Another Vegas Update: The not so nerdlinger version

So my 6 days in Las Vegas wasn't all nerdlinger usability sessions, $4 bottles of water, and gorging on free booze at the networking event...I did take in some of Las Vegas' other attractions. Apparently, you can gamble pretty much anywhere in the city...even as soon as you get off the airplane at the airport. Seriously, I exited the gate and there was a line of slot machines. That explains McCarran International Airport's tagline: "Lose all your money before even getting on The Strip."

As you can tell, I'm not much of a gambler. I did win $30 in a video poker terminal. I only had to spend $1000 to get it :). I did have fun watching other people lose thousands of dollars with the simple flip of a card and not even blink an eye. But, it was great to visit the city I had only seen in movies and on television. The casinos and hotels are immense. When I went to Mandalay Bay to see the Shark Reef exhibit, it was a 15 minute walk just from the front door to the aquarium's entrance...and of course, to get to Shark Reef requires a walk through the entire casino, and past the shopping area and all the restaurants.

Speaking of Mandalay Bay, here's a photo of their wedding chapel...named, strangely enough, The Wedding Chapel :). And what's a Vegas vacation without a traditonal Las Vegas wedding. So, her name is Tatiana and she'll be here in six to eight weeks :).


Las Vegas wedding chapels always remind me of an exposé 20/20 or some other piece of crap infotainment "news" program produced. In the segment, a couple had just recently gone through the chapel drive-thru and were married. The bride turns to the camera and says "Mom, I just got married." I told my mom if I ever got married, that's how she is going to find out :). I'm sure it was a nervous week for my mom while I was in Las Vegas :).

But I digress. Caesar’s Palace was really nice, as was my room. The king-sized bed was so very comfortable. Now, I am not new to hotels. I was acquainted with the principles behind the room’s bar fridge: as soon as items are removed from the fridge, the hotel automatically charges the item to your room. My hotel room also had a shelf full of overpriced schwag: Caesar’s Palace golf balls, kettle potato chips, chalice, etc. One of the items for sale was Caesar’s Palace "Romance Box." This item was very funny to me. I decided to take a picture of it, featured below:


Had I known how much trouble this little box was going to cause me, I would have just left it where it was. When I went to check out, the concierge gave me a list of my charges. On it was a charge for The Romance Box. Apparently, when any item is removed from "the shelf," the item is charged to the room. What proceeded was one of the most awkward conversations I’ve ever had :). I told the concierge that I didn’t use the aforementioned box and put it back on the shelf after only 15 seconds. I told her that although I was visiting Las Vegas alone, I’m not that lonely and desperate :).

Note to self: Don’t touch anything when you’re in another hotel room.

Lastly, I will leave you with one of my favourite pictures from Las Vegas. I like this picture below for two reasons. One, you don’t get to see a lot of palm trees and mountains where I live. The second reason is that an episode of Cops was filmed right outside this window :).