Matt and I are heading to Las Vegas for a long weekend in July. This year will be my 30th birthday and our 10 year anniversary (2 weeks apart). We are staying downtown at the Fremont. Anyone been? Any tips or advice? How to get around, like to the strip? This is our first time so gambling won't be our main focus...mostly just sightseeing.

Viva Las Vegas !!!...I don't get out to Vegas much-so don't have any tips except it will be HOT in July...stay hydrated (esp after all that drinking ...lol)

Have a great trip jeannieb. For ME PERSONALLY(I'm sure you will have a blast) it was as if the gates of hell had opened and I had fallen through. I hate low humidity, my lips split open and my nose bled. I hate allllll those tons of concrete, tons of people and sweet jesus if I EVER see another person in spandex it will be too soon. And those flip cards? I seriously considered shoving them up someone's ass. Guy with flip cards on one corner selling p#**% and guy on next corner selling salvation. Then there were the timeshare people--- Smokey had to finally tell them to leave us the f*&$ alone, yes in those words.

I took the bus to get around. Went to an outlet mall outside of town(sucked) went to another in town that was nice. The Fashion Show mall was also nice. Freemont was interesting at night. The fountain at Bellagio was pretty.

After a couple trips Smokey decided he would do Tunica instead because I could stand Tunica. I could just take off and spend the day in Memphis. Ahhhhh the Mississippi delta, high humidity, great food and very little CONCRETE!lol

"Did you visit the dam bathrooms? Or the dam gift shop? lol. (joke from Beavis and Butthead Do America). "
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! I remember that!!

I'd love to go visit Hoover Dam but I'm never in Vegas long enough. In and out for work. Its not one of my favorite places but not as bad as Orlando.

I've never been downtown (well, I have but years before they did that whole "experience" down there) and that experience downtown I hear is fantastic.

To get to the strip you'll need to take a cab. The taxi drivers in Vegas are the friendliest of any city I've been to. Mass transit there is barely existent.

There are a lot of those Cirque du Soleil type of shows everywhere. If the Beatles one is still running I hear that one's the best.

Good restaurants too - I ate at Rick Moonen's place (RM Seafood) at the Mandalay Bay. Spendy - but worth it.

When I go again (beginning of May)I'm hoping to book some time to visit the Neon Museum. Its by appointment only so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Here was my take on Las Vegas from around 5 years ago - a bit dark and sarcastic but some cool photos.

http://wstcountywstend.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/twenty-four-hours/

I have never been to Vegas - Not many people in LA can say that.

I never wanted to go until a couple of years ago when I drove through there on a cross country trip. I never thought I would say this but I am looking forward to going back. When I saw all those buildings that I only have seen on TV and in the Movies It was so exciting. I drove through around midnight and I loved how warm it felt.

I think you are going to have a blast.

Does that mean your not a body shot gal?

As for the heat in July... get ready! I'll pray for you that it's not too bad when you're there but you commented you didn't know what the dry heat feels like. Well, imagine stepping behind the back of city bus and the exhaust hits you. That's kinda like what it's like when you leave an a/c building or casino and step outside - the heat "hits" you like the exhaust of a bus. That's the best way I can describe it.

When you're on the strip walking around, be aware that everything is at least twice as far as you perceive it to be. The casinos are HUGE so your perception is skewed. You see where you want to go and think it's not that far then you start walking and walking and walking and thought, WTH it looked like it was only a couple blocks away.

In the summer, there will be people all over the sidewalks selling cold bottles of water out of coolers. Take them up on this. Always have a bottle in your hand and drink often. Even if you don't think you need to. That dry heat takes a toll on the body.

As for tickets... DO NOT buy anything ahead of time. There are a couple places on the strip and I wish I could remember exactly where they are located (if I think of it I'll let you know) that sell day-of tickets for half price. You will not find better prices anywhere. It's set up like your buying tickets at a movie theatre... they have the lighted board with all the different shows available and then you stand in line just like at a movie theatre and buy them from the person at the window. So you have to go the day of the show but you will get the best prices.

Also, last time I was there as I was walking into Treasure Island there was a girl standing at the entrance handing out 2-4-1 passes to the Cirque du Soleil show there. VERY hard to get discount tickets to the good Cirque shows! I happened to luck out and be in the right place at the right time. Chatted her up a bit and she ended up giving me 2-4-1 to two different Cirque shows. They were both fantastic!

I had bought tickets online before I went there to another show that I thought was a good deal when I bought them. Until I got there and realized you can get much better deals once you're there. Then once I discovered the day-of 1/2 price ticket place, I'll never pre-buy anything again.

Have fun. Stay hydrated. And pray it isn't 120 degrees when you're there.

I remembered the discount ticket company. Here's their website.

http://www.tix4tonight.com/discount-las-vegas-show-tickets.html

Fremont is a pretty cool place to hang. If you are in to great bar food, brews and cool vibe, check out Main Street Station Triple 7 Brewery. People watching on Fremont can be entertaining also. We will be right behind you in August, Staying at the Golden Nugget. Have fun.

"The housing in the surrounding areas looked sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boring, everything was beige/sand/brown tones. "

Much of the housing in the area around the strip is low income. If you want to see the mansions and upper crust areas you have to travel a bit north and south. Unless a place is landscaped with sod and imported palms the natural state of the place IS a desert. Scrub greens, browns, sand and cacti are what is indiginous - and can be quite beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.

Vegas exapanded like no other city has in the decade prior to the 2008 economic collapse. The city grew and built homes, hospitals, schools and infrastructure as far north as the testing site (the site is still a good distance away but the housing is pretty darn close).

My friends have been living there since the mid 90's. They bought their first home there with 1% down. He started his "career" there delivering bagels and within 10 years he became a VP of a huge AV company there.

The harder they come, the harder they fall. My friends, thank god are doing OK but Vegas also leads the country in the most foreclosures post-2008.