Similar here. Thought I'd love Vegas, liking a flutter and all that, but stayed with mates in Old Town, so we bussed it back and forth a bit and did a lot of walking about, whereas it seems to be geared to staying in a big hotel. Enjoyed Venice Hotel and some others, but found the whole thing had no identity. It seemed really quiet at night, whereas I was expecting a load of mad bars. The gambling was ridiculously expensive, $10 min on blackjack, and some of the lads were on a tight budget, so it was a no go. Maybe we found the wrong places, but overall I found it quite soulless tbh.
LA is a sh*t hole and San Diego is absolutely immense.