For those who've been to Las Vegas

[E. Thorp]

A coworker and I went to Las Vegas a few years ago for a conference. Here's what I did that weekend: sat through the conference, ate large quantities of surprisingly good food, drank a fair bit of wine, gave up on a nightclub after standing in line for an hour or two, ogled a bunch of cute casino employees.

In short, nothing happened to me in Vegas that needed to stay in Vegas. How about you?

[E. Thorp]

I realize the poll doesn't cover all options, eg if you've been to Vegas multiple times with different outcomes, or if you live there. Just pick your favorite experience, OK?

[Ludovic]

Something happened that might have needed to stay there the day I went to Vegas, but not when I was in Vegas. All I did was eat 5 plates from Circus Circus buffet and win a hundred bucks or so at poker.

What happened earlier in the day is almost die of dehydration in Havasupai canyon. What made me want to keep it secret was it was less than 1 mile from my car, I simply couldn't go forward any more without water and a rest. Mitigating circumstances though, it was 1 mile away but more than 1000 feet up and I bonked out on a 20% slope.

[Spare Me]

I go to Vegas yearly with a group of buddies, and less often with my wife or another couple. Obviously the wife/couple trips are all above-board.

For the yearly trips, it's usually a function (for us) of the age and circumstances of the guys involved. Of the four of us on last year's trip, three are married with young children, and one was single. We all spent our time eating a lot, drinking a lot more, wandering about, playing roulette at the Pleasure Pit at Planet Hollywood - and ogling the casino girls and dancers - and that was about it. The single guy picked up different girls on 2 of the 3 nights we were there, and had what I'm sure as very enjoyable and marital-status-appropriate time with them. I even told my wife how much money I spent (way more on food & booze than gambling).

I once went with several colleagues, one of whom won a touch over $22,000 playing craps. He said there was no way he could take it home as his wife would have been fecked off over the amount of money he could have lost. So we ate, drank, limo'ed, helicoptered and generally pissed away about a $15,000 of that. He took the rest home.

For me, if I tell my wife what I did and spent, the chances I get to go again next year remain good.

[silenus]

Both. Neither. Hard to choose. But my wife knows all the stories, and was a part of the best of them, so what happens in Vegas need not stay there.

Heading back in...27 days. Woot!

[That Don Guy]

It doesn't have to stay there - in fact, in some places (for example, the Vegas message board at Chowhound), you're expected to talk. Is Gordon Ramsay's new steakhouse at the Paris worth the hype? Does Studio B (the buffet at M) compare to Wicked Spoon (the one at Cosmopolitan)? How's the new Tacos El Gordo on the strip?

It's not just food, either - if you know of any videp poker machines that are set up so the player has the advantage, you are expected to spill the beans on in VPFree group on Yahoo.

[Sister Vigilante]

Mister Vigilante lived there. I brought him back with me. So he didn't stay there.

Having said that:

Blue Man Group
Penn & Teller
Seeing random celebrities walking through a mall (it was the Bellagio but still)
CHEAP and GREAT food - the buffets are magnificent (sorry but I haven't been to the ones mentioned above)

Also, don't drink at the bars inside the casinos. There is no alcohol in those. Instead, sit at a slot machine and plunk in some quarters, win some, lose some, and someone with almost no clothing on will come offer you a free drink (even if you are a girl, as I am), which does have alcohol in it. Repeat as necessary.

[RealityChuck]

Nothing happened other than my going to a couple of shows and toured the strip.

[Wheelz]

Heh. I visited Vegas a couple times in the late 80s or so when I was young, single, and slightly stupid. I guess you could say I engaged in some activities that should maybe "stay in Vegas." But then again, it was nothing terribly inappropriate for a young, single, slightly stupid guy looking to have a good time.

I've subsequently been back several times with my wife, and we spend our time seeing shows, trying restaurants, and doing some low-stakes gambling; theres nothing unsavory happening there. Also been there with a buddy of mine a couple times, and those trips are a bit wilder, but not vow-breaking by any stretch. So I had to vote that what happens there need not stay there, on the whole.

[Moonlitherial]

I love Vegas but nothing that's happened to me there needs to stay there

It's a collection of many of my favorite things* in one neat package and I travel there every year or two with either my husband or my friends. It's major advantage now is that I've been there often enough that I can go on vacation and really relax. There's nothing I *NEED* to see but lots I can do when I want to. Next trip is in 2 months and my husband will spend half of it at a conference so lots of relaxation time for me!

*Hot weather, beautiful scenery, good restaurants, good shows and spa's.

[ZipperJJ]

I was in Vegas during the 2004 elections. My boyfriend was a Young Republican and spent all night watching the elections while I wandered around the casino myself. I also found out on that trip just how far right he was and how far left I was. I remember having the thought "how could I love anyone who thinks this way?"

We broke up shortly thereafter. I enjoyed the trip otherwise tho!

[Tim R. Mortiss]

What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook.

[zoid]

I stopped going to Vegas with friends because I had to tell too many lies when we came back. My friends are nuts.

[Larry Mudd]

I've gone a few times with coworkers, friends, and my wife.

What happens in Vegas need not stay in Vegas, because I generally get up to the same sort of bad behavior at home. (Well, before the kids came along, anyway.)

[Robot Arm]

It depends. Does anybody want to hear me whinge about what a sucky time I had?

[Lamar Mundane]

You guys are doing it wrong.

[Rigamarole]

I want an option for "I'm sick of hearing that fucking cliché."

[gunnergoz]

What happened to me in Vegas depends upon when I went and with what intentions. Lets just say that my recent trips there as a married man have been far tamer than the ones I took when I was a young single dude. The biggest - and best - difference is that these days, I don't need to take blood tests when I get home.

[Asimovian]

I've been a witness at a drive-thru wedding, attended a second wedding, and gotten married myself. I've done a little bit of gambling, a little bit of show-watching, and an awful lot of bowling and eating and general lazing about.

I suspect that while my ratios of various activities may differ from others, the activities themselves don't. Nothing I do really needs to stay in Vegas.

[Taomist]

I've only been to Vegas once, and that was my honeymoon. So there really wasn't much trouble I could get into that I'd have to hide from anyone.

[snowmaster]

Interesting username /post combo, OP. I'm a big fan of your book. Did you break the bank at the BJ tables?

[Roland Orzabal]

For me, what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas precisely because it didn't involve anything I wouldn't mention in a church. I have a reputation to maintain. (Said reputation is wholly unearned and based largely on my being 20-something and single, but I maintain it nonetheless.)

[gotpasswords]

For me, whatever happened in Vegas wasn't worth repeating. I think the most interesting thing that happened the last time I was there was I bonked my head on the sloping window of our room at the Luxor. Just a <thunk> owww... with no loss of consciousness and subsequent hijinks.

[E. Thorp]

Originally Posted by snowmaster

Interesting username /post combo, OP. I'm a big fan of your book. Did you break the bank at the BJ tables?

Huh. I never heard of that book or its author until just now. Quite the (lucky?) coincidence.

[gwendee]

I was just talking about this. For years the trade group in which I participate held its conferences in Orlando, FL. A few years ago the powers that be announced the conference would begin alternating between Las Vegas and Orlando.

Woo Hoo. Vegas Baby!, I thought. I was completely wrong. I wasn't expecting to snort coke off of Chippendale dancers or anything but I thought I'd get in some serious video poker time. Naw. Conference events, including the social ones, kept us occupied from about 8:00am to 11:00pm. I was too beat after a full day for gambling. If I'd been 20 maybe I could've gotten in a few hours of Multi-Strike and been able to participate fully in the next day's activities.

I asked someone higher up in the organization why LV and Orlando if no one gets to play. Wouldn't it be cheaper to go to Cleveland or Newark? The answer was that those cities don't have venues large enough to accommodate the trade show portion of our conference.

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by snowmaster

Did you break the bank at the BJ tables?

I think your Las Vegas would be more fun

[msmith537]

It's like this. If you weren't the sort of guy who does coke of a stripper's ass, orders bottle service in the clubs until 6am, gambles thousands of dollars a hand, gets wasted, bangs hookers and steals Mike Tyson's pet tiger before you went to Vegas, you aren't going to turn into that guy in Vegas.

Here is my impression of Vegas. Thousand of interchangeable carbon blobs fly in from all over the country. They think they are going to roll Hangover style, get really wasted on free drinks at the casinos (where they will lose their money), stand in line for megaclubs they will never get into and then wander around drunk and obnoxious until they are ready to pass out.

To really have a 'Vegas' time costs a fair amount of money for the average suburban schoolteacher or office park worker. If you want to party at any of the clubs, you should arrange for a VIP room ahead of time (bottle service is like $500 or so IIRC). Probably want to hit the strip clubs too (Spearmint Rhino or Crazy Horse II are always popular). Again, expect to spend a lot. And that doesn't include the costs of bring all that coke and hookers back to your $5000 a night suite at The Palms.

[King Bobo]

Yeah, been to Las Vegas (once) with my brother and sister-in-law. We spent some time playing slots in several places. None of us knew enough about gambling to try any of the tables, so we ended up playing "kiddie" games at "Circus Circus". I still have the stuffed toy (a Toucan bird) my brother won and gave to me. Nothing to report here.

[Gatopescado]

I used to live there. I would prefer the "stays there" option.

[Ace309]

I got married (last Saturday) but I can't convince her that it stays here.

[Fear Itself]

Last time I went to Vegas, I took in the Atomic Testing Museum and the Pinball Hall of Fame.

Isn't that pretty much what everybody does?

[DMark]

Just as a footnote, Las Vegas has tried to distance itself from this wildly popular ad campaign.

The reason is that too many people started to think that was the purpose of coming to Vegas - to do something that should stay here. On weekends, jail cells are chock full of idiots who thought "anything goes" in Vegas, and you can get away with anything. That would be wrong.

Yes, you can walk down The Strip legally drinking alcohol - no need for that silly brown paper bag to hide that beer or whatever. And yes, prostitution is legal in Nevada - but NOT in Clark County (greater metropolitan Las Vegas). Pot and coke and the other party drugs are as illegal here as they are in most places. Casino security makes guards at Guantanamo seem like nice guys and they don't put up with nonsense - so trashing your room or peeing in the fountain might be fun for a second, but hopefully one of your friends has bail money.

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" seemed like a fun ad campaign at the time. Nobody knew it would become a mantra for idiots with a tad too much money to spend, and the new right-of-passage for every 21st birthday party - male or female.

Luckily, as mentioned above, most people come here and see a show, eat too much at the buffets, plop an extra few bucks in the machines they might not have planned on, and see the sights.

But some people come ready to party-hearty and drink that 25th shot, snort that line, put on their slutwear or call the phone number from that porno flyer they got on the street to get Bunny to come to their room later and and let's just say it usually doesn't end well. Should any of you be near the somewhat dismal Downtown area by day, take a walk about three blocks in any direction - you will see one bail bondsman's office after the next after the next. They do a nice business and my guess is they are the biggest fans of "...stays in Vegas".

[amijane]

I got knocked up in Vegas after years of infertility. So, whether it should have or not, what happened in Vegas most certainly did not stay there.

[JRDelirious]

Originally Posted by msmith537

It's like this. If you weren't the sort of guy who does coke of a stripper's ass, orders bottle service in the clubs until 6am, gambles thousands of dollars a hand, gets wasted, bangs hookers and steals Mike Tyson's pet tiger before you went to Vegas, you aren't going to turn into that guy in Vegas.

And except for Mike's pet tiger I could do all that in my hometown, probably cheaper.

Probably want to hit the strip clubs too (Spearmint Rhino or Crazy Horse II are always popular).

It looks like they've moved up to Crazy Horse III by now. Between the clubs (both "Strip" and "strip-") and the casinos, the only reason you don't just as well build a bonfire of all your money or throw it into Lake Meade and be done with it is because there's an ordinance against that.

And if you take the pedestrian bridges late you are as likely as not to have to step over someone who let too much happen in Vegas.

Originally Posted by DMark

Casino security makes guards at Guantanamo seem like nice guys and they don't put up with nonsense - so trashing your room or peeing in the fountain might be fun for a second, but hopefully one of your friends has bail money.

[...] Should any of you be near the somewhat dismal Downtown area by day, take a walk about three blocks in any direction - you will see one bail bondsman's office after the next after the next. They do a nice business and my guess is they are the biggest fans of "...stays in Vegas".

Your Bailmen sector is almost as large as Baltimore's, man, for a lower population. (From the online Yellow Pages: Las Vegas listings for Bail/Bail Bondsmen: 215, Baltimore listings 250 ) People are getting BUSY at being idiots...

[Loach]

Originally Posted by msmith537

It's like this. If you weren't the sort of guy who does coke of a stripper's ass, orders bottle service in the clubs until 6am, gambles thousands of dollars a hand, gets wasted, bangs hookers and steals Mike Tyson's pet tiger before you went to Vegas, you aren't going to turn into that guy in Vegas.

Here is my impression of Vegas. Thousand of interchangeable carbon blobs fly in from all over the country. They think they are going to roll Hangover style, get really wasted on free drinks at the casinos (where they will lose their money), stand in line for megaclubs they will never get into and then wander around drunk and obnoxious until they are ready to pass out.

To really have a 'Vegas' time costs a fair amount of money for the average suburban schoolteacher or office park worker. If you want to party at any of the clubs, you should arrange for a VIP room ahead of time (bottle service is like $500 or so IIRC). Probably want to hit the strip clubs too (Spearmint Rhino or Crazy Horse II are always popular). Again, expect to spend a lot. And that doesn't include the costs of bring all that coke and hookers back to your $5000 a night suite at The Palms.

Last time in Vegas I was hanging with some whales. Your cost estimate is a little off. A table at XS in the Encore was $2000. A magnum of grey goose was $1000. I had to pay the $100 cover charge and drank all night on their dime. These are guys I watched playing blackjack with $2000 a hand.

I marked stays there. To protect the innocent. I have fond no vow breaking since I was single but we'll just leave it at that.

[msmith537]

Originally Posted by Loach

Last time in Vegas I was hanging with some whales. Your cost estimate is a little off. A table at XS in the Encore was $2000. A magnum of grey goose was $1000. I had to pay the $100 cover charge and drank all night on their dime. These are guys I watched playing blackjack with $2000 a hand.

I marked stays there. To protect the innocent. I have fond no vow breaking since I was single but we'll just leave it at that.

I just estimated the suite.

The $500 estimate was for the club at Planet Hollywood (The Gallery I think). And that isn't even really high end at all.

I just know me and like 20 of my mostly management consulting buddies spent a lot of money over several days. And there are clearly options to spend a heck of a lot more than we can afford.


Although one of my Wall Street trader buddies was telling me about his trips to Macau. Sort of makes LV look like AC. (Macau does about 3x the revenue of Vegas).

[dogbutler]

Originally Posted by Tim R. Mortiss

What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook.

This. I did do a 7 hour pub crawl on the Strip and ended up with more money than I started with(even with all the slots and drinking).

[glee]

Originally Posted by E. Thorp

A coworker and I went to Las Vegas a few years ago for a conference.

If I went to Vegas (or anywhere else) for a conference, I would behave with decorum.

As it happens, I have been to Vegas several times on holiday.