Well, I finally got around to going to Las Vegas (pictures to follow soon). I was hoping to get the chance on my old project, but that fell through. Anyway, Matt and Steven were going to be in Vegas over the weekend, so they invited me, James, and Tracy. Tracy couldn't make it because of work obligations, but the rest of us managed to make it. Matt and Steven stayed at the Venetian, but James and I decided to go the cheaper route and stayed at the Westin. Before James arrived, the three of us walked most of the strip, from the Venetian all the way to the Luxor. We went into some of the bigger hotels, and we had dinner at the ESPN Zone inside of New York, New York. Afterwards, we made it back to the Belaggio to see the fountains in action. The show was quite impressive. Needless to say, I took many pictures!
The following day, while waiting for Matt and Steven to wake up, I went over to Caesar's Palace. The Forum shops had a few impressive fountains, and also an aquarium with beautiful fish. Again, many pictures were taken. After the other two woke up, an James had arrived from L.A. through some very heavy traffic, we went to the Hilton to see the Star Trek Experience. We originally wanted to see Cirque de Soleil, but there weren't any tickets left. At any rate, my diamond status with Hilton got us tickets for close to half price. The two shows, one with the Borg and one with Klingons, were quite fun. After the shows, we went over to Fremont Street to see the old strip. We also had dinner there; I had a gigantic slab of prime rib. We then made it back to the Westin and played a few games of cribbage.
The following day, James and I went out to breakfast before he had to leave. Later, after they had woken up, Matt, Steven and I then went to the Luxor to see Dinosaurs at the IMAX. We then made our way back to their hotel, and I left shortly after.
Overall, I thought the hotels were very impressive. The casinos, however, I found to be quite expensive. I have absolutely no desire to play Blackjack or other games for ten to twenty dollars a hand. Slot machines, while affordable, are quite boring. I felt the same about the hotels and casinos on the old strip on Fremont Street, and I enjoyed their lights. Overall, I'm not sure why Vegas is so appealing to everyone. I enjoyed the sights, but I certainly don't think it's worth the extensive price gouging.