CONSERVATORY, “O™ ” THEATRE AND TICKET ... - Bellagio

Day 1. My fiance and i land and get to Mandalay Bay by about 7:30am, we figured it would be too early but tried to check in anyway. When we were checking in I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available; She said we could move from a resort King strip view for a double queen room at the Delano. We decided to stick with the resort king which paid off because they ended up waiving our resort fees. Since we had a good amount of time until our room was ready we went to the buffet before going to the nearest dispensary and got a pen vaporizer then went to the Shark Reef aquarium which was pretty badass. We then worked our way down the strip going through each resort from Mandalay to MGM then down to Paris, we started getting close to time to start getting ready for dinner so we headed back to Mandalay. They said they would text/call between 12-1 for the room to be ready and we hadnt heard anything by 4, so we went to the counter to ask about it and that's how we got the resort fees waived. We got up there and my fiance took a short nap and i went down to the casino. We went to Batista's for my birthday dinner and i got a picture with Gordy. We walked back to the room from there with a few stops along the way and called it a night.
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Day 2. We're early risers so we get the most out of our trips, so by around 9:30 we started walking towards Bruxie's at NYNY for some chicken and waffles which was incredible. We rode the roller coaster at NYNY which was honestly a lot better than i expected, then we walked through all the resorts down to Ceasar's and got some Fat Tuesdays after my fiance did some shopping, then took the tram from Excalibur back to Mandalay to hang out by the pool for a little while. We had a reservation at Blue Ribbon Brassiere during their social hour and got a ton of oysters and stopped at an Art-o-Mat before leaving. We then went back to NYNY for our 7:00 show of Zumanity which was fantastic. When we got out we went across the street and got some orange julius then back to Mandalay; We gambled a little bit then went upstairs, showered and ordered some room service.
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Day 3. Pretty early morning again, we get crepes at 48th and Crepe and walk around the Aria until the Hofbrauhaus was open. We had a couple masses each and had some food while we were there for a couple hours. Then we were off to Fremont street, we hung out there for a few hours and did the zipline. The pictures turned out good enough for us to actually buy them all haha. We then went to the stratosphere and got to the top before deciding neither of us were down to do any of the rides but we got the amazing view. We found a cool spot to have a preroll we got at the dispensary before getting a lyft in one of those self-driving BMW's back to Mandalay to get ready for dinner. We got ready and went out to SLS for our dinner at Bazaar Meats which was by far the best meal of my life, expensive but absolutely worth it. Then we went to see the Bellagio fountains then had another preroll before making our way to the Skyfall lounge for our final night out, the view was incredible.
Day 4. Up early to check out and give the bell desk our bags, i was obsessed with Bruxies so my fiance got Krispy Kreme donuts and i got bruxies again. We went down to the Venetian for a little while to shop and look around. No matter how old i am I'll always be suckered into the magic shops and those damn magicians are good sales people lol. We went back through our random casinos that we had vouchers for to get our money or play a little and tried to soak in our last walk through the strip before heading out to the airport. We didn't do a lot of drinking or anything crazy but it was by far the best vacation i've ever had and we'll be back as soon as we can. Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions on where to eat and what to do, it definitely helped out a lot.
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TLDR; My fiance and i had a badass first time in Vegas, ton of great food and great people. Zumanity was fantastic and we'll for sure be back.

You guys were super helpful to me, so hopefully this helps someone else out down the line!!
We (boyfriend and I) booked a package through Southwest vacations, originally staying Sunday through Thursday and flying out on Friday but we stayed the extra two nights and flew out on Sunday in order to meet up with some friends. Originally we had a king room at MGM booked, but changed over to a king balcony suite at the Signature at MGM for the extra space/whirlpool tub.
The vast majority of our gambling was $0.25-$1 blackjack on the video poker machines - we didn't lost much money, and had drinks given to us pretty frequently at most casinos.
Sunday we flew in and got to the Signature at about 10:30am, we were able to upgrade to a 28th floor strip view suite for an extra $10 a night - we had originally been offered a 37th floor strip view suite for $30 a night, but went with the slightly cheaper option. Luckily our room was ready and we were able to take our bags upstairs right away. We headed to Planet Hollywood and grabbed lunch at Earl of Sandwich, walked around the shops then explored Paris and a bit of Bellagio and gambled a bit before heading black to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We took a lyft down to the Palms and did dinner at Alize - we had a groupon for the tasting menu at $200 rather than the original $350ish, but the meal was so incredible I'd probably be willing to pay full price. Originally we had plans to go down a floor to hang out at Ghostbar for a bit, but we were both so full and tired neither of us really felt like drinking. We gambled a bit before lyfting back to the Signature, then changed and hung out at MGM's casino for a bit before heading to sleep.
Monday we each used a free breakfast buffet reward from MyVegas at MGM, then lyfted down to Fashion Show and explored Encore/Wynn/Venetian for a while. We had a buy one get one free Bellagio lunch buffet reward as well, which we redeemed right at about 2:45 so we could get the perks of the dinner buffet offerings that were brought out at 3. Later on we checked out NYNY then took the free tram between ExcalibuMandalay Bay/Luxor and explored and gambled a bit while watching the CFB playoff. Again, we gambled a bit at MGM and made it to Emeril's JUST in time to grab a late night happy hour snack - the sign said 9:30-close, when we got there at about 9:40 the bartenders took our order right away as the kitchen was in the process of closing up. The apps were good, unfortunately we never made it back for oyster happy hour.
Tuesday we did an early lunch at Nacho Daddy (giant plate for about $20, easily fed both of us!) and explored and gambled around Aria/Cosmopolitan/Bellagio. We had a Groupon for a prix fixe menu at Koi at Planet Hollywood which turned out to be a great deal, and we hung out in the lounge for happy hour for a bit before that. We booked KA tickets a few days before flying out through the M Life site, which was an amazing show for a great deal.
Wednesday we used a buy one get one free MGM breakfast buffet MyVegas reward, then lyfted out to SilverCar and picked up a car for the day. We're both only 22 so we really struggled finding a decently priced car, luckily a Vegas redditor recommeneded SilverCar. Cost for the day was $39 and $12 in taxes/fees, and $5+gas. We drive to Hoover Dam/Lake Mead and then Red Rock. Since we had the car we decided to stop at In n Out, then headed up to Stratosphere for happy hour at sunset - neither of us really enjoyed the drinks or the view from the SkyLounge, but we had been spoiled at the Palms a few nights before. We also popped into Westgate, Circus Circus, Lucky Dragon and Rio before heading to the Welcome to Vegas sign and dropping the car off. My boyfriend is a pilot so we popped into the airport observation lot for a half hour or so - unplanned but incredibly cool!! We lyfted down to Caesars, went through the shops then explored and gambled and watched a few fountain shows before heading to bed.
Thursday was kind of rainy and windy, so we slept in and then headed to Aria and each used a free lunch buffet reward. We both thought this was by far the best buffet (and it cost less points than the Bellagio rewards!), and it's definitely on the top of our list to go to again. We lyfted down to Fremont and spent the afternoon/early evening exploring all of the casinos and watching the light shows, then did dinner at Hugo's Cellar at Four Queens. Hugo's was recommended by family friends, we both thought it was OK but not great. We sat down at some penny video poker machines at the Fremont Casino, which happened to be right next to the bar and wound up with about 8 drinks each in an hour or so span. We lyfted back to the Signature and headed to sleep.
Friday we grabbed lunch at Taco Bell so we could officially say we had eaten there, then explored the middle part of the strip (Ballys/Harrahs/Linq/Flamingo) that we hadn't gotten to yet. We wound up with awesome 5th row center section seats for the early show of Zumanity by checking with the box office about a half an hour before the show started, I think the original price would have been nearly $400 after tax and fees and I paid around $170. I would definitely recommend a seat near center stage since so much happens right up front. After that, our friends got in and got settled, then we gambled at MGM and headed down to Bellagio for the fountains and more gambling. My female friend and I were wandering around the slot machines near Hyde while the guys were playing video games, we were approached by someone working the door and let in free of charge in front of the line. We stayed for about ten minutes to see what was happening then left because it was decently crowded and we wanted to get back out to the guys. Late night dinner at Taco Bell finished off our night.
Saturday we once again did breakfast at the MGM buffet, per request of our friends - I definitely wouldn't recommend paying weekend prices unless you're wanting to drink shitty mimosas for two hours straight. For the $55ish we paid for the two of us I definitely wouldn't say it was worth it at all. We then headed to Pro Gun Club a little ways outside of Vegas - specifically chosen because my boyfriend and I are both experienced shooters and I wanted the chance to shoot a 50 cal, but one of our friends had never shot a gun and wanted to be able to shoot a 9mm. My boyfriend was there once before and the staff has been amazing both times - the outdoor range is great. By the time we got back it was nearly dark, so we walked from MGM up the strip to see some more of the strip at night, popped into the In n Out at the LINQ, hung out in different casinos here and there until 7 when we watched the Mirage volcano, then went through the Venetian some more. We took a lyft back to the hotel )damn near impossible to finally get a driver that showed up within five minutes for some reason), got ready and then we hung out at the MGM casino while our friends went to a show that wasn't of any interest to us.
Sunday we checked out of our hotel, checked our bags with the bellhop and grabbed lunch at Earl of Sandwich and hit up the sports book at Planet Hollywood to put some last minute bets down since we realized we could mail the tickets in if we won. We headed to the airport at about 2 even though our flight wasn't until 4:45 thinking that it was going to be insanely busy based on how crazy checkout had been in the morning, but we were dropped off by Lyft and made it to the terminal within 15 minutes. We watched as much of the Packers game as we could and played some last minute video blackjack before finally getting on our flight (delayed by an hour, almost missed our transfer to another plane in Phoenix but luckily they held the plane for us.
We definitely didn't NEED seven nights, but I'm glad we had the time to get out off of the strip for two full days. We got through just about everything we wanted to and didn't feel rushed. Next time we're back we'll probably just stay 3-4 days since we now know what we like and where we'll want to go back.
We actually grabbed a $1 chip from each casino we went into (other than those on Fremont street - we couldn't just get one from the cashiers or one of the dealers, we were told that we had to actually sit down and play which we weren't planning on doing at each casino) and wound up with 30 total, so we covered a lot of ground!
General takeaways -
-MyVegas saved us a TON of money - six free buffets (and a few random non-MGM rewards that we actually didn't wind up using due to the restrictions on when they could be used). I will absolutely keep playing for whenever we go next! We tried to leave slots running on our phones in the background whenever we were watching TV or something, and I played a bit of blackjack most days. We didn't learn about it until about 2 months before we came, and we each wound up with about 50-60k in loyalty points with very minimal effort.
-Lyft was insanely cheap with $5 off each ride - we spent about $50 total for 10 rides (including one to the airport gate, two to Fremont, two to Silvercar which is past the airport) compared to one $25 Uber to get us from the airport to the Signature.
-People aren't kidding when they say wear comfy shoes - I wore my comfiest pair of boots on Monday and wound up with a horrid blister that I didn't know was forming. Monday night through Thursday was hell for me because I had a quarter sized blister on the bottom of my foot - thank god for the $9 pads I was able to grab at CVS
-I do pole/aerial silks so I was insanely excited for Cirque shows, my boyfriend not so much - we both LOVED KA, I loved Zumanity and he at least semi-enjoyed it. Definitely give them a shot!
-Groupon saved us quite a bit of money on dinners as well, and we had a few others lined up for food/drinks/entertainment that we knew we could purchase if we wanted to use them.
-Silvercar is in fact legit, and you will wind up with a Silver Audi - any time we travel to a city with a Silvercar kiosk, we'll actively be seeking them out.
-We learned that rooms at the Signature can be rented on airbnb, which we definitely did not know before hand - just generally looking at prices the rooms on airbnb seemed like an awesome deal and we'll definitely check into that next time we come.
Once again, thanks for all of your help - we saved a ton of money and got so many good recommendations from you all!!

Hello lasvegas, I am accompanying my mother for a conference in Vegas in mid-Sept for about 4-5 days, I've gone through threads in this sub and went to a couple of websites you recommended, I just have a couple more questions and am seeking help from you wonderful people! :) Thank you all!
We are looking for some places that's family friendly, my mom is a rather traditional asian lady, while she likes to have a fun time, she will less likely enjoy bars/clubs/ladyclubs ... also, we will not have a car so we will be walking a lot and taking cabs.

1. For fun, I am already taking notes from you guys to go to the Pinball Museum, what else do you guys recommend? (that's average priced)
   
2. Is it good to stay in hotels on the strip or off? Is it safe to walk around the strip at night?
   
3. Any restaurant recommendations? Who has the best buffet?
   
4. How are the cabs around town? What's the standard rate and how much do people generally tip cab drivers in Vegas?
   
5. What's the weather generally like around September, do I need a light sweatshirt for night time?
   
6. And recommended malls and interesting shops around town? Is it cheaper to shop in Vegas than other parts of the country?
   
7. What are other must sees/eats/dos you can think of?
   

EDIT: Is Chinatown worth visiting?

Hi everybody! Im a solotraveler and I just did a round trip from LA to LA and I did 3300 miles. Firstly - sorry for mistakes, because I just learning english, hope you will understand everything :)
I started my trip in Santa Monica 24 december. Cristmas Eve is the time, when all people spending time with family, and for me situation when you see empty city was incredible)
25 december. I cant rent a car, because no one rental company works at this time. But I like walking and it was my girst fault. I didnt take with me good shoes for walking and I used to got some corn on my feets 😱 I stopped in Santa Monica in Downtown and did 26miles walk trip along the beach) ocean was awesome :)
27 december. I rented a car. Saw a lot: LA, movie studios, star alley, and a lot of other things.
28 dec. I drove through route 1. Ofc I did some wrong turns, but I think that route 1 I the best romantic road in the world. If you ever will plan a roadtrip with your girlfriend - choose road 1. You can stop in every place able to stop and the view will awesome for hugs and kissing ;) but Im a solo traveler - I didnt hug or kiss anybody 😜
29 dec. I came to Monterey. I love this city :) smiling girls, awesome beachline, the best lighthouse ever. And Im well in physics, especially in optic - but it was interesting to hear about "how the Frenel lens works". You should take a breakfast on Alvarado street!
30 dec. Welcome Santa Cruz! I did surfing for a first time and that was awesome!
31 dec - 4 jan. I came to Mountain view. Im a software engineer and I met some friends who live in Silicon Valley. I have no idea why everybody from my co-workers want to work there, but its very cute, but very expensive. I've visied some places and offices of cool companies fe - google and apple. That was awesome but you should know somebody works there, because its impossible to pass without invite :) SF was really awesome, but I dont think that you should spend money to tram or public transport. Tram system is interesting, but the better way to spend time - visit Alcatraz Island and Pier 39. Seals - cuttest creatures! They smell, but they are cute 😊 I did a lot of photos, but I have no idea how to share them here now :( Also I have visited another "the best romantic place" in california - Yosemite National Park. If you want to spend best holidays week in your life ever - take a room in hotel in Yosemite for a week. But be carefull - a lot of mountain roads closed in winter period.
5 jan. Big trip started there! I drove through Sacramento to Rino. That was awful - I havnt chains in car. I drove slowly through the traffic jan in mountains and I late for a 4 hours. In Nevada temperature was -2C or 28F and for me it is not a problem, but at the morning I clean my car from ice and snow:( I remember Reno from fallout game and the skyline of casinos and mountains is better than in my mind in chilhood!!
6 jan. I starded the hardest roadtrip in my live. I drove though the mountains to Bishop city. I've booked the hostel place 1 month before and it was the right decigion. Everything booked and that happened because it was the best hostel in my live! Host told me about all great places around Bishop. At the morning I met girl in public kitchen :) thank you, Jan, if you reading this text! We talked about everything, especially about travelling, bouldering, kitchen, people and a lot of other cool things. If you and your husband ever come to Europe - text me, I know a lot places for good bouldering :)
7 jan. Las Vegas. All things happend in LV you should leave in LV. I spend some money, I had a good room in Bellagio, and this is the second "must visit" place in US. Will not tell you anything else - just try to enjoy it yourself ;)
8 jan. Grand Canyon. Some roads also was closed. I've seen only part of Grand Canyon. Mext time I will get a helicopter trip. That will awesome!
9 jan. I planned to stay in Kingsman, but when I came at 4pm I have no idea what I shoul do there till tomorow. I came to LA. In Hermosa beach. I came outside from hostel at 1am and some crazy woman tried to hit with a knife. I ran away, because I had no idea to do))).
10 jan. I changed place and now I drink beer in Santa Monica. I want to come back here with friends or with girlfriend:)
11 jan. Future. I will have a morning 10 hours flight.. wanna back to home :) It was awesome trip!
Summary: I spend 5k$, 3 weeks in US and met new friends, new emotions and hope - new ideas for new projects! See you soon!

Las Vegas Travel Wizards complete list of Free Shuttles and Trams in Las Vegas
@LVTWs and LVTWs.com
Excalibur - Luxor - Mandalay Bay Tram Service -
A free tram runs between the Excalibur, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotels. The southbound tram runs only from the Excalibur to Mandalay Bay, but the northbound tram starts at Mandalay Bay, stops at Luxor and ends at the Excalibur.
ARIA Express Tram - Monte Carlo - CityCenter - Bellagio -
Free Tram Service The ARIA Express tram is a three stations free tram with stops at Monte Carlo, Crystals retail and entertainment district (closest to ARIA) and Bellagio/Vdara Hotel & Spa.
Mirage - Treasure Island Tram Service -
The Free Tram service between the Mirage and Treasure Island Hotel.
​RIO LAS VEGAS - SHUTTLE TO THE STRIP -
The Rio and it's sister properties, Bally's/Paris and Harrah's Las Vegas on the Strip, offer a complimentary shuttle to and from the Rio. Please note: the shuttle only runs from the Rio to Bally's/Paris or Harrah's Las Vegas, not from Bally's/Paris to Harrah's Las Vegas or vice versa. The shuttle runs daily from 10:00am to 1:00am. Pick-up times are approximately every 30 minutes from each location, depending on traffic conditions.
Pick-Up Locations: Rio: Carnival World Buffet entrance Bally's: Race and Sports Book entrance (side of Flamingo Rd) Harrah's Las Vegas: Shuttle/Bus/Trolley drop off.
Source: https://totalrewards.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/131/~/rio-las-vegas---shuttle-to-the-strip
THE ORLEANS - SHUTTLE TO THE STRIP -
The Orleans offers shuttle service to its sister property, the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, as well as the Las Vegas strip. The shuttle operates 7 days a week from 9:00am to 12:30am and picks up guests approximately every 30 - 45 minutes from the hotel's Tropicana Avenue entrance. The shuttle drops off at The High Roller at The Linq. The last shuttle will leave the strip at 12:30am. Hotel guests will receive priority seating on all shuttles.
Source: http://www.orleanscasino.com/stay/shuttle-service
SAM'S TOWN, FREMONT STREET, AND HARRAH'S SHUTTLE
Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall offers shuttle service to its sister properties, Fremont Hotel & Casino and California Hotel & Casino, as well as the Las Vegas strip. The shuttle operates seven days a week starting at 9:00am and hotel guests will receive priority seating on all shuttles.
Source: ​http://www.samstownlv.com/stay/shuttle-service

thank you vegas for all the tips and useful information. My wife & I, were in vegas last week and we had a good time because of this sub. Here's our experience , it may help fellow first-timers.
We went from East coast and 3-hr time difference wasn't easy to get over. However, We used it to our advantage and covered all out-of-city attraction with an early headstart. Though strip comes to life after sunset, it is equally entertaining during the day. We were awestruck by casino's exterior, architecture. Our initial plan was to be at strip only after sunset, but we realized day time isn't bad at all.

• day 1 - Went to hoover dam, reached there by 930 on weekday. no lines, we were done in quick time. From hoover, we went to Valley of fire. It was about 75 mins drive. This place was amazing. I would say, it is a must-visit place. By the time we came back to hotel, it was afternoon. We took a nap for couple of hours, and headed to Fremont street for evening, which was quite an experience.
• day 2 - We went to Zion. Its around 3 hr drive. We left early in the morning but I did not know Utah is one hr ahead, so we reached there by noon. Anyway, as it is non-peak season, we were able to do couple of small hikes in no time. Landscape is absolutely amazing. We did Angel's Landing hike, which was quite challenging but worthy. We were back to hotel by late evening and later went to strip to couple of casinos.
• day 3 - Stayed in Vegas. Did more of casinos on strip and saw a show in the evening. We went to Mandalay Bay hoping to see their artificial beach. But because of off-season , it was closed. I believe it opens in April. There is a tram service from Mandalay Bay to Luxor and Excalibur. We used it to saw other two casinos. Using tix4tonight, we got tickets for Le Reve at Wynn. I am not sure how it compares with Cirque group shows, but we liked it.
• day 4 - We did Red rock canyon. It was Saturday and there was lot of people in the State park. Anyway, it is a nice park. We did couple of hikes. I liked Valley of fire more than Red Rock. In the evening, we went to Fremont street again. Both Strip and Fremont Street are very different , and very lively, entertaining. Fremont is not for kids IMO. For Fremont, there is structured parking lot charging $2 per hour. We parked there.
• day 5 - We spent half day at the strip. The casinos are so majestic, and there are so many, it took us 2 -3 days to see them. Venetian Interior, Bellagio's water fountain and Mirage' Volcano are must-see I think. We flew back in the evening.

Returned to Philadelphia from Las Vegas yesterday morning on the red-eye, and after about 18 hours of sleep, I'm ready to write up my trip report. This was my first time back to Las Vegas since 2007 and I had a lot of fun.
I receive email promotions from the MLife casinos, and the one that caught my eye was an offer for a $50 dining credit per night at Aria. Since Aria opened an outpost of Carbone in November, I read the fine print of the offer to make sure Carbone wasn't excluded from the offer.

Saturday

My flight was delayed and I didn't make it to the hotel until about 1 am. Earlier in the day, Aria emailed me about online check-in, and I decided to do it just to make sure I'd at least have a place to sleep that night. When I was assigned a room on the eighth floor, I decided to go to the check-in desk to see if I could do better.
I did the $20 sandwich and asked for "anything with an awesome bathroom." The woman who checked me in put me on the 54th floor with a strip view, one room away from the elevator. SCORE.
Because I checked in so late, the front desk attendant credited the third night of my dining credit to the final day of my stay.

Sunday

Slept in and headed directly to my spa appointment at noon for a facial. When I checked in for the facial, I asked if I could be fit in for a mani and pedi too. They scheduled me for a 3 pm appointment.
The Spa at Aria is huge, quiet, tranquil, and relaxing. After the facial, I killed two hours in the spa reading magazines, eating snacks and drinking green tea, napping on vibrating chairs in the salt room (a dark room lined with gently warmed Himalayan salt bricks), and fielding work emails on my iPad by the private outdoor infinity edge pool.
When I returned to my room, I found that housekeeping had come and gone and left me extra towels as I requested along with my nice tip. (I was glad I asked for extra towels, since housekeeping never came back to my room during the rest of my stay. Hmph.)
I ate dinner at the bar at Julian Serrano Tapas in the Aria lobby (tasty patatas bravas, an uninspired beet salad with commodity Sysco croutons, 6/10). I didn't have plans for Sunday night, so at the last minute, I decided to roll the dice at the concierge and see if they could get me tickets for Jerry Seinfeld at Caesars.
Let me recognize Tatiana the concierge at Aria by name here because she was so helpful, friendly, and resourceful. She got me fantastic seats for Jerry Seinfeld for way less than I expected to spend, and found a gift card that had been left for me at the concierge desk under the wrong name. I gave her a tip and called her manager to compliment her.
(Sidebar: Did you know the Society of the Crossed Keys is a real thing? Tatiana was wearing the gold keys pins on her uniform...I thought it was just something Wes Anderson made up for the Grand Budapest Hotel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
After Jerry's set, I walked back to Aria from Caesars. I stopped at the Caesars sports book and put $20 on the Panthers to beat Navy...I should have just torn up that $20 bill. I also stopped at Olives on the Via Bellagio and sat at the bar and had dessert and a nightcap, and as I was walking back to Aria I watched the fountain show for "Luck be a Lady," my favorite of the fountain shows.
To get back to Aria, I walked through Crystals and closed down the bar at Todd English Pub (extensive but confusing beer list, OK fries, talked Coachella and exchanged instagram handles with Channa the sweet bartender and her boyfriend, 8/10.)
The art at Aria and Crystals is kind of banal (Dale Chihuly...yawn) but it was a lot of fun to take a bunch of drunk Hotline Bling selfies in the James Turrell installation by the tram station on the third floor. Go late and you can dance like Drake to your heart's content!
I wasn't ready for bed yet, so I stopped at Alibi at Aria for a cocktail and had an excellent chocolate martini garnished with Cocoa Puffs.

Monday

Up early for Dig This! I had a 10 am appointment to operate the excavator and after some confusion by the cab driver ("Turn off the meter and let me out, I'll walk the rest of the way because you obviously don't know where you're going!") I made it just in time for the safety briefing.
I cannot talk up Dig This enough--it was ridiculously fun. Junior, the instructor, was patient and upbeat even if he had to tell me "no, your RIGHT hand...no, your OTHER right" fifty times. There were two other people in my group and we all had fun encouraging and zinging each other while operating the excavators. We were welcome to take all the pictures we wanted with our cameras and phones and I actually bought the $30 plaque with a professional photo of me in the excavator afterward. (And tipped Junior, of course.)
I Ubered back to the strip to eat lunch at Hash House a Go Go at the Linq, but the line was so long and the space so grim and uninspiring I ended up eating lunch at Guy Fieri on the strip. My Mayor of Flavortown burger was fine; I'd eaten at Guy Fieri Chophouse in Atlantic City before so I knew what to expect.
After lunch, I walked back to Aria and put $20 in a Hangover penny machine before taking a nap and getting ready for my 6:30 dinner reservation at Carbone. Since I read Pete Wells' review of the original New York location in the Times I'd wanted to eat there.
A word about the space at Carbone: opulent. It hearkens back to old-timey New York/Las Vegas Italian restaurants--red velvet booths, an enormous crystal chandelier in the dining room, massive fresh flower arrangements in gigantic brass urns on the bar.
The portions at Carbone are famously huge, so I had to order wisely--the clams three ways and the spicy rigatoni were delicious, but the minestrone was thin and weirdly green. For dessert, I ordered the carrot cake with ginger ice cream and it was the best piece of carrot cake I've ever eaten.
All the reviews of Carbone talk up the service (you get a table captain instead of a server), but I found it to be inattentive and impersonal: The host tried to seat me at the bar instead of a table in the dining room because I was dining alone, I was disappointed that I wasn't offered the complimentary nip of limoncello and rainbow cookies the other tables around me received after the meal...and nobody said thank you or goodbye when I signed for the bill or walked out of the restaurant! What the hell?!
(Not that I was able to take advantage of this, but the women's restrooms at Carbone would make a great place for a quickie.)
Carbone overall: Food 8/10. Service 6/10.
Hopped in a cab after dinner and headed to PH for Britney. Even on a Monday night, PH was SLAMMED with people. The plexiglas cases with her famous costumes in the lobby (the red leather jumpsuit from Oops I Did it Again, the blue flight attendant costume from the Toxic video, even her dress from when she was on Star Search) were a treat to see.
I received Britney tickets as a Christmas gift, and my seat was awesome, though expensive at almost $300. The seats are raked so even if you stand up to dance you're not blocking someone in front of you. Some of the arrangements of her songs were kind of weird--the crowd didn't know when to get hyped for her big hits. But Britney herself seemed lively and engaged and looked great. I grabbed a few of the custom Britney poker chip confetti that blasted over the crowd at the end of the show.
As I was leaving I noticed I was seated two rows closer to the stage than Dave Grohl, who was wearing a white crushed velvet dinner jacket and bow tie. (Me: "How's the foot?" Dave: "Healing!")

Tuesday

Tuesday morning, I paid $30 for 3 pm checkout and headed downtown to The Mob Museum. I've never been to downtown Las Vegas before and I was surprised the cabs cost me around $30 each way after tip--locals, did I get longhauled?
The Mob Museum is very well done, with lots of memorabilia and well-produced exhibits about the history of Las Vegas, law enforcement, gambling, and of course, organized crime. I thought there were WAY too many people in the museum for it to be enjoyable, though. Go early.
Ended my stay with lunch at Crystals at Cucina Wolfgang Puck (a much better beet salad than at Julian Serrano and a side of meatballs, 7/10) and bought myself a scarf at Hermés.
When I checked out, the manager credited the $50/night dining credit as a flat $150 to the total bill instead of just to food. I was OK with that. But I learned that at check-in, the woman who checked me in charged my Amex up front for the full balance of my hotel room plus another $350 for a "security deposit." I have no idea why she did that, and neither did the woman who checked me out.
Headed to the airport early to unwind in The Centurion Lounge (shoutout to the homies in /churning), which happened to be right across from my gate. There was a nice buffet and a free full bar to take advantage of, but unfortunately for me I'm a nervous flyer and I didn't want to eat or drink anything other than water before my flight. But I made friends with a showgirl waiting for her flight too!
Finally, I want to thank all of the /vegas redditors for their advice while I was planning this trip. Your answers to my questions (and ErnDizzy's well-done trip report) helped me cram as much fun into three days as I did.
TL; DR version: Aria nice but needs to work on the details; The Spa at Aria is a terrific place to chill; good food at Carbone but service was lacking on my visit; Dig This--unforgettable! A must-do; when Britney's on, she's firing on all cylinders; The Mob Museum is well done but go early.