WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.919
I'm Dana Austin and this is Next Level Awareness.
00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.039
I'm gonna try this conversation again.
00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:23.359
I recorded a whole conversation with myself about our Vegas trips and how you can save some money by going.
00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:38.159
But I think I decided that this is where I wanted to start because if I go back a couple of years and, you know, catch up on everything that we've been doing, I know a lot of people have had a lot of questions.
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:46.960
Um, probably because I I don't know, we use Vegas as our little escape from Phoenix, which is kind of weird because it's hot here, it's hot there.
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:52.479
But the nice thing about going up there is it does get you out of your area.
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.920
You're it just gets you away a little bit.
00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:58.479
And there's just so many things to do.
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:06.719
And it does cost a little bit, but it's not like a big trip that you have to plan a lot ahead of time.
00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.760
I mean, you can pretty much get a room any day of the week.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.439
Nothing's ever so busy that you just can't get in.
00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:18.799
Um, and there's always something different to do, something you've never done before, seen before.
00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:21.280
There's all kinds of good food to eat.
00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.799
Um, and and honestly, that's kind of what we go up there for.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.599
We don't even, we don't gamble that much.
00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.480
Um we do a little bit, and I'll explain that in a few minutes.
00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:42.480
But I think it just, it's just become kind of one of our little ways to escape whenever we just need to get out of it's just a getaway.
00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:47.280
Um so what we do is we will jump in the car and drive up there.
00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:53.439
It's about four and a half hours from uh the Queen Creek area in Arizona where we live.
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:59.760
And so it is a bit of a drive, but once you get used to it, it doesn't really seem like that much.
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:07.680
Um, there's definitely been a few times where I wish I could have flown, but you know, that was uh that's a whole different thing.
00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:18.879
And so we'll jump in the car, we'll drive up there, maybe spend two or three nights, eat some good food, maybe see a show or two, and then we come back.
00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:25.919
And it's kind of just a nice little way to break up some of the monotony of everyday living.
00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:37.759
And um, so I guess here's my my explanation of like how to do Vegas without spending millions of dollars because you definitely can.
00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:46.960
I mean, I see I'm in some chat groups and I see these people that go up there and and their their gambling budget is like ten thousand dollars just to start.
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:56.159
And I that to me is is kind of you know, and it's all about percentages and how much money you make and how much money you want to keep and all that stuff.
00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:59.680
So, you know, definitely keep that in mind as you're listening to this.
00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.479
We don't spend that much money.
00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:13.360
Um, Stan was a Pearl member for MGM Rewards when we first met, and as a Pearl member, which is the second level up from Sapphire, Sapphire is the lowest.
00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.680
As a Pearl member, you get free parking.
00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.919
So that kind of helps you save some money.
00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.919
And usually there's some kind of an offer.
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.319
If you go into their app, they'll give you some kind of an offer of how much you could save on your rooms.
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.240
And I don't know if it's a percentage.
00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:34.800
I mean, everybody gets different offers, it doesn't matter how much you gamble.
00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:42.319
I mean, it does probably matter how much you gamble, but um, usually you get some kind of offer that gives you some kind of discount on the room.
00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:50.400
So the other thing is um you want to take advantage of those offers.
00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:00.159
And then while you're there, you do want to gamble just a little bit because if you don't gamble at all and you're just getting the discounts for the rooms, they're gonna stop giving you as big a discounts.
00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:06.560
The other thing that we have found, and we didn't even know this until probably mid-last year.
00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:15.680
So we had been doing it wrong for months, is when you put a card on file at the hotel when you check in, you want to put a card.
00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:22.480
We usually just use our debit card because we're gonna pay for things anyway, and we usually just pay for it with our debit card.
00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:28.560
But um, you know, it just depends on your budget and how much you've decided to spend and and all that stuff.
00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:33.120
And as a financial advisor, I would say don't spend money that you don't have.
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:35.920
But everybody has their different things that they do.
00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:42.879
I mean, maybe you get extra points for uh hotel stays, and maybe that's why you put that card on file, but just keep that in mind.
00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:52.560
So you put the card on file, and then when you're doing things around the MGM hotels, if you're a rewards member, you charge it to your room.
00:04:52.800 --> 00:05:01.120
Anything that you do, if you're getting drinks, if you're getting food, if you're shopping, anything that you can charge it to your room.
00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:03.120
And you'll have to ask a lot of times.
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:06.240
They don't automatically just assume that you're staying there.
00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.800
So you can just say, hey, can I charge this to my room?
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:18.800
They'll look it up, they'll make sure that you're um on the room and that you are allowed to charge because that's that's one of the things when you check in.
00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:26.079
You gotta make sure that people are who whoever is in the room is allowed to charge things to the room, but you get four times the amount of points.
00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:41.839
So let's say you go out to eat and you spend$75 at, which is kind of a low amount, but if you spend$75 on dinner, you're gonna get four times that amount and points towards your MGM points.
00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:46.399
The points get you the status, and the status gets you bigger discounts.
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:54.160
It gets you bigger discounts on rooms, it gets you bigger discounts on food, it gets you bigger down discounts and free comp rooms.
00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:59.120
So it that's how people go to Vegas so much.
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:05.920
I mean, that's really the secret is you have to become a member of some of those programs and get the points.
00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:11.519
And what we were doing before, we we had no idea about charging to your room.
00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:16.879
If you're just going up there and you're just swiping your debit card, you're losing out on all of that stuff.
00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:27.360
The main thing that we take advantage of is the valet parking because once we hit gold status, you get free valet parking, which is usually about$60 a day.
00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:33.199
And so now we just pull up, we get the valet, and we just tip them because it's free.
00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:35.920
And it does come off your room.
00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.879
I mean, it's kind of weird because sometimes stuff looks like it gets charged to your room and then they take it off at the end.
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.399
You just have to, you have to be on top of your bill for sure.
00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:53.680
But there's a lot of advantages to traveling that way, getting points, earning status.
00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.759
Um, and a lot of it doesn't come with an extra price tag.
00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.399
It just comes with being smart about what you're doing.
00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:11.120
So um that's my my first little tip for Vegas is just understand the point system, how it works, and take advantage of it.
00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.680
The other thing you can do is sometimes you can book shows.
00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:19.279
So if you go on the MGM um app, you can book shows and and do things like that.
00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:24.720
And that's again, if you book that stuff and you charge it to your room, more points, you know.
00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:29.199
So if you're gonna do stuff anyway, I mean at first, I don't know.
00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:35.360
If if you decide to just start doing getaways in Vegas and you want to save money, do that.
00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:40.879
And honestly, the first few times you go up there, maybe even check into one of those timeshare things.
00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:50.800
Those timeshare places a lot of times will give you a three-night stay for maybe$150 and you just go to a one-hour uh presentation.
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:52.560
Say no.
00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:59.040
You definitely don't want to buy a timeshare and you don't want to be going to Vegas all the time just for that.
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:10.399
But if if you can get up there and get the rewards and start doing the points, it's better if you have a room at MGM so you can charge things to your room.
00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:12.879
That's just the best way, honestly.
00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:24.800
But um, we have done so many things, and I'm gonna go into like all the different things that we've seen and done up there so that it gives you a lot of different options.
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:30.959
Uh, one of the first times we went, Stan was working uh the Formula One event.
00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:40.000
So I kind of spent a whole lot of time hanging out in the hotel that we were staying in, and it was interesting.
00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:53.600
And I, you know, I'm most people aren't gonna have the experiences that I had because one of my first times in Vegas was hanging out in a hotel that was smack dab in the middle of the Formula One racetrack.
00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:00.799
So everywhere I went, if if if I could get out and drive, it I really didn't drive very far.
00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.279
I drove down the street to Target a couple times.
00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:14.799
And then, but everything that was near the hotel that we were at, the streets were shut down because they were building the track for Formula One.
00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:19.360
Actually, it was already built because I think we were there the week of Formula One.
00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:29.919
And so you didn't really wanna, especially if you're not familiar with the area, I definitely wasn't gonna go driving around on the strip or doing anything like that by myself.
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:36.639
But uh there was a couple times I needed to walk and and go a couple places.
00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:38.159
So I wound up walking.
00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:44.320
We were a little off the strip at the Tuscany, and it was interesting to say the least.
00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.720
Um, I definitely got familiar.
00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:54.399
I was I I I just I pulled up my Google Maps, figured out where I wanted to go, and then started walking.
00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:03.840
And it's amazing how that can teach you a lot about an area is just go for walks and kind of get lost and and then find yourself again.
00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:11.759
And because there were a lot of roads that were shut down and blocked off, and you had to have credentials to get there.
00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:24.399
Um, I think this the place that Stan was working was kind of over by Top Golf, and it literally was probably a half a mile or less from where our room was.
00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:30.720
But because the streets were shut down, my Google Maps was telling me to go certain ways.
00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:37.360
And I probably walked about three miles altogether by the time I got to where he was.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:45.360
And it was kind of funny because I walked down this one street right underneath where the monorail runs behind it.
00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:50.879
It was like the next street over from the strip to the east, I guess.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.720
And so there's just a lot of parking garages and not a whole lot going on on that street.
00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:18.559
And I was uh walking down the street and I thought, okay, so I had to go across Harmon and then I went straight and I wound up kind of underneath the MGM um walkway from the parking garage, kind of next to the parking garage was weird.
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.440
And I I go, I was like, all right, well, so let me go up here.
00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:27.200
So I go inside this building, go up the elevator, and then I started walking again.
00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:31.200
I found myself going completely the wrong way.
00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:36.240
I was literally following Google, Google Maps, but it was just so backwards.
00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:43.679
Um, so I think I was halfway into the MGM casino before I was like, I think I'm going the wrong way.
00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.720
So I turned around and I made it.
00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.919
I finally made it.
00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:54.559
Um I got over to where the top golf entrance was, and then I like made my way into the hotels.
00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:03.120
And then once I got there where he was at, I knew exactly where I had walked right behind like right beside there.
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:14.720
I couldn't see him from where I was walking, but it was kind of funny because I was like, oh, I just, I just went a mile and a half extra out of my way where I could have just cut across this little parking lot.
00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:26.240
So um, you know, that stuff has happened to me so many times that now I'm just used to walking around Vegas and I don't walk anywhere where it's dangerous that I would be walking by myself.
00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:35.679
But, you know, if you're just if you're just paying attention to where you're at and taking notes of your different landmarks and stuff, you'll get to know it really quick.
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:56.720
So the other thing that we do sometimes when we're up there is just when it's actually not bad weather, we'll get up in the morning and just go walk and we'll walk through different casinos and we'll walk through different stores sometimes, and and there's shopping and malls and different.
00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.919
Um, I mean, there's so much you can do that's just free.
00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.679
And it's just it gets you out of the house.
00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:11.039
It gets you out into, you know, just looking at things and having experiences and watching people.
00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:15.600
And um, one day we decided to get up and go walk.
00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:21.600
And I believe we were staying at either the Luxor or the W.
00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:28.960
I'm not positive, but we were staying pretty far down at the south end of the strip.
00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:34.960
And so we're like, hey, let's go, you know, let's go see, let's just walk up and see where we want to go.
00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:38.080
And eventually we decided to walk all the way to Fountain Blue.
00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:42.799
And so we got to Fountain Blue, and that was uh that was a pretty big walk.
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:50.240
I mean, it was, I think it was six miles, however, long we we walked about six miles just to get to Fountain Blue.
00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:52.960
We had breakfast, brunch, whatever it was.
00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.240
And then we turned around and walked back to our hotel.
00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:59.039
And it was probably one of the most fun days.
00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.919
We saw a lot of different things.
00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:10.639
Um, I believe we went through the flamingo hotel and we looked at the flamingo habitat, and none of that stuff costs any money.
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.879
It's just, it's just walking up and down.
00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:25.519
And, you know, you can you have to avoid some of the people out there trying to, you know, get money out of you for their different little street performer things, but it's pretty easy to just ignore them and walk on.
00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.000
They they they know not to to really like bug people too much.
00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:35.840
Um and then let's see, some of the other things that we have done there.
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:52.879
One of the other first times we went to Vegas, so not the same time as Formula One, but one of the other times, kind of around the same time, I bought a Go City Pass, which is an app on your phone.
00:14:52.960 --> 00:15:00.720
You can download the app and it's called Go City, and it has definitely different other cities available, but Vegas is a good one.
00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:06.960
If you're gonna be there for two or three days, you can get a day pass or a two-day pass.
00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:10.240
I think I bought the two-day pass per person.
00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.279
I want to say it might be about$150.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:28.639
But if you really plan it out, you can do a lot of things in that two days, and it'll save you a lot of money because you can do um the link, the big sky ferris wheel thing.
00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:35.519
You can ride on that, and and yeah, it's during the day, it's not a nighttime ride, but still you could do that.
00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:36.639
It's included.
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:52.720
Then you can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you can do the Wax Museum, you can do, um, I think there's like, I don't know, 20 or 30 different things that you get to do for free because you bought that pass.
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:59.279
Some of them involve making an appointment or a reservation, I guess I should say.
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:06.240
Um, but other ones you can just walk up and show your pass and do your thing and and it's actually very cool.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:10.480
I I would do that again if we hadn't already done it.
00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:19.600
So, I mean, I that's definitely something I would recommend for people who maybe haven't been to Vegas or haven't been able to do Vegas much because everything's so expensive.
00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:24.159
So um, that's a way to save a bunch of money and actually get to see a lot of things.
00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:36.320
The other things that we do are, you know, like I said, um you can buy tickets to shows if you charge it to your room at MGM and you get all the extra points.
00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.879
We've seen Michael Jackson one.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.360
That was probably one of the better ones.
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.320
I really love actually every show we've been to.
00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:51.039
I don't, I mean, I don't know if I could say better ones or worse ones, but we I I've loved every single one of them.
00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:58.799
And the venues are small, so the seats are always good, no matter where you sit, and they're always entertaining.
00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.879
You don't have to spend a ton of money at their concession stand.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.839
Um, sometimes they'll say you can't bring anything in with you, other times they don't even care.
00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.720
That's the nice thing I will say.
00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:17.839
There's not a whole lot of restaurants that will tell you you can't bring outside drinks in or something.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:29.759
Um, sometimes they do, but for the most part, you can walk around with your water bottle and your, you know, whatever you have, and nobody's gonna bother you about coming in.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.480
Or I I usually what I usually do is carry a bag.
00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:41.519
I carry a like a sling bag or some something, and I carry water bottles that we can close up good that I can throw in my bag.
00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:48.079
So if we happen to be stopping somewhere for lunch or going in somewhere, I don't have to like dump out my drink or throw it away or whatever.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.519
So they're used to people carrying backpacks and bags and stuff.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:58.799
I wouldn't get too crazy and carry like a whole giant backpack with a whole lot of stuff in it, you know?
00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:11.440
Um, and if you're gonna carry snacks hot, carry snacks that are not gonna melt or get a little cooler thing to put in it because everything will just be melted and disgusting by the time you're done.
00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:21.200
But I mean, we tend to wind up doing either breakfast or we'll do like a brunch thing and then we'll eat maybe dinner.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:27.200
And a lot of times we'll eat something that either we can split or we can take some of it home with us.
00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:31.200
And um, that's why we like to stay at the aria a lot.
00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:39.279
Uh the aria and and vidara both usually have refrigerators, like a full-size refrigerator and a whole kitchen.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:41.440
So you can actually cook.
00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.920
Um, you can warm up your leftovers.
00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:51.039
We're huge on warming up leftovers and splitting meals and stuff like that because it just does save a ton of money.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:53.519
And, you know, so you can think about that stuff.
00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:58.720
We when we eat breakfast, we'll usually eat half of it because nobody needs to eat a whole giant breakfast.
00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:06.240
Um, some of the best breakfast places that we love to go are uh salt and ivy at the aria.
00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:09.920
We love their food, it's very clean.
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:16.799
Um, it's it's I don't know if it's like a hundred percent super healthy, but they do have really good healthy options.
00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:32.960
The other place that I would say if you're on a budget, um ironically, the pyramid cafe at the Luxor has a really good breakfast and their portions are gigantic.
00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:39.920
I mean, you could eat breakfast for three days on one breakfast alone if you just portion it out properly.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:44.799
And um, I think I've had their biscuits and gravy with their potatoes.
00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:46.480
Oh my gosh, so good.
00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:52.240
And Stan gets an omelet everywhere we go, so he he loves their omelets too.
00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:57.039
And um, so those two for breakfast for sure.
00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:13.519
And then for lunches, I mean, gosh, we've we've been to Jason Aldean's, we've been to the Rainforest Cafe, we've been to, oh, that's the other thing.
00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:22.960
Um, if you know you're going to Vegas and you're probably gonna be eating out or spending a lot of money, uh Costco has some really good gift cards.
00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:31.680
So they usually have a deal where you can get gift cards, let's say$100 worth of gift cards for like$75.
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:38.079
So that's another way I've done um things to save some money.
00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:47.519
Like we wanted to go to a really nice dinner, and there's a place called Morton's Steakhouse up there, and it's a super nice restaurant, kind of pricey.
00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:52.880
But I went ahead and bought, I think,$200 worth of gift cards for$150.
00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:56.880
So that saved us about$50 on our meal there.
00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:01.680
And I mean, probably one of the best steak dinners I've ever had.
00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:09.279
The other place we ate on that same street was called Cleaver, I think, which is a kind of a higher-end steakhouse.
00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:10.880
That one's really good too.
00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:13.039
No complaints, but definitely pricey.
00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:19.599
So it's not a place you're gonna save a bunch of extra money if you're gonna go eat and eat well.
00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:22.640
But um, definitely really nice places.
00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:31.200
The other, like what we usually do is we'll do Nacho Daddy, which is off Harmon, kind of by uh Planet Hollywood.
00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:44.240
And then the other Mexican place we like is called uh Husongs Cantina, I think, which is in the Mandalay, uh, the shops at Mandalay Place or something.
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:46.160
It's in between Mandalay Bay and Luxor.
00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:51.119
And then we also like that little Irish pub that's in there.
00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:55.759
There's uh an Irish pub at New York, New York that we like.
00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.319
Tom's watch bar is always really good.
00:21:58.559 --> 00:21:59.759
That one's kind of outside.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:07.519
New York, New York, and oh New York, New York has Broadway Burger Bar, which amazing burgers.
00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.640
Like if you're a burger person, definitely it's so good.
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:16.240
Um, I think we've been there gosh, three or four times.
00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:22.799
We we we wind up going back to the same places all the time because we just we get in, I wouldn't say a rut.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.880
We just like we like places so much that it makes us want to go back.
00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:30.319
Um, burgers too, and then street tacos.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:33.759
Stan always gets the street tacos at Flanker.
00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:42.960
We love Flanker, it's at Mandalay Bay, and we eat there quite a bit, and also citizen at Mandalay Bay is really good.
00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.920
So, I mean, there's so many options for food.
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.640
I'm sure that we haven't even scratched the surface.
00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.160
Uh, we've eaten at House of Blues, that's always really good too.
00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.559
Again, Mandalay Bay.
00:22:54.960 --> 00:23:02.720
And I don't know, you know, Bellagio didn't have a whole lot of restaurants that I wanted to eat at.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:10.240
We tried the big buffet, the Wicked Spoon at Cosmo.
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:25.680
If you're an MGM rewards member and you're gold or platinum, I believe you get there's a a a deal for like a buy one get one free buffet, which is pretty good because I think it's like a$75 buffet.
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:35.359
I don't quote me on that, but um I think we got I maybe it was yeah, I don't know how much it costs.
00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:37.519
I just know that it was really good.
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.720
We don't eat enough food to ever do buffets.
00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.799
So that one for us kind of it's is the food's amazing, but it's a buffet.
00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:52.880
And we just can't, I can't eat that much, so I almost can't justify doing that very often.
00:23:53.279 --> 00:24:00.720
Uh the other, let's see, I'm trying to think of where else we've eaten at that was really good.
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:12.799
We don't do your normal Gordon Ramsay, you know, high-end chef type things because there's so many other good places to eat that most people don't talk about.
00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:15.200
So I think that's why we do what we do.
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:21.359
Um, there is a little restaurant, I can't remember the name of it.
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:32.240
It is in Bellagio, but it's kind of in that back corner if you're on your way up to the tram station, or if you're gonna go the back way to the Vidara.
00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:34.640
Uh, it seems like it's never open.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.880
We just happened to catch open one time.
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.400
I think they're only open for dinner, but that one was really good too.
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:44.400
I want to say it's something called like harvest or something.
00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:56.160
Um, but there's tons of restaurants, and I mean, I don't think you'll ever be disappointed if you just go in and and they always have something different and they always have their own spin on things.
00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:05.200
I will say I wasn't really very impressed with the ice cream at, I think it's called milk or something.
00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:12.720
There's this um ice cream place at Cosmo, and the idea behind it is it's like cereal milk.
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:20.079
So all of the milk that they use in their ice cream is kind of like extra sweet or something.
00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:23.519
I I wasn't I didn't I don't like it.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.400
Um, but that's just my own personal preference.
00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:32.480
So, but you could try it if you really like cereal and you like the cereal milk that goes along with it.
00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:36.799
They have different flavors, obviously different types of cereal milk flavors.
00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:42.160
Um but you know, that's kind of a dear a an odd one.
00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:51.440
We took my son to uh Vegas this February when he turned 21, and I let him choose what we got to do.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:01.519
And one of the things that he picked was to go to Area 15, and we did the John Wick experience, and that was totally worth it.
00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:03.440
It was a little pricey.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:11.039
I don't know that we had any kind of discounts or anything for that, but it was um a really good experience.
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:16.400
Basically, not to spoil it, but it's kind of an escape room.
00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:20.799
And I don't think we really understood that or really knew that going in.
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:28.880
But I mean, maybe that was just our lack of planning and just hey, let's just go do this.
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:30.400
I we do that a lot.
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.279
We don't have any idea what we're getting ourselves into.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:35.920
We'll just go, hey, let's this sounds fun.
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.559
So the John Wick thing sounded really cool.
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:42.079
And for Stan and Hunter, they absolutely loved it.
00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:43.680
And I mean, I loved it too.
00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:44.559
Don't get me wrong.
00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:46.559
I just I wasn't as familiar.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:53.440
So if you haven't seen the movies, it may not be it, it may just be like, okay, this is a really cool experience.
00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:03.039
But if you've seen the movies and you can tie in all the things that are coming from the movie and that theme, it makes it probably that much more enjoyable.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:03.920
I don't know.
00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:06.240
So that was a really good one.
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.640
That area 15 is an interesting place.
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:12.880
It's several different buildings, they have a lot of different activities that you can do.
00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:17.440
It doesn't cost you anything to go there or to get in.
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:23.440
Um, you can walk the buildings and do whatever, and then you just choose the different experiences you want to have.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:25.759
And I believe they sell packages.
00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:30.480
So you can buy packages of different things.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:34.240
We just bought the John Wick experience alone by itself.
00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:37.279
It costs a little bit to park, not a big deal.
00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.000
I mean, not at all like parking on the strip.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:42.160
So just plan on that.
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:46.799
Um, pretty much anywhere you go in Vegas, it's gonna cost you money to park.
00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:51.920
And so that's why we love like having the MGM rewards and parking.
00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:56.480
We park anywhere we want at MGM hotels for free because we have that.
00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.920
And now we have the the ballet and everything.
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.400
So we hardly ever have to worry about that.
00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:05.519
A lot of times I'll try to figure out where we can park.
00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:17.279
You know, if we're doing something that's farther up on the strip, we'll park near Bellagio and then we'll either take a tram or the monorail or something to get there without having to drive.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:19.839
And, you know, sometimes we just pay for the parking.
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.279
There's sometimes when it's just worth it to pay for the parking.
00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:25.519
I I like to walk.
00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:32.079
So I've walked from, oh, I don't remember where we were staying.
00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:36.000
I I think we were at Luxor or the W.
00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:46.559
Stan was working an event at the Venetian for they were working some kind of a um an event.
00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:54.640
And so I wound up having to walk up there to get him something, like to give him something while he was working.
00:28:54.880 --> 00:29:04.400
And I so I parked at MGM Grand and I got on the monorail and I rode the monorail up, and you can get right off near the Venetian.
00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:09.519
Um, there was it sometimes it's not always clear which stop to get off on.
00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:11.359
So that's the part that I love.
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.119
I I actually don't mind.
00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:17.440
I'll go, okay, I'm gonna just get as close as I can and then figure out the way around.
00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:23.200
And then a lot of times while I'm doing that, I find shortcuts and other ways around.
00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:28.000
So um I just I like knowing where I'm at.
00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.599
And I there's just I don't have this fear of getting lost.
00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:38.240
And I think I like doing that because it just it just gives me more information, you know.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:43.119
And you can look up stuff all you want on Google Maps, but it it's not always right.
00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:45.039
You know, Apple Maps, same thing.
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:46.160
It's not always right.
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:50.079
And and they there's only so much technology can do for you.
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.799
And the rest of it's just kind of your own critical thinking and and testing things out and not being so afraid.
00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:02.720
Um, I don't I never got myself in a situation where I thought I was like really lost.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:05.279
So you just there's signs everywhere.
00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:10.799
And if we just know your landmarks, you start walking in a certain direction, you're gonna eventually get there.
00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:14.640
It's just not that hard, and there's nothing to be afraid of.
00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:21.839
Um, I guess that's kind of my my big spiel on Vegas.
00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:26.720
And, you know, there's definitely things that we haven't done that I would like to do.
00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:28.480
We've done the Wax Museum.
00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:33.359
I would really like to do the Eiffel Tower sometime when we're there.
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:36.400
We've been there for New Years and seen all the fireworks.
00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:41.680
We've been there for New Year's and we've gotten rained out and and froze.
00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:52.400
And then, you know, we I don't think we've ever been for Fourth of July, but we did we've done two New Years for sure so far.
00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:54.960
And that was a really good experience.
00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.839
Um, well, at least the first time was really good.
00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:06.400
The second time we got rained out, and but we had a room that actually had a really good view of the fireworks.
00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:10.000
So we were able to stay in our room and hang out, watch the fireworks.
00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:13.759
And I'm such a lightweight, I go to sleep right at midnight, right after they're over.
00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.759
So that was kind of what I did.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:20.880
Um, but other than that, I mean, we've had we've done a lot of cool things.
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:24.319
The flyover is right on the strip.
00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:33.039
It is um, it's kind of right down in the middle by that brew dog uh rooftop bar.
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:36.559
Kind of it's just it's hard to explain where it's at.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:41.200
I think by the Hard Rock Cafe, you go in this little building.
00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:44.559
It's like a ride, but it's an immersive ride.
00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:54.640
And you're you're in, you're watching this video of I'm I'm assuming drone footage, but you you get the full experience like you're flying, and it is amazing.
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:59.440
We've done that three times, and you can buy tickets for that online.
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:01.440
It's really cool.
00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:03.119
I really enjoyed that.
00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:05.119
We will probably do it again.
00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:10.400
Um, and we've actually gone up to Vegas just to go hiking.
00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:16.480
We've gone, we've stayed on the strip, and then we've gone out to the Red Rock Canyon.
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:19.759
We've gone hiking, we've gone on the scenic drives.
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:34.400
You can drive up to Mount Charleston, which um I think in this, like I would say fall or spring, it's probably the best time if you want to be up there when it's not super, super hot, but also um Mount Charleston gets snow in the winter.
00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:36.160
So that's kind of cool.
00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:38.720
Um, you can even stay on Mount Charleston.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:42.559
I think there are some cabins and stuff up there that you could stay at, which is really cool.
00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:48.720
I think a lot of people forget that there's actually a whole thing outside of the strip.
00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:51.680
Uh, there's another place we want to go.
00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:55.039
Um, it's it's north of Vegas.
00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:56.960
Uh, I don't remember.
00:32:57.119 --> 00:33:00.640
It's the Valley of Fire, I think is what it's called.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:08.000
And sometime we're gonna, we're planning to rent a Can Am or something like that and go see the Valley of Fire because that seems like a really cool.
00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:13.359
They do tours, and it just seems like it might be a lot of fun.
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:19.759
So, you know, I mean, again, this is just a whole thing about Vegas.
00:33:19.839 --> 00:33:31.920
We've been we were there 33 times last year, and I gotta say, we probably spent less money than any would anyone would ever imagine that we would spend going there.
00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:44.160
I mean, I like I would say 30, let's see, if we were there 33 times, we probably only paid a little bit for rooms about four or five times.
00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:55.359
So, I mean, when you're getting rooms for free, you gamble a hundred bucks or something, you're gambling a little bit, but you you didn't spend anything to stay there.
00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:58.799
So you, and then sometimes you win money when you gamble.
00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:07.759
I mean, we don't, I we've won some, not anything to like write home about, but sometimes we break even, sometimes we come home with a little bit more.
00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:10.800
I wouldn't recommend gambling money that you don't have.
00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:13.519
So definitely make yourself a budget.
00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:16.960
But I mean, it look you look at it as entertainment costs.
00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:19.840
How much are you gonna spend to go out and entertain yourself?
00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:27.119
If you spend$200 on concert tickets, okay, but you could also spend$200 gambling and possibly win some money back.
00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:30.000
And then, you know, you just but you have to keep control of it.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:30.960
That's the main thing.
00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:33.360
It's like if you're gonna gamble, do it smart.
00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:36.639
I'm not a big fan of throwing money away.
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:45.280
Um, um, you know, to me, sometimes I feel like it's it's you could just drive down the road and and toss some money out the window.
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:47.039
It's about the same effect.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:52.480
But at the other, you know, on the other end, there are benefits to doing it.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:56.559
You're getting points, you're you're adding to your room comps and all that stuff.
00:34:56.639 --> 00:35:08.960
And it helps you get get it gets for us, the whole point of going up there is just to get us away from the Phoenix area and the just the rat race.
00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:14.480
And for uh, I don't know, it just it's one of those things.
00:35:14.639 --> 00:35:15.599
We own a business.
00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.880
Every time we leave the house, the phone winds up ringing.
00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:29.679
So if we're just sitting around not doing anything at home, just taking care of home stuff and cooking and and organizing and cleaning and doing all that stuff, our phone's not really ringing.
00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:35.679
And all it takes is for us to actually leave the house to go do something, and then the phone starts ringing.
00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:38.400
And so then that's where the work comes from.
00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:48.320
So I it's just it's been one of those strange phenomenon, I guess.
00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:50.559
And our phone's been ringing off the hook lately.
00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:59.920
We've been gone so much the last few months traveling and doing so many different things that our phone is ringing constantly.
00:36:00.159 --> 00:36:02.639
Um, but that's a story for another day.
00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:09.679
So anyway, um again, just wanted to help people out on their Vegas trips.
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:17.599
If they're planning a trip to Vegas, I do have another podcast I'm gonna record that has to do with conventions in Vegas.
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:31.440
So if you happen to be getting ready to go there for a convention, I have some tips for that because I've I've been around a few conventions up there in my time now, in the last two years.
00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:35.199
I'd never been to Vegas before two years ago, oddly enough.
00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:37.840
And now I feel like it's like my second home.
00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:46.400
But um, yeah, I've got I've got a bunch of tips for for how to survive going to conventions in Vegas.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:49.440
So that's gonna be one of my next podcasts.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:58.880
And if you like what you're hearing, I'm gonna be talking about all kinds of different topics, not just Vegas, not just travel, not just money.
00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:01.599
I mean, kind of a whole lot of other things.
00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:07.760
So you never know what you're gonna get on this one, but I assure you it will never be boring.
00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:14.719
Um, you can like, subscribe, definitely share with a friend if you feel like they could use some of these tips.
00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:27.760
And you can reach out to me at next level awareness podcast at gmail.com if you have any questions or just want to leave some feedback, that is more than welcome.
00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:31.360
And then, you know, catch me on the next one.
00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:33.920
I will talk to you again next week.
00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:37.679
This is Dana Austin with Next Level Awareness.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.919
I'm Dana Austin and this is Next Level Awareness.
00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.039
I'm gonna try this conversation again.
00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:23.359
I recorded a whole conversation with myself about our Vegas trips and how you can save some money by going.
00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:38.159
But I think I decided that this is where I wanted to start because if I go back a couple of years and, you know, catch up on everything that we've been doing, I know a lot of people have had a lot of questions.
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:46.960
Um, probably because I I don't know, we use Vegas as our little escape from Phoenix, which is kind of weird because it's hot here, it's hot there.
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:52.479
But the nice thing about going up there is it does get you out of your area.
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.920
You're it just gets you away a little bit.
00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:58.479
And there's just so many things to do.
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:06.719
And it does cost a little bit, but it's not like a big trip that you have to plan a lot ahead of time.
00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.760
I mean, you can pretty much get a room any day of the week.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.439
Nothing's ever so busy that you just can't get in.
00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:18.799
Um, and there's always something different to do, something you've never done before, seen before.
00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:21.280
There's all kinds of good food to eat.
00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.799
Um, and and honestly, that's kind of what we go up there for.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.599
We don't even, we don't gamble that much.
00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.480
Um we do a little bit, and I'll explain that in a few minutes.
00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:42.480
But I think it just, it's just become kind of one of our little ways to escape whenever we just need to get out of it's just a getaway.
00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:47.280
Um so what we do is we will jump in the car and drive up there.
00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:53.439
It's about four and a half hours from uh the Queen Creek area in Arizona where we live.
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:59.760
And so it is a bit of a drive, but once you get used to it, it doesn't really seem like that much.
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:07.680
Um, there's definitely been a few times where I wish I could have flown, but you know, that was uh that's a whole different thing.
00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:18.879
And so we'll jump in the car, we'll drive up there, maybe spend two or three nights, eat some good food, maybe see a show or two, and then we come back.
00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:25.919
And it's kind of just a nice little way to break up some of the monotony of everyday living.
00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:37.759
And um, so I guess here's my my explanation of like how to do Vegas without spending millions of dollars because you definitely can.
00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:46.960
I mean, I see I'm in some chat groups and I see these people that go up there and and their their gambling budget is like ten thousand dollars just to start.
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:56.159
And I that to me is is kind of you know, and it's all about percentages and how much money you make and how much money you want to keep and all that stuff.
00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:59.680
So, you know, definitely keep that in mind as you're listening to this.
00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.479
We don't spend that much money.
00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:13.360
Um, Stan was a Pearl member for MGM Rewards when we first met, and as a Pearl member, which is the second level up from Sapphire, Sapphire is the lowest.
00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.680
As a Pearl member, you get free parking.
00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.919
So that kind of helps you save some money.
00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.919
And usually there's some kind of an offer.
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.319
If you go into their app, they'll give you some kind of an offer of how much you could save on your rooms.
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.240
And I don't know if it's a percentage.
00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:34.800
I mean, everybody gets different offers, it doesn't matter how much you gamble.
00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:42.319
I mean, it does probably matter how much you gamble, but um, usually you get some kind of offer that gives you some kind of discount on the room.
00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:50.400
So the other thing is um you want to take advantage of those offers.
00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:00.159
And then while you're there, you do want to gamble just a little bit because if you don't gamble at all and you're just getting the discounts for the rooms, they're gonna stop giving you as big a discounts.
00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:06.560
The other thing that we have found, and we didn't even know this until probably mid-last year.
00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:15.680
So we had been doing it wrong for months, is when you put a card on file at the hotel when you check in, you want to put a card.
00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:22.480
We usually just use our debit card because we're gonna pay for things anyway, and we usually just pay for it with our debit card.
00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:28.560
But um, you know, it just depends on your budget and how much you've decided to spend and and all that stuff.
00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:33.120
And as a financial advisor, I would say don't spend money that you don't have.
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:35.920
But everybody has their different things that they do.
00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:42.879
I mean, maybe you get extra points for uh hotel stays, and maybe that's why you put that card on file, but just keep that in mind.
00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:52.560
So you put the card on file, and then when you're doing things around the MGM hotels, if you're a rewards member, you charge it to your room.
00:04:52.800 --> 00:05:01.120
Anything that you do, if you're getting drinks, if you're getting food, if you're shopping, anything that you can charge it to your room.
00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:03.120
And you'll have to ask a lot of times.
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:06.240
They don't automatically just assume that you're staying there.
00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.800
So you can just say, hey, can I charge this to my room?
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:18.800
They'll look it up, they'll make sure that you're um on the room and that you are allowed to charge because that's that's one of the things when you check in.
00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:26.079
You gotta make sure that people are who whoever is in the room is allowed to charge things to the room, but you get four times the amount of points.
00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:41.839
So let's say you go out to eat and you spend$75 at, which is kind of a low amount, but if you spend$75 on dinner, you're gonna get four times that amount and points towards your MGM points.
00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:46.399
The points get you the status, and the status gets you bigger discounts.
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:54.160
It gets you bigger discounts on rooms, it gets you bigger discounts on food, it gets you bigger down discounts and free comp rooms.
00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:59.120
So it that's how people go to Vegas so much.
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:05.920
I mean, that's really the secret is you have to become a member of some of those programs and get the points.
00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:11.519
And what we were doing before, we we had no idea about charging to your room.
00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:16.879
If you're just going up there and you're just swiping your debit card, you're losing out on all of that stuff.
00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:27.360
The main thing that we take advantage of is the valet parking because once we hit gold status, you get free valet parking, which is usually about$60 a day.
00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:33.199
And so now we just pull up, we get the valet, and we just tip them because it's free.
00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:35.920
And it does come off your room.
00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.879
I mean, it's kind of weird because sometimes stuff looks like it gets charged to your room and then they take it off at the end.
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.399
You just have to, you have to be on top of your bill for sure.
00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:53.680
But there's a lot of advantages to traveling that way, getting points, earning status.
00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.759
Um, and a lot of it doesn't come with an extra price tag.
00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.399
It just comes with being smart about what you're doing.
00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:11.120
So um that's my my first little tip for Vegas is just understand the point system, how it works, and take advantage of it.
00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.680
The other thing you can do is sometimes you can book shows.
00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:19.279
So if you go on the MGM um app, you can book shows and and do things like that.
00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:24.720
And that's again, if you book that stuff and you charge it to your room, more points, you know.
00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:29.199
So if you're gonna do stuff anyway, I mean at first, I don't know.
00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:35.360
If if you decide to just start doing getaways in Vegas and you want to save money, do that.
00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:40.879
And honestly, the first few times you go up there, maybe even check into one of those timeshare things.
00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:50.800
Those timeshare places a lot of times will give you a three-night stay for maybe$150 and you just go to a one-hour uh presentation.
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:52.560
Say no.
00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:59.040
You definitely don't want to buy a timeshare and you don't want to be going to Vegas all the time just for that.
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:10.399
But if if you can get up there and get the rewards and start doing the points, it's better if you have a room at MGM so you can charge things to your room.
00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:12.879
That's just the best way, honestly.
00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:24.800
But um, we have done so many things, and I'm gonna go into like all the different things that we've seen and done up there so that it gives you a lot of different options.
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:30.959
Uh, one of the first times we went, Stan was working uh the Formula One event.
00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:40.000
So I kind of spent a whole lot of time hanging out in the hotel that we were staying in, and it was interesting.
00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:53.600
And I, you know, I'm most people aren't gonna have the experiences that I had because one of my first times in Vegas was hanging out in a hotel that was smack dab in the middle of the Formula One racetrack.
00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:00.799
So everywhere I went, if if if I could get out and drive, it I really didn't drive very far.
00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.279
I drove down the street to Target a couple times.
00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:14.799
And then, but everything that was near the hotel that we were at, the streets were shut down because they were building the track for Formula One.
00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:19.360
Actually, it was already built because I think we were there the week of Formula One.
00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:29.919
And so you didn't really wanna, especially if you're not familiar with the area, I definitely wasn't gonna go driving around on the strip or doing anything like that by myself.
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:36.639
But uh there was a couple times I needed to walk and and go a couple places.
00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:38.159
So I wound up walking.
00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:44.320
We were a little off the strip at the Tuscany, and it was interesting to say the least.
00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.720
Um, I definitely got familiar.
00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:54.399
I was I I I just I pulled up my Google Maps, figured out where I wanted to go, and then started walking.
00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:03.840
And it's amazing how that can teach you a lot about an area is just go for walks and kind of get lost and and then find yourself again.
00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:11.759
And because there were a lot of roads that were shut down and blocked off, and you had to have credentials to get there.
00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:24.399
Um, I think this the place that Stan was working was kind of over by Top Golf, and it literally was probably a half a mile or less from where our room was.
00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:30.720
But because the streets were shut down, my Google Maps was telling me to go certain ways.
00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:37.360
And I probably walked about three miles altogether by the time I got to where he was.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:45.360
And it was kind of funny because I walked down this one street right underneath where the monorail runs behind it.
00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:50.879
It was like the next street over from the strip to the east, I guess.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.720
And so there's just a lot of parking garages and not a whole lot going on on that street.
00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:18.559
And I was uh walking down the street and I thought, okay, so I had to go across Harmon and then I went straight and I wound up kind of underneath the MGM um walkway from the parking garage, kind of next to the parking garage was weird.
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.440
And I I go, I was like, all right, well, so let me go up here.
00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:27.200
So I go inside this building, go up the elevator, and then I started walking again.
00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:31.200
I found myself going completely the wrong way.
00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:36.240
I was literally following Google, Google Maps, but it was just so backwards.
00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:43.679
Um, so I think I was halfway into the MGM casino before I was like, I think I'm going the wrong way.
00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.720
So I turned around and I made it.
00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.919
I finally made it.
00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:54.559
Um I got over to where the top golf entrance was, and then I like made my way into the hotels.
00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:03.120
And then once I got there where he was at, I knew exactly where I had walked right behind like right beside there.
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:14.720
I couldn't see him from where I was walking, but it was kind of funny because I was like, oh, I just, I just went a mile and a half extra out of my way where I could have just cut across this little parking lot.
00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:26.240
So um, you know, that stuff has happened to me so many times that now I'm just used to walking around Vegas and I don't walk anywhere where it's dangerous that I would be walking by myself.
00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:35.679
But, you know, if you're just if you're just paying attention to where you're at and taking notes of your different landmarks and stuff, you'll get to know it really quick.
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:56.720
So the other thing that we do sometimes when we're up there is just when it's actually not bad weather, we'll get up in the morning and just go walk and we'll walk through different casinos and we'll walk through different stores sometimes, and and there's shopping and malls and different.
00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.919
Um, I mean, there's so much you can do that's just free.
00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.679
And it's just it gets you out of the house.
00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:11.039
It gets you out into, you know, just looking at things and having experiences and watching people.
00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:15.600
And um, one day we decided to get up and go walk.
00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:21.600
And I believe we were staying at either the Luxor or the W.
00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:28.960
I'm not positive, but we were staying pretty far down at the south end of the strip.
00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:34.960
And so we're like, hey, let's go, you know, let's go see, let's just walk up and see where we want to go.
00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:38.080
And eventually we decided to walk all the way to Fountain Blue.
00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:42.799
And so we got to Fountain Blue, and that was uh that was a pretty big walk.
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:50.240
I mean, it was, I think it was six miles, however, long we we walked about six miles just to get to Fountain Blue.
00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:52.960
We had breakfast, brunch, whatever it was.
00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.240
And then we turned around and walked back to our hotel.
00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:59.039
And it was probably one of the most fun days.
00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.919
We saw a lot of different things.
00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:10.639
Um, I believe we went through the flamingo hotel and we looked at the flamingo habitat, and none of that stuff costs any money.
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.879
It's just, it's just walking up and down.
00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:25.519
And, you know, you can you have to avoid some of the people out there trying to, you know, get money out of you for their different little street performer things, but it's pretty easy to just ignore them and walk on.
00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.000
They they they know not to to really like bug people too much.
00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:35.840
Um and then let's see, some of the other things that we have done there.
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:52.879
One of the other first times we went to Vegas, so not the same time as Formula One, but one of the other times, kind of around the same time, I bought a Go City Pass, which is an app on your phone.
00:14:52.960 --> 00:15:00.720
You can download the app and it's called Go City, and it has definitely different other cities available, but Vegas is a good one.
00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:06.960
If you're gonna be there for two or three days, you can get a day pass or a two-day pass.
00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:10.240
I think I bought the two-day pass per person.
00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.279
I want to say it might be about$150.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:28.639
But if you really plan it out, you can do a lot of things in that two days, and it'll save you a lot of money because you can do um the link, the big sky ferris wheel thing.
00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:35.519
You can ride on that, and and yeah, it's during the day, it's not a nighttime ride, but still you could do that.
00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:36.639
It's included.
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:52.720
Then you can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you can do the Wax Museum, you can do, um, I think there's like, I don't know, 20 or 30 different things that you get to do for free because you bought that pass.
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:59.279
Some of them involve making an appointment or a reservation, I guess I should say.
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:06.240
Um, but other ones you can just walk up and show your pass and do your thing and and it's actually very cool.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:10.480
I I would do that again if we hadn't already done it.
00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:19.600
So, I mean, I that's definitely something I would recommend for people who maybe haven't been to Vegas or haven't been able to do Vegas much because everything's so expensive.
00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:24.159
So um, that's a way to save a bunch of money and actually get to see a lot of things.
00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:36.320
The other things that we do are, you know, like I said, um you can buy tickets to shows if you charge it to your room at MGM and you get all the extra points.
00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.879
We've seen Michael Jackson one.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.360
That was probably one of the better ones.
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.320
I really love actually every show we've been to.
00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:51.039
I don't, I mean, I don't know if I could say better ones or worse ones, but we I I've loved every single one of them.
00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:58.799
And the venues are small, so the seats are always good, no matter where you sit, and they're always entertaining.
00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.879
You don't have to spend a ton of money at their concession stand.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.839
Um, sometimes they'll say you can't bring anything in with you, other times they don't even care.
00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.720
That's the nice thing I will say.
00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:17.839
There's not a whole lot of restaurants that will tell you you can't bring outside drinks in or something.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:29.759
Um, sometimes they do, but for the most part, you can walk around with your water bottle and your, you know, whatever you have, and nobody's gonna bother you about coming in.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.480
Or I I usually what I usually do is carry a bag.
00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:41.519
I carry a like a sling bag or some something, and I carry water bottles that we can close up good that I can throw in my bag.
00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:48.079
So if we happen to be stopping somewhere for lunch or going in somewhere, I don't have to like dump out my drink or throw it away or whatever.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.519
So they're used to people carrying backpacks and bags and stuff.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:58.799
I wouldn't get too crazy and carry like a whole giant backpack with a whole lot of stuff in it, you know?
00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:11.440
Um, and if you're gonna carry snacks hot, carry snacks that are not gonna melt or get a little cooler thing to put in it because everything will just be melted and disgusting by the time you're done.
00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:21.200
But I mean, we tend to wind up doing either breakfast or we'll do like a brunch thing and then we'll eat maybe dinner.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:27.200
And a lot of times we'll eat something that either we can split or we can take some of it home with us.
00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:31.200
And um, that's why we like to stay at the aria a lot.
00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:39.279
Uh the aria and and vidara both usually have refrigerators, like a full-size refrigerator and a whole kitchen.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:41.440
So you can actually cook.
00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.920
Um, you can warm up your leftovers.
00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:51.039
We're huge on warming up leftovers and splitting meals and stuff like that because it just does save a ton of money.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:53.519
And, you know, so you can think about that stuff.
00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:58.720
We when we eat breakfast, we'll usually eat half of it because nobody needs to eat a whole giant breakfast.
00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:06.240
Um, some of the best breakfast places that we love to go are uh salt and ivy at the aria.
00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:09.920
We love their food, it's very clean.
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:16.799
Um, it's it's I don't know if it's like a hundred percent super healthy, but they do have really good healthy options.
00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:32.960
The other place that I would say if you're on a budget, um ironically, the pyramid cafe at the Luxor has a really good breakfast and their portions are gigantic.
00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:39.920
I mean, you could eat breakfast for three days on one breakfast alone if you just portion it out properly.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:44.799
And um, I think I've had their biscuits and gravy with their potatoes.
00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:46.480
Oh my gosh, so good.
00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:52.240
And Stan gets an omelet everywhere we go, so he he loves their omelets too.
00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:57.039
And um, so those two for breakfast for sure.
00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:13.519
And then for lunches, I mean, gosh, we've we've been to Jason Aldean's, we've been to the Rainforest Cafe, we've been to, oh, that's the other thing.
00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:22.960
Um, if you know you're going to Vegas and you're probably gonna be eating out or spending a lot of money, uh Costco has some really good gift cards.
00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:31.680
So they usually have a deal where you can get gift cards, let's say$100 worth of gift cards for like$75.
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:38.079
So that's another way I've done um things to save some money.
00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:47.519
Like we wanted to go to a really nice dinner, and there's a place called Morton's Steakhouse up there, and it's a super nice restaurant, kind of pricey.
00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:52.880
But I went ahead and bought, I think,$200 worth of gift cards for$150.
00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:56.880
So that saved us about$50 on our meal there.
00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:01.680
And I mean, probably one of the best steak dinners I've ever had.
00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:09.279
The other place we ate on that same street was called Cleaver, I think, which is a kind of a higher-end steakhouse.
00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:10.880
That one's really good too.
00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:13.039
No complaints, but definitely pricey.
00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:19.599
So it's not a place you're gonna save a bunch of extra money if you're gonna go eat and eat well.
00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:22.640
But um, definitely really nice places.
00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:31.200
The other, like what we usually do is we'll do Nacho Daddy, which is off Harmon, kind of by uh Planet Hollywood.
00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:44.240
And then the other Mexican place we like is called uh Husongs Cantina, I think, which is in the Mandalay, uh, the shops at Mandalay Place or something.
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:46.160
It's in between Mandalay Bay and Luxor.
00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:51.119
And then we also like that little Irish pub that's in there.
00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:55.759
There's uh an Irish pub at New York, New York that we like.
00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.319
Tom's watch bar is always really good.
00:21:58.559 --> 00:21:59.759
That one's kind of outside.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:07.519
New York, New York, and oh New York, New York has Broadway Burger Bar, which amazing burgers.
00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.640
Like if you're a burger person, definitely it's so good.
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:16.240
Um, I think we've been there gosh, three or four times.
00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:22.799
We we we wind up going back to the same places all the time because we just we get in, I wouldn't say a rut.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.880
We just like we like places so much that it makes us want to go back.
00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:30.319
Um, burgers too, and then street tacos.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:33.759
Stan always gets the street tacos at Flanker.
00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:42.960
We love Flanker, it's at Mandalay Bay, and we eat there quite a bit, and also citizen at Mandalay Bay is really good.
00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.920
So, I mean, there's so many options for food.
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.640
I'm sure that we haven't even scratched the surface.
00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.160
Uh, we've eaten at House of Blues, that's always really good too.
00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.559
Again, Mandalay Bay.
00:22:54.960 --> 00:23:02.720
And I don't know, you know, Bellagio didn't have a whole lot of restaurants that I wanted to eat at.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:10.240
We tried the big buffet, the Wicked Spoon at Cosmo.
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:25.680
If you're an MGM rewards member and you're gold or platinum, I believe you get there's a a a deal for like a buy one get one free buffet, which is pretty good because I think it's like a$75 buffet.
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:35.359
I don't quote me on that, but um I think we got I maybe it was yeah, I don't know how much it costs.
00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:37.519
I just know that it was really good.
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.720
We don't eat enough food to ever do buffets.
00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.799
So that one for us kind of it's is the food's amazing, but it's a buffet.
00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:52.880
And we just can't, I can't eat that much, so I almost can't justify doing that very often.
00:23:53.279 --> 00:24:00.720
Uh the other, let's see, I'm trying to think of where else we've eaten at that was really good.
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:12.799
We don't do your normal Gordon Ramsay, you know, high-end chef type things because there's so many other good places to eat that most people don't talk about.
00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:15.200
So I think that's why we do what we do.
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:21.359
Um, there is a little restaurant, I can't remember the name of it.
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:32.240
It is in Bellagio, but it's kind of in that back corner if you're on your way up to the tram station, or if you're gonna go the back way to the Vidara.
00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:34.640
Uh, it seems like it's never open.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.880
We just happened to catch open one time.
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.400
I think they're only open for dinner, but that one was really good too.
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:44.400
I want to say it's something called like harvest or something.
00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:56.160
Um, but there's tons of restaurants, and I mean, I don't think you'll ever be disappointed if you just go in and and they always have something different and they always have their own spin on things.
00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:05.200
I will say I wasn't really very impressed with the ice cream at, I think it's called milk or something.
00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:12.720
There's this um ice cream place at Cosmo, and the idea behind it is it's like cereal milk.
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:20.079
So all of the milk that they use in their ice cream is kind of like extra sweet or something.
00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:23.519
I I wasn't I didn't I don't like it.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.400
Um, but that's just my own personal preference.
00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:32.480
So, but you could try it if you really like cereal and you like the cereal milk that goes along with it.
00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:36.799
They have different flavors, obviously different types of cereal milk flavors.
00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:42.160
Um but you know, that's kind of a dear a an odd one.
00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:51.440
We took my son to uh Vegas this February when he turned 21, and I let him choose what we got to do.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:01.519
And one of the things that he picked was to go to Area 15, and we did the John Wick experience, and that was totally worth it.
00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:03.440
It was a little pricey.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:11.039
I don't know that we had any kind of discounts or anything for that, but it was um a really good experience.
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:16.400
Basically, not to spoil it, but it's kind of an escape room.
00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:20.799
And I don't think we really understood that or really knew that going in.
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:28.880
But I mean, maybe that was just our lack of planning and just hey, let's just go do this.
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:30.400
I we do that a lot.
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.279
We don't have any idea what we're getting ourselves into.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:35.920
We'll just go, hey, let's this sounds fun.
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.559
So the John Wick thing sounded really cool.
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:42.079
And for Stan and Hunter, they absolutely loved it.
00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:43.680
And I mean, I loved it too.
00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:44.559
Don't get me wrong.
00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:46.559
I just I wasn't as familiar.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:53.440
So if you haven't seen the movies, it may not be it, it may just be like, okay, this is a really cool experience.
00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:03.039
But if you've seen the movies and you can tie in all the things that are coming from the movie and that theme, it makes it probably that much more enjoyable.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:03.920
I don't know.
00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:06.240
So that was a really good one.
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.640
That area 15 is an interesting place.
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:12.880
It's several different buildings, they have a lot of different activities that you can do.
00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:17.440
It doesn't cost you anything to go there or to get in.
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:23.440
Um, you can walk the buildings and do whatever, and then you just choose the different experiences you want to have.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:25.759
And I believe they sell packages.
00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:30.480
So you can buy packages of different things.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:34.240
We just bought the John Wick experience alone by itself.
00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:37.279
It costs a little bit to park, not a big deal.
00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.000
I mean, not at all like parking on the strip.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:42.160
So just plan on that.
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:46.799
Um, pretty much anywhere you go in Vegas, it's gonna cost you money to park.
00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:51.920
And so that's why we love like having the MGM rewards and parking.
00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:56.480
We park anywhere we want at MGM hotels for free because we have that.
00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.920
And now we have the the ballet and everything.
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.400
So we hardly ever have to worry about that.
00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:05.519
A lot of times I'll try to figure out where we can park.
00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:17.279
You know, if we're doing something that's farther up on the strip, we'll park near Bellagio and then we'll either take a tram or the monorail or something to get there without having to drive.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:19.839
And, you know, sometimes we just pay for the parking.
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.279
There's sometimes when it's just worth it to pay for the parking.
00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:25.519
I I like to walk.
00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:32.079
So I've walked from, oh, I don't remember where we were staying.
00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:36.000
I I think we were at Luxor or the W.
00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:46.559
Stan was working an event at the Venetian for they were working some kind of a um an event.
00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:54.640
And so I wound up having to walk up there to get him something, like to give him something while he was working.
00:28:54.880 --> 00:29:04.400
And I so I parked at MGM Grand and I got on the monorail and I rode the monorail up, and you can get right off near the Venetian.
00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:09.519
Um, there was it sometimes it's not always clear which stop to get off on.
00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:11.359
So that's the part that I love.
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.119
I I actually don't mind.
00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:17.440
I'll go, okay, I'm gonna just get as close as I can and then figure out the way around.
00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:23.200
And then a lot of times while I'm doing that, I find shortcuts and other ways around.
00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:28.000
So um I just I like knowing where I'm at.
00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.599
And I there's just I don't have this fear of getting lost.
00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:38.240
And I think I like doing that because it just it just gives me more information, you know.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:43.119
And you can look up stuff all you want on Google Maps, but it it's not always right.
00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:45.039
You know, Apple Maps, same thing.
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:46.160
It's not always right.
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:50.079
And and they there's only so much technology can do for you.
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.799
And the rest of it's just kind of your own critical thinking and and testing things out and not being so afraid.
00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:02.720
Um, I don't I never got myself in a situation where I thought I was like really lost.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:05.279
So you just there's signs everywhere.
00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:10.799
And if we just know your landmarks, you start walking in a certain direction, you're gonna eventually get there.
00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:14.640
It's just not that hard, and there's nothing to be afraid of.
00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:21.839
Um, I guess that's kind of my my big spiel on Vegas.
00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:26.720
And, you know, there's definitely things that we haven't done that I would like to do.
00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:28.480
We've done the Wax Museum.
00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:33.359
I would really like to do the Eiffel Tower sometime when we're there.
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:36.400
We've been there for New Years and seen all the fireworks.
00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:41.680
We've been there for New Year's and we've gotten rained out and and froze.
00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:52.400
And then, you know, we I don't think we've ever been for Fourth of July, but we did we've done two New Years for sure so far.
00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:54.960
And that was a really good experience.
00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.839
Um, well, at least the first time was really good.
00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:06.400
The second time we got rained out, and but we had a room that actually had a really good view of the fireworks.
00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:10.000
So we were able to stay in our room and hang out, watch the fireworks.
00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:13.759
And I'm such a lightweight, I go to sleep right at midnight, right after they're over.
00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.759
So that was kind of what I did.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:20.880
Um, but other than that, I mean, we've had we've done a lot of cool things.
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:24.319
The flyover is right on the strip.
00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:33.039
It is um, it's kind of right down in the middle by that brew dog uh rooftop bar.
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:36.559
Kind of it's just it's hard to explain where it's at.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:41.200
I think by the Hard Rock Cafe, you go in this little building.
00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:44.559
It's like a ride, but it's an immersive ride.
00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:54.640
And you're you're in, you're watching this video of I'm I'm assuming drone footage, but you you get the full experience like you're flying, and it is amazing.
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:59.440
We've done that three times, and you can buy tickets for that online.
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:01.440
It's really cool.
00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:03.119
I really enjoyed that.
00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:05.119
We will probably do it again.
00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:10.400
Um, and we've actually gone up to Vegas just to go hiking.
00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:16.480
We've gone, we've stayed on the strip, and then we've gone out to the Red Rock Canyon.
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:19.759
We've gone hiking, we've gone on the scenic drives.
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:34.400
You can drive up to Mount Charleston, which um I think in this, like I would say fall or spring, it's probably the best time if you want to be up there when it's not super, super hot, but also um Mount Charleston gets snow in the winter.
00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:36.160
So that's kind of cool.
00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:38.720
Um, you can even stay on Mount Charleston.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:42.559
I think there are some cabins and stuff up there that you could stay at, which is really cool.
00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:48.720
I think a lot of people forget that there's actually a whole thing outside of the strip.
00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:51.680
Uh, there's another place we want to go.
00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:55.039
Um, it's it's north of Vegas.
00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:56.960
Uh, I don't remember.
00:32:57.119 --> 00:33:00.640
It's the Valley of Fire, I think is what it's called.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:08.000
And sometime we're gonna, we're planning to rent a Can Am or something like that and go see the Valley of Fire because that seems like a really cool.
00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:13.359
They do tours, and it just seems like it might be a lot of fun.
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:19.759
So, you know, I mean, again, this is just a whole thing about Vegas.
00:33:19.839 --> 00:33:31.920
We've been we were there 33 times last year, and I gotta say, we probably spent less money than any would anyone would ever imagine that we would spend going there.
00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:44.160
I mean, I like I would say 30, let's see, if we were there 33 times, we probably only paid a little bit for rooms about four or five times.
00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:55.359
So, I mean, when you're getting rooms for free, you gamble a hundred bucks or something, you're gambling a little bit, but you you didn't spend anything to stay there.
00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:58.799
So you, and then sometimes you win money when you gamble.
00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:07.759
I mean, we don't, I we've won some, not anything to like write home about, but sometimes we break even, sometimes we come home with a little bit more.
00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:10.800
I wouldn't recommend gambling money that you don't have.
00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:13.519
So definitely make yourself a budget.
00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:16.960
But I mean, it look you look at it as entertainment costs.
00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:19.840
How much are you gonna spend to go out and entertain yourself?
00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:27.119
If you spend$200 on concert tickets, okay, but you could also spend$200 gambling and possibly win some money back.
00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:30.000
And then, you know, you just but you have to keep control of it.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:30.960
That's the main thing.
00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:33.360
It's like if you're gonna gamble, do it smart.
00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:36.639
I'm not a big fan of throwing money away.
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:45.280
Um, um, you know, to me, sometimes I feel like it's it's you could just drive down the road and and toss some money out the window.
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:47.039
It's about the same effect.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:52.480
But at the other, you know, on the other end, there are benefits to doing it.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:56.559
You're getting points, you're you're adding to your room comps and all that stuff.
00:34:56.639 --> 00:35:08.960
And it helps you get get it gets for us, the whole point of going up there is just to get us away from the Phoenix area and the just the rat race.
00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:14.480
And for uh, I don't know, it just it's one of those things.
00:35:14.639 --> 00:35:15.599
We own a business.
00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.880
Every time we leave the house, the phone winds up ringing.
00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:29.679
So if we're just sitting around not doing anything at home, just taking care of home stuff and cooking and and organizing and cleaning and doing all that stuff, our phone's not really ringing.
00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:35.679
And all it takes is for us to actually leave the house to go do something, and then the phone starts ringing.
00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:38.400
And so then that's where the work comes from.
00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:48.320
So I it's just it's been one of those strange phenomenon, I guess.
00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:50.559
And our phone's been ringing off the hook lately.
00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:59.920
We've been gone so much the last few months traveling and doing so many different things that our phone is ringing constantly.
00:36:00.159 --> 00:36:02.639
Um, but that's a story for another day.
00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:09.679
So anyway, um again, just wanted to help people out on their Vegas trips.
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:17.599
If they're planning a trip to Vegas, I do have another podcast I'm gonna record that has to do with conventions in Vegas.
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:31.440
So if you happen to be getting ready to go there for a convention, I have some tips for that because I've I've been around a few conventions up there in my time now, in the last two years.
00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:35.199
I'd never been to Vegas before two years ago, oddly enough.
00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:37.840
And now I feel like it's like my second home.
00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:46.400
But um, yeah, I've got I've got a bunch of tips for for how to survive going to conventions in Vegas.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:49.440
So that's gonna be one of my next podcasts.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:58.880
And if you like what you're hearing, I'm gonna be talking about all kinds of different topics, not just Vegas, not just travel, not just money.
00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:01.599
I mean, kind of a whole lot of other things.
00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:07.760
So you never know what you're gonna get on this one, but I assure you it will never be boring.
00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:14.719
Um, you can like, subscribe, definitely share with a friend if you feel like they could use some of these tips.
00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:27.760
And you can reach out to me at next level awareness podcast at gmail.com if you have any questions or just want to leave some feedback, that is more than welcome.
00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:31.360
And then, you know, catch me on the next one.
00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:33.920
I will talk to you again next week.
00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:37.679
This is Dana Austin with Next Level Awareness.
