Friday Fun - Vegas baby!

[Jeff Tillett]

With Atlassian Summit being hosted in Las Vegas, (in under 2 weeks!) I figured it would be fun to talk about fun experiences we've had in Vegas on previous trips or conferences!

I have personally only been to Vegas once, and it was for a family visit, so unfortunately I don't have much to share. The one thing I made sure to do however, was to grab some gut bombers from the nearby White Castle!

As a native Michigander who has been transplanted to Texas, I miss my White Castles quite often. Fun fact, Vegas has the ONLY White Castle west of Missouri, and it's right on the strip!

What cool experiences have you had in Vegas that you would consider a "Can't miss" for anyone lucky enough to go to Summit this year?

[BiancaE]

Oh boy! I think my favorite thing in all of Vegas is the lazy river at the Flamingo Hilton 😂but that's a summer activity. Though with Vegas, who knows what the weather will be like in April!

[Gonchik Tsymzhitov]

Wow!

This is my first visit, I want to know more about funny  stories :)

[JiraJared]

Last time I was in Vegas was ‘97 .. I bet it has changed quite a bit! 

[Gonchik Tsymzhitov]

Could you share overview of  Vegas from 1997 ?

[JiraJared]

I was 9. There was this game company that had boxes you sat in and played a mech warrior in a virtual battlefield. 

I remember lots of lights. We stayed at circus circus hotel - spent half a day walking around there. I remember a guy who would guess your weight, I figured he had a plate that when you stood on would tell him what you are, so I got my dad to stand with me; I won a teddy bear coz he got my weight wrong! 

We couldn’t walk through the casino unsupervised. We also couldn’t swim unsupervised. 

I stole $100 from my mums purse and tried hiding it behind a couch so I could claim I found it and keep it .. got caught by a cleaner (dam!)

[Deleted user]

I walked the strip, in the hot sun all day to see everything I could. I ended up watching the fountain water demonstrations and wishing I could jump into the water to cool off! :D 

[Craig Castle-Mead]

I've only been to Vegas once for AWS Re:Invent in 2017 - and I'm personally not a fan of the city at all.  Going for an conference like this is fine cause it's all consuming, but I would never chose to go there of my own free will. I did do a week driving from Vegas with my wife and friend after the conference though and did:

• Hoover Dam
• Jerome, AZ
• Grand Canyon
• Antelope Canyon
• Monument Valley
• Four Corners Monument
• and back to Vegas

(map below)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Las+Vegas,+NV/Hoover+Dam/Jerome,+AZ/Bright+Angel+Lodge,+Village+Loop+Drive,+Grand+Canyon+Village,+AZ/Antelope+Canyon,+Arizona/Monument+Valley,+AZ/Four+Corners+Monument,+New+Mexico+597,+Teec+Nos+Pos,+AZ/Las+Vegas,+NV/@35.9030724,-113.2227156,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m50!4m49!1m5!1m1!1s0x80beb782a4f57dd1:0x3accd5e6d5b379a3!2m2!1d-115.1398296!2d36.1699412!1m5!1m1!1s0x80c92d6aac057ccf:0xdbe1573a13c65336!2m2!1d-114.7376675!2d36.0157617!1m5!1m1!1s0x872d0f906de9e79b:0xf663f24f2...

If you get the opportunity to do some/any/all of the above - I can highly recommend it!

CCM

[Karen O'Keefe]

I LOVE Vegas, but I'm not into gambling. Or heat. Still, there is a lot to enjoy. Each of the casinos on the strip has plenty of fun (and free or low cost) things to see and do. From the  the Volcano show at the Mirage to the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo to the high-flying performers at Circus Circus to the many flair bars to the Bellagio fountain shows, you can entertain yourself just by walking around. It's also fun to see the gondolas at the Venetian. If you are a shopper, the Venetian and Caesar's have great shopping--and many people go to the outlet shops in Vegas to do all their holiday shopping.

The big Vegas shows can be costly, but the low-cost shows with impersonators can be great. I greatly enjoyed geocaching in Vegas as well as visiting the Mob Museum. The Flamingo was the last place Bugsy Siegel lived. Check out the his history there as well as the "extra" doors and secret passages in his suite. If you have time to take a trip to Hoover Dam or Death Valley or Red Rock, those are all great things to do outside Vegas.

Lots of websites will help you find fun and inexpensive things to do. Google is your friend.

[Craig Castle-Mead]

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[Craig Castle-Mead]

Ah yeah, the Mob Museum is good fun, and really enjoyed the Neon Museum too (https://www.neonmuseum.org/). 

CCM

[Rachel Wright]

@Jeff Tillett - I had no idea there was White Castle in Vegas!  Thanks for that great tip!  #hungry

[Michael Thompson]

It's been a few years since I stayed in Vegas. When I fly in to McCarron I usually rent a car and spend a few days in Laughlin, which is right on the Colorado River on the border of Arizona (Bull Head City is on the AZ side). It's a microcosm of Vegas, but much more laid back and relaxing.

I've been to Las Vegas 7 or 8 times in the last 30 years.Some of the best things I've seen:

• The Mirage volcano
• The battling pirate ship and British manowar at Treasure Island
• The great show Ka by Cirque du Soleil
• Visited the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton (sadly no longer there)
• Visited the Hoover Dam
• Taken a helicopter tour of the city.

I understand there is now a massive pinball museum on the strip and I intend to check it out. :)

Worst things about Vegas:

• Insane traffic; be smart and use the back roads instead of the Strip
• The heat; shouldn't be a problem in April :)
• The snappers at every street corner

[Davin Studer]

@Michael Thompson Yes! The Star Trek experience was so awesome!

[Rachel Wright]

Sadly, the pirate show at Treasure Island was shut down.  It's a shame; it was one of my favorite free attractions.  What ever will we do in Vegas instead???

[Davin Studer]

I've been to Vegas a number of time s... all for tech conferences. I'm not really much of a Vegas fan. It's just not my kind of town. However, I think the architecture there is truly a marvel. There are some pretty awesome looking hotels there and I could just stare at that stuff all day.

One thing that is not there that I used to love was the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton. I'm as big a Trekkie as they come so it was like being a kid in a candy store for me. I ate once at Quarks and got to be insulted by a Klingon. It was glorious! They also had a full size replica of the Enterprise D bridge for one of their walk-through experiences and that was super awesome. I could have just sat there on that bridge for hours if they had let me.

[Michael Thompson]

How could I forget the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur?!?

It's a big arena where you share a feast with the King and his court, then watch his knights in a jousting tournament. Your food is eaten medieval style: no utensils!

I went to this dinner back in '98 and it was a great time. I'd expect it's still a lot of fun. I recommend making reservations one evening to attend!

[Susan Mugo]

I remember driving to Vegas from San Diego. About 5 hour drive. What's great about it was driving onto the strip! It was at night by the time I got there! Christmas Eve! But it was Great! I stayed at Treasure Island! The bellagio fountains , the Christmas lights great!!!

[Matt Doar]

It's just not my kind of place :). I was thinking of doing a spoof video of "Matt Doar and Bob Swift Go Wild In Vegas" but it wouldn't have much content. But wherever Summit is, it's still the people I talk to that make it special for me.

Tip: the talks at the end of the day are the ones where the presenter and audience get the longest time for discussions. No pressure to clear the room for the next one.

[Tim Keyes]

I really enjoy seeing the Cirque du Soleil shows that are at the various hotels.  I saw Zarkana at the Aria a couple of years ago.  

[Shawn Kessler]

Dune buggies in the desert was prob the most fun I ever had! Seriously! Is an amazing experience!

[Zak Laughton]

I saw Lance burton when I was 10 years old, and was chosen to "disappear" in a car on-stage! Fantastic show!