"Arrival - The Venetian" a Las Vegas Travel Page by lowpurrcpl

We decided to combine our 10th Anniversary with a little business - The SEMA Show. We arrived in Vegas on the 29th of October and caught a shuttle bus to The Venetian for the first night of our trip. The shuttle driver was very friendly, but not overly talkative. With traffic like it is on the Strip, I'm glad he was paying close attention. Thankfully, we were dropped off at the Registration entrance to The Venetian. The wait to check-in was not very long and the staff was extremely friendly. After checking-in, we found our way around the casino with our luggage and made it to the room. The rooms look exactly like they do on the internet. Very nice and elegant. Warning though - Don't Touch The Mini-Fridge! Somehow they are notified if it is opened or messed with and you will get an automatic charge when you check out. I don't know how much, but I'm sure it is enough I didn't want to pay it. We had dinner that evening at Nathan's Famous. Decent chili and cheese dog. The shoppe clerks are very "attentive" when you walk in. Many beautiful items at very high prices. Sleeping on overly starched sheets combined with the late arriving honeymooners next door made for difficult night. The rooms are "mirrors" of each other so the beds were up against the same wall. While checking out the next morning, we were able to stow our luggage at Guest Services till we were able to check-in at the next casino. Check-out was just as easy as checking-in. No long wait and friendly staff. Overall experience of The Venetian, great place to people watch, but not to stay there. A little stuffy for me.

After we picked up the luggage from Guest Services at The Venetian, we caught a cab to The Sahara. It maybe a couple of stars drop in rating, but much more to my liking. We were not taken to the Registration entrance and had to find it ourselves, with luggage in tow through the casino. Not fun, but people made way. Check-in was only a few minutes wait and friendly. We found out room easily enough. I believe it was in the older tower, but just fine. Yes, the carpet was worn in places and the old handles to the hot/cold in the showere were still there, but the atmosphere was much more laid back. We had a nice view of the Sahara Dome and also a little of "Speed" the ride. The curtains were able to block out all the light, so there was no problems with that. I did not hear people slamming doors or running down the hallways as I feared. We both slept extremely well the whole time at The Sahara. We ate a lot at the Nascar Cafe...the nachos were delicious! The Sahara was easy to navigate and the people and patrons were laid back. Yes, I would stay there again. The only drawback is that is is fairly far away from the "main area" of the Strip. We chose to walk as much as we could and made that trip several times...no too scary, but be aware of the bus stations. Check-out was no problem and no long wait. A rare gem in the desert, I hope that they keep it going. There did not seem to be as many people playing cards or the slots as in other casinos.

As I first stated we combined our 10th Anniversary with some business. We attended the SEMA Show. The Las Vegas Convention Center is a really big place! We spent 4 days walking it and still only saw about half the show. My feet just couldn't do the Sema Show and The Strip. I truly gave it my best effort though. The Sema Show was a blast! The cars very expertly tuned and shined and the girls were very beautiful. Not sure if we can make it next year, but soon I hope.
We had planned on going to The Rio at some point while we were in Vegas... possibly Halloween night....we never made it. We'll make it a priority next time. We ended up at a little outside bar in a cul-de-sac at Harrah's. I think it is called Harrah's Carnival Court. With all the great costumes going through this place we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. We had a ball! Everyone was having fun and very amiable. Some were nice enought to let me have my picture made with them. The word "fun" really doesn't do Halloween on The Strip, justice. You have to be there to experience it. Beyond words.
For our anniversary dinner, we found via the internet, a quaint place called "Chicgo Joe's." It is a little brick house with about 8 tables. It serves italian secret family recipe fare. It has a very nice house wine and house salad dressing. Don't go asking for bleu cheese or thousand island, they have two house dressings. Very nice and intimate, for the most part friendly staff. Go in the back door, not the front door. That might have been nice to know beforehand. So overall, it was a nice dining experience, but I think we'll try somewhere else next time.
Our overall experience in Las Vegas was a very positive one. I didn't mind the people slapping erotic cards at me nearly as much as the time-share hawkers that wouldn't quit. I can just not take an erotic card, these people are in the hotels and on the street, you can't get a way from them. Las Vegas, in general needs to lose these people.
We really can't wait to go again!