Planning a trip to Las Vegas can be a daunting task for anyone. Lucikly, you have a free tour guide - me! This is intended more for the "unhip" crowd which includes the 40-80+ group who don't care to wait in long lines for hours to get in a noisy club where you can't hear yourself think...
First, plan to walk. The heart of the Strip is about two miles long from the Mandalay Bay Hotel at the South end to the Stratosphere at the North end. Another thing to remember is that the various hotels and casinos ALWAYS look closer than they really are! They are usually a much longer walk than you imagined, so plan accordingly.
Lets start with the North End of town and the Stratosphere. This hotel/casino has alot to offer. The Stratosphere is often overlooked for the more popular hotels, but you really should check it out! The restaurant on top of the tower is called "Top of the World" and has the most incredible views of the city. There is a bar above that with the same breathtaking views. The restaurant is not cheap, but if you have lunch there, it is manageable - but not as pretty as at night when the neon lights are shining! To top it off, the restaurant rotates its floor as you dine and you are treated to a 360 view of the entire Valley and mountains. If you go at sunset, you will see the helicopters returning from their tours fly right by your window seat and at the right time, you will see Jets passing by as they land at McCarran airport.
After dinner or drinks, go up to the very top level and watch the brave and reckless, and sometimes drunk tourists ride the thrill rides. You get a bird's eye view of the city and a good breeze. The "swings", which use to be a fun, harmless ride in the air at carnivals, has been taken to the extreme. Riders are put in harnesses (feet dangling) and the arms of this octopus-like creature are extended into mid-air! Then round and round they go over the neon city, their screams heard above the grinding gears of the monster.
The next ride is even worse. Imagine the first row of roller coaster cars. Now imagine one piece of track - that goes nowhere except into mid-air over a very, very tall building. If that weren't bad enough, they roll the cars down the track into mid air and then stop cold. To further terrorize them, they drop the track just enough to make it seem like it was going to break and drop them all thousands of feet below to the pavement. The faces on the riders are priceless.
The last ride is not as bad as the others. It is simply a zero-gravity type of ride that pulls the rider up the pole in a harnessed seat and then drops them quickly.
If you go - use the valet for the Top of the World Restaurant as this will save a lot of time and hassles. They are the second entrance to the casino and hard to find if you are not looking for it.
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