Mark’s Las Vegas Blog - Your Source for Vegas Info

One thing I, among other people “in the know” have been touting for quite a while is the value of downtown Las Vegas. As prices have escalated on the strip and many of the older more reasonable places have closed, the notion is that there’s no more places for the “average” person anymore here.

Well, I’m happy to report that downtown is looking up. I had some family out here this week. My parents came out from Florida along with my aunt & uncle from Massachusetts. My parents had been here before but it was the first trip for my aunt & uncle. I shuffled my work schedule around so I could spend some time with them. They really enjoyed their trip here. They confessed they really didn’t know what to expect and me, being the Las Vegas “expert” (hey my business card says so) made sure they had a good time.

One thing I insisted they get to see was the Fremont St. Experience. So one night we all piled in my truck and headed on down. They really enjoyed the whole deal, even though we didn’t see all of it.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised at just how many people were there. And it was on a Wednesday night, typically not a real busy night. Along with the kick ass light show, they had 2 different bands playing on the stages set up.

They really have tried to fix up downtown the last couple of years and it looks like they’re succeding. For people that say they miss the ”old Vegas”, well, it’s alive and well right where it all started. Downtown. You have several casinos all within a short walking distance, plenty of good food, free entertainment, and better (as in lower) limit gambling than the strip. Try to find $5 blackjack at the Venetian or the Wynn on a Friday night! You wanna stay in a nice place? The Golden Nugget is as nice as any casino on the strip. (I’ve had the buffet recently and it’s excellent)

So next time make it a point to come downtown. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. We all did!