What's a good time to visit Vegas and California?

Alex Moon · Post by **Alex Moon** » 2004-01-24 10:46pm

muse wrote:I'm told there's a huge annual porn convention in Vegas. One of my guy friends went to it last year and came back with a whole bunch of interesting toys and stories. I'm not sure when it's on but it sounds like something fun to visit, and needless to say it's definitely not for the kids.

The Daily Grind went to the convention this year and has pictures and a recap. Just scroll down past the chicks-with-dicks. Definately not safe for work, BTW.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2004-01-24 10:57pm

muse wrote:I'm told there's a huge annual porn convention in Vegas. One of my guy friends went to it last year and came back with a whole bunch of interesting toys and stories. I'm not sure when it's on but it sounds like something fun to visit, and needless to say it's definitely not for the kids.

The Las Vegas Adult Industry convention is held every year in early January, usually at the same time as the CES expo. It's a nice way of showing your kids how babies are made.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2004-01-25 06:19am

Crayz9000 wrote:
Robert Treder wrote:I thought you lived in Southern California! How dare you not know Disneyland very well!
I do live in Southern California; I've only been to Disneyland once, when I was 6. I wasn't too impressed, and haven't been back since then.

I never saw Star Tours while I was there, so I just assumed it didn't exist there.

Agreed, Ive lived here for nearly 3 years and i've been to Disneyland approximately never. i only go to anaheim for Ducks and Angels games. I have two free passes to Disneyland though sitting collecting dust on my shelf, im hoping they'll get me laid or something later on. granted it might not work out that way but when one is seeking new and exciting poontang one cannot have too many weapons at his disposal.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-01-25 07:17pm

muse wrote:I'm told there's a huge annual porn convention in Vegas. One of my guy friends went to it last year and came back with a whole bunch of interesting toys and stories. I'm not sure when it's on but it sounds like something fun to visit, and needless to say it's definitely not for the kids.

Actually one of our pilots was at Nellis during that convention about two weeks ago. Maybe next year.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-03-25 06:27pm

Hey guys, sorry to resurrect a dead thread but I'm curious if any of you have hotel recommendations in Vegas and LA.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2004-03-25 06:33pm

Darth Wong wrote:Hey guys, sorry to resurrect a dead thread but I'm curious if any of you have hotel recommendations in Vegas and LA.

If you happen to make it up to Lake Tahoe, the Harrahs is nice, as well as affordable. Most casino-hotels are like that, too. They want you to stay there so you play in their casino, so hotel rooms are relatively inexpensive to a comparable room in another hotel.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-03-25 06:33pm

Darth Wong wrote:Hey guys, sorry to resurrect a dead thread but I'm curious if any of you have hotel recommendations in Vegas and LA.

For Vegas I stayed at the Luxor. Very nice and you have the whole Egyptian theme throughout the hotel including the room decor which I thought was great and the kids would enjoy that.

The Venetian is just utterly awesome in the sense that you have a little piece of Venice in your own hotel so you and the wife can go shopping in the extensive malls in the hotel while the kids are entertained by traveling Opera singers and Venetian boat rides.

Nothing beats the Bellagio for sheer class. No gimicks or other BS, just sheer elegance. Not much for the kids there though.

I've never been to California so sorry no help there.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-03-25 06:55pm

Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-03-25 09:20pm

The only hotel advice, for what it's worth, I have about LA is that in the past the Disney hotel was even more overpriced than the other hotels around Disneyland.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-03-25 11:32pm

You could try going online and looking around for good hotel prices here in Los Angeles, then post the results and if any of them have bad reputations, we can probably let you know.

Phantasee · Post by **Phantasee** » 2004-03-25 11:52pm

Frank Hipper wrote:If your schedule and budget allow, I recommend you forget about Disneyland, and even forget Knott's Berry Farm.
If you love your family, you'll take them to Magic Mountain.
Cheaper than Disney's unamusement park, and it has much better rides than every Southern California amusement park put together.

As for Vegas, I also recommend Circus Circus.
It's one of the last of the old-school casinos still in business, they have great deals, and they're family friendly.

OH yeah, when I went down there last week, it was awesome at Magic Mountain. And I only had 5 hours to spend there, and I still hit all the rollercoasters (The Revolution bruised my ears though) Disneyland on the other hand, you need at least a day, maybe two to get any enjoyment for the price they charge you. And of course, there's always a guided tour through South Central LA by one of my less law abiding cousins (complete with vest

)

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-03-25 11:57pm

Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?

When it comes to getting a hotel in LA, it's all about location. Get something near the places you want to visit and make sure they have shuttle service to those locations (most of them do) because you don't want to rent a car and brave the LA freeways. If you are interested in mostly the Disneyland-area parks, there are plenty of hotels nearby that will suit you, though I'd recommend staying away from the Disneyland hotel itself (it's overpriced and not nearly as nice as most of the others).

As for Vegas, I think your kids would like The Mirage, although I hear The Luxor is quite nice. Best bet is to look them up online and find out which have the attractions and location you want (remember, you probably won't be going very far away from the main cluster of hotels on the strip) and pick based on those criteria. One of the great things about Las Vegas is that the hotels are extremely cheap because of the gambling subsidies so that even the nicest hotels don't usually break $100 a night, especially if you go during off-season (WARNING: Make sure you get your hotel fixed ahead of time and don't go during any big trade shows; they tend to jack up the price during the major ones).

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2004-03-26 12:27am

I've only been to Vegas once, first night we stayed at the Excalibur. We did not like it at all so we moved over to Mandalay Bay. That was sweet. We got a good deal on the price too. This was back in late 2001 or 2002 so I think the prices might not be so good now.

Mandalay Bay has a water park that your kids might like, its not big but its better than a regular pool.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-03-26 12:50am

Note to mike Vegas is air conditioned.

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2004-03-26 01:04am

Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?

While I'm not quite the expert, I've been to most of the major attractions. A few things to keep in mind:

Traffic is fucking abysmal. Take the worst jam you've ever been in, multiply it by ten, take a green burrito shit on the whole thing, and you have LA rush hour. If you plan to rent a car, just keep this in mind.

Lessee, a fun activity is to go visit the LaBrea Tar Pits. They lots of 'hands on' type experiments, including a demonstration on why if you get stuck in tar, you're royally fucked.

If you're up for a drive, and want to get away from the traffic, you can roll down the windows and head up to Topanga Canyon, which is a few miles northwest of the megalopolis. Pack a lunch and have a picnic at any of the scenic rest stops. It's easily doable in an afternoon, so you can fit it in with your other activities in the city.

I've been to Universal and Paramount Studios (mind you, this was more than five years ago), and they were a lot of fun. I'd peg them as good family activities. Disneyland was...meh. Great for families, I'm sure, but I was never a Disney kid to begin with.

Oh, and a word about the I-15, the interstate connecting LA and LV: It's about 250 miles of open highway, and I shit you not when I say the average speed is 90-100 mph. You can make it from LA to LV in about 3-3.5 hours, depending on stops and traffic in the cities, of course. If you try to do the speed limit, you will be run off the road. 85's probably the minimum acceptable speed. I've never seen anything like it, and it was pretty freakin' cool to rip across the Big Empty at LUDICROUS SPEED.

Ahem...sorry. Had to throw the in Space Balls reference.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-03-26 03:30am

Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?

Depending on exactly where you wish to go in LA, you might want to skip on down south or north a little and avoid LA's traffic.

Irvine is a awesome little town and its about 20 to 30 minutes from Anihiem. Simi Valley is just north of LA and its a little more quiter than down town too.

If your flying, John Wayne airport is in Irvine and that destination is usually a little cheaper than LAX.

On Vegas, Stravo's right. Luxor or Excalibur are nice but Mandala Bay and Bellagio are the shit hot (but expensive) places to go. Though the Stratosphere has one hell of a view.

The New York or the Paris Hotels are suppost to be nice but I've done little except gamble in those.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2004-03-27 02:22am

Knife wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?
Depending on exactly where you wish to go in LA, you might want to skip on down south or north a little and avoid LA's traffic.

Irvine is a awesome little town and its about 20 to 30 minutes from Anihiem. Simi Valley is just north of LA and its a little more quiter than down town too.

If your flying, John Wayne airport is in Irvine and that destination is usually a little cheaper than LAX.

On Vegas, Stravo's right. Luxor or Excalibur are nice but Mandala Bay and Bellagio are the shit hot (but expensive) places to go. Though the Stratosphere has one hell of a view.

The New York or the Paris Hotels are suppost to be nice but I've done little except gamble in those.

John Wayne AIrport Code is SNA if you need that, BEcause its in Santa Ana right on the border with Irvine, or something like that. Ontario Intl outside of LA is a good little airport too, you could fly from Ontario to Ontario!

The Horror stories of LA's traffic are well deserved, however is hard to pass up Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor, LAs pair of Six Flags parks. Prolly already mentioned but if you want amusementy park fun without the mouse ears is a good alternative.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2004-03-27 03:52am

Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?

I've got a fun suggestion.

http://www.queenmary.com/

The Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach would be a great idea. Something different, and if you've never been aboard the ship, a great thing to explore.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-03-27 03:57am

Lord Poe wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Thanks for the tip, Stravo. Sounds like you've been there quite a few times. Any LA experts out there?
I've got a fun suggestion.

http://www.queenmary.com/

The Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach would be a great idea. Something different, and if you've never been aboard the ship, a great thing to explore.

Isn't it haunted?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-03-27 04:23am

Only if your superstitious and illogicall.

At least you can find hotel rooms there, Yosemite is booked a year in advance from April through October.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2004-03-27 04:49am

The Kernel wrote:Isn't it haunted?

Yup. I saw the ghost footprints and everything!

BTW, if you go, definitely take the "Ghosts and Legends" tour. Forget about the ghost stuff; they take you into parts of the ship that's been closed off to the public for 30 years! Great stuff, big swimming pool (haunted, of course) all kinds of great stuff, if you're into old ships like that.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-03-27 08:28am

I'm going to visit Vegas myself this summer. Hopefully we can coincide....

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-03-27 10:27am

BTW just got the confirmation order on the new Alternator should be in by Tuesday, got vasciline for the new Battery Terminals, replaced the fuses and the Spark Plugs, need to replace one of my tires before the end of may. Everything looks A-ko for me driving out to Utah IB.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-03-27 03:40pm

InnerBrat wrote:I'm going to visit Vegas myself this summer. Hopefully we can coincide....

Well then, I hope to see you there too.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-03-27 03:58pm

Mike, how long are you going to be out here? I've known people who fly to LA/OC, go to Disenyland and then catch a quick flight to Vegas where they spend the rest of their vacation time.