Proposed Las Vegas Meetup: January 2008?
 

So, TFPers, I will be graduating this December after a long, hard struggle through my undergrad. As a reward to myself, I am heading to Las Vegas, and I want you to join me!

My dates for the meetup are flexible; however, looking at the calendar in January one can't help notice a three-day MLK Day Weekend. That is one suggestion. The next would be Presidents Day Weekend in February. I would really like the meetup to happen in the winter months, just because I'll need to get out of the rain and into the desert at that point in the year.

Let's nail down some dates, and start planning!

A trip to Vegas is always a welcome vacation in my world, especially since I can get there for the cost of a tank of gas!

Any thoughts on maybe setting up a group booking at a hotel?

I'm in.

Who needs a ride from LA?

That is one of the reasons we're starting the planning/recruitment so soon. I think a group booking in a hotel would probably be a good call--that way we don't have to run up and down the Strip looking for each other.

And if we don't book a holiday weekend we might be able to get them to cut us a group discount and include some show passes.

If we want a group discount, we have to book at least 10 rooms, so that's something to keep in mind.

I can get to Vegas just about any time. Just let me know the firm dates, and I can try to make it happen. What hotels are under consideration?

I'm looking to spend in the $150-200 a night range, because I'm going to have three other people with me, and I want a good location on the Strip.

So far I've stayed at the Luxor and the Flamingo, and I find I like the location and price of the Flamingo, so it's definitely a contender. The Luxor also has some good-looking deals, but at this point, I'm really open to suggestions--whoever has the best deal for the best location wins, ultimately, plus I want to see how many people are interested so we can see about getting rooms blocked out for TFPers only.

I don't have an opinion about places to stay - I've only been to Las Vegas for about 3 hours!

However, I'm in for either of the weekends in the first post. Honestly MLK would be easier, but I'll find a way to do it if there is a different date.

Yeah, I don't know where I'm going to be job-wise in January, but if I'm substitute teaching as planned, MLK is one of the few dates with some breathing room. Besides, after looking at the prices online, MLK is about as cheap as any of the other weekends in January.

Perhaps that is the next question for the thread: If you are interested, are you available MLK weekend?

I'm very interested, but I can't make any concrete plans as of yet. With it being just after Christmas and the start of a new term, my finances will be tight. If I can make it though, I'll definitely be there.

I'm definitely interested! Life is very up in the air for me just now, so I gotta be cautious about committing, but I will make every effort to attend.

:)

fantastic idea snowy!

money is a bit tight, so I most likely won't be able to make it... but I will look forward to hearing all about it and seeing the photos! :)

and WOOT for graduating soon....

Sultana told me that I had to go. I don't argue with Sultana, she can kick my ass.
And now that we're here, I think I could make it up unless work is too crazy. My parents are going in a couple of months and got a really cheap hotel that's supposedly nice so I'll see what they say about it and go from there.

Re-enacting Fear and Loathing is my life's dream

I just proposed the idea to hubby. He agrees that it is up to our finances, but being a poker junkie, a trip to Vegas is hard for him to pass up. My biggest hurdle has been crossed :thumbsup:

I'm in if they have Terry Fator set up at Bally's by then. Otherwise i'll still be going , but I'll be waiting till then (figured I'd pop on here and mention that in case hes not performing until after that and any of you wanted to go out there at a later date.)

I will be there with nothing on.

I am very much looking forward to seeing that. My SO, who is coming with me, might not be, though. You are duly warned.

ok the hell with Terry Fator - If Halx is going to be there with nothing on - im going... hey snowy - we should sell tickets!

Ok, I'm all about seeing Cirque while we're there.

vegas? did someone say vegas?
the gears are turning.
we'll see...it'd be a blast....

Excellent.

It would be ironic if all our near misses in NYC ended up with us meeting in Vegas.

aw, man.....

vegas is like an irony garden.
the capitalist sublime.
words fail.
its 33 hours of floating.
then you start to realize where you are and you have to get out.
but those 33 hours are great.
it's time to go again, i think.


thinking about mister mushroom too.
he's a happy fellow.

See, my SO does not get this about Las Vegas...it titillates the senses to the extreme, and the plasticity of it is amusing to me. I'm glad someone else understands the ironic appeal of Las Vegas.

let's shore up a date so we can plan other things. Like where and how.

I think we've pretty much established that we're shooting for MLK weekend--January 19th-21st, 2008.

James and I might be interested, but more details are needed. Also...we're both not made of money so $200 hotel rooms might be kinda eh...but we'll see.
It would be fun...although I'm not 21...so I probably couldn't do much.

OK MLK.. let's move forward.

I'm totally up for seeing Cirque. MLK weekend is good. My company does not recognize MLK. I will fire my company soon.

Alright well James and I talked about it, and as long as the hotel price isn't outrageous then we are planning on going. Hopefully cheap flights...and someone could come pick us up.
But otherwise we're down.
MLK Weekend should be good.

We also were curious, has anyone asked about a group rate on hotel rooms?
In order to cut costs down, we said we wouldn't mind maybe sharing a room with another couple or something of that nature.

Lets get into the hotel details and then the shows...sometimes certain hotels offer shows with their group rates.

I'm gonna see about maybe trying to make this work...

MLK weekend makes it more dooable...

A tfp meetup is the only reason i'd make the trip to Vegas.

I will talk to my sister the hotel expert about group rates, but in the meantime, there's a Super 8 just behind Bally's on the strip that's pretty darn affordable, and it's a good location to boot. I've stayed there more than once. It's not posh, but for a shower, crash space, and a place to leave your stuff it's fine.

http://www.super8vegas.com/
Official Super 8 site
We're talking (as of today) with a AAA discount: $80/night for 3 nights, 2 people, 2 queen beds.

I'd personally recommend not going the group rate route for hotels, as people's schedules change all the time, and if enough people cancel at the last minute, someone may be left holding the bag.

The key to getting rooms (and cheap rooms) in Vegas is to BOOK EARLY and garauntee with a cc. It's way better to lock in a room now (*especially for a holiday weekend*) and then continue to search for better deals/other locations. You usually can cancel up to just 24 hours before your reservation (verify that when you book the initial room).

Listen to my voice, peoples.

What a sweet voice it is

Sultana that Super 8 is a great idea, they also have shuttles to and fro the airport which would make James and I's lives a lot easier.

Do y'all think not being 21 is going to put a damper on my situation?

Googled "under 21 in las Vegas" and came up with this:

http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/guide/crowd.html

It gave some amusement parks, arcades, restaurants/clubs that at the time of writing were under 21 friendly.

Biggest question would be whether some of the things mentioned on their page are appealing to you or not.

ROFLMAO

Ok, just added to the proposed schedule if anyone is interested:

My best friend moved to Vegas a couple years ago and is a call girl.
Anyone interested in tagging along with me when I go with her to
take a tour of Vegas?

I will be handing out "I took the Whore's Tour of Vegas " T-shirts.

*EVIL GRIN*

That's too funny.


And interesting.

Oh and my gal pal will autograph them if you like hehehehehe

Yeah, but if I end up in Vegas with you weirdos something bad might happen...

You ever see the first season finale of that '80s show Sledgehammer! ?

Yeah. That.

come come now crompsin, where's your sense of adventure?

I would definently like to go.

It does look like theres a good amount of stuff to do around there for under 21ers like GG ... We dont wanna be stuck in the hotel room on our own ALL the time :p hopefully everyone else wont want to just do 21 and up stuff...


we should all go to the giant sex toy shop that the billboards advertise when driving thru vegas on the highway... least the billboards make it sound giant.... Havn't been there myself.

Don't worry about the under 21 thing. I'm not a gambler, and I'm now too old to drink on consecutive days. SO, you'll have ME to party with!

and you can come on the whore's tour with me... its a tour of vegas, not a tour of the whore....

i'm sure my pal can keep you well entertained with her clothes on.

*wink wink*

I don't think JS will be going on this tour with y'all...:)
Atleast not with a happy girlfriend on his hands if he does.

Yea, JS has won the jackpot on that one already. :)

Anyway, as of now MLK works for me. But anyone who knows my life recently...who knows what will happen...we're trying for a baby jumpinshesus so we'll see ;)

And I'm not a gambler so under 21 fun will be fine...especially if the above plan works.

ok, I am formally announcing my intention to seriously work towards entering myself into this campaign of bacchus, debauchery, chance and other forms of merriment.

makes a mental note to go home and look for stuff to sell on eBay

I bet Im the only one that would want to go see Barry Manilow's show huh?

Shit, I'll go with you. I got a weird soft spot for Barry.

I'm sure you two will also be going to the Liberace museum. Its a hoot, although several miles off The Strip.

If it were warm enough, we'd need to have a conversation about swimming pools and which was best. (Unfortunately?) the weather will be too cool bikini's by the pool, although I'm willing to bet that Crompsin will volunteer to wear his to dinner or something.

There are a bunch of pretty good shows out there, although I don't know if Barry Manilow will be out there then. Maybe there will be a decent boxing match so that we can have a TFP Politics meetup in an appropriate place.

I'll go with ya Shani. I may not like his music all that much, but I know the words to a lot of his songs - my mother is a fan and played him a lot when i was growing up, so its not as if i'd be completely clueless. who knows maybe I'll find that I really like him live or something!

*hug*

ugh - no liberace museum for me - that dude is creepy. - wait a minute, they might have some of his jewelry on display - im in!

oh that reminds me - anyone want to hit the pawn shops with me to see the sort of stuff ppl pawn when they get desperate in vegas? might be some deals to be had there - who knows!

I have been told that Barry does a Kickass show.

Despite the fact that I love Las Vegas, my gambling habits really only extend to video poker and keno. I only hang around long enough in the casino to get my fair share of free margaritas and Corona. The last time I was there, my friend's sister was barely 18, but we still managed to take her with us everywhere we went, even for our nights out on the town, so I don't think you need to worry, ghoastgirl.

As for actually making reservations, personally I'll have to hold off on that score until late September, when my financial aid comes through (yes, that's right, I'll be paying for this trip with government money) and I start my new job. But Sultana and midnight, your input has been great so far, and Sulty, that Super 8 is an amazing find! Cheap is good. And yeah, in Vegas one doesn't need much more than a place to stow their stuff and maybe sleep...a little.

I'm impressed so many people have replied. This is exciting!

lol ok my staying at a super 8 depends on if it has an indoor pool or not.

so, anyone wanting to bunk in with me somewhere where there is one, let me know. i'll make up the difference between the super8 cost and the one i'll be staying at for your portion of the room bill split if you do.

I don't think them having a pool should be a make/break factor..of course I am biased...I work at a pool.

James and I just want somewhere thats affordable. I'm thinking the Super 8 is looking pretty good, also that it has shuttles to and fro the airport.

Should we begin to get a headcount of how many are planning on going?

rofl@ghoastgirl1

Hey now - I didnt say everyone ELSE couldnt stay there, just that **I** was staying somewhere with an indoor pool and if anyone wanted to stay with me etc.

LOL
I'd let you swim at my pool when the tops on, long as you promised not to drown and make me get my hair wet and such.

lol im the type of person that once you get me in the pool - i want to stay there till my skin is in danger of rotting off from being damp. so... i doubt i would bother you once i got in there. and i have also slept in a swimming pool floating on my back smack in the middle of it - my ex father in law just about had a heart attack when he caught me doing that...

You must be a water sign.

I sure am. Pisces, and rock solid water obsessed from birth. lol

I'd like to skinny dip!

Hmmm...100th forum post, here we go - I'll follow Halx..

Skinny dipping. now THAT sounds fun. I'm in Halx. so lets see...

Barry Manalow, Liberace museum, gambling, drinking, a tour of vegas led by an actual vegas call girl.. and skinny dipping with Halx... what more do we need other than a helicopter tour of vegas at night and a trip to the bunny ranch?

Hey - wait a minute - why is a hetero chick the first one to mention the bunny ranch?

Because you ARE one of us!:thumbsup:

I definitely want to go to the Liberace museum, and I'd be interested in that tour as well. :)

I wanna go. Who can I bunk with? I have buddy-team needs.

Change of plans. I will not be attending.

Take lots of pictures for me everyone.

bummer man, we definitely will take lots of pics

this sounds like a party i wanna crash....

if i go, i'll be your little ranger buddy. as long as you can handle it. i snore like a grizzly with a chainsaw...

GG and I would be interested in sharing a hotel room with another couple

either to save money or stay somewhere nicer for cheaper...

let us know if any of y'all are interested

I *know* why you'd want to share a room with another couple!

Why don't you try squeeb and Crompsin, eh? They're cuties. :D

LOL I know Sultana, he dreams though.
I asked about them too and then he pointed out...Kim, they're BOTH guys.
Oh my. :p

Ok.. its the beginning of the month.. I hope everyone has their paycheks deposited.. time to get some plane tickets and hotel reservations.

I'm working on one trip at a time at least until money catches up with us.

My trip to see my family over Christmas is first and then I will get working on this one. But if anyone finds a really good price on a hotel, I'll book it. I'll check for updates.

I start my new job on tuesday... so GG and I are gonna wait a lil while till I've settled in a bit... and gotten a paycheck

I'm working on a plan...I might be paying for my flight/room next week.

I've never done anything like this... :)

Damnit, I just got back from Vegas. Had I known, I coulda had my bachelor party with the TFP :D

You still have 5 months to plan, eh?

I'll be there tomorrow if anyone needs anything. Staying at the Venetian, probably drinking and dining at The Mirage.

I'd like to point out there are many coupon codes to help with airfare to and from Vegas! Saving money is always a good thing.

Here are some links:

http://www.couponcraze.com/categories/Travel/

*bump*

anyone made reservations and whatnot?

GG and I were just talking about making reservations, and I was wondering if anyone else had bit the bullet yet, we dont want to end up there all by ourselves...

My life is up in the air right now. I'll have to check in later and give a heads up...

I was told that we are not getting Christmas bonuses this year a couple of weeks ago, and that threw a big wrench into my plans...not sure I can make it.

I'm still planning on going. I haven't made reservations because I'm gonna drive. So, if there are a few people there, I can't see why I wouldn't show up.

I haven't made reservations yet, will be doing it soon. I'll let you know.

I'd like to thank the State of Oregon for financing this trip through an Oregon Opportunity Grant. Your tax dollars at work. :p

EVIL!!! :p

Not sure why I didn't notice this thread earlier, but I'm in.

Ubertuber, wanna carpool? :)

For those of you looking for cheap rooms, I was in Vegas in 2005 for a convention at the MGM Grand. I didn't stay there, but at a bargin hotel called The Golden Palm. It was $55 bucks a night, and $80 bucks Fri-Sun, it's located just off the freeway from CA, and two blocks from the strip. We just drove our two blocks, and dropped off the car with the parking vallet at the cool hotels, and had a great time (between seminars, speeches and such).

Now when I say that the Golden Palm is a bargin hotel, I mean it, and so do they. Instead of a huge sign with bright lights that can be seen for miles, they have a bill board. No swimming pool. Instead of card keys, they have these plastic things shaped like keys with circuit connections popping out. And they're casino is just a hand full of slot machine. But wait, there's good news! There's a karaoke bar! They won an award for Karaoke Bar of the Year back in 2000-something.

I'm seriously thinking about this....

Cromp, you should go.

I just hope you don't snore.

So, how many would be attending this? I've always wanted to go to Vegas...

-Will

Well everyone whos planning on going, say so!

So! :)

Ok, now I know that some of us are much better off financially than others. This idea is for the others, like me. Plus, this will add some extra fun to the Vegas trip.

Roommates.

Here's the plan. Pick 1 to 3 buddies. One person picks the hotel room, and the group goes dutch on the bill. It'll be cheaper if you book a room as only one person is staying there, and a bunch of friends just happend to drop in :) Some those who've done this before, you know what I'm talking about.

And let me be the first to say,

VEGAS BABY!!! :D

Another idea, is that someone books a suite (is that what they're calling those over sized rooms these days?), and everyone who is going to the Meet-Up pitches in on that. Now will have a privite party!!

Damn fine idea!

I can sleep on anything that isn't moving. Unless it has boobs.

Is this a near set in stone plan? I'd like to go if I can get my TFP friend to go with....

Hum, I will be home for good and not to far away from there. I might be able to pop in and say hi.

comp
 

I'm a newcomer here, but sort of wanted to put my two cents in. I go to Vegas on a regular basis, and I really don't think people realize how much can be comped by major hotels and motels. I'm not a high roller by any sense of the word, but I always get a free room at any of the ones with the Rio, which would be the Flamingo, Harrahs, and quite a few others are owned by the same company. Plus you get free use of the limo service, to just go around town or to and from the airport.
I just figure why stay at the Super 8, when you can have a really nice , and I mean nice hotel on the strip or downtown.
There is a marble show coming up on the 10th of Nov which I will be attending , and staying for free at the Rio.
I think what you have to do is call the hotel you want to stay at, and ask to talk to a Casino Host, and this person is given a certain amount of rooms in which to just give away. Naturally they want people who are going to gamble and lose their money at their hotel. But I am almost certain, if someone calls and explains , or tells the casino host they are planning a trip to Vegas, and is there any chance of getting a room comped, they will do it. I may be wrong. And then the hotels all have those little cards you have to put in the machines, and you rack up credits for all the other thigs that are comped.
But the first time you go, I think the casino host just takes a chance on you being a big enough gambler to make it worth his while, and if not than you are more or less dropped from the list of people being given free anything...it's worth a try....last time I went, they gave me a Suite at the Rio, and I was by myself, it had two separate bedrooms, a dining room, two bathrooms with tvs in both bathrooms.
My Casino host and myself are on a first name basis, all I do is call and say I'm coming, and it's all arranged, a limo picks me up at the airport, and its a blast. And , like I said, I am not a high roller.

i've never been to vegas and would love to go, and i'm big on hanging around with strangers from bulletin boards. i've done it a few times and i haven't been raped and murdered yet. well, only that once, but i refuse to dwell on the past.

need a little more lead time, though. if this BB is like most others you'll find people are from a wild range of different places -- i've hung out with bulletin board cats in new york city, london england and the east coast of canada. it's fun but you gotta plan it. and i might be wrong but big get togethers just dont happen -- i've seen it happen exactly once. and it happens because one person who lives in a tourist-friendly place offers their house and lets everybody sleep there. otherwise it's hard to get people to pay for a plane ticket AND lodging just to meet a bunch of people they've never set eyes on before.

then again i hear a lot of things are legal in vegas that aren't legal other places so... :D

Hi guys, due to some crap that's going on right now, I'm gonna have to bail out of the fun on the meet-up.

Best of luck to you guys, and I hope you party all night and win tons of money :thumbsup:

If you get in good with a pit boss it can take you a long way. I live in vegas and have quite a few room coupons comps etc for january. IF you are worried about financial matter look into a time share at about 60 a night.

Yeah, this isn't happening, as far as I know. No one's actually gotten anything together, and I ran out of money to pay for a trip to Vegas.

Maybe some other time.