I have a friend who absolutely detests Vegas, but the strange thing is he’s never been there and refuses to go to see what’s it is like. I’ve told him you can find anything in Vegas. If you want great wine –it’s there. Great spas – they’ve got it. World famous chefs- they are there. Amazing entertainment – yup, they’ve got that too.
Instead he’s got this perception of what the place is like based on what he’s seen on television—and from movies. He assumes Vegas is completely artificial and cheesy.
So while going to Vegas would be a his holiday nightmare, I LOVE Vegas.
How could I not?
First of all, they’ve got the Vegas strip full of lights and extravagant hotels. Yeah, some of the stuff is tacky, but taste is subjective.
I think the designers were allowed to let their imagination go wild and create the hotel of their dreams. Sure, you can stay in a Travel Lodge or Super 8 if you wanted to have the same vacation you can have anywhere in the U.S., but why would you when you’ve got the Bellagio, Caesars and The Venetian?
Like many Vegas fans, I do have my favorite Vegas attractions.
I adore the luxurious sophistication of The Wynn, but the dancing fountains at the Bellagio stole my heart years ago. My favorite place to watch them is from the terrace of the Picasso Restaurant inside the hotel. It doesn’t matter whether I’m enjoying a leisurely lunch or a late dinner, I can watch them for hours.
In addition to the dancing fountains, the other Vegas-area landmark that I never tire of is the Grand Canyon.
Regardless of the season or time of day, it always takes my breath away. The colors are always changing and the rock formations are incredible. There is nothing artificial about it. It's real, rugged and beautiful.
If you haven’t seen it, you should. There’s a certain Zen quality to it. Remember, Vegas is the place of extremes – and the Grand Canyon is the extreme opposite of the strip.
It’s quiet, peaceful and somehow untouched by Sin City. It commands respect – and deserves it.
Can you believe that in all the times I’ve been to Vegas I had never been to old Vegas? That is…until now! And I was totally missing out.
For those of you who haven’t been to Vegas or are strip-mongers like me, old Vegas is a different world. Yeah, there are still lights and music everywhere, but the decadence has a different feel to it. It's like being thrown back to the time when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin lived the casino life.
I admit when I drove up to the Golden Nugget I was worried about what I was going to get for my $89 a night room, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was nice. Really nice. I mean I’ve stayed at the Hooter’s Hotel on the strip for the same amount of money and that hotel did have the $89 feel to it. Of course, when you’re on a budget, you’ll stay anywhere and Hooter’s is directly across the street from the MGM so you can’t go wrong with that.
The Golden Nugget is also in the heart of things, but not the things I’m used to seeing in Vegas. You’re not going to see the dancing fountains of the Bellagio , nor will you see the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. Instead you’ve got a whole new set of attractions.
There’s the waving cowboy – known as Vegas Vic, Binion’s horseshoe and the famous lights of the Plaza Hotel. And when you are there, you have to take in the Fremont Street experience. It’s crowded, crazy and completely wonderful in a way that is only cool in Vegas.
Don’t worry if you are not sure where this is. If you’re in old Vegas, you ARE part of the attraction. That’s because it’s right outside your hotel. Fremont is a covered street that becomes a canopy of lights after the sun goes down, and they literally rock out to Kiss’s "Rock n' Roll All Night Long."
Nope, you’re not going to hear Celine Dion in Old Vegas. It’s sex, drugs and…maybe a little bit of whiskey on the rocks – just the way the Rat Pack liked it.
Then there’s the Nugget. Built in 1946, it’s one of the oldest casinos in the area. But don’t be fooled by its age. It has a four diamond rating and is still classy. When you walk around the lobby, it's not hard to imagine Sean Connery there during the shooting of “Diamonds are Forever.”
Attractions in the hotel include the world’s largest gold nugget (naturally) and a shark tank, but honestly, I was just impressed with the service and lushness of the hotel. It had the Wynn feel without paying the Wynn price.
I must say, staying in Old Vegas was a gamble that paid off.
Those who know me, know that I am a sunchaser. Just like that Jeep commercial, I will always take the winding road and follow it wherever it goes. However, I don’t own a jeep. I own a little Honda Fit fondly known by those who have ridden shotgun as the Roller Skate.
I live to chase adventure…which is why when my friend told me he was celebrating his birthday in Las Vegas and wondered if I could drive up, I instantly said “yes”.
Of course, that was before I checked MapQuest and learned it would be a 9.5 hour drive. But whatever. It’s Vegas, Baby! And I’m driving there!!
Yes, I admit that while I do love Sin City, I was more psyched about the drive. You see, driving through the Mojave Desert with the wind whipping through my hair for a Vegas weekend is one of the things on my bucket list.
So at 8 a.m. on Saturday, I tossed a couple of cans of Red Bull and about 6 bottles of water in the car and off I went. It was actually quite liberating packing all these liquids as when I normally fly to Vegas, I always have to go liquid free (I try to never check luggage. In fact, I can live out of a carry-on for a week – just ask my friends who went with me to Hawaii last year).
WATCH OUT...THE DESERT IS A GAS GUZZLER
Anyways, if you ever decide to drive from Sacramento to Las Vegas, let me tell the trip over to Bakersfield is b-o-r-i-n-g. I mean dead boring. There was nothing to see, but I also had a sucky iTunes mix that wasn’t really happening either.
But once you pass Bakersfield, it gets kind of cool – because that’s when you hit the Mojave Desert...and it's gorgeous. The mountains are spectacular and the little bush-like trees add enough variety to keep it interesting.
I'll just give you a word of warning: If you hit Bakersfield and only have a little bit of gas left in the tank, fill up. I didn't and literally coasted down the mountain on fumes.
No really. It hardly took any gas to cut across the flat parts of California, but as soon as I started the drive up the mountains, the gas drained out of my tank like crazy. The warning light went on when I was about 20 miles up the mountain with another 30 to go until I reached the summit.
Yes, I panicked - just a bit.
I turned off the AC, opened the window, detoured off the highway in the direction of the nearest gas station --which was in the middle of nowhere and 45 degrees in the opposite direction. You know how they say you should sometimes take the road less travelled? Well, at that moment I was on THAT road -- and I was the only person on it. There were no cars or people in any direction...and let me tell you that you can see pretty far in the desert.
With my car flashing it's warning at me, I prayed I would make it to the little town on the Indian reserve in time -- or at least close enough that I could walk in my flipflops. Thankfully, it was mostly downhill and I was able to take my foot off the accerator for the last 16 miles and roll into town. Yes, I counted them.
After that, I filled up everytime I made a pit stop.
VEGAS REALLY IS IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE
You know when you fly into Sin City you can see the lights in the distance? Well, when you drive during the day it's not like that. It sometimes feels like you will never get there because all you see for hours and hours is beige dirt, beige mountains and sprinklings of plants, which I hear if I did this trip in June would be beige too.
Don't get me wrong. It's still beautiful and I would do the trip again in a heartbeat. But it's kind of like being in the first Star Wars where the sand people live. At any moment, I expected an army of creatures to arise from their camouflage and add some life to the area.
Of course, because I was going to Vegas, I imagined these creatures to be dressed as glitzy celebrity impersonators who would break out in some disco song -- but maybe that was iPod playing tricks on me. Nine hours in the car, with the windows open and the desert wind blowing at you can do that to a person.
Anyways, even with all that desert and open road, Sin City is hidden. Not until you are about an hour away can you see any sign of it. But when you do...WOW!
OFF THE BUCKET LIST
After driving 9.5 hours, I quickly showered and washed the Mojave out of my hair and met up with my friends for a night on the strip. Less than 12 hours later, I was back on the road for the return trip.
I think the designers were allowed to let their imagination go wild and create the hotel of their dreams. Sure, you can stay in a Travel Lodge or Super 8 if you wanted to have the same vacation you can have anywhere in the U.S., but why would you when you’ve got the Bellagio, Caesars and The Venetian?
In addition to the dancing fountains, the other Vegas-area landmark that I never tire of is the Grand Canyon. 
