One thing that many people have mentioned to me about Las Vegas is the shopping. So I thought today I might get out and see just what the shopping is like. Before heading out, I looked at the options, and there is quite a lot of choices.
Getting Around Las Vegas
There is a lot of shopping available within walking distance from my hotel along the Las Vegas Strip. But there is also plenty that is just beyond what you would consider walking. As such, you need a way to get around to be able to explore the shopping options.
Before you can go shopping, though, you have to get there. One aspect of Las Vegas which is very easy. Two shuttle buses run up and down the Las Vegas Strip. One route called Ace, and the other called Deuce. The first one Ace is a long bus which
The first one Ace is a long bus which makes stops at some of the Casino’s, and the extreme ends of the Las Vegas Strip. Which just so happen to be where an Outlet shopping centre is. Yes at both ends. The second bus Deuce makes stops at every Casino along the strip. Both are handy for getting around, and the price is right with a ticket for the buses coming in at $7 for 24 hours. ** UPDATE 2016: These services may have changed, so it is worth checking before visiting **
Outlet shopping
The first shopping mall for the day was Premium Outlets, located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The centre is an open air shopping with quite a lot of stores. There are many of the big names here that I am used to seeing at home.
When it comes to saving money though I am not sure, there is a significant difference. I am not a big brand name shopper so found it difficult to spot a cheap bargain. Everything was marked down considerably from the original retail price. But I could not detect much difference on one or two items to what I might have expected at home.
I did not find anything that caught my eye here, beyond a pair of shoes they did not have in my size. So it was time to hop back on the bus and head for the other end of the strip.
North To South On The Las Vegas Strip
The bus trip from one end of the strip to the other is about 7-8 miles or roughly 12km. With the traffic lights, bus stops and traffic in general, this is not a quick trip. In particular between Casino’s the bus can get fairly full as well.
The outlet centre at the southern end of the strip is a little more realistic. I cannot place the name as it seemed a lot of renovation work was ongoing, and there were not signs. However, they did have some stores with much better value offerings. But again nothing that screamed bargain at me.
Back on the bus and there was a stop heading north that caught my eye. It was a place called Town Center with some larger stores. There was Wholefoods, an organic supermarket, Fry’s Electronics a big electronics store and Borders Bookstore. Along with a whole range of other smaller stores.
Back On The Strip
I got the bus back part of the way and decided to walk some casinos along the way. Below are photos of two of the casinos, New York New York and Excalibur.
There are also some shopping options along the Las Vegas Strip. One I found was a store called Ross Dress For Less. It was a bit of hit and miss finding anything decent, but I did come away with two shirts here.
One other little picture I have for you is from a spot I visited the other day, which is the “Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas” Sign. This time a daytime shot which is a little clearer.
There will be one more post tomorrow before activities around the conference over the weekend start. I will be meeting some of the other people attending and doubt I will have much time to write much.
