Vegas 6/24-6/28

A whole group of friends flew out to Vegas for a wedding. Since it was my first Vegas experience, I had to ride some rides. Overall, Vegas was one of the best cities I have ever visited. Almost all of he people there were so nice and friendly (maybe cause they were all drunk???) Also, those hooker card people on the Strip proved for hours of fun.

Anywho, I had decided that I definitely wanted to get on Big Shot, X-Scream, and Manhatten Express. I didn't reach my goal but I did get to ride Speed and Canyon Blaster instead of the Stratosphere stuff. I still can't believe how much each ride costs.

On Friday, we stopped by NYNY to ride ME. I was a little cautious of going to NYNY because I absolutely hate the real NYC. Luckily, it was a better version of the real deal. Me and my bro waited about 10 minutes and were assigned the front seat. Sweet. I liked the way the train was somewhat elevated- it made for a more flying effect on the ride. The ride itself was pretty fun, but kinda forceless and very rough. It seems the top of the car doesn't sit on its bearings well or something because it feels like the car lifts up and slams down onto the track. I have never felt that on a steel coaster before. Anywho, the best part was flying near the strip. 6/10.

Sunday was pretty much our last day so we planned on heading to the Stratosphere at night. Strangely, clouds (not many) rolled in so we packed it up at the pool and decided to go to the tower in the early afternoon. When we finally reached it (it is quite a ways from the rest of the Strip and is surrounded by miles of trashy buildings, casinos, and tourist traps) they said all of the rides were down because of lightning. We knew there wasn't lightning so we didn't want to sit on our butts and wait for them to open, so we left :(

On the way back home (Treasure Island) we stopped at the Sahara for Speed. It looked extremely short, but hey, I had to ride today. My bro and I boarded in the last row. I was totally not expecting that launch. It was awesome! The rest of the ride wasn't very great (too much straight track) but that launch made up for it! Launch 9/10 Overall 7/10

note: Isn't it weird that the Nascar place is inside of an Egyptian themed casino?

We decided to walk the rest of it out and see Circus Circus. Circus Circus was the only downside of the whole trip. The decorations were so gaudy and awful it made you want to run away. We finally fought the mass amounts of people and armies of screaming kids to come upon the Adventure Dome. pink. I thought it was pretty neat the way they worked the rides into the mountain, although they were pretty outdated and it was the most insane bottleneck ever. Worst of all, the people were the most __________ (enter any race) trash that they made your local county fair seem like tea time at the Bellagio. After all of the madness, we decided we didn't come all this way without anything to show for- and plus Canyon Blaster is pink. The ride was very smooth and the ops were actually incredibly fast, Maybe even faster than CP. I liked the tunnels, but most of all, I liked the pink. It was fun, but it was still just an above average short Arrow Looper. Color 10/10 Ride 6/10

Overall, Vegas is an amazing city. Each night, my girl and I walked up and down the Strip until the wee hours of the morning. I would recommend staying in between Mandalay Bay at the beginning of the Strip and the mall next to Treasure Island. Anything after that mall (which had the most amazing food court) is pretty run down. It kinda sucked that I couldn't gamble, but I will be back in a few years! *** Edited 6/29/2004 5:52:26 AM UTC by mortdug***

I have to agree with you in saying the Strip is one of the most amazing places on the planet, I went back in October 2003 and had the best holiday of my life. The lights, the sounds, the rides and the other attractions are simply unforgettable and I just can't wait to get back. However, alot of the area outside of the strip is extremely run down and was horrible to drive through at night - thankfully that wasn't necessary too often. Even the Stratosphere end of the Strip itself was a bit rough containing a few people you had to keep an eye on, such as those odd funny hooker card people - but then you get these problems mostly all over the world wherever you go. Overall though the place is a dream.

In terms of the coasters you have pretty much got your summary spot on. What I would say though, unfortunately for you, is that you missed out on the two best rides in Nevada. Big Shot gives what I would describe as a 'one in a lifetime' moment and Desperado is one of my all time favourite coster experiences (although rough in places) which NYNY miserably fails to copy and improve on. X-Scream woulkd have also been a hell of a lot of fun. But hey, you still had a good time and that is the main thing. I managed to do all the coasters but missed out on 'Vegas Vic' and the Fremont Experience which I regularly kick myself for!

Dan

You mention the gawdyness of Circus Circus, well that's the point. It's SO bad that it becomes good. I'm surprised that you didn't enjoy Speed more, it's a really great one (IMO) and easily the best in town. (including Desperado)

I've been to Vegas twice, and both times, my wife refused to go to Circus Circus, because it looked so gaudy and scary.

Well, I am planning a surprise trip for our 5th anniversary coming up soon, and I think we're going to stay at the Bellagio, which would be her "present." *My* present would be for her to allow me a couple of hours in the arcade and rides at CC. ;)

I was in Vegas in January. It was great. We rode on M.E. which was very rough. We didnt ride anything at Circus-Circus, but we did ride Speed. That was an awesome ride for us. No wait at all and we rode in the front seat which gave a great view. Big shot was awesome too which gave us another great view of the strip. The city is a wonderful place to be especially when its not to hot or too cold.