A Trip to Vegas

Ahh …Vegas. You can’t possibly be bored here, and this place can flat burn you out in about four days (which is about what your max stay should be
here due to the constant bombardment of the senses).

Unfortunately I have been here at times up to two weeks straight, so you try to find ways to amuse yourself and stay out of trouble. A couple of things about Vegas:

The first thing that most people don’t realize is that this city is surrounded by
mountains on all sides, some ranges closer than others. It is majestic scenery,
when you lift your head up long enough from the strip, or the slot machines.
Vegas is absolutely the best city for people-watching, especially the strip, on
a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night (that’s when the California crowd
drives/flies in, it gets noticeably more crowded). Oh, and try finding a clock
when in the casinos, I dare you. It’s not going to happen.

Las Vegas can be an entertaining place even if you’re not a gambler There is plenty to do here. See all the different casinos. See the collection of memorabilia at the Hard Rock, or the Indoor waterways at the Venice  (St. Mark's Square is a great take), The Eiffel tower at the Paris Hotel shops, the Fountain at Bellagio, the shops at Caesar’s, the Pirate show at T.I, and a trip to Old Town (downtown to get an idea of “old Vegas.” If you're there long enough, I highly recommend getting out of Vegas and going to see the Hoover Dam and taking in some of the desert, if for nothing else, to get out of Vegas for six hours, so whether you catch a sunset at the top of the stratosphere, or just go visit the boys from “Pawn Stars,” it’s  always a fun time.

It’s an odd sight to see slot machines in an airport, but that’s one of the first things you’ll notice when you arrive. Las Vegas has a brand new airport terminal, making things a little smoother in an otherwise chaotic experience. I HIGHLY recommend when leaving Vegas you get there three hours early. Security seems to bottle neck, and there is a tremendous amount of people that are coming and going Also, the rental car facility is off-site about two miles away. There is a shuttle that takes you to and from the airport there.

Couple of restaurants I would recommend: Diablo’s on the Strip,
The Rising Sun or Fogo de Chao on Flamingo, The Gordon Biersch Brewery or PF
Chang’s on Paradise Road, any of the Hamada’s for Sushi. The Peppermill near the
Convention Center is also a good place to give you an old Vegas feel. But there
are more buffets, steak houses and sushi places than I could list here. Gone
are the days of the cheap buffets, but you can still get a pretty good deal at
several of the casinos. 

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Former State Rep Michael Reed is a Nashua resident and on-site logistic supervisor in the trade show industry for ELITeXPO. His job requires extensive travel, taking him away from his cats (and family) for approx 4-5 weeks a year. He has served as a state representative in south Nashua and as youth sports coach in the community. He is President of the SNH Reds, an AAU Baseball Organization. At last count Mr. Reed has been through some 65 airports and cities in the last 15 years, many multiple times.

Through this blog he will give you the good, bad, and the ugly on airports and the cities he has spent time in. As you plan your 2013 vacation, Mr. Reed hopes to offer suggestions that you can use in your plans.