"It really does stay in Vegas..." Las Vegas by Nor_Cal_Brad

That's the saying at least. Really, once you're here, there's a strange sense of unlimited energy. There's no last call and no closing time, and you can always find something to do. Las Vegas is much more expensive than it used to be, but you can still have a great time and find some great deals if you know where to look.

Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

If you're driving up I-15 from Southern California during the night, you can see the glow of Vegas from very far away. As you get closer, the glow on the horizon just keeps getting brighter. One reason for this is the spotlight pointed upwards out of the top of the Luxor, which is the brightest light in the world.

Las Vegas Monorail track @ the MGM Grand

Until my trip there in March 2008, I had not been to Las Vegas for years. There's a lot of new construction still going on there, so the landscape is constantly changing. One very convenient improvement since my previous visit is the addition of the Las Vegas Monorail that runs parallel to the Strip. You can see part of the monorail track in front of the MGM Grand in this picture. It was only $9 for an all day pass last time I checked, and if you are planning on traveling between a few different casinos on the Strip, the monorail is much quicker than walking. I walked the length of the Vegas Strip from the Stratosphere to Luxor and back to Stratosphere, and later found out it was about an 8 mile walk round trip (no wonder my feet hurt so much the next day). I've read that the monorail is going to have an extension out to the airport by 2011.

• Pros:Always something to do, no last call, lots of energy
• Cons:Sleep deprivation, money goes quickly, exhaustion at the end of your Vegas trip
• In a nutshell:It's the U.S. version of Disneyland for adults!