It was what it was....
The Flight Out...
There's nothing like that sinking feeling you get when your plane starts to, well, sink in mid-air, from all of the turbulence you experience. Roller coaster rides don't get the adrenaline pumping the way this flight did. Shaking was typical for the first part of the flight, but then the plane would drop a bit suddenly. Then it would level off, come back up a bit, and then drop some more. Then repeat. Then drop some more. And at that speed, it tends to want to pull you out of your seat. Well, try it did and did again until that bit of drama was over, and had jostled the entire slew of passengers out of slumber or some manner of docility. The rest of the flight was fairly uneventful afterwards.
Landing was about the most sight that we had. What view I had of the strip seemed typical to what I thought it would look like...a bunch of bigger buildings surrounded by a brigade of smaller buildings wrapped in a cocoon of desert and mountains....with a Carrot Top billboard in the middle.
The cab ride...
I figured I'd end up taking a cab, as I didn't(and couldn't afford to) rent a vehicle. And take a cab I did. I was hoping he'd take a credit card over cash so I wouldn't have to dip into my hard currency which I wanted to use for either gambling and/or side-pots during the bowling tournament. It wasn't to be, but whatever, I had it, so may as well use it. My hotel was located north of the strip....not even on the strip....in downtown Las Vegas, which made the trip from the airport a bit lengthier, which I was fine with, because I was only a mile away from the center where the event was being held. We got to talking about bowling(go figure) on the way through the mid-day traffic back-ups on the nearby expressway. At one point, not too far from my destination, we almost got run off of the road by some 'tard who, like the drivers in Chicago(and anywhere else, really) was in a hurry and not paying attention. It was almost kind of nice, because it felt like I was home, and the cabby and I got to talking about crappy drivers all over the place, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The hotel
Get to the hotel, and already the area has a feeling about it. It wasn't so much a bad feeling, but it was a feeling. I'd figure out what it is later. But the Nugget was very well kept, had an almost old-school class to it. Get to my room, and to look at the pics, it doesn't do the statement of "Holy 1970's Batman!" justice. Drapery around the headboard of the bed, green(not shag, thank gawdz!) and gold designs on the carpeting....it seemed to fit that sort of neo-old-school vibe I was getting. It took an hour of getting used to, until I turned on the tv to WGN America and was surprised by a Cubs game, in which they were thoroughly getting romped upon by The Twins. It was making the transition so much easier.
more to follow....
There's nothing like that sinking feeling you get when your plane starts to, well, sink in mid-air, from all of the turbulence you experience. Roller coaster rides don't get the adrenaline pumping the way this flight did. Shaking was typical for the first part of the flight, but then the plane would drop a bit suddenly. Then it would level off, come back up a bit, and then drop some more. Then repeat. Then drop some more. And at that speed, it tends to want to pull you out of your seat. Well, try it did and did again until that bit of drama was over, and had jostled the entire slew of passengers out of slumber or some manner of docility. The rest of the flight was fairly uneventful afterwards.
Landing was about the most sight that we had. What view I had of the strip seemed typical to what I thought it would look like...a bunch of bigger buildings surrounded by a brigade of smaller buildings wrapped in a cocoon of desert and mountains....with a Carrot Top billboard in the middle.
The cab ride...
I figured I'd end up taking a cab, as I didn't(and couldn't afford to) rent a vehicle. And take a cab I did. I was hoping he'd take a credit card over cash so I wouldn't have to dip into my hard currency which I wanted to use for either gambling and/or side-pots during the bowling tournament. It wasn't to be, but whatever, I had it, so may as well use it. My hotel was located north of the strip....not even on the strip....in downtown Las Vegas, which made the trip from the airport a bit lengthier, which I was fine with, because I was only a mile away from the center where the event was being held. We got to talking about bowling(go figure) on the way through the mid-day traffic back-ups on the nearby expressway. At one point, not too far from my destination, we almost got run off of the road by some 'tard who, like the drivers in Chicago(and anywhere else, really) was in a hurry and not paying attention. It was almost kind of nice, because it felt like I was home, and the cabby and I got to talking about crappy drivers all over the place, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The hotel
Get to the hotel, and already the area has a feeling about it. It wasn't so much a bad feeling, but it was a feeling. I'd figure out what it is later. But the Nugget was very well kept, had an almost old-school class to it. Get to my room, and to look at the pics, it doesn't do the statement of "Holy 1970's Batman!" justice. Drapery around the headboard of the bed, green(not shag, thank gawdz!) and gold designs on the carpeting....it seemed to fit that sort of neo-old-school vibe I was getting. It took an hour of getting used to, until I turned on the tv to WGN America and was surprised by a Cubs game, in which they were thoroughly getting romped upon by The Twins. It was making the transition so much easier.
more to follow....