Decided NOT to stay at a 'regular' Las Vegas hotel this past Sunday just for fun. Was pleasantly suprised at what the Downtowner Budget Motel on N. 8th St. had to offer: two parking areas, a decent room, a queen-size bed, a relatively new bathroom with clean towels, a big closet, a gas stove, a refrigerator, TV with cable, and a VCR player -- all for $29.95!

Downside: it's just the front desk person and another employee at night, so if you need anything else (such as an extra pillow), you'll have to wait 'till 6 in the morning when the first housekeeping person comes in. The immediate vicinity also looks scary, but if you survive the two-block walk to Las Vegas Blvd. and the Fremont Street Experience, you should be okay.