Sushi Fever

Among the many sushi restaurants that you can go to, Sushi Fever isn't at the top of my list. This is primarily because of the price......as Sushi Fever's prices for the sushi rolls are expensive compared with everyone else around. Many of their rolls are in the $10 and up range, and while this may be OK if you want to go to a top notch sushi restaurant on the strip, like Okada in the Wynn, but for a neighborhood sushi restaurant I think that it is very excessive.

Also, in line with the expensive sushi rolls, they do not offer an "all-you-can-eat" option like many other good sushi restaurants in town.

They do have a wide variety of unique sushi roll combinations, and the fish does taste pretty good, but if you have to pay an arm and a leg for it......well, to me it's not really worth it unless you have money to burn.

Inaka Sushi

There are a plethora of sushi restaurants nowadays especially in and around the south Eastern area of town, and Inaka Sushi is an OK place to go to. They're located in the very crowded shopping center on the SEC of St Rose Pkwy & Eastern, and the restaurant does not face Easten Avenue, so you'll have to look for it to find them.

The restaurant itself if primarily a sushi bar with some other seating in the restaurant, so it's a little cramped if you ask me. Also, there always something about a sushi restaurant being run by non-Japanese that bothered me as Inaka Sushi is run by Chinese. Nothing against the Chinese, but to me the authenticity of a sushi restaurant is affected when it is Chinese or Korean owned. The fish itself is OK, but I've found that the quality is a lot better at either Sushi-Mon or Koto.

So, if you ask me, I would try the other sushi restaurants in the area instead of making Inaka Sushi your normal hangout.

Apostol John MD John S Dimant

We had taken our son to Pediatrics Northwest a few times several months ago. It is conveniently located close to the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital on Martin Luther King Jr Way.

You may have to wait a little while as this pediatrics office is very busy. On one occasion it seemed as if a lot of the staff were sick that day, and we wound up waiting quite some time for our appointment once we checked in.

However, the staff were always pretty nice to us and our son, and the doctor that we saw was very friendly and had a calming effect on our child.

Children's Pediatric Clinic: Mario C Carin, MD

One call to this clinic was all it took to get our son in on an urgent need when his regular doctor couldn't see him. We were greeted immediately, and our son was in and out within an hour.

The doctor that our son saw believes that no parent should have to wait over the weekend to have their child evaluated.

However, the clinic could use a little scrubbing and redecorating, but the staff was very warm and caring nevertheless.

REI

The REI at the District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, NV is the first REI in the Las Vegas Valley and is easy to get to off of Green Valley Pkwy & the I-215 beltway.

It's probably one of the better places around to get all of the gear and accessories for your outdoor sporting needs be it hiking, camping, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, etc. However, this REI isn't quite as big as the flagship store in Seattle which features a rock climbing wall, but you'll still find most of what you need here.

Outpost Mail & Copy Ctr

The Outpost Mail & Copy Center is a good, quick place to go if the lines at the post office are too long. As there is usually not too much of a wait at all there. However, you are going to pay a premium for this as they charge an additional service charge above what the actual postage would cost.

For instance, I had just mailed a DVD out to someone, and at first class mail rates (from the USPS) it would've cost around $1.25 to $1.50 to mail. However, at the Outpost (as they're not doing it just to be nice), they charged me about $3.20 for that same package.

So, if you're looking for quickness and convenience, stop by the Outpost.....otherwise, wait in line at the post office.

Scandia Family Fun Center

This Scandia Family Fun Center has been around for quite a long time as a great place to take the family for fun. It's located just south of the Sahara on-ramp adjacent to I-15.

The offer:

1. Go-kart racing
2. Bumper Boats (you'll get a little wet on this one)
3. 18 hole mini-golf (bring out the Woods or Mickelson in you)
4. Video Game Arcade
5. Batting Cages (for both softball and baseball)

This has been around for well over a decade, but it's still a great place for the entire family to have some fun.

Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa Casino

The Green Valley Ranch Station Casino is one of the best neighborhood casinos in the valley and is very easy to get to (right off of the I-215 beltway and Green Valley Pkwy). It is a 4 Diamond AAA resort after all.

It offers a plethora of slot and video machines and a decent array of table games (although not as many table games as you would find for a major casino on the strip). Just be sure to pick up a "Boarding Pass" if you're going to be playing a lot of slot/video machines.

There are many dining options at this resort from fine dining (Il Fornaio, Sushi-Sake, China Spice, Hank's) to casual dining (the Feast Buffet, Fado Irish Pub & Restaurant, the Original Pancake House) to fast food (Panda Express, Dreyers, Villa Pizza, Fatburger).

Looking for something besides gambling?

1. Well, the European-styled spa is a great way to pamper yourself and massage all your stress away.

2. You can also catch a first run movie at the Regal Cinemas inside the casino.

3. There is an arcade adjacent to the Regal Cinemas for more kiddie fun.

4. The District at Green Valley Ranch is located right outside of the door from the cinemas and offers a plethora of dining and shopping options including: PF Changs, Elephant Bar, Kennedy's, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Bar, REI, The Sharper Image, Coldwater Creek, Jos A. Bank, Ann Taylor, Talbot's, etc.

5. If you're looking for some nighttime fun and libations, be sure to check out their hip Whiskey Bar.

6. Their Grand Events Center holds concerts like Ashanti, Gipsy Kings, Smokey Robinson, etc.

So, if you're looking for something beyond the strip, take a look at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino!

Venetian Weddings

We had stayed at the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino back when we were having tile installed in our house. We booked our stay through Priceline.com and were able to snag a room at the Venetian for about $100 for the night.

The Venetian is ideally located on the strip and within walking distance of the other major resorts such as Caesars, Paris, Bellagio, etc. The grand canal from the outside to the inside of The Venetian is sure to draw in the tourists (watching the gondola rides) to this casino and to the Grand Canal Shoppes which features many higher end stores for those with unlimited budgets! There are many fine restaurants at the Venetian as well such as the Delmonico's Steakhouse (Emeril's joint) that is highly recommended.

Our room was a suite (as all of the rooms in the Venetian area) and was very spacious with a king sized bed, marble floor bathroom, separate sitting area with a pullout couch, and two televisions.

We ordered room service for breakfast which was a little expensive but typical for a resort hotel but as their clientele is from around the world, there are many different and unique options on the room service menu.

One word of caution, however, DO NOT remove anything from the mini-bar as the electronic sensors will charge you for everything that you remove (even if you put it back where you found it). We had to call down to the front desk to ask them to take off the charges.

PROS: An all-suite hotel with good room service and great restaurants!
CONS:

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

The Del Friscos "Double Eagle" Steakhouse is one of the better steakhouses that you'll find in Las Vegas. It is located right off of Flamingo/Paradise and is just a little bit north of the Gordon Biersch Restaurant.

The dining room features fine furniture and the ambiance is great for both a business or a romantic dinner. The staff displays a high level of customer service, and the food.....well, the food is well worth the cost. I've been to this Del Friscos on a couple of occasions and both times I was not disappointed with my steak selections.

PROS: Great atmosphere, customer service and of course, food!
CONS: