(this was the view from our hotel room in the Tropicana)It was a fantastic trip! and we all had a great time, especially me, in my first decent vacation since I joined the general workforce. I can't describe everything, because our itinerary was jam packed, but I can share a general list of facts about Vegas, as well as events and conclusions:
1. I'm not a big fan of traveling by air. In the category of speed, planes certainly beat out all other forms of transportation, and I will continue to travel this way when necessary, but if there's a choice, let me drive. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned roadtrip.
2. Katie: $100, Las Vegas: $250. If you can't subtract, this resulted in a net loss of $150, the amount of money I had set aside specifically for gambling. The reason for a budget was two-fold: I would spend money on gambling (ordinarily I'm too conservative, aka cheap), and that I would not spend too much money on gambling. At least I diversified- I lost money at poker, blackjack, AND slot machines.
3. Experienced the funniest hour-and-a-half of my LIFE watching a drag show. We had front row seats, and I laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt for the rest of the evening. Not only! did host Joan Rivers tell absolutely hilarious jokes continually, but I had no idea that I would get to see so many celebrities while I was in Vegas, including Britney Spears, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Cher.
4. Free drinks if you're sitting at a slot machine! Our drinks of choice were vodka tonics (me), gin-and-tonics (mom), and double Scotch on the rocks (my grandmother), along with many rounds of beer.
5. I was continually astounded by the scale. Las Vegas casinos are big. You cannot simply stroll from one end of the Strip to the other. They're very confusing too, and not just the ones that look like giant pyramids or a tropical desert. Casinos are designed so that neither you or your money can escape easily. There are so many different ways to be dazzled, by rides and lights and spectacular exhibits and shows, and so many ways to spend money. Basically, Las Vegas is just Disney World for Grown-ups.
6. Vegas is a posterchild for an environmentally immoral city. For example, they do not receive electricity from Hoover dam- the overabundance of lights and the air conditioning is all powered by coal and natural gas. You only need to take one drink out of the faucet to tell that the water is hard and old, and that they are using irreplaceable (in their case) groundwater for the fountains.
7. They have awesome double-decker buses going up and down the Strip. Of course, they're $2.00 a ride, but that is chump change (literally) in the city. This picture, for example, was taken from inside the bus.8. Parking is free at all of the casinos on the strip. The competition between the casinos is to the tourist's advantage, but it also means that sometimes it's hard to find information. It took me a day-and-a-half to find one of those kiosks full of brochures.
9. The topography surrounding Las Vegas is amazing, especially for a geologist from the east coast. You can see the rocks! because they're not covered up with vegetation. We rented a car for a day and visited Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire state park. I picked up a few samples for my collection...
10. Vegas is amazing! and I love to travel to new places, especially ones with such interesting landscapes, but I sure am glad that I'm a Virginia girl. Home sweet home.Los Angeles, give me Norfolk Virginia
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
and the poor boy's on the line
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