Spent Christmas in Vegas. A few interesting observations and pictures:

[proud2BlibKansan]

I'd like to suggest that if you work in customer service, you shouldn't talk politics with customers. As soon as we got off the plane we went looking for a shuttle to take us to our hotel, found one and were making conversation with the driver while waiting for the shuttle to leave. Hubby asked him how's business been and he launched into a rant about Harry Reid and Obama and how they have ruined the Vegas economy. I said "You better stop, cause we're Democrats" but he went on. We had already paid for the shuttle or I would have just gone and found another ride. On the way to the hotel, he told us all about the worst week in Vegas is when the hip hop folks come and he just can't stand them cause you know, they're BLACK. By that point I was so ready to get off that shuttle. What a racist ass.

The cab drivers were much nicer. Most complained that business was really slow and they gave us their cards so we would call when we needed a ride anywhere. And we did call one to come get us a couple times.

We were shocked to hear it was slow cause everywhere we went was packed. Had to wait in line at restaurants and everywhere we went. Seemed very busy to us. Also, the town was full of Asians. A couple of the cab drivers told us they were mainly Chinese and their dollar goes very far here in the US. He also said his company was looking to hire Chinese speaking cab drivers, since there were so many Chinese tourists.

Here's a few pictures:

On the strip:




Loved this on the side of a CVS store:


We went to Hoover Dam. They are building a bridge for a new highway. The Pat Tillman bridge. Just enormous!


Loved this guy for his honesty:


Also loved this t-shirt:


Came home to over a foot of snow and couldn't get in our driveway. Here is our falling down covered patio:

[begin_within]

1. I'd like to glue some toilet paper to those butts. Anyway I remember taking a cab in L.A.

on Thanksgiving Day 2000, right in the middle of the Bush vs. Gore fiasco, and the cab driver was this high-strung paperwhite guy about 24, going on and on about it, and I didn't say a thing. Finally he paused as if he was waiting for me to say something, and I just said, "I voted for Nader." He said, "Oh, OK," and quit talking about it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Our driver should have shut up when I told him we were Democrats

He might have received a better tip :)

[begin_within]

5. In hindsight, I should have just let the guy rant,

he was a rabid Bush supporter and was obviously very upset about the situation. I should have just let him go on and on (the ride was from downtown LA to La Cañada) and then when I got out, paid exactly the fare but not the tip, and said, "I voted for Gore. I'm going to take your tip and donate it to Gore right now," and walked away

[Cirque du So-What]

30. That shuttle bus driver needs to be reported

Racists who can't keep their mouths shut - especially around out-of-town visitors - have no place in the public eye. In today's economy, I'm sure his employers would like to know that one of their 'goodwill ambassadors' has diarrhea of the mouth.

[Goldstein1984]

3. I was in Las Vegas for a conference last February

My second time there. So I brought some good books and just read.

IMHO: The worst of the U.S. in microcosm.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. We love it

So much to do, so many good places to eat. And not very expensive either.

[Goldstein1984]

7. I have a few friends who love it too

Just not for me.

When I relax I put on a backpack and head for the mountains, or I put on SCUBA gear and head for someplace between 50 and 100 feet. Always at the more remote and nothing-inclusive place we can find.

We did see Penn & Teller and Phantom of the Opera during my 2008 conference in Las Vegas. Enjoyed that.

[Bluebear]

8. Totally agree.

A wonderful bargain and all the king crab legs I can eat :)

Love the "why lie" sign :)

[Goldstein1984]

12. I'm lucky...

I can do the all-I-can-eat king crab legs thing anytime I want here in Alaska.

Anchorage even has it's own "why lie" guy, plus a "looking for a rich woman" guy.

Guess I'm biased because I was trampled by a herd of blue-haired ladies trying to get their pictures taken with Marie Osmond at the Flamingo.

[panader0]

9. Sin city

[Goldstein1984]

11. I don't believe in "sin"

but I did go through the hand sanitizer faster than I do in most places.

[femrap]

13. I'm with you....I find it

very depressing. All of these people wasting their money thinking they're gonna hit it 'big.'

And I hate seeing all the women having to bare so much skin. I wouldn't feel so bad if men were cocktail waiters and dressed in speedos and a bow tie. That's at least 'equality.'

If forced to go to a gambling area...Lake Tahoe. The scenery is beautiful and people don't seem as desperate. But it has been years since I've been there.

[Goldstein1984]

16. Lake Tahoe is much cleaner

The conference I attended has traditionally been held in Las Vegas. I had a conversation with the event organizer, and several other attendees joined in. The organization polled its members. This year it's being held in Baltimore.

[femrap]

35. Baltimore is a very

tough city...be careful.

[Goldstein1984]

37. I know. I've been there. We'll by down by the aquarium

I like it because the wife and I can do a pilgrimage down to Monticello.

[femrap]

55. Enjoy! nt

[MineralMan]

31. Too bad. There's lots to see around Las Vegas.

You missed it.

[amborin]

42. +10 we participated in a gotv drive for Kerry....otherwise, you can't

pay me to go there

[virgogal]

6. I had a racist shuttle driver in London once. I was the only passenger so

he figured I must have looked like I'd agree with him (I'm an older white woman)

He raved all the way to Heathrow about the stupid Asians and how all the Brits are moving to Spain to get away from them.

When I asked him how the Spanish felt about that he didn't quite know what to say.

[hlthe2b]

10. heh heh.... I must wonder too (about the Spaniard attitudes...

upon being "invaded...")

[Turbineguy]

19. Like this?

http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/package.htm

[hlthe2b]

21. LOL... gotta love Monty Python

[HipChick]

14. the Spanish hate it...they call parts of Spain,the new Britain..

[amborin]

41. lol, the entire costa del sol

[mopinko]

15. it's asian season, i am told. because they don't celebrate christmas.

got some peeps there, and that is what i am told. came thisclose to leaving the kids some money and a turkey and spending the week out there. not a fan of that stuff. never been there. but casinos just seem overwhelming and depressing to me.
there is just something about leaving the whiners home and going to vegas.....

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. We could have hung out

There is so much to do in Vegas. And lots is free. The fountains at the Bellagio, the volcano at the Mirage, the big show at Treasure Island - all seen from the strip and don't cost a dime. You also don't have to be a gambler to have fun in Vegas. I didn't spend much at all on slots.

[blm]

17. What shows did you see?

.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. None.

We went to Hoover Dam instead.

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. I grew up in New Jersey and I thought that Vegas was like..

the Wildwood Boardwalk on steroids.
Three days was certainly more than enough. A week was overkill.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. 4 days was enough

Got tired of the crowds. Good to be home.

[beyurslf]

20. I wonder if the lady in the angel costume is thinking, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.....

until someone posts the pics on the internet."

[Cleita]

22. Las Vegas is feeling the depression worse than most.

People are moving here to California because they've lost their jobs in Reno and Las Vegas. I don't know if they are going to be better off. I guess they have to blame someone. Although, I probably would have thrown George Bush in his face as being the cause of it all because Obama only has so big of a broom and mop to clean up his mess. However, you were probably wise to avoid any further confrontation.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. Every time I am there I am amazed by all the construction

They are constantly tearing down and building anew. Most of the older well known places are gone. So they have had a bit of a slow up here lately. It was still incredibly busy and jammed with tourists.

[JI7]

27. where do you live ?

i think i would rather be wherever your home is with the snow and spend christmas there than vegas.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. KC

And no I would rather go anywhere where there is no snow.

[LWolf]

28. Nice!

I haven't been to Vegas for about 7 years. I visited regularly when I was still married; my ex was often deployed to do civilian support work at the local air force base; 3 weeks at a time with lodging paid.

My sons have a half sister who lives there, so we made some family trips as well. We lived about 4 hours away by car, if the traffic was reasonable.

We spent a couple of fun Thanksgivings there, as well. Other than the shuttle driver, I'm glad your stay was nice. Better do something about that snow load on the patio lattice before it comes crashing down, lol.

[proud2BlibKansan]

43. Too cold to fix the patio and we have more snow coming

We'll probably lose more lattice before the weather is warm enough to fix it. Oh well.

[LWolf]

54. I'm supposed to be under the house today,

wrapping more insulation around the new pipe I had to put in when the old one broke and flooded everything a couple of weeks ago. It's cold and snowy, with more on the way...the pipe is close to the outside, so I have to lay half in, half out in the snow to get it done. I'm looking to see how cold it's going to be, and when the forecast clears up, to see if I can get away with waiting until the snowstorm has passed.

:hi:

[NMMNG]

29. Ah, Vegas

I went there with a friend in January several years ago. I only put $1 in the slots and spent next to nothing on souvenirs. We entertained our just seeing the sights. Between the hotels, Hoover Dam, Ethel M Chocolate Factory, and Red Rock Canyon we were never bored and didn't have to go broke.

[Duke Newcombe]

33. Ah, yes. Vegas. Love the place...

...but not that stupid-assed "Warn a Brotha" t-shirt. Right up there with "Stop Snitchin' shirt.

Glad you got out with your money and some good times.

[Ron Green]

34. Las Vegas was an interesting place when Louis Prima's band was playing every night.

Now, not so much.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madfloridian]

38. That statement is way way out of line.

[tammywammy]

40. Who pissed in your Wheaties today? n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

52. He's gone

What a silly topic to be TS'ed over. LOL

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. You really think customer service employees should talk politics with customers?

I don't. And I don't do that when I am at work. It's incredibly rude.

Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not a big Starbucks fan. In fact, I only go there when there are no other options available, like at airports. Then I cringe at their ridiculous prices. Guess you have to be a true 'latte liberal' to love their coffee. LOL

[SemiCharmedQuark]

50. Don't worry, P2BLK. I'm in customer service and I won't target you.

:hug:

I agree with you, RE: talking politics. That policy isn't just for customer service people either. I don't talk politics with certain members of my family. We're all Dems, but some are a lot more conservative than I am.

[proud2BlibKansan]

51. I don't talk politics at school with my kids

When they ask in an election year (and they do often) who I am voting for, I ask "Who do you think I should vote for?" Then we have a great discussion focused on issues and they end up learning a thing or two. I also sometimes tell them it isn't polite to ask someone who they are voting for.

Last year when I told them we would be watching the inauguration, one of them said "Wow. Now I know you voted for Obama!" LOL

[Starbucks Anarchist]

45. Maybe the homeless could work at Target.

[dysfunctional press]

48. most of them are over-qualified and have too much self-respect to be target employees.

[proteus_lives]

47. Ooooh, how scary!

"If the economy ever does collapse people like you will be the first the masses target."

Go put on a Che t-shirt. You'll feel better.

[dysfunctional press]

49. it sounds like somebody has a case of the 'mondays'.

[MindPilot]

39. Love Vegas -- I go three or four times a year.

I have never run into a right wing cabbie in Vegas. I always strike up a conversation with the drivers, and in those times when the conversation has turned to politics, they've always been lefties.


Next time, don't take the shuttle, call ahead for a car. It's only like 15 dollars more, the guy is waiting for you at baggage claim, no driving around to a dozen different hotels packed in a van, and you get totally better service at the hotel when you pull up in a black Lincoln Town Car; usually escorted right to VIP check-in.

Did you get down to Fremont St?

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Fremont St is my favorite!

I love it down there. We decided we are staying there next time we go.

Funny but our kids weren't impressed with the light show. We love it and they just sighed and said "We're the video generation. This was no big deal". And I could stand there all night watching it. LOL

Thanks for the advice about the driver. I'll remember that.

[Mari333]

53. knr for the sheer tackiness of Las Vegas!!

I remember driving through there in 76, when it was on the wane, the last of the casinos of Sinatra days, before all the new glitz..it was tacky even then, seems to be just as tacky now. but there is a humour in absolute plastic gross tackiness. It is like Naked Disneyland.
It is SO first 3 chakras.