So I am a Las Vegas virgin no longer.
My boss took me to Vegas with him to
WebBuilder 2.0 December
3rd through the 5th. I learned a lot of cool stuff there, like I almost had a
heart attack when I found out that you can import layered Photoshop PSDs into the latest
version of Flash, no doubt due to Macromedia being bought by Adobe. Yes, that's right, with
all the layers intact. That would have saved me SOOOO much time if I'd known about that a few
weeks ago! /msg me if you would like to discuss anything else I might have been enlightened on
while there.
But Vegas... what can I say? I have had trouble when people have asked me what it was
like. Maybe it was because I didn't exactly take it all in. I lost $20 on a slot machine and $5 on
video blackjack, but I could have done that at the casinos in and near St. Louis. We didn't have time to go to any shows. What I find myself saying is
"Well, it's like you think it is, what you see on television and in the movies, it's lit up like a
Christmas tree and it never closes!" A Mecca of decadence? Sure. Gambling. Food. Entertainment.
Varying degrees of pictorial female nudity. None of those things are ever very far away. The only
surprise to me - something I never saw in any of my television Vegas schoolings - was the people
standing around on the sidewalks trying to hand you little cards featuring nude chicks, no doubt
advertisements for various cabarets. I found them exceedingly annoying, mostly because
they don't stand any farther than five feet from each other and they can clearly see that your
attention was not wavered by any of the previous card people. Also, the way they flick them as
they try to hand them to you like handing out little pictures of female private parts is the
coolest job in the world, it contributed to my perturbence as well. Sorry, my friends, the coolest
job in the world is more likely being the person who takes those pictures.
I was at the Paris, though, right on "The Strip." Maybe other areas aren't the same.
It's not still hot in the winter, by the way, my mislead Midwesterners. It was almost as cold
there as it was in Missouri. No, not just at night. Especially at night, but not just.
Sweaters and jackets are needed past November.
It was, however, warm in Los Angeles. We had a layover there
on the way back to Missouri. Yes, we went further west before heading back east. I don't get it,
either. So now I can say that I've visited LA, too. Sort of. Well, I got to see the Hollywood
sign..
...from a distance...
...in the air.
If you're ever traveling to Vegas, though, or really anywhere, I highly recommend you travel
with somebody who is a VIP, is loaded, and gambles enough to get lots of comps, or that you be
that person. First class is pretty swank. I'd never ridden in First Class before. Free drinks,
full meals, and in-flight entertainment. Oh, and leg room. Oh, the leg room! And sometimes they
give you free headphones. Yes, you can take them home if you like. Well, they're the cheap little
ones, the buds that just go inside your ear, but still.
Another thing about Vegas that I should go into more detail on is the food. There is nothing
special there food-wise, I should start out with. Indeed anything there you can find anywhere.
However, the difference is, it's all in one place! In one casino! In Planet Hollywood! (The
Paris is right next to it.) One place in particular that I should mentioned is the Pampas
Brazilian Grille Strip in PH. Oh. My. God. If you ever go there, or a Brazilian restaurant near
you, get the rodizio! Along with a salad bar with various tasties, guys come around with a bunch
of meat (various kinds) in a skewer and cut pieces off for you. Let me tell you that, without a
doubt, it is teh awesome. Each one I sampled... and sampled again... and again... was the best
I've ever tasted. And they will come with more and more until you turn over this little
coaster-like card they give you to the red side (green side means "Bring me more!" and red side
means "Hold on, I'm taking a break!") If you have never experienced this, I implore you to go...
right now... onto Google and find one in a city or town near you and eat there tonight.
I found it odd that more than a few people joked about me getting hookers while there. I didn't
see any.
Or did I?
Well, I'd better not give you guys any more details and stop here. After all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
You just knew I'd say that at some point, didn't you?