Sign up for PACLUG 2011 today! Not only are there a great lineup of Speakers and Topics, but June is also the absolute best time to visit Las Vegas.
Here's my advice on what to do and what not to do in Vegas during PACLUG 2011.
FIRST THINGS FIRST - Flights, rooms, getting around
Getting to Vegas:
Flights - my favorite airline Virgin America has direct flights from the Bay Area and New York, Southwest has good deals from everywhere else. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both have direct flights from the UK.
Cars: Hertz often has one-way deals to Vegas. Or try VroomVroomVroom, a great improvement over the usual online car booking experience. Road Trip!
Orientation: PACLUG's host hotel Planet Hollywood is pretty much in the center of the strip, and right across from the new coolest hotel in town, the Cosmopolitan. Adjacent are the Vdara, Aria and Mandarin Oriental of MGM Mirage's new CityCenter complex, plus the older (but still great) Paris, Bellagio, and Monte Carlo. Further south but still only a 10-15 minute walk are the New York-New York, MGM Grand, the newly renovated Tropicana, Excaibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. 10-15 minutes walk to the north are Ballys, Caesar's Palace, the Flamingo, Harrah's, the Mirage, the Venetian, the Palazzo, Treasure Island, and the Wynn and Encore Hotels.
Room deals - There appear to be plenty of rooms June 20-23. A quick search of hotels online show rooms just about everywhere - a couple of years ago this would not have been the case. Earlyvegas is a great place to look for last-minute deals - they track hotel promo codes and link directly to the hotel Web sites for the best deals.
If you don't mind driving 10 minutes (note: parking is always free in Vegas, or a dollar or two tip to the valet), like really good deals and can stand that new-hotel room smell, new towers at Planet Hollywood, the Hard Rock Hotel, the Palms, and the CityCenter hotels have pretty good deals. Extra Super Bonus: The Planet Hollywood Towers Westgate (attached to the rest of the Planet Hollywood Hotel Complex via the mall, sorry, Miracle Mile shops), the Cosmopolitan, Palms Place tower, The HRH Towers at the hard rock, plus may rooms at the Vdara, Aria and Mandarin Oriental at City Center were supposed to be Condos, but did not sell, so they're bigger than normal hotel rooms, and many come with full kitchens. Ask when booking.
If I were to book a room for PACLUG, (and I may even though I live here) my choices would probabaly be the cheapest one I could find, in this order: The Planet Hollywood Towers Westgate, the main Planet Hollywood Hotel, the Cosmopolitan.
Note that these are not the cheapest, but are close to the event and represent amazing value in most cases. I'll post something on the cheapest for the cheapest later....
Cars are still king in Vegas. Parking at Casinos is free and plentiful, or tip the valet a buck not to be on bad valet. Hertz has good deals directly, or try VroomVroomVroom for a good overview of all options.
Note that a new car rental center opened off-airport 2 years ago, so you take the yellow buses marked "rental center" to pick up all cars (individual rental company buses are no more).
Taxis are plentiful. They will get you between most strip hotels and elsewhere for $15-$20 each way. From the airport to Planet Hollywould should be $15-20 max if traffis is REALLY bad, which is rare. Beware of Long Hauling - the route should be on the surface streets, no highways or tunnels. Paradise, which becomes Swenson, left on Harmon, right into the hotel entrance. 10 minutes max.
The Monorail is a good bet of you are staying at a hotel with a stop attached. Ridership is down - you may be the only one on a train these days....There is a stop at Bally's, then a 10 minute walk to Planet Hollywood. Buy a return or multi-day pass.
The Deuce double decker buses that run on the strip are an option, but are mostly fun options for tourists and therefore not too efficient at getting you around. You're in Vegas on business, remember? Fun trivia fact - most public buses in Las Vegas have free wifi.
Limousines are more reasonably priced than you think. Cost per person from the airport can be similar to taxis for three or more people, and some limos are on call by the hour if you need it during the conference. Bell Trans and Ambassador are reliable options.
For larger groups, rent a Double Decker Bristol. And invite me.
General Tips:
Water - buy water and drink it wherever you can. It's the desert. Rooms and Hotels are very dry. Avoid alcohol and caffeine when you can as they dry you out. For the uninitiated, note that a lightheaded feeling, headaches and even nosebleeds can be signs of dehydration.Jacket - If you plan to be outdoors, it gets cold at night, even in June sometimes, and it's been a weird spring so far. Even indoors - Even in summer, my wife takes a sweater to events on the strip, because hotels and venues sometimes keep the AC ridiculously cold.
Footwear: Good shoes are essential. The hotels look close together, but distances can be deceiving. And concrete floors suck the life energy out of your feet. And if you have new shoes, break them in before you get here.
STAYING CONNECTED:Almost all hotels in Vegas have Wifi now, for a fee, usually $10-15. That goes for PLanet Hollywood too. Also, the Vegas Airport (McCarran) has Free Wifi. Here's a list of other open Wifi Hotspots in Vegas.
After-PACLUG Tips
If you want to get away from the conference and experience a bit of Vegas, here are my tips:
SIGHTS
-Bellagio Fountain and conservatory, and the chocolate fountain behind the conservatory
-Ride to the top of the Paris Hotel Eiffel tower replica
-For Hemingway (and cigar) fans, a pretty good replica of La Floridita at Casa Fuentes in the Forum Shops. Have a Daiquiri and a Faux Cuban.
-Weird little robotic show outside the Cheesecake factory in the Caesar's Palace Forum Shops (Vegas for Mall)
-Wynn hotel's free water show - best at night
-Browsing rock memorabilia at the Hard Rock Hotel
-Fake Canal at the Venetian.
-Auto Collection at the Imperial Palace - Free coupons all over the place out front. Amazing Cars and all for sale.
-Las Vegas pays a lot of money to import culture. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, and the Wynn Museum are good bets, also there's a new row of Art galleries, cool fountains, and other new installations at CityCenter.
-Free evening "Sirens" Show at Treasure Island
-Just walking up and down the strip and taking it all in.
ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHTLIFE:
Las Vegas has 2 weekly entertainment magazines - check the Las Vegas Weekly and CityLife Web sites for the latest info on concerts, comedy shows, etc. Note that there are a lot of last-minute concerts and comedian shows in Vegas.
My favorite place these days: The Town Square Marketplace is a great shopping, eating and entertainment district a 15 minute drive/cab ride from most hotels on the strip, and right next door to Fry's electronics store. Very un-Vegas ambiance - walking distance to everything, no hotels, no gambling at all, and kind of feels like downtown Santa Barbara. Lots of shops, a whole foods market with good, healthy eat-in and takeaway food, good restaurants, and a Rave Movie Theater. Blue Martini is the new cool place for happy hour for local twentysomethings, and the Cadillac Ranch and Bar Louie are good too. Amazing happy hour specials usually from about 3-6 The Yard house is there too, but food and drink specials rate a meh. Lots of different kinds of beers, yes.
About Gambling:
Please do Gamble. What happens in Vegas...Pays my Taxes!
Q: How do you make a small fortune in Vegas?
A: Start with a large one.
SHOWS:
If you see one show, make it "O" at the Bellagio or my second choice, Love at the Mirage. Both are expensive, and worth every penny. And the new Cirque Show Viva Elvis is getting good reviewsw. note that Cirque show reservations can be canceled with a full refund with 48 hours notice.
Any bar at the Cosmopolitan is coolest of the cool right now. Pure, Tao, and The Bank are the next reliable standbys. Educate yourself about Bottle Service before you go.
BB King has a great Blues Bar at the Mirage. Great bands., BB King is a resident of Vegas, and played New Year's Eve. So he's probably in town. Maybe the PACLUG crowds will draw him out. Here's hoping!
GEEK BARS:
There are a few bars in town who are using new technology and displays to create some pretty fun and interesting electronic experiences as part of their lounge features. Many are in the VIP areas, so you may have to shell out a lot. And if you're going to do that, you should invite me along to um, show you around or something....
Revolution Lounge at the Mirage
Perhaps Revolution's most novel embellishment is its clutch of interactive tables, where patrons can take an ashtray or a cocktail glass and sketch designs on the tabletop from a series of different motifs projected onto the glass, from squirming jellyfish to fluttering butterflies.The images are then projected on a large column in the middle of the room.
Tabu nightclub at the MGM Grand
Wave a hand above a black-and-white image of a woman's pursed lips on the table top and the area below your hand turns to color. Other tables appear littered with dozens of paper clips that scatter to other parts of the surface when an object passes over them. Yet another table is decorated with a fairly plain motif, until an item -- say, a drink -- is placed on it. At that, a Lord of the Rings-style circle of fire surrounds the object.
Eyecandy sound lounge & bar at the Mandalay Bay Hotel
Featuring interactive touch tables exclusively for eyecandy sound lounge, this groundbreaking technology allows guests to be in control of their nightlife experience all from the comfort of their booth. Using interactive, multi-touch tables, guests can create visuals and messaging as well as project images onto screens above the dance floor. This high-tech table technology allows guests to create and control the visual and audio environment, becoming part of the sensory experience, where each night has a unique vibe.
Windows Surface at iBar at the Rio Hotel
With the unique interaction that Microsoft Surface enables, Harrah’s has created an innovative suite of custom applications to provide guests with hip new ways to create their very own ultimate entertainment experience in an ultra-lounge venue.
Minus 5 Bar at the Mandalay Bay Hotel
if it's not already cold enough in Vegas, you can freeze at this place. If you don't want to go though the whole experience of putting on the jacket and sitting in ice chairs at an ice table, you can just have a drink in an ice glass in the bar next door.
SPAS:
You don't have to buy a massage or treatment to experience a Vegas Spa. All Vegas Spas have reasonably priced day passes, which include access to all Spa facilities, usually including the gym (and outdoor pool, but it's too cold for that), robes, slippers/sandals, lockers, refreshments, and are well worth the experience. Qua at Caesars palace is the best. It has a snow room! I also like the small but very good Drift Spa and Hammam at the Palms Place Tower. Other well rated Spas are at the Wynn Encore, Mandalay Bay, and the Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian.
OTHER EXPERIENCES:
Helicopter tours of the grand canyon. Maverick is the best operator.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is now open.
The Valley of Fire is an amazing place.
Closer to Vegas, Red Rock Canyon is worth catching at sunrise, like Tony Soprano did. Peyote optional.
Vegas has a small but accessible and fun Ski Resort. Bet you didn't know that.
There are several tourist gun ranges. You know you want to. Good Automatic Weapons packages here.
DRINKS:
I like the Nine Fine Irishmen Pub in the New York New York. A great live Celtic band starts at 9, and they have live step dancers!
MIX in the Mandalay bay is a cool choice, with a great view of the strip, and free before 10, after that everyone is herded around into standing-only pens unless they want to buy bottle service.
For sports bars, I like the one at the Bellagio or the Wynn, or Blondie’s in the Mall behind Planet Hollywood. Emeril Lagasse has a new sports bar in Jay-Z's old club at the Palazzo, called Lagasse's Stadium.
FOOD:
The Las Vegas Strip is a great case study on the meaning of expensive vs. overpriced. However, there are some diamonds in the rough…..If you’re on expenses or just want to splash out, I recommend Bouchon at the Venetian or Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel. Also anything by Michael Mina - Seablue for healthy seafood at the MGM Grand, and unhealthy but great seafood like the the lobster pie at Michael Mina restaurant at the Bellagio.
For a good meal moderately priced I like Nine Fine Irishman (the seafood chowder is amazing) in the New York New York, Café Ba Ba Reeba for tapas in the Fashion show mall, or the Wynn Buffet, (IMHO the best buffet in town).
Bargains: The few edible meal bargains left in Vegas are off-strip. My faves are both at the Hard Rock Hotel: : The $7.77 Steak and Shrimp (ask for it – not on the menu) at Mr Lucky’s, and happy hour 5-7 in the Pink Taco, 2-for-1 drinks and appetizers.
SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS:
The Wynn Hotel restaurants (Wynn and Encore) now all have Vegas options, since Steve Wynn famously converted to a Vegan diet.
Lots of healthy food at the several Trader Joe's and two Whole Foods Markets in town. Also many products for special diets: Parve, Halal, Vegetarian, you name it....There is a new Whole Foods Market on the Strip, at the new Town Square Marketplace, a 10-15 minute drive/cab ride from most hotels on the strip. Lots of very good, healthy, reasonably priced (for Vegas anyway) prepared foods. The closest alternative is Albertsons on Flamingo 5-10 minutes drive/cab ride in normal traffic from the strip.
DESSERT:
The best dessert in Vegas is at the patisserie in the Bellagio. And the floor-to-ceiling chocolate fountain is worth a visit. The white chocolate cheesecake is my favorite. The second best is in the Venetian: the Bouchon walk-up pastry outlet under the escalators across from the Phantom of the opera theater entrance Also great gelato in the food court nearby.
ROOM SUPPLIES:
There are ABC stores hidden in a few malls around the strip, including PLanet Hollywood. This shodl be your first stop for supplies. Also the 24 hour CVS and Walgreen’s pharmacies are a short walk next to CityCenter, and another Walgreen's further away between the Palazzo and the Venetian. All have reasonable prices on bottled water, etc, and the cheapest and tackiest souvenirs in Vegas.
PARTY SUPPLIES:
Lee’s Discount Liquors south of the airport on Vegas Boulevard is the best and closest place Great prices.
GEEK SUPPLIES:
Yes, Vegas has a Fry’s. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an amazing, huge and fairly cheap electronics superstore. If you can’t find it there it probably doesn’t exist in the retail world…..I call it Nerdvana….
Hope that helps! Have Fun and see you there! Leave comments if you have specific questions!
Planning our roadtrip from DFW to Vegas and back as we speak and OMFG THERE IS A FRY'S IN VEGAS!?!?!?!?! :)
(thanks for the post, truly appreciated!)
Posted by: francie | May 18, 2011 at 03:21 PM