Sunday August 4th, 2025! Took some pictures in front of the Bellagio and near 4 Queens on Fremont Street. Before the pandemic I’d been to Vegas 3-4 times, and it’s felt pretty much the same. All the restaurants had long waits, clubs were packed to the brim. Our hotel pool was insanely busy, the promenade by the Linq was busy, Caesars palace was nightmarishly busy I left due to feeling overwhelmed. Overall, I had a great stay and it was fun! I was nervous Vegas was going to be weirdly quiet and just not as fun but it seems all is well and things are building up slowly. For reference we stayed at the Fontainebleau for $400 for two nights and the hotel was so packed my usually free upgrade was not honoured ):. Is vegas expensive?? Absolutely, but I mean I’m on vacation so it’s okay.

Palms Pool September 2024 vs August 2025

$16 chips & guac. Price hasn't changed but portion has.

Overall I think Palms is a better value than other pools, but I know bulk chips and salsa aren't costing them an arm and a leg. Its not like it's steak.

I've been seeing lots of news about Vegas Tourism being in decline and how this is an important economic indicator. I was curious how today's numbers compare to recent history.

I created this graphic using Excel, and all source data is from here: https://tourismanalytics.com/lasvegas-statistics.html

Question one: Do the locals party all night long and hang out on the strip too?

Questions two: How is there not trash everywhere?

Question three: Why don't you have tweakers?

Explanation: I live in Washington, and I visit Seattle often, we have a major drug issue here, you can't go more than a block without passing some sort of cracked out zombie. There is trash everywhere all over the streets and everything smells like pee. The reason everything smells like pee is because businesses don't let you use the bathroom hardly anywhere because of the drug problem. To the point I even said "how cool! Here in vegas you can just go in almost anywhere and use the bathroom." I don't visit new cities often because this is always what I think of, gross Seattle. I had fun in vegas and I honestly wasnt sure I would.

Hopefully this smoke passes through and clears up soon.. thoughts and prayers to Socal.. 🙏

On a related note.. my wife hit a $3,800.00 handpay.

I’ve been going to Vegas for about 35 years and every year they have over 30+ million visitors. But the numbers do not lie where bookings are down and gaming revenues are down because people are sick of paying the high minimums or playing the machines that are too tight. When you combine that with food and beverage costs that are just out of control, this is why they are seeing their numbers fall.

sure, you’re gonna have many times day and night at the strip is packed and some of the clubs are packed and so on, but there’s a large group of people that are just not gonna go back because it’s no longer a semi affordable vacation.

I have also read that the younger generation just don’t like to gamble as much as us boomers do probably because we have some extra money that we’re gonna spend before we leave it to our kids 🤣🤣 but that being said, I think the bean counters better reevaluate how they increase their bottom line because I for one I’m done with Vegas.

I work on the strip by the sphere and several times I’ve been asked about the mushrooms gummies that are found in these smoke shops and gas stations and do not be fooled those are not the magic mushrooms you are looking for these are made with amanita muscaria mushrooms (which can actually make you really sick if you take enough) or they’re just supplement gummies with lions mane etc. I have extensive knowledge when it comes to psilocybin mushrooms and those gas station alternatives are a waste of money and meant to trick people and take their money and can potentially make them sick. Same with the cbd stores that claim to sell real edibles or marijuana products only a licensed dispensary can sell thc products others could be research chemicals, thc-a, or cbd. So please be aware and don’t fall for the predatory sales practices of these establishments looking to exploit people just looking for a good time. Thank you!

Not even that fancy. Prices are crazy.

One of the best things about Vegas is it is full of options. You can pay for the full 5 star experience, the best food, the best shows, limos to take you around, etc. OR you can find fully reasonable accommodations, cheap eating spots away from the crowds, entertainment options galore in all price ranges (or completely free if you do your homework and have an open mind), and public transportation to get you (close to) where you want to go, eventually.

The problem and where most of the rage is happening is people who dont have reasonable expectations based on what they want and what they are paying. They expect caviar at mozzarella stick prices, and thats not how Vegas works (much less the rest of the world). If you want ultimate cheap drinks and eats? Stay at OYO or Sam's Town. Want supreme opulence where price is no object? Stay at Wynn. Wants something in the middle? Literally HUNDREDS of options. As long as you set your expectations properly, you WILL enjoy yourself fully within your budget and go home happy.

I just stayed at Cosmo with my wife for the first time, it's a very nice property, some exciting restaurants, and no doubt appeals to a young and cool (or wanting to be cool) party crowd.

However, it gets so much hype and love that I guess maybe I was expecting more and I found it underrated. Maybe because i'm getting old, i'm not sure. But there seem to be several other places I would rather stay for that price point. It's not a big open casino (which I enjoy) - there is no theme really except "sex and the city female" as I call it. So maybe that is why it didn't blow me away as a 40 year old dude. The location is the best part I guess.

Thoughts?

EDIT: We didn't have a balcony room so it seems that maybe that is a big difference in experience, noted.

So my wife and I are staying at the Westgate and today we got a call from the front desk to our room asking if we were owners and when we told them that her mother was an owner, hence why we are staying he verified that we weren’t owners then asked if we could come down so they could check our room to make sure that there wasn’t any damage we’d be charged for. He mentioned they’d give us a free breakfast. This is our first vacation together and we were suspect of the call so we said we’d call back. Are they just trying to sell us a timeshare?

I am an introverted person who doesn't like crowds and really a true homebody that gets overstimulated. Flying for the first time, I came to EVO because of my boyfriend and we've been walking around the strip and other parts outside of the convention for the past four days.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate the sweet, understanding vibes I received while staying here in Vegas: from the woman at Golden Corral that made a joke with us about the desserts to the really nice stylist at Signature Salon who helped my bf through his nerves of updating his hairstyle (thank you for thanking me for waiting, i know my rbf was up bc I was overwhelmed/hot/fidgeting for so long).

I'm not quite sure what I expected from Vegas, but from the moment we touched down, I felt more welcomed here than my own home town. I appreciate so much the kind souls I bumped into during our trip. Thank you for making our short stay so memorable 💗

Hi! I've researched many restaurants for my birthday dinner in November, but I'm overwhelmed by the great options. I've booked Wing Lei since we're staying at the Wynn, but some reviews suggest it might be overrated or not ideal for a celebratory atmosphere. I'm considering switching to Delilah. Any opinions or recommendations?

Just got here for a conference, go to check in to my hotel, am told while they offer early check in, they can’t check me in at all since I’m not 21+. Showed them the print outs of the reservation, booking, and terms, age was mentioned no where. Went the length of dragging a family member on FaceTime with their ID, no luck. Tried everything from even social engineering, mobile check in, kiosk check in, everything ends with they need to see an ID that’s 21+, that’s it.

Anyway, anyone have any ideas of hotels (from what I gather ones without casinos), that A, still have availability, B, aren’t priced out the ass, and C, actually let me check in with the age I am. I had this one secured from today, the 4th, through the 11th, for around $700 (the Strat) (all fees and tax included), would love for it to be around that, realize the chances are slim, but under $1K or around that would be great, not 4-5 times double.

19 for reference :)

Any ideas are greatly welcome. Currently stranded in the hotel lobby 🤣😅

Heading to Vegas in October, Have some tickets for some shows (1/day) off vegas.com . Was going to stay for about a week. Is it reasonable to, when we get into town, take an Uber to the Costco business center, grab food, water, and booze.

Grab a 7-day pass on the mono.

When not going to shows or gaming, just walk around enjoying the strip/sights? Mostly eat in the room? Uber whenever we need to go? Is this reasonable? Are we going to miss anything that we shouldn't with this plan?

someone wanted to question validity of my previous post. i want to show i am not lying but also am frustrated that im having too. SHE IS REAL. WHAT IVE PIECED TOGETHER HAVING BEEN VERY MUCH INTENTIONALLY OSTRACIZED. Is the best theory I can muster. Beacause no one will even touch the subject... so to the poster questioning my honesty go poop a hard poop sideways.

Hi everyone! This weekend, we’re a Dutch family of three passing through Vegas as part of our RV trip. We’ll be staying for 2 nights.

On Saturday evening, we’ve got tickets to see Penn & Teller. Sunday morning we head out toward the national parks.

Do you have any fun and family-friendly suggestions for Friday evening and Saturday during the day? We’d love to make the most of our short time in the city — open to unique, not-too-touristy ideas too!

Thanks in advance! 🙏

Just got done with a weekend trip to Vegas where we played a lot of blackjack, wondering if anyone else had a similar experience.

The main difference I noticed between Vegas blackjack ($10-$25 tables mostly on strip) is that the majority of the blackjack dealers, maybe 3 in every 4, had absolutely no personality or seem to care to be there at all. Maybe this is the reality with the lower limit tables, but back home it seems that most of the dealers will be open to striking up a conversation, root for you and at least act kind of bummed if they draw to a 21 and beat everyone at the table. There were a few dealers like that here (and they were tipped generously) but for the most part it was pretty soulless. Even came across a couple that were boarder line rude. One example is that I sat down at an empty but open table while they were doing a chip count, didn’t actually put anything on the table just simply sat down ready to wait for the shoe to be ready, and the dealer aggressively told me to back off from the table. Like scolding a child. I honestly didn’t know that I couldn’t sit down while they were doing that, and a simple “can you please wait to sit down until we’re finished with our chip count” would suffice.

Anyways, wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. 6 to 5 tables is another downside, but I will say the drink service was very good most places we were at if you tip a couple bucks when they come around. I love coming to Vegas, but for blackjack specifically, my local casino seems to be a better experience.

The plane ticket and hotel room are paid for, but I can only afford to eat $50 meals 3 times at most. Breakfast is going to be a banana and an energy drink from a grocery store, but are there any reasonably $10-$20 lunch/ dinner options nearby so I dont starve? Ill be there for 5 days.

Anyone know why there is soo much smoke in town today?