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Is it STILL fun ... travel, Vegas?

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by ken2v, Sep 23, 2014.

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  1. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    I know it's human nature to grouse, and particularly among like-minded spirits. But all the threads of late lamenting baggage fees, resort fees, a-holes on planes, the look of the Strip, plastic containers outside, shopping, bad gambling, tat-brats and the lounge scene, kids, cabbies, prices in general, CityCenter CityCenter CityCenter, too many low-ball restaurants no that's too many highfalutin' places and whatever else sure makes it sound like it's all a big drag.
     
  2. Hobofrank

    Hobofrank Prime Minister of Idiocracy

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    resort fees are BS, but they almost all do it, so accept and move on
    more concerning is the shift to 6:5 BJ and generally turning the strip into a big nightclub with a little gambling thrown in
    go cups seem like a smart idea, I was surprised they hadn't banned glass containers years ago
     
  3. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    Not one of these things bother me and will no stop me from visiting Vegas. I know exactly what I'm getting into before I even go and it's still a place I love and will continue on visiting.
     
  4. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Flying can suck. But as I've always maintained, it's the only way to get to some pretty awesome places, so flying is A-OK.

    Anyway, idiots are everywhere. We were driving down Hwy 1 on Saturday and some old fart in a beater Chevy pickup just comes straight across into our lane. I had half the Honda in the weeds in the median, brakes on, horn wide open. Totally oblivious.
     
  5. UTE

    UTE Plastics

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    Ehhh... no big deal. The world is a complex ever-changing place. Why that shocks or dismays some people is beyond me. If you want to go out and do things in the real world you can't sweat the small stuff - it'll ruin the experience.

    Whiners don't do a lot for me and I tend to avoid them. Life is too short.

    Bill
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  6. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I understand as I am a little this way too, but people will complain about things they don't like more than they will praise the things they do like. The things they like are already in place so there's nothing to gain by making a fuss. And people will hope that making a fuss about the things they don't like will make a difference. There are many positive things that occur, but I'm sure that some people's positives are other's negatives and vice versa.
     
  7. MNVegasgal

    MNVegasgal Low-Roller

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    Vacation travel is much easier to tolerate.. I'm on vacation.. I can have a drink if I choose, I'm getting paid to not be at work.. so those are all positives. It is easier to let things roll off my back when I don't have strict plans. I choose to plan less on vacations.. and have a more take it as it comes type attitude. I have good headphones, good music to listen too, some good new reads on my Ipad.. and time away from day to day work or chores. Rude passengers on airplanes annoy me.. but if i allow them to ruin my vacation - they win. So I try and stay in my zone.. "Not my monkees, not my circus" and let it go. I enjoy pool time with the girls, I love finding a new slot machine with a fun bonus, drinks hanging out playing live Keno with the boys in the Sports book... people watching.. the hope of a "jackpot". All the good out weighs the bad for me.
     
  8. donfairplay

    donfairplay VIP Whale

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    [YOUTUBE]uEY58fiSK8E[/YOUTUBE]

    You're sitting in a chair, in the sky.
     
  9. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I love that video! But it pissed me off that I had to wait almost an entire minute for it to start! Such slow internet service. Jeez!
     
  10. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Nope...only the 8 hour drive bothers me (specifically from Barstow to Vegas)
    I love to fly the 45 minutes from Stockton with Allegiant.
    I love being able to get best of both worlds (glitz of the strip, and good value of downtown, with a room offstrip)
    as long as im in Vegas, im on cloud9
     
  11. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    I've read of people staying away because of resort fees. They said nothing about the final tally, what it ultimately would cost, all tolled, just that the resort fees nuked the deal. I can't fathom that. Vegas -- every market -- is loaded with hotel values, even with resort fees, even without resort fees, just as every market has spendy spots however it's all added up. Doesn't it still at the end of the day just simply come down to the cost? Period. I've said this many times but 100 bucks is 100 bucks whether it is tallied 80 + 20 or 50 + 50 or it all comes in one nice easy-to-understand increment of 100. A nice $80 joint with a $20 resort fee is exactly the same thing as a nice joint that is $100 with no fee. Or is my math just bad? (Yes, I understand some see it as subterfuge or shenanigans or nefarious; I call it capitalism.) But at some point doesn't it just become more of a nose/spite thing if you quit doing something you enjoy over the semantics of addition?

    Sure, if the tally exceeds the limit that each of us have for ourselves individually, then that's one thing. Cost out the door is what we're talking about here, however.

    I'm not picking on any individuals, we all have to roll how we can or want to roll. But sometimes the numbers reality doesn't mesh with the perceived reality.
     
  12. TyrC

    TyrC Tourist

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    It's still fun. It's not as much as it was in the early 90's but it's still fun.
    I don't really mind the flight. It beats driving from Dallas, Texas. My advice
    for driving from Dallas to Las Vegas is don't do it! It's a taste of Hell right on Earth.

    It's not the Las Vegas from the 90's but then again there are some old geezers who
    talk about the good old days when every man would wear a suit and tie to go to a
    Las Vegas McDonald's.
     
  13. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    I think there's a "vocal" (posting) minority that bitches about almost everything and it's easy to read their posts and think that somehow they're reflective of a larger group of people, which in fact I believe they are, BUT I think they well over-estimate how many others feel like they do. For me... YES... it IS still fun... 15-24 times year for business primarily, but I spend PLENTY of free time there. I just spent 7 out of the last 14 days there over two-(2) trips. Though my flight is only an hour, that's twice to the airport, baggage, etc. Twice at rental car... twice checking in... blah, blah blah. I just don't see the whole deal as the "hassle", that so many portray. Do I have my annoyances, sure... but I still get little sleep the night before a Vegas trip, cause I'm THAT excited.
     
  14. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    I will have flown and been somewhere 33 weeks this year, 10 of those weeks in Las Vegas, all on business. The only vacation I will take is for the World Championship Punkin Chunkin at Dover Downs in DE as I'm on the world record holder and 2013 championship team American Chunker. So that will total 34 weeks of travel.

    Resort fees suck. I feel sorry for those who have to pay for their trips. Mine are expensed so I don't complain.

    Society changes and the strip changes. I bet they will tolerate less and less in the future as Las Vegas continues to evolve into one big shopping mall. But how can you not be excited by it? There's so much to do and you've got to admit as long as you use common sense you can do it pretty safe!

    There's lots of BS with travel everywhere but if you want to enjoy life, deal with it as best as you can. Millions of air miles have taught me I'm not special therefore I don't expect to be treated that way. It's the occasional traveler who may think otherwise and get frustrated!

    Still travelling, writing this from a hotel room in Boston. Ft Worth on Monday, Vegas on Friday, all with a positive attitude 'cuz I'm getting too old to freak out!
     
  15. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    My two cents is that vacations are what you make of them. Sure, there have been some changes over the years in Las Vegas that don't really please me. I just try to not let them distract me and focus my time in the places and things that I do enjoy. There is a helluva lot in Las Vegas that I enjoy and it is comparatively way less expensive to vacation there then just about any desirable destination on the planet. In the end life comes down to the choices we make. For me I choose to embrace Vegas and not let the slappers, hawkers, crappy BJ games etc. etc. etc. get me down.
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  16. j52chips

    j52chips Low-Roller

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    I've been to Las Vegas over 50+ times & almost always enjoy it. I stay with family for a few days then hit Orleans or somewhere on the strip. I agree with Ken2v's idea of complaining. We all have bitches & complaints. My complaint is that I am just getting tired of LV. I just told my daughter yesterday that my next trip may be my last other than family obligations. There are other places just as fun. Ken is right about a lot of items but they are not all why I'm tired of it, but part of it. It has changed. My daughter thinks I'm lying but it just isn't as fun for some of Ken's reasons.
     
  17. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    I to have been to Vegas 50+ times and usually enjoy it. It peaked for me about 10 years ago and I seriously doubt if that magic will ever be recaptured.
    This year was the least enjoyable of all. Only two trips and I couldn't get any sort of buzz on. The second one definitely lost it luster. We left after only one night of a scheduled 4-niter.
    Some of what ken alluded to are factors in my growing disillusionment, but the bigger issue is how my perception has changed.
     
  18. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    This post got me to thinking about our sea change when it comes to Vegas trips. That number in the corner essentially covers a 10-year period of time, with a trickle of visits on either end. Many factors went into it, and none pertain to the litany of gripes of so many here -- at VMB, not necessarily on this thread. It is very easy to get totally caught up in the Vegas buzz and then for some it subsides. That's our case. Gambling isn't a top priority to us, though I've always maintained that we went to Vegas to gamble (and do many other things) yet we don't gamble elsewhere. On a punch list of fun/recreation/vacation priorities, gambling wouldn't make the top 10, 20. And my work needs changed, doing less and less on Vegas over time when for a few years it was work central. Our move up coast contributed, though our Vegas trips had dropped off before leaving close-proximity So Cal. Finally, there's just so much other stuff we're doing and enjoying.
     
  19. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    Good topic, sir.

    Las Vegas is gold. It used to be 24k, today it's 18k. But it's still gold.
     
  20. j52chips

    j52chips Low-Roller

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    I just posted a response just before this. I just saw this post. I DO AGREE with you on your points. BUT!!!! after 50+ times, a change for me may be needed. I live in the Chicago area. I have 4 casinos within 20 minutes to 1 hour from my door. I also have 2 other casinos within 1 1/2 + hours away. Gambling is not the issue. Just tired of Vegas and the changes. You are right when you say vacations are what you make them and what you enjoy, but after so long it isn't as fun with the changes. Kenv2 has some logical points & Mike has logical points
     
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