I'm flying to Las Vegas tomorrow. I go every few years. It's changed a lot from the first time I went back in the late 70's. There are more big casinos and it's more family oriented. Now you see senior citizens walking around at all hours of the night. There are quite a few kids during the day viewing the pirate ship battle at Treasure Island or playing games at Circus-Circus or Excalibur. Twenty-five years ago you mostly saw an army of hookers and guys who looked like they might belong to the mob. It's remarkably safe today, if you stay on the strip or downtown. I think that my high school class is meeting in Las Vegas in 2006. That will probably be my next visit.
Last time I went, I walked around so much that my feet hurt for two weeks afterward. I went to just about every new casino on the street, including Paris, Bellagio, New York, Monte Carlo, the Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesar's (which was greatly expanded) , and several others. I missed the Rio, Hard Rock, and a few that are off the strip. I also went downtown to see the laser show at night. Even with the monorail between some of the hotels and the bus downtown, it was a lot of walking. This time I'm going to skip some of the more distant destinations and stay in the center. I'm still after that elusive Royal Flush on the video poker machines. Last time, the best hand that I got was four kings, which was worth about 4 hundred. I'll probably see a few shows, as well. Nothing will probably compare with the show that I saw in Reno about 10 years ago. I went to a production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". I was sitting front row center. About half way thru the show, the sheriff points at me and says "Isn't that Bubba, the guy who comes here, 3, 4, 6! times per week". He then handcuffed me and made me go on stage. The working girls then all defended me, because I was their best customer. They basically danced around me and wrapped me in their feather boas. It was very strange, but kind of fun. I can see why actors like being on stage. It was a little embarassing walking thru the casino later with my face covered with lipstick, though.