On Saturday night, after Zumanity and New York New York, we took a cab to downtown Vegas where we had friends staying at the Golden Nugget (approximately $25 w/ tip from the Strip).

I had never been before – I was only familiar with the Strip – and I must say I think it’s worth the trip.

I’m not sure I would stay in that area – it is not as majestic and, for me, the aura you get on the Strip does not exist elsewhere. Honestly, it’s a completely different scene – it’s much more liberal in it’s appearance.

Still, I enjoyed my time there because it’s much cheaper to gamble – more $5 tables – and the booze is affordable (even cheap at times. I saw $3 Jager Bomb specials, $2 coronas, and you could buy a 16-ounce can of beer for under $2 in one of the many shops).

I think the best thing about the area is how close all the casinos are to one another – literally right across the street. I know on the map the hotels on the Strip all look close, but you spend a lot of time in transit going from one place to the next.

Downtown, you don’t have that problem – Fremont Street is a pedestrian mall with a $70-million canopy over it’s head (part of the Fremont Street experience) which boasts, from what I hear, a really spectacular light show, but unfortunately I did not catch it (it’s supposed to be impressive because they turn off all the lights of the buildings, whereas Vegas prides itself on never turning out the casino lights).

You can also zip-line under the canopy, but I’d recommend saving that for Puerto Rico.  🙂

Photos of the light show – looks fantastic, disappointed I missed it: