Travel Executive Summary   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I am good with either the Strip or Downtown.  I believe the value is a toss-up either way.    DETAILS There are only 3 things we are really concerned with: sports book, table games, and drinking.  Each of these topics is examined below, along with a Downtown vs. Strip comparison, and a conclusion.  SPORTS BOOK Our Sunday trip to the Venetian borders on the sacred, so we will be going there no matter what.  The issue for me is how early we have to get up to get there.  The Flamingo is the best choice for Sunday at the Venetian because it's the closest.  Other places on the Strip could require a cab ride or a long walk.  I don't mind a long walk, but I don't like to be hurried in the morning.  The cab ride doesn't bother me, although I realize that some of my fellow Hogs are so eff-in' cheap that it bothers them.  I respect and admire that, so if they want to walk I will.  Saturday is an open sports book issue.  We have gone to the Hilton the last couple of years on Saturday,  think.  I think that place is fine.  Several years ago we stayed at the Plaza and I thought that sports book was fine, too.  I realize that some of my fellow Hogs were disgusted by the fact that the couches hadn't been cleaned since Elvis sat on them, but I live alone and only clean my house when company comes over, so it doesn't bother me.  Plus we had an attentive waitress whose augmented body parts made me proud to be a citizen of the country that invented synthetic materials.  About sports books in general: the trend has been for casinos to honor with free drinks only those patrons who actually patronize the book, i.e. drink tickets.  I'm fine with that because they have to pay for my drink somehow.  I realize that you can shop around for the best odds; if you want to do that, the Strip is probably a better choice because the sports books on the Strip are more numerous and larger than those Downtown.  One thing about Downtown sports books: we should verify that we can sit there if we're not guests of the hotel.  Remember the guard at the Plaza checking for room keys?  Vegas is such a dynamic place that I wouldn't be surprised if the rules change every year, so we should check first.  I don't think this will be a problem on the Strip. TABLE GAMES Downtown has good prices and good betting odds, etc.  Although I admit the odds are better there, I'm not convinced that it's a good idea to spend the trip playing blackjack in that place where Ed's AVLV buddy Cameron got comped.  (Was it the el Cortez?)  NOBODY in that casino was having any fun.  I don't really gamble to win money, I gamble so I can sit at the tables with you guys and laugh like an idiot.  (The idiot part is why we miss you when you're not there, Schpoo :-)  You've all heard my theory about how we win: we win when we get the dealer laughing.  On our sojourn into downtown last year a couple of us played at the Golden Nugget and had a pretty good time despite the lousy odds.  As I recall I didn't win but I lost quite slowly.  I understand that the odds matter, but if we start clowning around in Cameron's casino I wouldn't be surprised if some Joe Pesci look-alike started digging a few holes in the desert for us.  That being said, I think there are plenty of places Downtown where we CAN clown around at the tables and not worry about meeting the boys in the back room.  But we may end up with poor odds, like they had at the Nugget.  I recognize and respect that some of my fellow Hogs find the greater, non-traditional odds to be an anethema.  However, this will be true either on the Strip or Downtown, so it's a wash.  DRINKING Everybody except me likes fancy, fu-fu beer.  Downtown definitely has the advantage here, especially with the Main Street Station brewery.  Regular beer you can buy at Osco can also be cheaper downtown, depending on where you buy it on the Strip.  (Beers at the pool last year were outrageously expensive, but those at the bar off the casino were normal bar price.)  Although this could be seen as a disadvantage from my perspective, it need not be.  The reason I don't like fu-fu beer you have to chew instead of drink is because I can only fit one or two of them in my stomach.  Only one or two beers will not get me drunk, hence my dislike.  But it would probably be good for my health to drink less.  I realize avoiding excess at SPORGY is near sacriledge, but I'm willing to take one for the team.  Plus, I can always drink mixed drinks. DOWNTOWN vs. THE STRIP Vegas has changed.  It's no longer a gambling mecca, it's now a "destination resort."  It reminds me of Cancun in the 1980s.  If we still went to discos & etc, that would be a good thing; since we don't, it's a bad thing.  But every change has its advantages.  The biggest advantage to this change is "unveilings" at the pool.  Watching hot chicks set up their lounge chair, spread their towels, unpack their bags, and arrange all the crap they brought along as a prelude to their quickly removing their cover-up and collapsing into the nest they've built is a simple vacation pleasure.  It's similar to, but definitely more fun than watching a dog sniff, then spin around until he feels comfortable in his spot to lay down.  The Strip has better pools than Downtown, hence better unveilings.  However, we are going in November, so the pool will be closed.  The other thing that has changed is the club scene.  It used to be only the Rio had a dance club, now every casino does.  The Strip has the fanciest clubs, which is an argument against it.  I have no desire to pay $1,000 for a bottle of cheap vodka for the privilege of sitting at a table, nor to step over celebrity-entourage barf on my way to the can.  Downtown, especially the area towards Cameron's casino, seemed to have clubs that were newer, and perhaps a little grittier than the ones on the Strip.  Walking past them on last year's Downtown visit I couldn't help but think of the kind of bars Edgar used to go to.  Bars where they painted the concrete walls with reflective yellow and black paint stolen from the Highway Dept, played music from bands nobody ever heard of, dressed in black from head-to-toe, and called it fashionable.  I'm not going into a club like that, but I would be even less likely to go into a club on the Strip.  I enjoy walking through the sea of humanity when in Vegas.  Nothing like jostling for space with fat people in polyester ambling aimlessly down the street.  The Strip is definitely better for this than Downtown, just because the Strip is bigger.  It might be interesting o watch the crowds at those gritty, Downtown club bars I mentioned above.  It might be a bad idea from a crime perspective, however.  You can watch the Fremont Street Experience if you're Downtown.  Big deal.  However, some of the bands and street performances in between light shows weren't too bad.  Another advantage is that there is a Tony Roma's Downtown.  One advantage that the Strip has over Downtown is that the Strip goes on forever, while Downtown ends after a few blocks.  I suppose it's possible to get bored with Downtown after a 4 day stay.  CONCLUSION The 3 things that are important to us- sports book, table games, and drinking- are a wash for me because I believe we will get the same value either Downtown or on the Strip.  The cost will be roughly comparable wherever we stay, i.e. not enough of a difference to matter to me.  Face it, we're not talking about staying at the Wynn.  Both areas have sports books that are acceptable to me (provided we can sit at the Plaza even if we're not guests there.)  We will have the same issue with table games, i.e. obnoxiousness vs. good odds, wherever we stay.  I can drink mixed drinks if everybody wants fu-fu beer.  Both areas have enough free entertainment to keep my ADD-afflicted brain occupied.  So, like I said in the Executive Summary, I'm fine with either location.  END TOP OF THIS PAGE