Las Vegas 2012

      Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks--it says,"Goodbye."
                                                       FRANK SINATRA, The Joker Is Wild

                         Off to Las Vegas for the fourth time, third time to the Conference that my Bosses so generously have taken us to.  It will be my last time.  I truly have had a love/hate relationship with that city, now there’s not much love.  Just not my cup of tea.

Photo courtesy of Las Vegas' website

 

                That being said, I believe it is something to see.  (Patricia Schultz agrees in her book “1000 Things to See Before You Die”.)  The lights of the strip are amazingly, albeit man-made, beautiful at night.  And, the hotels that man has made are pretty incredible as well. 

However, those same hotels nickel and dime you at every turn, which drives me crazy.  For instance: $15 for internet connection per day; can’t bring you own water into the pools as you must pay $6-8 for theirs (your bottle will be taken away and your name put on it to pick up on your way out, bags are checked!); and don’t get me started on the cabanas at the pools ($750-1000 for a few hours! Although that does include food & drink…). 

Bellagio Fountain as seen from my balcony!

The Cosmopolitan @ night

Anyway, not to be Debbie Downer, there are great restaurants (This trip we ate at the hotel two nights:  DOCG, an Italian Bistro and The Henry, upscale comfort, food having great meals at both. Our last night we went back to the Peppermill , a real old time Vegas place, very retro and cool.   My single favorite thing about Las Vegas is the Bellagios’s Water Fountain. Amazingly beautiful. It plays to music and the water dances along. Day or especially at night, something to behold. This year my room at The Cosmopolitan Hotel had a balcony that directly overlooked the Fountain.  

Of course another great thing about Vegas are the shows.  This year, My Boys treated us to my first drag queen show.  Frank Marino's "Divas" show at the Imperial Palace, a real old-time hotel on the strip.  It was great fun!  He's been there for over 25 years and has a street named after him, so clearly doing something right.

I’m not a gambler.  I have fun quickly losing my $40 at the slots, and then usually that’s it.  This year my Boss very patiently tried to coach me on craps via a machine, not a clue..The good news for our group is that one Boss and a Co-Worker won some good $!  Not me.

Las Vegas does not bring out the best behavior in many grown-ups, hence the motto “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas..”.  Have heard that before..that was the motto of the Fighter Pilots I knew in a previous life...when they went TDY- temporary duty yonder- that was muttered all the time..

Chandelier Bar @ The Cosmopolitan

Another thing not to get me started on..children in Vegas..they don’t belong there.  What is wrong with people?  Especially walking the strip at night.  I know many years ago, Vegas supposedly  became family friendly.  It’s not.  The pools have been replicated in many places.  That’s why God, or Man, made Disney Worlds, etc., or Mother Nature gave us beautiful beaches everywhere. 

From Las Vegas I decided to travel to Napa and then up to Lake Tahoe to visit my Sister and her family for a couple of days.  For the first time I tried to use the travel benefits of free flight by using a different airline.  It worked!  The people and flight with Virgin America were friendly and easy!  Got a car rental using miles, so “free”.  And, plan on using miles to pay for at least part of my B&B in Napa Valley.  Leaves more money for eating, exploring wines, and obviously some shopping!