Downtown Vs. Strip

Hello,

I have just returned from my first ever trip to Las Vegas.  A seven night stay.

It seems to be the general concensus of this board that most things are superior on the strip than in downtown.  The most glaring example of this is the vast gulf in quality of the hotels.

I should know.  I stayed in The Four Queens.  'Nuff said.

I also tried two buffets during my stay, one in downtown and one on the strip. My downtown buffet was the breakfast buffet, located inside The Golden Nugget. I found it to be mediocre and overall, disappointing.

The buffet I tried on the strip was the breakfast buffet in The Bellagio.  It was outstanding and the best I've ever had in my life.

However, my experience was just the opposite with the two Chinese restaurants I sampled.  One was in downtown.  One was on the strip, once again located in the luxurious Bellagio.

The one downtown was the Gee Joon, located upstairs in Binion's Horseshoe. The food was excellent.  I've never had a better rendition of Mongolian Beef.  On a second night, the Salt & Pepper Halibut was outstanding.

The one in the Bellagio was The Jasmine.  The food was just okay, very bland, and way overpriced.   A solo dining excursion resulted in a triple digit bill. I could have dined at the Gee Joon three times for what I paid for my meal at The Jasmine.

Although I would prefer not to stay downtown during my second trip to Las Vegas that I am already planning for next year, I will probably catch a taxi one evening for the sole purpose of dining at the Gee Joon restaurant.  That's how much I enjoyed it.

Others have mentioned that the slots have more frequent payouts downtown than on the strip.  I didn't gamble long enough to reach this conclusion.  I did, however, have better luck at the Bellagio slots than the ones at The Four Queens.  However, the slots at Binion's Horseshoe downtown seemed to treat me the best of all.

It would be interesting to read some other downtown vs. strip comparisons.

Dennis