where can i get a beautiful picture of the strip day and night? what are main attrations people think i should see? i'm on a budget so i don't want any big shows - more of a sightseeing thing and a party thing. what do you think?

Hmmmm, trying to think back to that far away time when I was 24.....don't remember too much really! LOL

If this is your first trip to Las Vegas, your probably going to want the Vegas experiance. Meaning just looking at all the places you've seen on TV and the movies. Most of the major hotels have what we call 3 min. wonders. Some sort of attraction that is either no cost or low cost, to drag you to the property. I would suggest you check out the ones that sound interesting. These normally run on some kind of schedule, I don't know the times.
These are in no particular order and I'm sure there is a lot of them I'll miss.

Rio, Parade in the sky, suspended floats high above the casino floor, they throw beads (no exposure needed), VooDoo Lounge, at night it's a great view, and have cocktails on the roof in the open air. Bevatainers, cocktail servers dance to music from time to time.

Beligio, Fountains outside at night set to music, inside just for a look around the atirum and the lobby ceiling.

Ceasars mall, The mall satues are anamated and do a little skit.

Paris, ride up the Eiffle Tower and get a birds eye view of the strip (charge for elevator)

Luxor, They have some motion rides of some sort. (charge)

Harrahs, has a pavillion on the strip with entertainment (looks like a big top) Can be a partying place at times.

Venitian, The mall with gondola rides (charge)

Mandalay Bay, resturants like Rum Jungle, House of Blues, vodka bar. Trendy

Stratosphere, thrill rides on the 103 floor (roof) (charge for ride up & rides) Observation deck is nice at night.

Palm, roof top "Ghost Bar" has a lucite pannel in the floor to look straight down, while you sip your libations

Treasure Island (TI), Sirens, sexy pirate show. Personally I think this one is lame.

Las Vegas Hilton, Star Trek experiance (charge)

Sahara, sling shot, roller coaster.

New York, New York, Large roller coaster. Casino is themed heavy.

Mirage, white tigers on display (free), dolphin habitat (charge), volcano eruption at night. I think this one is also lame.

Sams Town, Lazer light show at night.

Downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street Experiance, light show on canopy over Fremont st. Check first to make sure it's operating. It has been down for upgrades.

Tropicana, high trapize act over casino floor. Las Vegas memrobeila museum.

Hard Rock Casino, Stuff all over the walls just like at the hard rock cafe, slots with gitar necks for handels, roulette tables like pianos.

Tuscany, Bikini blackjack pit. (dealers)

Most of the hotels have free lounge entertainment somewhere at night, but drink prices are steep at these sometimes, so beware.

I wish I had your energy. You want to stay at Mandalay Bay and be on a budget. You want to see the sights and party party party. All in a 3 or 4 day weekend. WOW.

Lee mentioned a very good list of things to see. I agree more with his initial impression that you could spend your whole trip just getting acquainted with the city. The bigger resorts will have a small shopping mall with interesting window shopping. There are some good souvineer stands between the MGM and Aladdin.

My suggestion is to get a map of the strip and look it to get an idea of the layout for a walking tour. You can get a good dose of Vegas staying south of TI (Treasure Island) and the Venetian.

You can catch a cab to the Venetian. This is so the cab can drop you off on the right side of the street without making a left turn in heavy traffic. You'll love the Venetian. Lot's of shopping, big casino, and gondolas on a river. Their rooms are VERY nice and it would be a great place for your trip except the pool area is mostly concrete. Take some time to enjoy the beauty of the Venetian, and if you have time, their are some top notch dining choices, and many have lunch specials if you are on a budget. After the Venetian, cross the street to TI. It used to be a pirate theme for kids and is now trying to cater to your age group. They have a bar that may be a good party place at night. Check out the TI and move south to the Mirage. There is a tram that goes from the TI to the Mirage if you don't want to make the short walk. If it is nighttime, take the walk and watch the volcano erupt. The Mirage is a beautiful property. It was the first Megaresort on the strip and is an oasis in the desert. Note the aquarium behind the hotel checkin desk with live sharks, the dolphin habitiat, and check out the pool area. Leaving the Mirage, catch the moving sidewalk into Caesars. The moving sidealk takes you into The Forum Shops at Caesars which is a nice shopping mall. Check out La Salsa for a great margarita. This mall is also great for people watching. From the Mall you can access Caesars Palace casino. It's pretty nice. The next place down is Bellagio. It is famous for the lake out front with dancing fountains. If you're a little tired, you can take a tram from Bellagio to the next casino, Monte Carlo. Not my favorite place, but they score pretty well on their pool area, nice brew pub, and a not so expensive magic show featuring Lance Burton. The next resort is New York, New York. If you like the real thing, you'll love the casino, roller coaster, night life, and everything it has to offer. Next on down is the Excalibur. It still caters to kids. You can catch the monorail from there to Luxor and on to Mandalay Bay. You should have blisters on your feet by then and look forward to a quick nap before you hit the night partying. You can hit the places on the other side of the street much the same way. The Rio, Palms, and Hard Rock should be on your to do list too. If you are looking for some sightseeing at night, you might take a cab downtown and visit a few casinos there and see the light show on the canopy over Fremont Street. The downtown tourist area is about 4 small blocks long and has about 10 major casinos.

If you spend an hour or so in each casino, you will get a feel for what Vegas is about. I don't think you should "plan" to see and do a given list of features. I think you will be thoroughly entertained just going from place to place, taking pictures, enjoying the sights, people watching, and window shopping. I think you should carry Lee's list with you and if you are in the vicinity of an attraction, check it out. You will learn what you like and what you don't like. And you will feel much more comfortable on your next trip in deciding where to stay and what to do and how to manage your time and where to eat.

Speaking of eating, most every resort will have at least one gourmet dining room, one 24 hour coffee shop, and a buffet. Many will have more dining than that. They might have more fine dining, a fast food court, or just more variety.

I hope this helps.

Vegas Girl,
Lee's list is excellent, I would also recommend printing it out for reference.

If your looking for an outside party, I would look to the Harrah's Outdoor Bar. They usually have a band playing and the bartenders do wonderful tricks with drinks, bottles, etc. They also give out free shots every once in a while...

As for pictures, I would highly recommend paying the $7 or so to go up the Eiffel Tower in the Paris Hotel at night...wonderful view and a nice spot to see the Bellagio Water show.

Taking a cab downtown from say 9-12 is another good idea. On the weekends they have a band playing in the street with the laser show above every hour. Different feel than on the strip, casino's are litteraly steps away from each other as opposed to miles...you'll find out what I mean if you go.

Finally, I would highly recommend either the Coyote Ugly bar at NYNY or their Dueling Piano bar. Both of these are no cover if you get their early enough and both get very loud and fun. The other clubs that have been mentioned usually have cover charges, so you may want to investigate those.

Good luck, have fun and don't forget to post a trip report when you return.

Tim

Vegasgirl, the outside bar at Harrahs is called th Carnival Court - its a great party scene, lots of young people there. Right inside the door from the Carnival Court, is a lounge with a dueling pianos bar. There was no cover charge here (at least not in December) - there is a cover charge at the piano bar at NYNY. In December the main piano players were twin blond 22 year old sisters - they were a lot of fun; great place for girlfriends to go.

If you want to try an "Only in Vegas" kind of thing, check out the Legends in Concert show at the Imperial Palace. You might be able to get 1/2 price tickets at the Tickets Tonite outlet, across from NYNY (next to the giant coke bottle) You could see the early show, and get out way before the clubs start hopping. Legends has impersonators that actually sing the music (not lip sync) and dance, and there are live musicians. Price includes one big drink - even a foo foo drink like a pina colada or margarita. The impersonators change, but there's always an Elvis. Hey, there 's gotta be an Elvis - its Vegas!

Kes