A Vegas Vacation

This past week I spent 5 days and 5 nights in lovely Las Vegas, and while I went there to get married the time that we were there also allowed for it to be a pretty good vacation as well.  Normally 5 days and nights would allow for time to see most sights and provide a little rest as well, however with Vegas that barely scratches the surface.  We did quite a bit while there in addition to getting hitched, however there are so many shows and sites that a month long vacation would have perhaps come close to providing enough time to see most things.  Needless to say I don't have the time or the resources, especially in Vegas, to take a month off work and lounge about.  What we did have time for however and what I thought about Vegas I'll put forth here though, in a bit of a "good, bad, and ugly" format...
Good - The sights : The sights in Vegas are great.  During the day it is incredible to walk around and see the buildings, each with their own design and personality, but then at night it is ten times that with all the neon.  They each have art, decor, sculptures, and designs that really bring the city to life.  It isn't just the hotels either as the shops, bars, and restaurants also follow suit.  You could spend an entire week just walking down the strip looking at the decor of each individual building before heading downtown to see the "old Vegas" as well.  Beyond the buildings though the exteriors of the hotels are also decorated.  Go beyond the properties and there are plenty of odd-balls to check out on the strip itself as well.  Besides people dressed in every manner possible, people also get into costume regularly, especially at night, and you can see characters such as Mario and Luigi, Spongebob, Michael Jackson, Buzz and Woody, and a great deal more.

Bad - The cost : Vegas is an expensive city.  There is no denying that.  Everything is going to cost a pretty good amount, from shows that will cost you $50-150 a ticket to beers that will cost you $10 a piece.  Most places that you go to eat with tip will cost you $40 or better per person and only goes up from there as you add drinks.  Nothing will come cheap in Vegas.

Ugly - The walking : Ok, so you can take the tram, which is going to take some walking to get to and then you'll have to walk to get where you want to go ... or you can take taxis and deal with the traffic ... or take the bus which stops every 10 feet anyway ... so there are ways to get around without walking everywhere.  However you're going to walk and walk a lot, especially up and down the strip.  Depending on the weather this could be very ugly...

Good - "O" : Of the numerous shows in Vegas we only saw a couple on this trip.  However I feel safe saying that anyone going to Vegas to see a show should definitely see this one.  Hell, even if they're not going with the intent to see a show at some point they should still find time to fit this one in.  The theater is well designed with great seating and the ceiling is even part of the setting.  The show starts off as people are finishing getting to their seats with a couple of clowns that come out to deal with a drip from the ceiling.  They make their way through the crowd and the crowd is put into the show as the clowns do things such as open an umbrella under the leak causing the drip to splatter on the crowd, or filling a hat with water to toss over their shoulder into the crowd as it fills.  At one point one of the clowns noticed a bald guy sitting just two seats from me and made his way down our row to him, took out his water bottle and feather duster, squirted the guy's head and shined it up.  I don't want to give away a lot but the show continues with a guy "pulled from the audience" who becomes part of the act, then the stage curtain doesn't open but rather in my first "oh, wow!" moment it is pulled back to the far back of the stage into a tiny point in one huge, flowing, rapid motion that truly lets the viewer know they are in for a visual treat.  From there it flows from scene to scene with great acrobatics and water dives.  The show is great paced, visually stunning, has incredible action/acrobatics, has humor, drama ... it is a great, great show.

Bad - "Sirens of TI" : Perhaps it isn't fair to put this show in the 'bad' category.  After all, you get what you pay for and this is one of the free shows you can check out in Vegas.  However the short show (10 minutes or so) is rather corny, isn't overly enjoyable, and you get bunched into the masses of people who gather around to check it out.  Its ok to check out if you're in the area, but beware that you're likely to be smashed in with everyone else and your view of one end or the other may not be the best.

Ugly - "Criss Angel" : I was hoping that his show would be better than the reviews.  Angel is no doubt a talented magician and illusionist and I have enjoyed his "Mind Freak" show in the past.  However this show is not that good.  His illusions are still pretty good, however the show itself was a disappointment.  The banter between tricks was just ok at best of times and the theatrics were weird and just not that great.  The show also was overly loud many times.  I would recommend watching the "Mind Freak" series because he is talented and does some incredible things, however I wouldn't recommend his Vegas show.

Good - Options : I think one of the best parts about Vegas, especially for someone who comes from a town such as I do which is completely opposite of Sin City, is just the plethora of options one has in everything.  Where I live it is easy to get burnt out on all your eating out options.  In Vegas however you can eat something new nightly with each location having a different feel and flair from the last in addition to having different food as well.  Want to see something?  Here you are limited to a couple of movie choices, there you have multiple movies, shows, attractions, acts, concerts.  Want to go out?  Here you have a couple small town bars.  In Vegas you have clubs, you have bars within the casinos, you have bars off the strip, you have bars on the strip.  The options just keep going on.  You can get out of the city and see many places or go to Lake Mead, you can go golfing at one of the many courses, you can go skydiving ... the options are nearly limitless.

Bad - Time share crews : It won't be long into your Vegas trip before someone is going to approach you about free show tickets or free this or free that.  Ignore them and walk on.  Be forceful if you must in your "no", because they are obnoxious and a royal pain and at times they don't give up easily.  While the draw of free tickets might be appealing you do pay for them with your time.  Often you're looking at a couple hours or better that you're going to have to commit to them as they try to pitch you their time share or whatever the case may be.  It is best to just avoid them.  Sure, you might in the end get something worth having, but unless you really don't mind sitting through a pressure filled sales pitch for a few hours it is best to not even begin the conversation with them because once it starts they aren't going to let you go easily.  On a similar note, the guys on the corners everywhere trying to hand out their call girl cards and pamphlets are just as annoying, though without the pressured attitude towards you, their potential customers.

Ugly - Crowds : Vegas is a popular place.  It is only natural that when you go there are going to be a LOT of other people there as well.  Going on a busy holiday weekend as we did this past week can put you in not quite shoulder to shoulder crowds nearly everywhere you go.  Weekdays aren't quite as bad but they will still be busy.  It is to be expected though, so just prepare and make plans and order tickets/reservations ahead of time where you can and leave a bit early to help deal with it.

I could easily continue on for some time in this format continuing to list out the good and bad of Vegas, but instead I'll just wrap it up and encourage others to make the trip themselves and come to their own conclusions.  It is a place that everyone should see at least once in their lives, perhaps a few times to get more of the things you can't fit into your first trip in, and everyone is bound to have different experiences.  It is a great place to see with great variety, just be prepared for crowds, walking long distances, and all the other things that go along with large, highly populated and visited places.