What to do best in LA, SAN FRANCISCO and VEGAS with a tight budget?

please recommend some really cool places, things to do, shopping places or food to eat in SAN FRANCISCO, LA and VEGAS especially if you're on a tight budget (like, they say TWINKIES in vegas really taste good and are only 99 cents! is that true?) or suggest places/activities/food that are NOT THAT expensive but not really cheap either. best if they are NOT THE USUAL things that tourists-with-tour guides do. lastly, what is the ULTIMATE thing that we have to experience before we leave these places and what is the best souvenir that we should grab and bring back home?



please categorize your suggestions if they are cheap, just right or expensive. THANKS!!! we're going there this christmas and i really want to maximize our time there.What to do best in LA, SAN FRANCISCO and VEGAS with a tight budget?
Food:



- In Downtown Las Vegas, the Golden Gate Casino serves San Francisco style shrimp cocktails for 99 cents (and jumbo prawn cocktails for $2.99).



- In San Francisco, take the train to the Latin Quarter (16th or 24th Street subway stations). The area's a bit dicey, but the Mexican taquerias have some of the biggest and cheapest burritos in the nation. A mere $5.00 will bag you a very full meal.



- In L.A., the daily Farmers' Market at 3rd and Fairfax Streets has excellent, affordable street food from Texas BBQ to NY pizza.



Free entertainment:



- Many Las Vegas casinos have gimmicky free shows out front to lure wayward gamblers back in. They're not much by themselves, but taken together they can make for a surprisingly fun evening walk. Mirage has a volcano, TI has singing sirens, Caesars has talking statues, Bellagio has fountains, Luxor has a giant beam of light, etc.



- San Francisco's big parks are mostly free (unless you head for one of the museums): Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park, the Presidio, and Marin Headlands. They're all lovely places to wander... with waterfalls, lakes, cliffs, animals, and flowers everywhere. Street performers also proliferate along Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square.



- L.A.'s big attractions are all theme parks (Disney, Universal, Knotts, Six Flags). This usually translates into big bucks. The most cost effective way to enjoy yourself is to head for Venice and Santa Monica beaches. You'll get some of the carnival atmosphere and suntan, but without the admission charges.



Worth the cost (some things you just have to pay for):



- Las Vegas' production shows, especially the five Cirque De Soleil extravaganzas. No ordinary circus act... they're unique, tasteful, and extremely well executed.



- San Francisco's awesome bus tours to Muir Woods, Wine Country, or Yosemite National Park. A wealth of choice...trees the size of 50 floor skyscrapers, verdant Tuscan landcapes, or soaring mountains.



- L.A.'s Disneyland Resort still packs them in, and for very good reason. The rides are incredible, and the happy smiles just keep on coming.What to do best in LA, SAN FRANCISCO and VEGAS with a tight budget?
LA-Not too sure. When I lived there I was in college and we always went to clubs.



San Fran-Fishermans Wharf is cool. Pier 39, and the Golden Gate Bridge are all free to just go and poke around. Another cool thing to do is to ride the Trolley. It's pretty inexpensive and is a kinda neat way to see the city.



Vegas-There is tons to do for free in Vegas. All the casinos seem to have some sort of them and they decorate it over the top. The Venetian (sp) has a great shopping area. I can't remember the name of the hotel but it has a free show that is the British fighting Pirates with pyrotechnics and the whole nine yards.