Good things about Downtown Vegas

Maybe I overthink these things.  As long as a hotel room is clean and the shower is hot I can be pretty comfortable in a hotel room, but after probably too much hemming and hawing, I have a hotel room booked for my April trip to Las Vegas.

I'll be staying at The D Hotel  on Fremont Street downtown. 

I had originally planned to stay on the strip, where most tourists stay, but the prices were higher than I expected.  So I kicked around some options and ended up at the D.  Some people hate downtown, but I've stayed there a few times and have been perfectly comfortable. 

Here are just a taste of random things to like about downtown Vegas:

• Cheaper.  Everything in downtown is cheaper.  The hotels, the restaurants, the booze, the gambling, everything.  I suspect the hookers might be cheaper too, but outside my expertise on that one.
• The Fremont Street Experience light show is cheesy.  It's also pretty cool, and something that you won't see again.  So go see it.  Really.  My favorite is the American Pie show, especially the later shows, when the drunk and tipsy sing along with the last verse.
• The Fremont East district has really taken off, it seems.  The new bars have brought the young and hip to downtown.  Being neither young nor hip, I don't know too much about the area, but I remember when the walk from the canopy to the El Cortez Casino was downright scary.  It isn't anymore.  Well, not so much.
• The Mob Museum - Where else would it be?
• The Shipping Container Park - OK, so this one isn't open yet.  It looks pretty awesome though.

Just a few random thoughts for now. 

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.

BTW, not sure why, but I haven't been able to load pictures here lately.  Sorry, I'm trying.

Picking travel dates

I suppose I should start at the beginning.  My somewhat-odd work schedule makes it very easy to travel in the summer.  Thus, I have a good window to work with.  Although there really isn't a "low season" for Las Vegas, the summer is a bit slower than other times.  Airfares are still way too high (this year, anyway) but doable, and reduced room rates are a wee bit easier to score, especially if you are able to get a comp.

So this time I'm going in early July, actually the week of July 4th, which is a bonus.  July 4th is a Wednesday this year, so it will be a bit less crazy than a long weekend.

Yes, Vegas in the summer is hot, too hot for some.  It's a dry heat, so it's much more comfortable than a hot day here in Boston, but anyone who tells you "you won't feel it" is full of crap.  When it's a hundred and six degrees, you feel it.  It is too hot, for me at least, to play golf or hike the desert, but I can walk around outside or sit by the pool and be alright so long as I stay hydrated.  I also do the siesta thing when I need to.  It's hot, but not too hot for me.

Next up - picking a flight.