What's the real reason you go to Vegas?

As others have posted, I like the freedom of being able to do whatever, whenever. I can gamble and drink when I want, I can stay up as late as I want (or go to bed as early as I want!), and I can walk everywhere I want to go. It's a chance to suspend belief and eliminate responsibilities in a way, if only for a few days. I have two casinos 15 minutes from my home, but I never go to them. I only gamble in Vegas and I love it.

 

I go to "Get away from it all". Work, family, responsibiity, etc. and just take this once per year trip to spend time with myself. In Vegas I can do anything I feel like whenever I want. If I want to drink at 6:00 A.M. I can. If I want to gamble all night again I can. After my trip I feel refreashed and ready to tackle another year of "the grind".

 

Because it's Vegas and coming from the UK it is the best adult playground that's why us Brits love it

 

I get to remember what my wife looks like nekkid.

 

Wow! Approaching 70 messages on this thread. Nice! I live in the L.A. area. There are 4 casinos within 30 minutes and probably another 15 or more within 2 hours. I REFUSE to gamble in any of them. They do nothing for me! You get nothing for your dollar there except cancer from the smoke. So for me it isn't just about the gambling. I have been to many destinations around the world and there is NO PLACE anywhere in the world like LAS VEGAS. Flights are the same now as they were back in the day give or take, 140 to 400 round trip. One hour flight is no big deal. In a Vegas 24 hour day, I spend on Avg 4.5 hours gambling and 6 hours sleeping. The other 13.5 hours are spent going to the spa, seeing a show, enjoying awesome restaurants and buffets, exercising (Walking the strip from hotel to hotel), going to red rocks, enjoying the great weather, meeting VMBers, going to parties hosted by PayTriple, spending time in the sports book, walking laps around the casino floor, shopping, forum shops, golfing, looking at all the eye candy, meeting all the eye candy, going to the nice pools, enjoying great cabanas, going downtown, zip lining and so much more. I got married in Vegas and that was incredible. Bringing 50 friends and Family to the Wynn to experience our joyous day was spectacular. I got divorced in L.A. and that was sad. I digress. Lol
The vibe and atmosphere of Vegas is second to none. Some of us like to be treated the way we aren’t in our daily home life, like kings. We get out of reality for a day or two. Vegas is Adult, expensive entertainment. You notice I didn’t mention free this and comped that. Nothing is free although some of us do know how to work with the system to get what we need-want. Legally and legitimately without taking advantage.

Old Vegas to me was 1981 until 89 or so when the mirage opened. What I liked about the Vegas of old is your handshake went a long way. You weren’t just a number. But, we now call that progress. If your host promised you something, it was there. Your room was always ready upon check in. The comps were much better and easier to acquire. You didn’t as the guest have to babysit your own avg and time played. The old Vegas customers were always dressed up in the casino. (No shorts Stevie LOL) And, if you had any problems they always took care of you.

Happy New Year!

 

Excellent post, Packer.

The vibe and atmosphere will always be the allure for me. There isn't anywhere like Vegas and I love that. I am just mad that it took me until I was 30 to discover it! I have only been going for 5 years (first trip was Jan 2010) but that first walk down the strip was magical.

 

Simply and perfectly stated!

 

I've been averaging about 2 trips per year for a little over 10 years now and for a low roller like me I always get some room offer. I usually only pay resort fees and for 3 nights I always pay less than $100 total for a room. You cant get a cheaper deal than that on any other vacation, unless vacation is a by-the-hour room in a seedy neighborhood! I usually stay at NYNY or Luxor.

All of my trips are weekday trips during a slow period - July/August or the week before Christmas, going this time I never have any problem finding a $10 3/2 table on the strip or a $5 3/2 table off strip or downtown.

Nothing beats Vegas. I echo the sentiments of those who live near tribal casinos but do not frequent them. I have 5 casinos near me ranging from a 5 minute drive to 30 minutes. If I visit them twice a year that's a lot, usually only to meet friends for dinner - last time I was at one of those places a saw a craps table with no dice but playing cards to determine the roll, I think I cried a little.

For me Vegas is still and probably will always be the best, I'm fortunate enough to be able to go 2-3 times a year and I'm only a 3 1/2 hour drive away. Since my first trip in '97 until now none of the changes have mattered to me, admittedly I never had the true taste of old vegas like some of the real veterans here but I think I get that when I go downtown, especially at the El Cortez which is to me the best old casino out there!

Enjoy your 2015 Vegas trips folks! I currently have 2 planned so far, including my first with my children! (All over 21 of course!)

 

It's definitely gotten more expensive. I think I was spoiled during the recession.. because it was dirt cheap. All my trips in 2014 were difficult to plan! The rates have gone up, it's busier.. harder to scope out a deal.

I just go for an escape. I live in LA, it's an easy weekend trip for me. I like gambling, spas, shopping, dining, It's the easiest and still the most reasonable way to do everything I want in a vacation. The hotels are STILL cheap, even with my gambling. I spend about $400 a trip, anywhere else i'd probably have to add that $400 to my room rate (or for me, a flight). Every trip is unique depending on where I stay, and who I bring. I also love that I can go solo. I wouldn't want to go to like San Diego alone.. what would I do? I like that I can feel comfortable gambling and doing thing alone in Vegas.

If I wasn't close to Vegas, I don't think I would be as attached to it... I don't think I would pay to fly to Vegas multiple times a year. Hard to know what my perspective would be if I wasn't in California.

 

Speaking from the frozen north, a lot of the appeal is the weather. It's almost certain to be warmer than home! Add to that the fact that it is basically a small area that can be navigated without a car, well we're saving money and stress there. I do like to gamble, but I don't usually gamble more than the amount I save on the hotels in Vegas compared to similar hotels in "regular" cities. And lastly, but for a few of those dudes who wear the suits and give away club passes, I've never been made to feel unwelcomed in Vegas, even in the best restaurants, bars and hotels. We have a lot of snobs here at home but in Vegas I can relax, knowing I'm in a twit-free zone!

 

I refer to Vegas as my "Reset Button". I have a pretty busy life (who doesn't?) and it just feels that when I come home from a Vegas trip, I'm ready to face the world again. I often go solo which is a real treat for me. I crave alone time, but with 2 jobs, 2 kids, a husband, a dog and all the other assorted responsibilities it can be really hard to get that!

 

One word....escape. Four one week each year we can leave the real world responsibilities at home and let loose in the adult Disney World. We are counting down our days until our next visit in April and I am just as excited as I was the first time we went. Even after 10+ trips there is always something new to do or see. I seek out as many deals as possible which makes the week we spend there very affordable. I can't think of any other vacation destination that gives as much bang for your buck as vegas.....great food, awesome shows, nonstop action everywhere! Love this town!

 

We go for the escape from the real world too, but it's much much more than that. I tell everyone it's the elixir of life and the fountain of youth. I like having my ass kissed with service, love the feeling of being someone of stature even though I'm not. When I walk through the doors of a casino/resort in Vegas or AC for that matter, I cease to be a Dad, bill payer, homeowner, employee. I'm no longer the guy responsible for everyone in my family, the guy who has deadlines at work or a mortgage to pay. My wife is no longer a mother, or housewife, or bookkeeper. I just become Nick and my wife just becomes my girl and for a few days we live without a care in the world. I get doors opened for me, ride in limos, live in the fast lane, get entertained, and everyone calls me 'sir' out of respect and not age. I have no age and feel like I'm 30 years old again. And if you can think of another place on earth where all that happens let me know.

 

Escape is the one word that best encapsulates my reasons for loving Vegas as well. I've seen a lot of people talk about getting excited when they board the plane and things like that. I don't feel it then, in fact I often feel a bit guilty when I head to the airport and am getting on the flight. As if I'm abdicating some responsibilities I have here, even though I'm not. But about an hour or so before landing when I look out the window and see the mountains and wide open desert everything changes. It is such a different landscape then the dense urban/industrial one's I'm used to and it makes me feel so calm and full of wanderlust. I can lean up against the window for the rest of the flight looking down at the desert staring at a thin etching of a desolate road and imagine driving on it out in the open. If they picked up Vegas and plopped it down into any more typical environment I don't think I would love it as much.

As far as the gambling itself it gives me a similar feeling of escape because I like to just zone out and play. Sometimes I don't even realize I've been at it for hours and my chip stack is either bigger or smaller, but I "wake up" from the trance and feel more refreshed then I do after a night of sleep. Even losing is a bit cathartic.

 

It's an escape!

At home:
Run a business
Manage a household
Keep up with kid's schedules, drive all over creation to get them to activities, school, etc.
Cook dinner every night (to satisfy everyone's cravings, likes and dislikes)

In Vegas:
Sleep or don't sleep
No laundry or dishes to do or house to clean!
Eat whatever I want, when I want.
Walk for blocks without listening to kids whine about when we're going to stop, eat, pee, etc.
Play games of chance for many hours every day!
Come home with extra money after having LOTS of fun!

What's really funny about this? I had to come back and edit it because I forgot the REAL reason I go to Vegas. It's for work. I attend a trade show every year there. It's the best one for my business on the west coast and If I'm going to spend that much money for travel, it better be VEGAS!

 

Escape is the word.
Vegas is the only place where you can go and engage in all manner of "sinful" things, and it seems like normal!

 

Then stop going.

 

I have to agree that Escape is the word.

I get to forget about the day to day grind and just live in the moment and that moment can be anything and sometimes it can be anyone I want to be.

 

We go to Vegas because it is free (airfare and hotel) but also because it is one of the few places it is completely acceptable to do shots and/or be wasted at 9am. :evillaugh Constant party. Yes, that is why.