$0.99 Margaritas at The Fremont Hotel & Casino

This the ridiculously sweet deals are a thing of the past in Vegas? Then get downtown to Fremont Street and experience the offerings availiable for just 99 cents!

The 99 Cent Margarita

You heard right! Just step up to any bar in the
Fremont Hotel & Casino and ask for one! I ordered mine in the bar at their Sports Book. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly bartender. I half expected to have him look down his nose with a "oh another cheap SOB" look on his face - but he was as nice and helpful as can be! He also noted that they have Heinekens and Coronas for just $2 each too. I LOVE me some downtown!

How did it taste? Not bad at all. Very, very lime-y ... and they didn't skimp on the tequila like you think they would. This frozen concoction definitely did the trick!

Next up ... Mermaids Casino (and a TON of 99 cent goodies)

Riders of The Thunderdome - Free Vegas Motorsports Show!

... After dinner at Triple Seven, we headed to the west end of Fremont Street where it crosses Main (just look for the Plaza Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas ) and got there just in time to jockey for position for the 9:15 showing of Riders of the Thunderdome. It attracts quite a crowd each time it runs (check the schedule here: usually 9:15 and 11:15 pm - Thurs - Sun) Right between Vegas Club Hotel & Casino and the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino .

Not familiar with Riders of the Thunderdome? Basically, you take 3 pretty sick individuals - give them motorcycles, stick them in a metal ball about the size of your average bedroom and see what happens. It's impressive! I think I saw the same outfit preform at Barnum & Baily's - setting a world record with 7 (yup, seven) guys in a metal ball on motorcyles! There's a chance it was a bigger ball - that I am not sure of.

I also took a short video - in an attempt to to make up for the lousy photo ... then proceeded to upload it sideways to YouTube. Don't worry - there are plenty of other videos posted of the Riders of the Thunderdome, so you can see it right side up.

The Triple 7 in Main Street Station; Brew Pub

So, it's not technically on Fremont Street, but it's right around the corner. (Go to the West End of Fremont, to the Plaza on Main Street, and bang a right ... it's very short jaunt)

I've been dying to check out the Triple Seven inside Main Street Station, so when the opportunity presented itself (read no children) we went for it.

Why was I so interested? THEY BREW THEIR OWN BEER!

Having not entered an actual brew pub in my last 3 years on the west coast, this was very exciting to me.

There was a little bit of a wait, 10 minutes or so - no problem, afterall, it was Saturday night. The staff was friendly enough, but busy. The biggest suprize was the food prices. Lots of offerings on the menu clocked in at about $7.50, and I don't think anything even hit the $20 mark, so if you are on a tight budget this place is a no brainer.

OK, now the beer. Just get the sampler. There was a Red, A Pale Ale, Lager, Stout and the special, which happened to be a Mango flavored job. (am I missing one?) All of which were fantastic and tasted precisely like they should. Even the mango. Now I'm not a big fan of the whole Belgian Fruit beer craze, and mango sounded just plain wierd - but it was pretty darn tasty. A very well thought out brew, honestly.

Dinner was good too. An appetizer (garlic fries) 2 entrees (steak & shrimp and the fish and chips), a Coke, a pint and the sampler ran us right around $40 bucks. Thats a steal.

I love downtown! You can keep the Strip. (our original plan was to head to Mandalay Bay after dinner to catch Mama Mia - but after the beers we wandered around Fremont St. and checked out the free Riders of the Thunderdome show (right down by the Plaza Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas ) instead. Mama Mia can wait.

Can Sin City Be Saved?

So, the nickname "Sin City" attracts a lot of different people for a lot of reasons. The vast majority of Las Vegas vacationers (downtown or otherwise) are more in for the "What happens in Vegas..." type experience; And some people can't leave that alone.

Any given night on Fremont Street you'll find (at least) 2 types of religious crusaders - usually located where Fremont crosses Casino Center - right smack in the middle of the goings on.

The first type (spotted on the East side this intersection right between the Fremont Casino and Four Queens) is not so subtle. In your face, bullhorn in hand, telling you what a "Sinner, Fornicator, Liar, and/or Thief you are" (actually I was too busy giggling at the word "Fornicator" to catch anything else as I strolled by. I have spend a good amount of time Downtown, and have yet to see anyone be engaged enough to even attempt a conversation with anyone blaring this type of circus-act-used-car-salesman-style sales pitch ...

On the other hand, upon crossing casino center, I was however intrigued by the man with a poster asking "What is the name of the raised print deaf people use?" and 5 other questions - and marked as Intelligence Test. I'm thinking - "No sweat, I got this one" and strolled over there like some guy on the street was gonna hand me a pile of cash or a prize for answering these questions...

Enter Doug. King of the soft sell. After engaging me with the intelligence test asked me lots of questions about my beliefs and such and we actually had a 10 or so minute conversation. I must admit, at first I really felt I had failed the intelligence test, if you know what I mean. Hey, Doug was a nice guy - and for whatever reason I felt he really, truly wanted to help. I have no problem with that... but thankfully at about the 10 minute mark my gf's 2 year old son got cranky and I had to split.

... but I still wonder if good old Doug and the megaphone guy were working together - sort of a good missionary/bad missionary type deal.

Although I didn't get a prize, I still think my new pal D. was trying to give me something valuable. Thanks man.

Another Friday Night on Fremont St.

Let's see - the parking lot was full at Fitzgerald Hotel, but no worries - there was plenty of parking a block down. Above the (I think it's called) the Fremont Street Mall is a good sized lot, and parking on the roof provided a great view (poor photo, left) of the east end of Fremont Street, just where the massive Viva Vision screen ends. (That's it at the top of the photo) The elevator drops you off between Walgreens and Hennessey's Tavern (that giant pint glass).

Tonight, we are looking for the free entertainment, nestled between the shiny hotels and casinos.

First stop, the stage between the Fitz and the Four Queens Hotel and Casino to see the 80's band The Whip Its. Upon arrival, as fate would have it, they were, as if on cue, jamming out "Whip It" by Devo ... complete with the flower pots on their heads! If you like the 80's music these guys (and a gal) are a lot of fun. Fun crowd, fun band.

(SIDENOTE: Is it just me or is 80's music much more fun now than it was in the actual 80's?)

80's not your thing? No problemo. Just a block or so down Fremont St. between Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel & Vegas Club Hotel & Casino on the other big stage Wonder Boogie was shaking things up a massive crowd shaking it groovey 70's tunes.

We got there just in time to see 'em get the crowd involved in a train - fitting to "Come on Ride the Train" or whatever that song is. Legend has it, they have had the dance train reach 217, um, dancers. Sounds like bull (because who counted?) but the crowd was really into these guys so I tend to believe it. Who doesn't love a giant afro. (sorry I couldn't get even a halfway decent picture)

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that these guys are really funny. Between songs the banter with the audience is quite a hoot - leaning toward adult humor, but clever enough to sail over the heads of any childeren who may be present. Easy to see why they were voted "Best of Las Vegas" the last 2 years running by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

So, that's it for the free bands on Fremont St on this Friday night. Oh, but there is sooooo much more ...

Dunkin Donuts in the Fremont Hotel & Casino

Need a coffee fix? Stashed in the back of the Fremont Hotel & Casino there is a Dunkin' Donuts. Amen.

Any New Englander knows that your day can't start without a hot cup of joe from Dunks. (Or, if you are a Rhode Islander, like me, and Iced Coffee)



The employees were great - the busted me taking a photo of the Dunkin Donuts sign, and insisted that they pose for me, something to the tune of " Hey, you can't take a picture without us!" Good thing, the photo of the sign didn't come out ... so here are your coffee shop heros. Nothing makes a morning better than coffee - unless it's a coffee handed to you by a bright, happy and smiling person. Nice to see folks working hard and still having fun!








Note: They even do a bagel pizza - new to me!

Tastes even better than I remember - just like a taste of home.



Don't take my word for it - read reviews at yelp.com.

Fremont Street's Piccadilly Circus Pizza

So, most every visit I make to Fremont Street (the heart of Downtown Las Vegas)begins with parking at the Fitzgerald Hotel & Casino, then directly across the way to Piccadilly Circus Pizza for a quick bite. While I am EXTREMELY faithful to my Chicago Dog, all the way, with Fritos and a Coke - (it's the number 6 ) I have been know to grab a quick slice or a churro now and then too.

Pretzels, sno cones, subs, dogs, slices, salads, ice cream, smoothies ... you get the drift. Also, don't forget to check the daily specials board!

Nice little seating area in the back, but for people on the go - or a solo mission - there's a great counter for hammering down your hotdog and, Bonus, lots of paper towels within arm's reach for the mustard or red sauce you will certainly have dribbling down your chin.

Note: "No outside food" signs are posted, so I'm thinking they take that pretty seriously.

Piccadilly Circus Pizza - make it your first stop for grub on Fremont St.