Sin City. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (unless you post it on socials). Whatever your vice, you can probably find it here. That said, not everything about the city is debauchery and gambling. Grammy Awards, AWS re:Invent, concerts and shows, food, drinks...so many reasons to come to Vegas and so many ways to have a good time.
Nav:
Casinos: Walk into as many as possible off Las Vegas Blvd (aka. "The Strip"). I tried to collect as many of the $1 chips from the table games (e.g., Blackjack, Roulette, etc) as I could but didn't get them all in three days.
Each has a different theme. Bellagio is Italian, but in a different way than Caesar's Palace. The Mirage is pirate ships and volcanos. New York New York...needs no explanation.
The Cirque du Soleil shows are great. I've been to The Beatles LOVE at The Mirage and KA at MGM Grand.
Other non-gambling things to do are concerts from the Eagles to Carrie Underwood...or bungee jump off The Stratosphere.
Nosh:
Smith and Wollensky: Definitely a special occasion place, unless you're a high roller...then it's just 'dinner'. Gorgonzola and bacon filet mignon...mashed potatoes, truffled mac and cheese, and asparagus. Sides are served family style, for sharing with the table. Located in The Venetian.
Sushi Samba: If you go omakase (chef's tasting), you can't go wrong. A5 wagyu cooked on hot stones, sashimi, sushi, smokey sea bass, fried crab...donuts! Also located in The Venetian.
Battista's Hole in the Wall: This place has been just off The Strip (Las Vegas Blvd) since 1970. The menu is simple, with about 25 menu items...but they have nailed it with the practice they put in before. In addition to red and/or white table wine, each meal comes with soup (minestrone below) or salad, bread, and a 'cappuccino'...which was more like a tasty cafe mocha (sweeter with a slight coffee taste and whipped cream). Super-dim lighting so be ready with that phone flashlight if you need it.
Nip:
Free drinks, even with rail liquor, are free drinks when you're gaming at the casinos. If you play your cards (or chips or slots) right, you may be able to get a drink or few on the house...which might be all you get on the house.
There are all sorts of fun drinks in Vegas...Bloody Mary with a slider and chicken wings on top, daiquiris by the yard, milkshakes with cake on top! Whatever you want, you won't have to look far in Vegas to find it. I went for the breakfast Bloody at Mon Ami Gaby in Paris Las Vegas.
The Grey Goose dirty martini (dirty is adding olive juice) at Sushi Samba is legit. However, they don't have blue cheese or gorgonzola stuffed olives and they only put one olive on the pick...upside is more room for vodka.
MGM was running a drink special from their 'convenience stores'...buy two drinks, get a shot free. You can open a beer or hard seltzer on-site to solve the immediate problem, then bag the rest if you're rolling solo...or you can float your Truly with Tito's if you're rolling with your crew!
