NYC vs Las Vegas: which offers more for tourists? (state, beach, building)

[austiNati]

New York City.

Compare Vegas with Orlando or something. Also, random thought. Why the hell did Vegas build a whole new downtown, in the middle of the strip, instead of you know...adding more to their actual anemic downtown????

[jjbradleynyc]

New York City, by very, very far.

NYC has 8.5 million in the city, while Las Vegas has about 700k.

Las Vegas is an incredible city to go to for a gambling weekend spree and for cheap drinks and buffets. Maybe grab a show that's a bit cheesy, or a concert. Trek into the desert for a bit. Then you are done--what else is left to do? Shop, eat more, drink.

NYC is a world class, cosmopolitan city loaded with anything and everything from the best food to the best drink to the best theater and the best culture.

It's like comparing spam to filet mignon. They are both good food, but one will give you heartburn and wish you hadn't eaten it. LOL

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

And likewise, the vast majority of visitors to Orlando have no clue what the city of Orlando actually even is, or that there is a large city there to begin with. I doubt that visitors are going to Lake Eola, Wekiva Springs, etc.

This is so unbelievably accurate. With Disney transport many don’t even have to go. Even then, I’d imagine places like Daytona and Cocoa get far more tourists than Orlando proper.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

This is so unbelievably accurate. With Disney transport many don’t even have to go. Even then, I’d imagine places like Daytona and Cocoa get far more tourists than Orlando proper.

And I'm sure this is just fine with Orlando residents! It sure was with me when I lived there.

[BasicWater15]

It's obviously NYC but it isn't the landslide people are making it out to be. Vegas punches far above its weight and the fact that it can hold its own against the biggest city in the country is more of a strength for Vegas.

[littletraveller]

Voted for NYC.

Las Vegas has drinking and gambling. New York is...well, New York. Nothing compares.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by JMatl

And I'm sure this is just fine with Orlando residents! It sure was with me when I lived there.

LOL. Trust me, I felt the same when living there. I VERY rarely ever stepped foot South of the Turnpike. When I'd have friends visiting the area from out of town and they stayed at the resorts, I would always shudder at the thought of going there -- they were often confused, assuming that I lived nearby and/or in the middle of all of that chaos.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

LOL. Trust me, I felt the same when living there. I VERY rarely ever stepped foot South of the Turnpike. When I'd have friends visiting the area from out of town and they stayed at the resorts, I would always shudder at the thought of going there -- they were often confused, assuming that I lived nearby and/or in the middle of all of that chaos.

When my family visited Baldwin Park.. they were so confused we had neighborhoods outside the tourist corridor and Celebration... idk why Baldwin park was a shock. Good way though.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Guess it depends on what your after. I think for long term and close use I agree with you. But, Zion, Grand Canyon, even Death Valley or Valley of Fire are borderline life list spots for many. I think you could make the case Central Park or High Line are, for our tastes esp. But it’s a totally different sort of thing. Not sure how high level the ski slopes are in Mount Charleston, but that’s worth considering also.

Originally Posted by nadnerb

Is the hiking anything special, though? In Vegas, if you have access to a car, you can get to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Death Valley in about 2-2.5 hours, each of which would wow even those that don't care for deserts. You also have Lake Mead, Red Rocks, and Mt. Charleston which are easily accessible. I would certainly choose Vegas if I'm just interested in an outdoorsy vacation.

I think as cavsfan puts it, it is about what you're after. I think probably for most people, the Las Vegas attractions are more compelling as those are more rare when it comes to proximity to human habitation so I suspect they'd be more exotic for most people. NYC's 2-2.5 hour natural spots are the Hudson Valley, Hudson Highlands, Catskills, Poconos, Berkshires for mountains which don't get much in superlatives for their natural features and then the beaches of New Jersey and Long Island the latter of which I prefer as south-facing barrier island beaches. In parts of these though, the draw is oftentimes the natural area in conjunction with more man-made bits like cute towns, institutions, boardwalks, etc.


I have enjoyed my visits to Vegas and the natural areas around it though seldomly as part of the same trip. I prefer NYC by a large margin and for me that includes natural surroundings as I like forests and beaches. I do wish Vegas had done something awesome with its residential bits to make the man-made parts more attractive outside of the strip. I feel like if they were going to go with a lot of superficial and sometimes corny themes, then it would be great if the subdivisions weren't boring SFH suburban tracts, but rather interpretations of random parts of the world like this here neighborhood is built like Shanghainese shikumen, this here is built like an English Tudor village, this here is built like Parisian Haussman blocks, this here is built like old Casablanca, this here is built like Moorish Seville, etc. If you're going to get weird and schlocky, then commit to it.

[elchevere]

NYC. Period.