Viva Las Vegas

Ever been to Las Vegas? If you get the opportunity, go! but leave the kids at home. As hard as they try, it's not a family town. Oh, the stories I could tell, but I don't feel like going to jail and I promised that the details would remain buried. Just watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and you'll get the point.

I can tell you about one story, though embarrassing as it may be. See, I'm a Tennessee boy. I grew up surrounded by hills and mountains. So, from my perspective, if you can see it, you can walk to it because it can't be more than a couple of miles away. Logical, right?

When some pals and I went to Vegas, we decided to take in Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Our hotel was at one end of the strip, but we could see the sign for the Hilton, and all of us being from Tennessee, we figured it couldn't possibly be that far away. We set off walking. Yep, we walked. In Las Vegas. In summer.

Three hours later, we figured we were lost and stopped to ask a native. He just looked at us in amazement when we told him where we were walking toward and from whence we came. He muttered something, and shaking his head walked away. Stoically (sort of), we trudged onward.

Ages later, we arrived at the Hilton. Weary, sweaty, and nasty from the MILES OF WALKING, we looked up to see a 300 foot sign. Yep, we could indeed see that gigantic sign from our hotel 'cause the terrain is completely flat. True story.

I was sad to hear that the Hilton closed down their Star Trek attraction last year, but like the phoenix Star Trek is, they're reopening it just in time for the movie.

If you get a chance, check it out. It's worth the trip. But trust me, take a cab.

Quark's bar: Skip the Romulan Ale, trust me on this, you'll thank me.