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I went to LV a few times and found it boring and expensive. Maybe I missed the fun. Can someone specify what it is other than rip-off casinos, overpriced disneyesque restaurants, cheesy shows thatIi can see for less in many other places, hordes of people walking down one street looking at fountains and plastic animated characters, and nothing going on in the morning?
What is Vegas about, other then casinos? Some people don't think casinos are that fun, you know!
Many people that don't gamble go to Vegas and experience the time of their lives...
I don't go for casinos...
You ARE kidding, right?
The rules are just a little different there. Really, you CAN find anything that you're looking to experience there.
Vegas, more than anywhere else, is all about the person visiting. It will be what you make of it, no matter how great or not. Plain and simple.
If you don't have fun, that's a personal issue. I can almost guarantee it's because you didn't do or weren't able to do what you really wanted to do, but not that you couldn't.
You can go and experience the best of royal treatments, or best relaxation, or great casino experiences, party and have a blast, or stay low key and have a blast doing it... Anything. Golf trip, Family trip with the kids, trip just to watch some great Cirque de Solei shows, a foodie trip, a gambling trip, a great birthday, anniversary, wedding, honeymoon or bachelor party, a great convention or business trip, etc...
Tell me where else in America is a better time to be had......
No other American city has "something for everybody" like Vegas does. I don't go for casinos myself. I DO enjoy them when I go, cause they DO have the best in America in my opinion, but that's not WHY I go...
Personally, I simply go for the "what happens stays" atmosphere that encourages people to be so wide open to having a good time that everyone I go with and end up meeting has a BLAST!!!
I've been to most major US cities more than once. NO PLACE in US is as good a time as Vegas...
Oh, and I have no idea how someone could say nothing to do in the mornings... Ummm... That's not how MY mornings ever went in Vegas. If there's something you wanted to do in the morning and didn't do it, blame that on yourself. You should've done it, cause I'm willing to bet you could have if you really wanted to. Every time I hit Vegas, I go for about 5-6 days... At least 2-3 of those days I don't sleep. Or, at least that's how it went when I was younger, LOL. Can't quite party like I used to these days. LOL.
OK, assuming this young lady has the funds to seen the entire US, I'd say:
One city in each of the nine census bureau regions, plus DC. My choices:
New England-Boston
Midatlantic-NYC
South Atlantic-probably Atlanta, possibly Miami instead
East North Central-Chicago
East South Central-Nashville or Memphis
West North Central-Minneapolis
West South Central-Dallas or Houston
Mountain West-Denver
West-choice of Seattle, Portland, San Fran or LA
I left out the obvious resort/tourist cities such as Provincetown, RI; Orlando; Santa Fe and Vegas.
I'm not sure why this trip should be confined to cities. I definitely agree that if she goes to Denver she should get up into the mountains, at least to Rocky Mtn Nat. Park.
Vegas isn't about visiting a museum... If you want a museum, go to NYC or DC or somewhere...
But if you want to have the time of your life being able to do anything you want, quite literally (as long as you can afford doing what you want) at anytime you want, pretty much anywhere you want on any day, go to Vegas... There is NO OTHER CITY like it. New York's "city that never sleeps" title was RIPPED out of its clutches by the Vegas life without discussion!!!
And yes, other cities have casinos as well, but Vegas is a whole different beast...
You can't even compare the fun to be had in Vegas to other American cities. Not even close.
Vegas fits on a different list with cities like: Amsterdam, Dubai, Monaco, Macau, Rio de Janeiro... etc...
Vegas fun fits in THAT class... Now THOSE cities can be argued to be way better than Vegas, but none are American cities.
Vegas is an absolute MUST GO (just like the prior post said) for every American, BOTH ways... Spontaneously AND planned. You can either do Vegas the cheap way, and still have more of a blast there than in any other American city, OR you can do Vegas the planned, high class way and still have more of a blast than in any other American city... Period. Vegas, like no other city in the world, is designed and made for EVERYBODY to be able to enjoy... NOWHERE but Vegas is made like THAT.
Unlike the other cities in Vegas' fun class (Dubai, Rio, Macau... etc...) Vegas can be lived up on a tight budget by low, middle & upper class people. Those other cities, you are NOT going to enjoy on a budget. As a matter of fact, you probably won't even make it to those cities if you have to worry about a budget. You MUST break long bread to enjoy Dubai and Monaco. Rio can be cheap once you get there, BUT you have to break bread just to make it there, as well as Dubai, Amsterdam and so on... Flights to Vegas from the east coast can be as cheap as $300s. Actually, I've flown there for around $250 before from DC.
I've never been to Macau, but they say it was designed for the super rich, far more than Vegas.
Vegas unlike any of its competition can be done very affordably, and still be the most fun you've ever had. Absolute MUST visit, no matter what your budget is......
Seems that you have a lot of time on your hands. My question was very specific. I don't know, would have sufficed as an answer.
Right! LOL... It's not "her" money though... She's lived a pretty priviledged life (don't tell her I said that )
What about the Southern coasts? Miami, New Orleans, Houston, etc...
Remember, she WILL be stopping in Atlanta at some point, so that must fit in, in there. I'm going to have the tough job of figuring out what to show her and where to take her in Atlanta so it's not a bore to her after having been to places like NYC, Vegas and so on...
How about a quick trip down to Savannah and Charleston?
As for Atlanta, I think the aquarium and Stone Mountain are worth seeing no matter how jaded the traveler. And driving around the beautiful neighborhoods -- Buckhead, Druid Hills, Va-Hi, Ansley, Morningside. Atlanta's a beautiful city don't you know!
Many people that don't gamble go to Vegas and experience the time of their lives...
I don't go for casinos...
You ARE kidding, right?
Why would I be kidding? I've never been there, and I honestly want to know what there is to do there and what's so exciting about the place. Maybe I'd change my mind if I went, but nothing I've seen or read about the place makes it sound like a top ten city in the US, nevermind THE city in the US as you've been saying. It's great that you are so excited about Las Vegas, but you haven't mentioned anything that is putting the city near the top ten American cities I want to visit list. Casinos are kind of boring to me, ditto gulf (and why would you need to visit Vegas to gulf? There are gulf courses everywhere). Please tell me, and be specific, what are the places to visit in Las Vegas, the places and things to do that make it a top destination in the US? What makes it a better place to visit then Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC or San Francisco? Honestly, right now I'd rather visit Pittsburgh then Vegas. But I'm open to having my mind changed.
Why would I be kidding? I've never been there, and I honestly want to know what there is to do there and what's so exciting about the place...
OH... Now I see... Dude!!! Screw Pittsburgh! Just go to Vegas (no expectations) and find out for yourself. Go and set your mind to have a good time doing whatever you want to do, then come back and tell me how it went. Pittsburgh is a snoozefest compared to Vegas.
Yeah, it's not a place I'd want to live. So if it's graded on a scale of top 10 cities in America as far as being a great "city," no I don't think it makes that list, but there are a lot of far more boring cities that are better CITIES than Vegas.
But for any avid traveler, I personally, and a lot of people I KNOW that have also been to Vegas would easily say that "you MUST go to Vegas..." Plain and simple. It definitely is a "must go" city. You haven't been anywhere til you've been there, kind of city.
It is a casino destination. But it is also a family fun destination like Orlando. But it is also a party destination. But it is also an R&R destination. It really is so many things, but it will only be what YOU make it. If there's something you want to, most likely, you can do it in Vegas. Definitely a good time.
Because Vegas specializes in catering to your desires (almost not matter what the desire), the results of how your Vegas trip goes is most likely a reflection on the person that YOU as an individual are.
That's great and all, but you still aren't giving me a reason to want to go there. Casino destination, family fun destination and party destination, none of that interests me. Pittsburgh for example has the Carnegie Museums and all the old architecture which really appeals to me...
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