By
niptuck
Las Vegas is simply the BEST town on the planet! It is not an exaggeration to say Las Vegas has the best gambling, shopping, entertainment, restaurants and nightlife of any city on the planet. I am not writing this article to help you with the gambling part, but I may be able to give you a few tips about everything else. Although I live in Michigan, I travel to Vegas about 6 times per year to simply have a good time. Following are a few tips I would like to pass along to fellow PocketFivers who will be traveling to the City of Sin for the WSOP Main Event.
Shopping: If you are staying for a week or more and realize that you need to pick up some normal clothes or shoes, you should go to Fashion Show Mall. This is a 'normal' mall located next to Treasure Island across the street from the Wynn near the north part of the strip. This isn't where you will find the really high end stuff but they have a decent selection. If you hit it big and you want to treat yourself or impress your girl, you will have to shop at one of the nicer casinos. If you don't mind spending a few hundred dollars on some pants or a really sweet shirt, I would go to one of three places. If you want to really look good at the clubs and can spend $1000 on an outfit, then the Venetian, the Forum shops at Caesars, or the Bellagio is where you should go. If you happen to be in Vegas during your wife or girlfriend’s birthday, then you know you owe her a nice gift! Go buy her the nicest pair of strappy shoes she will ever own. The Wynn has the best female shoe selections but most will cost you about $300/pair and she will LOVE them.
Entertainment: You cannot go wrong with any of the Circ de Sole shows. My favorite is the "O" Show at Bellagio. I am not the kind of person who usually likes shows but I have seen that one 5 times, and it is awesome. If you can't get into that one then try the one at Wynn or Treasure Island. I would stay away from Blue Man Group, Zumanity, and the Rock Queen Show. Vegas always has a wide selection of concerts and comedians. Danny Gans is a great entertainer, comedian, and impressionist and you won't be disappointed. You really should get your tickets for whatever you decide to do before you head out to Vegas. If you need tickets at the last minute, there are ticket brokers that your hotel concierge can steer you to. There are other kinds of adult entertainment, but remember… the girls are there to make you fall in love with them, and give them all your money.
Restaurants: This is probably the best part of Las Vegas. There are great restaurants everywhere but if you want a fancier place, then stick with the nicer casinos. No matter if you want Italian, Sushi, Steak, or Asian food, you will have several excellent choices. Obviously if you want Italian, then go to the Venetian. If you want Sushi, my favorite is Nobu at the Hard Rock. If you go to Nobu, you must start with yellow fin jalapeño, which will melt in your mouth. At some point, you should order the Black Cod lettuce wraps - these may be the best things you have ever tasted. The Fix at Bellagio has the best looking women on Sunday nights and great food. It opens right up to the casino so it has a great vibe. The steak at Fix is great but they are best known for the Adult Mac and Cheese side order. The Fix for dinner and the 'O' Show afterwards is a great date night. You may get hungry after clubbing and you won't find a better place to eat at 4am after the bars close than Mr. Lucky's 24/7 at the Hard Rock Hotel. There isn't enough space here to list all the great places to eat.
Clubbing: Ok folks this is where things can get tricky if you don't know what you are doing. You must pick only ONE nightclub for the night! Don't make the rookie mistake of leaving one place at 1am to go check out another club because you won't get in. The lines to get into clubs start forming about 10pm and the doors usually open at about 11. Most stay open until about 4. Then you can go to one of the after hour clubs until the sun comes up. Most go to Dre's at Barbary Coast at about 3am. You will find shady people and people selling drugs at these places so be careful.
Where to go: Every nightclub is packed on Friday and Saturday night so get there early. My weekend favorites are listed below. If you want to go out during the week, then you need to go to the Industry Night location. There is one hot nightclub each weekday night that caters to all the people in the local tipping industry like bartenders, strippers, waiters, and waitresses - but that will be the best place for out-of-towners too. Sunday is either Body English at Hard Rock or The Bank at Bellagio. Monday is Jet nightclub at Mirage. Tuesday is Pure. Wednesday used to be Treasure Island but I don't know now. Thursday is Tao. I personally hate Pure at Caesars and all the bars (and pool) at the Palms. Tao and Body English are my favorite and Trist at Wynn is great too but can get warm there because it is so open. If you miss the 9am Rehab pool party that happens every Sunday at the Hard Rock, then you haven't lived yet.
Getting in: Don't show up to nightclubs in shorts, hats, tennis shoes, or sandals or you will be laughed at, embarrassed, and sent to the mall while your well-dressed friends have a good time inside. If you are a group of guys, you can either show up by 10pm and be near the front of the line or show up late and wait forever to enter the club. If you are a hot chick (doubtful) you can arrive any time you want and just waltz to the front of the line and get in for free. For guys it is about to get expensive. Cover charges are usually $20-$30 on the big nights and once you get in mixed drinks are $12-$15.
Bottle Service: But there is a better way to go...Bottle Service! This is how you can turn an okay night into a mind blowing Vegas experience. It is more expensive but you don't pay cover, you don't wait in line, you can make stronger drinks for your dates, you don't waste your whole night trying to get a drink, and you have a personal bouncer who will steer girls into your booth. Tip the bouncer $50 when you first get there and learn his name. He is your best friend for the next 4 hours. He will also remove girls from your booth if things are not going your way. Just tap him on the shoulder, tell him you are going to the rest room and you want your booth cleared of the lame girls before you get back. Don't watch the removal happen, the girls are shocked and it is ugly. If you get bottle service, you must set it up a day in advance, you still have to get there by 11pm, and be careful not to free-pour your drinks too strong or you will really regret it. You will get bombed! Someone always does, don't let it be you! It usually costs about $250- $350 per man when you include all the tipping. When you leave the nightclub you can either wait in a 45 minute cab line or pay $60 to hop in a limo which will be available next to the taxi line. If you have a girl in tow, the choice is easy.