"Viva Star Trek" a Las Vegas Travel Page by Darkeyedgirl

I think 3 days in Vegas is sufficient; I hear other people stay longer. Dunno how. I mean I never got adjusted to Pacific Standard Time. Weird experience being 3 hours off your own brain.

No matter how late I turned in, my butt was waking up way-too-early. 4amish! It was weird. When I finally hopped on the giant tube to be pressurized & flown back to Cincinnati, to zoom across 2 time zones, to land in NORTHERN KENTUCKY (uh… Cincinnati to some of you out there) it was a Godsend. I FELT my body clock go, “oh okay thank you, I’m back to my own groove now”.

Granted: the Starfleet uniformed bartender giving me those giant Cosmos may have had something to do with my body clock being thwarted. The bright lights & expansiveness & expensiveness of Vegas may have had something to do with it. I don’t know; but for those who fly across the time zones all the time, how do you do it? For those of you who stayed up all night long in the casinos, how do you do it?

And, for people who stay longer in Vegas than the 3 day mark; how do you do it? Sensory overload!!!!!!!

Hell Jane lost $700 on the first NIGHT. Steve says he brought $1,000 "just to lose I guess".

I didn’t even gamble but as soon as Jane told me about her losses, the first morning at the booth… I said, uh maybe this gambling thingy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

However, the Star Trek portion of the very large get-lost-it's-so-big Hilton was totally worth every penny I spent in there. I didn't go to Vegas to gamble or see shows or to even see the bright lights; nope. I went to work a trade show, which I did (we were all busting butt), so afterwards, going off & sneaking more time with aliens was all I really wanted to do.

The food was something else, both restaurants were awesome (aside from the Star Trek restaurant, we went to Spago's and this one Italian place). The food was so rich, so good, so tasty, so rich (did I say, rich), that I actually puked up the dinner. Food that rich going into such a tiny body isn't a good thing or something. Ever eat so much, you barf it up? and yer not even drunk or anything?

... I went to work, all of the peeps for the Pack Expo worked. Worked very hard. Great show! So afterwards... well what can I say. The last thing I wanted to do was continue to overload my senses with bright lights, loudness and MORE people swarming around.

Now, if / when I go BACK to Vegas, it'll be "pleasure", not "business". At THAT point, I'll gamble (just didn't have the time or gumption), I'll eat LESS of the rich food (no more projectile vomiting), and I will NOT WORK!!!!

T.G. for Overtime...

Anyways the Hilton was adjacent to the Convention Center so that was cool. My dad warned me about the SIZE of the Hilton. Warnings aside, I asked for a map and got one; this little piece of paper with colored blocks stating where all the shopping & restaurants were, well didn't help me much! I'm telling ya if you don't get lost in your own hotel, you'll get lost in the convention center (several times) if you go out there to work; and if you don't get lost there, you'll get lost in one of the many dizzying casinos.

I thought I was going to have a seizure from all the bright flashing lights. Not kidding here. I actually went back to my room at like 4pm as soon as the show was over that second night, took a bunch of meds, took a bath, ordered room service, and went to freaking sleep. SLEEP!

So Vegas is probably better if you go there on vacation? I'll find out someday, cuz I WILL be going back to the Hilton (AFTER they update & upgrade and get BETTER TOILET PAPER!) for pleasure. Star Trek or to get married or something; but not for business...

After the 1st night of the show, my 2nd night in Vegas, I was taken out to the Strip by a few of my coworkers. I'm glad I went; just to say, "I went".

We ate at Spago's... more intense food (we licked the plates). More awe-inspiring sights. I can't believe how BIG everything is in Vegas! Price tags, hotels, shows.

The lights. I could see the lights from my hotel room (the Hilton is sorta off the path a tad so you're sitting back watching stuff). It's a weird thing to look out & see A SEA OF SPARKLING LIGHTS that goes aaaaal day, aaaalll night... and then, the frame of red jagged mountains surrounding the city. Plopped into an expanse of desert sand sits more wiring, bulbs and flashy stuff than any spot on earth I bet.