.

I hate crowds and being unnecessarily touched by gross people so yeah, vegas was sort of scary. Walking in the streets is an incredibly annoying task. Everyone there is fat and dirty, and they walk slow. In NYC people ******* move so I don't mind the crowds.