Recently the Mirage announced that starting in March, R&B trio Boyz II Men will have a residency at the resort. I typically hate R&B music, but Boyz II Men for whatever reason are a guilty pleasure of mine. Back when they were big in the 90s, I loved their albums, but I haven’t really listened to any of their newer material. As such, I’m pretty excited to see them at the Mirage during some trip in the future. This got me thinking though, what are some of my other Vegas guilty pleasures? For the purpose of this post, a guilty pleasure is something that most people dislike, but something that I like to do when I’m in Las Vegas.
The SDX Bus – I’m not cheap by nature, but taxis in Las Vegas are a complete rip-off. As someone who is used to Chicago rates, I hate paying Vegas rates. The SDX (Strip Downtown Express) bus actually runs at a reasonable rate of speed since it doesn’t stop at every single casino and the bus pass also works on the Deuce bus late at night. For around $20 for 3 days of use, it’s well worth the price.
Liquor Stores – My friends and I have a tradition from our college days where at some point in Las Vegas we have to consume a 40 of Mickeys. This always leads to interesting experiences (such as being asked to leave the Wynn). Mickeys is a terrible drink, and even worse when it gets warm, but it definitely isn’t classing us up. It’s always fun though to see the reactions that people give you when you are walking around with malt liquor.
Roulette – People love roulette, but I don’t admit that I like roulette. It goes against all my rules as a gambler. It has terrible odds and no strategy. But it is a great game for settling a bet among friends. There have been numerous trips where we’ve used the roulette table to make a decision. One side bets black, other side red and the winner doubles up and gets his choice!
Circus Circus – Now I don’t love Circus Circus, but I don’t have the intense hatred for it that a lot of people seem to have. It’s hardly great (or even good), but it is easy to find low-limit tables and the steakhouse is awesome. It’s certainly not a place I avoid, and I have no problem hanging out there.
I also used to have a deep fondness for Sahara. Most people, it seemed, loathed the place and do not miss it, but I always made a point of going there on every trip. It was cheap, completely unpretentious, and easy to hang out in. I miss it to this day, as there aren’t really any good places on the strip where you can reliably gamble cheap with an easy to find seat.
While I call these guilty pleasures, I am in no way ashamed of admitting these things. These are all parts of how I enjoy visiting Las Vegas. The moral of the story is everyone does Las Vegas differently. Not everyone will enjoy the same things and honestly, that’s what makes Vegas so great. There are so many different things to do, it really appeals to almost all interests.
Great post! There’s a good little liquor store we always stop at (right behind MGM in a strip mall). We always stock up on beverages for the hotel there.
Always wondered about Circus Circus too, knew the steakhouse was good. Might have to play there next trip !
Roulette is guilty pleasure of mine at times. Yes, a house advantage that’s up there with slots, but it’s fun to play with big piles of chips.