Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Land of the Free

Hmmm...Land of the free? Well, I must say, that's not the case in Vegas!
I've recently returned from a week in Las Vegas, which was an absolutely fantastic time, but boy, how the price of stuff has really rocketed. I know Hotel bar prices are always more than any regular bar, but we were paying $6.50 for a small bottle of beer (a little less than half a pint), and that was local bud - if you wanted something a little nicer add another dollar. That makes it something like 4 times the price of "proper" ale back home in my local. And to be honest, prices didn't seem to come down a lot even outside the hotels.
But hey, you don't go on vacation to winge and whine about the prices! Vegas is still that wonderfully uber-tacky playground for big boys and girls. Sadly the newer hotels going up seem to be steering clear of the "themes" like the Luxor, New York, Treasure Island etc, that make Vegas so much fun, and going more for elegant steel and glass structures that are far to business like. I do hope the trend doesn't continue. but for now there is still enough of the whacky stuff to entertain.
I've finally got to play poker in Vegas too, although quite predicably, I was knocked out a couple of hours into the tournment, so it was either just a fun experience for $60, or a very expensive 2 coffees and a glass of wine. I won a good couple of hands though so I think it was worth it just to say I've done it the once. And to come away from Vegas having only lost $60 to gambling I think shows great restraint.
And the othe thing Vegas is famous for? Weddings! Well, I didn't get married again, but we went for the next best thing and Shelley and I ended up renewing our wedding vows while we were there. If you want a bit of a giggle the video of that occasion is on YouTube now at:
Don't worry, it's only about 7 minutes to watch.