So Denis has been in NYC this week – I dropped him off at CLT airport on Wednesday and he flies home tomorrow evening. His mini-vacation has gotten me more excited about my own trip next week.
I’ll obviously be spending most of the time at the animal sanctuary, but I still have a 24-hour period in Vegas to fill. Any suggestions on what someone can do (besides gamble) in 24 hours in Vegas? My gambling budget is very small ($150 at the most), so I’ll need to find more to do than playing roulette for 22.5 minutes (that’s about how long I predict my $150 will last). I also need CHEAP things to do.
I’m fairly certain I’ll be riding a couple of the rollercoasters because I LOVE rollercoasters – the Manhattan Express rollercoaster and the Stratosphere Big Shot are the two that top my list. Speed at the Sahara is the third one I’m considering. The prices to ride are high (over $10) on each ride, so I’m leaning towards only doing two. I’ll see how long the lines are – if the line for the third one is long, I won’t do it.
So give me your suggestions – I’ll be arriving back in Vegas at 10 a.m. on a Friday morning and don’t fly out until 1 p.m. on Saturday. I’ve got the whole day to fill up – what should I do?
Honestly, I would skip the Manhattan Express. For what you pay and what you get, it’s really only “meh”. Plus, it’s CRAZY jerky, and can end up being fairly unpleasant. Stratosphere rocks. Haven’t done the one at the Sahara, but I can’t help but think it would be better than NYNY’s.
Have you been to Vegas before? If not, the Venetian and the Aladdin are worth a stroll through – they’ve got some fun decor to ogle. (As do the Luxor and Excalibur, though they take less time to see. The garden and entry at the Bellagio are worthwhile as well, and of course, the fountain show out front.) The Aladdin has a really cool rainstorm periodically in the shopping area that I always enjoy seeing. The talking statues in Ceasar’s Forum are fun and the Atlantis ride there is actually pretty good as well. If you like Magic Motion rides, do the Luxor. And their Imax usually has fun things showing if that’s of interest.
The aquarium at Mandalay Bay is ok, though I remember it being a little pricey for what you get, still if you’re into all manner of sharks, it might be worthwhile.
They still have some sort of pirate show at Treasure Island I think and that’s always fun (and free).
And if all else fails, people watch. That can set you up for hours. 🙂