The first time I went to Enchant I was blown away by the beautiful lights. Now with a child who is…read morejust old enough to appreciate the magic of it all, I was excited to set him loose in this winter wonderland. We bought our tickets online fairly in advance because we wanted to make sure we got a time that worked for everyone before it sold out. It took a couple days as their web page was a little glitchy, but finally succeeded. When you enter they have a handicapped entrance that bypasses the main line, and then a stroller line, and general lines for everyone else. Throughout the park they have drink stands, some have hot coco, some are more alcoholic drinks. The main area you will find food (which I totally missed the first time I went) is located up the ramp near the entrance where they had a play space for kids and story time. It is filled with food options, toys, and other cool things to buy. I recommend the bubble toys they sell close to the entrance, my son lost his mind with joy over it, as did every kid I saw with one. Upstairs they also had Santa's house. I will say its a bit of a bait and switch. There was a dude saying oh there's no like for Santa, and pictures with him come with your tickets. I was like wow that's a great deal if that's true. However had sneaking suspicion to get the pictures digital or otherwise would be an extra cost...and it was lol it was like 50 I think for 2 and 70 for 4. If you try to share the pics through the link they give they will charge you even more. I wouldn't have gotten them personally since I didn't really prepare the way I looked to invest in pictures that night, but my fiancé really wanted them. I will say the Santa was excellent. My son was not scared of him at all, and he looked like a very European Santa which I thought was cool. The lower area is a giant maze and they give you a scratch game for when you find the scavenger hunt items. This year it was different nut crackers. Within the maze are also spots for cute photo opportunities like sculptures you can sit in, pianos kids can run on, a giant light up floor for kids to dance on etc. Outside of the maze on the main floor they also have a giant slide, but its only for single riders, and they have to be three years old or older. The ice rink also looks tempting, but with that much volume on the ice its pretty scratched up. I feel more coordinated on smoother ice. I think the experience overall is really lovely and reasonable for 35 dollars with all the work they put into it. I am not sure of the cost for the extra activities though. I am sure it could add up if you have a lot of kids, so many like a discount for buying over 4 tickets would not hurt. I think its worth it to check out at least once to get into the festive spirit.

This place has so much to do. Ice skating, a new snow slide, fake snow and of course The amazing…read moreworld largest Christmas light maze. This year's you have to find 8 missing nutcracker to be able to save Christmas. Personally, the quest to find the nutcracker made it that much more fun. You didnt just walk through cute lights and call it a night. It made it very interactive and made you want to stay longer to finish the quest. Along the way you can stay warm with hot cocoa, and hot apple cider. They can spike the drinks for the adults to stay extra warm. On top when you exit they have a bunch of cute shops. We stopped in at got a caricature done. It sealed a perfect christmas night in a funny way. Enchant sincerely goes out of there way to make this light show epic for the holidays season. Ive been to many Xmas shows in Vegas and this is thee best.

I went to my first vlv in 2016 and I haven't missed a si for yet since ! Well except his year, but…read moreit was cancelled, so technically I didn't This event has become my most important event of the year. I take my vacation to go 2 weeks in the US, I visit LA, I do some road trip visits and I attend Viva. Probably the best event of its kind. Well I'll need to attend all of them to make sure but I'm pretty sure it will win the first prize. During 4 days, it's all about the rockabilly scene. Music, fashion, old cars, tattoos, burlesque and ton of pinups everywhere. I have so much fun every time, I never get to do all the cool stuffs that's happening and I meet new friend every year. There's also a bunch of competition that are fun to enter like the pin-up competition or the vintage swimsuit competition. For the perfect Viva expérience don't forget to do some shopping, to attend the car show on Saturday, to enjoy the pool during one of the pool parties, to see some burlesque shows and get a tattoo ! The best souvenir ever I honestly have absolutely nothing wrong to say about this event. It's always perfectly organized. And I just can't wait to attend the next one in 2021 Who cares to join ? Viva Las Vegas !

We go to as many car shows in Vegas as possible including not in Vegas (Hot August Nights in Reno)…read more We enjoy them all but nothing really compares to this. Although our car isn't old enough to qualify to get in (64 or old and ours is a 67') we still manage to go to the Orleans and park in the normal area with our car and a lot of others that either can't get in or didn't want to pay the extra fee. Once you get in though it is people and car watching GALORE! They have amazing rat rods, classics, bikes and live music. The Orleans casino does a great job of this show. I've been attending for many years and remember the old days when this was at the Gold Coast. Orleans is a much bigger and nicer venue and can accommodate the masses of people coming to check everything out. If your a car enthusiast and like to see good looking men and women with awesome tattoos then this is your thing.

RollerCon: the annual international convergence of rollergirls, league members, and fans, at the…read moreImperial Palace. I'd been told it's days straight of DRUNK, which it was (for some, not me), but it's lots more: spread around the city (shuttle included in the pass price), there are challenge bouts on Fremont, which are open to the public, park pick-up scrimmages, bands at the Double Down Saloon, a Derby Wedding for all the derby wives, the Black and Blue Ball (only available for VIP pass holders...although I did sneak in), a photo scavenger hunt, AND! workshops. On-skates workshops, addressing different skills levels and all taking place in the Imperial Palace's parking garage (those workshops were overcrowded for the most part, and didn't offer much for those of us still working on basics), but also off-skates, addressing all sorts of league necessities: refs, merch, media, recruiting, production, fundraising, etc., led by members of various leagues. A WFTDA bout was held at a local indoor roller hockey rink. There was an art show, with proceeds going to a paralyzed skater (also a raffle for her), but it wasn't well-advertised and was held when 'Con attendees wouldn't be around; I'd like to see that better organized next year so everyone can appreciate - and buy! - the art. Other wishes: one Wednesday workshop was changed to another day, which I knew, but there was no notice of what time. I showed up for a 12pm workshop to find out the rescheduled one had been at 10, and I could've gone. While I wasn't particularly interested in the jeerleaders competition, I never saw anything telling me where/when it was. The listing of the workshops in the program was confusing because they weren't by day, but by subject. The shuttles could've come every 20 minutes instead of 30, the waiting crowds got so big that people were denied getting on. These are all minor and I'm guessing will be fixed next year. While I had some issues with the Imperial Palace (reviewed that separately) (we did get a group rate for rooms), overall the 'Con was pretty good, and it was a nice chance to meet people from other leagues, including legendary refs (oh yeah, and skaters). We traded buttons and shirts and email addresses, waited in line for Sharpie tattoos, actually received a discount for real tats at a local studio, annoyed the security guards, sunk thousands of dollars in the hotel bars, and took over the karaoke club. It was really cool to walk around the hotel and see other derby people (everybody wore league shirts, constantly) everywhere you looked, like we'd taken over. Which we will...

RollerCon is and International convention by, for and celebrating the sport of roller derby…read more Skaters, Officals, fans and support staff from leagues all over the world gather at RollerCon in Las Vegas annually to skate, attend workshops, network, and shop derby. The convention has grown for a couple of hundred attendees it's first year in 2005 to thousands this past year in 2010. Yearly events include: open scrimmages, the Roller Derby wedding, seminars, on and off skates training classes, workshops, raffles, Vendor Village, the Black and Blue Ball, The Vagine Regime Scavenger Hunt, WFTDA sanctioned bouts and numerous challenge games all day and night, plus social events and more! For more information, please check out www.rollercon.com

We came all the way from Florida to attend this food and wine affair. It was amazing. I had never…read morebeen to this type of event before so I didn't have a point of reference. But this was a at the Belaggio! It stands to reason it was amazing. We opted to buy the early admission, meaning, we got to come in an hour earlier than general admission. The friend who organized this trip suggested we do this. Frankly, for my part I didn't need it. I'm a pretty small person so I get full very quickly. I was full before the hour was up! Price wise, I believe the difference is substantial, but I don't remember quite well. Anyway, I would up just walking around waiting for my food to go down, next thing I know, it was 20 minutes before closing. I didn't drink a lot either. My bad though, there was plenty to eat and drink. The food I did try was great. LOTS of tuna tartare. In any way you can imagine! There was lots of sea food. Not a lot of dessert, which was a little disappointing. A booze infused ice cream, and Firefly had some dessert as well. Everything was so good though. Would I do it again? not in Vegas, I would try somewhere I don't have to buy a flight and hotel LOL. South Beach or Palm Beach. I now have a point of reference and it's a pretty high bar to reach.

This is for the 2014 event. Full disclosure - my friend hooked me up with tix, so I didn't pay for…read morethis event. Event started at 7pm sharp and we were near the front lining up about 15 min early. Things started out disorganized due to the box office failing to stamp people's hands when they picked up tickets from the box office. The old lady in front of me was about to flip out when they said we had to go downstairs and get back in line. Thanks to her for pitching a fit because they just ended up giving people their wristbands anyway. The event is spread out among the Palazzo's various pools - some booths were pretty hidden, and space was cramped at times. I kept waiting for some drunky to accidentally (or intentionally) push another drunky into the pool, but it didn't happen in the 2hrs I was there. It really was the perfect venue since most of their walls had ledges that served as tables and seats. The timing was also awesome - started a little before sunset and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. I only had a few drinks - there were some pretty unique cocktails like a li hing mui one w vodka and spicy mango margarita. The drunk, pushing and slow moving crowd was getting on my nerves after the 2nd person spilled sh*t on me so I decided to stay soberish before I started getting belligerent. Alcohol was everywhere with just 1 place with beer, but lots of cocktails and wine to choose from. You could easily just drink your money's worth here in 3hrs if you wanted to. Now for the food! It felt like a big chunk of the booths were Venetian restaurants. Understandable since they were hosting, but I'm surprised at the lack of variety - 3 of their restaurants had nearly identical looking dishes with different proteins. And Buddy V's serving grilled Italian sausage w peppers was lame. They have the name brand already, but they could maybe try to impress people by actually cooking something. There was a ton of food and I was surprised how ridiculously big most of the portions were, I really shouldn't complain about that, but I only want an easy to eat bite or 2. If I like it, I can always get more, but since the majority was pretty mediocre, I ended up throwing away a shameful amount of food (as did most others). Being one of the first ones in may have also been a bad move. Our first hot dishes like Hubert Keller's sliders, meatloaf slider and clam chowder were all cold from sitting out - kind of makes me reconsider paying extra for VIP entry at similar events. So yeah majority of food was mediocre, with only a couple of things really standing out. My favorite was the Maine lobster tail w corn custard from chef Dave Middleton at the newly opened DW Brasserie (Daniel Boulud). Everywhere else lost a lot in taste and presentation just because of the bulk prep and rush. At the DW Brasserie table, every serving I saw was beautiful with perfectly cooked lobster, and delicious creamy corn custard topped with the sweetest corn I've ever had in my life. Their booth was surprisingly slow since it was in kind of a hidden spot, but more for me - I had 5 or 6 servings spread over 3 visits. I just kept coming back. They also had wrapped blueberry mini pound cakes that I had yet to try. DW was already on my list, but now I'm more motivated to go after this event. And the chef is super hot. I know a lot of people were there because they got the $60 tickets off groupon. It's definitely worth that, but I'd hesitate at the $105 for full price general admission. But I'm a little snobby and I'm more about quality than quantity. Unfortunately the quality just wasn't there, but you definitely won't leave hungry. It's a convenient opportunity to try some new places, although several restaurants that I know are great disappointed me with their offerings. So I'm not sure that I can say the event represents what they're capable of.

The Big Game 5k was held on Superbowl Sunday in Downtown Las Vegas. I made sure to show my team…read morespirit by wearing a 49ers shirt to the event. At $19 on Groupon, the 5k was a steal. I picked up my packet the same day of the race with ease and didn't even have to wait in a line! The Big Game 5k drew a decent sized crowd and was set to start at 8:15AM. The race actually started closer to 8AM, and I think this reflects some poor organization skills (the 10k was set to start at 8, but I think due to poor communication everyone just took off at the earlier starting time). As are all races held in DTLV, the course was paved and flat = easy peasy. The Big Game website really promoted an after party at Goldspike, but this event really never came to fruition. I was one of the first to show up at Goldspike and the bartenders were unaware of any specials being offered to runners. After a long while, runners finally started to show up but the Goldspike event was just lackluster. All runners got a football finisher's medal. Overall, the Big Game 5k is not among my favorite runs but I would participate in this event again if there was a Groupon deal for it. Hopefully next years event is better organized! YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #115

Second year for the Big Game 10K/5K on Superbowl Sunday! Event seemed a bit more organized than…read morelast year, though I didn't attempt to go to the after party. This year, packet pickup was a breeze and the run started on time. I like how this run has several events over the weekend, including a health expo and an optional carb-loading dinner meetup the night before. Bonus points for contacting last year's participants with a discount code to get a few bucks off early bird registration.

PROS: + Benefiting a great organization, Crohns & Colitis…read moreFoundation of America! + Quick and easy pickup, on time start. Map was provided beforehand with detailed elevation gain info. + Beautiful route through the golf course, enthusiastic support staff at water stations! + Great price, included timing, separate start for runners and walkers. CONS: - Three porta potties for 200-300 participants seemed like it was going to be an issue, but luckily there was never too long of a line. - No mile markers along the course, just general knowledge that the first water station was at 1M. If I weren't wearing headphones I probably could have asked, but didn't realize the last stop was at 3M and would have pushed myself a bit more to finish closer to my goal. - Not a huge issue, but surprised there wasn't a finishers medal. There was a snack table and DJ though. - It's a timed race but I've yet to receive any information on my time or where to find it, nearly a week later?

Watch your step! You…read moredon't want to step in vomit. It's packed here even on week nights. Walking and visiting the strip is an experience. Starbucks is double the price it'll be if you're away from the strip. They more than the cost at the airport.

Arriving in a modern-day Babylon such as this is a sheer indulgence to behold. Towering buildings…read moretouching the sky - appearing before one's eyes as if a mirage. So-named "Sin City" for good reason - the greed and excitement are delightfully palpable... money can indeed provide happiness, as evident here with the smiling faces of those testing their monetary accumulations, with yelps of joy and spinning wheels, long-legged and long-haired beauties undulating through the smoke-filled air - a pleasure to behold and experience... A celebration of the so-called "Seven Deadly Sins" here resplendent, where Mammon reigns supreme, as we dip into the fountains of fortune, immersed in opulent revelry. Worlds condensed into blocks, hypnogogic dimensions, total environments aglow in eerily dazzling light. Other cities could take a lesson from Vegas, visually stunning in creativity, replicating eras to vibrant life, creating a surreal atmosphere of timeless wonder. However, outside the strip itself is the middle of nowhere, the local cities have a small town feel, set in a desert, a literal caldera, with the hottest place on the planet "Death Valley" nearby. Overall Vegas may be fun to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

This is an annual event that supports the Animal foundation. Cost was 20 dollars well in advance…read moreand 25 dollars a few weeks out. All proceeds go toward the Animal foundation. We took a friend and had a blast here...so many local and a few non local breweries to enjoy unlimited samples. They had a 90 s band there and food for purchase at a low cost...located at the Tuscany casino. I wish they would do more of these....it was a blast!!!