My top 10 favorite things about Las Vegas:

 

 1)  David’s Itineraries.  Dave is a trooper and plans out a tentative itinerary for each trip with all the things we want to do and see.  Reading them really gets me in a Vegasy mood and I can almost picture myself there, going to all the places!  It’s like a mini-vacation in my mind!

 2)  Buffets.  Though I’ve only sampled a handful of the hundreds of culinary options, I can’t say I’ve had a bad meal in Vegas.  While everything that happens in Vegas, certainly does NOT stay in Vegas (I always have a few extra pounds that come back with me), I deem those vacation days as diet-free.  I don’t watch what I eat.  To the contrary, I tend to gorge myself with every possible delectable, to the point of being uncomfortable.  Sweet, sweet, tasty uncomfortable. 

3)  The sights/smells/sounds of walking into a casino from outside.  As soon as you walk into the entrance of a casino, it hits you all at once.  The doodley-doop sounds of slot machines paying a winner, the light smell of air freshener combating the smolder of a few smokers, and the flashing lights announcing a player’s triumph, under the exaggerated chandeliers and blown glass.  Any one of them alone could be obnoxious in a regular setting.  In Vegas, it’s intoxicating.

4)  The thrill of a win.  Only in Las Vegas can you find such a grand selection of games, even decent paying ones.  At the risk of sounding like someone who needs to be in a program, I love the excitement I feel when I see four of a kind pop up on my Video Poker machine (I’ve yet to hit that elusive Royal).  It’s like a little victory.  I want to jump.  I want to squeal like a little girl at Christmas.  I want to get up and do a little victory dance!  But I don’t.  I maintain my cool and just have a little party inside!  Ok, so I might let out a little squeal… 

5)  Feeling like a big shot.  Despite being a low-roller, we’ve always been treated like royalty.  Were I to venture into Excalibur, I think I’d be tempted to yell, “Bring me a drink, wench!”  Seriously though, the rooms we’ve stayed in have been extremely nice, despite their extremely reasonable cost.  I love having drinks brought to me while playing and not having to pay anything, save the gratuity.  It feels like if we ask for anything, we get it.  It makes me feel like a giddy kid when someone says, “Please, have your breakfast on us.” 

6)  The drinks.  I’ve yet to walk into any establishment outside of Vegas and have the selection of beverages I do in Vegas.  You want a bubbling, smoking concoction with enough booze to knock down two people?  Sure, we’ve got that!   You want a drink served in a tiki bowl, with real flowers on top, with again, enough booze to knock down two people?  Sure, we’ve got that!  You want a drink in a glass that’s 4 feet tall?  Why that’s ridiculous, but sure, we’ve got that!  It seems in Vegas, the more extravagant, the more unbelievble, the better! 

7)  The views.  From our hotel room, to the top of the Stratosphere, the Strip seems to cater to people who appreciate a good skyline view.  Amazing during the day, but truly spectacular at night: the millions of lights, the slightly undersized icons from around the world… just the sheer size, brilliance and extravagance of it all is a delight for me.

8)  Five Hundy By Midnight.  I enjoy listening to the podcasts that Tim and Michele Dressen put on each week.  Peppered with listener call-ins (aka drunk dials) from Las Vegas with celeb sightings and updates on all things Vegas, it’s an entertaining show and I look forward to tuning in each Sunday.  We relate a lot to Tim & Michele, being a happily childless couple who can’t get enough of Vegas.  On the same token, I love reading the vpFree and Las Vegas Advisor Message boards, along with articles by Scot Krause.

9)  The Monorail.  It gets a lot of flack, and some of it is valid, but I love the monorail.  From the cheesy dialogue from the automated announcers, to the sometimes mundane views of gigantic parking garages and small, overlooked motels, I love it.  It’s just so…Vegas.  This transit system provides a mode of transportation that is as quick as it is convenient.  It thrilled me on our last trip to find a “secret” monorail entrance via the parking garage next to the MGM lobby entrance (thanks, cabby)!  This saved our poor feet many unnecessary steps. 

10) The tourist traps.  Where can you visit a shark reef, see the world’s largest golden nugget, bronze statue, glass display, beam of light, or chocolate fountain, see Penn & Teller, see a gigantic fountain show set to music, ride an indoor/outdoor roller coaster, watch a video on a screen 6 football fields long, and make out on a gondola while being serenaded?  Yep, I’m gonna say it…Vegas, Baby.

 

Until next post…

April