Wife and I are staying at the Wynn and the Trump for a couple of days each.

What is the best supermarket near the north end of the strip to stop and pick up some water, snacks, booze etc ?

Where is the best/cheapest/easiest parking mid strip, south strip & downtown?

Always interested in mob in general. Is the mob museum worth seeing? Can I walk to it from downtown or is that a scary area?

Probably going out to Zion Natl Park. Would like spend 2-4 hours there. Any recommendations on what to see/do?

Struck out searching - any other car threads worth reading?

I went to the Mob Museum in December with a bit of a negative 'this will be cr*p attitude', but I've got to say I enjoyed it and found it informative and fun. Obviously it helps if you're into mob and Vegas history but even if not I'd definitely recommend it.
Easy sub 5 minute walk from Fremont Street and no, it isn't scary.

Downtown during the day walking off Fremont isn't an issue, heck I do it a night solo as well. Main Street Station should have free parking although occasionally they charge. Binions garage also down the street from the mob museum, however you may need to validate with play.

Zion is awesome but not sure I'd do the 3 hr drive if only staying a few hours. I'd consider it if I was leaving super early and staying until the evening.


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If your going to the mob museum is consider hitting up the neon as well, I think they might even do a discount if bought together. Both could be done in probably under 5 hours.


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Planet Hollywood pretty much covers the heart of the strip/ south of the strip - for parking. And also it's free. all the MGM properties now charge for parking and it sucks big time. Cosmopolitan parking is free too. Either one of these is good for the south/mid strip.

South strip; you'll just end up going north from there unless you really want to see Excalibur, Luxor, mandalay bay. Personally, I don;t find any of those properties exciting so I don't even bother to think of where to park now that those are MGM properties. Best bet would be Tropicana, but just the walk from there isn't all that fun.

Heading north, depending on what you consider north, Wynn parking is free. Venetian parking is still free from what I recall. That might be a better "North strip" area to park. It's closer to the other casinos/venues you might be interested in.


For downtown, I'm not sure what's free anymore, but there should be afew options. I play blackjack at the Golden Nugget, and they validate so I don't think too much about the parking. Four queens validates also if you gamble. If I'm going to downtown, I'm gambling for sure, so I don't think about free parking when I go...

For parking on South strip, Trop isn't a bad option. From the 2nd floor by the sportsbook there a walkway to the MGM. I'd argue it's parking there to go to MGM.


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use the valet, easy in/out and cheap.

Walgreens for the win.

Early to Zion is the right answer, make sure you drive the tunnel and maybe do a short hike or two.

While there are drug/convenience stores on the strip, I would go east on Twain to Maryland Pkwy where there's a Vons supermarket on the corner.

Cromwell is best place by far to park midstrip just make sure you make the turn just before the valet, it's easy to miss. Cosmo also has a great parking lot. PH is way in the back.

The advice for parking on the strip is literally anywhere but MGM.

Downtown is a bit trickier, but remember that even if a place charges/validates for self parking, valet is still free. But the hours you are there can determine how free or available that is. If you're going to the mob museum the Downtown Grand is the closest, but they're the ones most apt to charge for parking. Anyway, everything down there is close so it doesn't matter much. And the Mob Museum is not a dangerous walk from anything.

Most importantly, be sure to take a **** on the lobby floor of Trump when you're there.

whoa, that is harsh

lolz - not a fan myself, but got a reasonable deal on hotwire.

Regarding supermarkets, looks like Von's and Albertson's are on the way. Is one better than the other?

One last question - when you use valet, do you tip when you drop off, pick up or both?

Vons (Safeway) is significantly cheaper than Albertson's. Smith's (Kroger) is the most common. Winco is the best. But AFAIK only Vons is in your area.

I generally tip $2-3 on the way out only. I tip on the way in only if I'm driving a very expensive or very beat-up car.

I buy all my snacks,food from Walmart or trader joes. Generally stuff that can lay around like peanuts, protein bars, water, drinks.

It's not that far from the strip. Just use your phone to find on yelp or google maps


Albertsons is generally better than vons imo

I'm typically an easy-going guy and there aren't many areas where I'm a super-charged *******. BUT, there is one thing I'll never do, and that's bag my own groceries. And Winco doesn't hire baggers to cut down on costs. So I'll never go back to Winco.

I have had some VERY unfavorable experiences at LV grocery stores near the strip. I always think going to chains on Maryland around UNLV will be fine but there are no shortages of undesirables lurking around. Granted most visits are WSOP season in the June/July heat when grocery stores seem to be a haven for the unwashed. Eating any produce after the filthy crackhead asked me to pick out some ripe fruit for her while avoiding smelling the guy soaked in urine wandering the store was my final straw.

Last trip I made the drive to Trader Joe's on Flamingo (only had two homeless people) and was at the grand opening in the Summerlin area with a Whole Foods and both were very nice and clean-shocker, I know . I would personally drive to Summerlin and shop in that area's Albertson's/TJ/WF since you have a car.

Vegas is not an easy city to drive in- the strip is full of taxis that cannot drive, tourists that do not know where they are going and drunks that do not obey crosswalks. Get to know roads like Industrial, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Koval. Also, wait a couple seconds if you are the first one entering an intersection after a light has turned green since EVERYONE tries to beat the traffic lights.

Good luck!

Wow, not many people like smashed bread or cookies dropped on the floor, but apparently you're one of the exceptions.

Mob Museum was a lot more reading than I would like but a good thing to do on a downtown visit. Museum has its own street level parking lot, I think it was maybe $5 and you can safely walk to Fremont area from there.

You could easily make a half day of downtown. I would have lunch somewhere like Pizza Rock, possibly zip line Fremont and maybe explore some hotels like the roof at Downtown Grand/Golden Nugget nugget and pool/Binion's poker wall etc. Starbucks patio at Golden Nugget is a good spot for people watching. There are some tacky souvenir shops and even a beef jerky store in the area as well.

Struck out searching - any other car threads worth reading? --Does this mean you have no car reserved?

I use Autoslash or Costco.

Budget at the airport usually comes up cheapest however it is usually an hour+ wait EVERY time. Last trip I used the Budget on Flamingo across from Orleans through Costco (convenient since I was at Aria but there are closer locations to Wynn), took a $6 Uber there and dropped it off the day before we left. Budget has a courtesy shuttle to the strip until 3:30pm every day and will probably pick you up from your hotel as well. Saved $200 in the two weeks since no airport taxes, no waiting at the off site location at pickup and saved an hour from dropping the car off when flying out.

After landing in Vegas, the last thing you want to do is take another 2 hours to get a car. Think about grabbing one the next day off strip and use a promo with Uber/Lyft to get you to your hotel from the airport.

Maybe I'm just lucky- but I usually rent from Budget and am a Fastbreak member- once the shuttle arrives at the car rental location I'm driving away less than 5 minutes later.

Was just there two weeks ago and the process couldn't have been more painless.

If you're not signed up for Fastbreak I suggest doing so.

Same fast process being Preferred with Avis but if you do not have status with a rental company the rental center, especially for Budget, is painful. Even the woman at the off site location mentioned how horrible the airport wait can be. My guess is the Costco partnership gives them a lot biz.

I looked into Fastbreak hoping my Avis status could cross but it did not.

Yes I agree, my first time in Vegas I did not have that status and it was a pain in the ass.

Even with fastbreak it can still suck waiting for a shuttle.

When we hit the lineup one was loading and the line was so deep we had to wait for another, wasn't too long (maybe 10 minutes) but seemed like a half hour in 110 degree heat. After that it was a breeze dealing with budget and picking up the car.

I might try your method next visit.

Using Costco Travel, rent from Budget, Eastern & Richmar; or Avis, St. Rose & Eastern. Take Uber to get there. You'll save the 100% airport tax and you'll have a free drop at the airport on the way back (but you might not want to tell them up front you're returning to the airport, say you'll bring it back to the rental location).