The Vegas Story, Part 1

About 9 or 10 months ago, Stacy and I spent most of our spring break in Yuma, Arizona, with my grandma and two aunts. In a nutshell, the trip was awesome and we're definitely going back asap. Anyway, on the way home, we decided that our next big adventure would happen again in about a year.

About 2 or 3 months ago, I found a good deal on airfare to Las Vegas. "Vegas, yes," I thought. It made perfect sense. Dice and neon lights began to congregate in my mind. I told Stacy about Allegiant Air's two-for-one deal and a week later we had tickets and reservations at the Excalibur. And so the excitement began.

In the slowing time before we went, I visited every Vegas website I could find. My obsession led me to watch all three Ocean's movies in one day, and I even ordered free tourism magazines from the Las Vegas tourism department thingy. I also spent an average of one hour a day gawking at the 3-D buildings on the Strip on Google Earth.

Needless to say, my expectations and preconceptions were well developed before our plane left Sioux Falls. I'll let you know how those expectations and perceptions played out in the next post.

The reason I am telling you this is because I want to put a few lists on here which might be useful for those who are interested in Las Vegas. In short, I want to share what I've learned with you.

Here we go.

Top 3 Las Vegas websites:
1. www.goingtovegas.com is a very useful tool for anybody going to Vegas. Great tips on every aspect of a Vegas vacation. Well organized.

2. www.thevegascabbie.com is a blog by a Vegas cab driver. He serves up some golden information and tips. This guy is the man. He also has a very interesting and useful podcast.

3. www.vegas.com is another good site for information on venues and shows. This site is probably the largest and most developed of the three.


Top 3 useful things to do before you go to Vegas:
1. Study a map of the Strip. Google Earth it. Know where you're going.

2. Check and study show reviews. LV is the entertainment capital of the world for a reason, but sometimes new shows suck bad. Do yourself a favor and Google "Cirque du Soleil." Apparently tickets to "O" and "Ka" are worth every penny. If it is your first trip to Vegas, don't be a sucker for the advertisements - do some reasearch. Don't go to Criss Angel at the Luxor.

3. Make sure you have some good walking shoes that don't squish your pinky toes. You're gonna have some major walking to do. I know this sounds obvious, but both Stacy and I got blisters on our toes. Basketball shoes are not the best for Vegas.


Top 3 things to carefully consider:
1. Where are you staying? Almost anywhere you stay will be fantastic, but the location of your room will greatly influence your LV experience. The Strip is very big, bustling, showy and glamourous. Downtown is smaller, neon, classic and has better blackjack. Every resort/casino is unique. If you don't like bratty screaming kids, don't stay at the Excalibur or Circus Circus. Spend the extra bucks and get a better place to crash.

2. With whom are you going? Take your kids to Excalibur. Better yet - don't take them at all. By including your offspring in your Vegas vacation, everybody there will both hate you and question your parenting skills. A group of college kids should stay at either the MGM Grand or New York New York because they are both relatively affordable and have good clubs and shows.

3. What is your budget? Gambling is fun. Nobody goes to Vegas and doesn't leave at least a few bucks. Set a limit, and stick with that limit. Expect to lose your money and realize that the odds are always against you. Slot machines are a waste of money. Gambling is entertainment.


Whew - we made it!

If you have no interest in LV at all, thank you for tolerating this and the next post.


-John