Rachel Schneider
ENG 477
Date 1/11/2021
Marsha Blackburn
A Writing Portfolio
I want to write my own fiction stories one day; I have had a book or two swimming around in my head so I will put the computer to good use and get that typed out one of these days. In this instance I chose my 5 stories and even though one is a marketing inquiry I had fun writing it, so here are my things and some background some of them.
Resume: It is a basic one because my photo ones were not particularly good, and this is an honest resume besides the ones I made for class and I did fudge on those.
Cover letter: I made up the cover letter though there is a penguin Books but it is always fun to use your imagination!
Hike with Drew: I got the concept from a Writer’s Digest and entered it into a contes I never got a response but good practice.
Short Story Vegas: Was one I did for another class but in here I changed it and the story was much better the second time.
Marketing Flyer: This was fun to do those are stock photos of the dogs and squeaky toys, but I like Pit Bulls and dog toys are fun as well.
Scott part 1-This is a story I am working on with another writer, warning its very sexy and some naughty words are in there as well.
Writing Samples: I made these three samples up one day because as I have looked for writing work, I have seen people want a sample of your work, so I came up with these.
Rachel
Schneider
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3867 Houghton Ave Riverside CA 92501 📷
951-743-8911 📷
[email protected] 📷
Rachel Schneider 📷
Rachel7Tori-Twitter 📷
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Objective
To get a career going in the fiction/short story writing industry my imagination can run with any scenario and to write is to live.
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Education
Bachelor of Arts in English | Grand Canyon University
2017 – 2021
Took 15 different writing courses, creative writing and even two fun marketing classes all to polish up my craft. Carried a 3.0 GPA and did the courses all online as well.
No Degree Obtained | Riverside Community College
June 1994 – December 1996
Took these college courses but did not finish got 32 Units of Child Development Courses though which is what I was going for
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Experience
Cafeteria Worker 1
2008 Currently Employed.
Cook, Prep, serve food in a middle school setting, also clean, count inventory and do next day prep, cash handling and POS register experience.
Bell Ringer | Salvation Army
November 2007 – December 2007
Rang bell and collected donations for the salvation Army in front of various stores during the holiday season.
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Skills
Food handlers Card
CPR First Aid certified
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Grammar Proficiency
Spelling Proficiency
Can work from home
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Activities
Have good use of social media and can help update or bring in new followers with my creative writing side. Have a Reddit account as well with 30 stories up on that site. Can speak a little Spanish and Hebrew as well.
951-743-8911
[email protected]
3867 Houghton Ave Riverside CA 92501
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Rachel Schneider

Writer

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Penguin Books

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Dear JENNIFER MCGREGOR,

1/21/2021
Jennifer McGregor
Fiction Publisher
4587 Tropicana Rd.
Las Vegas NV 89102
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I have included my resume for the short story writer for young adult novels. It has been a few years, but I currently work in a middle school, so I do see all the angst and sass that goes with being a young teen. I do hope my writing samples can help me move to the top of the list. I look forward to working with Penguin Books and letting kids know being a teen is hard at first, but it does not last forever.
Sincerely,
Rachel Schneider
Rachel Schneider
3867 Houghton Ave
Riverside CA 92501
It had been a long cold winter Drew and I could not get out for a morning hike till today. Being 75 degrees, we did not have to wear many layers. He is an extremely sweet inquisitive boy who always asks a lot of questions. Why does moss grow on the north side of trees” he asks? Its times like this when it would be nice to have my husband here, but he is overseas where the work is. “well, it’s not just the north side it’s on the shadier side because that is where the moisture is.”
On we went looking at snails on the ground watching the deer pass by along a ridge. Being quiet as to not startle them. “Mom he whispered it’s a bunny den they are coming out for food, he leaves a few carrot and lettuce scraps from last night’s dinner. I walked down the path and spotted some glorious Blue Jays and a Downey Woodpecker. “Listen Drew the woodpecker is getting the bugs out of the trees.” My sweet Drew was staring at the Bunnies, they are cute and fluffy after all. We followed our path down further after the bunnies went back to the den.
The skies were getting cloudy, so I hoped the rain was not going to come back. Though the weather report said there was a chance. My little explorer with his school uniform on was undeterred, I wish I could wear shorts on a 75 day and not be cold, it is always nice to be young. Walking along our path we spot some squirrels running in circles around the tree. “Why do the chase each other like that” Drew asks. “Maybe it’s a game for them like ring around the Rosie.”
On we trek to our favorite stream where the deer family are taking their drinks. I tell Drew we cannot skip stones right now we do not want to scare them. We look through the grass for more of his favorite bugs, saw some worms just below the dirt by a tree. Looking up we see a big spider web being made between two branches. The crows were making their calls in the distance. We are finally able to skip our stones in the stream. He gets some great skips going, and we collect some new rocks for our little garden back home.
Walking past the stream we climb up the embankment and up along the ridge where we see a Fox off in the distance. He or she walks the opposite direction we are going so it is a relief we can continue to the clearing. Where there are more bugs, rocks, and Bunnies. We pass the Deer family as they run up the hill to were, they mostly frolic or maybe they live up there. We stop for a snack of Apples, Almonds, and some cheese sticks. When we were finished Drew put a couple of slices in his pocket to feed the Bunnies, I am sure.
“Mommy we’re getting to the clearing now we can see the Bunnies and the last time Daddy, and I were here I got some neat rocks too.” Drew told ne enthusiastically, I did love his passion for nature, though again my husband is much better at the nature stuff. I am a pastry Chef ask me about desserts and I am your woman, about why moss grows on trees and hello Google. Since Dad is unavailable, I step in and let him explore and see the world outside of the house and off the screen.
It is just another half mile and it is on to the clearing. He starts to pull me hand a little harder I know he is excited. We pass under the tree I glance up and see the Fox again. Then we stop and see “Daddy home……
Name: Rachel Schneider
Course: ENG 361
Date: 4/14/2020
Instructor: Debbie Graves
One Week In Las Vegas
The countdown started Friday at 2pm I got the week off from this thing I call a job (just over broke). The car was packed, it was time to hit the road. The traffic was average and climbing the Cajon Pass was not that bad. I stopped in Baker to have my favorite meal at Bob’s Big Boy, the chili spaghetti, no onions. After making my way back on the highway the traffic picked up going out of Baker, through to Primm and Stateline. I had to stop for gas at Whiskey Pete’s, so I also went in and got some snack goodies. My favorite trail mix and some cheese potato chips because vending machines are too expensive. The road was beckoning so off I went, traveling through Jean is always nice, not much to see. A prison, a few remaining casinos, some outbuildings, and a truck stop. There slogan was always fun 40 smiles closer than Vegas. You can get bored so be sure to pack some music you can have your own car concert. “I’ll face it with a grin I’m never giving in, on with the show” (Show Must Go on by Queen)
Finally, the Vegas skyline is in sight, the lights are not on yet, but they will be needing to navigate around the strip. I do say a few words the terrible drivers. This vacation was so needed my job is crazy, my kids are older now and do not need mom around anymore. Off they went to grandma’s house and I booked the week at the Delano, it is attached to the Mandalay bay so perfect access to all the fun of the strip, and just enough luxury to not look cheap. Getting the valet to take the car I check into my genuinely nice room I have a great view of the Luxor light (that comes off the top of the hotel) and the Excalibur. Now off to indulge in that genuinely nice bathtub and get some overdue reading done. My bathroom with a view has the Luxor light and that is the brightest light on the Vegas strip it comes right out of the top of the Pyramid shaped hotel. A brightness of 42.3 billion candela, you could read a paper from 10 miles straight up if you wanted to.
Once I was well soaked and finished with my chapters it was time to find something to eat besides my snack foods. After cruising the room service options, I settled on some Mexican food of chorizo and eggs with nice corn tortillas. That hit the spot so with the extra energy it was time to get out for a stroll of the property. The indoor pool is nice but small and I want to soak up the sunshine and get some exercise so I shall hit the outdoor pool tomorrow. Back in the lobby I grab those ads for things to do in the city so I can plan out the rest of my trip. There are thousands of things to do in Vegas. Do not be disappointed if you do not get everything done, that is what the next trip is for. I have a beautiful week and I want to have a good time and not have to wait for anybody, I can do what I want. I got those and cruised up through the lobby and toward the casino on my way there I saw a sign for a food and wine festival. With that guy Zac from the travel channel. Thinking hmm I did not know he was interested in food or wine. I went down and found my favorite penny slot game Lucky cat. After 15 minutes I came out putting 20 in and winning 500, so I called it a night and went to the bar to catch a hockey game and grab a fun fruity drink (I like tequila sunrise, (Tequila, grenadine, and cranberry juice). As I am rooting for the Golden Knights (local Vegas hockey team) I looked over to my left and there was Zac from the travel channel, and he likes hockey too this is awesome, and I am trying not to be a fan girl.
The game was in intermission and the Knights were winning so it was time for a new fruity drink so this time I turned around to get back to the bar and bumped right into Zac, boy was my face red. After some apologies and an offer to buy my next fruity drink (a Strawberry Daiquiri) it was a yes and I spilled that I was a fan. He told me he does have an interest in food and wine not just chasing ghosts with his crew. We had some great conversation and when the game came back on, we both sat in the booth cheering the golden knights to their victory. Now I am buzzed and standing up was going to be fun, but Zac was a true gentleman and helped me to my feet. He offered to buy me dinner. The Taco Hut was a good place the tortillas were fresh, and the company was so cool. The conversation turned to food, wine, travel, and some stuff about me. The midnight hour rolled around, and Zac had an early morning, so we said goodnight, but he was staying one floor above me, so we agreed to go to the diner in the lobby for breakfast or brunch. At 10am I was enjoying my company and this great stick to your ribs breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and some great watermelon) The food offerings in Vegas are so varied you can get everything from a hot dog and beer for 1.99 at the Orleans, to a 5-star meal at Caesar’s Palace the buffets are great too. Although sometimes you want a nice sit-down dinner.
The conversation was effortless the attraction was deep. We made plans to see each other again after the food contest he was judging was over. Saying goodbye was a bit hard but the hand holding was sweet and made me feel like a schoolgirl again. After saying goodbye and I did watch him walk into the convention hall I went back to my room to plan out the rest of my day. I chose a tour of the Mob Museum, they say that Vegas was built with Mob money, but it was a Mormon founded town that later Hollywood discovered. Then many people in Hollywood who were well connected (such as East Coast mobsters) financed Bugsy Segal to build the Flamingo Hotel. As I was putting my shoes on, I got a knock on the room door and as I opened it, I got some flowers (pink roses) and an all-access pass to the food and wine festival courtesy of Zac. Let us just say the Mob Museum can wait for later I got to go to a food and wine festival and spend the rest of the week with Zac. “hi Zac thanks for the flowers it was sweet of you to remember.” He said, “It’s always right to remember a ladies flower preference because that’s the right thing to do.” Smiling the rest of the day I meet other travel channel celebrities and got to taste some great foods and many different wines. The food and wine offerings at the hotels and restaurants are varied, the Las Vegas area have become very international, so the varieties are endless.
The week went by in a blur of food, wine, conversation, and some sweet dates. I never thought I would get over the break-up that happened the week before. Getting a private Vegas tour was something completely special. I did get to see the Mob Museum, Mandalay Bay Fine Art Museum, seven magic mountains, Pinball Hall of fame and a private dinner at the food and wine festival. My days in Vegas were down to one. We had reservations at Rivera right here at the Delano the view is amazing, the food is impressive with Italian and French offers. “I have had a wonderful time this week Zac thank you for mending my broken heart.” He looked at me for a minute and said, “it’s been a pleasure to get to know you and I would not mind visiting your hometown, you always have a reason to come back to Las Vegas. The next food and wine festival is around Christmas, this one will include chocolate.” Hitting the 15 early the next morning I have visions of Christmas, a pass to the food and wine festival, also a brand-new relationship to take back home with me.
The End
When writing a short story, you want to keep it from rambling and have enough details to keep it fresh. When your reader gets into the story you want them to feel like they are there with you, going to the food and wine festival, on that hike through the seven-mountains or touring the mob museum. The details are the thing to see and make sure to watch out for punctuation and common language. An average short story is within 6,00 words or 24 pages. If you wanted too you could go short-short story and that is between 500 and 2,00 words. That comes out to be 6 pages (Minot, Steven Ch. 7 pg. 41), talk about short stories. The story is all your length and style matter as much as how you want it to come into focus.
Minot, Steven and Theil Daniel Three genres the writing of literary pose, poems and plays Ninth edition Pearson Publications 2012
Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium
August 18,2019📷📷
24755 Holly Grove Way
Brookings OR, 97415
Dear Dogs, Rule the World
I am Rachel Schneider from the Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium we make extra bouncy dog toys for our furry friends. We investigated different marketing companies and choose you to do our direct to customer marketing. The way the website is set up the customers can get the product’s directly from you is easier than a multi-level marketing plan. The distribution of Bouncy Dog Toy will be a one level channel, we will provide the toys you market, and we sell them. I would like to get some videos of our company dogs Mac and Stella playing with the toys so you can post on the website. A link for the company can also be included so the consumers know where the toys came from, what they are made of and any other facts about Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium.
Sincerely, Rachel V Schneider
Mac and Stella company dogs and testers 📷
📷 📷📷 📷A sample of our products, our bounciest toys.
Scott’s Story Part 1
I am Scott Thorn, and I am going back to WDU for the first time in 15 years, I went here for a year but after I came out as gay there really were no gay dudes. I am all men but yeah lesbians were all around some BI guys but no real gay dudes. I went back to the mainland and attended Preston University I majored in administration and minored in Literature. I did at one point in my life have a girlfriend and wanted to marry her, but I could not quash the gay lifestyle. That part of my life is over and now the old school offered me a counseling job, have not done this in a while. I get to help students toward there after college career.
I sit here on this boat and keeping an eye on my 75 Triumph I have some nerves, but it is mostly about seeing this place again, so as the boat pulls up, I get my bike going and make a stop at my new on campus apartment. Its west facing because I like sunsets more than sunrise, so I did not know it needed so much work. I have some handy skills but a little at a time. The kitchen is decent and so is the bathroom. The floors will need some polish and the deck needs to be stained, this is a duplex, so I hope the neighbors are quiet. It is furnished and done nicely so I cannot complain too much, but back on the bike to see the Dean.
I get my bike set with the kill switch and walk up the way to the Admin building, I am pretty much the only one dressed. I am wearing my good black jeans and my dress shirt, in my favorite color Maroon. I do remember this place was obsessed with sex so I will stick out wearing clothes, as I enter the building at least more admin people are dressed. Miss Grant the secretary shows me to my new office, its spacious much bigger that my last one at Preston where I shared a cubicle with another person. I have files from past students and current ones, so I started filing them when Dean Kane walks in, booty shorts and a tank top. “Welcome back to WDU Scott, we look forward to seeing you succeed you come very recommended.” I could hardly concentrate because this Dean was hung but I persevered and said, “Thank you sir I look forward to helping young students find there after WDU careers.”
After he left, I had to get my rise to settle then I continued filing and looking through some files. Clarissa Love that was a name that got around even all the way to Preston. I think she does the Jax in the bedroom or something like that. I started looking around and thought I need some life in this office so I asked Miss Grant about decorating and she said I could do what I wanted but no painting, so I went to town and checked out a flea market. I found some pictures of the beaches of Canada, some old homes in the area and a few movie posters from Rocky horror Picture Show (it is my favorite). The flea market said they will deliver to the school tomorrow so I told them I will be there at 9am.
Now with my day done I get to the store to buy some groceries and realize this place uses sextons and I was down to my last few, so now I will need to exchange but thankfully a bank is nearby so I can get some of my mainland money exchanged. I pull up to my new pad off load my few groceries and notice some other tenant left beer in the fridge, talk about luck. I got the beer went to the deck and watched the sunset over the sky. It was going to be new here, but I needed a fresh start after getting dumped and losing the job because my ex was in upper management, never will I do that again. I will find someone who does not work in the school system. After I ate a roast beef and cheddar sandwich for dinner, watched some cooking shows it was time for bed. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard the neighbors having sex. Oh, goody they are not quiet. hope they do not have super energy either. Tomorrow is my first full day and I have decorating to do, fantastic they stopped, that is the thing with us older people we do not fuck like bunnies anymore. As far as I know the neighbors are lesbians so who knows.
Sample 1- If I try my hardest, I could muster up enough courage to ask the prettiest girl in school to prom. I had a suit; bolo tie and I will shine my old boots up. The thing is my courage is not as strong as my best friend Nick, now there is one brave dude who just asked the girl I wanted to go to prom with and of course she said yes. I gather myself close my locker and put on my best smile for them both. Nick and I high five and I hug her, trying to be genuine but it is hard. I head to my Social studies class and sit down next to Megan she looks at me with some concern I tell her what happened, she then asks me to Prom…...
Sample 2-Wishing I did not have to be here I sit at the back of the funeral and think about my old high school principal. I grew up in a small town and everyone knew everyone, we only had one school and you went there for kindergarten through senior year. After my graduation I packed up my old car and headed out to what I thought was the real world. Living in a bigger city only helped spur my loneliness so who says you cannot come home again, well Mom for starters because I abandoned my family, I am not welcome at home ever again (so tired of her drama), so I am staying at Principal Mason’s house yes, the same principal that I am at a funeral for I held her hand as she lay there succumbing to cancer……
Sample 3-If you really want to get over a breakup getting back on the horse will help things along. I thought that too seven lousy dates ago so here I am on date number 8 and I am not seeing any birds singing or rainbows in the sky. He steps away to take a call he is a particularly important lawyer after all (I need to fix my picker) after he comes back, he says it go time the jury has come back so off he goes. I finish my drink and head back to my brownstone close by, I pass the new chocolate shop that just opened, and I get inside and see chocolate heaven. Looking around I do not see him at first but there he is my old college lab partner Sam I just saw a rainbow…….

Rebecca and I had never cruised before. You know how wives can be... she dropped less and less subtle hints over the years that she really wanted to go, and that I should start saving money for it. She told me I should spring for that family friendly one. The one with the cartoon mouse. But since I was the one paying for it, I decided we should go with a deal I found on a membership warehouse travel website. Looking back I wish I had just paid the up charge and dealt with all the animated characters surrounded by screaming children.
I booked what sounded to me like a fairly nice cruise that was suppose to visit Cuba and Cozumel. But I got an email at the hotel a few hours before we were supposed to board ship. It said something like, due to diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, your ship has had to change one of it's destinations. They gave us gratuitous apologies, and a $500 refund on our tickets . I had never been so happy to have my vacation ruined.
The ship was the biggest boat I had ever seen, but that's not really saying much. From the outside it looked impressive floating there alone in port. Once I got on board though, I could see it was old. And judging from how it didn't match what I had seen on the commercials, it was not one of their mega ships. You know the ones with laser tag arenas, Broadway shows, and water slides? Rebecca was instantly disappointed.
Some friends had told us to put our phones in airplane mode to avoid international roaming charges. They said that all those ships have wifi, and you can talk over messenger. That way you could avoid the horror story of having a thousand dollar phone bill lurking in your mailbox when you get home.
We got to our coffin, I mean our cabin. There were two tiny single beds with paper thin mattresses on either wall. And a water logged port hole half filled with dirty seawater. It was a nonsmoking room, but you could tell it hadn't always been. Anything plastic had that yellowed nicotine residue you find in ancient casinos.
"Oh, this romantic." I smiled seductively. "We can pretend we are being naughty at summer camp."
"Shut up." Rebecca struggled her oversize suitcase through the tiny door as I pressed myself against the far wall to give her room. When you have an angry woman on your hands, and she has all the exits blocked, your only options are diplomacy, or distraction.
"Oh hey look! A catalog of all the things we can do on our new itinerary." The freshly printed brochures sat neatly on the foot of the bed. The plain paper didn't match the other printouts glossy finish. I imagine some poor intern stayed up the night before reprinting all those pages.
We putted around the ship. Bought ourselves a pair of those novelty drinks that come in a pineapple. The paper straws in our drinks turned to mush before we could finish. Rebecca wound up pouring half her drink down her shirt and soaking her pants in the lounge chair. We watched the waves roll by, and I attempted to avoid getting my head bit off.
"So, we are going to southern Mexico instead of Cuba. There goes my cigar smuggling empire." I flipped through the brochure. "Let's see... they have a dolphin encounter."
"No, those places keep dolphins in tiny swimming pools for tourists."
"OK, glass blowing workshop?"
"No, it's Mexico. It's gonna be way to hot to anywhere near a furnace." Rebecca said struggling to get the remaining alcohol out of her pineapple.
"Mayan ruins?"
"OH! Chichen Itza? I went there on senior trip. It was amazing!" Finally after struggling to try and get her to have a good time, I had found a winner.
"Uh... no. That one is near Cosumel, we are headed down near... Belize. This one is called Chac... chucky... Chac-cho-ben. Apparently that means... 'the Place of the Red Corn.'"
The excursion to the ruins cost $150, but we had our discount so I splurged a little bit to make her happy. We tried to have fun, and drank a little bit on the way. Watched a ventriloquist act and what seemed like high school production of some fan fiction of Guys and Dolls. We went to bed, after having the steward put the beds together, and when we woke up, the ship was already making its way into port.
The first thing we noticed was the smell. The water in the brochure had been crystal clear. But what greeted us at the pier looked and smelled like diarrhea. Apparently the seaweed blooms had somehow gone bad, and mountains of rotting plant life washed up on the picturesque beach every day. We held our noses and scurried past the welcome sign and triggered the most elaborate tourist trap I've ever seen.
The little brightly colored shops huddled up in a small shopping plaza past customs at the end of the pier. A row of parrots and flamingos danced to entice children to get their parents to pay to go through the rope bridge aviary that snaked through the trees above us. Some Mayan entertainers danced and did acrobatics around a pole, as a mariachi band played in the swim up bar.
Due to her desperate need of chachkies, Rebecca wandered off to shop a while. With everything to see, I admit I lost track of time. Before I knew it, we were late to meet with the van that was going to drive us out to the ruins. I power walked through the crowds calling for Rebecca, and asking very friendly people who spoke broken English if they had seen her.
I gave upon trying to find her and headed toward our pickup location. I was going to tell them that I had misplaced my wife, when I heard...
"There he is! Sorry, thanks so much for waiting."
For the first time in recorded existence Rebecca had shown up early to an event. And I was the one that was holding up the show. Clearly she was very excited to go see those piles of rocks in the jungle. Our guide Esmeralda cheerfully greeted me and lead us down a gravel path to a hidden parking lot. We hopped in the nondescript van, where another family sat in the bench seats.
As we exited the tourist trap, we passed several gates in high fences topped with razor wire. Apparently a lot of effort goes into keeping those precious tourists safe. To keep us entertained Esmeralda knelt in the front passenger seat as we drove along the boring jungle roads. She showed us pictures of animals and trees that could be found in the surrounding bush. And taught us enough about the Mayan language to try and sell us some fancy bracelets with our names on them.
I don't know exactly what happened. Suddenly the van was rolling on it's side and the whole world turned dark green. I saw sweet Esmeralda with her laminated pictures tumble half way out the driver side window. A long trail of blood shooting out of the driver’s mouth. I closed my eyes, but I’ll never forget her screams as she realized the van was crushing her… and the she was gone.
We lay there stunned sinking the muck of some pool warm ooze. Several men jumped up on the side of the van. I was able to get a hold of one of the men and tried to fight him off, but I was still buckled into my seat. The man slipped away as Rebecca yanked me back down in her panic.
The young father behind me cradled his wife’s head and begged her to wake up. The young lady’s neck had been twisted at an awkward angle in the crash, and their daughter was screaming. Rocks beat at the remaining windows and they shattered down in a rain of tempered glass. Then the strange men poked at us with long metal spears that had needles on the end. They jabbed the needles deep into our arms and legs. Immediately I could feel the numbness of some sort of poison taking hold.
The men backed off, and struggled to get free. I pulled out my phone to call 911, and my fingers went numb as I remembered the phone was in airplane mode. My tongue got dry, and I fell over into the driver’s lap. I lost consciousness looking up at his dead eyes and broken jaw.
I awoke. Which I will say did come as a pleasant surprise. I was going to die right there in that van. I opened my eyes, and blinked at the darkness around me. Several soft points of light twinkled far above me. My hands were tied to a stone carving of a jaguar above my head. As I sat there I realized I could feel someone pressed up against my back. The smell of Rebecca's shampoo let me know it was her.
“Becca, you awake?” I asked as I rocked us back and forth.
I listened carefully for any response, but all I heard in the darkness was her gentle breathing and a strange slurping sound coming from the ruins around us. I held my breath there in that dark place. My eyes began to adjust and I thought I could see long white shapes slowly sliding down the bricks.
“Oh FUCK this!” I said as I tried to stand, my legs were all pins and needles and I flopped back and forth on my knees. I was able to work the rope that hung in the stone carving loose. And Rebecca and I tumbled to the floor as one of those things rared up inches from her face. I kicked it away but there was another, out my reach and slowly easing up her leg.
Rebecca moaned as slime coating the strange worm glistened off the flesh of her leg. The end of the thing started pulsating slowly, and I could hear the teeth digging and chewing. Rebecca lay there in a daze, not responding. I kicked at the worm things that tried to inch closer to me, one even dropped from the ceiling onto my calf. The slime off it’s skin started to numb my lower leg.
I knew at that point we were meant to be food for these things. Those men, could watching from the shadows, saving that young father and his little girl for tomorrow’s meal. I shook Rebecca as hard as I could, we had to get free, we had to get out of there. I got no response.
I clawed at the ropes around my wrists as the chewing things crawled closer. I could see them writhe under Rebecca’s shirt. The numbness in my hands made it impossible to work the knots. And the rope was to strong to break by hand. In my panic only one sickening idea came to mind. I wasn’t going to be able to drag her out of there, and I need to somehow, get out, get help.
I stood up, dangling Rebecca’s hands on stone floor beneath me. The starlight from the open shaft above us made the outline of her dainty fingers barely visible. With a scream of disgust at what was planning, I raised my heel and brought it down hard on those thin fingers.
Rebecca’s eyes shot open and she started to wail as I brought my heel down again on her hands. Breaking the delicate bones of her wrists and arms, I pulled at the rope. The worm things crawled up her neck and latched onto her cheek. That horrible chewing and sucking sound came out of her mouth as it ate through her face.
I stopped my wife’s hands into bloody ruins as she looked up at me and screamed. I got the rope free, and hooked my hands into the stone jaguar’s mouth. Then I pulled myself up. The white creatures wriggled across the floor where I had stood just a moment before. And Rebecca's screaming started to waver and fade to sobs, then silence.
I struggled up the shaft, inch my inch. Pressing my legs against one wall and my back against the other, I climbed in the darkness. Every muscle of my body quivering from strain I finally found myself at the top of a plant covered hill. I stood there in the middle of the jungle, and spun around. I didn’t see any signs of civilization. I checked my pocket, and thankfully my phone was still there.
I clicked it on, and swiped airplane mode off. No signal. The moon was near the horizon, I guessed which way was east, and struggled through darkness of the jungle in search of that long highway where everything had gone wrong.

Indie/Rock Playlist: March (2020) is here! We're back, and with something fun and uplifting - let it be your six hour escape from the world.
Links to stream and/or download the playlist can be found here: https://www.theindierockplaylist.com
Indie/Rock Playlist: March (2020)

1. (00:03:22) of Montreal – 20th Century Schizofriendic Revengoid-Man
2. (00:04:44) The Districts – And the Horses All Go Swimming
3. (00:04:46) The Strokes – Bad Decisions
4. (00:02:24) Circa Waves – Battered & Bruised
5. (00:03:16) Declan McKenna – Beautiful Faces
6. (00:04:05) Dan Deacon – Become a Mountain
7. (00:03:30) Another Sky – Brave Face
8. (00:02:41) Cage The Elephant – Broken Boy (Feat. Iggy Pop)
9. (00:01:56) Swine Tax – Browsing
10. (00:03:53) Calva Louise – Camino
11. (00:03:48) The Killers – Caution
12. (00:02:43) King Nun – Chinese Medicine
13. (00:03:35) Choir Boy – Complainer
14. (00:02:55) Jessica Genius – Criminal
15. (00:03:37) Melt Yourself Down – Crocodile
16. (00:03:54) Grouplove – Deleter
17. (00:03:49) Moaning – Ego
18. (00:03:21) Andy Shauf – Fire Truck
19. (00:01:50) Ray Borneo & The Bystanders – Flashes
20. (00:03:08) Caro – Form A Line
21. (00:03:52) Chemtrails – Frightful in the Sunlight
22. (00:03:25) Opus Orange – Give You Everything
23. (00:03:24) JR JR – Good Old Days
24. (00:02:53) Launder – Half-life
25. (00:02:37) Backseat Vinyl – Heads
26. (00:02:55) Sports Team – Here’s The Thing
27. (00:02:15) Lazy Ghost – Hotdog Citizen
28. (00:03:54) Born Ruffians – I Fall in Love Every Night
29. (00:03:40) BC Camplight – I Only Drink When I’m Drunk
30. (00:03:34) Clock Opera – I Surrender
31. (00:03:04) Jordan Klassen – Identivacation
32. (00:03:06) Bombay Bicycle Club – Is It Real
33. (00:02:01) Jade Hairpins – J Terrapin
34. (00:03:36) Telekinesis – Jean Alexander Waltz
35. (00:02:16) Surfer Blood – Karen
36. (00:01:52) Elephant Stone – Keep the Light Alive
37. (00:02:58) Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Keepsake
38. (00:03:42) Jack Stauber’s Micropop – Keyman
39. (00:05:51) Nada Surf – Looking For You
40. (00:02:56) Other Lives – Lost Day
41. (00:02:02) AJJ – Loudmouth
42. (00:04:14) The Van Allen Belt – Lucky After Dark
43. (00:03:38) Methyl Ethel – Majestic AF
44. (00:03:04) Husbands – Manhorse
45. (00:04:23) Blaenavon – Multiple+Personality+Disorder=Friends For Life
46. (00:03:39) The New Pornographers – Need Some Giants
47. (00:02:29) STRFKR – Never The Same
48. (00:04:01) The Little Hands of Asphalt – No Reception
49. (00:04:03) Say Hi – Obsidian Oblivion
50. (00:02:21) Fun Fun Funeral – Perceptual Systems
51. (00:03:42) Vundabar – Petty Crime
52. (00:02:23) Termination Dust – Purple Eclipse
53. (00:03:24) Radical Face – Reveries
54. (00:02:20) Islet – Sgwylfa Rock
55. (00:02:47) The Frights – Simple And Strange
56. (00:03:36) Haunted Mansions – Spacerock
57. (00:03:24) Palm Ghosts – Sparks Kiss The Water
58. (00:02:40) The Innocence Mission – Stars that Fall Away from Us
59. (00:03:00) Dune Rats – Stupid Is As Stupid Does
60. (00:04:10) Pet Shimmers – Super Natural Teeth
61. (00:03:43) Porridge Radio – Sweet
62. (00:02:20) Colony House – Take It Slow
63. (00:04:10) The Radio Dept. – The Absence of Birds
64. (00:03:01) Vistas – The Love You Give
65. (00:01:50) Salads and Sunbeams – The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
66. (00:05:12) Tall Tall Trees – The Wind, She Whispers
67. (00:03:15) Algiers – There Is No Year
68. (00:04:54) Honeymoan – Too Much
69. (00:03:01) Zanders – Traces
70. (00:03:44) Draag – Trauma Kit
71. (00:02:32) TTRRUUCES – TTRRUUCES
72. (00:03:37) The Howl & The Hum – Until I Found A Rose
73. (00:02:37) Pompadour – Veronica
74. (00:02:29) Working Men’s Club – White Rooms and People
75. (00:03:41) Loose Buttons – You Always Look So Cool
76. (00:03:53) Glass Animals – Your Love (Deja Vu)
77. (00:03:37) Gengahr – You’re No Fun
78. (00:02:22) Super Whatevr – Yours Truly
79. (00:03:32) Catholic Action – Yr Old Dad
80. (00:04:11) The Kraken Quartet – Zev

Playing Time………: 04:24:07
Total Size………..: 502.45 MB
IRP March (2020) Vol. 2

1. (00:02:11) AJJ – Body Terror Song
2. (00:04:06) Harvey Fox – Braindead
3. (00:02:48) Coach Party – Breakdown
4. (00:02:38) Gallus – Breathless
5. (00:03:51) Deal Casino – Chicken Head
6. (00:03:04) Mitski – Cop Car
7. (00:03:55) Destroyer – Cue Synthesizer
8. (00:02:44) Perfume Genius – Describe
9. (00:02:50) Strawberry Generation – East George
10. (00:03:14) Do Nothing – Fits
11. (00:03:48) Spooky Wilson – Ho Hey
12. (00:05:01) No Buses – Imagine Siblings
13. (00:04:36) Wolf Parade – Julia Take Your Man Home
14. (00:03:06) Midi Matilda – Killer You Want
15. (00:02:15) Bacchae – Life Online
16. (00:03:58) October Drift – Losing My Touch
17. (00:02:22) Nap Eyes – Mark Zuckerberg
18. (00:03:30) Gengahr – Never a Low
19. (00:02:48) SWMRS – People (Feat. FIDLAR)
20. (00:01:42) Starsha Lee – People Are Horrible
21. (00:03:59) Saint Saviour – Rock Pools (Feat. Willy Mason)
22. (00:04:01) Nation of Language – Rush & Fever
23. (00:04:02) Record Start – See You in the Well
24. (00:04:27) Beverly Kills – Seven Sisters
25. (00:03:15) Peach Pit – Shampoo Bottles
26. (00:02:44) The Informations – Strange Habits
27. (00:03:11) LIFE – Switching On
28. (00:03:13) Bad Flamingo – The House Is on Fire
29. (00:03:46) French for Rabbits – The Wounded Bird
30. (00:04:32) The Holy – Twilight of the Idiots

Playing Time………: 01:41:39
Total Size………..: 192.99 MB

List of Las Vegas casinos that never opened
Over the years there have been several casinos and resorts planned for the Las Vegas Valley that never opened. The stages of planning may have been just an announcement or groundbreaking.[1][2][3]
Asia Resort and Casino
Where the Palazzo Casino and Resort currently stands (adjacent to the Venetian Hotel and Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center), an Asian themed casino was proposed but was rejected for the present Palazzo project.[4]
Alon Las Vegas
A proposed luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip on the former site of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, announced in 2015.[5] The project was put in doubt after Crown Resorts announced in late 2016 it was suspending its involvement in the development.[6] Crown announced in December 2016 that it was halting the project and seeking to sell its investment. The remaining partner Andrew Pascal announced he was seeking other partners to proceed with the project. However in May 2017, the land went up for sale.[7] The land was later purchased by Steve Wynn.
Beau Rivage
Steve Wynn, who had purchased and demolished the Dunes hotel-casino, had originally planned to build a modern hotel in the middle of a man-made lake. He later built the Bellagio with a man-made lake in the front of the hotel.[citation needed] The name was later used by Wynn for a resort built in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Caribbean Casino
In 1988, a sign for a proposed casino was erected on a fenced vacant lot on Flamingo Road. Standing near the sign was a scale model galleon. For several years, that was all that stood on the property. The empty lot was the source of many jokes by the locals until the ship, which was later damaged by a fire started by a homeless person, was torn down in the 1990s and the lot became the site of the Tuscany Suites and Casino co-owned by Charles Heers, who has owned the property since the 1960s.[8]
Carnival
In 1990, the Radisson group proposed a 3,376-room hotel next to the Dunes, with a casino shaped like a Hershey's Kiss.[9]
Cascada
A proposed resort that was to have been built on the site of El Rancho Vegas. The parcel is now partially taken by the Hilton Grand Vacations Club and Las Vegas Festival Grounds.[4]
City by the Bay Resort and Casino
A San Francisco-themed resort was proposed for the site of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino. The project was rejected in favor of the Swiss-themed Montreux, which was also eventually cancelled.[4]
Countryland USA
A country music-themed resort was planned for construction of the site of the former El Rancho Hotel and Casino. For some years, the El Rancho sign stood with the words "Coming Soon - Future Home of Countryland USA."[10][11]
Craig Ranch Station
Main article: Craig Ranch Station A Mediterranean-themed hotel-casino for North Las Vegas, proposed by Station Casinos in March 2000.[12] The project faced opposition from nearby residents,[13][14][15] which led to the proposed location being changed to a vacant property on the nearby Craig Ranch Golf Course.[16] Residential opposition to the new location led to the project being rejected by the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee in March 2001. Station Casinos still had the option to develop the project on the initial site,[17][18] but the project was cancelled entirely in July 2001, following a weak financial quarter for the company.[19]
Crown Las Vegas
Main article: Crown Las Vegas Formerly known as Las Vegas Tower, the Crown Las Vegas was to have been a supertall skyscraper built on the former site of a Wet 'n Wild water park. In March 2008, the project was canceled and the property was put up for sale.[20]
Desert Kingdom
In 1993, ITT Sheraton purchased the Desert Inn casino, and had announced plans to develop the large parking lot into a Balinese themed resort to complement the Desert Inn. The project was never developed and the site is now the location of Wynn Las Vegas.[4]
DeVille Casino
After building the Landmark Hotel and Casino on Convention Center Drive and selling it to Howard Hughes, developer Frank Carroll built the DeVille Casino across the street from the Landmark at 900 Convention Center Drive in 1969. Chips were made for the casino (and are sought-after collectibles), but the casino never opened.[21] The building was renovated in 1992 as a race book parlor named Sport of Kings which closed after nine months.[22] It became the location of The Beach nightclub, which was demolished in 2007 to make room for a planned 600-unit tower[23] that was never built.[24] The land sits currently empty.
Echelon Place
Main article: Echelon Place An announced project by Boyd Gaming planned to have a hotel built on the property of the former Stardust Resort & Casino. Construction was suspended on August 1, 2008 due to the Great Recession. In March 2013, Boyd Gaming sold the proposed site for $350 million to the Genting Group, which is redeveloping the project as the Asian-themed Resorts World Las Vegas.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Main article: The Drew Las Vegas Located on the Las Vegas Strip and originally known as Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Construction began in 2007, and the resort was to include a casino, 2,871 hotel rooms, and 1,018 condominium units.[25] Construction on the $2.9 billion project ceased in 2009, the year of its planned opening. Investment firms Witkoff Group and New Valley LLC purchased the unfinished resort in 2017.[26] In 2018, Witkoff and Marriott International announced a partnership to open the renamed project as The Drew Las Vegas in 2020. The resort will include a casino and three hotels totaling nearly 4,000 rooms, with the condominium aspect removed from the project.[27]
Harley-Davidson Hotel and Casino
A resort themed after the motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson was proposed, complete with hotel towers shaped like gigantic exhaust pipes, but was never built.[4]
Jockey Club Casino
The Jockey Club is a condominium and timeshare resort at 3700 Las Vegas Boulevard South. It was planned to have a casino, and chips were made for its use, but the casino was never opened.[28]
Kactus Kate's
By April 1994, Gold Coast Hotel and Casino owner Michael Gaughan was interested in building a hotel-casino in North Las Vegas,[29] at the northeast corner of North Rancho Drive and Carey Avenue. In January 1995, the city planning commission approved the rezoning of the land for use as a hotel-casino. The resort, to be named Kactus Kate's, would be built by Gold Coast Hotel/Casino Limited. The hotel would include 450 rooms, and the casino would be 105,000 sq ft (9,800 m2),[30] later decreased to 102,000 sq ft (9,500 m2).[31] The resort would be located directly north of the nearby Fiesta and Texas Station resorts.[31]
In December 1998, Coast Resorts, Inc. received approval from the planning commission for a use-permit relating to the undeveloped property. In November 2000, the planning commission unanimously approved a two-year extension on the permit, giving the company more time to decide whether it would build Kactus Kate's. Because of a 1999 Senate bill that placed restrictions on casinos in neighborhoods, Coast Resorts had a deadline of 2002 to build the casino. The hotel would measure over 100 feet (30 m) high, and Coast Resorts was required to notify the Federal Aviation Administration of its final plans, due to the site being located less than 1,000 feet (300 m) from a runway at the North Las Vegas Airport.[32] In January 2001, Station Casinos purchased the 29-acre (12 ha) site for $9 million. Coast Resorts president Harlan Braaten said, "As we saw the competitive nature of that area intensify, in terms of the size of competing facilities, we just felt we would have to build something much bigger than we had intended to compete with Texas Station and Santa Fe Station. It was just going to be a very expensive project, and we didn't feel the returns would be that good." Station Casinos planned to sell the property as a non-gaming site.[31]
Las Vegas Plaza
Main article: Las Vegas Plaza Not to be confused with the Plaza Hotel & Casino.
This was to have been modeled after the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The project was announced shortly before the demolition of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, where the new hotel would be built. Las Vegas Plaza was cancelled in 2011 due to the Great Recession.
London Resort and Casino
This announced project was to have been themed around the city of London, and featuring replicas of the city's landmarks. The project was to be built on land across from the Luxor Hotel and Casino. A second London-themed resort was to be built on the former land of the El Rancho Hotel and Casino. Neither project ever began construction.[4]
London, Las Vegas
This was a proposed three-phase project using London as its design inspiration. When completed, the 38.5-acre (15.5 ha) property would have featured 1,300 hotel rooms, a casino, a 500-foot-tall (152.4 m) observation wheel named Skyvue (partially constructed), and 550,000 square feet (51,097 square meters) of restaurants and shops — all of which would be architectural replicas of various British landmarks and neighborhoods.[33] The project was to be constructed on land across from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, where — as of November 2019 — the partially-constructed Skyvue still stands. The wheel was to be "Phase I of London, Las Vegas".
Montreux Resort
This Swiss-themed resort was to have been built on the property of the former New Frontier Hotel and Casino, but was ultimately cancelled.[34]
Moon Resort and Casino
Proposed by Canadian developer Michael Henderson, this is a planned 10,000-room, 250-acre (1.0 km2) lunar-themed casino resort.[35] Gaming experts doubt it will ever be built in Las Vegas, simply because the space planned for it is too large for the Las Vegas Strip.[4]
NevStar 2000
Further information: Craig Ranch Station § NevStar 2000 Proposed by NevStar Gaming in 1998, the NevStar 2000 entertainment complex in North Las Vegas would have included a hotel and casino,[36] but the project faced opposition from nearby residents who did not want a casino in the area.[37][38] The project was cancelled when NevStar Gaming filed for bankruptcy in December 1999.[12]
North Coast/Boyd Gaming project
In May 2003, Coast Casinos had plans for the North Coast hotel-casino, to be built at the southwest corner of Centennial Parkway and Lamb Boulevard in North Las Vegas. The project would be built on approximately 40 acres (16 ha) of vacant land, surrounded by other land that was also undeveloped. At the time, the North Las Vegas Planning Commission was scheduled to review requests for zoning changes and approvals for the project. The project was not scheduled to be built for at least another four years, after completion of a highway interchange at Lamb Boulevard and the nearby Interstate 15, as well as the completion of an overpass over nearby railroad tracks. Bill Curran, an attorney for the land owner, said, "We're going through the zoning changes now so everybody knows what's going to be out there." The North Coast would include a casino, a 10-story hotel with 398 rooms, a bowling alley, movie theaters, and a parking garage.[39] In June 2003, the Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 to approve preliminary applications necessary to begin work on the North Coast.[40][41]
Boyd Gaming, the owner of Coast Casinos, announced in February 2006 that it would purchase the 40-acre site for $35 million.[42] Jackie Gaughan and Kenny Epstein were the owners at the time.[43] Boyd Gaming had not decided on whether the new project would be a Coast property or if it would be similar to the company's Sam's Town hotel-casino. At the time, no timetable was set for building the project.[42] In March 2007, the project was put on hold. At the time, Boyd Gaming had been securing construction permits for the project but decided to first review growth in the area. Construction had been scheduled to begin in mid-2007.[44] In August 2013, Boyd Gaming sold the undeveloped property for $5.15 million.[43]
Palace of the Sea Resort and Casino
This was to have been built on the former Wet 'n Wild waterpark site. Conceptual drawings included yacht-shaped towers that housed suites, a casino resembling the Sydney Opera House and a 600-foot (180 m) tall Ferris wheel-type attraction dubbed a "Sky Wheel". It never left the planning stages.[4]
Paramount Las Vegas
A casino and hotel and condo resort with more than 1,800 units that was planned by Royal Palms Las Vegas, a subsidiary of Royal Palms Communities.[45][46] The project was to replace the Klondike Hotel and Casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip,[47][45] beside the Las Vegas welcome sign.[48] The resort was approved in October 2006,[45] but an investor pulled out of the project in August 2007, and the land was put up for sale in May 2008.[46]
Pharoah's Kingdom
Pharoah's Kingdom was planned as a $1.2 billion gaming, hotel and theme park complex to be built on 710 acres (290 ha) at Pebble Road and Las Vegas Boulevard, five miles south of the Las Vegas Strip.[49][1] Construction was approved in October 1988,[49] with Silano Development Group as the developer.[50]
The project would have an Egyptian theme, including two 12-story pyramids made of crystal, with each containing 300 suites. The hotel would have a total of 5,000 rooms,[50] making it the largest in the world.[51] The 230,000 sq ft (21,000 m2) casino would include 100 table games and 3,000 slot machines, while an RV park, mini-golf, a bowling alley, and a video game arcade would be located beside the casino area.[52] Three of the project's various pyramid structures would house the 50-acre (20 ha) family theme park. Other features would include sphinxes, man-made beaches, waterways resembling the Nile river, an underwater restaurant, a 24-hour child-care facility, a 100-tenant shopping promenade, and a repertory-style theater that would be overseen by actor Jack Klugman.[52] Additionally, the resort would feature an 18-hole PGA Championship golf course,[52] and a monorail located within the theme park.[50] The project would have one mile of frontage along Las Vegas Boulevard.[52]
Frank Gambella, president of the project, stated that financing was in place, with groundbreaking planned for March or April 1989. Gambella said the project would be financed by several entities, with the money coming from a Nevada corporation, suggesting the entities would be grouped together as an umbrella corporation. Gambella stated that the project could be opened by Labor Day 1990. The resort was expected to employ 8,000 people. Following the completion of the resort, Gambella said a complex of 750 condominiums would be built on the land along with 900 retirement-care apartments.[52]
The project was cancelled shortly after it was announced, as authorities became suspicious of developer Anthony Silano's fundraising efforts for the project. It was discovered that Silano and his associates hacked into the Switzerland bank accounts of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos following his death in 1989. Silano pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges. Another Egyptian-themed resort, Luxor Las Vegas, would open on the south Las Vegas Strip in 1993.[1]
Planet Hollywood Resort (original plans)
Not to be confused with the current Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.
Originally planned to open in the late 1990s on the site of the Desert Inn, it was to be one of the largest hotels in Las Vegas. Because of the bankruptcy of Planet Hollywood Restaurants, the hotel was never built. However, in the 2000s, a group of investors bought the new Aladdin Hotel and Casino and remodeled it with a modern Hollywood theme.[4]
Playboy Hotel and Casino
A proposed casino resort themed after Playboy magazine was rejected in favor of a nightclub and suites built at the top two floors of the new Palms tower.[4] The planned location for the Playboy Hotel and Casino, on the Las Vegas Strip, was later used for the Cosmopolitan resort.[53]
Santa Fe Valley
Main article: Santa Fe Valley Santa Fe Gaming, which owned the Santa Fe hotel-casino in northwest Las Vegas, had plans for a second Santa Fe property in 1996.[54] The Santa Fe Valley would be built on a 40-acre (16 ha) lot[55] in Henderson, Nevada, adjacent to the Galleria at Sunset mall. The start of construction was delayed several times because of poor financial quarters for Santa Fe Gaming,[54] and because of the company not yet receiving financing for the project.[56] Site preparation started in July 1998, with an opening date scheduled for December 1999,[57] but construction never began. In 1999, the property was sold to Station Casinos,[58][59] which sold the land a year later for use as a shopping center.[60]
Shenandoah Hotel and Casino
A project by Wayne Newton. Although the hotel operated for a short time at 120 E. Flamingo Road, the management was unable to get a gaming license. After years of floundering it was sold to a Canadian company and became Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino.
Silver City proposals
By January 2000, Luke Brugnara was planning to build a San Francisco-themed resort on the site of the closed Silver City Casino.[61] Brugnara intended to give Silver City a multimillion-dollar renovation, with plans to have a fully operational hotel-casino by 2002.[62] In March 2001, Brugnara's request for a gaming license was rejected.[63] In May 2002, it was announced that Brugnara had sold the casino while retaining six acres located behind the building.[64] In 2003, Brugnara was planning to build a 24-story, 304-room hotel and casino resort on a portion of the Silver City property. The resort, to be named "Tycoon", was to be designed by Lee Linton, with an expected cost of approximately $100 million.[65]
Starship Orion
International Thoroughbred Breeders (ITB) announced plans to demolish the El Rancho and construct Starship Orion, a $1 billion hotel, casino, entertainment and retail complex with an outer space theme, covering 5.4 million square feet (501,676 square meters). The resort was to include seven separately owned casinos, each approximately 30,000 square feet (2,787 square meters).[66][67] Each potential casino owner was to contribute up to $100 million to own and operate a casino within the complex.[68] The complex would have included 300,000 square feet (27,871 square meters) of retail space, as well as 2,400 hotel rooms and a 65-story hotel tower. ITB hoped to begin construction later in 1996, with a planned opening date of April 1998.[67]
Sunrise
This was to have been located at 4575 Boulder Highway. Property developer Michael Mona Jr. built the hotel-casino and stated that he was going to break tradition by starting a "casino without a theme". He failed to get an unrestricted gaming license when suspicions arose concerning his associations with alleged organized crime figures. Chips were made for the casino, but were never used.[69] The building was opened as Arizona Charlie's Boulder.
Titanic
In 1999, Bob Stupak was planning a 400-foot-high (122 m) resort themed after the RMS Titanic, to be built on a 10-acre (4 hectares) property he owned near downtown Las Vegas. The resort would have included 1,200 rooms, 800 of which were to be used for timeshares to help finance the project. That year, planning commissioners rejected Stupak's request to change the zoning to allow for a hotel.[70] The project was later planned for the former site of the El Rancho Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip, but was rejected by the Las Vegas City Council.[4]
W Las Vegas
Main article: W Las Vegas W Las Vegas was proposed in August 2005, as a $1.7 billion joint project between Starwood and Edge Resorts, with a scheduled opening in 2008. The project would include a 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) casino and approximately 3,000 hotel, condo hotel, and residential units.[71][72] The project was cancelled in May 2007, after Starwood pulled out of the deal.[73]
Wally's Wagon Wheel
Wally's Wagon Wheel was to be developed by Walter Weiss through his company, Magna Leisure Partnership.[74][75] The project was proposed for 2200 South Boulder Highway in Henderson,[76][77] between Wagon Wheel Drive and Roberts Road,[78] near Henderson's Old Vegas western theme park. Manga Leisure Partnership purchased the 15.5-acre property in late February 1988. Weiss, at that time, had tentative plans for a western-themed, 112-room property known then as the Wagon Wheel Hotel and Casino. The Wagon Wheel was expected to cost $15 million, and financing had yet to be obtained for the project, which Weiss expected to open in early 1990.[74] The project, which would include a 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) casino, was to be built in two phases.[79]
By October 1991, Wally's Wagon Wheel remained unbuilt due to difficulty obtaining financing.[80][76] That month, the Henderson Planning Commission voted to give Weiss more time to make progress on the project. At that time, the project was to include 204 hotel rooms and would be built on 13.30 acres (5.38 ha). Weiss noted that the nearby successful Sam's Town hotel-casino opened with 204 rooms, and he believed his project would be successful if he opened with the same amount of rooms for good luck.[76] By the end of 1992, Weiss had still not acquired financing for Wally's Wagon Wheel. At the time, the project was the largest of five casinos being planned for Henderson. The three-story project was to include 200 rooms, two restaurants, a theater lounge for country and western entertainment, and a large bingo room. Weiss stated that groundbreaking was scheduled for May 1993, with an expected opening in June 1994. The hotel-casino would employ approximately 600 people upon opening.[81]
Weiss met with nearby residents to discuss the project, and he had the original design changed to include a larger buffer zone between homes and the hotel-casino. In November 1994, the Henderson Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Weiss' requested zone change as part of the redesign. The project, at that time, was to include a one-story casino and a four-story hotel with 400 rooms.[82][83] In December 1994, the Henderson City Council rejected Weiss' plans for a 200-foot (61 m) buffer.[84]
In July 1997, the unbuilt project received its sixth extension from the Henderson Planning Commission for a use permit and architectural review.[85] In August 1997, the Henderson City Council approved the sixth extension, but denied Weiss' appeal for a one-year extension, instead giving him six months to make progress on the project.[77] Up to that time, $1.7 million had been invested in the project by Magna Leisure Partnership.[86] As of 1998, the project was expected to cost $80 million and employ at least 1,200 people, and the proposed site had increased to 19 acres (7 ha). At that time, Weiss stated that he was close to obtaining financing for the project from a casino operator.[87] The project was never built.
Wild Wild West
Not to be confused with Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel. As of 1993, Station Casinos owned a 27-acre (11 ha) site on Boulder Highway with the potential to be developed as a casino. The site was located across the street from Sam's Town hotel-casino.[88] In January 1998, Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. announced plans to purchase Station Casinos, which had intended to sell the land prior to the announcement.[89] By March 1998, Station Casinos was planning to develop a hotel-casino complex on the land, which was occupied by a vacant strip mall. The complex would be known as Wild Wild West, with local residents as the target clientele.[90][89]
Crescent's purchase of Station Casinos failed in August 1998, and Station Casinos subsequently slowed its plans to build the project.[91] By the end of the year, the project had received approval from the Clark County Planning Commission for a 273,000 sq ft (25,400 m2) casino and a 504-room hotel.[92] No timetable for construction was announced,[92][93] and Station Casinos had already decided by that point not to start any new projects prior to 2000.[92] Station Casinos sold the undeveloped land for $11.2 million to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in April 2004.[94]
World Port
In 2000, Howard Bulloch, David Gaffin, and their partner Tom Gonzales transferred ownership of the Glass Pool Inn property to their group, known as New World, with plans for a megaresort.[95] New World purchased several other nearby motels to accumulate a 77-acre (31 ha) parcel located on the Las Vegas Strip and east of the Mandalay Bay.[96] In January 2001, plans were announced for World Port Resorts, a megaresort consisting of hotel-casinos, a convention center and a fine arts facility. The project was to be built on the 77-acre (31 ha property, a portion of which was occupied by the Glass Pool Inn.[96]
World Trade Center
To have been located at 925 East Desert Inn Road. Leonard Shoen, co-founder of U-Haul truck rental, purchased the property of what had been the Chaparral Hotel & Casino in 1996, renovating it into the World Trade Center Hotel. A gaming license was applied for, but when it was discovered that two of Shoen's closest partners were convicted felons, the application was denied in 1998. He withdrew his application, and died in a car crash in 1999 that was ruled a suicide. Cards and gaming chips were produced for the World Trade Center Casino, but were never used.[97] The property has since been demolished and is now a parking lot, part of the Las Vegas Convention Center Annex.
World Wrestling Federation
A casino resort themed after the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was proposed for a property near the Interstate 15 freeway across from Mandalay Bay. The project never went past the proposal stage.[4] The land where it would have stood is now Allegiant Stadium.
WWF also proposed to open the project on the property once used by the Clarion Hotel and Casino, which was demolished in 2015 to become a parking lot.
Xanadu
In February 1976, the Clark County Commission approved the 23-story Xanadu resort, to be built on the Las Vegas Strip at the corner of South Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. The resort would include approximately 1,700 hotel rooms and a casino, as well as convention facilities, a showroom, dining, and indoor tennis courts. The resort was to be developed by Tandy McGinnis – of Bowling Green, Kentucky – and his Xanadu Corporation, and would be built on 48.6 acres (19.7 ha) owned by Howard Downes, a resident of Coral Gables, Florida.[98][99][100] The Xanadu would feature a pyramid design, and was expected to cost $150 million.[100] It would have been the first themed mega-resort. Much information and many artifacts of the project are housed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas library. The Excalibur Hotel and Casino ultimately opened on the property in 1990.[101]
See also
Category:Defunct casinos in the Las Vegas Valley List of Atlantic City casinos that never opened

My 3 friends and I just got back from our 4 day trip to Vegas. We are all enrolled in college and turned 21 just this year. Due to our college student status, we are not rich. That being said, we all work year-round as well as go to school and wanted to visit Vegas. This is a summary of how 4 college kids did Vegas on a relatively low budget.
For starters, the 4 of us own and operate a small business for side income. Through a business partner, we were able to get a discounted room at any MGM resort. We chose to stay at the Bellagio in a room with 2 queen beds for around $225 a night. I am not sure what this room would normally cost, but I am positive there are many ways to get discounted hotel rooms in Vegas. We flew out of Cleveland to Vegas on a direct flight. Obviously, prices for this vary depending on where you fly out of and what dates you are flying. Our tickets cost around $300 per ticket round trip.
Upon arrival, we ate at a Quiznos in the airport because we were hungry from the 4-hour flight. We also bought 2 handles of Alcohol and a bottle of champagne at the airport liquor store so we could pregame in our hotel room before going out on the town. We decided to get them at the airport for convenience sake, but the prices were similar to typical liquor store prices on the bottles that we bought (about $5 more). We arrived at the Bellagio late the first night and we were pretty tired. We decided to go to the dispensaries so we had some greens for the trip. We first went to Planet 13 which advertises itself as “The only dispensary worth visiting”. It was very cool but very overpriced. We then went to Reef, which is across the street and this had a smaller selection but way better prices. We bought a couple of items and smoked one of them on our walk back to the Bellagio.
Side Note: None of us had been to Vegas before and we were not aware of how long it takes to walk down the streets. Only crossing roads on bridges and having to walk through casinos and stores to get where you’re going adds a lot of extra time than we were used to.
That being said, I don’t recommend walking 1.5 miles in Vegas lol. We were pretty high and had insanely dry mouths at this point so we stopped at CVS across the street from the Bellagio and bought some water. We went to our room and went to bed for the night.
The next day we woke up and ventured to In n Out for some cheap burgers and fries. From there, we Ubered to Old Vegas because we were told that is where the cheap table minimums are. We visited almost all of the casinos on that street and got players cards at each of them. Some players cards allowed us to play free slots or match table bets. Our favorite on this strip was the casino called Plaza. We ate a lot of Chinese food for only $7 at one of the casinos on this strip but I do not remember the name. That night we had tickets to the Diplo concert at XS nightclub in the Wynn. We got some Taco Bell, pregamed in our room and Ubered to the club. 3 of us entered the club and my other buddy forgot his ID at the Bellagio. In a dumbass attempt, he tried to hop the rope but was quickly stopped and kicked out of the club. The rest of us were allowed to enter, but we decided against it because we wanted to all party together. $45 down the drain there. When we got back to the Bellagio we played a little bit of blackjack but at $15 a hand, we didn't stay long. We went up to the room in a drunken stupor, smoked a little bit in the stairwell then went to bed.
The next day, we started out with some Eggslut where I ate the best egg sandwich of my life for $9. We hung out at the Bellagio pool for a couple of hours where we drank and relaxed. After this, we Ubered to the Hooters casino to eat dinner and gamble some more. The dinner costed a bit more than what it would at a typical Hooters but we really wanted some wings and beer. Also, I want to mention that the girls at this Hooters were better than any I had ever been to before. We got a players card at hooters and I got a couple of match bets from it. We played on the $5 blackjack tables and we all walked away with at least $60 more than we started with. Another thing I thought was cool was that the dealers were Hooters girls so the experience was great all around.
We then hit up a lot of casinos on the strip. Our favorite was Luxor where we had a fantastic blackjack dealer and all of us won money again. A couple of days before the trip I found out about the MyVegas app and built up enough points for $25 match play at Luxor. I sat at the table with $40 and walked away with $220 so you could say that was a good day. We walked the rest of the casinos and played a couple of hands at all of them. I thought it was fun to get rewards cards at each casino and get free stuff. We ended the night drunk and with more money than we started with so we were all happy.
Our last day we had to check out of the Bellagio by 11 AM. Our flight wasn’t till 9 PM so we had a lot of time to waste. We put our bags in the bag storage at the Bellagio which is “free” with tip. After this, we went to Eggslut again because we liked it so much and it was next door at the Cosmopolitan. We went to Fashion Show Mall where we bought a couple of items and checked it out. This mall was one of the coolest I had been to because of all the stores I had never seen before. We went to an NBA summer league game that we were able to get into for free with the help of our business partner mentioned earlier. After this, we ate at Tacos El Gordo after being referred to it about 10 times during the trip. We finished our trip playing some $10 blackjack at the Flamingo before grabbing our bags and heading to the airport.
In the end, I spent about $1000 on the trip. But, thanks to winning money I only spent about $700 on the trip by the end. I think as a college kid, we were still able to do a lot of things in vegas and not spend too much money. I definitely want to go back when I have more money, but thanks to having a good knowledge of blackjack I was able to save $300 on the trip. I hope if you are a college kid with money questions about vegas this helped answer some of them.

I haven’t been to Vegas in more than 15 years, so I was really looking forward to playing some poker while we were there this past week. The wives had lots of things planned for our group so pretty much my only opportunity for a tournament was the 1 PM Sunday at the Flamingo.
$65 buy-in, $500 guaranteed prize pool, $20K stack. It was a small tournament with less than 30 players registered, 15 minute levels. There were a couple of obvious beginners, but for the most part everybody seemed fairly experienced.
I started off running pretty well, picked up several good pots and started building a decent stack. A few players drop out, the blinds go up, and then my luck starts running afoul. I’d be in the big blind, and get absolute shit for cards, and then I’d be raised. I felt like I was going to get blinded out, and there wasn’t a damn thing I can do about it. I managed to survive.
At this point we took a break, they colored up our chips, and redrew for seats at the final table. Fortunately I ended up with an aggressive player on my right instead of my left, and things started to go much better.
At this point we’d been playing for around three hours, and I feel like I’d picked up on a couple tendencies of my opponents. The gal who would eventually take second place, was not aggressive enough unless she had the absolute nuts, I was able to steal her blinds on several hands.
Eventually we hit the $20K/$40K level and soon after we were heads up. I had a pocket pair that held up against A,K suited, and just like that, I booked my first win of $472.00.
After playing only fundraising charity tournaments, and free mobile online poker for years, it felt amazing to hold my own in an actual casino.

So tonight it was all pool with multiple added riders every time!
(What's so great about that?)
I'm glad you asked.
First pick up... Venetian to Golden nugget. A fifteen minute ride at most....girl and her German boyfriend. Headed to I 15 on Sands... (added rider), we now have to pull a u-turn in front of Sands Convention center. Back to 7-11 at Twain and Paradise. Pick up one... Drive back towards freeway on Sands... (rider added)... Another u turn, same exact spot as the first u turn. Back to Corporate Drive and Paradise... Pick up another rider... Back to Venetian to drop him.... (rider added). Go to TI and pick up rider... Drop (7-11 guy) at Spearmint rhino....everyone gets to wait while I get my $20. Off we go (rider added, Trump International) pick up Trump. Drop TI guy at Peppermill... Drop Trump guy at Stratosphere...off we go, get to St Louis and Las Vegas Blvd (rider added) round the block, and back to Allure.
Original Pax girl is now on the phone crying "Sorry we are SO late... Took a pool to save money " (lol)
Pick up at Allure takes 12 minutes (and I wait) .... Drop at the D.
One hour and 18 minutes later I drop off OP (original pax) at GN.
I know two tourists who will never use pool again!
Best part was the way TI guy smelled!
I had no clue pool would add like that. I thought it was 2 stops max on a pool... So delighted it went so wrong for them!
Funny, as I was pulling the first u turn on Sands I muttered "oh here we go" girl asked what I meant and I explained how awful pool was on the way to pick up pax #2
She believed me by the end of the ride!
Uber x from GN to TI full car... Ping to Mirage (pool) as I drop. Three drunk girls show up (I say nothing and start trip (Mandalay Bay) (rider added) go to Caesars...two big guys show up (no room) They go off about the lack of space... ("nothing I can do, cancel if you want") they did at 7 minutes (fee for me) (rider added) go to Cosmo...two pax again ("no room, cancel if you can't fit") they did, another fee.
(rider added) at Monte Carlo... Single rider with suitcases. Drop at Mandalay Bay... Single guy is pissed I didn't go directly to airport and is whining about how he will be late... Go up Koval, turn on to Trop (rider added) Pirhanna at Naples... Two drunk guys added.... Off to airport. Drop at Terminal 3, one of the drunk guys starts complaining he has to pee (rider added) ha-ha! Off to the car rental center. Pick up 2 and head to Henderson.... Get to Green Valley Ranch (casino) drop car rental people, back to freeway. Pax starts do the "pee pee dance" (I can feel him fidgeting as I drive...there is actually a footprint in my back floor carpet from him pressing down on the floor so hard with his foot)
(Rider added) now it's off to Sam's Town.... (pee pee boys are going to Wagon wheel drive) "dude, you gotta stop, I can't hold it anymore" he gets out and pisses right there beside the car in a Dotty's parking lot....i can tell it is upsetting Sam's town couple. I don't care. Drop them.... Drop pee pee boys.
Head back to resort corridor.... Ping to Sunset Station... Pick up two drunk girls (21 if a day) (rider added) pick up Mr smooth at an apartment complex. He starts speed dating them. All the way to UNLV he hit on them.
Drop the poor girls at apartments near UNLV... (rider added) back to the Fruit loop.... Mr smooth smoothie is joined by two screaming queens.... Tables turn and they try speed dating him.
Drop smoothie off in Chinatown... (rider added) pick up a very straight southern couple at golden Tiki.... Uncomfortable silence to palace station, drop off queens at Palace Station (rider added)
Straight couple talk about how violated they feel all the way to pickup at SLS.... Pick up an obvious prostitute... More uncomfortable silence. Drop straight couple off at Circus circus manor.... Drop hooker off in the Alphabet streets.
(another tourist who will never use pool)
Third pool trip.
4 Queens to airport... Pick up two older women with luggage (rider added).. .off to Artesian. Pick up two guys, drop them at Linq... (rider added) go to Caesars....wait 15 minutes for 2 drunk girls.... Off to Mirage (you mean it's next door) (and the opposite direction from airport) ...drop off (rider added) at Mirage, going to Harrahs (across street) drop.... Head towards airport (rider added) pick up drunk at Tuscany suites (rider added) pick up another at Hard Rock....go to Twain and Swenson, drop off Tuscany drunk.... Go to IHOP on Maryland parkway and drop off second drunk (rider added).
Off to pick up at apartments at swenson and Flamingo.... Going to Trop and Wilber. (women are complaining they have 15 minutes to get to airport)
Drop at Liberace Mansion....back to Trop.... (rider added)...back north to Harmon and Paradise ...pick up.... Drop at MGM signature tower 2....off to airport again.
As we approach terminal 3 pax announced they are too late.. Blames me.... Books a room real quick and has me take them to Hooters....announces she is going to sue me as I drop them ("give me your full name! " No you stupid twat, you booked pool, it's YOUR FAULT.)
Whatever... Fuck pool fuckers, they got exactly what they deserved tonight!

This is our second trip to Vegas this year. This was not a typical Vegas trip as we planned on staying in most of our vacation.
The first trip, my wife and I dutifully spent 4 days visiting and sightseeing as much as possible.
This time around we were looking for a staycation away from home, and Vegas at this time was the most affordable.

 

Hilton Grand Vacations at the Flamingo
I dont know how old this property is, but it seems newish. I booked it in a hurry because it came with a one bedroom suite and a full kitchen. We wanted to stay in and just unplug so this place seemed perfect.
After booking we found out that the Flamingo Go Pool plays loud music everyday 9AM - 6PM during the warm seasons and that a lot of guests were super mad about being able to hear the non-stop music in their hotel room.
This worried me a lot and I tried to do more research on the place, but there was no conclusive evidence that the music wouldnt be bothersome. Some guests reported that the music was no bother, and others were furious.
Since I was staying 5 nights, I tried to tip the front desk $50 and asked for the quietest room they could get me because I heard about all the complaints. The receptionist refused the tip and said there wasnt much they could do but give me two options of rooms. One on a higher floor, overlooking the party pool, and the other on a very low floor in the corner. I guessed the lower floor would be quieter, because the higher room was directly in line of sight with the speakers.
Good new was that were not at all bothered with the music. Most days we couldnt hear it without focusing on it.

 

Day One - The entrance to the Hilton is hidden off to the right on the way to the Flamingo valet area. After unpacking real quick we headed out to get food and supplies for the week. We planned on going to Costco, but it was closed. We ended up going to Sprouts (which is great, but the meat and seafood counter didnt seem as fresh as in SoCal), Albertsons/Vons. We got a case of water, beer, steaks, cheeses, breads, and some veggies. When we got back to the hotel, we had the bellman bring up our groceries and got started on some steaks. We watched Game of Thrones and went to bed.
Day Two - We woke up, watched Game of Thrones, went to the Hilton pool (this is a separate pool from the Go Pool), drank some beers, made some lunch, and got dressed. Not necessarily in that order. In the evening we watched Beatles Love and it was awesome if you like the Beatles. We wanted to try Spagos, but they were closed so we walked across the street to White Castle. White Castle here is great, although I've never had it other than the frozen stuff. The frozen stuff actually tastes a like the fresh stuff, but I dont know if its a good or bad thing. We ate a bunch and were happy tho. Then we go some $1 beers at Casino Royale, lost $40 to slots and walked home.
Day Three - Same morning routine. Wake up, eat, drink, Game of Thrones, Minecraft. We met a friend and checked out Downtown Las Vegas. The entire street is fun with street performers and lots of bars. We decided on pizza at Pizza Rock, and was not impressed. Their famous margarita pizza is burnt. I like burnt charred foods, but the pizza was a little too much char and a little underdone. We tried a regular pepperoni pizza, which was better but nothing special. Then we spent most of our time at Oddfellows drinking cheap beer and waiting for karaoke. Oddfellows was a cool bar and they were playing Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (my favorite). The place reminded me if a hip bar scene in Los Angeles. We never made it to karaoke and retired for the night.
Day Four - Same morning routine. We went to lunch at Lotus of Siam. Great spot. We love Thai, and have our favorites here in LA. This place was as good as or better than some of our favorite spots. This video with Anthony Bourdain is a good guide for this place. We werent happy with our pizza the previous day, so we went out in search of Secret Pizza. Secret Pizza did not dissapoint. What I assume is the owner was working the pizza and he looked like he could have been related to the owner of one of my favorite NY pizza places. Last time we tried Pin-up Pizza, and its hard to say which one is better. They were both pretty close.
Day Five - We tried out the Go Pool. As a guest of HGV at Flamingo, we had a line pass to get in. The pool isnt as big as I imagined and it was bustling. It was surprisingly fun, and the DJ played some good songs. We hung out and enjoyed the pool for an hour or so. Watch where you step here though, I thought there were stairs leading into the pool and mis-stepped landing on my butt. I bruised my tailbone and it still hurts. :( We then went thrift store shopping. There are some large Goodwills here and we went to Savers. After thrift store shopping, we went back to the strip to the Hermes store in Caesars. We bought a nice scarf and checked out Spago's. Spago's was delicious, but we found that it wasnt as experimental feeling as the one in Los Angeles. No complaints about the food. We then checked out the High Roller. There was a guy selling tickets at the street entrance and sold tickets for $5 off. The High Roller was pretty amazing even without booze. It goes around once during your 30 minute ride and it is massive. Because it looks like a ferris wheel, I dont think people can wrap around their heads how big and how high this thing goes.
Day Six - We packed up and went to Wicked Spoon. First we went to the Las Vegas Advisor office to buy a coupon book for $37. It included a BOGO Wicked Spoon coupon, and we might use the other coupons later. Wicked Spoon is a nice buffet. The carving station meats were are very well done (the beef was served rare, but it was well done as in delicious). There were a lot of delicious things to try. In comparison with The Bachannal, we liked this place better. For the price, Bachannal wasnt worth it for us. The Wicked Spoon hit a good price to value ratio. On our way out, we played some roulette and won a little spending money. We hurried back to the Hermes store and picked up another scarf! On the way home to Los Angeles, we stopped by the oldest Del Taco. The food they had was of better quality than a regular Del Taco.

 
 

Anyway, I'd stay at the Hilton Grand Vacations at the Flamingo again. Its right by the strip near the center. Its a great value, and it comes with a bedroom and kitchen (they have a one room bedroom only rooms too)
Thanks Vegas!

http://community.eveonline.com/news/news-channels/eve-online-news/great-deals-for-our-eve-vegas-attendees/
Dear EVE Vegas attendees,
We've gotten some good deals for you in Las Vegas this year at businesses we feel confident in recommending.
**MARGARITAVILLE RESTAURANT LASVEGAS
15% discount on food and beverage**
Located @ the LINQ Promenade inside the Flamingo Hotel Casino
Show your EVE Vegas 2017 badge when you place your order. Not valid on Gift Cards, Happy Hour Pricing / Menus, Merchandise or Special Events.
VIRGILS REAL BBQ - LAS VEGAS
20% discount on food and beverage from October 6th-8th
Located @ the LINQ Promenade, right next door to the LINQ hotel and walkable from its pool area.
Show your EVE Vegas 2017 badge when you place your order. Not valid on Gift Cards, Happy Hour Pricing / Menus, Merchandise or Special Events.
CARMINES ITALIAN RESTAURANT LAS VEGAS
20% discount on food from October 6th-8th
Located @ The Caesars Forum Shops
Show your EVE Vegas 2017 badge when you place your order. Not valid on Alcohol, Gift Cards, Happy Hour Pricing, Merchandise or Special Events.
OMNIA NIGHTLUB
Complimentary expedited entry for Friday night, October 6, until 1 am
Headliner: Kaskade
Located @ Caesars Palace (just opposite the LINQ)
Please show your EVE Vegas wristband and printed ticket that is included in attendee gift bags. You must be 21 to enter and be there before 1 am. Dress code strictly enforced.
DRAIS NIGHTCLUB
EVE Vegas party attendees provided with complimentary entry for Saturday night, October 7
Headliner: Big Sean
Located @ rooftop of The Cromwell hotel.
All attendees of the EVE Vegas Saturday night party at Drais can stay on at the club after it opens to the public at 22:00. If you leave the club you can get a stamp at the door for re-entry. Only valid for those who attend the EVE Vegas 2017 party. You must 21 to enter. Dress code strictly enforced.
LAS VEGAS MONORAIL
Exclusive discount for attendees.
For further information and ticket booking visit: tickets.lvmonorail.com/EVEVegas2017
See you at EVE Vegas!

I am so thrilled with how our day (or rather weekend) went! I have loved the recap posts and budget breakdowns on this subreddit, (thanks to everyone for posting!) so here is ours for our 9-17-16 destination wedding in Vegas!
PICS!! http://imgur.com/a/wjuW6

• Decision to have our wedding in Vegas! – I am so happy we did this. In the final weeks of planning, both DH and I were having our doubts as to this decision simply because of planning travel as well, it’s planning a big group vacation! But I am so glad we did, from the guests that had never been to Vegas before, to the many that saw awesome shows and hit the town, to the others that took trips to the Grand Canyon, so many people really enjoyed it and made the most of it. Also a lot of our guests were very lucky gambling! Also working with all the vendors was a breeze, not a single issue with any one, all communications were on point and they were extremely accommodating.
• Guests breakdown – We invited a total of 84 people of which 5 were courtesy invites (too old to travel/bedridden) so that is really a total of 79. We had 47 attendees of the wedding, including 5 very last minute cancellations. The good thing about Vegas venues is they are so ON TOP OF WEDDINGS having last minute cancellations was not a big deal. We really got to hang out with each person and since it was more of a weekend than a day if we didn’t talk to them much at the reception we made time for them at brunch or the pool party the day after.
• Weekend itinerary – The Friday night before our wedding we had a “rehearsal” dinner with the immediate family. We didn’t need to actually rehearse, and since it was destination and everyone was traveling, we just limited it to our parents and siblings, it was perfect. Saturday we got ready starting at 11:30, first look was at 4:00, ceremony started at 5:30, the reception was from 6:30-10:30 with an after party at the Mirage casino that went late into the night. Everything went very smoothly, except from our ceremony to our reception, the limo got in a fender bender! They got us another limo very fast and we were only 15 minutes behind our scheduled arrival to the reception. Sunday we hosted a buffet brunch at Flamingo and then a pool party for the friends at the Flamingo pool, we had reserved a cabana and partied the day away. After that we said goodbye to our remaining guests to start our honeymoon which was just a bit more time in Vegas with some activities planned.
• Budget overall – total we spent a little over $16k on the wedding from everything to travel, ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, brunch, pool party, etc. My father generously gifted us about $10k. Other than that, we didn’t really have a budget, but we definitely spent a little more than I had thought we would. In the end, I think it was all worth it.
• Budget breakdown

1. $137 – Invitations – we didn’t do Save the Dates and just sent our invites very early, we used Zazzle and they turned out great.
   
2. $109 – Décor – Zazzle and Oriental Trading Company. We printed some table numbers, a sign for our seating chart, and our seating chart was decks of cards with guest’s names and table numbers on them. Other than the centerpieces, that was all we did!
   
3. $1040 – Bridal look – my dress was only $99 from David’s Bridal, but I spent $450 in alterations! My shoes ($129) hurt so bad I only wore them for 45 minutes. I forgot my veil ($55) in the room, oops! My hair and makeup was my favorite part, Amelia C & Co were simply amazing and did exactly what I wanted for hair and makeup.
   
4. $786 – Groom look – Hugo Boss suit ($438 outlet mall), alterations, tie, shoes, cuff links, tie clip (he will wear all this again, so excluded from wedding budget)
   
5. $1800 – Travel – dogs & cat boarding, flights, hotels, airport parking
   
6. $350 – Getting Ready Lunch – I ordered room service and mimosas and my mom gifted party platters from Firehouse Subs for the girls while we got ready.
   
7. $2750 – Ceremony – Caesar’s Palace, included outside photographer fee, video, bouquet, MOH bouquet, 2 boutonnieres, keyboardist, officiant, 1 nights stay in Palace Tower
   
8. $300 – Shuttle – Bell Transportation. From ceremony to reception we took 2 shuttles and a limo. The limo was just FH and I and perhaps one of my favorite parts, just having that 10 minutes to ourselves right after the ceremony to be like “OMG WOW WE ARE MARRIED!”
   
9. $800 – Photography – Todd Wilson, 6 hours. You can get pretty good deals in Vegas. This included touchups/editing and all digital copies. He was awesome.
   
10. $5875 – Reception – 49 people at Maggiano’s Little Italy. Included 3 appetizers, 4 main dishes and 1 side, 2 deserts, all served family style and full bar with beewine/mixed drinks for 4 hours. Also this includes our floral centerpieces for 6 tables and the projector for our slideshow. Everyone raved about the food, it was the best decision we made for sure!
    
11. $800 – Photobooth – Shutterbooth. Excellent decision, our guests loved it! We also made this our guestbook, part of the service was the guests put a copy of their photostrip in a book and signed next to it, directed by the attendant. It made a lovely keepsake for us.
    
12. $1089 – Rehearsal Dinner – 10 people at Julian Serrano in Aria. Excellent restaurant with top notch customer service. The tapas style was fun for a group.
    
13. $1493 – Brunch – 35 people at Flamingo Paradise Buffet. It was a good deal on brunch for the strip and included unlimited beer, mimosas, and bloody marys. DH and I had matching outfits that was super fun to put together and everyone loved it. It was great to spend more time mingling with our guests.
    
14. $632 – Pool Party – Cabana rental (included bottle of Vodka and mixers) and we bought some beer for the party. Other people bought their own drinks/beer buckets as well so we had plenty. The pool party was one of our favorite things for sure, we never splurge for things like bottle service/cabana and it felt so luxurious.
    

• What I was nervous about – The flow of our reception and using Spotify mostly. We were not doing many traditional elements and didn’t have a DJ. I had my maid of honor help us in the hallway bustling my skirt, and then she simply opened the doors and her husband announced us to walk in, no DJ needed! We started up a slideshow that DH and I made. Then we did end up having a toast. We originally said no toasts but my dad asked if he could, and since I trusted him to not be embarrassing we decided to say yes, boy was I glad we did! It was the most amazing, well thought out, and hilarious speech and I couldn’t stop smiling. Then we went straight into dinner. We didn’t do cake, just had our venue’s deserts (tiramisu and an apple crostata) and no bouquet toss. But we did have a “first dance” basically the playlist (which we made, since, no DJ) hit a certain song, we went to the dance floor and started dancing. We told our parents to come up during a certain spot and they did. Then during our second song, everyone joined in on the dance floor. I was so nervous that just simply starting dancing would be awkward with no DJ/announcer but it was FINE!! Then our dance music started and it was perfect.
• Playlist – We used Spotify and downloaded the playlist offline on our iPad and had a second tablet with it downloaded just in case. I had a spreadsheet of all the songs/times that I used to make everything timed perfectly so we could just hit play at the beginning. I can’t believe it worked as well as it did, I was definitely nervous about this part, but I spent many hours working on it, making sure each song flowed, and the timing was right so we would not have to worry about it. The about 4 hour playlist is here and it goes from dinner music to first dance (The Luckiest) to dance party. Here is a screenshot of my Spotify (didn’t post a link because didn’t want my account name on there and couldn’t figure out a better way!) http://imgur.com/a/NatFu

Sorry for the length of this post, I just was so excited to post my recap. I could talk for ages about it all! I have really loved weddit throughout the planning, yall are the most supportive group and it was great to see yall’s lovely weddings and hear your opinions! I was full of anxiety and reading everyone’s posts and comments really helped! Our wedding day was most importantly filled with love and joy and it was the best day of my life. Good luck and congrats to everyone!
edit: formatting and fixed a few details.

Hello!! I posted a couple months back with questions about my upcoming Vegas stay with my two kids (ages 9 and 11). We just got back and everyone’s advice here was so helpful. So, thank you!!
Here is my report on some of the most pressing questions I had in case it’s of any use to any future travelers.
Hotel - We did end up staying at the MGM Grand. It was OK, but there was no in-room mini fridge or coffee maker, making (economical) snacking and early mornings a bit tougher. Also, the pool area was fun, but the lazy river is currently not operating (no notice and no explanation why) and the pool area is a LONG walk from the rooms. Also, and this sub warned me, it’s too far south and away from where we really wanted to be for most of our experiences. Wish we had been more central so a quick trip to something outside the hotel did t seem like a total journey.
Transportation - Just UbeLyft everywhere. We spent the whole first day doing the monorail and we spent a majority of that time walking to/from the stations and getting tired just getting to our ultimate destinations. Once we figured out ride share locations, it was a game changer and made everything a lot faster and easier. Most of our rides were like $6, and monorail passes for the 4 of us for 24 hours were $52, so probably cheaper in the end just to Lyft/Uber.
Smoke - So, it’s definitely there. One thing I didn’t like about the MGM was the smoke seemed much more prevalent than in the newer casinos, which is another reason I’d probably pick a different hotel with kids. The other thing is just being constantly on guard. I went full mamma bear once when a drunk guy smoking a cigarette tried to get on an elevator with me and my kids. I’d really like to see more places be smoke free, it just seems unnecessary and has got to do serious damage to all the people that work in the casinos.
Dining - The Secret Pizza recommendation was a great success and an awesome way for us to explore with a destination in mind that first day. We also did the buffet at the Bellagio for breakfast and Morimoto. For our last dinner. The buffet was super impressive for the kids, and I enjoyed it as well. Morimoto was expensive, I’ll leave it at that. We had fun just trying new things as they came across our path - it’s definitely an amazing foodie destination.
Other hits with the kids during the trip:

• The Hershey’s store in New York New York - OMG, had to drag them out of there after plying them with chocolate.
  
• The conservatory at the Bellagio.
  
• The High Roller - we went at night and got to watch the Bellagio fountain show from up high. Found out later that you get a significant discount with any purchase at the Flamingo, just FYI.
  
• The cupcake ATM at the Sprinkles cupcake shop at the Linq - beat the line and watch automation in action!
  
• The Milk Bar at the Cosmo - actually, that whole hotel we were pretty impressed with.
  
• The strawberry tart at the Madeline Cafe in the Paris. We really enjoyed that hotel most of all and if we came back, would probably stay there. Great location, low key family vibe, and lots of interesting dining options that are not super celebrity chef focused.
  

My only other tip would be to go during the week if you are going with kids. We noticed a significant uptick in drunken antics/big crowds/long lines from Thursday night to Friday night.
The kids had a great time and I think learned a bit. Again, I really appreciate everyone’s great advice and help - it was definitely overwhelming to get used to, but having your tips in mind helped make the transition smoother and the whole trip more enjoyable.

I am an EDC virgin but go to Vegas at least twice a year for various reasons. I know many are staying on the Strip but concerned about finances so I thought I would share some personal knowledge.
Anyone else with tidbits or suggestions feel free to comment as it benefits all of us!!
Hotels:
Strongly suggest centenorth center strip for various reasons I will outline later. Flamingo, Harrah's and Linq are all good for those pinching pennies due to excellent money saving options nearby and the usually low nightly rate.
All three have Monorail access which is a good deal, especially with a MyVEGAS voucher (more on that later). Monorail is a very easy way to get up and down the Strip efficiently and with a low cost.
Westgate LV is off Strip but also recommended due to Monorail access.
Linq- Rooms are a bit small but the crowd is a bit younger and likely to have plenty of ravers. Pool is small but very lively. Nice modern renovation and the Linq shops and restaurants are affordable and easily accessible.
Flamingo- Cheap eats, FANTASTIC and very lively pool scene (Best pool in Vegas to party outside of the premium pools IMO). It has two pools with the large and beautiful one being adults only!!
GO rooms are excellent, Fab rooms are meh BUT most include a couch to easily sleep 5 people. Access to Linq district same as Linq hotel itself.
Harrah's- Nothing special but great price and location with clean rooms. Pool is not good. Carnival Court can be a blast if it has a good crowd and usually has no cover. Easy access to center strip perks.
Drinking:
The Big properties charge outlandish prices for beer and cocktails to encourage gambling. Of course if you gamble the drink service is usually slow with the following exceptions
Casino Royale: Very small but drinks are very fast to come and if you tip a bit they will keep them coming. Play 5 cent video poker and have fun!
Cromwell: Small Casino with more upscale offerings but usually has great speed of service due to size. Also a beautiful Casino.
If you want to drink but not gamble the following are ABSOLUTES for your trip.
Casino Royale- Main bar has $1 Michelob bottles $1 Coors Light drafts and $2 well drinks all day every day! Take advantage of this!! "Premium" spirits and shots at the most are like 5 bucks. We like to shoot fireball and it's like 3 bucks. This place will SAVE your budget!!
Stage door- Located directly behind the Cromwell just off the strip this place has drink specials galore. Drank many a $3 Crown or Grey Goose cocktails in my days. Place is the absolute definition of a dive bar but it's fun and the locals who frequent there are hilarious.
Senor Frogs- Located at treasure Island they have open bar on Sunday,Wednesday and Thursday for like 35 bucks. They also frequently have Groupons available to get the same special for 25 bucks. Includes draft beer, wells and house wine. Nice patio as well.
Carlos and Charlie's- Similar to Senor Frogs, same ownership and they also have a few nights a week with a cheap open bar. Located at Flamingo.
Food:
Center strip has a variety of cheap eats in the hotels, the Linq area, and just off strip. Love the Flamingo pizza place (24 hours!!) 2 dollar hotdog at Casino Royale and getting buffets from MyVEGAS
MyVEGAS
If you aren't playing this you really need to. It's a slots game partnered with MGM hotels to get discounted dining, rooms, shows ect
My strategy would be for you and your group to get 2 for 1 buffet passes and just split the cost to make dining at Buffets Like Bellagio, Aria, MGM and others much more affordable!
Also the two for one Monorail prices are awesome. They have a Facebook game and mobile apps which are all different but combine your reward points to make earning a breeze.
This is just a quick start guide based on personal experiences. If anyone else has any options or advice please share!

I am a former local(moved away from Las Vegas, not by choice) and I go back to Las Vegas at least twice a year, for Labor Day week for the first week of College Football and for March Madness. Stayed for a week, Sunday-Sunday.
Transportation
Flew in on Delta Airlines, and rented a car. I strongly recommend renting a car if you fly in. Las Vegas is bigger than you think, and cab rides/Ubers can rack up quickly. A car is great for convienience. It's better to have a car and not need it, than to need a car and not have one. Makes it easier to get around to places and expand your options of things to do. I did a lot of driving and only had to get gas once, which was $23 to fill up the tank. I paid $110 for the Rent Car for the Week, so I think $135 is a great price to have a car at your disposal to use for an entire week.
Hotel
I stayed at the Palms Place. When I was a local, the Palms was my favorite casino to hang out at. It's off the strip and away from the hustle and bustle and traffic, yet close enough to still feel a part of the action. They have a good, clean casino, a younger clientelle, a great sportsbook, and a pool that has the perfect ratio of quality to crowd. It's a big clean pool, but its not busy and crowded with dozens of kids running around like you find at the strip pools. This pool does get crowded on Fridays for Ditch Fridays, so I went to the Palms Place pool that day.
Palms Place is a great hotel for the price. It's a 4.5 star hotel according to the website I booked it on, Hotwire. You can get this hotel for cheap on Hotwire. It's the only 4.5 star hotel listed in the "West of Strip" zone, so its not difficult to get this one at a discount in the Hotwire Hot Rate section. When all was said and done, after taxes and resort fee, I spent about $700 for the 7 nights, so roughly $100 a night. That's not bad at all, especially for a holiday weekend. My room was on the 23rd floor with great panoramic views of the entire strip, from downtown to Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. It's a large studio/condo style room with 2 flat screen TVs, a kitchenette, and a jacuzzi tub amongst other things.
Please realize resort fees are a thing and no, you can not negotiate your way out of them(unless you do some heavy gambling I am assuming). Both when I was checking in and checking out there was someone bitching about the resort fee to the front desk agent and trying to get it waived as if they didn't know about them. Every hotel in Las Vegas has them, deal with it or don't stay in a Las Vegas hotel.
Pic of hotel room: http://i.imgur.com/UGwF9Rf.jpg
Pic of the view from hotel room, day: http://i.imgur.com/hp7AKvD.jpg
Pic of view from hotel room, night: http://i.imgur.com/VOeLZoV.jpg
Pic of Palms Pool, Monday: http://i.imgur.com/otSaorR.jpg
Food
As a former local, I pretty much stuck to my go-to local spots when I lived there. There is no need to spend a fortune on food while you are here, you can find good eats for cheap. Most places on and around the strip are tourist traps. I spent no more than $100 on food when I was here.
Sunday I went to a place I loved when I lived here, a burger place called Original Tommy's. They serve burgers, with chili. It's a concept that works very well. I think this place is only in Nevada and Southern California. But it was the first place I went. I ordered a double cheeseburger and chili cheese fries. Cost about $10. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/tbDUyru.jpg
Monday I went to the Studio B Buffet at The M. I am not a big fan of buffets. I feel like if I am going to eat a lot of food, I'd rather eat a lot of one genre of food item that is above average, than a lot of mass produced average food. I went anyway since I still had a complimentary buffet from my last visit. This is still one of the better buffets in Las Vegas, and I'd say the best bang for your buck. It was $24.99 for dinner the night I went. The carved tri tip roast was really good. The other food I ate was average at best, but its buffet food. Still a lot better than places like Golden Corral. But the real highlight of this place is the dessert bar. One of the better buffet dessert bars in Las Vegas. Really good Gelato, and every dessert you can think of. I'd say its worth it for the desserts alone. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/ZDtw8I4.jpg
Tuesday I went to a local pizza place called Napoli. This place has great NY style pizza. What is great about this place is they have a special, which is a 16 inch one topping for $8.99 for pickup. That's a great deal. I bought a 6oz cup of their house made ranch dressing for a dollar so all together it was $11. You can also get free garlic balls if you text a number on the menu. Great value. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/vt6iVCh.jpg
Wednesday I went to a place that everyone should be familiar with, In N Out Burger. This place is on the west coast and in Texas only. It doesn't exist where I live, so I make sure to hit up this place each time I go. I ordered a 3x3 animal style, a double double animal style and animal fries. $13 total. Before you call me a pig, realize when I was here I only ate once a day to keep my calories down. It was good, as usual. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/SWO2eII.jpg
Thursday and Saturday I went to perhaps my overall favorite place to eat in Las Vegas. I love it so much I went twice. It's a hole in the wall wing place on Sunset Blvd called The Chicken Shack. They have the best wings and the best fries. I don't know how they do it but it can not be replicated anywhere. The wings are big and juicy, instead of small and slimy like the ones you get at places like Buffalo Wild Wings. They are also breaded and fried, something you don't see often with wings. The fries are close to shoestring size, but they taste so good. I don't know if its the seasoning, or the batter, or what, but the fries are heavenly.
It's a hole in the wall place thats small and always busy, not much seating. I went on Thursday around 2:30pm or so and the line was nearly out the door. I ordered the #1 Combo which is 6 wings(which are so big its like 12 wings anywhere else), fries and a drink for $9. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/mjmdY6j.jpg
Friday I went to a place I haven't been to before but heard good things. It is a place called Skinnyfats that is off I-15 between Mandalay Bay and South Point. It has two menus - a "healthy" menu which is food that would be considered healthy, and a "happy" menu which is food that tastes good but probably isn't healthy. Me being on vacation, I went with the happy side. Got the Patty Melt with Truffle Fries and the "Buff Chix", which is fried buffalo chicken tenders on top of truffle fries in a bowl topped with ranch dressing. The patty melt was probably the best patty melt I have ever had. It was great. The buffalo chicken tenders were average. I wasn't a big fan of the buffalo sauce they used. I am a sucker for anything buffalo, so this style of buffalo sauce was different. The truffle fries were average, I've had better.
Overall it was worth it for the patty melt alone. Their soda is really good too. It's house made sweetened with cane sugar. I got black cherry cola and it was excellent. Overall cost me $25. The place was very "hipster" in my opinion. The clientelle coming in was young, and if I had to describe them, I would say "Bernie Sanders supporters". Younger, millenial, hipster-ish, dyed hair, thick frame glasses, etc. I felt out of place with my button down pressed shirt and blue jeans. Almost everyone ahead of me and behind me in line, as well as those eating next to me, seemed to be eating off the healthy side of the menu. I am guessing that is the main draw of this place. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/G55y3Vt.jpg
Activities
I am a big sports fan so my week revolved around the sports books mainly. I spent a lot of time watching for college football line moves, and traveling to the certain book that was dealing the line I was looking for. Made wagers at 11 different books. Which was a pain on Saturday Night when I had to go to all those casinos to cash my winning tickets. I made a bet at Treasure Island(because they were the only book dealing a certain line), and I didn't mind if it didn't win because that meant I would have to navigate my way through the strip traffic and parking garage mess to cash it. The ticket won and I had to go to Treasure Island at midnight on Saturday to cash it. With the strip and parking garage traffic, took me a good 45 minutes. Now you know why locals avoid the strip when possible.
As far as watching sports there is no better place to do it than Westgate. This is my first time there since it got renovated and they did a good job. You should easily find a seat at this book during the week, but be careful on College Football Saturdays, NFL Sundays and March Madness. You have to show up early if you don't want to stand. On Saturday I got there at 7:45am, an hour 15 minutes before the 9am kickoffs and the place was already 75% full. If you want to bet, get your bets in the night before. The betting window lines were 75 people deep about 30 minutes before the 9am kickoffs.
Westgate Book, Thursday: http://i.imgur.com/1KA5ffL.jpg
South Point Book, Friday: http://i.imgur.com/xLwArwL.jpg
Westgate Book, Saturday around 9am: http://i.imgur.com/sjDpouv.jpg
I went downtown on Tuesday Night. If you haven't been downtown, I strongly recommend going to check it out at least once just to do it. It's different. If you have been, I only recommend going downtown if you are going with a purpose, i.e. to gamble, drink, watch the free concerts and street acts, do the zipline, etc. Unfortunately, I just went downtown just to go, and so I felt like it was a waste of time since I didn't do anything other than just walk around a bit and see what was new. It was my first time going downtown in 4 years, but it was mostly the same.
Pic of Downtown: http://i.imgur.com/NQN4CQO.jpg
On Wednesday Night I went bowling. Surprisingly this was one of the highlights of my trip. I went to the Red Rock Lanes at around 11am and bowled until it closed and had an absolute blast. On Sunday-Thursday After 11am, the games are only $1.50. So I must have bowled at least 10 games. 3 hours of fun for less than $20. South Point also has a bowling alley, and $1 per game bowling from 12am-8am Su-Th. So if you like bowling, there are good values to be had in the after hours.
Pic of Bowling Alley: http://i.imgur.com/fa2mGrl.jpg
DRINKING & GAMBLING
I didn't do any gambling apart from wagering on sports. I am a professional mathmetician, so I know how the deck is stacked against you on slot machines and table games. I prefer to put my mathematical ability into finding an edge betting on sports. Which I did well. Ended up winning about 10 units betting on college football when all is said and done. This is why renting a car helps, you can more easily travel across the different books to get the best lines.
I only drank once. Bought a bottle of Malibu and drank way too much of it. Since I was pouring it in my hotel room in the dark, I had no idea how much I was using. Ended up blacking out and spent all Wednesday hungover. It sucked. I swore off drinking the rest of the trip after that, it was miserable.
ADVICE
The biggest piece of advice I can give if you are traveling to Las Vegas is to rent a car and then the first place you go should be to Wal Mart or a grocery store and to buy gallon jugs of water. It's hot and you can get thirsty quickly. It's always good to have water on hand(unless you like drinking out of the tap).
If you want to walk the strip I recommend getting up early and doing it in the morning before it gets too hot. This way you can get around without the crowds and the clickers. You won't get the nighttime views and vibes but its easier to get around. The clickers are really annoying and its not just silent Mexicans clicking anymore. I was briefly on the strip Tuesday Night to go from Flamingo to the Linq. The short trek I made from the Linq to the Flamingo I encountered non-hispanic clickers and strip club promoters that were all up in my face and one of them screamed at me and called me a fag when I said I was not interested in the strip club he was aggressively promoting. I never recall them being so aggressive. I think strip clubs are trash that are run by trash and cater to trash, so its no surprise they have trash promoting them.
It seems like there are more panhandlers in Las Vegas since when I lived there, which is weird because I was in Las Vegas during the recession. They are everywhere and its annoying.
Avoid MGM Properties. I ended up doing so this trip to protest their charging for parking. I think its bullshit. Don't reward them. Which is a shame because I have a soft spot for Luxor and go there each time I am in Las Vegas to pay tribute to the first Las Vegas hotel I ever stayed at, back when Luxor was in its prime and one of the better strip properties.
CONCLUSION
Overall it was a great trip. Las Vegas is still my favorite place. I never wanted to move away, and will move back when I get the chance.

Just returned from the most epic week in Las Vegas with my husband! We budgeted about $1000 per person for the week, all expenses included. We went over by a couple hundred in the end. We planned a lot of activities and sightseeing in advance to avoid gambling too much out of boredom. We weren't very lucky at anything except blackjack, but we were able to leave Vegas at only $40 in the hole between the two us, which I consider a moderate success! And we weren't bored for a minute!
Day 1 (Wed 10/19)

• I flew from NC to Vegas on Frontier at $191 roundtrip after taxes and fees. It wasn't a luxurious experience, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I packed a medium-sized backpack within the "personal item" dimensions so I wouldn't have to pay a $35 carry-on fee. No employee measured (or even glanced at) my bag either way. My husband had a work conference in Vegas the following week and was allowed to bump his flight up a week, so his flight (Southwest) was already covered.
  
• Rented a car from Enterprise via a third-party site called carrentals.com. We got a new Toyota Corolla for the week at $151 after tax (just under $22/day). Used a Lyft credit to pick the car up at the location off Las Vegas Blvd, since it was about 5 times more expensive to rent from the airport location. All totally worth it! We used the car a lot each day. I would definitely rent a car again if I returned to Vegas. Next time I would probably take more advantage of free valet parking on the strip.
  
• Stopped by In-N-Out Burger for lunch. So good.
  
• Grabbed a some shelf-stable groceries to keep in our room. We made sandwiches here and there for odd meals and when we were driving or doing outdoorsy things. Saved us some money on drinks, snacks, and breakfast as well.
  
• Took a lap around Miracle Mile Shops to kill some time before check-in at 3. Pretty nice mall. Wanted to see the indoor rainstorm on the hour but never did locate it.
  
• I had booked a room at Mandalay Bay for 2 nights at $77/night with a $75 dining credit on the hotel's website using a promo code I found on smartervegas.com. At check-in I asked if there were any upgrades available, and we were offered to upgrade to the Delano for an additional $30 a night. We went ahead and did it, because why not?
  
• Before dinner, we grabbed drinks at Skyfall Lounge at the top of the Delano. We went during their happy hour, called "Sunset Hour," and watched a beautiful sunset over Vegas. Even the toilets had a view. I would recommend reservations--we had reservations and were allowed to sit at much better tables (on the balcony) than those without.
  
• For dinner, we went to Wolfgang Puck's LUPO Restaurant to use the rest of our dining credit. I also had a credit for a free bottle of wine from the MyVegas app. This meal wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was delicious enough to justify how much it cost. I had a steak that I didn't think was a great cut, and my vegetables were over-seasoned and over-salted. The atmosphere was nice but somewhat boring. I probably wouldn't bother dining here again, personally. We had a reservation but didn't need it. The place was mostly empty.
  
• After dinner, we saw Penn and Teller at the Rio. We got discounted tickets through Travelzoo at $46/person. Very good show. Penn and Teller came out front for pictures afterward. Teller talked to us!
  

Day 2 (Thurs 10/20)

• Woke up to a window washer hanging outside the window.
  
• Had a late brunch/early lunch at Ellis Island. No frills, good value and large portions.
  
• Went on a free tour of a light art installation called Akhob by James Turrell hidden in a secret floor in the Louis Vuitton Store at the Shops at Crystals. This was such an awesomely strange experience! We had fun feeling like we were "in" on a secret, and the installation itself was also very cool. Reservations are definitely required for this one. They said they were booked out about a month.
  
• Walked around CityCenter. The Shops at Crystals and Aria were beautiful and had many sights to see (water features, art exhibits, etc.). We wandered into Vdara as well, which looked very nice, but was not much to look at in terms of sightseeing.
  
• Visited Bellagio. A definite must-see in Vegas. We watched our first fountain show (our first dose of "Uptown Funk"), walked through the garden conservatory, admired the Chihuly glass in the lobby, took a look at the chocolate fountain, and shared a cup of gelato.
  
• Took a 30-minute ride on the High Roller Observation Wheel. I was lucky enough to nab a voucher for $25 for 2 for a daytime ride with open bar a couple months ago on Travelzoo (prices have gone way up since). We went right as the sun was setting and it was wonderful. The bartender was great and churned out drinks like a boss. She gave us shots to do together as a group at the top, and even made everyone drinks "to go" at the end. If you go, be sure to grab a spot on the side facing the strip (the close side when you walk in).
  
• Had dinner at Gyu Kaku using a Livingsocial voucher I had gotten with a promo code. We had never been to a grill-your-own-meat place before. We got some kind of meat sampler. Everything was delicious. My husband was obsessed. Weirdly, the place was nearly empty, even around 7pm.
  
• Wandered around Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops. Worth a visit. Watched the fish in the big tank for a few minutes, then caught the 8pm Fall of Atlantis animatronic show. We had a good laugh at the plot of the show and lost it at the king's broken hand dangling and flopping around during his grand gestures. There must have been a screw loose. We thought it was totally hilarious, and it became a running joke of our trip.
  
• Caught the 9pm Fire show at the Mirage. Very cool free attraction to see up close...you can hear the fire whirring and feel the heat whack you in the face.
  
• Saw Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage at 9:30. Yeah, okay, we overdid it. We were really tired at this point. I had gotten one free ticket through MyVegas so it was basically half price. We were too tired to really enjoy the show. It looked really cool, the costumes and props were spectacular, and the performers were talented, but we just never really got "into" it. We were jet-lagged and had trouble staying awake after our long day. We were in the back row of section 201, and while we could see pretty well, I think being just 3 or 4 rows closer (with a cup of coffee in my hand) would have been an improvement.
  

Day 3 (Fri 10/21)

• Decided to head out of town for Fri-Sat to see Zion and Grand Canyon, to avoid the crowds and higher weekend hotel prices.
  
• Stopped by Donut Bar in downtown on our way out toward Zion. These donuts in there were completely bonkers and we had trouble deciding which ones to get. They were very good. We got a couple extra for the next morning, but they were no good by the second day.
  
• Drove to Zion National Park, parked on the side of the road in a stretch where there were some other cars already parked, and rode the bus to the last stop to hike the Narrows. We both felt this was one of the major highlights of the trip. The hike was exhilarating and a bit challenging without being too frustrating. We had the. best. time. We didn't bother renting any gear and we were totally fine. We wore $8 neoprene fin socks for scuba diving I bought on Amazon with some old beat-up sneakers. This worked great because our feet were warm, and we didn't get blisters because our shoes were already comfortably molded to our feet. A lot of other hikers seemed to be stopping for breaks because they were having trouble with blisters and/or cold feet. We scavenged for walking sticks down at the entrance to the narrows. I had read there were usually some left there from previous hikers. My husband found a scrap of 1x2 and I found a pool cue. They looked a bit silly, but you really just need them for feeling around in the water. I doubt the sticks they had for rent would really be a vast improvement.
  
• Waited on a long line to get a bus back to the front of the park. A lady mentioned something about some kind of school holiday in the area, so maybe that's why there were so many people there.
  
• Went back to our car to find a $50 parking ticket. Damn!
  
• Drove up the scenic drive overlooking the park on the way out. It was a bit too dark to see very well at that point, but we got a bit of the view.
  
• Drove to Page, AZ for the night. Stayed at Best Western - View of Lake Powell at $94/night. I don't stay at Best Western a lot, so I don't know what they are usually like, but this was much nicer than I expected for the price! It was situated atop a hill overlooking Lake Powell.
  

Day 4 (10/22)

• Stopped by Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell to check out the views of the lake. It was very beautiful and serene here. Not too many people, either. Would be great if you have a boat.
  
• Stopped for pictures of Glen Canyon Dam, the dam that forms the lake. Cool dam.
  
• Drove to Horseshoe bend and hiked the short hike to the edge. Definitely worth a stop. Lots of photo ops. There were more people here than I expected, but plenty of rocks to climb on for everyone.
  
• Had reserved a spot on a tour of Antelope Canyon, but skipped it because we had decided to sleep in somewhat late that morning. Maybe next time. Heard good things from other travelers.
  
• Drove to Grand Canyon National Park and followed the route along the south rim, stopping at the various viewpoints (Desert View Watchtower, Navajo Point, Lipan Point, Grandview Point). It was a beautiful day to see the Grand Canyon. Ate a bag lunch at one of the overlooks. I was a bit sick with a cold and unable to hike long, but enjoyed some light walking along the Rim Trail starting at South Kaibab. If I come back in the future and I'm not sick, I'd like to do some more rigorous hiking. For our purposes on this trip, one day at the Grand Canyon was sufficient.
  
• Rode a bus to one last viewpoint for sunset. I believe it was called Hopi Point. It was a bit crowded, but a very nice view.
  
• Had some mediocre pizza at a place called We Cook Pizza and Pasta. I can't say I recommend it. It tasted a lot like frozen pizza. There really wasn't any restaurant in town we could find with decent reviews online except RP's Stage Stop, but that one closed at 5pm, so we had to settle.
  
• Stayed at Best Western again-- Best Western Primier Grand Canyon Squire Inn, in Tusayan, at $106/night. We were able to upgrade to the newest building for free by signing up for Best Western Rewards. This was another pleasant surprise! Our room was very nice, and everything was brand new. The main building had a little bowling alley and arcade, where we ran into a couple from Ireland we had encountered already at Penn and Teller and Caesar's Palace in Vegas. What are the chances of that?
  

Day 5 (Sun 10/23)

• Drove from Tusayan toward the Hoover Dam and pulled off at Williams, AZ for breakfast. This was an unplanned stop that we really enjoyed. Williams really plays up the Route 66 and "small town USA" nostalgia. We ate at Pine Country Restaurant simply because it looked popular. Our meal was very good. We enjoyed strolling down the main street for a little bit and popped in a few kitschy little gift shops.
  
• Visited the Hoover Dam. We looked at the dam from the bridge, then looked at the bridge from the dam. It is a very impressive sight, and definitely worth pulling off the highway to see it. We impulsively decided to go on the dam tour after we chatted with some people finishing up the tour who gave it glowing reviews. It was a decent dam tour, but we probably could have done without the dam tour. It was interesting, but crowded and a bit anticlimactic, in my opinion.
  
• Drove back to Las Vegas and checked into Excalibur. Definitely a step down from where we were, but not too terrible. The location was good, and the price was right. I booked two nights at $44/night with a $30 dining credit using a promo code from smartervegas.com, and the third night was free via MyVegas points. My research had indicated that the "Royal Tower" was newly renovated, so we requested a room in that tower at check-in. The lobby and hallways looked like they needed an update, but our room was pretty nice once we were in there. I had no major complaints, except that the TV gave us some trouble and Robert Irvine from "Restaurant Impossible" was peering into our window at all hours. We didn't hang out in the casino much because the service wasn't great. There were a lot of glasses and ashtrays laying around, and the machines had trouble reading vouchers. We did enjoy the $5 blackjack tables, which were a little bit harder to find elsewhere.
  
• Went on a club crawl. This was unnecessary. I booked it through Groupon in advance, thinking it would save money on cover, but we were handed a lot of "free entry" passes from club promoters on the street to get into decent clubs, so we didn't really need it. It would be good to go this route if you had a group of all males, or if you were going out on a busy weekend night, or if you just wanted to meet a group of random people. In the end, we just ended up spending half the night trying to track down our group (of about 12 male accountants who already knew each other), which wasn't really worth it.
  

Day 6 (Mon 10/24)

• Went to check out the older casinos downtown this day. Downtown was a bit more rough around the edges than the strip (as expected), but still worth the visit.
  
• My schedule had an option have breakfast at The Beat, but we decided to sleep in instead.
  
• Went to lunch at Carson Kitchen. It was raining, and everyone was kind of freaking out about how it was raining. The place was mostly empty, so we got a great seat at the counter where we could watch the chef working and see all of the food coming out. Everything we had was delicious. Everything we saw coming out looked like it would be delicious, too. Our waiter was good. He insisted we get the bread pudding, because it would change our lives. It did.
  
• Walked to Fremont Street and played the vintage slots at The D. We enjoyed a bay of penny slot machines with some sort of Inferno/Devil theme and won a bit of money. We also played the vintage horse derby machine, which ate up a bunch of our money but was a fun time. There was a lot of screaming and cheering going on.
  
• Popped into Golden Nugget and watched the shark tank for a bit. We were surprised at the number of sharks they fit in there. Very interesting to watch. Also looked at the giant gold nugget on our way out (it's just a giant gold nugget).
  
• Ate dinner at Itsy Bitsy Ramen and Whiskey. We had a Groupon again. This place was virtually empty as well (maybe it was the rain?) but was also very good. My bowl of Ramen was big enough to swim in, and the broth was perfect.
  
• Walked back to Fremont Street to watch the Fremont Experience light show at 7. It was some kind of weird alien show and the graphics weren't great, but the scale was impressive. The Slotzilla zipliners were fun to watch and added to the festiveness.
  
• Went to Banger Brewing Company because I had a Groupon to use on a flight of beers and a couple pints. We had a reservation to go on their free tour earlier in the day, but missed it because we completely forgot about it. Oops. Either way, sitting at a table in the bar to drink our beer was a good little break from the sensory overload. We sat and played a couple board games while people-watching through the window.
  
• Grabbed a couple of cocktails at The Golden Tiki. Groupon again. Just a fun little tiki bar. I had something with Dole Whip which was pretty good. It was the most busy place we had seen all day, but we were still able to find an empty table.
  
• Went back to the strip to see the Cosmopolitan. This is a very impressive, glitzy hotel. If I were to describe it in one word, it would be "sparkly." We had fun looking for the Secret Pizza restaurant. We tried to not cheat too much in looking for hints online. We were on the guest list to go to Marquee, but were too tired to get dressed up and go to a club at this point.
  
• Walked the middle part of the strip on foot. Walked farther north than we planned. Stopped in the Piano Bar at Harrah's and sang along with a few oldies. The pianist was entertaining and worked his own funny/dirty lyrics into the songs. Even more fun to watch was the crowd getting really into it. People from all walks of life belting out songs in unison. We didn't stay very long because there was nowhere for us to sit.
  

Day 7 (Tues 10/25)

• Had lunch at Capo's Speakeasy. I got a voucher on Travelzoo for $30 worth of food for $15 with a sign up discount of $10 off. I figured for $5, I'd be happy with anything. You need a password to get in. Well, kind of. It's silly and fun. They were playing some hilariously over-the-top old mob movies on the TVs. The food was pretty good and portions were generous. I really, really liked the fries drizzled with sauce.
  
• Visited the Wynn. It is a very pleasant place. Saw the flower sculptures, parasols, lake, and water features. We weren't here too long. Just wanted to check it out.
  
• Visited the Grand Canal Shoppes. Watched the gondolas and some performers milling about. Got a piece of chocolate from a guy on stilts.
  
• Visited the Palazzo. Admired the waterfall in the atrium. Visited the casino and won some money on a Britney Spears slot machine. Thus began our addiction to Britney Spears slot machines.
  
• Showed up at to the Flamingo to see a show by a guy called Jeff Civillico. Turns out, his show is cancelled through the end of the year. No biggie. The tickets were cheap on Travelzoo. They said they had already sent refunds out. I must have missed the memo. Went to look at the live flamingos for a few minutes instead. This wasn't bad, but nothing spectacular. A bit smelly.
  
• Went to Paris, walked around, and did a bit of gambling. Britney was good to us again. There was a live band playing on one side of the casino and some random exotic dancers on a bar in the middle.
  
• Had dinner at Hexx with a Groupon (of course). We had a reservation and were sat out on the deck with a good view for people watching. Our food and service were very good. We had some fries that had a bunch of gravy and stuff on top that looked like a total mess but tasted really good.
  
• Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower with a Groupon (duh) for $30 for 2. There was no line. We just had to wait for the elevator to come down. We got to the top a bit before 9pm. Of all the views of the strip we saw, this was probably my favorite. You're high enough to see everything, but low enough to hear the hustle and bustle and street performers below. The view of the Bellagio fountains from above is spectacular. We caught 2 full shows. We were even able to see the Mirage fire show again at 9.
  
• Went back downstairs to the bar at Hexx for cocktails. I had a voucher for BOGO specialty cocktails from MyVegas. They were decent. We didn't really need them, though.
  
• Went into Omnia at Caesar's Palace for a little while, mostly just to see it. Very cool atmosphere. Very crowded, even early in the night. Male to female ratio was off, if that's important to you, but that didn't matter to us.
  

Day 8 (Wed 10/26)

• Had lunch at Tacos El Gordo. We had no idea how to order, but whatever tacos we ended up with were very good and authentic. The line wasn't too bad when we got there around 11:30. We ordered 6 tacos, but probably would have liked a couple more because they were small. The line was too long by the time we finished to bother getting more, though.
  
• Popped into Peppermill Fireside Lounge nearby, just for a few minutes, out of curiosity. Very cozy, retro-looking little place with little fires at the booths in the lounge. The restaurant seemed to be popular at lunchtime.
  
• Last stop was Treasure Island. There wasn't much to see here in terms of sightseeing except a pirate ship out front and few artsy pieces here and there, but we read it was one of the better casinos on the strip for low rollers like ourselves. We found a $5 blackjack table with a 3 to 2 payout. I hadn't seen many of those on the strip. I started with $20 and walked away with a little over $80. You know we hit those Britney slots one more time before we left, too.
  
• I headed back to the airport to fly back home while my husband stayed for work the next day.
  

Thanks for reading! I might try to come back and add some pictures and links here as I get the chance. Feel free to ask me about anything we did!