VegasChatter

For dining, I love telling people to go to Aureole at Mandalay Bay. Yes, it's neither new nor flashie, but it's great food, the service is tops and I absolutely loves the hidden dining area in the back dubbed "Swan Court" that allows you to nosh while watching - you guessed it - swans. Tables lining the outdoor courtyard are the best to grab because they have french doors leading out to your own private lounge space.

For entertainment, I love LOVE, the Beatles Cirque show at The Mirage. I've seen it seven times and have never once gotten bored. The fact that the theater is in the round makes it so you will likely never have the same experience. I've sat really close and fairly far away yet notice something new every time.

My last pick would be off-Strip. Get a car and go experience the natural beauty of Red Rock Canyon. It's about a 30-minute drive, but well worth it for the scenery. Drive the loop, but stop and get out of the car a few times to explore.  

1. Splurge for a table outside at Voodoo Lounge on top of the Rio.  The view at night alone is worth the price.

2. I love LOVE as well. When friends and family ask for one show recommendation, that's usually it.

3. Follow your favorite band to Vegas. Especially if they are playing the Joint at the Hard Rock. Awesome venue.

Is it wrong to recommend getting out of Vegas for a must-do? I mean taking a little sidetrip, like renting a car and going to the Hoover Dam, or Red Rocks or getting a 'real' Vegas experience by driving to one of the cheapy cheap trucker casinos with $5 buffets & gaudy neon lights. But, if you MUST stay on the Strip, I'd say a must-do is staying up all night and going for breakfast at a casino cafe at 3am, just to observe everyone else who keeps those hours in this weird city.

1. Fremont street 2. Bellagio water show 3. Terry Fator

Shoot a machine gun @ the Gun Shop, Go on the rides on top of the Strat, & party at Ghost Bar at Palms / Mix at THEHotel.

1. Eat at some great restaurants, Vegas has so many! I love Dos Caminos at the Palazzo, Koi at PH, Botero at Encore and I'm itching to try the new spots that have opened at Cosmo.
   
2. Pray to the porcelain god at least one morning. You have to have a wild night out. It's Vegas! If you don't feel like drinking, at least pray to the Thunder from Down Under.
   
3. Love. Seriously, go see Love. The Beatles music makes the freaky Cirque stuff much more tolerable.

This is how I like to roll.

1. downtown afternoon. it's fun to see what she looks like with the lights turned on.
   
2. early evening drink(s) & cigar @ petrossian bar @ Bellagio. great drinks, good people watching.
   
3. Awesome steak & wine dinner later in evening. Various options depending on mood. SW is great because the parade of girls with shoes in hand makes gambling fun @ Encore.

The Double Down Saloon!

Carnival court, Rio air show and Jet.

Cosmo pool, MIX at THEhotel, Mandarin Oriental Sky Lobby, Bellagio fountain show, Wynn casino, Fremont Street!

1.  Start a Saturday or Sunday morning out with a champagne brunch toward the north end of the strip and get hammered.  Follow this experience by drinking/gambling/stumbling back down the strip.

2.  Get late night seafood at the Oyster Bar inside Harrah's.  It's open until 1am!

3.  Go south of the strip and eat at Texas de Brazil.

1. Double Down Saloon - Walk there from the Hard Rock.  Avoid taking a cab to the door unless you want the nasty tourist look.  Try to go after 3am for the graveyard trifecta special.

2. Eat at Monami Gabi on the patio at night and watch the fountains at Bellagio.

3. Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay - Much easier now that they are letting the public in with a cover charge, but that has added alot of people to the crowd.

4. Wheel of Death happy hour at Diablos Cantina - I don't know if that's what they call it exactly, but that's the term my friends and I have coined for it.  Make sure you also try the chicken nachos.  It will only take one order of them to feed 2-3 people.

5. The rides on Stratosphere - Just hope that the wind cooperates.

6. Freemont Street - Its just worth seeing if nothing else.  Also a great place to learn new table games because of the lower minimum bets.

7. Atomic Liqours - Just kidding.  It was actually really depressing there.

8. Penn and Teller's Show at Rio - If you are a Total Rewards member there is a free shuttle that can take you there from Paris.

9. See the original gaming pit at Caesar's.  Its living Vegas history.

10. Go do something outside of your comfort zone.  If you hate clubs then go to a club.  If you are terrified of heights then try out the new controlled free fall off Stratosphere.  It's Vegas afterall.  The perfect place to push your limits.

 BBQ Ribs, Chicken and all the fixins' in a nasty smellin' off strip Casino for about $11. And home brew beer for about a buck!

Make sure and get (even if you have to overpay) a room with a strip view. Even better would be a hotel with a view and a balcony like the Cosmopolitan. I'll never forget the first time I went to Vegas and opened the curtains to see the lights of the strip. Been hooked ever since. First timers...ALWAYS get a view.

agree, it's all about the views. a nice strip room (i am in a GO room at the flamingo writing this and it's amazeballs) and a lunch at mon ami gabi to see the fountains in style. also a gondola trip. rock.

Echoing that theme:  Watch the Bellagio fountain show from a Cosmo terrace room, go to Ghost Bar @ the Palms, make sure to walk through the Wynn pool area if possible -- most beautiful pool area imho.

I think the absolutely best place to watch the Bellagio fountains is from the top of the Eiffel Tower. You can see more than just up-and-down. They move side-to-side as well.

And it's cheaper than eating anywhere.