I have been to Las Vegas 7 times in my life. For a guy from Des Moines, Iowa that's quite a bit. Vegas always sounded so cool as a kid. It was a place that was full of action, cheap and you could pretty much do anything. Or, so it sounded. I will say my first time there was when I was 19 and my most recent trip was 3 years ago, so I was 44. It has changed a lot in that time. And if I went back today, I'm sure it has changed even more in a short time.
My first time there was just a drive by on the way to Southern California. I was 19 and thought it was cool just to drive by the City I had heard so much about. Being a good Christian boy, the idea of gambling and drinking seemed like something so different. On the drive back from California I got my first chance to stay in Las Vegas. It wasn't really a planned thing, but it happened. I remember having pretty much no money at the time. We couldn't afford your regular Las Vegas type hotel so we stayed at a place that was $25.00 a night, called the Happy Inn. This place was scary. I was just a young kid staying at weird hotel in Vegas, the room had a big hole in the wall and different types of stains everywhere. Makes you wonder why I went back?
But of course I did! In my early 20's I went back 5 other times. I went thru a little bit of a faze or gambling, but never really spent much time or money on it. I enjoyed Vegas for the shows and the drinking in my 20's. I remember going to a bar named after the movie Coyote Ugly. Dancing up on the bar and getting crazy. I stayed at all the different hotels at the time like the Bellagio, Luxor, Treasure Island, Planet Hollywood and MGM to name a few. Saw shows like David Copperfield, Blue Man Group and became a huge fan of the Cirque du Soleil shows.
But, I have to say my most enjoyable time there was my most recent trip in my 40's. Trying Gordon Ramsey's Hell's Kitchen, getting up on stage with Tapeface in a performance, and just being able to enjoy the sights of everything not being drunk. Because let's face it, in my younger years a lot of my time there was drinking.
So my advice to anyone who is thinking it might be a fun trip to go to Las Vegas and has never been there. Be prepared to spend lots of money nowadays. Hotels aren't cheap, food isn't cheap anymore and shows are expensive. Sure you can get a cheaper flight there, but once you are there, get your card ready to pay. But, go at least once in your lifetime. There are lots of things to do there besides just drink and gamble! And if you want to take and pay for me, even better!
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