Monday, January 26, 2009

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .

PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAPPEN AT ALL

Another medical conference. Another weekend in Las Vegas.

It’s been a good year and a half since we were ousted from Vegas, and we’re liking Sparks just fine, but there are still things I miss about Southern Nevada. The Weather. (Given the choice, I’d be quite quick and grateful to trade 17-degree winter days for 247-degree summer days.) Proximity to my family. Accessible Outlet Shopping. And Proximity to Disneyland. (Just kidding, I couldn’t care less how close I am to The Happiest Place on Earth; give me dinner out with The Husband, the world's most exuberant Yorkie, and a Rice Dream Pie and I’m quite happy.)

When booking though the company’s travel agency, I am given the choice whether or not to stay on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The Venetian or Marriott’s Residence Inn? It’s the Residence Inn for me every time.

Why, oh why? you may ask, would I choose to stay in the banal Residence Inn when I could luxuriate in a significantly more opulent space within walking distance of Barney’s, Banana Republic and The [Bizarre] Blue Man Group?

My answer: I pretty much hate the Strip. Not only is the skankiest piece of real estate the U.S. has to boast about out, but there are far too many enchanted or inebriated-and-on-the-prowl pedestrians for me to feel safe as I guide my rental car past such gems as the Bellagio and the soon-to-be-fab City Center. (It’s no Dubai, but there are some pretty neat feats of human engineering on Las Vegas Blvd.)

Why, just yesterday I nearly killed three different souvenir-cup-toting pedestrians who thought that the Anything Goes mentality of Vegas extends to jay-walking and disregarding traffic signals.

Exciting to say the least.

There’s nothing quite like nearly killing someone to get your heart racing such that you feel less guilty about skipping your a.m. blood-pumping jaunt on the treadmill.

2 comments:

whitneyingram said...

Stop going on work trips. You need to work on my blog.

Anonymous said...

i live there... and i have to agree. the strip is pointless and the people are nappy. i wish i could run over jay-walkers. and maybe all those porn-card guys.


marriott sounds awesome.