HIKE LAS VEGAS, A Weekend Trip to "Sin City!"

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ABOUT THE TRIP, AN OVERVIEW:

The following event schedule is suggested, not mandatory. We are all adults here; you are free to spend the weekend in Vegas as you wish. These are urban "hikes" without a sweep. Your host(s) are event organizers intending to follow the schedule, but are not your tour guides. The trip will be more fun, if the group can hang together. But your event host will not begin to try and force group togetherness. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!"

Important note: please do not RSVP this event without making your room and bus reservations. The California Hotel room rate guarantee for Sunset Hikers is a limited offer.

On Friday morning, we depart Anaheim bus terminal on a reserved luxury LUX Bus with complementary cocktails and early afternoon arrival at our hotel in downtown Vegas. Sunset Hikes has a discounted group rate booked at the California Hotel and Casino. Following checkin, we will enjoy a late afternoon buffet, 2-4 PM, at the Paradise Cafe in the Fremont Hotel downtown. We will then take a "hike" of the major attractions in the area including nine major casinos, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum, and the fabulous Fremont Street Experience.

Meetup at California Hotel lobby at 3 PM for the walk to the Fremont Hotel for cocktails and late afternoon buffet. Note dinner pricing goes into effect at 4 PM.

On Saturday morning, we will hike or bus 1.5 miles to the North Premium Outlet for shopping and lunch. Back around 1 PM to our hotel, we will take a metro bus for our "hike" on the incomparable Vegas "Strip." Beginning at the Stratosphere and A Little White Chapel with its "Tunnel of Love" drive through wedding service for those so inclined, we proceed on a walking tour that can include Circus Circus, Treasure Island, Venetian, Mirage, Harrah's, the Forum Shops, Caesar's Palace, Flamingo, Bally's, Bellagio, Paris, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalary Bay and MGM Grand. We will enjoy a late afternoon buffet at the Bellagio; plan to gather there at 2-4 PM to hopefully avoid the crowd. The tour will end by boarding the Monorail at the MGM Grand for a late night ride to the Stratosphere to board a metro bus back to our downtown hotel.

Meetup at 9 AM at the California Hotel lobby for the city bus ride to the outlet mall, shopping, and lunch.

Meetup at 1:30 PM at the California Hotel lobby for the city bus ride to the strip and late afternoon buffet dinner at the Bellagio.

On Sunday morning, we suggest breakfast at the California Hotel with the balance of the day free to lounge around the hotel, gamble, or whatever. In the mid-afternoon we board our LUX bus at the hotel for our return ride with complimentary beverages for an evening arrival back in Anaheim. Here are a few additional things to do for your Sunday morning in downtown:

http://vegasexperience.com/things-to-do/

Meetup at 2:30 PM at the California Hotel lobby for the return LUX bus to O.C.

DOWNTOWN HIGHLIGHTS: Main Street Casino serves as a living museum of Casino antiques in the main gambling floor. Restroom urinals are mounted to an actual section of the Berlin Wall. The Las Vegas Club Casino features vintage slot machines where you can actually gamble with real coins. Image that! The Golden Nugget Casino features the biggest gold nugget in existence at 61 pounds and a glass tunnel through an aquarium full of sharks. Fremont Casino has some of the best food and drink special in Vegas, including 99 cent margaritas and nine dollar prime rib dinner. The Fremont Hotel's Paradise Cafe Buffet Breakfast - $8.49, Buffet Lunch through 3 PM - $9.49, and Friday Seafood Fantasy Buffet from 4-11 PM - $21.99. The Neonopolis Mall is a retail center that is home to a cluster of vintage neon signs, including Aladdin's Lamp and the Hacienda Horse and Rider. The Mob Museum is an amazing three story museum that highlights the history of notorious gangster life from the early years of Las Vegas, think Bugsy Siegel (admission cost $19). The Neon Museum is dedicated to preserving the Vegas heritage of neon signs that lighted the town between 1929 and the 1980s. The museum contains a two acre display yard of over 120 signs known as the Boneyard (admission cost for a one hour tour is $18). The Fremont Street Experience is seven blocks long, with a four block long canopy over the street filled with LED bulbs that provide a nightly light/video/music show every hour beginning at 8 PM. The Experience also includes free live music on three stages for nightly dancing. There is free internet access downtown at the McDonalds and Dennys.

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THE STRIP HIGHLIGHTS: The Stratosphere is the tallest (1,149 ft.) freestanding observation tower in the U.S. that includes the world's highest thrill rides (Insanity, X-Scream, Sky-Jump and Big Shot). Admission for the observation tower - $18 and thrill rides - $15 each. Circus Circus offers free circus acts for both small and big kids. Treasure Island provides a great photo op next to its pirate ships. The Venetian offers a taste of Italy with shops/restaurants and a gondola ride on the Grand Canal. See the Mirage and its 54 foot tall Polynesian style volcano erupt nightly on the hour and the 20,000 gallon Aquarium the runs the length of the lobby. In Caesar's Palace, see Cleopatra's Barge and a taste of Rome in The Forum Shops. The Flamingo has of course flamingos in its Flamingo Lagoon and waterfall. The Bellagio was featured in the Ocean's 11 and 12 films; the massive hotel contains a lobby ceiling with 2,000 glass blown flowers and offers the famed Bellagio Fountain Show on the mini Lake Como beginning nightly at 8 PM. Bellagio's brunch buffet with unlimited champagne served until 3 PM - $32. Bellagio's dinner brunch served after 3PM - $42. Get a pix at New York New York in front of the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. See a free show at the Excalibur Court Jester's Stage in the hotel's Medieval Village. The Luxor is an iconic pyramid with another photo op in front of the giant Syhinx. Mandalay Bay provides a jungle like atmosphere of waterfalls with a free a roof top view of the Strip. MGM Grand is the largest hotel in the US with 5,700 rooms and a free lion exhibit called Lion Habitat in the middle of the casino. This hotel is also the southern terminus of the Vegas monorail that runs north/south to the Stratosphere. This walking tour of these casinos will be approximately four miles of over the top visual overload!

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ABOUT TRANSPORTATION:

The LUX Bus will provide reserved seating for Sunset Hikers from the depot in Anaheim to our hotel in downtown Las Vegas and return. The round trip ticket price is $97.20, that includes a 10% group discount for Sunset Hikes. LUX is adding a bus with seating capacity for 56 hikers for our group making reservations using the code SUNSET. The bus boards Friday morning in Anaheim at 8:15 AM and departs at 8:45 AM, arriving in Las Vegas at the California Hotel downtown at approximately 1:15 PM. Our return trip boards at 2:45 PM and departs our hotel Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM and arrives in Anaheim at approximately 8:15 PM. Bus service highlights include assigned seating, a lunch stop in Barstow, complimentary beverages/snacks, feature films, wireless internet, pillow/blankets, and an on board attendant. You may book your reservation using the above code by calling LUX customer support at 714/939-9200 or 888/589-2871. Or on-line at www.luxbusamerica.com. Cancellations can be made with refund up to 24 hours prior to departure. Baggage limited to one carry on and two other bags per person.

The Vegas local metro buses provide easy to use transportation around town, between Downtown and the Strip. The double deck "Deuce Bus" runs 24/7 every 15 minutes with stops at most major casinos that includes service between Downtown and the Strip. The SDX Bus runs between 9 AM and midnight, making half the number of stops and visits both outlet malls. Both buses are covered by the same pass. Cost: 2 hours $6, 24 hours $8, 3 days $20.

The Las Vegas Monorail runs north/south on the Strip from the Stratosphere to the MGM Grand, with numerous stops at major casinos along the route. (Admission: single ride - $5 and one day pass $12)

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA HOTEL: Our LUX bus will take us to the "Aloha" spirit of the California Hotel located in downtown Vegas, about three miles from the Strip and within walking distance of the Fremont Experience and Hotel. We have reserved a price guarantee of $63 plus 12% room tax (say $70) per night single or double occupancy for 40 rooms, with price guarantee that runs through 12/15. This pricing is available on a first come first serve basis. There is no resort fee added at the hotel; there is an optional $9.99 daily WIFI access fee. These rooms are reserved for Friday and Saturday night, January 27th and 28th. The first night room and tax will be required at time of your booking. Please use the specific group code when booking your reservation to secure this pricing - A7CHIKE. Reservations may be made on-line at www.the cal.com/groups or by calling 800/634-6255. Cancellations with refund can be made up to 48 hours prior to the arrival date. More information on the hotel can be found here:

http://www.thecal.com (http://www.thecal.com/)

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DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO LUX BUS TERMINAL: From the 5 Freeway in Anaheim, take the State College Blvd. exit north... turn left on Katella heading west... turn right into the Travel Center at the Anaheim GardenWalk. Parking at the bus terminal parking structure is $5 per day with validation. A map to the terminal can be found here:

http://www.luxbusamerica.com/bus-terminal-maps.php :

Group organizer and assistant organizers assume no liability; hike at your own risk. By being a member of this group you hereby agree to assume all risks and liability related to or resulting from any group functions. You agree that neither you nor any third party will hold any of the group's leaders, officers, or representatives liable for any injury, loss, or damage to your own person or any members of your family, friends, acquaintances, children, pets, or property, arising directly or as a consequence from a group activity. You also agree that your membership of this group is based on an "at will" basis.