best breakfast (that isn't a buffet) American café in the mandalay complex
best pool beach either the hard rock pool or mandalay sand wave pool
best steak ive had is at the steak house in circus circus a block across from the lvh
if your interested in the sports books to bounce around through its kind of neat because from the Hilton in a straight line east past the little getto gas station on the corner is Riviera with William hill sportsbook, then circus circus is an mgm sportsbook. I had a great time during the ncaa tourney roving back and forth between the three
as far as finding people to talk to in the books, good luck. maybe because it was high traffic time of year when I was there (and I have gone almost every opening tourney weekend since 06) I rarely see or meet anyone at the books (and ive been to most on the strip) that I would want to.....most of the guys that I would want to run into just to say hello I didn't even come across while I was there.