Push Your Luck in Sin City
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On August 30th 2009, I landed in Las Vegas for ten decadent days – what better way to celebrate my 40th year on the planet? I was working in the Alberta Oil Sands at the time and we were nearing the end of the job – the push was on and the superintendent had discouraged us from taking time off. But that didn’t stop me. Celebrating my birthday in Vegas was far more important than finishing a gas plant on time.
I requested a vacation form from my supervisor telling him about my plans. He watched me fill it out and when it came to the part that said reasons for request, he said “you are going to a wedding, right?” I don’t usually lie but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, so I wrote down “attending a wedding” and handed in my request. Two weeks later I arrived at McCarran International Airport at around 4 pm. Ranked 15th is the world for passenger traffic, over 44 million people passed through their terminals in 2008. In true Las Vegas fashion, the airport has around 1,300 slot machines to extract money from tourists. The first airport built on this site was called the Alamo Airport. It was established in 1942 by American aviator George Crockett – a descendant of frontiersman Davy Crockett. You can’t get more American than that! The airport is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 53 million passengers and 625,000 aircraft movements around 2017. Therefore, plans are being made for a relief airport called Ivanpah Valley Airport 30 miles southwest of McCarran. Tentative plans have been make to start construction in 2010 and open the airport in 2017. I had visited Sin City once before in November of 1998, a month after the Bellagio had opened. A lot had changed since then and I couldn’t wait to check out all the new hotels and casinos. But first I had to get off the airplane and collect my luggage. I was sitting next to a stereotypically nerdy middle-aged Chinese man carrying two cell phones, a camera and a laptop. As we were taxiing to the terminal one of his cell phones rang loudly. The stewardess promptly marched over and informed me cell phones were not permitted until we were parked at the terminal. I just happened to have my cell phone in my hand to check the time – just my luck! Finally the plane came to a halt. The Chinese guy sprung out of his seat, hiked his pants up way too high, tightened his belt, grabbed all his electronics and made his way off the plane. Aside from the fact that I didn’t hike my pants up way too high, I wasn’t much different. I grabbed my cell phone, laptop and bag full of camera equipment and walked off. I boarded a shuttle that seemed to stop at every hotel on the strip before finally arriving at the Gold Coast hotel and Casino. When I checked into my room I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It had a king sized bed, a table and two chairs, a vanity area and a bathtub. I was also on the 7th floor and had a (albeit far away) view of the Stratosphere and Trump Tower. And to top it off, I was able to reserve the room next door for my friend Carolyn who was due to arrive a few days later. Oh yes, did I mention that my best friend Carolyn would be joining me on my birthday? I was settled in by 6:00 and decided to venture over to the strip to see what kind of trouble I could get into. It was a 20-minute walk along Flamingo Drive to Vegas Boulevard also known as the strip, where most of Las Vegas’ large themed resort hotels are located. The Strip is a 3-4 mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard where 19 of the world’s 25 largest hotels (by room count) are located. El Rancho Las Vegas was the first hotel opened on the strip in 1941 with 63 rooms. It was joined by Hotel Last Frontier in 1942, the Flamingo in 1946 and finally the 1,512 room International Hotel which at the time was the largest in the world. The El Rancho Vegas was destroyed by fire in 1960 while the Flamingo morphed into the mega resort it is today and the International became the modern day Las Vegas Hilton. Awesome Vegas Activities1. Go indoor skydiving
2. Take in a Cirque de Soleil show 3. Go on a Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon tour 4. Have a drink at the Minus 30 Degrees ice bar at Mandalay Bay 5. Visit the memorial to gangster and founding father of Las Vegas Bugsy Segal at the flamingo 6. Slide through the Shark Tank and see the Hand of Faith gold nugget at the Golden Nugget 7. Go shopping at the fashion show mall 8. Check out the Titanic and Bodies Exhibitions at the Luxor Hotel 9. Go downtown and have the Freemont Street Experience 10. Get your picture taken with a million dollars at Binions 11. Take in some free circus acts and go on some rides at the Adventuredome at Circus Circus 12. Get an amazing view of Las Vegas and ride the highest rides in the world at the Stratosphere 13. Enjoy a free opera show and ride in a gondola at San Marco Square in the Venetian 14. Get your picture taken in front of the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign 15. Visit the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and see their famous animatronics show 16. Watch a fountain show and visit the botanical gardens at the Bellagio 17. See the Sexy Sirens show at Treasure Island 18. Take in the Tournament of the Kings dinner theatre at the Excalibur 19. Watch the volcano in front of the Mirage erupt
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Top Ten Crazy Las Vegas Facts
1. Gamblers have a much higher chance of striking it rich on a slot machine at the casinos downtown than at the casinos on the strip
2. Poker is best played on the strip because the locals usually play downtown and are great at beating the tourists
3. It is cheaper to buy show tickets on the day of the show at a half price booth – coupon books are handed out for free and offer discounts on shows as
well.
4. On the way to Hoover Dam the houses all have air conditioners mounted on the roof rather than the ground. They do this so snakes won’t slither into
them.
5. It is a good idea to get a players card at the casino where you are gambling because you get perks and discounts on the buffet.
6. A crumpled bill that won’t work in a monorail ticket machine will always work in a slot machine.
7. Many of the hotels offer private cabanas for rent beside their pools. These pricey private shelters offer luxuries such as a private bar, telephone, television
and lounge chairs.
8. Many of the elite nightclubs do not provide free seating for their patrons rather they have booths available for bottle service only. Customers are required
to buy a bottle (some clubs have a 2 bottle minimum) for around $400-500 to sit in the booths.
9. Some people have claimed to see the apparition of Bugsy Siegel haunting the rose garden, wedding chapel area of the Flamingo Hotel.
10. Most of the Las Vegas strip is actually located in Paradise Nevada, an unincorporated part of Clark Country.
2. Poker is best played on the strip because the locals usually play downtown and are great at beating the tourists
3. It is cheaper to buy show tickets on the day of the show at a half price booth – coupon books are handed out for free and offer discounts on shows as
well.
4. On the way to Hoover Dam the houses all have air conditioners mounted on the roof rather than the ground. They do this so snakes won’t slither into
them.
5. It is a good idea to get a players card at the casino where you are gambling because you get perks and discounts on the buffet.
6. A crumpled bill that won’t work in a monorail ticket machine will always work in a slot machine.
7. Many of the hotels offer private cabanas for rent beside their pools. These pricey private shelters offer luxuries such as a private bar, telephone, television
and lounge chairs.
8. Many of the elite nightclubs do not provide free seating for their patrons rather they have booths available for bottle service only. Customers are required
to buy a bottle (some clubs have a 2 bottle minimum) for around $400-500 to sit in the booths.
9. Some people have claimed to see the apparition of Bugsy Siegel haunting the rose garden, wedding chapel area of the Flamingo Hotel.
10. Most of the Las Vegas strip is actually located in Paradise Nevada, an unincorporated part of Clark Country.
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