We had occasion to spend the weekend before Formula 1 downtown at the Plaza. It was a relief to be able to walk everywhere, rather than sitting and sitting and sitting in traffic on and around the Strip; the race might as well have been on a different planet for the lack of impact it had downtown.

As for the Plaza itself, we got a chance to examine it in detail for the first time in a while and we were suitably impressed with the place.

Parking is free for hotel guests, another advantage over the Strip. The garage is easy in and out and it’s a short walk to the elevators that deliver you right to the south end of the casino. If you get a room in the south tower, those elevators are nearby. For the north tower, you have to walk through the casino.

The casino is spacious and well kept, with a William Hill sports book, a whole room full of Wheel of Fortune machines, and the smokeless Brian Christopher-themed slot wing.

The Plaza dining situation is recommendable. Oscar’s Steakhouse, of course, is one of a handful of fine-dining establishments downtown; it’s in the second-story dome overlooking Fremont Street. Hash House A Go Go makes for a decent coffee shop, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and serving big food at good prices with a counter play that beats the line every time. We had breakfast there Monday morning just before checking out: two eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast for just under $14. We couldn’t finish the excellent potatoes and were still good to go till dinner.

The food court has Fresh Mex, Just Rice, Popup Pizza, and a coffee-pastry counter. Pinkbox Donuts right off the main entrance was insanely busy the entire weekend. We never saw the line with any less than a dozen people waiting and at times, it stretched into the hotel lobby. We couldn’t believe how popular a donut place could be.

Sand Dollar Lounge has live music almost every night and a video poker bar and we took in Miss Behave’s Mavericks in the great old Plaza showroom. We can’t remember the last time we saw a show at a casino where, when it was over, all we had to was return to our room — after a late-night snack at the food court. We loved Mavericks and you can read our review here.

We also got to check out the Main Street Station Garden Buffet several times over the weekend, since it’s a six-minute trip from room to room. Ever since we walked right in on a Friday night at 6 p.m., we’ve wanted to check out the line situation, which we did for both brunch and weekend dinner, and we’ll report on that soon.

We found some equipment to work out on in the small gym, though the pool was closed.

And the hotel room? Very cozy, clean, and conducive to doing a little work. The desk area is well set-up, with a surprisingly comfortable chair, lots of room to spread out, and a couple of electrical outlets on the lamp. There’s a mini-fridge (no freezer) in the cabinet under the TV, which kept the leftovers fresh. The couch is a nice touch, we appreciated the never-ending hot water in the shower, and the heater warms up the room in three minutes flat.

In addition, early check-in is complimentary. When we showed up around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the only available rooms were in the front of the north tower, facing Fremont Street Experience. The front-desk agent warned us that it was noisy, but being the Advisor, we wanted to see for ourselves. Turns out, she wasn’t just whistling Dixie.

The first giveaway was the package of earplugs in the drawer of one of the end tables. The second was the relentlessly throbbing bass from the big speakers on the stage right across the street at Main and Fremont; it was like sitting at a red light next to one of those cars with the souped-up sound system — for 18 hours straight. It started around 10 a.m. and didn’t quiet down until 3 a.m. on Saturday and 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Even then, it was worth it to us to check in early and no matter when you arrive, if you snag a west-facing room (away from Fremont Street) in either tower, you’ll be more insulated from the FSE madness.

The price was certainly right. For the two nights over the weekend before F1, using the MRB coupon, we paid a total of $218.09, including resort fees and taxes.

All in all, we’d stay at the Plaza again anytime.