Thread: Viva Las Vegas - Trip Report

Vegas - Cowboy style
It’s the National Finals Rodeo - held the first week of December in Vegas, 10 days of rodeo events - ridin’ ropin’, steer wrestling, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding - a cowboy’s heaven.


Just past ‘Stateline’ we started seeing pick-up trucks with horse trailers in tow so by the time we hit the Vegas Strip seeing limousine drivers wearing cowboy hats and the statue of Julius Caesar (in front of Caesar’s Palace) dressed with cowboy hat and rope didn’t seem the tiniest bit strange.
BTW, one hotel even offered a ‘barn bellman’ who collects your luggage plus tack and saddles, while you check into your hotel room and horse stall -as the saying goes, you can find anything in Vegas)

We stayed at the Palazzo, the hotel was decked out for the holidays (Winter in Venice) with giant snowflakes, elves serving hot apple cider, a nightly light show with huge LED Christmas tree and a “floating” outdoor ice skating rink (that’s not made of ice) with gondoliers paddling by.
And as I stood there surrounded by cowboys, gondoliers and Elvis landing a double axel, I thought - Alice’s rabbit hole, it goes straight through VEGAS!

How hard is it to find a room during the National Finals week? Your description makes me want to go next year.

I didn’t have a problem getting reservations even with the NFR and the Pacquiao/Marquez fight going on.
Jackpot- We reserved a standard suite at the Palazzo, but because none were available when we arrived (all those horse trailers slowed us down a bit) we were upgraded to a luxury suite on the 38th floor overlooking the Strip. Had a great view of the pirate ship at TI.
Unfortunately the nightly “Sirens of TI “ show is in ‘dry dock’ Dec.3-25, so no birds eye view of the sirens and pirates, but the view of the Strip , now that was fantastic and something I don’t usually reserve*wink* BTW, the suites at the Palazzo are huge.

Most Vegas hotels offer packages with room, meal, show, discounts, so join the hotel player's clubs and there are a lot of sites that offer Vegas hotel and promo codes.
I always check Las Vegas Coupons - Hotel Promo Codes & Discount Tickets | SmarterVegas

For that next trip to Vegas, why not up the ante and stay in an incredible Vegas suite - just like in the movies.


Incredible Las Vegas hotel rooms - Telegraph

So I was in Vegas this past week-end and had some free time on my hands, so I decided to visit Chumlee and the boys on “Pawn Stars”.
First of all, Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is downtown and not in the best neighborhood, but you’ll be fine - although I’d probably stick to visiting during the day.
BTW, the shop, believe or not, has turned into a major Vegas tourist spot- only in Vegas. At any rate the shop itself is small, there was a line out front (maybe 75 to 100 people) and there’s a parking lot; it was full, not that I was going to park and stand in line so I could be at the mercy of the Vegas sun beating down on me to visit a pawn shop.
No, I just circled the block, waved to the people in line, honked at a newly married couple exiting the wedding chapel across the street and headed back to the Strip.
Oh and I did see Elvis & Bumblebee -Transformer standing on the corner---you gotta love Vegas.

I popped in a couple years ago. Tablet is a piece of junk and I lost my (barely) interesting post..

Let's try this again, since I'm sitting on a mechanical and have nothing to do..

I popped in a couple years ago on a Vegas layover. There wasn't a line to get in, but there was a line of people walking around the store, like an unofficial tour. They had plenty of cool items, and some that had been featured in the show, but I'm sure their biggest revenue generator is the memorabilia and tshirts. They were selling a ton. Chumlee made an appearance, so I bought a shirt for my brother and he was nice enough to sign it.

At that time, they were just putting in their new parking lot

Calling All Cowboys & Cowgirls

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rides into Vegas -Thomas & Mack Center-
Dec 5 to 14, 2013.
Ten days of ridin’, ropin, steer wrestling, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding, competition.
Saddle Up!


NFR Experience