Friends staying there and so if I go that is where I will stay. Have never been to Vegas, but have been reading the stickied thread all day.

So any Golden Nugget specific information would be awesome!

downtown is lame..it is not "old school", it is just old and full of fat, ugly tourists with giant beers and fanny packs.

find a place on the strip and split the costs.

I've stayed at several places downtown & GN was my least favorite. I found the rooms to be dark, the staff is rude, cool pool area, decent pizza. Of course, I'm one of the fatties though; without the fanny pack.

Downtown is pretty dirty. It's worth it for a trip down memory lane, but it's not worth it to stay there. Also, a table of me and 5 buddies got slaughtered at blackjack at the Nugget. Not a winning hand among us, and the Nugget walked away with at least 500 from us.

I like staying downtown a night or two, couldn't do the whole trip.

But when I stayed there I did the 'Gold Club' rooms which were really nice, reasonable, and clean.

If you are staying downtown, def stay there.

First trip to vegas? Stay on the strip.

The nugget was renovated 3 or 4 years ago and was in decent shape last time I was there 2 years ago. I think the investors that own it now are out of Houston, but I could be wrong on that.

I would not pay to stay there instead of the strip, but it is not as bad as the rest of downtown, IMO.

Its been awhile, but I like the Nugget. I will always stay on The Strip now, but nothing wrong with downtown. You can play cheaper downtown vs The Strip.

Cheaper table game mins downtown compared to the strip. If it is your 1st time to Vegas and you aren't on the strip, you are missing something.

But if you must stay there, the renovated pool and new restaurants are cool. The light show is great to see 1 time. They have bands etc at night on the street. It just seems to have a little "less class" than the strip.

Also, there are some dangerous places outside of the main gambling area downtown. Don't venture out too much.

ugly tourists with giant beers and fanny packs.
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and don't forget those "yard long" frozen drinks.

If you are staying in Vegas, stay on the strip. (I would say this is especially true for a first timer)
If you are staying in Downtown, stay at the Nugget.

Like everyone else has said, Downtown is fun for a night, but I really wouldn't ever stay there for an entire trip.

Even if you are thinking, "we'll spend all of our time on the strip, we can just save some $$ by staying in downtown"........it's not worth it.

[This message has been edited by txag2008 (edited 7/1/2011 12:04p).]

ditto exactly what txag2008 said!

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Even if you are thinking, "we'll spend all of our time on the strip, we can just save some $$ by staying in downtown"........it's not worth it.

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This. You are either going to have a $20 one way cab ride, or spend 30-45 minutes on the public bus.

quote:

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First trip to vegas? Stay on the strip.

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Agree with above posts. I haven't stayed downtown since they moved the WSOP to the Rio. The nicest thing about it is that you can very easily walk across the street to another casino (across the street is 3/4 mile on the strip) and those casinos have cheap crap and bj tables. The fun places on the strip haven't seen $5 craps tables in years.

It's still fun to take a trip downtown just to go to the Horseshoe and eat one of those great sandwiches sitting in the sports book area. Best sandwich in Vegas. Poker action is still pretty good at the 'shoe, more old timers and fewer internet wonders.

didn't fertita buy the place? watch out for the mob

[This message has been edited by Jock 07 (edited 7/2/2011 9:40p).]

Yes, Fertita owns the GN.

I must be really in the minority here, but I guess you have a different view when you live in Vegas for two years vs just visiting.

I love the Golden Nugget. Hotel rooms are actually quite nice for the price and it's my favorite pool in Vegas (sheerly because of the shark tank).
If you're on Fremont Street, here are the bars to check out:
* Hogs & Heifers -- It's like a real life "Coyote Ugly" and the folks there are awesome. Say hi to Chip, he's the 400ish pound bouncer - Real nice guy from the Midland/Odessa area of Texas, actually. Make sure you stick around until they start dancing on the bars. Cash only.
* The Griffin -- Laid back, very chill bar. Has a small dance area in the back, the front is just an area to relax and have a drink with some friends.
* Beauty Bar -- This one could either suck miserably or be totally awesome depending on the day and the crowd. They host a lot of small shows (DJs) and it's a cool place. Your bartender might be high (or it could be a man dressed as a woman, actually)

In terms of gambling, they're all about the same. Better rules than the Strip and cheaper tables, but it'll be an older / more hardcore gambling crowd. (Since I lived in Vegas, I used to gamble at local casinos rather than Fremont or the Strip)

there are places on the strip just as cheap as Golden Nugget and the $$ you will spend on cab rides from downtown to the strip will add up anyway

GN $1 craps, great way to learn...

I'm pretty sure it's a $5 min on craps at the Golden Nugget.

There was a table in the rear of GN that was $1, it may not be there anymore.

Binion's also had a $1 table near the rear of the casino