Picking up right where I left off… (For those of you just tuning in, check out my intro post about My Road to a Different Area Code.)

From Dallas I flew straight to Las Vegas. A few things you should know before I continue.

  1. The purpose of the trip was to conduct interviews for work on Monday
  2. This was my first time in Vegas
  3. I was by myself (this is important to remember while reading this post)

On the first leg of the trip (to Salt Lake) I sat next to a nice man who gave me great advice on my design business, which might lead to a client or two down the road. (My dad is probably smiling right now). On the second leg of the trip, I sat in the middle seat, next to one guy who made fun of me in a charming way for going to Vegas by myself, and another guy who was a native to the area and gave me all the do’s and dont’s of the city. And it.was.the.loudest.flight.i’ve.ever.been.on. My Vegas friend informed me my flight on the way back will be the quietest flight you’ll ever be on.

Slot machines in the airport? Why not?

Once I got to the hotel, it was just after midnight on Saturday (aka prime time for Vegas night-life) and I decided to go to bed. I know, lame. But a combined 7hrs of sleep over the past two days, 4 flights, and the image of my own king bed did me in for the night.

Sunday -8am

I decided to take the flyer in my hotel room seriously, and check out the restaurant upstairs “Hash Hash To Go” for breakfast. Best. Decision. Ever. They sat me immediately at the bar (because I’m by myself :) ) and within 3 minutes of me placing my order, my food was there. Here’s a picture. ‘Nough said.

9am rolls around, and even though my conservative conscious is telling me to at least wait until the afternoon to start gambling, I sit down at the first BlackJack table I see anyways. I place my $5 bet down, and quickly realize I was reading the wrong sign. I was at a $15 minimum table. What a rookie. So I freak out. For like 4 seconds. And then I think to myself “Play it cool, you’re in Vegas, live a little.” So I added two more chips, and remained sitting.

One hour later. I’m $100 up. Again with the freak out, I quickly decided to cash in and get some fresh air.

PRO: stores blasting oldies music in the streets always heightens an already good mood.

CON: everyone smokes in Vegas

PRO: free drinks when you gamble. and drinking at 9am is encouraged.

CON: if you stay in the same hotel with impersonating performers for too long, you’ll realize they only know a total of 6 songs.

PRO: everyone is friendly. the dealer’s included, and even the fellow gamblers who keep losing more and more money.

CON: you occasionally have to deal with newly 21 year olds who take multiple jagerbombs at 9am and think that hitting on a 20 is a good idea.

PRO: fist-bumping the dealer every time you get black jack.

PRO: Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar restaurant. Live music, good food, fun company, great times

CON: Deciding to take a quick catnap at 8:30pm after a day filled with free waters and soda, causes you to sleep through the night and miss getting to see Vegas at night.

PRO: eating at Hash Hash to go for a second time, and being even more impressed than the first time.

PRO: doubling your money 2 minutes before you have to catch a cab for work

CON: a red-eye flight cross-country

So you could definitely say I got the gambling itch while I was there. I had all these big plans of seeing shows, and exploring all the lights and attractions of this never-sleeping city. But I just had so much fun meeting random people at the tables, and soaking in the culture that way. Not sure if I could handle more than 3 days in Vegas, but I did enjoy my first experience.

Oh, and here’s me and the wolfpack of one.

Next stop, TBD

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