SF and Vegas Area in 1 Week

[NikolaeVarius]

I'm planning a Vegas trip sometime late July or so, and I'm trying to get a itinerary together. I'm trying to split the trip into two halves, 4 days in the SF Bay area, 4 days in the Vegas area. I'm going to rent a car to travel around those two areas.

Are there anythings I should do and things I should skip?

Apparently I need to skip the Grand Canyon because its a impressive but ultimately dull hole in the ground. I have stuff like Skydiving and gun ranges on the list.

Any suggestions on how to maximize fun time?

 

[Craig234]

There are lots of threads on this to check. But since you mention skydiving, one option is gliding, if that sounds fun. Not knowing your preferences...

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Be VERY careful about choosing your gun ranges in Vegas. A lot of them are very expensive, shitty, tourist traps.

You should go eat at Raku. Mind-blowing Japanese food (off the strip).

 

[Dr. Detroit]

You should go eat at Raku. Mind-blowing Japanese food (off the strip).

It's a Yakitori place - is it that much better than all the other yakitori joints? Beer & meat skewers BBQ'd over charcoal, yum!

 

[HomerSapien]

If you like ramen, go to Monta Ramen . Usually a line, bill is about <$10. Amazing ramen. Le Thai is great too. My favorite breakfast place is BabyStacks. Great pancakes.

If you want outdoors, go to Red Rock National Conservation Area (Western Vegas). Trails for hiking, great views of the city, impressive rock formations and 15 minutes from the strip around the 215.

Atomic Testing Museum is just off the strip. I think they have an Area 51 exhibit this month.

The Linq just opened. Check out Brooklyn Bowl and the Asian market opened this week. High Roller is open.

Check out vegas.eater.com and blogs.vegas.com . They usually have links to whats hot and to other various shows.

So many things to do here, not enough time or money.

 

[RossMAN]

If you like ramen, go to Monta Ramen . Usually a line, bill is about <$10. Amazing ramen. Le Thai is great too. My favorite breakfast place is BabyStacks. Great pancakes.

How far are these 3 restaurants from the strip?

Are they reasonably close, accessible by bus?

 

[Ns1]

How are you getting from SF to Vegas? Fly or drive?

 

[Ns1]

Be VERY careful about choosing your gun ranges in Vegas. A lot of them are very expensive, shitty, tourist traps.

Well, which ones are not?

 

[Raincity]

My Vegas picks after living here 20+ years

Thai http://www.archithai.com/

BBQ http://rollinsmokebarbeque.com/

Soul Food http://mmsoulfoodcafe.com/

Steak House http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/dining/restaurants/charlie_palmer_steak/

Fine Dining http://alizelv.com/

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Flying to SF. Also, yeah, how can you tell what gun ranges are good or bad?

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Raku is way beyond "just a yakatori place." Go. Now. It's probably one of the best restaurants in town. Monta is in the same shopping center, and is great, but I don't see the point of leaving the strip for some ramen unless you're blitzed and ramen is the cure. Japanese Curry Zen is also in that same center and is amazing, but I wouldn't go if visiting. Kabuto sushi (also in that same center) is supposed to be amazing but I haven't tried it yet and I think their chef just left, and it's only two seatings per night. The bulk of Chinatown is just a 5-10m drive from the strip.

I don't know what good non-shitty tourist ranges are since I just plink a pistol at American Shooters of the Clark County park. I think for machine gun action maybe there was a crazy place in Boulder City? And at one point Discount Firearms was a good option but I think they changed owners and I have no clue what the experience is like there now.

My Vegas picks after living here 20+ years

Thai http://www.archithai.com/

BBQ http://rollinsmokebarbeque.com/

Soul Food http://mmsoulfoodcafe.com/

Steak House http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/dining/restaurants/charlie_palmer_steak/

Fine Dining http://alizelv.com/

I veto your Thai and select Lotus of Siam. Order heavily off the northern Thai menu. Archi is I guess one of the better places but not great. Rollin Smoke is awesome (for Vegas anyway). I live right by M&M but rarely go there, even though it's very good. I wouldn't send a visitor there. I have no opinion on steak houses (although CarneVino is pretty great). Alize has gone seriously downhill (didn't they used to have a Michelin star?). Fine dining options here are so numerous it's just a waste of time when you could go to either Robuchon restaurant, Picasso, Sage, most of the places in Cosmopolitan, etc. etc. etc. Speaking of Cosmo, go eat lunch at Milos. $22 3 course for some awesome food. Dinner there is $$$$$$$$$$$.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Desert Hills Shooting club is the one in Boulder City I'm thinking of. This would actually probably be the most expensive place you could go, but they're also going to have the craziest stuff to shoot and you would have the best experience since it's an outdoor range with a wide selection of stuff to do. Most of these places you pay $100 and they give you a glock and some beat ass sub machine gun w/ a couple mags each in a tiny crowded indoor range and that's about it.

 

[HomerSapien]

I veto your Thai and select Lotus of Siam. Order heavily off the northern Thai menu. Archi is I guess one of the better places but not great. Rollin Smoke is awesome (for Vegas anyway). I live right by M&M but rarely go there, even though it's very good. I wouldn't send a visitor there. I have no opinion on steak houses (although CarneVino is pretty great). Alize has gone seriously downhill (didn't they used to have a Michelin star?). Fine dining options here are so numerous it's just a waste of time when you could go to either Robuchon restaurant, Picasso, Sage, most of the places in Cosmopolitan, etc. etc. etc. Speaking of Cosmo, go eat lunch at Milos. $22 3 course for some awesome food. Dinner there is $$$$$$$$$$$.

Sad to hear that about Alize. Went there several years ago and it was simply amazing. The view was great and it got you into Ghost Bar which is neat, but I would not pay to go there. I think it was $10+ Bud Lights a few years back. You are right, there are so many fine dining choices here, that its not a big loss.

I agree about Archi's Thai. It is good, but it doesn't set itself apart from some of the others. Buchon in the Venetian was (is still?) great. Hash House A Go Go is another good breakfast choice.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Good lord. I've been so inundated w/ newer restaurants that I didn't even mention Bouchon, which is hands down one of the BEST fine dining values year after year.

 

[Raincity]

I still disagree. I think Lotus of Siam is a over-rated over priced tourist trap. This has been argued over at Yelp long enough and I will leave it at that. I had dinner at Alize last February and and did not see any downgrade. If they did loose their star, I am sorry to hear about that. I guess that I am partial since its Andres place and he was man in the valley long before anybody else was on the scene in Vegas.

 

[ringtail]

Drop plans to visit SFO & Las Vegas.

Spend all your time in Yosemite instead. SFO & Vegas are about money and synthetic experiences...like GMO fast food. Yosemite is REAL.

 

[MongGrel]

Not to try to sound like I'm raining on a parade for a road trip, and yeah probably know I have many guns myself, but why be so concerned about a range for a vacation?

NM it's you're vacation I guess, my bad.

 

[Leyawiin]

Drop plans to visit SFO & Las Vegas.

Spend all your time in Yosemite instead. SFO & Vegas are about money and synthetic experiences...like GMO fast food. Yosemite is REAL.

Seriously. When he said the Grand Canyon was nothing but a dull hole in the ground he lost me.

 

[mikeford]

Maybe the place he lives at is totally deranged? I've never been non cheap enough to imagine I could enjoy pulling the trigger on a full auto if I was paying for the ammo, but a good range will allow you to try a number of weapons in a short time without killing your wallet.

I'm a pig, so when I visit Vegas its strictly AYCE, cheap side The Feast at Palace Station, not cheap side Bellagio and Wynn's usually aiming for transition between breakfast and lunch.

San Francisco is a dandy place to fly into, and a city I don't mind just hanging around in. Great places for DimSum, Golden Gate park, Chinatown, and terrible parking so you don't miss not having a car that much.

 

[Raincity]

Seriously. When he said the Grand Canyon was nothing but a dull hole in the ground he lost me.

Yep I love it when I leave Vegas to spend a couple days on the North Rim in the summer hanging out on the patio at the lodge to drink coffee or beer and relax.

 

[ringtail]

Yep I love it when I leave Vegas to spend a couple days on the North Rim in the summer hanging out on the patio at the lodge to drink coffee or beer and relax.

...and all the hundreds (thousands?) of Asian tourists feeding that oh-so-cute little Nutsey the squirrel,
under the "please don't fee 'em" signs...
as if they don't also see Nutsey all over the place in Japan, (yes they do...Nutsey the squirrel really gets around).

When we drove past the stands of white Aspen trees between the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff Aug 2013 I didn't realize the amazing idea that I read later. It's suggested all those "trees" are really shoots up from one huge single subterranean organism that might be 50,000 years old....and spread all over AZ, NM, CO...wow! They're ancient and all connected...one huge living thing.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Not to try to sound like I'm raining on a parade for a road trip, and yeah probably know I have many guns myself, but why be so concerned about a range for a vacation?

NM it's you're vacation I guess, my bad.

I live in a area where there are no guns. I would like to try firing a couple.

Yep I love it when I leave Vegas to spend a couple days on the North Rim in the summer hanging out on the patio at the lodge to drink coffee or beer and relax.

At least 3 people I've talked to have said, its cool for 5 minutes, and then you realize there is nothing else. Also I'm like the furthest thing from a hippie, so nature isn't really my thing,

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Don't like to double post, but do have other questions.

Is it worth staying on the Strip itself hotel wise just for the experience? If so, where should I try staying? I'm not a high roller so a median price would be nice.

 

[Ns1]

Don't like to double post, but do have other questions.

Is it worth staying on the Strip itself hotel wise just for the experience? If so, where should I try staying? I'm not a high roller so a median price would be nice.

Planet hollywood. Great rates. Great location. Fair pricing.

Yes you should stay on the strip unless you super broke.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Kabuto sushi (also in that same center) is supposed to be amazing but I haven't tried it yet and I think their chef just left, and it's only two seatings per night. The bulk of Chinatown is just a 5-10m drive from the strip.

WHAT?!?!?! I'm a sushi snob and that's my favorite place in all of the US (disclaimer I have not tried Nakazawa yet), but I've gone all over the San Francisco, tried the places in Seattle, and am not satisfied yet. I think LA is the next place to go, but I've gone to Vegas and eaten at Kabuto 4 times now. I have a reservation for June 20th, but if you're telling me the chef is gone... then yikes.

Good lord. I've been so inundated w/ newer restaurants that I didn't even mention Bouchon, which is hands down one of the BEST fine dining values year after year.

Kinda disagree with this one but I'm spoiled with the Bouchon in Napa. But even then it's not that amazing. Just stop by the bakery and get some TKOs and chocolate bouchons.