Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas
MGM and New York New York are nice. Tropicana is kind of a dump. Stratosphere has the rides at the top which are awesome if you have no apparent fear of death. Cirque du Soleil is a must see.
Everyone who's been there recently will have an opinion. Frankly, I'm with Brent in that I tend to prefer the classier places like Bellagio or Mandalay where you feel the need to put on a sportcoat in the evenings - sort of "modern old school" Vegas. The family-era theme joints (Excalibur, NY NY, Paris, etc.) weren't a high point for me, though a late lunch at one of the fake Parisian sidewalk cafes was bearable.
Tropicana is indeed a dump, but also one of the last of its kind in being mostly a 50s-era slots joint. Might as well stroll through before it comes down for the next monolith or MGM expansion.
"Downtown" Vegas may or may not be worth the cab ride. You could kill half a day shopping there if the family is bored, or you can gamble at the Nugget while the wifey shops. There was a fun western shop if you're looking for one of bb_dl's neat hats.
I'm probably in the minority for enjoying the cheesy, late 80s tropical vibe of the Mirage - saw Danny Gans there before he croaked and ate in an awesome, gourmet Chinese restaurant that did
not have a famous chef's name plastered on it

. That whole trend was just starting when I was last there, so I'm sure it's exploded to ridiculous proportions by now with all the new places that have opened in just the last five years.